Author Archives: Austin Powers

PlayStation Plus vs Xbox Live Gold December 2017

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Xbox and PlayStation have been competitors since 2002. The evolution of the systems has come to modern-day online services so you can play against your friends. You not only pay a monthly fee to play online but you also receive a couple of monthly games for free. The question is:  which one is better?

This month on PlayStation:

PS4

  • Darksiders 2: Deathinitive Edition
  • Kung Fu Panda Showdown of Legendary Legends

PS3

  • Xblaze Lost: Memories
  • Syberia Collection

This month on Xbox:

Xbox One

  • Warhammer: End Times – Verminitide (December 1 – December 31)
  • Tales From the Borderlands (through December 15)
  • Back to the Future: The Game – 30th Anniversary Edition (December 16 – January 15)

Xbox 360 

  • Child of Eden (December 1 – December 15)
  • Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death (December 16 – December 31)

Both consoles offer great game but PlayStation only offers two. Another downfall is that once your PlayStation Plus subscription expires, you are no longer able to play the games you got free. Xbox allows you to keep and those games for as long as you want, even when your subscription expires. Xbox also has backward compatibility where you can play Xbox 360 games on your Xbox One.

When I first got my Xbox One, I was able to download Xbox 360 games I got for free with Gold years ago. As an owner of both consoles, Xbox Live Gold is overall the better buy.  If you buy a console this holiday season, you might want to keep these things in mind.

 

Cinemark Launches Movie Club

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In recent years movie theaters have been competing to have the better deal. Cinemark announced their new Movie Club to stay above the competition. The Movie Club will be $8.99 a month for one 2D ticket. At checkout, you can add an additional ticket for $8.99. If you want to cancel you can at any time through your account. Benefits continue through the end of your paid billing cycle. Unused credits are good for six months after cancellation. After you’ve used your monthly credits, you can buy two additional tickets per transaction for $8.99 each. Unused credits roll over and never expire when you’re a member. You can even use your roll over ticket as an additional ticket for your guest. Online fees will be waved on additional tickets. Redeem your credit online, in Cinemark’s app or at any box office. Credits are saved to your Cinemark account and are automatically applied at checkout. Also, concessions will be 20% off! This is an interesting trend that could change the way we see movies. So be sure to download the app and join!

Don’t forget to scan and earn points for every purchase to redeem for great rewards like movie swag, digital downloads, sweepstakes and more!

To find out movie information go to https://www.cinemark.com/movieclub

Top Disney Foods

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If you’ve ever wanted to go to a Disney theme park, one of the main attractions (other than having fun) is deciding what to eat. Even if you have been to Disney many times, there is always something new to try when you go back. I have visited almost every year of my life since I was 4 years old. When I talk to other people who have visited a Disney Park, there is always some food they never tried or knew was there. So, here is a list of foods you must try to get the full Disney experience:

1. Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar – this is the classic and legendary ice cream. (Side note: you must start eating it from the ears or it’s bad luck.)
2. Mickey Waffle – the most Disney way to start your day. (Once again, start eating from the ears.)
3. Turkey Leg – you may have had one at the fair or another theme park but they are not as good as Disney’s.
4. Churros – another food you can get other places, but they can’t be compared to Disney’s. Comedian George Lopez even jokes about getting one in his stand up.
5. Popcorn – I know it is something you get every time you go to the movies, but Disney’s popcorn is something magical. Plus, it comes in a collector bucket to take home.

Overall Disney park food is better than anywhere else in the land. I recommend researching the foods of whichever park you plan to visit before going because there are so many cool options.

Find out more

Get free Schlotzsky’s for a year!

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As a college student, it is hard to pay for luxurious meals. Most of the time you are eating Ramen noodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now Schlotzsky’s has announced a guest appreciation day when they will be giving away free Schlotzsky’s for a year! There is a catch: you must be one of the first 100 guests to purchase a 6-pack of Cinnabon Classic Rolls. You will then receive a redemption card for a free small Original sandwich per week for 52 consecutive weeks.

This opportunity is only available at Schlotzsky/Cinnabon locations and, fortunately, we have one! The Texarkana store is located at 3652 Richmond Road near the Walmart.

I participated in this promotion when the location first opened and I didn’t regret it. It is definitely worth the price of a 6 pack of Cinnabon Classic Rolls. I saved so much money that I was able to try all of the soups and anything else I wanted. I recommend waking up early so you are ensured that you are one of the first 100 guests that receive one. Also, be sure to bring a lawn chair and some headphones so you can wait comfortably.

To find out more and RSVP, click the picture.

 

Winter Wonderland

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Texas A&M Texarkana’s Office of Student Life, Campus Activity Board, and various campus organizations held their annual Eagle Wonderland event at the University Center’s Eagle Hall this past Saturday, December 2nd, 2017.

The event was free and open to the public from 12-3 PM, and attendance exceeded 300. Eagle Hall was filled with Christmas decorations, music, and cheer as kids and families enjoyed all the activities available for children of all ages. Pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus were available as well as a ‘Letters to the North Pole’ station where anyone could write to Santa and later receive a letter back.

Three of the main attractions included a ‘Stuff-a-Critter’ stations, face painting, and balloon animals (made on request). In exchange for a ticket handed out at the door, children were able to receive a panda, polar bear, penguin, or  regular teddy bear to stuff with stuffing and dress in a custom ‘Eagle Wonderland 2017’ shirt.

Other stations included making ‘Reindeer Food,’ crafting jingle-bell necklaces, a hot cocoa station, and ornament-making. The Texarkana Animal League also attended with multiple dogs up for adoption and available for petting.

Volunteers from various campus organizations wore reindeer antlers and elf hats, playing their role as ‘Santa’s Helpers’.

With this year’s success of the event, ‘Eagle Wonderland’ is expected to continue its way into Eagle Hall for years to come.

Justice League Movie (SPOILERS Review)

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[Seen it? Skipping it? Read on! Plan to see it? Keep scrolling!]

The Justice League is something I’ve loved ever since I was a kid. Growing up I watched the cartoon series that ran from 2001 to 2004. This movie is tough for me to review because one part of me loves it and another part of me hates it. Going into this movie, my expectations were already low from Batman V Superman, but unlike many people I liked it. I am even a big fan of the “Batfleck.” Out of the list of problems with the Justice League, the first is the same as with Batman V Superman. It feels rushed. They come together like “oh hey it looks like we got to save the world”, instead of coming together more organically. It feels like they made this to compete with Marvel and if so, they should have followed that formula.

Marvel has been making films leading up to the Infinity War film since 2008. I don’t expect DC to be on the same scale or make films for the next ten years leading up to uniting their heroes but we could have seen a Cyborg and an Aquaman movie before they came together. The best thing about Marvels Avengers is that we had time to get to know and care about the characters.

Another weak factor of this movie was its villain Steppenwolf. He was another one-dimensional villain who was so awful that at the end the Justice League forgot he was even there. The final flaw is the cringe-worthy writing. The film is full of one-liners where characters say what is not really something they’d say. For example, Batman rolled on the ground saying something like “something’s bleeding.” The Flash came off as more annoying than funny. Then there was the very cliché line “Do you bleed?” said by Superman that was kind of painful to watch. The worst thing to watch, however, was the famous CGI done to remove Henry Cavill’s mustache during the filming of this movie. His mouth looked distorted. The film had a much lighter tone, not a bad thing, but  almost too light for me. I go see Marvel for a lighter toned movie and I go see DC for a darker tone movie. Most of the problems could be because of Joss Whedon’s takeover since Zach Snyder had to leave because of his daughter’s suicide.

Now that I’m done with the flaws there were many things I liked. I really enjoyed seeing Superman come back. Until he came back, it felt like something was missing. This movie is overall a lot of fun and really gorgeous. The actors are amazing for what they were given. Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot are Superman and Wonder Woman. I am just pleased to see these characters come to life and be on the big screen. Despite my negative comments, this is still a good movie to watch and I recommend seeing it if you like any of these characters. I have watched this film twice and probably will again one day. Also, unlike the other DC movies, be sure to stay after both sets of credits for a very cool scene that could be important to future DC films.

Rating: 7.5/10

Marvel’s The Punisher on Netflix

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The Punisher has been on-screen many times, in The Punisher (2004) and in Punisher: War Zone (2008). Both films had strengths and weaknesses but neither could fully get the character right. There was also a film in 1989 that doesn’t count as part of the modern Marvel Universe of today. For those of you who don’t know the Punisher, he is a guy named Frank Castle whose family gets killed and then becomes a vigilante known as “The Punisher.” So, in other words, he’s like Batman only he kills people with guns. The Punisher got his start in The Amazing Spiderman comic in 1974 as a foe to Spiderman. Military and law enforcement use his symbol which is up for debate if it is appropriate or not. The Punisher is an anti-hero that does not care about the law but just killing criminals so they don’t commit crimes again. There is even a comic where he kills everyone in the Marvel universe including himself.

The Netflix Punisher is a newer take on the character. He started out on the Netflix Daredevil show and he was so good that fans petitioned for this series. This could be because of actor Jon Bernthal’s performance. He is one of the most underrated actors and is now starting to get recognition. Most people know him from The Walking Dead as Shane or most recently in Baby Driver as the guy at the beginning of the film that you never see again. Just as Robert Downey, Jr. was born to play Iron Man, Jon Bernthal was born to play The Punisher.

The supporting cast is also terrific. I greatly enjoyed interactions between Frank and Micro. There were some reviews that said the series dragged but I found that it didn’t. The other Netflix Marvel shows like Luke Cage feels twice as slow to me. It does take some time for things to heat up but it is fun and refreshing to see Frank in a new environment.

It starts out with Frank living life day-to-day and dealing with the loss of his family. This show handles modern political issues like gun control and other topics such as how veterans deal with PTSD. The show gets better and better with each episode. Towards the end, there is a scene that is so brutal I could barely keep from turning my head away from the screen. The finale was satisfying and makes you want more. I have high hopes for another season since the series is though with all the character development. I highly recommend binge watching The Punisher whenever you can.

Rating: 9/10

Go to https://www.netflix.com/title/80117498 to start watching!

Once you finish the series watch IGNs Marvel’s The Punisher: The BEST Easter Eggs and References. https://youtu.be/bHTnKmz5iw8 

“Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence”

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On Nov. 9, 2017, NASA space engineer B. Gentry Lee visited our campus. A luncheon was served of McAlister’s tea, sandwiches, and soup. Mr. Lee ate and spoke with students. Towards the end of the luncheon, he spoke briefly and answered questions.

Later that night during his PLACE lecture, Mr. Lee spoke about the development of the universe and extinctions throughout history. He also mentioned Carl Sagan (which ironically would have been his birthday that day), calling him one of the great science writers of the 20th century.

The next topic he discussed was life on other planets and how some people believe they were abducted by aliens. He noted how there is not one piece of evidence that aliens visit us regularly. He stated “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” which is what he believes we should be taught. “Anytime someone makes an outrageous claim, you should ask them, “What is your evidence?” Ironically, he was invited to an alien abduction convention and he was unsurprisingly met with boos. After hearing stories of people who had been abducted, he responded by asking why that, of all the people who have been abducted over and over, none of them brought back a single piece of evidence.

Despite his disbelief in aliens visiting Earth, he does believe that there is a possibility there is life on another planet. He visited our school because he liked our theme this year and encourages people to question what they know.

Meet NASA Engineer Gentry Lee

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As a part of this year’s PLACE lectures theme of ‘Science and Technology,’ keynote speaker, NASA Engineer, and science fiction writer B. Gentry Lee will be visiting our campus this week. On November 9th, 2017 (Thursday), Lee will be attending an informal luncheon at 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. on the UC 3rd floor Tri-Stare Iron & Metal Atrium. Students are welcome to attend this event to welcome Mr. Lee.

Later that evening, Lee will be presenting his lecture “A Passion for Knowledge,” at 7:00 p.m. at Eagle Hall in the University Center. This lecture is open to the public. We are fortunate to have such a great guest visit our campus, so be sure not to miss this great opportunity!

To find out more go to:

http://tamut.edu/news/2017/11/PLACE-to-Present-Space-Engineer-and-Author-B-Gentry-Lee-on-Thursday.php

Spooky Shows For Halloween 2017

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This Halloween is on a Tuesday. So unless you planned to go to a party this weekend, it is just going to be another boring weekend in October. In order to stay in the Halloween spirit, here are some suggestions of some newer spooky shows to watch this weekend.

Netflix:

Stranger Things, Season 2 — if you haven’t watched the popular Netflix show Stranger Things yet, it’s never too late to start. Season 2 is just in time for Halloween, so grab the popcorn and binge watch season 1. Season 1 starts out when a young boy vanishes and a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one strange little girl.

Gerald’s Game – A woman whose husband dies of a heart while she’s handcuffed to the bed is stuck in a remote lake house with no hope of rescue. She begins to hear voices and seeing strange visions.

1922 — A farmer pens a confession admitting to his wife’s murder, but her death is just the beginning of a horrifying tale. Based on Stephen King’s novella.

Movies:

Jigsaw — Part of the popular, gory Saw series. Jigsaw is back. Bodies are turning up, each having met a unique demise. As the investigation proceeds, evidence points to one suspect: John Kramer, who has been dead for ten years.

Happy Death Day –– This movie is more fun than it is scary. So if you are light-hearted and not a fan of horror movies, this will be the Halloween movie for you. A college girl relives the day of her murder over and over. It is like the movie Groundhogs Day only with a terrifying twist.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) – SATURDAY ONLY at 9:30 PM. The classic horror movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre will be on the big screen again for the 40th anniversary of the film.

Go to https://www.cinemark.com/north-texas/cinemark-texarkana-14 to get tickets or https://www.netflix.com/ to start watching!