2017 Year in Review: Day 5 | Pop Culture (Movies, TV Shows, Art, Literature, and Sports)

6-word Summary of movies and tv shows in 2017: Our discussions and diversity say it all.

• Here's a list of Reboots and Spinoffs that came out this year. Let's just say that some are flops (we're talking about you Dirty Dancing) and some were considerably successful (Will and Grace, you'll suffice).
• Disney has confirmed that a live-action The Lion King movie will be released some time next year and it will star Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Alfre Woodard, and Seth Rogan.
• The Houston Astros have finally become World Series champs, even beating the Dodgers!
• Legendary actors and singers, such as Mary Tyler Moore, Tom Petty, and singer-actor David Cassidy have died this year.
• A Lord of the Rings series will air on Amazon Prime TV next year.
• Hundreds of actors protested and spoke at the women's march. 
• #MeToo movement from vocal victims of sexual assault and misconduct.



Left: Wonder Woman, Right: Beauty and the Beast | Courtesy of Variety

• Multiple actors, politicians, and businesspeople have retired or have been fired for allegations against them. Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., Ben Affleck, Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, are just several examples.
• Three UCLA students were found stealing from a Louis Vatone store in China. Trump released them and then accused one of their parents of being ungrateful for his helping them out.
• Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi," his last painting is officially the most expensive painting ever sold, costing $450 million.
• Mean Girls: The Musical
• Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird is getting Oscar and Grammy buzz - female director, a relatable story regarding finding yourself - seems like a reasonable contender.
• Stranger Things 2 and that ending? Hmm.
• March 18, 2017: SNL was live nation-wide for the first time ever and you best believe no one other than Melissa McCarthy hosted.
• Long-time search for the actor who will play Aladdin in the live-action movie of the popular 90s Disney movie of the same title. The movie will also star Will Smith, who will succeed the iconic genie role, originally brought to life by the late Robin Williams.

  

  Left: The Handmaid's Tail, Right: 13 Reasons Why |
  Courtesy of Idobi

• 13 Reasons Why and the controversy associated with it - while many believed the show glamorized suicide, others argue the show accurately depicts assault, depression, high school culture, and suicide. Regardless, the show sparked conversations about teen suicide.
• Fixer Upper, the HGTV home remake reality TV show is ending, according to Chip and Joanna Gaines.
• Apparently, Kylie Jenner is pregnant after MONTHS of speculation following the reality TV show star and fashion icon. How she managed to dodge the questions surrounding this supposed pregnancy is beyond many. In other news, half-sister Khloé is also pregnant.
• Actress Nicole Kidman gave a long, comprehensive speech regarding domestic abuse when she accepted her first Emmy for the HBO mini-series Big Little Lies.
• "Donald Glover became the first person of color to win an Emmy for best actor in a comedy in 32 years," according to Buzzfeed News.

  

  Courtesy of IMDb

• Demi Lovato's documentary, entitled Simply Complicated, delves into the background of her history with drug use, relationships, eating disorder, and acting and music pursuits.
• Riz Ahmed became the first Asian man to win an Emmy in an acting category.
• The Handmaid's Tale received five Emmy's, including Outstanding Drama Series, which is a win for Hulu as the show is the first streaming service to win an Emmy.
• Former engineer Katherine Johnson presented with actresses Taraji P. Henson (who played Johnson in the movie Hidden Figures), Janelle Monaé, and Octavia Spencer at the 89th Academy Awards.
• Lena Waithe became the first black woman to win an Emmy for the comedy writing category, especially for an episode about her character coming out as gay to her family, which she wrote with actor, comedian, co-star, and Producer Aziz Ansari for their show Master of None.
• La La Land won for best movie of the year at this year's Oscar's. Nope, sorry, that's fake news. It was revealed soon after by La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz, who pointed out that Moonlight actually won in that category.
• Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi | The late Carrie Fisher's dog, Gary, reportedly would perk up his ears every time she appeared on the screen.

  

  Mean Girls: The Musical | Courtesy of Youtube

• Girl Meets World was canceled earlier this year and with much fan-run action to get the show on another channel or service, though Netflix, Hulu, and FreeForm have passed.
• Serena Williams was pregnant when she won the Australian Open.
• Emma Watson won the first ever gender-neutral acting award for her role in Beauty and the Beast at the MTV movie awards.
• Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome who play teen Chiron and Kevin, respectively, in Moonlight, won Best Kiss--the first queer characters to win in this category--at the MTV movie awards.
• An uproar arose around destroying statues and other cultural and national memorabilia displaying offensive historians, most notably a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. This did not sit well with white supremacists.
• On top of being an empowering movie, Wonder Woman set the record for the most earned money at the box office for a female director ($100.5 million), upon debut. Additionally, the movie became the most searched DC character in 2017.

2017 Year in Review: Day 4 | Social + Civil Rights

6-word summary of social rights movements in 2017: Progress and plenty of persistent push-back (one-word)

• Here's a comprehensive list of all of the male actors, businessmen, and politicians accused of sexual assault. It's an exhaustive list, but that comes to show how common sexual assault is, not only in the entertainment and political industries but also anywhere, any industry, any neighborhood. Let's do something about that.
• This arose the #MeToo movement, encouraging victims of sexual assault to share their stories, because their stories are important and justice needs to be served to their assaulters. Very vocal victims of sexual assault were on the cover of TIME magazine and featured as the person of the year in their 2017 issue.
• Australia and Germany voted "yes" on same-sex marriage. Additionally, Taiwan has become the first nation in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. That is so fetch!

  

  Courtesy of Top Draw Inc.

• The number of Syrian children dying or being forced to fight for their country has been the most they have ever been in 2016, according to a UNICEF report.
• Legislation that'd ban LGBTQ+-related discrimination is being proposed by Democrats in Congress.
• The Chechenya government has reportedly lynched gay man, as speculated from the disappearance of gay men. A government official justified this by saying, "You cannot arrest or repress people who just don't exist in the republic," suggesting that the Chechen government doesn't believe in gay men, as if they are Santa or a fairy tale. 
• LGBTQ+ men in Uganda, which had illegalized LGBTQ+ rights, and specifically Tanzania, are being violated by police and medical officials in an effort to forcibly decrease HIV/AIDS.  
• The fight to end female genital mutilation (FGM).
• The body of a female Muslim judge was discovered by the New York's Hudson River. 
• Trump de-funded family planning from Planned Parenthood.

Women's March

• 3 times as many people protested in the international women's march than attended Trump's inauguration, according to the New York Times. Oh, snap!
• The Washington Post estimates that 4,465,169 people protested internationally, with 4,157,894 or 1 in 100 Americans marching. This spanned not only in major cities but also in all states, even red states, and other nations (with about 261 sister marches occurring internationally).
• And aren't the pink pussy beanies cute? 

2017 Year in Review: Day 3 | Economics, Business, and STEM

6-word summary of business, economics, and STEM in 2017: Booming economy/sexual allegations slow businesses.

• Scientists urge that more people in STEM should run for office and the also had a march to protest Brexit and Trump.
• Apple has delayed the release of their HomePod, which is a competitor to Amazon's Echo and Google Home, until 2018.
• Twitter expanded its word limit to 280 characters, a step up from the 140-character limit the site launched with.
• NASA has delayed their plans to launch a rocket to 2019.
• Cyperransom became a thing.
• Apple patented its own pizza box design.
• House Republicans passed a bill that'd dismantle the strict banking laws introduced after the financial crisis.
• Youtube TV
• The FCC repealed net neutrality.
• Facebook has hired many people to monitor violence on their site, while companies like Uber have fired employees who have been accused of sexual assault.

  

  Courtesy of Youtube

• Twitter has developed Twitter Lite for developing nations who have slow internet connections on cheap phone devices.
• Amazon has devised a system to help parents monitor their children's browsing--parental controls.
• Trump has defunded family planning for Planned Parenthood.
• Ikea + pet furniture = furry fun
• Congress has increased funding for medical research by $2 billion.
• Youtube is on the crackdown of videos that exploit children in inappropriate or suggestible situations or positions, especially with adults, even from their own site's verified channels.
• U.S. wars have cost an average of $23,386 since 9/11.
• Twitter has developed a bot to listen to the comments, complaints, and suggestions of their users in order to improve their site.
• Google has developed AutoDraw to edit drawings and other images.
• Corporate landlords are listing thousands of apartments on Airbnb.

  

  Courtesy of Egypt Innovate

• Uruguay is the first nation in the world to sell recreational cannabis. 
• Banks are increasing rates for taking out loans and credit cards.
• In other news, for-profit colleges are beginning to suck? Did I say "beginning"? Yeah, they've been sucking since they've been conceptualized. As a result, the U.S. Education Department is converting such colleges as Kaplan University and the Art Institutes into non-profit colleges.
• Women of color are booming in the cosmetics industry.
• The 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics has been awarded to three scientists who discovered more about gravitational waves.
• According to CNN Money, the unemployment rate is 4.1%, a record low for 84 consecutive months, the longest streak in U.S. history. Additionally, wages and inflation haven't increased as much as economists and data analysts have expected.

2017 Year in Review: Day 2 | Environment

6-word summary of environmental phenomena in 2017: Trump says climate change isn't real?

• Arctic Sea ice this winter was both thinner and scanter than ever before, approximately 8% less ice than usual.
• Trump signed an executive order to stop funding for EPA's plan to limit  coal-burning power plants
• There have been 64,610 fires this past year, burning a total of 9,574,533, the National Intervention Fires reported. The average number of fires in this past decade is 67,940 with an average of 6,531,605 acres burning. The LA Times declares Thomas fire as "the fifth-largest wildfire in modern California history."

Hurricane Report

Hurricane Maria | Photo courtesy of WPLG Local 10

• Total hurricanes: 17 -- Maria was the strongest among the top three major storms (Maria, Irma, Harvey).
• This year has been the most expensive season to recover from, with more than $369.86 billion in damages.
• More than 882 casualties.
• This year has been one of six years to have multiple Category 5 hurricanes, with six of the hurricanes being Category 3 or higher this year.

Earthquake Report

• Total casualties: 1,231
• Top 5 strongest: 
• 1) México (8.2 M -  92 fatalities - September)
• 2) Papua New Guinea (7.9 M - 3 fatalities) - January)
• 3) Russia (7.7 M - 0 fatalities - July)
• 4) Philippines (7.3 M - January - 0 fatalities) and Iran/Iraq (7.3 - November - 630 fatalities).
• 5) México (7.1 - September - 370 fatalities)
• Top 5 deadliest: 
• 1) Iran/Iraq
• 2) México (7.1 M - September 19 - 370 fatalities) - on the same day as the 32nd anniversary of México's previously strongest quake, the 1985 earthquake.
• 3) México (8.2 M - September 8 - 98 fatalities)
• 4) Italy (5.7 M -  January - 34 fatalities)
• 5) China (6.5 M - August - 25 fatalities)

Earthquake in México, Sept. 7, 2017 |  Courtesy of KTLA

Other Natural Disasters News*

1. Zimbabwe - early 2017 - severe rains and a cyclone in - 117+ casualties and thousands homeless
2. China - January to June - severe floods - 144+ casualties, 56 of which died in early July within just a couple of days | According to China's Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction, other natural disasters have killed over 70 more people. Overall, 1 million people have sought shelter elsewhere and approximately 31,000 homes have been destroyed.
3. Peru - July - unusually warm water from the Pacific Ocean, which caused major flooding - 150 casualties
4. Afghanistan and Pakistan - winter - avalanches - 156 casualties, especially women and children
5. The Democratic Republic of Congo - August - landslide - 174 casualties, leaving approximately 280 children orphaned.
6. Sri Lanka - May - strong rainfall and monsoon wind which caused flooding and landslides - 250 casualties and counting
7. Colombia - April - massive landslide - 300+ casualties | Subsequent landslides have affected many impoverished Colombian towns, which fail to come up with their own relief without international support.
8. Sierra Leone - August - mudslide caused by heavy rainfall and flooding  - 600+ casualties
9. Bangladesh, India, and Nepal - summer - flooding and landslides - 1,200+ casualties

*According to U.S. News

2017 Year in Review: Day 1 | Politics

6-word summary of global politics in 2017: Time-travel (one word) to pre-Civil War is possible?

Here we go!

The Wall

Trump is still optimistic, but the experienced businessman he is, he ironically doesn't realize how unrealistic the costs to build the will are.

In other words, it didn't happen. Period.

Missile roundup

North Korea has launched 23 nuclear missiles, the first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) being fired on July 4 (perfect in time for the U.S. Independence Day--nothing says "independence" than nuclear fireworks). One in September, was a "success," having reached a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter earthquake scale and spanning over 1,000 kilometers or roughly 620 miles toward Japan. Here's a summary of the country's missile launches this year and everything you need to know, from how concerned you should be to emergency procedures. Trump responded to North Korea's unabashed nuclear threat by saying that the nation "will be met with fire and fury."

Russian Collusion

Here's everything we've found out and you need to know about the Trump administration's collusion with Russia, all in one video. You're welcome.

Terrorism

To date, there have been 1,096 attacks and 7,456 casualties internationally.

According to the Global Terrorism Index 2017 edition (you can find a PDF of this online) though it contains data from 2016. Data regarding terrorism in 2017 will be issued next year.

You can also see a visual, a map of the magnitude or amount of impact per nation, all compiled in one map.

DACA

Trump threatened to revoke DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), which the Obama administration passed in 2012, and the benefits it offers undocumented children. Nothing has been set in stone, so DREAMers will have to wait for a decision from legislators after the winter vacation, in January. Multiple schools have provided shelters for families and sued Trump for the inconvenience that the revocation has on the families. According to an advocacy group, 122 immigrants lose their DACA protection every day.

Roundup of Politicians Who Resigned Due to Sexual Assault Allegations

1. Minnesota Sen. Al Franken (DFL)
2. Texas GOP Rep. Blake Farenthold (R)
3. Oregon Former Senator Bob Packwood (R)
4. Washington Sen. Brock Adams (D)
5. Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas (R)
6. Kentucky State Rep. Dan Johnson (R)
7. Oregon Rep. David Wu (D)
8. Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R)
9. NY Rep. Eric Massa (D)
10. Former president George H.W. Bush (R)
11. Georgia 2012 presidential nominee Herman Cain (R)
12. Michigan Rep. John Conyers (D)
13. Florida Former Rep. Mark Foley (R)
14. CA State Assemblyman Matt Dababneh (D)
15. Illinois Former Rep. Mel Reynolds (D)
16. Majority whip for CA State Assembly Raul Bocanegra (D)
17. Alabama GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore (R)
18. Nevada Rep. Ruben Kihuen (D)
19. Arizona Rep. Trent Franks (R)

Roundup of Everyone Trump Has Fired

Here's a summary from the Washington Post. It gives a visual and reasons as to why Trump fired or threatened to fire his employees. Long story short, does he really have reasons when he doesn't really know why he's doing and talking about? Yeah, there's not as much reason as there is a tantrum.

Riding the Polar Express!!! + Song of the Month

WELCOME!

This time of the year, I would always like to watch my all-time favorite Christmas movie, The Polar Express! It all started just about, what, five years ago (why am I asking you), well and my sister received the DVD for Christmas and insisted on watching it. Well, I couldn't disagree! The second the movie ended, I couldn't help but cry at the amazing song, "Believe" sung by Josh Groban.

The movie begins when a boy (whose name is never identified) is going to bed. Nothing unusual. He's very observant as he silently questions why his parents leave out milk and cookies for Santa and convince his sister that a Santa exists. Clearly, he's not convinced that Santa is real.

Though, in the middle of the night, he's woken up to a subtly reverberating sound of a train on tracks that never existed outside on his street. Onward, his curiosity guides him as he chooses to embark on a journey to the North Pole via The Polar Express.

If I could sum up this movie without spoiling it, I would say Tom Hanks. Hanks fills the movie with his iconic voice, and through several characters as well. He really makes the movie and fills it with the necessary nostalgia, warmth and coziness, and sentiment that the movie needs. 

No spoilers here, but hope you see the movie, if you haven't already. It's truly a great family film, so maybe you can pick it for your family movie night or what have you.

That said, my favorite Christmas song (of the multitude of Christmas songs that blare throughout your house) and thus the Song of the Month is Josh Groban's "Believe", which is the motif of this movie--to not just believe in the impossible, but also to believe in oneself. So here it is, folks:

Before I forget, HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you all!! I celebrate Christmas, but Christmas is not the only holiday that's celebrated around this time. I feel like a lot of people forget that. Regardless, it's the holiday season and want all of my readers to feel welcome and appreciated.

Just an Update: I will not be blogging next week . . . at all. Not only will I be lounging around, enjoying holiday festivities, and what not, but I will also being doing my annual year in review (even though I haven't done it in several years for hiatus). That said, Year in Review works this way: I do a blog post every day, starting a week before New Years, so starting directly on Christmas Eve, and these posts are categorical, so one day will be economics this year (strictly in the US), politics, pop culture (music, literature, movies, products, etc.). Again, since I will be blogging for a whole week, that will need my undivided attention, because that's the equivalent of a month and a half of my blogging time nestled in just one week, so seven posts that would normally equate seven weekly posts. I'll be tired, but I love doing this and I hope you enjoy!

Stop Apologizing

Hey Nurds!

I know that by the looks of it, it may dawn upon you to think that I don't apologize and that if I do not do so, then I am cruel, arrogant, and spiteful, and willing to teach you not to be a modest human being.

NO! That is not my intention at all!

As women in the US culture (or in any culture, for that matter), we are trained to be polite and for some reason, apologize for who we are, apologize for others, and the most illogical to me, APOLOGIZE FOR SHIT WE DON'T NEED TO APOLOGIZE FOR!

Have you found yourself saying sorry to someone who brushes into you when you're in your natural habitat? I'm kidding. But seriously, have you found yourself apologizing after someone brushes into you at school or work even though you did nothing wrong and the other person should have apologized instead? Yeah, me too. It is just not your fault, and you are the one to apologize? Let's change that!

There was a point in my sister's life when she would apologize multiple times in a row and then apologize for apologizing. That might be a little too severe, yes, and quite frankly, it happens, and it needs to stop!

That's why, as the year ends, I reflect on this subject. I made it my New Year's Resolution this year to stop apologizing unnecessarily and the results have been, well, satisfying. Apologizing is totally necessary and polite. 

Look, I get it. It shows that you have sentiment and sympathy, but if you're apologizing for others' indiscretions, then consider how easy of a target you're making yourself seem. Yeah, you seem like an easy target, unfortunately. People may see you as prey just for being too sensitive and then take advantage of you. It's happened to me and it's probably happened to you.

My message: if you find yourself apologizing unnecessarily, catch it, consciously think about omitting the "I'm sorry", and take note of it so that next time you don't. It's a nasty habit, and as we know, habits are learned and things that are learned can be unlearned. Like learning a new skill, there requires that effortful, conscious thinking necessary for implicit thinking (a.k.a. doing activities, like driving home from work, without thinking about it). For example, when I taught myself to brush my teeth with my left hand, I had to think about each brush stroke and where I was inserting that brush in my mouth. Soon thereafter, I would pick up the brush, apply cheap toothpaste, and insert the brush in my mouth with my left hand without thinking about it. I trained my brain to just do. Apologizing and conversely not apologizing (for unnecessary purposes, that is) can also be trained.

This Buzzfeed video pretty much sums up me and countless other women.

The lesson: STOP APOLOGIZING. To be a confident, assertive person in this world, it's okay to apologize for hurting someone's feelings or inconveniencing them in some way that would affect their motives, plans, or beliefs. Otherwise, don't apologize. Don't apologize for voicing your opinion in class, in a meeting, in public. Don't apologize for apologizing. If you know you're going to apologize for no apparent reason at all, consciously tell yourself not to and to say something else instead. 

I guarantee your message will still be understood without an apology interrupting what you have to say.