Just Good Entertainment

Spreading good entertainment through reviews and recommendations

[zachdsouza-blog]

The Californian Drought

              As many of you know, California has found its way into a serious drought. With water supplies getting a little too low for comfort, it’s time to start making educated and well thought out actions. Just recently Governor Jerry Brown made the announcement that California residents are required to follow water conservation guidelines that will help to limit water consumption. But is this enough to fight back against the effects of this drought? Many researchers say no, a prolonged drought will take very little heed to the new regulations assigned by Governor Brown. California is no stranger to droughts so naturally, we looked to the past for potential solutions to the issue. As time passed each idea presented was shot down as either too expensive or too impractical for real effects to take place. Now, finally a solution is in the making. In the early 1990’s California began production on a very large desalination facility to help maintain water supplies during the drought they were battling at the time. The desalination facility takes in large amounts of saltwater from the ocean and converts it to healthy, drinkable water. For every gallon of seawater, half a gallon of drinkable water is produced. The other gallon is considered waste and is returned back to the ocean.

              The environment affects everyone. Droughts and water shortages in California can effect everything from the upcoming movies we’re dying to see to the actors who reside in the California area. It is easy to see that an issue has arisen that is in desperate need of attention. Unfortunately, for this particular situation, the severity of the issue is too much for just one simple solution. NPR reports that researchers are saying that even with using severe water conservation and processes like desalination we will still see a dramatic decrease in the Californian water supply. What other issues will become hazardous to California after these solutions have been put into place? The desalination facilities in California have been criticized for being far too expensive and wasteful. They can harm ecosystems in the ocean from their unused materials. They require large amounts of energy which is supplied via very toxic methods. Not to mention it will also cost the residents of California even more on their water bill. To me, California’s path is a foggy one. It is obvious that many solutions need to take place in order to make an efficient effect on the water situation. As for the residents, the best thing to do is to realize the dangers of the situation and take necessary cut backs on water. For scientists, it means a lot of research and changes are going to have to take place. Solutions need to be found and they need to be found fast.

http://www.npr.org/2015/04/05/397659871/will-turning-seawater-into-drinking-water-help-drought-hit-california

[zachdsouza-blog]

Net Neutrality, a win for the internet user.

As many of you internet-goers know, the Federal Communications Commission has recently passed its new Net neutrality policy. In short, this new plan will bar telecommunication corporations from taking advantage of the average day internet user such as you and me. Through the years, the internet has advanced significantly. Of course, as our need for the internet increases so does our dependency on a handful of corporations to provide the internet for us. But what we didn’t know was that these corporations practices weren’t always what most would consider ethical. Practices such as paid internet “fast-lanes” where corporations could pay a significant amount in order to ensure that Internet Service Providers would provide a quicker and more efficient connection to their websites. This presents an unfair advantage for large corporations where the cost to increase their websites speed is only a small fraction of their massive profits. However, with the new Net neutrality policy just recently passed, that is all about to change. Net neutrality means an open and unrestricted gateway to the internet. That means no corporate bias, no paid fast-lanes, and no restrictions on how fast your internet will be provided. Of course, Net neutrality was not an unopposed new policy. Many Republicans such as Federal Communications Commissioner Ajit Pai and U.S. Rep Marsha Blackburn strongly opposed these new rules put into place by the FCC. Recently, Blackburn introduced legislation that would negate the FCCs new policy. Newsweek reports that Blackburn’s “Internet Freedom Act” would completely overrule Net neutrality and take the decision to the House of Representatives. Why is this important? Because if you are like me, the internet is the basis for all of your entertainment needs. From a million and one TV streaming services available to us, to our Amazon Kindles providing us with books, the internet is where we go for anything and everything entertaining.

What do we want as internet users? The answer is simple. We, as consumers, desire the best the market has to offer in terms of connectivity, speed, reliability and consistency. Should we settle for having only certain websites prioritized? Or should we be able to safely assume that all websites are given the very best speed available? Net neutrality enables the FCC to keep big corporations from creating an unequal internet. Having an organization that is responsible for keeping corporations from taking advantage of the consumer is a necessary precaution. After all, corporations are supposed to make money, as much of it as possible. We need an organization to keep the public’s interest in mind. Ajit Pai said in a Fox News article “The Internet is not broken. There is no problem for the government to solve”. But the problem is that there are telecommunication corporations that frequently take advantage of the everyday internet user. Even more so, how would an internet user know if he or she was being taken advantage of? Without proper supervision over the market, the consumers’ interests will always be second to the company’s profits. As an internet user, I feel that I cannot just assume that big businesses will make ethical choices. I need an organization responsible for maintaining a neutral internet. With Net neutrality, the internet service providers are responsible for providing an unrestricted and unbiased gateway to a neutral internet. A win for internet users like you and me.

http://www.newsweek.com/fcc-finally-makes-net-neutrality-rules-public-313351

http://www.newsweek.com/are-campaign-donations-behind-republican-opposition-net-neutrality-312975

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/02/26/fcc-approves-sweeping-internet-regulation-plan-obama-accused-meddling/

[zachdsouza-blog]

11/22/63 by Stephen King

               One of Stephen King’s more recent books, 11/22/63 hit shelves in November of 2011. More of an Action/Adventure novel than Kings usual suspenseful thrillers, the book takes a glimpse at what life would be like back in the 60’s. The story centers itself around Jake Epping, a modern day English teacher whose life is about to change drastically. Al Templeton, owner of a cheap and local burger joint, calls for a meeting with Jake. He reveals to Jake that there is a “rabbit hole” in the back of the diner’s pantry, a portal back to 1958. The rabbit hole was a very well-kept secret up until now and Al takes a huge risk by divulging all the details he knows about the portal. But, Al has a reason. Al has fallen ill and cannot take on his final mission anymore, to save President Kennedy from his assassination on November 11th of 1963. He enlists Jake to take his place. Jake soon realizes that he has an opportunity to change the world and agrees to carry out the endeavor. He soon discovers that his mission is going to be a lot harder than he plans. First off, the only time he can travel too in 1958 which leaves a whole 5 years before JFK’s assassination. Jake must create a new life for himself to live in 1958 and finds that he belongs in the past so much more than he ever did in 2011. He finds a job in Texas, as an English teacher, and even falls madly in love with a woman by the name of Sadie Dunhill. Also, he soon discovers that the past is stubborn. The past resists any changes and constantly throws him obstacles to prevent him from altering the future. As Jake’s quest quickly approaches November 11th, his 1960’s life begins to crumple under the obdurate past.

              11/22/63 is a very enjoyable book. Right from the beginning, you are enticed with the twists and turns of the plot. All of the characters are lovable and believable. I found myself so attached to the characters in the book that it was hard to put it stop reading. Action packed scenes masterfully created by King make your blood rush and your heart pump. King really throws you into the action. It was easy to get attached to this book and as it progressed it proved to be a worthy read. The action mellowed out towards the middle of the book and it did seem to be a bit of a bore. Yet, feeling attached to the characters I was still unable to put the book down. As JFK’s assassination rapidly approaches the suspense is too much too bare. Of course since the book is about time travel, it wouldn’t make sense if the ending wasn’t a twisted sci-fi scenario. Stephen King delivers the complicated ending we were all waiting on. Overall, I thought the ending was “okay”. I couldn’t see it happening any other way, so I understand why King wrote it how he did. It was just a disappointing outcome to a very enjoyable story. Would I recommend this book? Yes. I would recommend this book, 4/5

[zachdsouza-blog]

My inspiration

              The couch.

           For me, the couch holds a very specific role in my daily schedule. When a long day of hard work is finally done, the couch is where I find reward. Entertainment. Amusement of all kinds. Whether it be books, movies, TV shows, or even scrolling through the daily news on NPR. The adventure of finding entertainment begins and ends on my wonderful couch. However, only so much good entertainment is available out in the world. Out of the millions of books, movies, and TV shows only a select few can deem themselves as worthwhile. When I sit down on the couch I can spend hours searching for something I can declare as worthy of my attention. I have combed hopelessly through the internet, using generic searches like “Best movies to watch on Netflix” or “Good adventure books to read”. Many of my adventures have ended because good entertainment can be so hard to find. But what if there were places where all of the jaw-dropping books, awe inspiring movies, and incredible TV shows were showcased and reviewed by average people? Not The New York Times reviews. Easy to read, down to earth, fellow entertainment-seeker reviews. Reviews written by someone who themselves is just now discovering all the amazing stories out there. Well, like Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”. My blogs main purpose is to be a one-stop shop for something good to either watch or read. Detailed information on the pros and cons of entertainment in an effort to end the aimless search for worthwhile distractions. I write this blog to help end the feeling of hopelessness when looking for just the right movie. Hopefully, my taste will be true and people will find my reviews helpful in the fight to end boredom.

[zachdsouza-blog]

Hello! Welcome to Just Good Entertainment, a blog brought to you by Zach D'souza at Georgia Southern University. My goal in creating this blog is to present good movies, books, and television shows to the tumblr community. To do this, I will review and recommend all different types of entertainment in an effort to make your next movie/TV show/book one to remember. I hope you enjoy reading about some of these great stories just as much as I enjoyed reading and watching them!