User blog:Appelmonkey/Monthly News November 2019

Wiki News

 * In case you missed it, the winner of Battle of the Season was Zombina vs. Raiden by Jackythejack and Laquearius. Once again congratulations on your victory!

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 * Alex DeLarge (A Clockwork Orange) vs. Jack Torrance (The Shining). Alex has found himself in a rather peculiar situation. After having engaged in some good old violence, his droogs had stabbed him in the back and left him unconscious. Waking up, the gang leader found himself in a strange hotel. Meanwhile, Jack is in the middle of his rampage has been informed by Lloyd that a stranger has entered the premises. Angered that someone would enter his hotel unannounced, he goes on the hunt.


 * Mujahideen (Afghanistan) vs. Khmer Rouge (Cambodia). Guerrillas: groups that use hit-and-run tactics, sabotage, and assassinations to fight larger forces. Some of these organizations fight to resist invasive nations and protect their own culture and faith. Others merely wish to replace the government of their nations with their own, leaving a trail of bodies as they go. As the Sunni mujahideen clash with the communist Khmer Rouge, only one group can be the deadliest guerrillas.


 * Dead by Daylight Killers vs. Hide or Die Hunters. You can run, but you can't hide. Go ahead, start those generators, hide in the closest and the dark corners of the building. No matter where you go, you will be hunted, found, and eventually killed. But when there are no prey left the hunt, what will happen when the killers turn on each other?


 * Reinhardt (Overwatch) vs. Tartarus (Halo). Hammer wielding brutes in fiction always take on one out of two rolls. Either they are a noble defender, a knight who does not hesitate to shield his fellow teammates with his own body, and the cruel barbarian, a warrior who uses his own strength to push those weaker than him around. When the chivalrous Rheinhardt and zealous Tartarus clash, only one will be left standing.

World News

 * As quickly as they come and as quickly as they pass, the elections in the United States have come and gone. In a historic moment, Democrats have regained control over the state of Virginia for the first time in two decades. Along with this victory, Kentucky has voted for a democratic governor, along Bevin, the incumbent Republican governor has refused to resign demanding a recount. Mississippi has retained its Republican governor in its elections last night against the Democratic challenger. The recent shifts in voting and trends have indicated a shift happening in politics and one that the GOP will need to confront.
 * Work sucks and which is why Microsoft of Japan has attempted the 4-day work week to see the benefits. The results being an increase of 40% in overall productivity and performance from staff members. The idea of a four-day work week has hit headlines recently as challenges from the grueling length of work in the modern day has attracted scrutiny. Along with improved productivity came overall more savings for the company as employees requested less days off, used less electricity and printed fewer papers.
 * After months of protests, the government in Beijing has conceded into one of the five demands from Hong Kong protestors and killed the Extradition Bill. Although protests continue in the streets and are becoming increasingly more violent as the struggle for other demands have not been met yet. The Beijing government annoyed with the failure of Carrie Lam to rein in the populace has considered her removal. With elections approaching in Hong Kong came disturbances as pro-democracy candidates have been banned from entering the race.
 * Back to America sort of, President Donald Trump has announced the removal of American troops declaring that the oil has been secure and that he’s bringing them back home. Which turned out to once more be a lie as more troops were now sent into Iraq or Saudi Arabia. Along with this blunder came the slaughter of Kurdish forces who are being massacred by Turkish forces and backed militias, leaving the group feeling deeply betrayed by their American allies. As a result of this act of violence, The House of Representatives has voted to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Popculture

 * The game developer company Blizzard, well known for popular franchises such as StarCraft, Diablo, and Warcraft have come under fire after they punished professional Heartstone player Ng Wai Chung, better known as Blitzchung, after he expressed pro-Hong Kong independence sentiments. During the Heartstone Grandchampoins streaming event, Blutzchung donned a mask similar to the protesters and exclaimed "Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times", a solang used by activists who seek to distance Hong Kongelse relations with mainland China. As a result, Blitzchung was banned from partaking in Heartstone championships and had his price money revoked. As a result, many other pro-gamers spoke out against Blizzard and many more of its employees left the company. In the hopes of lessening the backlash, Blizzard announced that they would reduce Blitzchung's ban to half a year and that they would return the prize money, though later doubled down on their stance and declared that "China had nothing to do with [their] decision" and that would punish other players who would speak of the Hong Kong protests aswell.


 * In this episode of the Fallout 76 anime our hero Bethesda pulls another unexpected move! Instead of putting out the update that would add NPCs and other important content into the game they created a subscription service filled with broke features that failed to work at launch. The kicker? The service costs $99.99 a year. Honestly why and how Bethesda keeps digging its own grave is nothing short from miraculous.


 * The controversial Joker has been released to great critical acclaim, breaking one record after its release. Many praised Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of the comic book villain as well as the uncomfortable and dark atmosphere of the movie. Many media outlets, however, have condemned the movie for being toxic and inspiring incels and white supremacists to commit violent acts. Whether or not Joker will really cause violence remains to be seen, though it is highly unlikely if you ask me.

Battlefan237 on Hong Kong
With the tensions rising in Hong Kong I became interested in the opinion of the average Chinese person, so I turned to our very own Battlefan237, who lives in Beijing, China, for his opinion on the ongoing protests. Thankfully, he was willing to lend me a few minutes of his time and explained what he thought of it all.

"I have an aunt who lives in HK," he said. "Based on her account as a normal citizen there trying to live her life, I've come to the conclusion that both sides (police & protestors) are too blame [for the rampant violence]" with western media putting too much focus on the police brutality and Chinese media painting the protestors as nothing more but violent rioters. Furthermore, BF went on the explain that Hong Kongese resentment towards mainland China lies deeper than the Extradition Bill which kicked the protests off. "Life conditions for Hongkongers are deteriorating, with the house prices reaching rocket high and economy facing and impending decline due to the rise of Shanghai. The extradition bill [was] just the last push." Before adding that he personally believes that "all [societal problems], regardless of their political nature, can find its root in economic/financial issues."

Ultimately, BF remains hopeful for a swift and peaceful resolution to the conflict with both the protestors and the government being able to reach a compromise that is in their mutual interests. Whether this will prove true or not, I think we all agree that that would be the best case senario.

Film Bros Best of the Month
Oh my lord, Cfp is back! What are we in store for now? The tension is palpable.

Film

 * Upcoming: With the Oscars pushing back their awards date a whole month, November is the potential new month for awards bait to push out their entries. Netflix will dominate the month with their heavy hitting awards contenders, with Martin Scorsese's long-awaited and heavily anticipated The Irishman seeing limited releases on November 1st before premiering on the platform on November 27th that reunites Scorsese with his muses Robert De Niro and the long-retired Joe Pesci and brings along first-time Scorsese actor Al Pacino into the fray. Netflix will also unveil Noah Baumbach's semi-autobiographical Marriage Story in limited release, while The Two Popes about the unlikely friendship between two popes will premier on the platform on November 26th. More Oscar hopefuls like Ford v. Ferrari, Harriet, and Motherless Brooklyn will also see their releases throughout the month, while Charlie's Angels, Knives Out, and Last Christmas will hope to make a killing for studios over the holiday season.
 * In Theaters Now: For those of you that aren't ready to let go of the frights of October, A24 brings the frights as reliably as always. Robert Eggers' follow-up to The VVitch is a decidedly stranger and more eclectic beast, but with stellar performances from Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe plus fantastic technical work, The Lighthouse is an easy recommendation. However, those seeking a more wholesome time will find it in the hilarious and surprisingly sweet Jojo Rabbit, the anti-hate satire from Taika Waititi about a young boy in World War II Germany and his imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler. Finally, the best film of the year might be within reach for those of you willing to read subtitles; Parasite, with Cfp's review attached here, is a phenomenal film that defies genre classification, and if a better film emerges then 2019 will be the best year of this decade.
 * Catch-Up: Netflix is recyclying some of its previous classics back into the service, with all three Matrix films returning to the platform alongside horror classic Rosemary's Baby and modern comedic gem Step Brothers. Amazon will bring forth a slew of the James Bonds franchise onto their platform, as well as the pinnacle of neo-noir with Chinatown and one of the best Christmas musicals about fighting zombies with Anna and the Apocalypse.