Movie Heroes (part II)

5) Harry Potter - “Harry Potter” franchise (2001-11)

Phenomenal cosmic power; itty-bitty living space. When we first meet Harry Potter, he’s a 10-year-old boy living in a cupboard under the stairs at his mean old Aunt and Uncle’s house. But on his 11th birthday, he’s informed that not only is he a wizard; he’s one of the most famous wizards ever – with a hefty inheritance waiting, we might add. Harry spends the next years of his life living up to his reputation, and trying to put an end to the darkest wizard who ever lived: Lord Voldemort. With bravery, cunning and two of the best friends ever put to screen, the Boy Who Lived was willing to sacrifice himself for the betterment of all wizardkind.

4) Peter Parker - “Spider-Man” franchise (2002-)

Long before there was Kick-Ass, there was this nerd-turned-superhero icon. While Spidey’s origin story has been retold a couple of times, the same essential elements always remain the same: Peter Parker is your run-of-the-mill dork until a radioactive spider bites him. Although he isn’t sure how to use these newfound web-slinging abilities at first, he gains some valuable words of advice from Uncle Ben. As Spider-Man, Peter aspires to honor his uncle’s memory by defending New York, even if it means giving up any dream of personal happiness he may have. 

3) Luke Skywalker - “Star Wars” franchise (1977-)

Luke Skywalker’s story has become a textbook example of how to portray a hero’s journey. A simple farm boy, Luke looks up at his home planet’s moons in hopes of one day becoming something more. Upon teaming up with Obi-Wan Kenobi, he takes his first step towards becoming a Jedi knight like his father. Of course, Luke gets more than he bargained for after learning his daddy isn’t so clean-cut afterall. Through training, loss, and friendship, though, Luke finds his inner strength and rises as the galaxy’s last hope.

2) Steve Rogers / Captain America - Marvel Cinematic Universe (2011-)

Despite constantly getting knocked down, the wimpy Steve Rogers always stands up for what’s right. This makes him the ideal candidate for a super-soldier experiment in which his exterior is altered to match his unbreakable spirit. He leads the U.S. in their mission to take down the Red Skull, sacrificing himself in the process. That’s just the tip of the iceberg as Rogers awakens years later to fight a new war. Of all the Avengers, his backstory is the most inspirational, making us all want to follow Captain America into battle.

1) Rocky Balboa - “Rocky” franchise (1976-)

To date, “Rocky” is still the greatest underdog story ever told. Never has a sports movie been more rousing and never has a zero to hero protagonist been more compelling than Rocky Balboa, a down-on-his-luck boxer working as a strong-man for a loan shark, and who’s given a shot at facing the heavyweight champion of the world. While it takes him until the next movie to ultimately seize that title, the Italian Stallion demonstrates that you can come out on top even when you don’t win. He’s an everyman that motivates us all to go the distance. 

Movie Heroes (part I)

Everybody loves an underdog. Here we count down our picks for the Top 10 From Zero to Hero Movie Protagonists.
For this list, Johnny is taking a look at characters in movies that start off as losers, but become triumphant by the end of their journeys.

10) Neo - “The Matrix” franchise (1999-2003)

1999 brought us several movies about ordinary men frustrated with their mundane lives. “The Matrix” took this to a whole new level with Neo’s journey. Originally known as Thomas Anderson, this hacker spent his nights searching for meaning on the web. After following the white rabbit, Neo learns the shocking truth about his reality and that he’s the one who will lead humanity to salvation. A master of kung fu and able to bend the rules of the world around him – when he’s in the Matrix, at least – Neo gives hope to all desktop junkies seeking a higher purpose.

9) Po - “Kung Fu Panda” franchise (2008-)

While pandas are undeniably adorable, they’re actually surprisingly vicious in real life. Of course only in the realm of animation can pandas perform kung fu. Slow, chubby, and voiced by Jack Black, Po is among the least intimidating creatures in the animal kingdom. Upon being singled out as the Dragon Warrior, however, Po strives to prove through persistence and realization that he’s more awesome than he appears. It goes to show that you should never judge a book by its cover, even if the title is “Kung Fu Panda.”

8) Daniel LaRusso - “The Karate Kid” (1984)

“The Karate Kid” introduced a generation of younger audiences to the sports underdog story and Daniel LaRusso’s zero to hero journey remains one of cinema’s most famous. This New Jersey native has trouble adjusting to his new life in Los Angeles, becoming the target of a local gang. Daniel sets out to study karate and he finds a gifted teacher in Mr. Miyagi. He of course learns self-defense, but Daniel also takes in several important life lessons, establishing himself asa noble fighter and rising up as a man.

7) Katniss Everdeen - “The Hunger Games” franchise (2012-2015)

As a resident of District 12, Katniss knows just what it’s like to be at the bottom of the barrel. After volunteering herself as a tribute for the Hunger Games to save her sister, however, she is unwillingly thrust into the public eye. Becoming a symbol thanks to her bravery, resourcefulness, and compassion, the world looks up to this survivor and centerpiece of the coming revolution. Although initially reluctant to accept her title as the girl on fire, Katniss eventually comes to terms with her responsibilities and vows to take down President Snow.

6) Dave Lizewski - “Kick-Ass” franchise (2010-)

Comic book popularity is at an all time high, so why hasn’t anybody tried to become a superhero? Dave Lizewski decides to give the costumed vigilante occupation a shot and immediately gets his ass handed to him. While he’s better at getting his ass kicked than kicking ass in the beginning, Dave quickly gains attention for standing up to crime, putting himself out there, and taking a punch like a champ. As he works his way up the superhero latter, this scrawny nerd slowly lives up to his name. 

Are We There Yet?

How likely is to develop in a future a Utopian Society?
Very very difficult. In my opinion it is impossible by the way of how our current society is living.

Where Are They Now?

I would like to start a series of blog about the people that influenced our pop culture, but with the past of time they either stop being as popular or decided to stay away from the spotlight. I will do a little research in the next hours, but hopefully soon I will be able to let you guys know what happened to the great Black Eyed Peas!

Landfills of the World

This post would be dedicated to the question of how is our waste handled.
Once we have taken out our trash, we often forget that it all has to go somewhere. But not many of us know exactly where it goes, nor do we usually think about it. The Life Cycle of Garbage shows what happens to your trash once it leaves your home, to give you an idea of where it ends up and how much of it there really is.

The Life Cycle begins at your house.

Your kitchen trash can fills up

You take the garbage out

And the garbage man comes to take it. 

But what happens next?

It goes to a Transfer Station

A transfer station is where local trash is taken and dumped before it is transferred to its final destination. The final destinations could be: 

A landfill where the waste is buried and left to decompose, a process which takes hundreds of years. 

An incinerator where the garbage is burned and turns into ash. Sometimes used to generate energy. 

Or a Recycling Center where it will be transferred to a manufacturing plant so these materials can be used to make new products. 

Fastest Killer

This post would be dedicated to the majestic Cheetah! Stay tuned for a deep analysis about the faster living animal of the world. The cheetah can run as fast as 109 to 120 km/h (68 to 75 mph) faster than any other land animal. It cover distances up to 500 meters in short bursts, and can accelerate from 0 to 96 km/h in three seconds.

The cheetah is listed as vulnerable, facing various threats including loss of habitat and prey; conflict with humans; the illegal pet trade; competition with and predators by other carnivores; and gene pool with very low variability. It is a charismatic species and many captive cats are "ambassadors" for their species and wildlife conservation in general.

Video Games

On this blog I will talk about the birth of video games as we know them. It is hard to believe that video games actually were born around the 1950s, when academics began designing simple games and simulations as part of their computer science research. Video gaming would not reach mainstream popularity until the 1970s and 1980s, when arcade video games, gaming consoles, and home computer games were introduced to the general public. Since then, video gaming has become a popular form of entertainment and a part of modern culture in most parts of the world.

As 2015, there are eight generations of video game consoles, with the latest generation including Nintendo's Wii U, Microsoft's Xbox One, and Sony's PlayStation 4. PC gaming has been holding a large market share in Asia and Europe for decades and continues to grow due to digital distribution. Since the release of smartphones, mobile gaming has been a driving factor for games to reach out to people not able to afford dedicated hardware.