The Viper Vibe - Volume 18, Issue 2

vol . 18

iss ue

2 /

19 b‘ Fe

Government shutdown Felix Varela Sr. High School * 15255 S.W. 96 St., Miami, FL 33196

Hits and misses

n i t e l l bu rd a o b

Boys Soccer made it to Regionals! Way to go Vipers!

Winter lasted all of two days!

The rest of the country is jealous.

The government shutdown was the longest in U.S. history. What a shame!

At the Winter Blood Drive, 86 people donated with five people donating to cancer patients and 19 donating plasma. Way to go Varela!

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow predicting an early spring. Take that polar vortex!

Waiting to see if the government will shut down again.

table of contents

Ta b le of Contents | View p oints

ViEWPOINTS

Editorial.............................................................. 4

News

volume 18 feb ‘19

Varela News.................................... 5 Laramie Project..........................6 Drama taps into social consciousness with its portrayal of the true story of Matthew Shepard.

Editors Jonathan Bigio-Vargas Natalia Fernandez Sarah Guzman Karolyn Legra Fabian Rodriguez

Flushable Wipes.................7 Animal strays.................. 8 Midterm Elections........ 9 Gov't Shutdown......... 10

lifestyle

Reporters

Bumblee...................11 Bohemian Rhapsody.12

l Daniel

Cardenas l Alex Dominguez l Jose Donate l Isabella Londono l Jonathan Lopez

It has taken 27 years to create a movie about Rock icon Freddie Mercury.

Bird Box.................... 13 Super Smash.............14 Gaming Systems....... 15 Chicken Wars............ 16 Toscana Divina............17

Adviser

Editorial Policy

Varela Sports.................18

The Viper Vibe is the student newspaper of Felix Varela Senior High (15255 SW 96 St. Miami, FL, 33196). It is an open forum for student expression. The opinions expressed in the publication do not reflect the official opinions or policies of the school. The Viper Vibe welcomes letters to the editor, but requires that they be signed and reserves the right to reject, edit and condense letters. The staff and adviser can be contacted at 305-752-7900 or thevipervibe@gmail. com

Check out the latest in Winter Sports.

On the cover: On the 20th day of a partial government shutdown, furloughed federal workers, contractors and union representatives gathered before marching to the White House to demand that President Trump reopen the government on Jan. 10, in Washington, D.C. photo with permission Abaca Press/TNS

Talk to us: thevipervibe@gmail.com

Martinez l Maria Pacheco l Kiana Paulino l Abigail Valdes l Isabella Vallejo

Elizabeth Cardenas

sports

Above: Trash builds up along the National Mall as trash collectors are off work during a partial shutdown of the federal government, on Dec. 24, 2018 in Washington, D.C. Parts of the U.S. government shut down on Saturday for the third time this year after a bipartisan spending deal collapsed over President Donald Trump's demands for more money to build a wall along the U.S.- Mexico border. photo with permission Abaca Press/TNS; The Drama Department performs The Laramie Project, a play based on the true story of Matthew Shepard. photo by Fox-Mar; Rami Malek stars as Freddie Mercury in Twentieth Century Fox's Bohemian Rhapsody. photo with permission Twentieth Century Fox/TNS; Boys Soccer makes it to Regionals photo by Best Photo Creations

l Letisleidi

Sponsorships

Your thoughts may be featured in the next issue of the Viper Vibe!

The Viper Vibe welcomes sponsorships from individuals and businesses, but reserves the right to reject any material deemed inappropriate for a high school publication.

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Viewpoi nt s | E d it or ial

Trump and Democrats use American people as leverage Editorial

F

irst of all, we here in the Viper Vibe feel that on ridiculous research projects like bird watching this dispute going on between Trump and ($283,500 to study baby gnatcatchers), writing the Democrats is outrageous and ridiculous. about Russian smokers ($48,500) and the National We think that a border wall is not going to work; Science Foundation’s study on why politics stresspeople are going to find a way around it. That bees us out ($150,000). ing said, we also feel that keeping 800,000 people

We think that the Democrats should just give from getting a paycheck over $5.7 billion is petty.

Trump the money. While the Democrats claim that

Adults are always telling us kids to get along, Trump is holding the American people hostage, to be kind to each other. We are told that we must they are doing the same. There is no compromise learn to work with others, be tolerant taking place.

It is absolutely and learn the art of compromise. But

Federal workers may take the what is happening in Washington is any- unacceptable that huge hit right now, but eventually, it can thing but fair play. Our representatives people are being trickle down to the average American. and president are doing the complete Here in Miami, the airport closed an ensent home without tire terminal due to a lack of TSA agents. opposite. They are acting very childish and honestly very immature. They pay, or are working Not only did this slow down the process should be setting an example for us, but for getting through security to flights, without pay. instead, are acting exactly the way they but it had the potential to delay flights expect us not to. Sounds a bit hypocritiand lessen security. cal.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, or $150,000

It is absolutely unacceptable that people were study, to know why politics stress us out. sent home without pay, or worked without pay.

The grown-ups in the White House and ConWho knows the conditions they’re in, the mouths gress need to show us young people that working they need to feed. What’s going to happen to them together and compromise can and will keep this if the government shuts down again? country moving forward. This game of chicken

The U.S. annual budget runs at approximately needs to come to an end. Someone needs to put $4.407 trillion. President Trump wants that budtheir pride aside and think of the Americans they get to include $5.7 billion to be used on the wall represent, those who voted them in with the and border security. According to the National understanding that they would do what’s right for Review, the government spends at least that much the people instead of what’s right for themselves.

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Aro u n d Varela | N ew s

HEADLINES AND HAPPENINGS

News

December 14

December 12 Holiday Showcase VA Visit

With winter break right around the corner, Varela’s performing arts department hosted their annual Winter Showcase on Dec. 12, 2018, in the auditorium at 7pm. The showcase included performances by the Wind Symphony, Chorus, Advanced and Intermediate Dancers, and the Enchanters.

The first half of the show featured the music program entertaining the audience with classics like “Winter Wonderland” and “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and instrumentals like Irving Berlin’s “Christmas.” After intermission, the dancers took over the stage with pieces like “Next To You,” “Everybody in Here,” and “Coming in Hot.” The show was a great way to start off the two week winter break.

Left: Students in the performing arts department entertained audiences during their Winter Showcase. photos by Fox-Mar; Right: Students in NJROTC and Quill and Scroll visited the local VA Hospital to celebrate the holidays with Veterans. photo by E. Cardenas

January 24

January 17

Sr. Movie Night Jr. Ring Ceremony

Seniors got to start the four-day holiday weekend early with their annual Senior Movie Night. As students signed up to attend the free event, they voted on the preferred movie (Night School, Incredibles 2 or Venom).

On Thursday, Jan. 17, seniors gathered in the cafeteria at 5 p.m. to spread out blankets and pillows. The trend this year was inflatable mattresses.

Each person was given a ticket good for pizza, cookies and a bottle of water. As the lights went down, students cheered for the winning movie, Venom, and the beginning of the end of senior year.

In December, students from several clubs celebrated the holidays with Veterans at the local VA Hospital. Quill and Scroll, Jazz Band, FBLA and NJROTC took food, decorations and presents to thank them for their service to our country.

Jazz Band played Christmas carols and popular holiday tunes while Chorus students sang. The community service project is an annual event where students get to spend time with members of all the armed forces.

Juniors officially began their journey to the end of high school at the Junior Ring Ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 24, at 6:30 p.m. in Varela’s gymnasium.

Although the ceremony started at 6:30 p.m., juniors had to be in the auditorium by 5:45 p.m. They all gathered to make their grand entrance together.

One by one, juniors walked across the stage to be greeted by the assistant principal, Ms. Angela Holbrook. They stepped through a large decorated ring supplied by Herff Jones, makers of the rings. As they all raised their hands and placed their rings on their fingers, juniors officially became upperclassmen.

Left: Seniors gathered for Senior Movie Night to watch the movie Venom. This year, many student brought inflatable mattresses to go along with their pillows and blankets. photo by Crotalus; Right: Juniors show off their class rings. This year’s Junior Ring Ceremony took place on Thursday, Jan. 24, in the gym. photos

by Jonathan Bigio-Vargas and Fox-Mar

information gathered by Jonathan Bigio-Vargas, Sarah Guzman, and Karolyn Legra

e i m a r a L The t c e j o Pr News | A ro u n d V arel a

Drama department takes on serious social topic

Above: Drama department performed their anual fall production “The Laramie Prodject” which tells the real story based on Mathew Shepard’s murder. Photo by Fox-Mar; Below: Senior Kassandra Dominguez played the roll of Officer Reggie Flurry,Junior Kandace Philpot played the roll of Sargent Rob Debre. Photo by Fox-Mar.

Isabella Vallejo In 1998,

Staff Reporter 22-year-old IG: asthxticbxlla college student Matthew Shepard was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming. Because Shepard was gay, prosectors charged that the crime was sexually motivated. His death, and that of James Byrd Jr. brought national attention to hate crimes, and in 2009, Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act which made crimes against LGBTQ hate crimes.

Shepard’s murder inspired Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project to create the play The Laramie Project which has had a big impact on society.

Varela’s drama department chose to perform the play for

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their fall show. According to the drama departments playbill, “It’s a play about being targeted and hurt for being different or perceived to be different and how it affects a community, how it affects all of us.”

“When I choose a high school play, it’s for two reasons; practical and emotional,” Drama teacher Melissa Almaguer said. “I was alive when this murder took place, so I had a personal connection with it. It is honestly about erasing hate.”

Drama students each had to perform multiple characters.

“In my opinion, it came naturally but it was not easy.

I struggled a lot but with the help of Ms. A. and research; it became easier,” junior Kandice Philpot said.

“There are a lot of talented actors and I needed a play that

gave me a fairly large ensemble,” Almaguer said.

Many of the smaller performances by the Drama department take place in a small room called “The Little Theater.” But this time, they performed in the school’s auditorium. Seeing the actors perform multiple characters was pretty mind blowing.

Although they had more room for setup and props, they had some issues with their sound system. Microphones were not used during the performance, so if the actor got too far from one side of the audience, then it became difficult to hear them speak. They did have a soundtrack pumped in to go along with the play, which suited them nicely.

Overall, this play was a great choice not only because it has an important message, but

also it hopefully had a positive impact on today’s youth.

“It’s a beautiful masterpiece because of the story itself and how the event and how issues were addressed,” Philpot said.

“People in it were amazing and how the play was performed.

No important details were left out; they made sure what had to be said was said.”

Aro u n d Varela | N ew s

Flushable wipes cause serious problems Pipes burst, flood several bathrooms in Science and Social Studies Technology has

massive clogging due to wet wipes.

“Twenty years of students, and adults too, using wipies caused such a clog in the pipe that the pipe burst and the water came out,” she said. “When the zone mechanic, Mr. Madruga went in there to find out what was going on and they sent out all these plumbers, that’s what they discovered.”

Schools are built with larger pipes to accommodate thousands of students and faculty. If they were clogged, imagine what could happen to the smaller pipes we have in our homes. The problem had to be

Letisleidis Martinez given us much more

Staff Reporter than just gadgets IG: xo.letisleidis and video games.

It has also added to our comfort. One of the items technology has given us is “flushable wipes.”

While wipes that we use to remove makeup are regularly meant to be thrown away, other disposable wipes calling themselves “flushable” are supposed to be able to be flushed in the toilet.They are moistened with water or other liquids (most alcohol based) depending on the applications.

According to The Guardian, consumers should not believe the label “flushable.”

These disposable wipes are responsible for clogging sewers around the world.

“Even though these wipes do eventually break down, they take a longer amount of time to do so compared to toilet paper” (lentheplumber.com). Because they don’t break down as quickly, they can catch other things in the sewer line.

Manufacturers stated test results that show flushable wipes are deemed safe to flush; however, there is evidence that flushing wipes have caused several problems in the pipes.

Even Consumer Reports stated that wipes will cause clogged toilets. The article reported, “When we put them in a stand mixer filled with water and pushed the slowest speed it took at least 10 minutes to break down each into small pieces meaning you would not want to flush ‘flushable wipes’.”

In December, Varela had its own personal plumbing problems due to this problem. It all started with overflowing toilets in the Social Studies wing, which migrated to the Science wing. The bathrooms were shut down while custodians tried to figure out the problem. Eventually, plumbers were called in.

The principal, Ms. Nery Fins, came on the PA to announce that all the water in the building would be shut off so that the plumbers could get into the system. When the principal came back on the PA, she announced that the plumbers had found

severe for the whole school’s water system to be shut off.

The sanitary sewer system is responsible for carrying wastewater away from your home and into wastewater treatment facilities where it is cleaned before returning to local waterways. When you use it as a trash can, the trash creates clogs, which lead to system breakdowns and sewage overflows (askhggreen.org)

Fins and the administration ask that students not flush any wipies in the toilets here in school and to make sure they are thrown away instead.

Above: Bathrooms in the Science wing flooded in December when pipes burst due to excessive clogging. photo by Letisleidis Martinez; Below: According to askhrgreen.org, certain items should never be flushed down a toilet. photo courtesy of askhrgreen.org

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News | A ro u n d V arel a

Homelessness on the rise for animals As a child she had about 10 pets. Since then Suarez has dedicated her adult life to helping animals who are injured, abandoned, and so much more.

“Whenever I see a helpless animal on the side of the road, I always stop where I am and try to get them,” she said.

Suarez’s animal loving doesn’t stop Alexandra Suarez has been fostering animals since 2016. She got her at fostering love of animals from her father who used to take in wounded squirrels and though, she has birds. photo by Kiana Paulino a maltipoo, two Every year domestic shorthair cats and a Kiana Paulino about six to domestic longhair cat.

She says Staff Reporter eight million having animals at home makes IG: kianaaraae cats and dogs the fostering process somewhat enter the nations 3,500 anihard, but in the end it pays off. mal shelters, according to the

The two main reasons Humane Society of the United animals end up homeless are States. In the state of Florida owners giving them away or , more than 430,000 cats and animal control picking them dogs entered animal shelters in up off the street (DoSomething 2016.

Organization).

In Miami-Dade County,

One way we as a communi33,781 animals were recorded ty in Kendall can help defor live intake (Florida Shelter crease the amount of homeless Animal Census). animals is by simply supporting

In 2018, West Kendall our local animal rescue center veteran animal rescuer, Alexsuch as the Miami Animal andra Suarez, fostered about Rescue Center.

10 animals. Since 2016 she has

Another way is by rescued about 20 animals in microchipping our furry total. friends. Running out the

Suarez’s love for animals door or wandering off makes started when she was seven pets easy to lose, but by miyears old. crochipping them, it makes

“My dad would rescue sick it easier to find them. squirrels and birds with broken Varela’s Veterinary wings and we would try our Science Magnet Program is best to heal them,” Suarez said. partnered with Miami-Dade Senior Gabriela Dean works with her dog Ava, training her to be a support animal. As a part of Varela’s Veterinary Magnet, Dean has been fostering animals since 2014 and started training Ava in the summer of 2018. photo by Abigail Valdes

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County Animal Services to help give animals a temporary home. They also help aid animals who are found homeless.

The dogs being trained are not only trained behavior wise but trained to be support animals.

Senior Gabriela Dean helps train the animals brought into the Vet program and has been fostering animals since 2014.

During the 2018 summer, Dean found and began training her now therapy dog, Ava. Ava is currently helping children with intellectual disabilities.

Dean focuses on positive reinforcement training.

“Rather than yelling at her for doing something wrong, I usually give her something to do that’s different because dogs don’t have the same memory capacity we do,” she said.

Dean trains Ava 30 minutes a day, some days an hour and a half at formal training. She tries to avoid overwhelming Ava because she believes animals get stressed also. While puppies usually get adopted fairly

Alexandra Suarez fosters all kinds of animals that she finds roaming the streets. photo by Kiana Paulino

quickly, adoption is particularly difficult for older animals since sometimes the factor of “cuteness” isn’t there for humans.

“Training the animals really does help to get them adopted, some people prefer a trained animal rather than a puppy who is going to chew into everything and pee everywhere,” Dean said.

The growing efforts to decrease the number of homeless animals has been increasing rapidly. People all around the world are starting campaigns to end animal homelessness which includes the ASPCA , PETA , and the Humane Society (One Green Planet).

Owners can also have their pets spayed and neutered lowering the reproduction rate of these domesticated animals.

If animals continue to quickly reproduce and then get set free on the streets, more and more will be killed in the kill shelters.

This is definitely an overpopulation problem that humans can control.

Aro u n d t h e U.S . | N ew s

With a grin on his face, Rodney Johnson, 47, walks out of the County Center after registering to vote for the first time on Tuesday, Jan. 8. Johnson was released from prison in 2000.

Since the passing of Amendment 4, Johnson is allowed to register to vote. photo with permission Tampa Bay Times/TNS Liquid nicotine for a E-cigarette is dripped in a pro tank. According to a national study, the growing popularity of e-cigarettes has put more kids at risk of nicotine poisoning. photo with permission Orange County Register/TNS Members of the House are sworn in by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi during the 116th Congress and swearing-in ceremony on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 3, inWashington, D.C. photo with permission Abaca Press/TNS

Dennis Tyler takes “Buddy” out for a break in the kennel area behind the Melbourne Greyhound track inMelbourne, Florida. Buddy is a greyhound whose leg was so badly mangled during a race that it had to be amputated. photo with permission Orlando Sentinel/MCT

Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady, left, swears in Florida’s 46th Governor Ron DeSantis, right, as his wife Casey DeSantis and their son Mason look on, center at Florida’s historic Old Capitol, Tuesday, January 8. photo with permission Tampa Bay Times/TNS

Midterms rewrite politics For the past four

To win a majority in the house a party

Jonathan Bigio-Vargas years, Republicans needs at least 218 out of 435 Represen-

Editor have been in conbigioj5291@gmail.com trol in the Congress. Midterm elections are important because “every two years if we don’t like the direction of where government is going, we can change it,” Social Studies teacher Mr. Randy Mojica said. “We change politicians. Eventually it will change policies, which eventually are laws that are enforced by the president. Or they can prevent the president or congress or the supreme court from doing what they want. It’s about checks and balances.”

The midterm elections in November changed the makeup of Congress when voters put Democrats in charge of the House of Representatives. This will divide Washington even further.

“Laws will be harder to get passed, cause it’s got to be approved by the Senate and the House. So it’s got to be beneficial,” Mojica said.

Party Lines

Democrats have the majority in the House, but Republicans control the Senate.

tatives and in the Senate a party needs at least 51 out of 100 Senators. With the new elections, Democrats brought in a total of 235 House seats. Republicans will hold the Senate with 53 seats.

Gender

Many people see our Congress as being made up of mostly of old, white men, and while this is still true, the 116th Congress will be the most diverse group yet. According to BigThink, almost half of the new congress is not white men. This has been the year of the woman because there are a lot more involved in politics.

The new Congress will have 131 women which is about 23% of the total.

Fringe Parties

There are also more ethnicities and members of the LGBTQ community. Somali-American Ilhan Omar and Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib are the first Muslims to be elected to Congress. There are also two new Native American women who will be sitting in the House. Katie Hill becomes the first openly bisexual and

openly LGBT woman elected into congress.

Veterans

According to the Military Times, there will be 95 veterans in congress - 30 Democrats and 65 Republicans, 18 of which will serve in the Senate and 77 in the House. Of the 95 veterans, 47 of them served in the military after 2000 making them a younger crowd and understanding current fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Florida

In Florida, we voted for a U.S. Senator, several U.S. Representatives and Governor.

We also had several Florida Constitutional Amendments to consider. The Senate and Governor’s seats were a tough battle, but eventually won by Rick Scott and Ron Desantis respectively.

Eleven of the 12 Florida Amendments were passed. Some of the most interesting dealt with voting rights, gambling and clean water/air. Amendment 4 restored voting rights to criminals who have paid their debt to society and have not been involved in murder or sexual assault cases. Amendment 9 banned vaping indoors and it prohibited offshore oil and gas drilling for a certain number of miles within Florida’s territorial waters. Amendment 13 ended dog racing as it was seen as cruelty to animals.

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News | A ro u n d t h e U . S.

Fight over border wall shuts down government Isabella Londono Every year

Staff Reporter the govIG: isabella.xoxoxo ernment establishes a budget for the new year. All the government agencies request a certain amount of money for their departments for the new year, and the White House submits this to Congress for approval. Congress then goes through the budget and the House and Senate each create their own proposals which are debated and argued over. Once a deal is made and signed, the budget goes back to the president to be signed.

This year our federal budget is estimated to be about $4.4 trillion. Within that budget, President Trump requested nearly $6 billion to put towards border security and a border wall with Mexico. Congress refused to approve that item, so Trump refused to sign the budget forcing a partial government shutdown.

The government was shut down for more than a month.

Since it was a partial government shutdown, all non-essential workers were sent home without pay which is called being furloughed. Essential workers like department heads were still paid. This directly affected about 800,000 federal workers.

In some cases, workers were asked to come in without pay if their job involved security or operations. FAA, TSA and IRS furloughed workers were asked to come into work without pay until the government was fully active again.

While the government shutdown directly affected the federal employees, it was beginning to slowly affect the average person.

Here in Miami, at Miami International Airport, officials shut down Terminal G periodically throughout the week in order to “send TSA workers to busier checkpoints” (The Miami Herald). This also meant relocating several flights that would

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normally arrive at Terminal G. Anyone who had to go in that certain terminal had to relocate themselves into other terminals which caused more time to get through to flights.

When the federal government shuts down, it can also affect people with businesses like farms.

According to The Miami Herald, “Agriculture is Florida’s second-largest industry, with 47,000 commercial farms creating $132 billion in economic impact. Our state’s farms support 2 million jobs, export more than $4 billion in agricultural products to 164 countries, raise more than 1 million head of cattle and are the nation’s leading producers of tomatoes, grapefruit, squash, sugarcane and, of course, oranges.”

However, farmers were unable to access grants and loans and facilities were missing FDA inspections. With spring planting right around the corner, farmers use Department of Agriculture data to decide what to plant and where. Mistakes in planting now make food more expensive for everyone later.

Florida school breakfast and lunch programs are only federally funded through March which means that if the government shutdown happens again, students may have to pay for breakfast and lunch themselves.

Both the House and Senate proposed bills, but neither was passed. According to CNN, the first proposal by the Senate included $5.7 billion for the wall, a protection plan for three years for people who are currently enrolled in DACA , and an Asylum law change, plus $12.7 billion in disaster aid.

The House proposal, which is currently run by Democrats, said they would “reopen 25% of shuttered federal government through the 8th of February and grant him [Trump] $12.1 billion in disaster aid.

On Friday, Jan. 25, Trump agreed to reopen the government, but only for three weeks

President Donald Trump argues about border security with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as Vice President Mike Pence sits nearby in the Oval Office on Dec. 11, 2018 in Washington, DC. photo with permission Getty Images/TNS

Trash builds up along the National Mall as trash collectors are off work during a partial shutdown of the federal government, on Dec. 24, 2018 in Washington, D.C. Parts of the U.S. government shut down for the third time this year after a bipartisan spending deal collapsed over President Donald Trump’s demands for more money to build a wall along the U.S.- Mexico border. photo with permission Abaca Press/TNS

People gather to receive free food from Philabundance.

For the first time in its history, Philabundance enacted its disaster plan in Philly to quickly distribute food to federal workers facing hunger because of the partial government shutdown. photo with permission TNS

while Democrats and Republicans continue to negotiate over the border wall. If they cannot come to an agreement by Feb. 15, he will either shut down the government again or declare a national emergency which

would bypass congress and allow Trump to get the money from another place.

Either way Trump is determined to get his wall. Now the only question is who will give in first: Democrats or Trump?

Mov ies | L if estyle

lifestyle

Transformers franchise is back on track the box office, all others have slowly decreased in returns while budgets have soared. Bumblebee may be able to redeem the franchise. It’s budget was less than even the original.

The original Transformers movie had well-known actors such as Disney Channel star Shia LaBeouf, model Tyrese Gibson, and Megan Fox. Mark Wahlberg tried to use his name and fame to recapture that magic with sequels to the original trilogy. Unfortunately, it didn’t really work.

Bumblebee has attracted famous names like John Cena, Dylan O’ Brien, Justin Theroux, and Angela Bassett.

However, the main protagonist with Bumblebee is Charlie, played by Hailee

Transformers has been apart of our cinematic world since 2007, and now ev- Steinfeld who is probably best known eryone’s favorite autobot Bumblebee has for her role in Pitch Perfect 2. This cast dug down into the Transformers series a movie of his own. Just in time for the and created a perfect movie. I feel that holiday season, Bumblebee was created to be a prequel that showed the origin of it has created a new start that will help pick up the franchise.

Bumblebee’s time here on Earth.

Bumblebee was a great movie and The Transformers franchise has had its ups and downs over the past decade. had an amazing storyline which told Bumblee’s origins. On a planet known as While the first one did really well at

Cybertron, BumBy Jose Donate blebee and his Staff Reporter group the Autojosedonate24@gmail.com bots fight in a war against Decepticons. Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, tells Bumblee to leave and go to Earth to create a base for him there. In a battle, Bumblebee loses his ability to communicate with humans and finds his unique way to interface.

Charlie meets Bumblee and takes him home to try and figure out where he came from.

The film scored 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, so apparently, audiences are enjoying the adventure. This could bring back some much needed money to the Transformers franchise. Bumblebee is definitely worth the ticket to see it on a big screen. The movie presented a lot of special effects which made the movie seem even more futuristic than it already is. The movie had some comedy, but the battle scenes which involved Transformers fighting, were epic. I personally enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to everyone.

Still from "Bumblebee," the latest movie in the Transformers franchise. photo with permission Paramount Pictures/TNS

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Rami Malek stars as Freddie Mercury in Twentieth Century Fox’s Bohemian Rhapsody. photo with permission Twentieth Century Fox/TNS

Freddie Mercury: There It’s been 27

By Abigail Valdes years since

Staff Reporter Rock prince IG: abxgailx__main Freddie Mercury passed away from HIV/AIDS and there’s finally a movie portraying his journey from before his fame and during all the years of his performing in the band Queen. Bohemian Rhapsody is the story of Mercury (Rami Malek), and his bandmates Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), Brian May (Gwilym Lee), and John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello) along with other people who played an important role in the band’s and Mercury’s life. They chose the movie’s name from one of Queen’s most famous songs.

Queen rose to fame through their image as a progressive Rock band with huge anthems that influenced the children of the 70s. They were one of the most popular bands, coming in second

behind the Beatles.

Before Queen got together, part of the group was in another band called Smile, and it wasn’t until their lead vocalist Tim Staffell left, that they later got together with Mercury. After only playing a few gigs, they finished college and focused on their careers and by 1973 they released their debut album, Queen, and later began touring.

Throughout Mercury’s life he struggled with his identity and finding true happiness; listeners can tell by his music. The lyrics in his songs came from the bottom of his heart. It was a way of expressing himself and finding inner peace. He wrote his music not only for himself, but for anyone who had trouble with who they were or anyone who needed joy in their life.

He made a profound impact on the music industry and the lives of the young

Can Be Only One

people of his time. Through his music he shared his soul so that others could embark with him on this journey called life.

This movie perfectly sets the image of a man who wanted to be the best version of himself. Malek does an amazing job portraying Mercury. He expresses all of Mercury’s struggles and all his highs and lows in a way that the audience can imagine was truly coming from Mercury. What shapes the movie even more is how identical in appearance the actors are with the real life stars.

The first photo of Malek as Mercury was released September 17, the day on which the singer would have turned 71. Malek’s attitude towards the way he should depict Mercury’s character was absolutely necessary for anyone who was planning on playing this role because of the importance of depicting Mercury as the legend that he was.

It was so important for the directors to be true to the smallest of details. Malek took singing lessons and wore prosthetic teeth so that he could sing himself as Mercury.

“When you open your eyes and see a different person staring back at you in the photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

mirror, it’s a very affirming moment,” Malek said in an interview with iHeartRadio.

In all his life, Mercury never did anything to touch his iconic teeth. He believed that it would disrupt his four-octave vocal range.

Directors used Malek’s voice, a sound alike performer, and recordings of Mercury’s voice to recreate his performances. I feel it paid off. The music in this movie alone makes it worth watching.

Malek portrays Mercury as a person who, in spite of his difficulties, always tried to wear a smile and make those around him happy. The audience is able to see Mercury’s ambition to take on the world. The producers picked moments in his life that really showed what made him the man who really did “want it all.”

It was truly an amazing experience that I would never want to take back. This may be one of the best movies I have ever come across.

And apparently critics and fans alike feel the same.

Bohemian Rhapsody and Malek won Best Picture Drama and Best Lead Actor in the Golden Globes. They were both also nominated for Oscar Awards.

TV | L if estyle

Left: photo courtesy of Netflix; Above: Trevante Rhodes and Sandra Bullock in "Bird Box." photo with permission Netflix/TNS

Sensory deprivation is the new thriller Bullock travels blind on Netflix

After much anticipation, the movie Bird Box which was based on the novel

by Josh Malerman came out on Netflix worldwide on Dec. 21, 2018. This movie tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world where people see something that causes them to go insane and commit suicide. The main character Malorie (played by Sandra Bullock) decides to take a journey with her two kids to a safe zone. The trick, the trip must be done blindfolded.

With over 45 million streams, the movie, directed by Susanne Bier and executive produced by Bullock, has turned out to be a fairly decent hit. This has been one of many recent movies that has involved the loss of one of our senses and people’s biggest fears such as the fear of the unknown.

Bullock is mostly known for her roles in big screen movies such as Gravity and Miss Congeniality, but this is her first step into the world of streaming movies with Netflix. Viewers may also recognize Lil Rel Howery (who plays Charlie) from the movie Tag. The setting of the movie is in a few different cities

in Northern California, some that were mentioned were Sacramento and Santa Rosa, but in the beginning of the movie, they were in a house near Los Angeles including most of the scenes in the forest.

This movie will leave you on the edge of your seat and with many questions that are left unanswered. I loved the mix of characters in the movie such as goofy, funny Charlie and very goal oriented and military minded Douglas (played by John Malkovich). It also felt like more than just a thriller; it allowed the viewer to get emotionally connected with the characters and definitely left some tears in my eyes by the end of the movie.

Although I believe it was a good movie by itself, I would like them to come out with a Bird Box two to answer some left over questions and maybe even reveal the mysterious presence that is causing people to commit suicide. The movie will even have viewers wondering how the characters got through all of the situations they had to go through. This has led to the Bird Box Challenge which

has sprung up on YouTube and By Maria Pacheco has caused a lot Staff Reporter Mfernanda0826@gmail.com of people to get hurt. Because of the numerous videos showing people getting injured, YouTube has decided to ban risky prank videos.

According to The New York Times, YouTube updated its policies “to make it clear that challenges that can cause death and/or have caused death in some instances, pranks with a perceived danger of serious physical injury and anything that causes children severe emotional distress are not allowed on the site.”

Sandra Bullock wasn’t too far off from experiencing the real struggle of being blindfolded. She refused to put holes through her blindfold during the filming process allowing her to really experience being blind.

Overall, this is a great movie to watch if you wanna see a good thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat, but won’t keep you from getting a good night's sleep.

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L i f est y le | V i d eo G ames

SMASH Ultimate sweeps the nation price tag. On the day of release, I opened up Smash Bros Staff Reporter and waited for a five minute alexthechew56@gmail.com update to download. I decided to go straight into a match

When the Nintendo Switch was first released, fans with some level six bots to test how everything worked, of the franchise constantly as the game advertised the asked when the next Super player starts the game with Smash Brothers game was the original N64 roster concoming since the one for the sisting of Mario,Yoshi, Donkey Nintendo Wii U was missing Kong, Kirby, Fox, Link, Samus a few characters and stages. and Pikachu.

Then in June 2018, Mashiro

After about two hours, Sakurai, the director and creator of Super Smash Bros, I went from nine characters to about 15 and decided to officially announced that on Dec. 7, Super Smash Bros Ulti- try out the adventure mode mate would release featuring “World Of Light” and discovered that not only are all the characters and maps the opponents way harder from the previous games as by my standards, but when well as new characters and a a trapped fighter gets freed story mode. they not only join the adven Christmas was looking a ture mode roster but the main lot better. The hype was surone as well. real, as new-found fans and

I put in around 28 hours old fans had found the game of gameplay before finally that they’d been waiting for beating the final boss and for over four years. realizing that there were

As a long term fan of the multiple endings and starting Super Smash Bros franchise a new game. Super Smash and complete nerd for Nintendo, I decided to see if that Bros Ultimate plays smoother hype was truly worth the $60 and better than any other

By Alexander Dominguez

The Super Smash Bros. series started out as a simple concept, but has grown into a full-blown celebration of Nintendo gaming throughout the ages. photo with permission Nintendo of America

Super Smash Bros.

Ultimate photo with permission Nintendo

previous game and the spirit references that replaced the trophies give the game a breath of fresh air as there are hundreds upon thousands of spirits from countless titles. I hold a lot of respect for the franchise, but this game blows the roof off of my expectations. It is truly a masterpiece from Nintendo.

There are some minor setbacks with character movement and small glitches that are very difficult to achieve, but still a beautiful game to play both alone and with friends 9.5/10.

Vid e o Gam es | L if estyle

Consoles provide different benefits the hol- The Xbox One X costs $500 dollars.

By Jonathan Lopez With idays now While it costs more than the Playstation Staff Reporter

over, many students may be looking for a way to spend their Christmas cash or gift cards. Gaming consoles are pretty good when they go on sale. So which console is best?

Playstation

Playstation 4 (PS4) is $300. According to Techradar, if gamers are looking for a basic console with good graphics that has an edge over the Xbox One S, then that would be the go to choice.

However, it lacks 4K and this is where the PS4 Pro comes in.

It has 4K graphics and good exclujonathanlopezjl2003@gmail.com

photo courtesy of Sony Playstation

sive games such as God Of War, Spider-Man and The Last of Us. However, the “pro” will add another $100 to the cost of the console. The monthly plan for Playstation Plus is $10, for 3 months it will be $25, and for 12 months it is $60.

Microsoft

photos courtesy of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo

4 Pro, it supports the 4K graphics a little better. It also has some exclusives that fans love like Halo 5, Gears of War 4 and State of Decay. Halo tends to be the most popular and the others, according to some negative reviews on YouTube, are not as good as the PS4 games.

The monthly fee of Xbox Live Gold

photo courtesy of Microsoft

also the subscription to play online is either $10 dollars per month or $60 for 12 months.

Nintendo

The Nintendo Switch is a console that costs $300. It’s very portable and not only can it be used as a handheld device, but it can also be switched to TV mode. For gamers that travel a lot, the Nintendo Switch might be the best choice.

For those who are into RPG’s (role playing games) and like fighting games like Super Smash Bros Ultimate, these games are very successful, so is Nintendo’s latest, and best, RPG game called Octopath Traveler which is a turn-based pixelated RPG with very good graphics and pretty hard boss battles that are very challenging. The graphics are not as good as Playstation or XBox but it makes

up for that with its portability.

One of, if not the best, titles of 2017, Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, is

photo courtesy of Nintendo

only exclusive to Nintendo. The Nintendo Switch offers a monthly or yearly subscription to play online: 1 month is $4, 3 Months is $8, and the cost of 12 months would be $20, so by far the cheapest subscription.

Conclusion

These three consoles all offer good quality games with good graphics that won’t interfere in gameplay. A gamer’s choice plays a huge role in what exclusive games they will be playing. While the Nintendo Switch is cheaper in terms of online subscription, the Xbox One and PS4 offer free monthly games for users.

The only downside is that players don’t get to choose which games they want monthly; the company chooses the games for subscribers and according to reviewers on YouTube, many of the games are pretty old and not that good.

Gamers can’t play online without having to pay for a monthly subscription which is basically a cash grab. All the Nintendo Switch has to offer is the ability to play old NES games and the ability to play online.

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L i f est y le | Fo o d

VS

By Natalia Fernandez When it and more nutritious.

Editor comes IG: ohitsnaat to fast food chicken, the average person thinks of KFC or even nuggets at McDonald’s. But there are much better, healthier options out there.

Chicken Kitchen and 3 Chefs and a Chicken are both restaurants that serve chicken grilled over rice or in a salad.

Chicken Kitchen, located in The Crossings, opened in 1983. It operates like a fast food restaurant (wait in line to have someone serve you), but in reality it is healthier

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The menu consists of chicken...no beef or pork here.

They can create salads and wraps which can include rice and other toppings. Salads, called Chop-Chops, can range from $8 to $10 and “Wrapitos” are about $7.

Chicken Kitchen gives that feeling of not being in an actual restaurant. It feels more like a cafeteria. You use a tray and choose your food from behind a splatter shield.

Chicken Kitchen’s competition, 3 Chefs and a Chicken, is located on Bird Road. Since 3 Chefs is a newer restaurant

it has a fresher, more modern feeling. They also have a drive-thru.

3 Chefs makes stuffed pitas and their specialty called Cheféns consists of their marinated chicken breast served over rice or salad.

They can even take their Cheféns and make them into a burrito roll for a quick grab and go. Their prices are comparable to Chicken Kitchen.

Personally, I feel that 3 Chefs serves better portions and is just as delicious as Chicken Kitchen. Fans of Chicken Kitchen are gonna love 3 Chefs even more.

Clockwise from top left: Chicken Kitchen employee prepares chicken breast for a ChopChop; 3 Chefs and a Chicken has a more fresh, modern feeling; Regular Signature Chefens which is the number one meal at 3 Chefs and a Chicken; The Original ChopChop, at Chicken Kitchen comes with chopped chicken breast over yellow rice with a slice of pita. photos by Natalia Fernandez

Maybe because it is newer, 3 Chefs just has a nicer feel to it. It doesn’t feel old.

It is located in a free standing building instead of being located in a strip mall.

According to Senior, Raul Gonzalez, “although Chicken Kitchen and 3 Chefs and a chicken serve the same food, I prefer 3 Chefs due to its perfect amount of serving portions and amazing prices.”

For a good, healthy chicken meal, I would recommend 3 Chefs, where it will be worth the time, money, and taste.

Fo o d | L if estyle

Authentic Italian cuisine comes to Brickell

There are lot of options out there for Italian food. From the basic Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill to the smaller Mike’s Pizzeria and Amici’s there’s no shortage of places to get pizza or pasta. But for some real authentic Italian cuisine, look no further than Toscana Divino located in the shops at Mary Brickell Village downtown on Brickell Avenue.

Though the restaurant doesn’t look traditionally Italian, the food is for sure. They have a lot of options, but this restaurant is not one you go to for pizza.

Their Italian dishes start with appetizers like Bruschetta Pomodoro and Carbonara "di Mare," which was good; it was tomatoes with basil and a type of spaghetti. The tomato was fresh and really added a good touch. They have entreés such as Eggplant Parmigiana and Brown Trout. They also have very traditional Italian desserts like Tiramisú Al Bicchiere and Gelato. I ordered the Créme Brulé and although it was very creamy and delicious it had crumbs of cheese and it was decorated very pretty

and had little yellow flowers.

The restaurant’s menu changes according to the seasons. Right now, they are serving items from their fall/ winter menu. They also have a separate menu for bar and lunch specials. Besides having Pasta it also includes salads and appetizers and they have their Toscana Divino classics.

Besides the food being good the restaurant is beautiful inside; it’s not very big, but it’s cozy.

When I went with my family, I got the Octopus "Puttanesca" as an appetizer. I felt that it tasted very much like shrimp. My dad got the Bruschetta Pomodoro. It was good, but it wasn’t anything special.

For my entree, I ordered the Spaghetti "3 Tomatoes" and Basil. I love pasta, and this was one of the best I’ve ever tried. It was pretty much everything you want a pasta to be. My parents both got the "Pici Senesi" with Duck Ragú.

They thought it was good and liked it a lot. Duck can have a very strong flavor,

but Toscana Divino

By Karolyn Legra did it well.

Editor

In general, the IG: its.karoo service of the restaurant was really good; the waiters were very attentive and on top of their job and they didn’t take long to bring the food.

If you’re craving real, authentic Italian food, Toscana Divino is the place to be.

Bruschetta Pomodoro

Spaghetti "3 Tomatoes" and Basil

"Pici Senesi" with Duck Ragú

photos by Karolyn Legra

Octopus "Puttanesca"

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S por t s | V arel a

sports

Winter Sports

Basketball

The 2018-2019 season has not been as triumphant as the Boys Basketball team hoped. The team has kicked off the season with a record of 0-9 with nine games left. However according to senior team captain Fabian Perez, the goal this season is to “help improve all the younger kids and help them play high school ball for when I leave.”

There have been some improvements to the program like new basketballs and a shooting machine. A renovation of the basketball court is scheduled for later this year. Most of the team’s talent exists in the older members, so they are training the underclassmen with the hope of leaving behind a team that will surpass the current one.

By Fabian Rodriguez Editor IG: sds.fabian

Left: Junior Noah Ogaza rushes the ball in a game against Homestead. photo by Best Photo Creations; Sophomore Andres Martinez does a layup in a game against South Dade. photo by Fox-Mar

The girls have had a rough start to the season but they are picking up the slack. They currently have two wins and seven losses. With 10 games left, there is some hope that the girls will finish with a positive record. According to senior team captain Denise Quesada, there is a lot of potential in the team.

“We have improved a lot from last year and our new players have learned techniques quicker,” she said.

The girls’ goal this season is to make it to Districts and bring home a trophy. Their chances are slim but they are very focused.

Left: Senior Denise Quesada does a layup in a game against South Dade.; Right: Junior Amy Dominguez rushes the ball in a game against South Dade.; photos by Best Photo Creations

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Varela | S p or ts

Soccer

Kicking off the 2018-2019 season, the girls started off with two wins but their momentum slowed down after facing teams like Ferguson, South Dade and Coral Reef. So far into the season, the girls have two wins, two draws, and five losses.

The team is one captain short. Senior defender Cindy Montoya tore her ACL and is out for the season. According to Cindy, “the team has definitely improved, especially because of the new coaching techniques.” The team is scheduled to play two more games one of which is against the District champions Coral Reef.

Left: Junior Nicolle Holguin passes the ball in a game against Braddock; Right: Sophomore Hailey Alfaro takes on Ferguson’s defense. photos by Best Photo Creations

Left: Senior Alejandro Olivares attacks the goal against Ferguson; Right: Senior Kevin Duarte tries to clear the ball from the goal in a game against Homestead. photos by Best Photo Creations

Easily considered the best sports program in Varela history and one-time national champions, Boys Soccer had big goals of winning Nationals, but unfortunately lost against Palmetto and Coral Reef earlier in the season. The team had an excellent run in Districts and snatched the title of District champs for the third time in a row.

They played an intense game against Homestead in the semifinals and ultimately came out on top, with a final score of 2-1. On Feb. 1, the boys faced Coral Reef in the District finals. We had previously lost to them in one conference game and tied in another. This time our boys showed they wanted it more and defeated Reef, with a final score of 1-0.

The boys continued their run with a Regional quarterfinal win against Coral Gables on Feb. 6. They will play Coral Reef one last time in the Regional semi-finals here at Varela on Sat. Feb. 9.

Track and Field

in that while there are running events (track), there are also other events involving specialized equipment (field).

Varela’s Track and Field team has been preparing for their Track races are done on an oval running track and can spring season which begins in February. At the moment the include individual events like 100-1600 meter races, hurdles team is having open practices for anybody wanting to join. (the runners must jump over barriers during the race), and Currently, they are working on basic fundamentals such as team events like relays where the racers must pass a bacore workouts and running techniques. The coaching staff ton on to each runner at a different length. Field events are is taking these fundamentals very seriously as this leads to individual contests of shotput, discus throw, pole vault, high great form for the athletes on race day. These basic workouts jump, triple jump, and long jump. consist of sit-ups, planks, leg raises, A skips, and step-reach.

According to Coach Armstrong, sophomore Johnny Alvares “As a staff, we believe the basic fundamentals of running and freshman Cayla Moore will be the ones to watch as they will help develop our young team. It will give us a solid foun- are currently the top runners on the team and will hopefully dation and prepare us for a successful year,” Coach Jordan break records in competition. Johnny will be competing in Armstrong said. the long jump, 100M, 200M, 400M. Cayla Moore is competing Track and Field differs from Cross Country (a fall sport) in the 800M, 400M, 1600M.

information gathered by Daniel Cardenas/all scores current as of 2/8/19

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This issue of The Viper Vibe is sponsored by: The Barredo Family The Cardenas Family The Fernandez Family The Guzman Family The Legra Family The Maldonado Family The Vargas Family The Zurita Family

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