ISSUE #03
GENERAL HEADLINES
Pokémon, But It Has Guns…
Recently, a game by the name of Palworld was released by the Japanese company Pocket Pair. This game has taken the internet by storm because of how it resembles a beloved franchise and added exactly what the public has wanted this entire time…a gatling gun wielding Electabuzz.
Other than a Leafeon labor force working in a gun assembly line, it offers a vast and expansive world to explore. The game looks absolutely breathtaking. From the bright colors, to the textured terrains, to the amazing music and adorable pals; all these elements tie in together to create a wonderland. It reminds me of a post I saw, it had two screenshots: one from Palworld and one from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The caption was “One was developed by an indie studio, another by a triple A studio, guess which is which.”
What Exactly IS Palworld?
Basically, Palword is a survival multiplayer game. The gist of it is gathering resources, building structures, crafting tools, capturing Pals, and build defenses against raids. As you progress, you’re going to have more advanced technologies to fight against stronger Pals and participate in raid bosses. This is basically the entire backbone of Palworld.
On top of all that, there is a story mode. It involves the player exploring the world that seems to hold mysterious secrets and a band of misfits (almost Team Rocket-esque?). The game from the trailer alone looks amazing, I haven’t played it myself yet, but it is definitely on my wishlist.
Records Galore!
Palworld’s explosive rise to popularity also brought it some records. The game almost immediately surpassed most games’ all-time high for concurrent players within a week. Currently at the time of writing this, it is sitting pretty at second with an all-time peak of 2,101,535. There is a whopping 2,095,269 people playing in the moment of writing this. The only game that has a higher peak is PUBG, with 3,236,027 concurrent players. Palworld announced 1,000,000 “Pal Tamers” within 8 hours of the game’s release which is insane. They also recently announced 8,000,000 “Pal Tamers” on Steam in less than 6 days. These announcements were made on their Instagram page @palworld_official. I am very interested to watch how this game fares in the test of time, and I can’t wait to see what content creators do with the game.
The Pokémon Resemblance
The Pokémon company recently released a statement saying that they intend to open an investigation. They don’t mention Palworld specifically, but the passive aggressive tone rivals that of Sheldon Cooper’s.
Anyways, legal experts have said that Palworld does have enough differences between the Pals and Pokémon to not get slammed by copyright, and Pocket Pair has been denying all infringement accusations.
All in all, Palworld looks like an amazing game, and I genuinely look forward to playing it someday.
Golden Globes or Golden Memes?
I know I am a little bit late to the party when it comes to writing an article about this event, but better late than never!
In this year’s edition of the Golden Globes, we were blessed with some memes, yet another comedian as a host (it always goes amazing, doesn’t it?), and we got to witness a couple controversial moments.
Barbenheimer: The Rematch
During the Golden Globes, we watched as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer bagged 5 awards: Best Drama, Best Director with Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr winning Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively, whereas Greta Gerwig’s Barbie won 2 awards: Best Song with What Was I Made For? and New Cinematic and Box office Achievement. It was a tough night for the strong believers in “Kenergy” (the “I’m Him” energy), as Barbie had 9 nominations and got edged out in 7, most of which was done by the other half of Barbenheimer.
The Death Stare
Last year there was the Will Slap, this year it was the Taylor Swift Death Stare. It’s not the first time that a comedian’s joke hit too close to home for a celebrity. Instead of the Academy Awards, the joke was said on the Golden Globes. Jo Koy, comedian and host of this year’s Golden Globes, made a joke about how the Golden Globes had less camera shots of Taylor Swift than the NFL. The joke was not well received, as it resulted into him getting a death stare from one of the planet’s most popular singers, which was followed by a lot of backlash for that joke and several others, but I will cover that in a bit.
A few more iconic moments…
Lily Gladstone became the first indigenous person to win Best Actress in a Dramatic Film, and it was a beautiful moment when she proudly celebrated it by starting her acceptance speech in her native tongue, the language of the Blackfeet Nation.
Jennifer Lawrence produced a very memorable moment when she received a nomination for her role in No Hard Feelings. When the camera was focused on her, in comedic fashion, she mouthed “If I don’t win, I’m leaving.”
We were also blessed with a new Pedro Pascal meme template. Which is similar to his happy-then-transition-to-cry meme (I don’t know what to call it). The man is an absolute meme machine, and social media loves him for that.
Controversial Controversy
Jo Koy’s story doesn’t end there; the comedian has faced a lot of criticism due to some of his questionable jokes, notable ones include the Taylor Swift joke as mentioned earlier and one about Barbie. He defended himself saying that he only had 10 days to prepare and that it was one of his off days. He also added that he did feel hurt from the vile comments people made on social media.
While yes, he made some questionable statements and jokes, it would be unfair to say that he was horrible and that he should quit stand up. It would be an incredibly difficult endeavor for anyone hosting an event that would be watched by millions, it’s a daunting task, and it’s only human to mess up sometimes. Fellow comedians and other TV hosts did jump to his defense saying that it’s a tough gig and that Hollywood has become too soft.
The night was eventful to say the least, hence the long article. There were still numerous moments that weren’t mentioned on the article, and it is definitely worth having a look at some of them.
By Samar Shah
MEDICINE
Long COVID, post-COVID syndrome, or PASC (post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 infection) describes ongoing physical, cognitive, or both symptoms at least 6-12 weeks after having a positive test for COVID-19 or symptoms of severe COVID-19.
Around the world, it is estimated 65 million people are struggling with long-term COVID-19, an ailment where COVID-19 symptoms are still present for months after their symptoms originally start. The most common symptoms of long COVID are fatigue, dizziness, mobility issues, sleep problems, cognitive impairment, and brain fog or inability to concentrate.
Persistent symptoms like these can significantly disrupt an individual's life. According to a June 2023 study, over half of those experiencing long COVID-19 indicated that their ability to function in work, home, social, and personal aspects of life was hindered by these symptoms, with the primary challenge being cognitive difficulties, commonly referred to as "brain fog."
By Tang Li
SPORT
Golf
Joaquin Nieman scored 59 in the LIV tour event at Mayakoba, which is the second-ever sub-60 round on the LIV golf tour (since Bryson Dechambeau’s 58). It is an incredible feat as he made 10 birdies and an eagle, beating the world number 2 Jon Rham by 6 shots! However, it raises the question of whether golf courses played on the LIV tour are significantly more difficult than the PGA and DP tours.
Basketball
With the NBA all-star teams picked there are a number of disappointments for some players. First of all, Stephen Curry has not been named an all-star starter this season, which hasn’t happened once during the last decade. This is due to his decrease in 3-point efficiency and the poor record of the Warriors. Players like Trae Young, Demontes Sabonis, and Daaron Fox have been selected as an all-star despite their up-to-par stats this season. There is also Jaylen Brunson’s heartwarming story from being called “too short for the NBA” to being an all-star and averaging of 27 ppg this season.
By Ji Li
Jurgen Klopp exits as Liverpool manager
In a bombshell announcement, last Friday, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp announced his departure from the club at the end of the season. This sent shockwaves through the footballing world as his contract was due to expire in 2026. Liverpool is left in a precarious position as he was seen as irreplaceable and adds another hurdle in navigating their rebuild.
Possible touted replacements include Xabi Alonso of Bayer Leverkusen and Robert De Zerbi of Brighton. Both managers have led young sides to success however doubts have been cast over their ability to adapt to Liverpool’s current squad.
Whatever happens, the future is looking bright for Liverpool who sit 5 points clear at the summit of the Premier League. With key players in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai returning from injury while Andrew Robertson comes back from an extended layoff, the squad looks ready to challenge on four fronts and end this season on a high note.
By Ayaan Cassim
ECONOMICS
Farmer protests across Europe are fuelled by economic woes (low income, rising costs) and environmental anxieties (regulations). These protests are occurring in countries such as France, Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, to name a few.
The blockades are disrupting supply chains, potentially raising food prices and hurting businesses; governments face balancing fair compensation for farmers with sustainability goals, addressing unfair competition, streamlining regulations, and supporting innovation. While the exact economic impact remains debated, the situation highlights the complexities of ensuring a thriving agricultural sector amidst environmental and economic concerns.
This occurrence does raise the question- are the problems associated with the ‘East’ now moving to the ‘West’?
By Vihaan Poddar
POLITICAL FINANCE
Now that we have established that money is simply debt and that taxes are the repayment of said debt, we must ask: who is in debt? Well, since the government created the money, it is obvious they are the ones in debt. But if the government is both the debtor and the creditor, that means that the government is in debt to… itself?
It is this paradox that defines government debt, at least for nations that print their own money. Because of this fact, paying back the government debt is not only impossible but would result in the currency ceasing to exist.
So, in summary, the government creates money through printing it, which it then uses on whatever it wants. Later, to remove money from the economy, it takes some of it back through taxes; at the federal level, tax money is simply destroyed. All government spending is effectively newly created money.
Now, common sense would say that printing more money causes inflation, just look at Zimbabwe. While it is true that Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation was in part caused by money printing, the truth is more complicated. Inflation happens when too much money is trying to buy too few things as the increased competition between buyers means shops can raise their prices. Zimbabwe’s new money was spent on war; an industry famous for not producing any consumer goods. Thus, inflation. On the other hand, Japan, the country with the highest debt-to-GDP ratio on earth is experiencing deflation due to its consistent infrastructure and education spending increasing their productive capabilities.
And yet mysterious "budget constraints" and rising debt are prophesied whenever a vote on a social or infrastructure program exists. Politicians exploit collective ignorance to justify fulfilling the interests of their donors over those of the economy and their people.
Therefore, the next time you hear the phrase: "We cannot afford it," think twice.
By Riccardo Martinico
