A Small Take on a Big World's 2016 Person of the Year

Every year, TIME magazine releases their Person of the Year, an award given to the year's biggest newsmaker. It's a tradition that dates back to 1927 when Charles Lindbergh was honored as the very first POY. Other winners include Mahatma Gandhi (1930), Winston Churchill (1940 & 1949), Queen Elizabeth II (1952), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1963), the Apollo 8 astronauts (1968), Anwar Sadat (1997), Ted Turner (1991), Pope John Paul II (1994), Jeff Bezos (1999), Mark Zuckerberg (2010), and Ebola fighters (2014). This year's POY is President-elect Donald Trump. He has yet to take office, but his stirring brand of politics has gripped millions of voters and earned him the Oval Office.

Here at "A Small Take on a Big World", our POY will not be given out based on terms of being newsworthy. Instead, our POY will be the most influential person of the year. Who had the biggest impact on the world and changed its very landscape? The inaugural ASTOABW Person of the Year is... Donald Trump.

It may seem as if we're simply copying TIME, but there's been no way to get around the impact Trump has had this year. The real-estate tycoon is poised to become the leader of the Free World and the most powerful person on the planet. His actions and decisions will impact the lives of millions, if not billions, across the world.

Ordinarily, presidential campaigns can be derailed by any number of things. Think back to Michael Dukakis's run. Though he had a lot of momentum, all of that vanished when he was seen riding in a tank. The presidential candidate looked so goofy that voters couldn't take him seriously anymore, and his candidacy tanked. Trump has survived a number of scandals that would have taken anyone else out, essentially proving himself bulletproof. Most notable of this was the audio recording of his conversation with Billy Bush, where the two casually talked about sexual assault. Although Bush lost his job at NBC, Trump still went on to win the presidency. Other big scandals- Trump mocking a disabled reporter, lawsuits against Trump University, and promising to build a wall on the U.S.'s border with Mexico.

On the campaign trail, everything Trump said was just words and empty promises. If he lost the election, none of it would mean anything. But now that the presidency is his, there are a lot of promises and proposed policy options his voters are holding him too. While he probably won't get Mexico to pay for his proposed wall, he can expand the country's use of non-renewable energy sources and place limits on abortions.

Of course, we can't talk about the election without bringing up Russia. Trump's affinity for Russia and its hard-nosed leaders has made many politicians uncomfortable, including Senator John McCain of Arizona. A secret CIA memo said that the Russians, under the direction of Vladimir Putin, had interfered in the election process. Trump categorically has denied this, but it continues to cast a shadow over his transition process.

Whether you like him or not, Donald Trump will be the President of the United States for at least the next four years. His politics will undoubtedly offend a great number of people, but they are also echoing the desires of many Americans. Those who hate him see him as the product of a broken system, one that gives no value to the lives of the disadvantaged. Trump's fans see him as their voice and leader; the only one who can properly address their concerns. For them, Donald Trump is one of the best things to ever happen to America.

Honorable Mentions:

Recep Tayyip Erdogan- The Turkish president first made world news when he jailed more than 30,000 people in the wake of the Turkish coup. Many world leaders were dismayed with these jailings, but Erdogan used them to send a message to his opponents: he was still in power. He then made his presence known in Syria as he allied himself with President Assad. Now, his relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia continues to keep the rest of the world uneasy.

Mark Zuckerberg- As Facebook continues to dominate social media and the internet itself, Zuckerberg will always be an influential figure. Facebook itself has become extraordinarily influential, as evidenced by the fake news scandals that have plagued this year. Zuckerberg has vowed to fight fake news stories on Facebook, but nothing concrete has been created yet. The tech titan also made news for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

Nigel Farage- Farage was relatively unknown outside of England when the year started, but that all changed this year. That is because he was one of the biggest proponents of Britain leaving the European Union (a.k.a. Brexit). In a shocking turn of events, British voters chose to leave the EU, creating ramifications worldwide. Since then, the incredibly divisive politician has established a good relationship with President-elect Donald Trump.

LeBron James- It was a banner year for the greatest basketball player of our generation. In June, he led the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA title, thus fulfilling a promise he made to his hometown years before. For this, James was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year for a second time. But James also made an impact off the court. His philanthropic efforts were well-documented and he campaigned for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Elon Musk- One of the most prominent CEOs in the world, Musk has been involved in a variety of different avenues this year, including Tesla and Solar City. He has also recently expressed interest in improving the nation's infrastructure and transportation systems. Musk may play a bigger role in shaping our forthcoming technological advances than anyone else.

Thank you for reading everyone.

The Imitation Game Review

The next review in our series of Oscar nominated pictures will be The Imitation Game.With seven Oscar nominations (including for Best Picture), 1 Oscar win (for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay), and ranked 207 on the IMDB Top 250, The Imitation Game was easily one of the most decorated movies of 2014 and was one of the most hyped. The story of Alan Turing (which only became known in recent years) is one of the most intriguing ones out there. For those of you who don't know, Turing was a Cambridge professor who played a big role in cracking the German Enigma machine. Without his efforts, Nazi Germany might have won World War II. However, Turing was prosecuted because of his homosexuality, which was then seen as a crime in Britain. Because Turing's work was classified for a long period, it has only recently been celebrated. The story of Turing (along with Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch playing Turing) drew a lot of attention and Oscar buzz. At one point, many were sure The Imitation Game would win Best Picture and Cumberbatch would win Best Actor. Though neither of those predictions would come true, the film was a massive success, both financially and critically.

 The movie revolves around Turing's life (everything from his school years to his life after the war)and it does a beautiful job of telling it. Keira Knightley (who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress) played the role of Joan Clarke, who helped Turing break the Enigma and was engaged to him for six months. The two have fantastic chemistry together that makes the movie even more enjoyable to watch. While Knightley is definitely deserving of her nomination, it is Cumberbatch's performance that steals the show. He does an absolutely masterful job as Turing, managing to capture every essence of Turing's personality.

Morten Tyldum (who received a nomination for Best Director) does a great job organizing the scenes, allowing everything to flow well and tell Turing's story. The score (which earned Alexandre Desplat a nomination) is absolutely beautiful and punctuates the movie wonderfully. The title song is hauntingly beautiful and will transport you back to the movie every time you listen to it.

The Imitation Game was one of the best movies of 2014 and Benedict Cumberbatch gave an iconic performance that will be remembered for years to come. If you haven't seen this movie yet, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Whiplash Review

In case you missed it, the 2015 Academy Awards took place last month. Reviews of the event itself were mixed, but it cannot be denied that some of the movies honored at the event were truly spectacular. The Academy Awards are wonderful publicity for the movies that are nominated. After all, the event serves as a validation as to how good some of these movies are. A nomination for a prestigious award such as Best Actor, Best Director, or Best Picture will go a long way in persuading someone to watch a movie. With that in mind, ASTOABW would like to give special attention to some of the movies honored at the Academy Awards. First up: Whiplash.

Though it was nominated for Best Picture and is #37 on the IMDP Top 250, the big selling point for Whiplash is the incredible performance given by J.K. Simmons. Not only did he win over 30 awards for his performance as Terrence Fletcher (including the Oscar for Best Acting Supporter), but his performance is already being considered one of the most iconic performances of the decade. The lead actor, Miles Teller, also gives a splendid performance as Andrew Neiman, a young drummer with dreams to be a great  jazz musician.

The story revolves around the relationship between Neiman, a first-year student at the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory, and Fletcher, the conductor of the jazz band at Shaffer. Neiman is placed into the core band (the main band) after Fletcher hears him play. Though Fletcher first appears to be kind and forgiving, it soon becomes clear that that is not the case. Fletcher is hell-bent on finding the next jazz legend, and he will stop at nothing in order to do so. He pushes Neiman, often with unconventional methods, to reach his full potential. The performances by both men, along with their incredible chemistry, is what drives this movie.

At a running time of 107 minutes, the movie does not drag in any spot. Any deviation from the main plot ties in beautifully with the rest of the movie. It results in the viewer being completely glued to the screen, a true cinematic miracle. On top of that, the movie is punctuated with a beautiful soundtrack (they won an Oscar for Sound Mixing). It is all but a guarantee you will be humming "Whiplash" and "Caravan" for at least a few days after you watch the movie.

If you haven't watched Whiplash yet, hopefully this post persuaded you otherwise. It is a truly excellent movie that is worth your while.

14 Big Stories of 2014

2014 now lies in the history books, and it was definitely one to look back and reflect upon. New inventions were created, conflicts were started, and events happened that no one will soon forget. As we do every year (or at least since 2012), we're going to look back at 14 of the biggest stories of the year. These stories range from technology to politics to sports to everything in-between. Let's get started.

1. The Ebola Outbreak- It seems like every year, there is a "new and exotic" disease that everyone is afraid of getting of. Past examples include SARS and swine flu. This year, it was Ebola. Despite the disease existing for decades, 2014 was the year it burst into the international spotlight. Soon, countries all over the world were taking preventive measures against it. The Ebola Fighters were even named POY by TIME.

2. Ferguson, Missouri- This small town was put on the map after an African-American teenager named Michael Brown was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. Brown was unarmed at the time, but reports conflict about his actions right before his death. In response to the teen's death, the city erupted in violent protests that featured tear gas and looting. Wilson (who was married in October) was found not guilty by a grand jury, causing even more unrest. The riots were the most tweeted about event of the year.

3. ISIS- Originally an al Qaeda splinter group, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria burst onto the headlines this summer. In June, they began invading cities in Iraq. Later that month, they announced the creation of a caliphate. Since then, the radical Muslim group has continued to shock the world by releasing the videos of beheading hostages and recruiting people from all over the world, including the United States.

4. U.S./Cuba Relations- In December, President Obama made a landmark announcement would begin restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba. He announced that the U.S. would re-open an embassy in Havana and soften travel restrictions. The move came about after Cuba released American Alan Gross, who had been held captive for five years. This ends a thaw between the two countries that started in 1961.

5. Malaysian Airlines- It was not a good year for Malaysian Airlines. First, in March, Flight 370 disappeared en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. Crews are still searching from the plane. Then, four months later, Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All 298 passengers and crew members were killed. A final report on the crash is expected in August of 2015.

6. Taylor Swift- The country star's newest album 1989 was the best-selling album of 2014 and one of only two albums that sold over 1 million copies (the other was the Frozen soundtrack). Swift also made headlines when she had all of her music pulled from Spotify.

7. Luis Suarez- The Uruguayan soccer star made headlines at the World Cup when he bit Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during a match. As a result, Suarez was suspended for the rest of the Cup. After this incident, Suarez left Liverpool FC for FC Barcelona. The transfer fee of 75 million pounds set a new record.

8. Robin Williams- The world was shocked when comedy legend Robin Williams passed away on November 11th. The coroner ruled that the death was by suicide. Williams leaves us with classic works such as Dead Poets Society, Jumanji, Aladdin, Good Will Hunting, and Good Morning, Vietnam.

9. Landon Donovan- The greatest American soccer player of all time first made big headlines when it was announced that Coach Jurgen Klinsmann had not selected him for the World Cup roster. Instead, Donovan worked as a World Cup analyst for ESPN. Then, in December, Donovan and his team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, beat New England Revolution to win the MLS Cup,

10. Chris Pratt- Pratt started the year as a cast member on the penultimate season of Parks and Recreation. Then, in the summer, Guardians of the Galaxy released, which Pratt starred in as Star-Lord. The Marvel movie turned out to be a huge success and was one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. To top it all off, Pratt hosted the season premiere of Saturday Night Live in September.

11. The Interview- Originally, this was supposed to be a standard movie. Starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, this movie was about the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. However, this movie jumped into the limelight when the dictator announced that there would be big consequences if this movie was released. Sony was then hacked by a group called Guardians of Peace, which was against the release of The Interview. Despite all of this uproar, the movie was released in select theaters and online.

12. Midterm Elections- On November 4th, the Midterm elections took place. Despite a very low voter turnout (36.3%), the Republicans took control of the Senate and kept their grip on the House of Representatives. Many political analysts interpreted this as unhappiness over President Obama's policies.

13. Matthew McConaughey- It was an all-around fantastic year for McConaughey. Many people believed that his best days were behind him, but the Texan proved them all wrong. First, he won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. which he also won a Golden Globe for. Then, he was nominated for two Emmys for HBO's True Detective: one for his lead role and the second for being one of the shows's executive producers (the show was nominated for Best Drama Series). He capped off his wonderful year with the release of the sci-fi movie Interstellar.

14. International Sporting Events- Two big international sporting events took place this year: the FIFA World Cup, which took place over the summer in Rio de Janeio, Brazil, and the Winter Olympics, which took place in February in Sochi, Russia. Germany beat Argentina in the finals to clinch the World Cup while Russia won more medals and gold medals than any other country.

What was your favorite story of 2014? Comment and let me know. 

Open Carry Texas and the NRA

Normally, you would expect a gun rights group to be best friends with the National Rifle Association (NRA). After all, the goal of this association is to "promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis". In this case however, members of Open Carry Texas (OCT) are not too thrilled with the NRA. In fact, members of OCT have posted picture of themselves cutting up their NRA membership cards? So how did this all come about?

It started when the NRA criticized OCT rallies. In fact, they called them "downright weird". The statement was posted on the website of the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA), the lobbying arm of the NRA. The rallies were for less restrictive carry laws. The OCT is specifically trying to make openly carrying handguns remains illegal. Long guns such as rifles can be carried openly but must not be done so in a way that alarms anyone. In their rallies, OCT members carried handguns around in private places such as restaurants and other public places. The NRA said that the demonstrators had "crossed the line from enthusiasm to downright foolishness". They also decried the demonstrators who harassed a veteran on Memorial Day. 

In a statement posted to its website on its website last Friday, the NRA wrote that "Using guns merely to draw attention to yourself in public not only defies common sense, it shows a lack of consideration and manners. That's not the Texas way. And that's certainly not the NRA way". In response to the NRA's comments, the OCT threatened to withdraw their full support from the NRA and support "other gun organizations that fight for ALL gun rights". 

A few days later after issuing the statement, the NRA retracted it, saying that they were merely the opinion of a staffer. Chris Cox, the executive director of the NRA-ILA, said in an interview that the statement "was a mistake" and "it shouldn't have happened". On Facebook, OCT thanked the NRA for the clarification and said that they were going to focus on getting open carrying legalized in Texas, even if they did not have the support of the NRA.

While this movement is mostly unpopular, there is a chance that open carry will be legalized. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, especially if the NRA chooses not to support the OCT. 

Will the NRA Get Their Way Again?

The National Rifle Association (NRA) is one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the U.S. Their pro-gun standpoint has come under intense tragedy in the wake of tragedies such as Sandy Hook and Aurora, Colorado. However, it doesn't seem as if they can be stopped. In April of last year, they managed to block legislation that would make it harder for criminals and people with dangerous mental illnesses to obtain access to firearms. Now, it looks as if they will get their way again.

Their latest target: Dr. Vivek Hallegere Murthy, President Obama's nominee for surgeon general. But their issue with Murthy has nothing to do with his medical expertise, they're more focused on the fact that he supports gun control. This is quite a shame, as Murthy is truly qualified to be surgeon general. An attending physician at a hospital in Boston, Murthy also teaches medicine at Harvard, has an MBA from the Yale School of Management, and is involved in medical nonprofit groups. In a better world, the Senate would judge his right to be surgeon general solely on his merits. Unfortunately, the NRA is going to make sure that doesn't happen.

Last month, Murthy said that he had seen many patients end up in the emergency room as a result of gun violence. However, he did promise that he would not make gun control his top priority if confirmed for the position. Instead, he would focus more on obesity. Still, that has not calmed down the NRA.

If Dr. Murthy is not confirmed, we can give another point to the NRA, a group that has proven to be very powerful and influential.

Looking Back at 2013

The world was supposed to end in December of 2012, but as you know, that didn't work out too well. So, 2013 came rolling around. Like every year, it had its highs and lows. We said farewell to many larger-than-life figures, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela, former British leader Margaret Thatcher, and actors Paul Walker and Peter O'Toole. But there were plenty of other significant topics. This article will look at 13 of the biggest ones. Basically, 13 big stories from 2013.

1. Jennifer Lawrence: The fan-favorite actress starred in two hits this year: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and American Hustle (her role in the latter earned her her third Golden Globe nomination). Some of her future projects were announced as well, including X-Men: Days of Future Past and East of Eden.

2. Ted Cruz: A senator from Texas, Cruz gave a speech in September in which he railed against Obamacare. The speech lasted 21 hours and led to the government shutdown. TIME named him the fourth runner-up for Person of the Year.

3. Boston Marathon- On April 15th, two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the iconic race. Three people were killed, and hundreds were injured. The main suspects are Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, two brothers originally from Russia. The former is in police custody, and the latter was killed by police.

4. Peyton Manning- SI's Sportsman of the Year led the Denver Broncos to the first seed in the AFC after throwing for for 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards (both season records). He also made his thirteenth Pro Bowl.

5. Andy Samberg- The former Youtube sensation lent his voice in the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and starred in a new show called Brooklyn Nine-Nine, for which he received his first Golden Globe nomination.

6. Chennai Express- The Bollywood movie directed by Rohit Shetty was the second collaboration between stars Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. The movie was critically well-received and is the second-highest grossing Bollywood film of all time.

7. Percy Jackson- The son of Poseidon (at least according to author Rick Riordan) starred in both a new book and movie this year: The House of Hades (the fourth book in the Heroes of Olympus series) and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (the second film in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series). 

8. Pope Francis- TIME's Person of the Year started the year as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Cardinal and Archbishop of Buenos Aires. But in March of 2013, he inherited the throne of St. Peter. He has already won the hearts of many with his acts of charity and compassion.

9. Seth Myers- The head writer and longtime cast member of Saturday Night Live will become the new host of Late Night in February. He also voiced the character of Prock, the lead character in the show The Awesomes.

10. Edward Snowden- A former NSA employee and runner-up for TIME Person of the Year, Snowden leaked several classified NSA documents and then fled the country. He has been granted asylum in Russia, where he currently resides.

11. Miami Heat- The boys from South Beach won their second straight NBA title in their third straight trip to the Finals. They did so by vanquishing the San Antonio Spurs in seven games. Furthermore, King James picked up his fourth MVP award in two years.

12. How I Met Your Mother- The beloved CBS sitcom entered its ninth and final season this year. The season, which will end on March 31st, 2014, will finally show how the main character (played by Josh Radnor) meets the woman he will end up marrying. Fans need not be too sad about the end of the show however, a spin-off entitled How I Met Your Dad is coming.

13. OneRepublic- The band fronted by Ryan Tedder is up for the People's Choice Award for Favorite Band. They also released a new album this year, called Native. One of the songs from that album, "Counting Stars", ended the year at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.