More than just brawlers: these are the cutest ‘Smash Ultimate’ characters
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The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board.
by Sam Smith
by Sam SmithThe opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board.Hallmark is known for their Christmas movies. They produce several movies every year that do very well. According to Marketplace, Hallmark made more than $500 million across both of their channels just with Christmas movies in 2017. In 2018, Neilson found that the Hallmark Channel was the most-watched channel for women ages 18-54 for eight consecutive weeks.Hallmark was showing commercials for Zola, a wedding planning site. Hallmark was originally showing six ads for the company, four of which featured a same-sex couple. On Dec. 12, Hallmark pulled these ads from their channel. According to The New York Times, the ads were pulled for being “controversial.” This controversy is due to a petition started by the conservative group One Million Moms (1MM). The petition was to remove the Zola commercials and to ask Hallmark not to consider movies with LGBTQ+ leads because Hallmark “is not the outlet in which to be politically correct by forcing tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality.” The petition received 34,748 signatures. The commercial was then removed and a Hallmark representative, Bill Abbot told 1MM “the advertisement aired in error” and they only discovered it aired because of 1MM.On Dec. 15, Hallmark announced they would be reinstating the ads, along with an apology. In a statement made by Hallmark, they stated that removing the commercials was the wrong decision and they were sorry for any hurt that it caused. They then go on to say they are “committed to diversity and inclusion—both in our workplace as well as the products and experiences we create.” They specifically cite their LGBTQ+ greeting cards as evidence of their diversity. They also announce in their statement that they will be partnering with GLADD, an LGBTQ+ media group, to better represent the LGBTQ+ community.Hallmark has had an ongoing off-and-on relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. In 2007, Hallmark released a Father’s Day card with a homophobic joke inside. In 2008, before same-sex marriage was even legalized fully in the US, Hallmark released same-sex wedding cards. Then in 2013, Hallmark released Christmas ornaments with the deck the halls lyrics, but replaced the phrase “gay apparel” with “fun apparel.” Hallmark clarified that they did it to avoid offending anyone. Hallmark is also home to the Movieguide Awards, which has been homophobic in many of their reviews.
by Sam Smith September 14, Bryson Gray tweeted a video of him rapping about supporting Trump, along with “#MAGAChallenge” encouraging his followers to make their own raps about Trump. In an interview with The Daily Dot, Gray stated, “I think the MAGA challenge is doing what everybody expected Kanye West to do for the [Trump] campaign.” West has not responded to this comment, however he is one of the few famous rappers who has recorded a song in support of Trump, “Ye vs. The People.” Trump has a long history of being used in rap music. The Washington Post cited that Trump's name can be found in rap songs all the way back in 1989, with songs “Lie-Z” by Fat Boys and “My Word is Bond” by Ice-T both mentioning Trump. Trump has been name-dropped in many rap songs since then. A majority of these songs using Trump's name show him negatively, most notably would be the 2016 song “FDT” by YG and Nipsey Hussle. One of the most famous participants in the #MAGAChallenge is Isaiah Washington. Washington is best known for his role as Dr. Preston Burke on Grey’s Anatomy. ABC chose not to renew his contract for the show in 2007, due to his use of a homophobic slur in an argument with his co-star, T.R. Knight. Trump finally reacted to the #MAGAChallenge on November 8th in a tweet inviting the winner of the challenge to perform at the White House. There has been no indication on when these winners will be announced or when they will be performing at the White House. This isn’t the first time Trump has offered meeting him as a prize to winning a contest. According to Popular Informer, Trump’s campaign has held 15 contests to win a free meal and to meet the President. In the article by Popular Informer, claims that there is no evidence that anyone has won these contests. Trump campaign Communications Director Tim Murtaugh responded to this saying “people win the contests each time,” but not providing any evidence. The Daily Caller did post an article in which two contests winners, Joanna Kamis and Chris Chavez, discuss what winning the contests was like. The Daily Caller article was posted on November 6th, and as of November 15th, these are the only two contest winners that have come forward.
September 14, Bryson Gray tweeted a video of him rapping about supporting Trump, along with “#MAGAChallenge” encouraging his followers to make their own raps about Trump. In an interview with The Daily Dot, Gray stated, “I think the MAGA challenge is doing what everybody expected Kanye West to do for the [Trump] campaign.” West has not responded to this comment, however he is one of the few famous rappers who has recorded a song in support of Trump, “Ye vs. The People.”
Update: September 20th, Walmart announced they will stop selling all e-cigarette products in Walmarts and Sam’s Clubs. A Walmart spokeswoman stated that the reason for this is because “the growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty regarding e-cigarettes.” Walmart will finish selling the products they have in stock, and will not be selling more after that. September 25th, Juul announced that their CEO, Kevin Burns, would be stepping down. He is being replaced by an executive from Altria, K.C. Crosthwaite. Altria is one of the world’s leading tobacco companies and purchased 35% stake in Juul last year. Upon Crosthwaite’s hiring, Juul released a statement that they would not be lobbying against the Trump Administration’s ban, and they would be pausing all advertisements in the U.S. Juul agree that the amount of youth using their product is “unacceptable” and their goal remains switching adult smokers to their product. Crosthwaite also stated that Juul “must strive to work with regulators, policymakers and other stakeholders, and earn the trust of the societies in which we operate.” Original story follows by Sam Smith On September 11th, The Trump administration announced a plan to ban flavored e-cigarettes. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working on a plan to remove the flavored pods from being sold. This comes shortly after the FDA warned Juul that they were advertising their product illegally, saying their products are less harmful than regular cigarettes, despite not getting federal approval for that claim. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been over 380 cases of lung injury linked to use of vaping products. The CDC has also stated their investigations have not linked any of these cases to one specific device or substance. Since August, there have been seven deaths linked to the use of vapes, one of which was in Indiana. Despite the death, Indiana has not directly taken a stance on banning e-cigarettes. On September 4th, Michigan became the first state to write up a ban flavored e-cigarette products, however this ban has not yet been implemented. Once the ban begins next month, it will last six months and can be renewed once for another six months.The Michigan Health Department plans to use this time to research a permanent ban. Juul, the leading e-cigarette company in the U.S., feels that banning flavored products, particularly mint and menthol, is a bad idea. Due to the existence of menthol flavored cigarettes, Juul believes that removing them as options for e-cigarettes also discourages smokers of menthol flavored cigarettes from switching to e-cigarettes. Juul states in its mission and values that their goal is to cut the amount of people smoking actual cigarettes, not introduce smoking to non-smokers. Some have criticized the ban, stating that it will push people to purchasing counterfeit versions of products, thus making them less safe as the FDA has no control over them. Because no specific brand or ingredients has been linked to the illnesses, most states are advising avoiding all of them if possible. Others have also pointed out that e-cigarettes are meant to help people stop smoking, and by banning certain types it could also limit access that someone looking to quit smoking. The CDC has issued a statement asking that people who have recently used e-cigarette products to seek medical assistance if they begin to notice symptoms similar to those being reported. These symptoms include coughing, chest and abdominal pain, nausea, and shortness of breath.
Update:
Welcome back to this week's episode of Here's The Tea! This week, we discuss the sudden retirement of Nicki Minaj. Also, the recent death of Mac Miller sparks controversy amongst latest court cases. Find out all of this and more on this week's episode of Here's The Tea!
Welcome back to Here’s The Tea! This week, we’re discussing the recent mayhem between the divorce of Tana and Jake Paul. Also, there is conflict with Priyanka Chopra serving as an ambassador for the UN. Find out all of this and more on this week’s episode of Here’s the Tea!
Welcome to this semester finale of Here’s The Tea! This week, we discuss how Kodak Black has gotten into trouble after abandoning a concert. Also, is Prince William cheating on his wife? Find out all of this and more on this week’s episode of Here’s the Tea!
Welcome to the premiere of Here's The Tea! For this week's episode, we discuss the music headliner at Coachella. Also, why is Kim Kardashian going into law? Find out this and more on this premiere of Here's The Tea!
by Sam Smith The internet can create some crazy communities. If you’ve ever checked your Instagram explore page, you’ve probably stumbled upon a slime shop. These slime shops are Instagram accounts that also link to websites where they sell slime. The average slime Instagram has about 250,000 followers and their videos receive millions of views. The first slime was made by Mattel and began selling in 1976. It came in a bright green trash can and most people thought it looked like snot. It was marketed as a gross toy, sometimes with accompanying plastic bugs, eyeballs and even toilets to come with the goo. Fast forward about 40 years later and slime is an internet phenomenon. The goop has changed from being a gross toy to a relaxing and cute thing to play with or simply watch other people play with. Slime has created an entirely different world on Instagram, which can be pretty confusing to an outsider. Slime Instagrams are less trendy than they were a few years ago, yet their communities remain strong. There are thousands of accounts that post videos of people making and playing with slime. Most of these accounts are linked to websites where the creators can sell the slime they make. They even participate in conventions, where slime fans and slime makers can meet and buy slime. YouTube also has its own slime community, but the one on Instagram has a larger fan base size and the accounts continue to grow.
by Sam Smith Nick Molter, a 2014 Ball State graduate, has recently released an app called Dinggo. Dinggo makes deciding what to watch on streaming services easier by using an algorithm similar to Tinder. Users can select what streaming services they use, narrow down by the genre they are in the mood for, and then can swipe through to decide what sounds interesting and what doesn't. Once user feel they have swiped through enough options, they can then see a list of all the shows or movies they felt looked interesting. Dinggo also has an option where groups can swipe together and a list showing what everyone in the group wants to watch will be made. Molter was inspired to create Dinggo after too many attempted movie nights with his fiancee, where they could never decide what to watch. They both felt that there were apps for everything, so there had to be an app that helped decide what movie to watch. When Molter discovered no such app existed, he decided to make one himself and started to work on Dinggo full time. Molter felt the most challenging part of creating Dinggo was designing it. He credited his time at Ball State for his critical thinking skills and his ability to break down complex problems, both of which helped him to create Dinggo. Molter had advice for current Ball State students. “Be frugal... It’s hard to predict what shape your opportunity will take, but financial preparedness is pretty universal.” “You don’t need to do everything yourself,” Molter also said. Molter hired a developer to help him create his app and he said it was one of the smartest decisions he’d ever made. For aspiring app makers, Molter suggested using prototyping software to create a blueprint for your ideas. Molter is currently working on improving Dinggo. He wants to continue to get to a more mature phase where constant updates won't be needed. Since launch, he and his team have received lots of feedback. He wants to “take that feedback and turn it into a deliverable, in the form of refining some of our current features, as well as adding new features. Once this next version is released, we'll continue gathering feedback and making adjustments indefinitely.” The goal for Dinggo is to continue improving and continue gaining users. Molter also said that once the app is in a more mature phase he would like to work on creating new apps. Dinggo is available for both Apple and Android.
Nick Molter, a 2014 Ball State graduate, has recently released an app called Dinggo.
by Sam Smith "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" is Billie Eilish’s debut album. Eilish has been making music with her brother, Finneas, since she was 14. The now 17-year-old is making major waves in the music world, currently being the 12th most streamed artist on Spotify worldwide. Her album has become the second most purchased album of 2019 a week after its release.
The media is constantly being pushed to be more diverse and inclusive of all groups, but it seems deaf people are often overlooked. When they are included, it is important that they are portrayed accurately because it not only educates people that do not know about deaf people, but it also gives young deaf people characters they can relate to and look up to.
by Sam Smith The media is constantly being pushed to be more diverse and inclusive of all groups, but it seems deaf people are often overlooked. When they are included, it is important that they are portrayed accurately because it not only educates people that do not know about deaf people, but it also gives young deaf people characters they can relate to and look up to. The National Association of the Deaf said, “Media representations lack authenticity and present a distorted view of the deaf and hard of hearing community, and this misrepresentation deprives the public of an accurate understanding of a community that is rich in culture and language.” While representation for deaf people in the media could be much better, there are several deaf people who have been representing the community very well.
Ball State’s School of Art has been inviting different artists to speak this semester. Thursday, March 28, John Pomeroy gave a talk to aspiring animators and artists.