Donald Trump's Inauguration

            Today it’s no longer President Obama, it’s President Trump. The inauguration was highlighted by of course, President Trump’s speech. For 17 minutes we heard the same thing we’ve been hearing for the past two years. “Those who were forgotten will be forgotten no longer” was one of Trump’s main points addressing the citizens living in poverty within inner cities. But this is the same thing almost all politicians say with no action in return. Ironically Trump calls out other politicians with “all talk, no action”, but will Trump prove to be the same? I believe Trump won’t have the impact he plans to impose on our country; economically and especially socially. This speech was just a regurgitation of the same nonsense he’s been spewing for two years. His speech was dry, fake, and left me uninspired. Trump wants to take things back to the past with his slogan “Make America Great Again” (emphasis on the again) in reference to the Reagan era. But who was it really great for? All of America? No. The white male. Blacks were oppressed along with other races and women had to fight for their rights as well while corporations bathed in money and inner cities suffered. I hope Trump actually follows through with his speech, but it seems history is bound to repeat itself. 

With Just 4 Teams Left, Who Will Win the Super Bowl?

Aaron Rodgers. Tom Brady. Matt Ryan. Ben Roethlisberger. These are the four star Quarterbacks left in the NFL Playoff race. There will be a lot of offense, and that means a lot of scoring. We will also see other offensive talents such as Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, Le'veon Bell, Julian Edelman, Legarrette Blount, Devonta Freeman, Jared Cook, and many others. No matter who goes to the Super Bowl, we are sure to see an exciting game. Now, for the picks.

Jalen - I, personally, believe that the Green Bay Packers will win the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, for a variety of reasons. For one, the Packers have played many great teams and great Quarterbacks along their 8-game winning streak and have made them look average at best. Aaron Rodgers is on an all-time tear, and his defense has been playing sufficiently as of late. I believe the Patriots will lose to the Packers because of the lack of quality opponents they have faced. The best Quarterback they faced all year was Russell Wilson, and they lost that game. Thus far they have had a pretty easy schedule, and Arodg and the Cheeseheads will Prevail.

Ivan - Along with Jalen, I also believe the Packers will win the super bowl over the New England Patriots. It's always a challenge to go against the all-time great Tom Brady and the mastermind of Bill Belichick. But Green Bay is on a tear, winning eight straight, mostly because they have the best quarterback in the league; Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers and Green Bay went up against a defensive juggernaut in the Giants and simply carved their defense. The Patriots are championship caliber and I believe this will go down to the 4th quarter (maybe even another Rodgers Hail Mary). I believe Green Bay's defense is good enough to hold off Tom Brady and the pure greatness of Aaron Rodgers  will lead them to victory.
   

"2016 Was the Hottest Year Yet" Opinions

    The first stat that blows your mind from this article was that it has been 3 consecutive years of record breaking heat in our world. The article states that 2016 was 1.7 degrees hotter than the Global average of the 20th century. This may not seem like such a big deal, however the world around us has proven that this is a huge issue if we don't try to contain it soon. For example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that by the end of this Century, Miami's sea level could rise by 3 Feet! That is unbelievable. Many scientists, and the Mayor of Miami himself (Phillip Levine) have acknowledged the fact that we could realistically be flooded as a city in the next 20-30 years without the right precautions. We cannot just turn our back on this situation now. Unfortunately, however, President-elect Trump has shown a lack of initiative towards these issues, as many Republicans in the past have. While I am not here to debate political stances, I am here to wonder how a political stance can turn your back away from the very clear signs of deterioration of our nation and our world.
                 So what should be done about this issue? Well, for starters, we could devise a system in which we all came together and raised funds to find a solution. Some celebrities, such as Oscar-winning actor Leonardo Dicaprio, have come out in the open and said that they want to help solve the initiative. Dicaprio, in fact, is the Environmental Ambassador for United Nations, according to Fox News. This is a good start, but we need to get everyone concerned. This should not be an issue regarding Democrat vs. Republican, this should be a united fight against the problems that we as a people have caused ourselves. Ignoring the issues will cause our children and grandchildren to suffer mightily, and nobody wants that.

Articles used:

http://www.npr.org/2016/05/10/476071206/as-waters-rise-miami-beach-builds-higher-streets-and-political-willpower
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/18/510405739/2016-was-the-hottest-year-yet-scientists-declare
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/12/21/the-siege-of-miami
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/10/14/charity-demands-leonardo-dicaprio-step-down-as-environmental-ambassador.html

3 Best Fast Food Burgers

#3: The Whopper w/ Cheese

The Whopper: A centerpiece in traditional, fatty American food for decades. Ever since its introduction in 1957, the Whopper has been the driving force of the once-popular Burger King. Featuring its famously grilled patties and lovely ingredients, including onion, mayo, and lettuce, it is a fantastic burger with a flame-broiled taste.

#2: The Five Guys' Cheeseburger w/ Bacon

Ever since Five Guys' inception in 1986, the burgers have been critically acclaimed, as well as its french fries. They make their burgers from scratch, with hand-formed patties and very simplistic ingredients. This is the first real gourmet Hamburger place, places such as Burgerfi have followed its lead and have taken off in the new millennium.

#1: The Wendy's Double Stack Cheeseburger

The classic. The one and only. The square one. When Dave Thomas left KFC and formed Wendy's in 1969, he couldn't have known the legacy he was about to create. When he decided to not cut the corners on the burger, he was just trying to not focus on wasting time cutting away meat, and he did much more. Wendy's has become known, by many, as the premier burger establishment. They have now expanded into many other types of product, but they haven't wavered one bit from their initial goal. Their burgers are still top-notch, and they should be for a long time. Much in the way that no rapper would be who they are without legends such as Tupac and Nas, Five Guys and Burgerfi wouldn't be who they are as companies without the innovation and flavor that Wendy's has provided and continues to provide.

- Ivan and Jalen (And Daniel Camps, but not really.)

"Awaken, My Love" vs. "Blonde" : Which album is our favorite of 2016?

               Jalen's Take (Awaken My Love - Childish Gambino)- Personally, this was my favorite album of the year for a few reasons. One of which was the diversity. The amount of different types of songs, lyrics, themes, and music behind every song was awesome. Between the solid soul/rock feel of "Me and Your Mama" to the George Clinton-influenced pieces such as "Boogieman" and "Have some Love," the musical influences across this tape were something to behold, and among the best for the year. Also, the lyrical diversity was a nice change of pace. From lyrics regarding gun control on the aforementioned "Boogieman," to talking about his child on "Baby Boy," there was a lot covered on this project. Finally, my personal biggest reason as to why this is my favorite album is because of how different this project sounds from anything else out today. When it comes to Blonde, the lyricism is top notch but the beats and continuity leave a bit to be desired. That is why "Awaken, my love" is my personal favorite album of 2016.

                       

Ivan's Take (Blonde - Frank Ocean)- Although I did enjoy a lot of projects this year, I didn't enjoy one more this year than Blonde. It had been 4 years since Frank dropped his debut album Channel Orange then dropped off the face of the Earth. When Kanye West dropped The Life of Pablo (one of my favorite projects of the year) and I heard Frank Ocean's skit "Frank's Track", I was excited because I knew he was back to working on music and he would drop his next album soon enough. Finally, Blonde was released in August and I was surprised as to what I heard. This album is definitely not the pop sensation that Channel Orange, which rubbed some of his listeners the wrong way; not me. Blonde is minimal in its production with pretty instrumentals and unique lyricism. Songs like "Pink+White" and "Ivy" contain beautiful instrumentals over Frank's superb vocals. "Nights" takes us back to Channel Orange's sound with exquisite production and Frank's unique storytelling ability. With all the hype and pressure around him, Blonde is an intimate trip into Frank's mind and heart; a classic people will be talking about for a long time.

James Harden vs. Russell Westbrook: Who is the real MVP?

             When Russell Westbrook and James Harden were last teammates, they were both young stars on the rise. James Harden was a fantastic bench scorer for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Russell Westbrook was coming off of his first trip to the NBA Finals as the starting point guard. No one, however, truly could have expected the results of the 2016-2017 season back then. Kevin Durant was the superstar of that Oklahoma City Thunder team and he was an amazing player and the no-doubt leader of that squad. Now, Durant and Harden have departed to lead their own separate squads (The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets, respectively) and OKC belongs to Russ. This time of year, NBA fans come together at the midway point to speculate: who is the MVP favorite? In our opinion, that belongs to one man (by a slim margin): James Harden  

The last time Harden was among the MVP favorites, Steph Curry took home the award and he lost by a slim margin. With Durant joining the Warriors, Curry's MVP chances have taken a huge dip and that opened the door for other people (such as Westbrook and Harden) to become the center of that conversation. With Harden's team currently at 31-9, per www.basketball-reference.com, and Westbrook's team at 23-16, we feel this is the decisive advantage that "The Beard" has in this conversation. Although one might think that due to Westbrook's slightly higher PER (Player Efficiency Rating) according to ESPN, we still feel that the similarity in supporting cast for Harden and Westbrook with a drastically different record should show why Harden is our MVP favorite. Still, however, no one should complain if either of these amazing players receive the award at the end of the NBA season. 

- JD and IS

Note;

Photos received from thunderousintentions.com and inquirer.net