Films first started by in the 20s giving us five of the biggest movie studios when they saw that movies were rising in popularity. These five giants include Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, and RKO Radio each of these studios have produced their fair amount of great movies. Movies are terrific communicators of ideas that the directors have. They have many times influenced pop culture to take for example many phrases that you use have originate in film. Another influence on culture could be historical movies. Though not always completely true they do let people know about events that happened while communicating it in a non educational fun format.
 
One cannot deny that movies create great fantasy. For example movies were very popular during the depression for those who could afford it. It showed a world that was great compared to America during the thirties for the viewers of the film. It would help them escape from their problems for that hour and they would not have to worry. Movies definitely reflect the past and the present though. For example though not the best movie Geostorm is a movie about the weather and how catastrophic it can be is similar to global warming and how if not fixed will cause massive problems for the world. So all in all movies are an art form that can mimic and convey problems with the world and our culture.
 
Story by ​Peter Hornaday
 
http://thefw.com/people-at-the-movie-theater/
https://thoughteconomics.com/the-role-of-film-in-society/
http://edictive.com/blog/influence-of-film-on-modern-society/
 

The history of Air Jordans started in 1984. During that time, Nike was struggling to be a new and cool shoe company that everyone loved. They thought of a way to reinvent the company, or athletes gain a fresh start. Nike decided to offer NBA rookie Michael Jordan a shoe line, all for himself. Michael Jordan wasn’t exactly in to this idea, he was hoping to get signed with Adidas or Converse. The reason for that is he wore those shoes as a little kid, and they were his basketball shoes. Unfortunately Converse was not interested, since they already had endorsements deals with Larry Bird and Magic Johnston. Sadly, Adidas was not interested either. David Falk, Michael Jordan's agent at the time, saw Nike’s offer as an amazing opportunity. Since that day forward Nike has been manufacturing an incredible shoe line, “Air Jordans!”
 
How Did Nike Convince Michael Jordan?
Michael still didn’t feel exactly confident signing with Nike. On the other hand, Nike felt the exact opposite way. They thought Michael Jordan would be a great Spokesman. He was quite young, he was also an olympic champion. But most importantly he had charisma and an incredible personality. Nike also knew that Michael would be an NBA superstar. He finally agreed to sign off with Nike, after being convinced by his agent and parents. The main reason he signed was the persuasion and skills of Nike. Michael flew to Nike’s Headquarters in Portland, Oregon and viewed a special video presentation and proposal. He later went with no intention of signing the contract with Nike.
 
What Was So Special About The Presentation?
The video presentation featured slow-motion clips of highlights from Michael Jordan’s college career. There were also some high-flying olympic moves featured in the amazing video. The Pointer Sisters hit song “Jump” was played in the background of the video presentation. Peter Moore, Nike Head designer, had presented sketches he made of apparel ideas. Peter’s ideas consisted of: Air Jordan Sneakers, jumpsuits, and other common, stylish, and comfortable sports apparel, all black and red. Michael still wasn’t thrilled with the designs he saw. Fun fact - Michael actually said; “I can’t wear that shoe, those are Devil colors!” Even though Jordan was disinterested with the presentation, he later told David Faulk, his agent, “Let’s make the deal!”
 
What happened after Michael Jordan got signed to Nike?
Michael Jordan was signed to a 5 year deal worth $2.5 million dollars, plus he received royalties and their benefits from Nike. Peter Moore created the First Air Jordan logo, known as the wings logo and the rest of history. The Air Jordan I arrival changed the athletic shoe industry forever. Most basketball shoes were white, before the Air Jordan I. The bold black and red styling of the Air Jordan I changed that convention. The Air Jordan I was banned in the NBA league, but Michael Jordan wore them anyway. He ranked up serious fines of up to $5,000 dollars a game. Nike paid the fines happily, to keep the Air Jordan Is on Michael's feet, in the public eye. All this controversy and Jordan’s spectacular numbers that year served to put the Air Jordan line on the road to becoming a household name.
 
The Turning Point on Air Jordan’s
The year of 1987. The Air Jordan I was a huge success in terms of sale, but on the other hand the Air Jordan II was not as successful due to its high price tag. Peter Moore and Rob Strasser, the designers of both Air Jordans shoes, left Nike, to start their own sneaker company called “Van Grack”! They were hoping to steal Michael Jordan away from Nike, and destroy Nike’s business and success, so they could build their own company around Michael. Surprisingly Michael wanted to leave Nike, and join Van Grack. Once he said that, Nike knew they would need the help of Tinker Hatfield to save the company. He first thing Tinker did over everything else was sit down with Michael Jordan to gather his input about the design of the Air Jordan III. Asking an athlete for their input in the design of a shoe was unheard of. The reason Michael stayed with Nike, and didn't leave to join Van Grack, was due to the good advice from his father. Hs father reportedly told his son to stay with the people that had done a good job for him, and worked incredibly hard for his shoe and his career.
 
Well that is the history of Air Jordans! I hope you enjoyed, and learned some new information. If you would like to do some more research on the Air Jordan’s, I recommend you use this site: http://airjordanshoeshq.com/air-jordan-brand-history/
 
Story by Amelia O’Halloran

I'm not talking about the anime; the seven deadly sins are a group of sins in Christian tradition which are pride, envy, greed, wrath, sloth, lust, and gluttony. You may have heard of these before and wondered where they come from. Why are they called The Seven Deadly Sins? How did they come to be? Where did they start? Let’s find out.
 
Pride
Pride is the feeling of accomplishment with yourself. Pride is a big thing in the living world. This is the main sin, the mother of them all, the one that all the others revolve on. Songs have been made about this sin and it is probably the most popular. Pride symbols are the horse and the color violet. A way to overcome pride is be humble.
 
Envy
Envy is jealousy towards someone else's things or happiness. I think envy is the most occurring thing right now because people want so much of others. Envy is associated with dogs and the color green. A way to overcome envy is be thankful of what you have.
 
Greed
Greed is the desire for  material, wealth, and gain. America is terribly overrun with greed. Greedy politicians, government, and people in general. Everything is always about money. This is linked with yellow and frogs. A way to overcome greed is be generous to others.
 
Wrath
Wrath is uncontrolled feelings of hurt and hate, also known as anger. This again is one that humans use a lot but I feel is a normal thing; this is natural for humans to do. Symbols and associates of this sin are red and bears. A way to overcome wrath is be patient.
 
Sloth
Sloth is laziness, avoidance of work, and slack. Definitely one of my worst ones because I am always procrastinating and not doing my work that needs to be done. Symbols of this are the color light blue and goats. A way to overcome sloth is be diligent.   

Lust
Lust is uncontrolled attraction towards ones body. Lust causes a lot of things in our world, including violence. I think that this can be bad but also doesn’t affect our world as much as others do. It is linked with blue and cows. A way to overcome lust is be pure.
 
Gluttony
Gluttony is the desire to consume more then required, usually by overeating. Another one I think is huge in America. The U.S. is one of the top countries in obesity rate and at least 2 in every 3 adults are overweight or have obesity here. Pigs and the color orange are linked with this sin. A way to overcome gluttony is be moderate.
 
History of the Sins
People have always been bad and acted in revolting ways but apparently the first time an organized set of spiritual “laws” had been made was in Greece by a monastic theologian. But instead of 7 he made 8 which were:

• Gluttony
• Lust
• Avarice
• Sadness
• Anger
• Acedia
• Vainglory
• Pride

Later in the late 6th century, Pope Gregory the Great made it 7. He did this by taking away vainglory because it was almost the same as pride, doing the same with acedia and sadness, then adding envy. Then finally in the 17th century the churches replaced the sin of sadness with sloth.  

Story by Mira Philips 

According to Einstein's theory of special relativity, it is possible to be years older than your identical twin because time can tick at different speeds depending on how you are moving.

In this theory, one of two twins travels at near the speed of light to a distant star, then he returns to Earth. Relativity dictates that when he comes back, he is younger than his identical twin.

Special relativity is an idea that was first proposed by Albert Einstein and explains how space and time are connected for objects that are moving at a consistent speed in a straight line. One of its most famous aspects concerns objects moving close to or at the speed of light.

“One example of relativity is to imagine two people on a train playing ping-pong. The train is traveling at around 30 mph north. When the ball is hit back and forth between the two players, the ball appears to the players to move north at a speed of around 2 mph, and then south at the speed of 2 mph. Now imagine someone standing beside the railroad tracks watching the ping-pong game. When the ball is traveling north it will appear to travel at 32 mph (30 mph plus 2 mph). When the ball is hit in the other direction, it still appears to travel north, but at a speed of 28 mph (30 mph minus the 2 mph). To the observer by the side of the train, the ball always appears to be traveling north. The result is that the speed of the ball depends on the "relative" position of the observer. It will be different for the people on the train than for the person on the side of the railroad tracks, “ says Physics for Kids. 

Special relativity tells us that a clock traveling at a high speed past an observer appears to be ticking slower. Since relativity says that there is no absolute motion, the twin traveling to the star would see his brother’s clock moving more slowly, and the twin on Earth would also see the other brother’s clock moving slow. So, if this were the case, wouldn’t both brothers be the same age?

This paradox is addressed in many books but is rarely solved. When the paradox is discussed, it is done so very briefly usually saying that the twin feeling the acceleration is the one who is younger by the end of the trip. Hence, the brother who travels to the star is younger. While the result is correct, the explanation is confusing. So, what is the twin paradox?

Consider two twins, named Kevin and Bob. On their twentieth birthday, Kevin decides to get in a rocket and take off into outer space, traveling at near the speed of light. He journeys around the universe at this speed for about 30 years, returning to Earth when he is 50 years old. Bob on the other hand, has just turned 95 years.

In this example, there are two frames of reference that move differently from each other, so they experience time differently. This is known as Time Dilation. Because Kevin was traveling so rapidly, time dilation was in effect, therefore making him age slower than his twin, Bob, on Earth.
 
Story by Ava Macie 

Works Cited
Gushanas, Timothy. “NASA Twins Study Confirms Preliminary Findings.” NASA, NASA, 31 Jan. 2018, www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-twins-study-confirms-preliminary-findings.
“Physics for Kids.” Ducksters Educational Site, www.ducksters.com/science/physics/theory_of_relativity.php.
Image: https://www.nasa.gov/twins-study/research

 Surely you’ve heard of the billionaire and philanthropist Oprah, who had her own talk show from 1984 to 2011, but did you know that she built this empire up all the way from the bottom? She used her willpower and strength to pull though extreme challenges and childhood trauma, such as sexual abuse. A big aspect of Oprah's appeal and difference from other talk show hosts was her altered approach to tabloid topics, while other shows exploited them, she pledged to steer clear. In the beginning this negatively affected her reviews, but then people started to prefer and respect the classier way to deliver news. Among the many accomplishments in her life she has become extremely well known for her healthy, inspirational weight loss journey. At the end of this she ended up losing a total of 90 pounds. Winfrey is also a very well known activist and philanthropist, even being named the greatest black philanthropist in history by Business Week. She founded the organization Family for Better Lives, and is very well known for her work to help abused children. She proposed a bill that was signed by Bill Clinton in 1994, which enforced the proper documentation of child abusers on a large scale database. Her most memorable, and arguably most flattering, award she received was The Presidential medal of freedom, which was given to her by President Barack Obama for all of the work that she has done for the country.  Her life story is an inspirational one, and shows many young girls how with their strength they can accomplish anything.
 
Story by Alana Kendrick

Sources: https://www.biography.com/people/oprah-winfrey-9534419
http://www.oprah.com/index.html
​

​Many people have weird soccer rituals and superstitions.  Here are a few, according to bleacherreport.com:
 
Many people in all different types of sports make sure to never step on the sideline. When they get put in, they jump over the line for good luck.
 
It's common for people to keep the same seating arrangement on the sideline if the last game that they played resulted in a victory. This keeps going on until a game is lost and luck is gone.
 
Many people consider the bald players on a team to be the luck charms of the team. The custom of people rubbing the bald players head before a game goes way back. This is because a bald head looks like a golden egg when the lights of the field hit the head.
 
People often don't change or wash their socks before any of the games that they play. They often do this with jerseys too, because the players believe they are symbols of good luck.
 
Many people also often make sure to always be the last out of the locker room before a game, or even be the last to put on their shorts before a game.
 
Some players, especially strikers, refuse to shoot goals while they are warming up before a game. They believe that it's necessary to save their goals for the actual game.
 
I hope that you found these weird superstitions interesting.

Story by Maddie Tate 
 
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1243400-top-10-soccer-superstitions

Emojis. We have all used them before. It's one of the newest and most fun ways of communication. But what we don’t know is where they started or how they did. I myself think that emojis were not just a thing that came along with phones. I think they have a deeper meaning and they are connected to something else. This is the history of emojis.
 
The dictionary definition of emoji is: A small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion etc. in electronic communication.  (Not to be confused with an emoticon.) The first emoji was developed in Japan in 1999 by Shigetaka Kurita and based on the emoticon. The original word for emoji was pictograph. It was changed in Japan. In 2010 some emojis were added to the Unicode a system for indexing characters. Early on emojis were included in Yahoo and MSN messenger. But as of July 2017, there was 2,666 emojis on the official Unicode standard list. But I believe that emojis are related to something that we used way before technology. Hieroglyphics.
 
Hieroglyphics are logographic writing system. It was a character of an ancient Egypt writing system. Hieroglyphics is reminiscent of ancient Egyptian. Although hieroglyphics originated in Egypt, the word is greek. Hiero means “holy” and glyphics means “writings.” So hieroglyphics altogether means “holy writings”.  Apparently, the Egyptians believed deeply in this word and thought it held some kind of power. They thought that if someone remembered your name, you would survive the after-life. (The source I got this from has a key to hieroglyphics and what the pictures are and what they mean. Check it out if you want.)
 
Anyways, I believe that emojis and hieroglyphics are somehow related in some way. I mean in ancient Egypt they used hieroglyphics as a form of communication in writing. And now we use emojis as a form of communication in technology because you can’t write with your hand in emojis. You could draw them, but that is a lot of work. Pressing one button is way easier. But we know what emojis we use mean. And hieroglyphics meant something to the people who used them.
 
According to a UCL article, they say Journalist in a Garden, emojis are large step back to the “static culture of ancient Egypt.” of ancient Egypt. Even though they do think that emojis are negative. And that the human race is “evolving backward.” He does think that they are related. He thinks it is taking us back to the “dark ages.” Although I can respectfully disagree, I agree that they are related.
 
In conclusion, I think that emojis and hieroglyphics although not closely related they are in some way. I believe emojis are a step into the future, but maybe a step back to the past. With the evolution of technology, and things are changing every single day. I think that emojis and hieroglyphics are related, but were not taking a step back to the past.
 
Story by Tia Irby

An Axolotl is an amphibian, more specifically a salamander, and is part of the order Caudata/Urodela. It is sometimes referred to as a Mexican Walking Fish, even though it is not a fish.  The Axolotl is not a lizard or reptile either. The Axolotl lived in the wild and is native to Lake Xochimilco, and Lake Chalco. However, these lakes barely exist anymore due to the close by expansion of Mexico City over the years. Now, the Axolotl are commonly kept as pets!

The Axolotl are very unique creatures because unlike many salamanders, the Axolotl remain in their larval stage, throughout their lives. They do reach maturity, however there skin and bodily makeup remains that of the larval stage, for example, their eyes do not protrude from their faces and they do not develop eyelids. However, they are able to reproduce.

Axolotls do make good pets if you take care of them! They must be kept at 57-68 degrees fahrenheit, they also like a good place where they can escape the light. A good tunnel or upside down bowl is perfect. The lining of coarse gravel works well on the bottom of the tank, although bare works as well. Some owners believe that leaving the bottom bare will cause the axolotls the anxiety of not being able to find a foothold.
 
So, now you know, Axolotls make great pets, and are very interesting critters!

Story by Olive Donochod
 
Sources: 
http://www.axolotl.org/
https://www.thespruce.com/axolotls-as-pets-1236714

I’m sure that most of us have known someone who has anxiety, or you suffer anxiety yourself. Whatever it is, I have done some research and learned that simply playing video games can help with anxiety.
 
You may be wondering how would I know this. I don’t suffer from anxiety myself, but a man named Josh Pappenheim has shared his story with us and I will explain in depth about his journey through anxiety and gaming.
 
As Mr. Josh states, he was able to get over his anxiety by playing the game Firewatch. Firewatch is a first person mystery game by Campo Santo, and published by Campo Santo and Panic. Both are amazing game companies in my opinion. You play as a fire lookout named Henry in a quiet, peaceful, and beautiful forest. Henry is a recovering alcoholic whose wife has early onset dementia. Hear me out: this game has helped Josh immensely.
 
Firewatch was able to help Josh stay in control by making him experience so many different emotions. In just five short hours he felt happiness, sadness, excitement and so much more. After playing, he finally felt safe talking to people about his problem.

Also time-management games help as well. They may make you anxious at first, but you will find out how you can get over this stuff by having a different mindset for each different type of game like, horror games like Resident Evil, platform games like Mario, adventure games like The Legend Of Zelda, and even fighting games like Mortal Kombat. Each type of game can have a different type of mindset. Even Neuroscientists have studied this method of comfort. It may not seem like it, but gaming, which has been known as a bad influence, is literally saving people's lives.
 
I am so glad that Mr. Josh Pappenheim shared his experience with the world or I wouldn’t be able to have write about this as well.
 
Story by Juvae Mullings 

Sources
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/968b997f-4150-4fad-a6e4-997081d87c8d
https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/NES/Super-Mario-Bros--803853.html  
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/tech/gaming/679058/Zelda-Breath-of-the-Wild-Nintendo-Switch-update-OUT-NOW-here-s-what-it-does
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/until-dawn-ps4/

​Anxiety. It’s something we all experience. Whether it be the jitters you get before some big event, or something more serious like a panic attack. The word ‘anxiety’ is actually just an umbrella term used to describe many different disorders or emotions that cause things like apprehension, nervousness, and worrying in us. Like with any other emotion  you experience, your brain plays a large role in your anxiety.
 
When your body is presented with some sort of threat, your Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) comes into play. The SNS is what is able to trigger the psychological reactions you may experience in a situation that makes you anxious such as; increased heart rate, accelerated breathing, and trembling. Like fear, anxiety is a necessary feeling for survival as it can also make you retreat from a dangerous or overly stressful situation. The nervous feelings you get come from the same basis that your “fight or flight” response does. However, most of our anxiety revolves around things like work, money, family, and health, which do not actually require any drastic “fight or flight” reactions.There is also a specific chemical in your brain involved in triggering anxiety, called Norepinephrine. When released in the brain, it signals a sense of panic.
 
As with most things there are different levels of anxiety. Some people may simply be more prone to it than others and some may even suffer from actual anxiety disorders. Those that are naturally more prone to anxiety have a harder time re-adjusting to a normal state. A more anxious individual is also more likely to experience acute stress. This being because even in a relaxed and normal state, these people’s brain are still slightly over excited. Even without some specific anxiety disorder or proneness, there are many things that can cause anxiety within someone. It mainly revolves around excessive stress, so things like poor sleep, family issues, disempowerment, or failing relationships can contribute to your anxiety.

If you find yourself to be particularly anxious in any situation, there are many ways to cope. As can be expected, it’s been proven that things like sustaining a healthy sleep schedule and eating well balanced meals can help to keep you more energized and therefore less stressed. It can also be a good idea to simply understand what exactly triggers your anxiety, not necessarily so you can avoid those things, but so you can be more prepared for what you’re going to feel. Put your stress into perspective. Is it really as bad as you think? Or are you just overwhelmed? Putting things into perspective can help you have a better understanding of the situation, making it easier to keep collected. Anxiety is a natural reaction to any sort of overly stressful situation, and although you can’t completely make it go away, it can be relieved. 

Story by Krislynn Hawkins