The RCDS DRUMLINE marches in the MLK DAY Parade ...

PHOTO BY JAKE O’SHAUGHNESSY

Published biweekly by and for the Upper School students of Riverfield Country Day School in Tulsa, OK JANUARYAPRIL 19,3, 2015 2018 THE COMMONS Update on Bixby HS assault in- Clark says vestigation By Maddy Edwards and Staff school needs According to an affidavit released by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, a 16- year-old football player at more Space Bixby High School told school officials on Oct. 26 that he had By Jack Bluhm been sexually assaulted by sev- NEWS EDITOR eral teammates a month earlier. The Bixby school board was r. Toby Clark is Head of the Upper and quiet about the incident and Middle Schools here at Riverfield. He didn’t report it to police for a also teaches 9th grade Geometry and week. The board has not re- coaches 5th-6th basketball and Middle leased much information since. and Upper School tennis. Mr. Clark is Not surprisingly, several Mone of the people who gets to decide on big plans for the weeks later this incident is still school, and he gets to finalize pretty much everything for the making headlines. Mr. Clark points out some of the improvements planned for the Upper School. I spoke with him last week about the school’s According to the Tulsa Blue Gym expansion. PHOTO BY MASON MALLOY plans. World, the incident has not been discussed at recent Bixby school Jack: What were some of the challenges in 2017? and provide more space for away fans. We should have an board meetings. Parents of stu- Mr. Clark: Space. Middle schoolers are using the Learning entrance/exit that isn’t through the Middle School. We should dents are furious at the school Center, and the Industrial Arts class is really big. That class is also add a new concession stand. board for not addressing this using the Science classrooms. The Upper School is sharing the J: Do you think by next fall we will have more high school situation publicly. facilities with Middle Schoolers. students here at Riverfield? The former superintendent J: Are we going to add or drop any electives? Mr. C: This year we have a smaller junior class, but we of Bixby Public Schools, Kyle Mr. C: No, we’re not dropping anything, but we may be have the biggest senior class we have ever had. Next year will Woods, resigned because he adding Robotics. It would be an after school program for mid- be similar to this one, but in two years we will see an increase does not want his name affiliat- dle schoolers. We can maybe add that to be an Upper School because there is a bigger 7th grade class. ed with the situation. However, activity as well. J: Riverfield is always getting bigger. How big do you think the assault occurred at his home J: What are you looking forward to the most? the school will get? during a party for the football Mr. C: The next big step for us as a school will be adding Mr. C: Three sections per grade, and we can average about team’s offensive line. new spaces, whether that be constructing totally new facilities 44 students per grade. We have about 132 in the Middle The Tulsa World reported or expanding facilities that are already built. School right now. Our goal is 40-45 students per grade, so 180 on Jan. 10 that five Bixby foot- J: What are your thoughts on expanding the Blue Gym? is the maximum student count for the Middle School. In the ball players had admitted to Mr. C: The issue is practice space. The Blue Gym needs to Upper School, we are in the range of 160-180 students. In the involvement in the assault. “It's be bigger so more than one team can practice at the same time. next two years, our goal is to have about 150 students in the unclear whether the school dis- We also need to expand the locker rooms, add a weight room, Middle School and about 180 in the Upper School. trict disciplined any player,” said the World. One football player, who admitted videotaping the assault on his cellphone, came forward and turned over his phone to U.S. plans for shooting down N.K. missiles police. He was concerned about “protecting potential evidence” By Andrew Jordan U.S. military and some of its THAAD for short. It is a hit-to tions for shooting down mis- after another player’s father STAFF WRITER allies in the region have been kill-system, which means it’s a siles, and they are even testing offered to purchase the phone, practicing shooting down such missile without a warhead. In- microwave weapons that may the World reported. One of the main threats to missiles from the hermit king- stead, it uses kinetic energy to be able to shoot down missiles, After a search warrant was world peace at the moment is dom. kill a missile target. although those are in the early issued, Bixby school officials the problem in the Korean Pen- According to CNN, the U.S. The U.S also can use a few phases of testing. were given a Dec. l deadline to insula: North Korea. tested shooting down missiles in missile silos that have an anti- Overall, the U.S. missile produce emails related to the Over the past decade, North a couple of ways. One method ballistic missile inside them, but command said the recent tests matter. “Tens of thousands of Korea has ramped up its missile used its Aegis missile system on these are mostly still in testing. were a great success, and they emails in an unindexed and tests, and now it has a somewhat Arleigh Burke destroyers in Another way the U.S. could are confident they would be minimally searchable format” effective nuclear program. tandem with the land-based ver- technically shoot down a missile able to shoot down missiles were turned over to investiga- On Nov. 3, the North Kore- sion, Aegis Ashore. is to have an F-35 Lighting ii from North Korea in the future. tors, who have requested better an government tested a missile The second method used the shoot it down in its early launch Even though we may be documentation. that could technically hit the Terminal High Altitude Area stages. ready, the world should pray we The OSBI and Bixby police U.S. mainland. However, the Defense weapon system, or So the U.S. has a few op- will never have to try. are continuing to investigate.

THE COMMONS is published biweekly dur- SPRING 2018 STAFF VOLUME XII ISSUE 7 ing the school year by the Upper School Newspaper elective class at Riverfield Country Day School, 2433 W. 61st Street, Tulsa, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ...... James Morley FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2018 Oklahoma 74132. The staff reserves the right to edit any article or MANAGING EDITOR ...... Brenden Paul letter submitted for publication. Send all submissions to the Editor-in-Chief at NEWS EDITORS ...... Logan Payne, Jack Bluhm [email protected]. All opinions SPORTS EDITORS ...... Noah Laubach, Brady Heinig DESIGN EDITORS...... Jake O’Shaughnessy, expressed are those of the individual writ- OPINIONS EDITORS ...... Kip Derryberry, Quinten Nokes ...... Jack Jones, Mason Malloy ers and do not reflect positions of the staff, A&E EDITORS ...... Connor Keesling, Maddy Edwards GRAPHICS EDITOR ...... Elise Wagoner adviser, or school administration. REVIEWS EDITORS ...... Alex Milton, Andrew Jordan COLUMNISTS ...... Grace Clark, Grant Heinig, Online: riverfield.org/community/student-newspapers.cfm FEATURES EDITOR ...... Will Dozier, Hana Saad ...... Jad Jaafar, Alexis Lipe, Adaira Reid

THE COMMONS Friday, January 19, 2018 The varsity girls and boys basketball teams are competing in SPORTS the glencoe tournament today and tomorrow — go ravens! 2 Who will be the NFL’s MVP this year?

By Andrew Jordan lot of bumps in the road over goes to Tom Brady. The New STAFF WRITER this season, and he led them to England Patriots’ QB seems to the playoffs despite the limited be on this list every year, but The NFL season is now roster he had. That earns him always for good reason. He has over, and one of the many my No. 3 spot. proven time and time again questions on people’s minds My No. 2 choice is Case that he is the best quarterback is, who will be this year’s Keenum, QB of the Minnesota of all time, and there’s not MVP? Vikings. He led his team during much in the way of facts that There are a few choices, a great run for the Super Bowl, says that he is not. He led his but I’ll go over my top three winning 13 games out of 16. team to another 13-3 season, picks for the spot. This is a huge improvement and he leads in passing in the My third choice is Matt from a player who has not had a league. Freshmen Brinley Lasiter and Jack Bluhm are this issue’s MVPs. Ryan, QB of the Atlanta Fal- good record with all of his pre- Overall, Brady is my pick PHOTOS BY PATRICIA DICKEY cons. After his embarrassing vious teams. It will definitely be for Most Valuable Player this finish last year, why would I interesting to see how well his year. However, this playoff pick him for this spot? Be- team does. season is very interesting none- Freshman player standouts cause he led a team that hit a The No. 1 spot, however, theless. are making their mark

Both varsity teams are rap- OU’s Baker Mayfield wins

idly approaching the postsea- Most son, and both the boys and girls the Heisman Trophy teams have the ability to go Valuable deep into the playoffs this year. Jack Bluhm has been a stand Players By Noah Laubach team struggled. His rushing yard with his 16 touchdowns, and led out player for the varsity team By James Morley & Brady Heinig average went way down, and the his team to the PAC-12 champi- this year by playing valuable SPORTS EDITORS Nittany Lions did not make the onship game. minutes off the bench; Brinley playoffs. He did have an out- The winner of this year’s Lasiter has played a similar role even play equal minutes as The regular season weeded standing game at the Fiesta Heisman Trophy was OU’s for girls varsity team. some of the starters. When Jack out the contenders from the pre- Bowl however, rushing for 137 Baker Mayfield. The Sooners’ Brinley Lasiter—Brinley is comes in the game he adds to tenders in the Heisman race. yards and 2 touchdowns. senior and team captain has had only a freshman this year but is the speed and defensive ability Six players that made a push Jackson, last year’s winner, the best season of his career, already getting valuable varsity of the team. Using his speed, for the coveted bronze trophy played almost as well as he did throwing for 37 passing touch- minutes. Brinley’s greatest Jack will often get wide-open were Saquon Barkley (RB, Penn the previous year, but his team downs, rushing for an addition strength is her ability to shoot. shots and get a couple steals a State), Rahsad Penny (RB, San performed poorly so he was five, while only having five in- Even with her great offensive game. Jack has a bright future Diego State), and Jonathan Tay- overlooked. terceptions. He led his team to ability, Brinley does not lack on ahead of him at Riverfield bas- lor (RB, Wisconsin), Lamar Love, Stanford’s junior the College Football Playoff at the other side of the ball. Brin- ketball if he continues to play Jackson (QB, Louisville), Bryce standout, had his breakout game the Rose Bowl, where his perfor- ley adds to the teams defensive like he is. Nice job Jack! Love (RB, Stanford), and Baker on Sept. 30 against Arizona mance was not enough to guide ability by getting at least one Jack and Brinley are this Mayfield (QB, Oklahoma). State, when he rushed for 301 the Sooners to a double overtime steal a game. Keep up the good issue’s MVPs for their outstand- Barkley was seen as the fa- yards and 3 touchdowns. He victory. This year was the third work Brinley! ing job on the court. Make sure vorite to win the Heisman after finished second in the Heisman straight he finished in the top Jack Bluhm—Jack is also a to look for the next issue of The a stellar season last year, and he voting, clearly gaining the re- four of Heisman voting. Appar- freshman this year and is the Commons on Feb. 2 to see who sure was playing like a favorite spect of the country. Love had ently, the third time really is a first player off the bench for the else is doing an outstanding job early on in the season. But after more than 10 100-plus-yard charm. varsity boys. Jack will often in their sport. a loss to Ohio State, he and his rushing games this season to go Congratulations, Baker! A look back on college football By Noah Laubach ing a quick lead, up 31-14 at between Clemson and Alabama bama’s Head Coach Nick Saban yard line, Alabama needed a & Brady Heinig one point in the second quarter. in the College Football Playoff pulled Jalen Hurts in favor of field goal to tie the game or a SPORTS EDITORS After a late field goal by Geor- in the third straight year. true freshman quarterback Tua long touchdown to win. Tago- gia, the halftime score was 31- Alabama used their hard- Tagovailoa, who is more known vailoa delivered. He threw a After a decent bowl season 17 in favor of the Sooners. nose defense to shut down for his ability to throw the ball 41 yard bomb to true freshman that featured great matchups in Georgia shut down Oklaho- Clemson’s offense and hold the than Hurts. Tagovailoa threw Devonta Smith and won Saban the New Year’s Six bowls, the ma in the third quarter, holding Tigers to just six points for the for 166 yards and three touch- his sixth national title and put College Football Playoffs were them to no points in that period entire game. Alabama won that downs, and the most crucial one himself in the history books finally here. while putting up 14 points of game 24-6 and clinched a berth came in overtime. forever. The semifinal games were their own, making it a 31-31 in the National Championship With the Crimson Tide What a way to end the col- held in two separate locations, game going into the fourth quar- for the third straight year. backed all the way up to the 40 lege football season! Los Angeles and New Orleans. ter. In the National Champion- The Rose Bowl, in Los An- In the fourth, Georgia scored ship game, Georgia was led by geles, was played between the quickly to go up by seven Fromm, who did not play like a third-seeded Georgia Bulldogs points. But after two touch- 19-year-old all season long, and and the second- seeded Oklaho- downs in under two minutes by two star running backs, Sony ma Sooners. the Sooners, including a scoop- Michel and Nick Chubb, who The Sugar Bowl, in New and-score, Oklahoma regained are projected to be high NFL Orleans, was played between the the lead. After a six-minute draft picks this summer. fourth-seeded Alabama Crimson drive by true freshman quarter- Alabama had a similar style Tide and the top-seeded Clem- back Jake Fromm, Georgia was of play all year with a brutal son Tigers. able to get the ball in the end running attack. But they also Both games were held on zone to tie the game. were led by a young and power- New Year’s Day with a trip to After trading field goals in ful quarterback in Jalen Hurts. Atlanta on Jan. 8 for the Nation- the first overtime, Georgia This game looked evenly al Championship game. blocked OU’s field goal attempt matched going into it, but no- In the first game of the day, in the second overtime, then the body expected what was to the Rose Bowl, there was a Bulldogs scored a touchdown to come. clash between of one of the na- win the game and go to the Na- The Bulldogs led 13-0 at tion’s top offenses in Oklahoma tional Championship. halftime, and the Georgia faith- and one of the nation’s top de- The other semifinal game ful felt they had the game in the fenses in Georgia. The game was not nearly as dramatic, even bag. After throwing for only 21 Congratulations to Alabama’s Crimson Tide! started off with Oklahoma tak- though it was the third matchup yards in the first half, Ala- PUBLICITY PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

THE COMMONS Friday, January 19, 2018 DINE & donate — Wednesday, feb. 7 — 5-8 p.m. OPINIONS At smitty’s garage, 71st & yale 3

The Russian election ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE? scandal … in a nutshell By Logan Payne scandal herself. By Kip Derryberry ting too science-fictiony, AI tions with other users. NEWS EDITOR Stein says, “The intelli- OPINIONS EDITOR should not be overly relied on If nothing else, this served gence agencies themselves say for daily life, because at its core, as a reminder to the public There has been a lot of talk that they assert this, which In recent times, scientific AI is just data. that artificial intelligence is about the involvement of Rus- means that this is their opin- enhancement of artificial intel- For those who don’t know, solely data. A bot will learn its sia in Donald Trump’s elec- ion.” She calls them out, say- ligence has reached great Microsoft launched Tay in 2016, speech patterns based on what tion as president last year. ing they have no real proof of heights. However, with this a bot which was aimed to emu- it’s told. If a bot is constantly The talk is that Russia tam- a scandal going on, and if the rapid advancement, many are late millennial behavior on so- told conspiracy theories, it pered with the election and intelligence agencies have starting to become worried cial media, namely Twitter. The will act based on what it’s told helped Trump win through something the public has not about what artificial intelli- result was a complete disaster. rather than forming its own hacking into the political cam- been informed about, then gence studies may bring to our Within a day, the bot was taken courses of action. paign. they have the right to see it. culture in the future. down from Twitter for posting Artificial intelligence only MSNBC says that Ameri- Even Donald Trump, who Their fears are well-placed, offensive content that it learned goes as far as the data humans cans are taking this very seri- is taking the most fire from for the most part. Without get- based on social media interac- feed it. Even on much smaller ously, especially considering this, is quoted as saying the scales, such as recognition of Trump’s dwindling popularity investigations being run on facial or fingerprint patterns, in the polls. If it comes out him by government agencies, AIs are still prone to errors. that he was helped by the Rus- most notably the one led by They may not be “trained” to sians to win the presidency, no FBI Director Robert Mueller, know what to do when faced doubt Americans will be out- who was appointed after for- with circumstances that don’t raged, as they should be. mer director James Comey align exactly with their According to Newsweek, was fired by Trump, is nothing knowledge. recent information has come more than a “witch hunt.” It’s highly unlikely that to light that former candidate Despite many attempts to artificial intelligence would Jill Stein cast doubt on the put these accusations to rest, gain sentience and attempt to United States’ intelligence many former Trump campaign harm its creators. However, it about the Russian scandal. leaders have said he did have is dangerous to put daunting These comments came days communications with Russia. human tasks in the hands of after comments that she had At the very least, that is worri- artificial intelligence because actually gotten involved in the some. of the vulnerability of technol- To some, the idea of AI controlling our lives brings back memories of ogy and the very limits of its HAL 9000 from “2001: A Space Odyssey.” PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS data. Oklahoma’s budget cuts Which music source is best?

By Will Dozier service is better for them. that service is less popular and STAFF WRITER SoundCloud appeals to fans plays a smaller role in our of Hip-Hop and younger musi- culture. Multiple rock and Last year in July and Au- cians. Bandcamp appeals to alternative artists like Car Seat gust, there were multiple artists who are more established Headrest have become popu- threats that the music stream- and alternative. lar on Bandcamp, but not to ing website SoundCloud could According to soundcloudre- the extent that artists like Lil shut down. views.org, multiple musicians Pump or Chance the Rapper During this event, a lot of have made it big because of have become on SoundCloud. questions arose about which their start on SoundCloud. Art- However, Bandcamp is of the online services is better ists including Chance the Rap- based on albums. This service for artists. SoundCloud and per, Kygo, Post Malone, and the has supported artists who have Bandcamp have distinguished late Lil Peep, made it big on had more prolific discogra- Riverfield students don’t need to worry about OK education funding cuts. themselves in internet culture. Soundcloud. For musicians try- phies and longer careers when STAFF PHOTO This discussion has progressed ing to make it big in Hip-Hop or compared to Soundcloud. into 2018 with heavy argu- other energetic genres through In short, SoundCloud is By James Morley be facing cuts between $4 and ments on both sides. individual songs, SoundCloud better for young people who STAFF WRITER $15 million each. So which service is the offers the better service. want to play Hip-Hop and The $215 million shortfall is best? The answer is subjective However, Bandcamp offers become famous. But Amid a budget crisis, the concerning for small communi- and depends on the artist. The a much more well-rounded ser- Bandcamp is better for musi- Oklahoma State Senate passed ties who desperately need the sites’ individual qualities can vice, featuring more artists in cians who want to have longer the long awaited budget plan, funds for road repairs. Especial- help someone decide which rock and alternative scenes. But lasting musical careers. bringing cuts to agencies and ly since Oklahoma infrastruc- increasing revenue for the state. ture recently got a C- grade The Senate passed HB from the Oklahoma Section of 1019X 29-14 on Nov. 17 and the American Society of Civil sent it to Governor Fallin to be Engineers. signed into law. The bill put However, since the Senate Trump shrinks national monuments cuts of approximately 2.5 per- passed the budget, Fallin vetoed cent to most state agencies in much of the plan the House and By Hana Saad decessors.” These actions show protecting some of Bears Ears. place, and would use $23 mil- Senate approved, leaving the STAFF WRITER that the Trump administration is They viewed it as an abuse of lion from the Rainy Day fund, state without a budget for the uninterested in preserving na- power. $23 million from carryover next fiscal year. Have you ever visited Bears tional monuments. But there is a precedent of funds, $60 million from revolv- Fallin has said that she Ears National Monument or the These reductions possibly presidents creating national ing funds, and increased revenue would call lawmakers back in Grand Staircase-Escalante? If pose a threat to the wellbeing of monuments both big and small. from a gross production tax in- another special session but has you plan on visiting again, pre- the environment. Businesses can As The Atlantic stated, “Presi- crease on legacy oil wells. yet to set a date. pare to view a significantly drill for oil and gas, and other dent Calvin Coolidge created There were also cuts to Oklahomans should be con- smaller section of the canyons. commercial activities can now Glacier Bay National Monu- agencies that would have re- cerned for the next fiscal year, Around the beginning of occur on millions of acres of ment at 1.4 million acres.” ceived $215 million from the especially if lawmakers cannot December, President Trump once-protected forest. By slashing the protection cigarette fee, but the fee was decide on a budget. reduced the size of these two Bears Ears National Monu- for Bears Ears, Trump essential- deemed unconstitutional by the According to representative national monuments in Utah by ment, which former President ly has told the American people Oklahoma Supreme Court. John Enns from Enid, there are around a million acres. Obama brought into existence in he doesn’t care much about Those agencies include the still lots of uncertainties sur- This is the largest reduction late 2016, is sacred to the Nava- preserving the environment or Department of Human Services, rounding the budget deal and of a national monument to date, jo, the Hopi, the Ute, and the sites that are sacred to Native the Oklahoma Healthcare Au- the probability of it being put in according to Business Insider. Zuni, according to The Atlantic. Americans. thority, and the Department of place, “Honestly, I think every- The New York Times stated At the time, most Republi- This decision is a mistake. Mental Health and Substance body out there (is) just kind of this is a “reversal of protections can leaders in Utah opposed Trump needs to make protecting Abuse Services. walking around with question put in place by Democratic pre- this, although they were open to sacred locations a priority. These three agencies would marks,” Enns said.

THE COMMONS Friday, January 19, 2018 Our varsity academic bowl team came in as runner-up at the OSSAA Area Tournament A&E held at Riverfield last weekend. They’re going to the state tourney on feb. 3! 4 2018 Grammy predictions Top ten movies of 2017 By Connor Keesling By Brenden Paul “Issues” by Julia Michaels, “1- ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR STAFF WRITER 800-273-8255” by Alessia Cara and Khalid with Logic, 2017 was a great year for mov- With the annual Grammy and “That’s What I Like” by ies. Now it’s time to determine Awards coming up on Jan. 28, Bruno Mars. which were the best. Here are everyone is making predic- I have only heard two of my picks. tions these days. these songs: “That’s What I Let’s look at the top final- Like” and “Despacito.” Of the 10. “Three Billboards Out- ists for Best New Artist, Song two, I prefer Bruno Mars’ side Ebbing, Missouri” / Di- of the Year, and Album of the song. The beat is better, and rector: Martin McDonagh — Year. the song just sounds better. Another high point in writer-director McDonagh’s career, striking the perfect For Best New Artist, bill- Besides, “Despacito” is really balance between humor and drama. board.com says the five final- overplayed. But I think Des- This film tackles subjects like grief and ists were considered because pacito will win because more suicide in the most grown up and ma- their music “achieved a break- people like that song and find ture way. You might not believe me through into the public con- it catchy. when I say it’s one of the funniest Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf shine in 2017’s “Lady Bird.” sciousness and notably im- Finally, for Album of the movies of the year, too. It has the pow- PUBLICITY PHOTO: A24 er to make you laugh one second then pacted the musical land- Year, the finalists are effortlessly switch to intense drama and scape.” They are Alessia “Awaken, My Love!” by Ducournau — Not your typical son — A film that transcends the make it all feel natural. horror movie. It doesn’t contain any of boundaries of what you expect a Star Cara, Khalid, Lil Uzi Vert, Childish Gambino, “4:44” by 9. “A Ghost Story” / Direc- the usual hallmarks and instead creates Wars film to be. It brings more com- Julia Michaels, and SZA. Jay Z, “D*MN.” by Kendrick tor: David Lowery — Poetry in a disturbing atmosphere that sets you plexity, creating one of the franchise’s This award can be given to Lamar, “Melodrama” by motion. Not for everybody, but for on edge and gives you a lingering feel- most character-rich films. It’s also the an artist in any genre. I think Lorde, and “24K Magic” by those who dare to look beyond the ing that everything is wrong. When the best acted SW film with Mark Hamill Lil Uzi Vert will win this Bruno Mars. surface and see the real beauty under- film does start to go crazy, it is intensi- and Daisy Ridley delivering top of class award because his music has I like “24K Magic” the neath. This film is about loss, love, and fied by this unsettling atmosphere. Also performances. As Carrie Fisher’s final life. In a broader sense, it shows us the honored as Best Foreign Language film, it provides a fitting sendoff. reached young adults as well best, and that is the one I think Film of the year. will win because it is popular meaning of life by taking us on a jour- 2. “Dunkirk” / Director: as children, and has become ney through death and back again. 5. “IT” / Director: Andy very popular among younger with all kinds of people. Christopher Nolan — This film 8. “Baby Driver” / Direc- Muschietti — Earns the honor of is Nolan’s masterpiece. Almost every children. So, there are my Grammy tor: Edgar Wright — The film’s being the horror movie of the year. movie he has made can be considered For Song of the Year, the predictions for the top three success mostly comes from being an Propels its villain, Pennywise, to horror as such, but this time he explicity shows finalists are “Despacito” by awards. Want to find out who Edgar Wright (“Shawn of the Dead,” icon status. The film combines the best his mastery of filmmaking. On every Ramon Ayala and Justin wins? Watch the Grammys on “Scott Pilgrim”) film. In anyone else’s elements of modern horror to create a technical level, “Dunkirk” is flawless. Bieber, “4:44” by Jay Z, Jan. 28. hands, it wouldn’t be nearly as good. genuinely moving and terrifying film. Its only shortcoming is that it doesn’t Also, the acting here is pretty great; “IT” honestly delivers the “Stranger create any well-developed characters. Ansel Elgort and Jamie Foxx are stand- Things” experience better than Instead, it offers portraits of humans outs. It contains some of the best action “Stranger Things 2” did. It’s a great stuck in an impossible situation. scenes of any film this year, all set to film in just about every way. 1. “Lady Bird” / Director: an electrifying soundtrack that gives 4. “Wonder Woman” / Di- Greta Gerwig — “Lady Bird” is the film fantastic momentum. rector: Patty Jenkins — This the story of an offbeat high school 7. “The Big Sick” / Direc- film delivers an experience so reassur- senior, struggling with applying to tor: Michael Showalter — The ing in the goodness of humanity that college and maintaining friendships. true story of actor Kumail Nanjiani and it’s almost impossible to dislike. It It’s all very real, and that’s a credit to his wife, writer/producer Emily V. follows the adventures of Diana as she the writing. Saoirse Ronan steals the Gordon. This is another movie that tries to find Ares, God of War and show with her performance as the titu- finds humor in a dark situation but restore peace to the world. Gal Gadot is lar Lady Bird. This film hit me in a combines compelling drama with hu- fantastic here, the best part of the strug- particular place because I could see mor. But the darkness isn’t here. This gling DC cinematic universe. Chris myself in her situation. It connected film draws humor from its observations Pine also shines as Diana’s love inter- with me in a special way, and that’s of the world, and the humor is used to est. “Wonder Woman” is on this list for why I loved this film so much. deliver social commentary. Undoubted- its faith in humanity and its belief that Honorable mentions: “Blade ly one of the best movies of the year, it we can be better. Runner 2049,” “Ingrid Goes deserves to be seen. 3. “Star Wars: The Last West,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” and 6. “Raw” / Director: Julia Jedi” / Director: Rian John- “Logan.”

Bruno Mars tops our list for Album of the Year with “24K Magic.” PUBLICITY PHOTO: ATLANTIC The Chase Experiment creative fiction By Elise Wagoner clouds zoomed around me. behind me. The sound of a STAFF WRITER Clouds? bird’s wings, but as I looked Which DAW is best? I went insane. I started around there were no birds to Previously … Chase felt screaming, yelling, waving my be seen. By Mason Malloy Abelton Live Lite. himself falling through the air arms around, and at the height I slowly turned my head STAFF WRITER One thing that is great about until what he thought was a of my cowardice, I screamed around enough to see that four Abelton Live is that it comes giant eagle rescued him. He “STOP!” -foot-wide, eight-foot-tall Music production is much free with most MIDI controllers blacked out … And I did. I felt the rushing bright white wings had grown easier today than ever before. In (which you should buy with the of air halt to a standstill, the on my back and were holding earlier years, more skill was software — $80 is the normal The next time I opened my adrenaline still coursing through me up by giant muscles that required to create music. Now, price.) You have the ability to eyes, I was still falling. The me like a river. But at least I moved in unison. with help of DAWs (digital record up to eight instruments wind ripped through my hair was stopped. They lowered me, slowly audio workspaces), it has be- and up to 64 clips, which is a and stung my eyes as the I heard a flapping sound … so very slowly that it come much easier for those lot. You also have the ability to seemed like forever before I who want to get into music pro- run this on Windows and Mac. reached giant white marble duction. So here are my conclusions. stairs that gleamed beneath a Two popular DAWs are If you are looking for a great bright orange sun. Garageband and Abelton Live software with a lot of freedom My eyes were blinded from Lite. Let’s look at the specs. for every speck of audio you can the sunlight against the clouds. Garageband is a free appli- possibly get, I would highly Once they focused, I didn’t cation that comes with every recommend Abelton Live Lite. believe them. Apple laptop and only runs on Most MIDI controllers such as I was standing before thou- Mac OSX. You can record up Launchpad ($130) come with sands of creatures, all walking to eight clips of audio. Gar- Abelton Live Lite, so you can though huge marble doors the ageband also supports and al- start to make music almost im- size of a house. I was standing lows the use of MIDI control- mediately. too, but my stance weakened lers such as Launchpad and But if you already have a as a leopard strutted past me Launchkey. Mac and don’t want to spend the with a gunshot in his side. However, you are limited to $130, then go with Garageband. As my knees gave way, I only a few sounds and instru- All in all, both are great With the help of his wings, Chase alights near a huge marble building. heard a voice behind me say, ments. It is much easier to add pieces of software you can use ILLUSTRATION BY PENNY MUSICK “Welcome to the Reborn.” vocals on Garageband than to make music.

THE COMMONS Friday, November 17, 2017 More reviews coming in our feb. 2 issue: “black REVIEWS mirror,” “saturation,” halo wars 2” and more … 5 ‘STAR WARS: The Last Jedi’ BOOKTALKBOOKTALK By Hana Saad By Connor Keesling Force Awakens” didn’t. The performances here are ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Without giving away spoil- probably the strongest in the ers, I will say that the characters series. Mark Hamill and Carrie “Invictus,” by Ryan Graud- Imogen and Gram — into a race This was possibly the best are all great. Even new charac- Fisher, in her final perfor- in, is about time-traveling teens against time in an effort to save theater-going experience I had ters like Rose (played by Kelly mance, are both at their best. who manage to pull off heist the world as they know it. in all of 2017. Marie Tran) and Admiral Holdo Daisy Ridley is magnificent, after illegal heist. I loved “Invictus.” My ex- “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (Laura Dern) leave their mark and Adam Driver is also terrif- Yes, it’s as fun as it sounds. pectations weren’t that high, but is a film about looking forward on the franchise and never feel ic. Oscar Isaac and John Boy- The science fiction book is I was quickly sucked into the into the future while giving the forced. ega are both great playing sup- Graudin’s (“Wolf by Wolf”) fast paced time-traveling world past the peace it so desperately The returning characters are porting roles here. fourth novel. Her experience Graudin created. She doesn’t seeks. all expanded upon in meaning- Rian Johnson, who both and talent shine through in her reveal what is truly going on This latest film takes the ful ways that add to who they wrote and directed “The Last latest release. until the middle of the book, Star Wars universe and moves are and help to better the con- Jedi” has given fans what In “Invictus,” a boy named which made me fly through it forward in ways that “The flict of the story. might be the best Star Wars Gaius McCarthy (his nickname each chapter. I had to find out film since (and maybe surpas- is “Far”) was born outside of where Eliot was from and what sing) “The Empire Strikes time on a time-traveling ship. her motive was. Back.” Only time will tell. He dreams of being an explorer The Invictus crew fits to- But for now I would be of past worlds, but when he fails gether perfectly. It was too hard remiss if I didn’t mention the his government exam, those to pick a favorite character be- Porgs. They are undeniably dreams are ruined. cause they are all so unique. cute, but they still take a back In a last ditch effort to keep Each of them develop in the seat to BB-8, who continues to his dream alive, he accepts a novel, especially Eliot and Far. fill the role of adorable side- sudden and surprising offer The only downside to the kick. from a black market tycoon. He book was the ending, which was I’m going to give this film is instructed to find rare and a little slow. I won’t lie. I 5 ravens out of 5. valuable artifacts from the past skipped ahead once or twice without messing up the present. because I couldn’t wait. But the But this offer isn’t a coinci- rest of it is so good I would Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill bring their iconic characters to life. dence. A mysterious girl named probably read it again. I give PUBLICITY PHOTO: DISNEY Eliot might have something to this book 4 out of 5 ravens. do with the sudden change in Far’s life. Her presence, along with the secrets she is keeping, sends Far and his crew — Priya, The 3rd Annual Riverfield Film Festival is coming! It will be held on Thursday, March 29 at the Circle Cinema from 5 to 8 p.m. All types of student-made films including stop motion, class projects, shorts, book reviews, math presentations, or news broadcasts will be considered. ALL FILMS must be completed and turned in by March 22.

MUSIC REVIEW: Migos’ ‘No Label II’

By Quinten Nokes “First 48,” “Payola,” “Where ites by the Migos crew. The STAFF WRITER Were You,” and “New Atlanta.” song has a good beat, and the This mixtape put Migos on music video is pretty sick sur- ***Explicit Content*** top back in 2014. Soon after, rounded by foreign cars. The they pumped out a bunch of lyrics match really well with the PUBLICITY ARTWORK: NETFLIX Released on Feb. 25, 2014, good songs. Whether they have beat. For a Migos song, it is one this Hip-Hop mixtape’s tracks split up and done a single or of their best right up there be- include: “Intro No Label II,” made a song together, they have side “Slippery,” “Danger,” “Get NETFLIX REVIEW: “Copy Me,” “Contraband,” made some good albums and Right Witcha,” “Commando,” “Add It Up,” “Peek a Boo,” “No Label 2” really boosted and “T-shirt.” “Antidote,” “Kidding Me,” their popularity. It marked their I give this mixtape 4 out of 5 ‘The Punisher’ (S1) “M&M’s,” “Fight Night,” pathway to the top of the charts ravens. “Handsome and Wealthy,” that came later. By Alex Milton at portraying a morally ambig- “Birds,” “YRH,” “No F**kin The track that is most worth REVIEWS EDITOR uous super-soldier who kills With,” “Freak No More,” mentioning is “Fight Night.” It anyone who gets in his way, “HotBoy,” “Built Like Me,” is a classic and one of my favor- Marvel’s “The Punisher” The Punisher’s motivations struggles to stand out with its and struggles lack depth and uninspired plot. Even with feel cliché, making the show stellar performances by Jon seem like just another generic Bernthal and Deborah Ann action show on Netflix. Woll, the show’s lack of plot, Amer Revah’s character, Game REVIEW: ‘Call of duty: WWII’ too slow originality, and depth make it Dinah Madani, further adds to difficult for the show to distin- the unoriginal plot. She is the By Logan Payne press of a button. The first thing of the Game,” which is weird guish itself in the seemingly stereotypical embodiment of a STAFF WRITER I noticed is that this latest game considering that for the past endless sea of crime shows. government agent whose path in the franchise is not as fast- decade it’s been the final kill- Bernthal stars as Frank becomes intertwined with The “Call of Duty: WW2” was paced as “Black Ops 3” or cam at the end of the game. Castle, a veteran of the Ma- Punisher as she attempts to released on Nov. 3 for next- “Advanced Warfare.” This re- There is still a lot of room rines who struggles with PTSD solve her case. gen gaming consoles like the sults in smaller maps that allow for improvement. Hopefully after witnessing the death of The Punisher may have PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. more up-close gunfights be- Activision and Sledgehammer his family soon after returning been an entertaining villain in Made by Sledgehammer tween players. will fix some of the issues with from overseas. “Daredevil’s” second season, Games and published by Ac- However, I still thought it updates throughout the game. “The Punisher” takes place but as the main character he tivision, this was a huge relief was very slow, even with small- Overall, it’s a good game, shortly after the events of falls flat. First-rate acting for most gamers, as the gaming er maps. and I’m glad they went back to “Daredevil” Season 2, with makes the show tolerable, but community has been hoping Sledgehammer did add some their roots. I give this game 3.5 Castle killing members of a not memorable. I give it 2.5 for a feet-on-the-ground shoot- pretty cool features though. For ravens out of 5. Mexican drug cartel while ravens out of 5. er for a while. instance, the lobby system is trying to find out who was In the past three CODs, the interactive, and you can explore involved in the murder of his character has the ability to fly a base in third person view. wife and children. around and wall run with the Also, they added “Best Kill Although Bernthal excels

THE COMMONS Friday, November 17, 2017 COMING UP: café night, twitter threats, sneakers of the year, my bloody valentine, and more ... FEATURES 6 Noor Inayat Khan, a How exactly does ‘Bitcoin’ work? By Alex Milton is unknown to the public, he or called pools where miners split STAFF WRITER she is believed to be worth bil- the reward if they solve the master spy during WWII lions of dollars due to his early problem. Only high-end In the past months, the val- investments in the currency. graphics processors and proces- ue of the currency Bitcoin has Other than through transac- sors made explicitly for mining When Noor Inayat Khan’s spy network was infiltrated and THE skyrocketed. Starting 2017 at a tions, Bitcoin can be obtained cryptocurrencies remain practi- everyone else was captured, she value near $900 (U.S.), by De- by using a computer’s pro- cal due to the massive amounts didn’t flee back to England. She wonder cember it was valued at roughly cessing power to process trans- of electricity consumed. continued evading the Gestapo $16,000 per Bitcoin according actions and solve a complicated One of the main benefits of all while doing the work of six women to the cryptocurrency news web- mathematical problem. Bitcoin is the anonymity that it spies. site, CoinDesk. The computer or “pool” of offers its users through untracea- By Alexis Lipe For the uninitiated, Bitcoin computers solve the problem. ble transactions, which resulted Noor was born to an Ameri- can mother and Indian father, a is a decentralized, digital cur- Bitcoin's ledger or blockchain in its usage for deep web black Sufi who taught Noor a princi- France surrendered to the Nazis. rency also known as a crypto- refreshes every 10 minutes, giv- market websites such as the in- In England, Noor worked as currency. Bitcoin is the first of ing miners another chance to famous Silk Road, according to a wireless operator and caught its kind. earn the current reward of 12.5 Forbes. While Bitcoin's rapid the eye of the Special Opera- According to PC Magazine, Bitcoin. increase in value has excited tions Executive (SOE). Noor the creator of Bitcoin goes by Due to the highly competi- many Bitcoin owners, its volatil- trained to be a spy with SOE, the alias “Satoshi Nakamoto.” tive nature of Bitcoin mining, ity leaves investors skeptical of but her instructors thought her While the creator’s true identity most miners mine in groups its long-term viability. “unsuited” to be a spy, as she refused to lie. However, Noor eventually excelled in training and was placed in France as a spy. Looking back, 2017 was a memorable year After only a week working as a spy, the network was infil- By Jack Jones er, Kim Jong-un. The constant their slogan. The resulting trated and the rest of her team STAFF WRITER threats of nuclear war from argument drew a lot of atten- was captured. She was the only North Korea spread fear and tion from fellow creators who one left and refused help from The past year was full of skepticism across the U.S. were afraid of the potential Britain. Noor continued operat- drama and controversy. From While much of the drama of lawsuits that could come if ing as a spy for almost four festivals and events, to the the last year occurred on an in- they attempted to use the word months – three times longer presidential inauguration, 2017 ternational scale, there were in their own work. Khan, in her WWII uniform ... than the typical spy. has a lot to reflect on. minor dramas that sparked 2017 was also a notable PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS She was eventually caught The year’s highlights in- somewhat heated debate be- year in terms of entertainment. by the Gestapo – they held her clude the solar eclipse, which tween people. Many popular series continua- ple of non-violence. Her infancy for ten months, during which produced a lot of attention for One very widespread (and tions were released, including was spent in London and the she attempted escape twice and those in affected areas. How- somewhat comedic) discussion the second season of Netflix’s rest of her childhood in Paris, endured many beatings. The ever, many 2017 events were was the conflict involving “Stranger Things” and the France. She was an author of best part? She never revealed a not particularly cool and en- YouTube’s “fair use” policy for recently released “Star Wars: children’s stories when war thing. joyable. Such events include copyrighted content. The popu- The Last Jedi,” now in thea- broke out in 1939. Subsequent- Noor was executed in 1944 the ongoing battle of threats lar YouTube group known as ters. ly, Noor trained as a nurse, but at Dachau concentration camp between U.S. President Donald TheFineBrothers attempted to Looking back, 2017 was a fled to England in 1940 before at only 30 years of age. Trump and North Korean lead- trademark the word “React” as very eventful year.

new space telescope to be A Lamborghini and a Ferrari — launched in spring 2019 Driving supercars By Will Dozier Hubble we can’t go out and FEATURES EDITOR fix it. Not even a robot can go Over the holiday break, I corner exit because of its out and fix it. So we’re taking had the chance to drive two of intended use of the front With the James Webb a great risk, but for great re- Italy’s finest supercars at Auto TEST wheels to throttle steer. With- space telescope, NASA has ward.” Club Speedway in Los Ange- out the front wheels getting made one of theboldest and Despite these issues, les. Both cars are very close DRIVE power, it just pushed through riskiest moves in their history. NASA has acted to prevent competitors. the turn-in. According to NASA, the tele- problems and technical diffi- The first car I drove was By Grant Heinig The 458 was rear drive and scope, conceived in the 1980s, culties that may result post- the new Lamborghini Huracan always will be rear drive. is set to launch on an Ariane 5 launch. The telescope in- 580-2. This particular car is Wider rear tires prevented rocket from French Guiana in cludes a mirror with movable the rear wheel drive variant of find the balance of the car. The oversteer, and the front had a Spring 2019. segments to prevent difficul- the Huracan, so it does with- steering rack was very quick more planted feel. It handled The telescope, surpasses ties with the mirror, which out the all-wheel-drive system and took some getting used to, weight transfer better, and the its predecessor, the Hubble was the primary problem with and 30 less horsepower than and it was difficult to counter brake pedal was more true to telescope, with new technolo- the Hubble telescope. the 610-4 model. Acceleration steer with. The car amplified the inputs it was given. gy. The Hubble provided Recent budget cut plans in was still very impressive, but every input it was given. It was Overall, the Ferrari was many answers for the uni- science and NASA could also it did lack front-end bite due a bit gnarly and hard to control more refined and easier to verse’s mysteries including make this an even harder ac- to the mid-engine layout. for a first-time driver. drive. This being the first time the age of the universe, the complishment for NASA. It required a “slow in, fast The Ferrari 458 was an en- I have driven these cars, the rate of expanding universe, According to the American out” mentality to get a quick tirely different beast. Overall, easiness factor in the Ferrari among many other discoveries Association for the Advance- lap time. At the limit, it was the car felt more balanced and led to a quicker lap time, but of planets and galaxies ment of Science, the budget prone to understeer and then composed. I think the all-wheel- the Lamborghini is the winner The James Webb telescope decisions by House and Sen- snap into oversteer. I couldn’t drive based Huracan suffered on of this comparison. will be more powerful than ate could decrease some of the Hubble. The Webb will be NASA’s science programs. able to see objects from a fur- Specifically, a 7% budget cut ther distance, including stars to the Webb telescope looks SPECS

and planets forming with its likely. POWER 570 hp 571 hp Infrared telescope. If you are interested in the TORQUE 399 lb.-ft. 398 lb.-ft. According to Science status of the James Webb 0-60 3.0 seconds 3.3 seconds Mag, the Webb telescope is a Space Telescope, you can find ENGINE 4.5L V8 5.2L V10 bold move because, after the updates for it on NASA’s TRANS 7-speed DCT 7-speed DCT DRIVE TRAIN Mid-engine RWD Mid-engine RWD launch it will not be reachable website. It has been updated MPG 14 mpg 15 mpg if fixes are needed. Former monthly in their status section CURB WEIGHT 3,274 lbs. 3,350 lbs. astronaut John Grunsfeld, who since 2011, and there is a live PRICE AS TESTED $259,999 $224,880 fixed the Hubble difficulties image taken every minute of after launch, says, “Unlike the telescope’s progress. Which would you rather drive — the Ferrari (top) or the Lamborghini (bottom)? PHOTOS BY GRANT HEINIG