June Issue of Slick Magazine by HBHS Journalism

Slick. The Final Issue

Contents

A STEP TOWARDS AN IDENTITY

CREATIVE DIFFERENCES

LOVE:PHOTOGRAPHY SPREAD

BITING THE BINDS

A TASTE OF THE PAST

THE PREVENTABLE RACE

ANOTHER STAR IN THE SKY

Thank you Welcome Back! This issue of Slick Magazine will be our final publication of the year. The staff worked tirelessly to end the school year with an accumulation of their strongest pieces. This will also serve as the last traditional print before Slick Magazine goes completely digital with only a special edition literary magazine to follow the second semester of the 2019-2020 term. Though we love and treasure working with a physical print medium, our class is aiming to bring even more coverage with our weekly online website. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know and make relationships with each person involved. Made up of eccentric students, room A24 is never anything less than exciting. Our goal as a team is to give a creative and free space for students to let their voices be heard through art, writing, and photography. Every student serves as a vital part of our journalism family. As the seniors wrap up their final days of high school, our Digital Journalism team would like to give a special farewell to our graduates. To all of our seniors: Alexis-Marie Goytia, Alyson Brodmann, Alyssa Cocco, Candy Peratt, Cole Clark, Dixie Chatt, Grace Gillett, and Sheldon Stires, we are so proud of all the contributions you have made. Without further adieu, we hope you enjoy our final issue of the year. Have an amazing summer and we hope to see you back in the Fall!

Candy Hart-Peratt

Ally Brodmann

Dixie Chatt

我是 i am|

A STEP TOWARDS photography by: Caitlyn Phu

AN IDENTITY: An Interview with Caitlyn Phu

By: Sarah Tran To see the world for the way it is, is determined on the basis of who views it and how they do so. Some may say that in order to view society as a whole, their lens must be unbiased, uninfluenced, and outside the bubble that society has created; an individual ultimately creates a perspective that is not afraid to judge the environment that they live in. However, with this method, who is to say that this perspective is not skewed itself? In this case, the setting of Huntington Beach High School must be viewed with more than one perspective for the definitive norm that is displayed. Through double consciousness, an individual can potentially view this with their perspectives in aid of what they have been taught from home and school. Explored by civil rights activist and sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois himself, double consciousness is a term that describes the struggle of one’s social identity due to the fact that they live up to more than one social standard because of their ethnicity.

The students who experience this everyday essentially split themselves into two separate identities where they live up to the cultural customs they conform to within high school and the ones they conform to at home. Coming from an Asian-American household myself, this concept is unnoticeable until it is pointed out, showing the intensity of how frequently others come face to face and overcome this obstacle every day. As a rising film director/ producer, student Caitlyn Phu, an Asian-American senior at Huntington Beach High School, has focused her award-winning short film, “Durian,” on the basis of life’s many standards for an Asian-American. Surrounded by the many influences from the four years of high school, Phu takes on the theme of the double consciousness and morphs it into a moving film that inspires many others to find their own true identity.

She emphasizes that: “Durian is a short film that is extremely personal to me because the challenges that Clara Chu, the protagonist, faces throughout the film are all based on my own life experiences and real interactions I have had with both friends and family. The screenwriting process for Durian initially began as just a way for me to digest and dissect my own cultural identity crisis that I was struggling with, so I basically laid out experiences I have had that… affected my understanding of my identity and said, ‘How do I translate this into a film that sends a message bigger than myself?’” Realizing that the topic was important enough to address and saw a need for it to be spread, Phu sought to this personal obstacle in such a unique way in which she “was also making a large part of [herself] vulnerable for others to view.” Spending many moments deciding how she wanted her short film to be shot, Phu describes her finalization as a “message I wanted to share… through my own personal experiences, because that was what others could relate to.” Moreover, she expresses the fact that her film gave her the “chance to make a statement that I haven’t had the guts to say before, so the film means a great deal to me in the sense that it gave my voice the megaphone that it really needed.” Needless to say, the film did give Phu her voice to magnify a serious topic within society. When asked what she wanted the audience to take away from her film, Phu determines that “At its core, Durian was meant to explore the depth of one particular cultural identity crisis and reveal the variety of interactions that affect this search for identity, from a check-up at the doctor’s office to dinner with a friend. Keeping this in mind, I expected Durian to impact different audiences in different ways.”

photography by: Caitlyn Phu

As a result, Phu responds to the double consciousness as a way to tell the audience that a sense of unknown identity is “no oddity” in the struggle of balancing Asian and American cultures. Additionally, she created a response from her audience once many students started to tell her that they too struggled with the problems the protagonist faces throughout the film. Furthermore, when asked the difference of her home life to school life, she goes on to describe how she has “more similarities than differences with the teens I grew up with,” since the environment that they learned and grew in at school were the same. More personally, Phu even expresses that she feels a “simultaneous freedom and restriction of my identity” at school and at home, yet on the other hand, experiences at school with “seemingly harmless quips about my race or background have become a slight barrier between me and others,” which is how the two differentiate from each other.

Sharing a more personal story, Phu acknowledges a time when “One of my closest friends had visited my house for the first time, and, after eyeing the old Chinese New year decorations strewn on the walls and the miniature Buddhist shrine in the corner of the room, asked me, ‘Am I allowed to wear shorts in your house?’ The question seemed ridiculous to me, and I thought, ‘Of course, why wouldn’t you be able to?’” Relating the story to a deeper level, she notices that it “was one of the moments I realized that my background was a source for a deep divide between me and my friends, and it was never something I could fully embrace at school out of fear of deepening this divide.”

photography by: Caitlyn Phu

Nonetheless, this does not go to show her culture at home in which she views it as something that has “Always provided a deep comfort to me, because, for me, culture means home. In the face of generational gaps, my culture is what connects me to my parents and my grandparents, and that is why culture has become such a significant aspect of my home-life. But, at the same time, my culture demands constant respectfulness and emphasizes the importance of tradition” since she feels restricted in pursuing what she loves: film making. Showing the positive and negatives of the the cultural customs she goes through at both home and school, Phu realizes that there is more to society than what many bargain for. In a sense, school provides an environment in which she can grow with others her age that understand the high school struggles she goes through; whereas, at home, there is a comfort in always having something and someone to connect to. Moreover, when focusing on the perspective she has that differs from other individuals, Phu decides to take on another communal view, by asserting that “Everyone’s perspectives on society have been cultivated by the environment they grew up in, the people they’ve met, and the experiences… they’ve had… In terms of my race and culture, my societal perceptions are largely influenced by the viewpoint of an individual who has seen my community from an outsider’s perspective, since I am the part of the first generation in my family to be born in America.”

With this in mind, Phu is aware that being able to have this perspective is a privilege so that she can view society outside the American culture. Additionally, having the mindset of viewing society in her own way, also allows her to realize that there is not one side that outweighs the other in terms of the person who she is today. Phu describes both of them as “major contributions” to her life and that “My life at home taught me the importance of respectfulness and kindness, while my life outside of my home taught me about following my passions and branching out; so, while my search for identity in the midst of contrasting cultures did make up a large part of my life, I really wouldn’t give it up for anything.” Overcoming these struggles that overall envelope the definition of the double consciousness, Phu realizes the importance of both cultures and has learned to embrace them to shape her into the person she is today. Phu will further do so when she enters her next step in life at Chapman University.

photography by: Randal Macias & Giovanni Tonniato

CREATIVE DIFFERENCES By: Cooper Gilliard

Creative Differences; wearing paper bags and jumpsuits, and the latest in the long line of Huntington High rock bands. The duo of made up of singer Ryan Peterson and drummer Larson McDonald create a twist on modern alternative music and bring a prolific writing style never before seen at Huntington Beach. The band hosts a theme of paper bags and Jones Soda jumpsuits that bring a certain sort of familiarity to them and their art. They have produced a number of great songs and took part in many memorable performances since invading HBHS and Music and Media Entertainment Technology (MMET) in 2016, presenting both in and out of school gigs and participating in every mainstage show MMET has produced since they arrived. As of this year, they performed two of their songs in one of MMET’s shows, Playlist 2019; “Smoke Stacks” and “Godspeed,” both of which are very fun, meaningful songs bear a certain amount of resemblance to popular artists.

After Petersen put paper shopping bags on the heads of his band mates at Playlist 2018, some began to wonder what the meaning behind the bags was. According to Petersen, the paper bags were implemented in order to hide their identity; making their music more about the message and less about the people that wrote it. However, they later became pretty well known for it. During Petersen’s performance at Playlist 2018, Petersen walked around the stage putting paper bags on the heads of the musicians performing with him. This was done with little to no warning, yet even administrators seemed to laugh at the gimmick. Just when everyone thought they had saw the entire plan in action, he jumped off the stage, making the whole performance memorable for years to come. Since then they’ve made the bags into somewhat of an identity. They now appear in many, if not all, of their music videos and live performances.

photography by: Randal Macias & Giovanni Tonniato

Their debut single “Figments” was written about the fear of dementia, which is illustrated well in its music video. However, the meaning from which it was born was from an episode of BoJack Horseman, an animated television series about a horse who misses his days as a Hollywood elite. The specific episode is called ¨Time's Arrow,¨ which massively changed Petersen’s perspective on dementia., making him a lot less scared of the disease and more empathetic about those whom it affects. The meaning of the song is to communicate to the audience the same message about dementia that the comedy show had done for him.

“Godspeed,” possibly the saddest song I’ve ever heard that still remains upbeat. After waking up from a fever dream at 2am, Petersen had the melody playing in his head, which would later give way to one of the least convenient music videos ever produced, mainly because of the horrible weather they had to shoot it in.

With a show approaching, Petersen really had hoped to perform this song despite how rough it appeared to be. Ergo, he began to write a song about a series of immoral actions he had witnessed as a kid, all of which he couldn’t believe were committed by a fellow human being. From these actions and a truly catchy lyric, “Godspeed” was finished. It later hit the stage at Playlist 2019. Both Petersen and McDonald have come so far as musicians since their beginning. Lyrics have improved across all songs and production value has increased accordingly. The duo hopes to put out an EP that will feature “Godspeed” and many others by the end of June in order to kickstart a summer of performances. You can keep track of their shows and new music on their Instagram @creativedifferencesofficial.

Love, It’s something we all desire. Human or not, It’s something we aspire for our whole lives. Who says I can’t love who I want, Or be who I want to be Society Why must one worry about what one does? Why must I conform and fit into a label? I worry whether or not I’m staying between the lines How must we escape? I want to be free with you

LOVE LOVE photography: Andrea Cervantes poetry: Alexis-Marie Goytia

photography by: Andrea Cervantes

E V O LOVE L LOV

LOVE

LO VE

VE LO

E V O L L LOVE VOEVE LO LOVE LOVE

photography by: Andrea Cervantes

Biting the Binds: Overcoming Self By: Cole Clark

The Life Aq Insid

quatic with Steve Zissou de Llewyn Davis FROM LEFT: Bill Murray The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou/ Photo: Buena Vista Pictures /2004, Oscar Isaac Inside Llewyn Davis\ Photo: CBS Films \2013

Bill Murray and Willem Dafoe The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou/ Photo: Buena Vista Pictures /2004,

The American midwest and the vast, blue ocean. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Inside Llewyn Davis are built on drastically different settings, storylines, and side-characters, but contain one crucial similarity: each focuses on an emasculated male, dejected and in pursuit of past joy or broken relationships. Despite releasing nine years apart, the films serve as reflections, different sides of the same coin. Inside Llewyn Davis charts demise, while The Life Aquatic presents a way out. The protagonists end in different places, but they are still helpless, mute portraits with too much to say and not enough confidence to say it. Portraits of reclusive men can be spotted all over the timeline of contemporary cinema. See the underdogs, the reluctant heroes like John McClane and Maximus Meridius; those looking to circumvent their heroic roots in favor of more humble callings. Anonymity is not their destiny, however, and their stories nearly always climax with a come-to-yoursenses moment. See almost every superhero origin, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings: it’s in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story’s title. The Life Aquatic and Inside Llewyn Davis are the fallout, the aftermath of coming-to-yoursenses. Following years of struggle in their native pursuits, Steve Zissou and Llewyn Davis are burnt out, emotionally wasted. They lash out, cover themselves, and save energy for moments that aren’t guaranteed. One of them treats their low state as a challenge to overcome, and fights for his relationships in ever-more cynical surroundings: the other is Llewyn Davis.

Inside Llewyn Davis charts a down and-out folk singer trekking 1960s America for a chance to sell his records. His partner in music and friendship has recently died, leaving Davis to pursue a solo career, if only to pay his bills. He’s rugged, musical, bearded; no knock on Oscar Isaac’s look in the film (it’s superb), but it feeds into a long-established stereotype of emotionally barren men with talent hidden conveniently under their trench coats. This is one of the key pillars of the indie-drama genre: knowing the hero has or had a great talent and can’t share it makes for crushing viewing. Steve Zissou, a documentarian who’s bland streak began long before the events of The Life Aquatic, is a dormant talent in a red beanie. Pressured by investors and personal drive to achieve the greatness of his past, he fumbles his way through a two-part documentary, the first half of which opens the film: chronicling the death of his partner in friendship and production, Esteban, at the teeth of a “Jaguar Shark,” it introduces us to The Life Aquatic’s black briefcase, or motivator for the protagonist. During a Q&A for part one of his film, Zissou is asked the purpose of part two, in which he intends to find and kill the shark. His response is simple: “Revenge.”

Blinded by jealousy and alcohol, local has-been and aspiring folk degenerate Llewyn Davis heckles a performer from the audience of an open mic. He storms out after being told repeatedly to shut the hell up and lands in the back alley of the Gaslight Cafe. The silhouette of a man approaches, and beats Davis into the pavement without explanation. This sequence of childish ridicule followed by deserved karma is the basis for Inside Llewyn Davis; the setup for a film that doesn’t get much cheerier. At his lowest, Davis is a rude chauvinist, non-caring and non-committal. His former-girlfriend retains a grudge over an unwanted pregnancy, and his friend’s cat keeps running out the window. Aside from his beard there is hardly a signifier that Davis is a developed man, or even adult; his example is pushy and loud, angry without purpose and lacking in basic manners, though he has no issue demanding them of others.

In his journey across the Midwest, Davis doesn’t learn much more than this: life is hard, and it only gets worse. Joel and Ethan Coen’s film is bleak, not only in content but in image, with dark greens and washed out blues that paint a picture of loneliness. Davis is given opportunities to change, to turn his life around, but he’s reached a point where his actions no longer affect the outcome; so far down the rabbit hole that there is no chance of getting out. Of course, this is not true. More than money woes, troubled girlfriends or lack of record sales, Davis stands in his own way: he holds on to the past, snapping whenever it is mentioned but refusing to deal with it. For his dire state, Davis is a word on the wind, blowing further back into the memory he occupies.

Bill Murray Zissou/ Ph

The Life Aquatic’s Steve Zissou is as foolish and humorous a character as Llewyn Davis is tragically condemned. Each live in worlds that have moved past folk diddies and heavily-scripted nature documentaries. In The Life Aquatic, this is a saturated market; a public unwilling to sit through Zissou’s once magical insights into the animal world. The audience has grown up, and with that, decided they’re no longer amazed by rainbow fish and Jaguar Sharks. Tycoons like Alistair Hennessey (a never-more-hateable Jeff Goldblum) dominate the field with unlimited funds and piercing good looks, qualities the aging Steve Zissou no longer possesses.

Ned is green, kind, and confident, qualities Zissou didn’t get to teach but wants to take credit for. At an unexpected moment, Ned is killed by a malfunctioned helicopter rotor, forcing Steve to accept that he will not get to father Ned they way he would have liked to. It’s not until his own encounter with death that Zissou begins to understand his mortality, and the importance of being a father to any young man, regardless of whether they share DNA. When the inevitable showdown with the Jaguar Shark occurs, Zissou’s learned humility ripples far beyond the mini-submarine he and his crew are packed into: “I wonder if it remembers me.”

Bill Murray plays the role with pride (it wouldn’t be one of his characters without it) and a vulnerability that’s been his M.O. since Rushmore. Zissou is an unexpected father: his long-lost son, Ned, appears from Kentucky to meet and adventure alongside his father.

A cat loose in New York. Llewyn Davis scrambles to close a window and narrowly misses. He boards a train, distraught, defeated: he has lost the Gorfein’s cat, the couple that provide him a bed and bottomless grace, and he’s on his way to a gig.

y & Cast The Life Aquatic with Steve hoto: Buena Vista Pictures /2004,

Losing the Gorfein’s cat isn’t just losing the Gorfein’s cat: it’s proof that nothing will ever go right for Davis, that he’s as big a screw-up as everyone says he is. It’s hard to look for a silver-lining when logic affirms every negative thought you’ve had about yourself. After finding the cat, mistaking it for another one, and taking an unfruitful road-trip to Chicago, Davis ends his journey where he began it: in the back alley of the Gaslight Cafe with the same violent stranger. It’s not for lack of luck or any kind of outside force; Llewyn Davis faces the same world-shrinking conundrums as Steve Zissou, but he doesn’t get up. He surrenders, allowing chance to dictate his worth.

When the warbled notes of Bob Dylan’s “Dink’s Song” echo through the muted walls and into the alley, Davis is put in his place.He is an afterthought, a John the Baptist preparing the way for a greater version of himself. Llewyn Davis sits. Faced with the death of his son, pirates, the murder of his best friend by a mythical shark, and the dissipation of his marriage, Steve Zissou doesn’t. He stands, biting through his binds to reach for a glock.

Oscar Isaac Inside Llewyn Davis\ Photo: CBS Films \2013

A T A

By: Kayla

photography by: Dixie Chatt

STE O F T E H AST

a Nguyen

At some point, everyone has recollected their treasured memories of their favorite snacks. A pumpkin latte could make someone reminisce about their festive family dinners. For others it could remind them of a freshly baked pumpkin pie, or a warm, rainy atmosphere that fills a cafe corner. The rich aroma of melted chocolate might kindle a remembrance of a mother’s heavenly made desserts. In Time, a popular weekly news magazine, Alexandra Sifferlin stated that, ¨the evocation of nostalgia… can obtain a sense of belonging even when the people they are close to are not close by.¨ Nostalgic food swarms people with familiar flashbacks and provokes a feeling of sentimentality. Nostalgia can be aroused in numerous ways, varying from an abundance of triggers; however, the most common would be the sense of smell. Through psychological research, Howard Eichenbaum, an American psychologist, elucidated “that when we smell something, it enters the nose and then travels through the olfactory bulb.” An olfactory bulb is a sensory structure that is accountable for our sense of smell, also referred to as olfaction. Scent plays a major role in stimulating emotional reactions and in general, food nostalgia. Eating is a societal norm that helps people bond and establish memorable moments from their time together. Moreover, food speaks to all our five senses, and this makes our memories so much more precious to us because we have a piece of it to hold onto. These random flashes from the past stem from our younger years, providing a taste of home. The emotions people feel seem just as simple as the foods they eat, but it embraces a much stronger meaning than they know.

The memories they experience are important in that it “[has] an enormous impact on how [their] identities are shaped,” as said by Nini den Braber in her article “How Our Memories Shape Us- Our Identities and Culture¨ on her blog Memory Changer. Furthermore, Braber asserts that “Many issues in [their] lives are memory related for it permeates every aspect of our living and civilization as a whole.” This being said, no matter what unwanted situations have happened or joyous moments that have taken place, these instances sculpted them into who they have grown to be. Their memories are the core of their growth as a human being, and with these foods, it’s an important benefactor that connects to what made them happy or upset in the past and how it affects what they’ve felt today if gotten the chance. Everyone should notice the importance of holding onto their memories like a book, staying open, but eventually running out of pages as time passes. Here are some beloved nostalgic snacks that you may remember: 1. YoGos-These sweet, yogurt-covered bits were welcomed by everybody in the 2000s. Kellogg’s YoGos are fruity-filled dots glazed with a creamy yogurt coating. The company has a diversity of flavors, varying from Strawberry Slam, Crazy Berries, Berry Berry Banana, and many more. Unfortunately, on Change.org, a petition website, Justin Dickinson, a YoGos supporter, received the confirmation of YoGos discontinuation in 2017. Dickinson explained that “they did not have enough fans.” For this reason, YoGos were taken off the shelves, leaving people in despair.

2. Trix Yogurt- A Huntington Beach High School senior student was asked “what comes to mind when you think of your favorite childhood snack?¨ The student immediately responded excitedly with “Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!” However, are they really “just for kids?” That is to say, who would turn down a colorful looking yogurt cup brimming with a rainbow overload? Evolving from their classics, the creators, General Mills Yoplait, formulated new collections of flavors such as: Strawberry Punch, Watermelon Burst, Raspberry Rainbow, Cotton Candy, and plenty more to choose from.

5. Fruit by the Foot- Kids of all ages were addicted to the fruity tanginess of General Mill’s popular product, Fruit by the Foot. Thirty-six inches of candy are packed into rolls, suitable for children to eat. This playful snack could be eaten in numerous ways; some peel it off the paper and eat it as a long rope. Others eat it as the paper strips off, or even split the fun design and then devour it. This sugar-strand is a favorite amongst kids, and is still enjoyed by many today.

3. Gushers-Gushers were one of the most popular snacks in the 2000s; some kids would be begging their friends for just one. Gushers are small, extravagant drops of deliciousness that are jammed with fruit juice, bursting with fruity nectar in every bite. Gushers entered the snack world in 1991 and were released to the public with their two original flavors, Gushin’ Grape and Strawberry Splash. From Snack History, they informed that Gushers were shaped as an “elongated hexagonal bipyramid,” and people grew fond of its strange shape. Gushers were predominately marketed for kids to eat, but when the adult panel from Sun Sentinel, a daily newspaper of Florida, performed a taste test for the treat, they grew to enjoy the sugary snack as much as the kids did. To this day, Gushers can still be located in local grocery stores such as Albertsons, Target, and Ralphs.

6. Gripz- Keebler’s Gripz were the snack the party person always brought to the house. This treat came in value packs, consisting of three popular snacks: Cheez-it, Chips Deluxe, and Keebler´s Grahams Crackers. These were suitable amidst students because of its quirky element—they came in miniature sizes! These morsel-sized delights were easy to pop into mouths during break, were kid-friendly, and intrigued kids by its minuscule shape. No wonder this was a salable product in the school community. Sadly, it lost its spark and isn’t eaten as much as it used to be.

4. Hunt’s Snack Pack- Hunt’s Snack Pack was launched in 1968, with a horse named Snack Pack as its mascot. This custard-like treat was similar to a dessert for children at school. Snack Packs were a convenient delight for students, filled with a luscious milk pudding. Back in the 70s through the 80s, the old edition of Snack Packs was sold in cans, now, they are packaged in a 3-4 ounce plastic cup and sealed with a metallic lid. Hunt’s Snack Packs are not as popular as before, but they can still be found in stores.

7. Lunchables- Lunchables are the next best thing in school. They come in a plastic box that is divided into small sections. The fancy bento box design made it seem like a legitimate lunch. According to Nick O’Malley on MassLive, he wrote that “Lunchables are more than just lunch. They’re cafeteria ammunition in the battle of ‘Who has the coolest lunch?’ ” The menu for lunchables consists of dishes like nachos cheese dip and salsa, turkey and cheddar with crackers, pizza with pepperoni, and chicken dunks. Now, they have upgraded to new lunch items such as Lunchables Snacks, Lunchables Uploaded With Drink, and even Lunchables Organic.

THE PREVEN AGAINS By: Alexis

The faint sound of bacon grease popping and crackling on a Sunday morning, a cool breeze from an air conditioner on a warm day, or taking a road trip to Sequoia National Park; without moderation of our resources, these luxuries can have fatal repercussions to both the occupants of the planet and Earth itself. The greenhouse gases humanity produces are not only destroying the planet but driving animal inhabitants to extinction. By performing daily efforts to cut down one’s carbon footprint, it is not only saving the 8.7 million different species of animals on Earth but also the future human generations to come. Commiting to a cleaner lifestyle to help prevent said destruction is simple, but it takes passion and love for the environment to maintain. Over the 4.5 billion years Earth has existed, the planet’s condition has differed throughout the millennia. Yet in recent years, the well-being of the planet has plummeted due to the “greenhouse effect,” also known more commonly as global warming. The greenhouse effect is the proven theory that Earth’s temperature is slowing rising due to trapped heat in the atmosphere. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) explains that the main contributors to the warming of the planet are two main gases: carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), making up over 90% of harmful gases in the atmosphere (“A Student’s Guide to Greenhouse Gases”).

Jacinta

Technology and electricity has been normalized to the point that most Californians do not realize the extent their electrical usage has on the planet. Seemingly harmless mistakes such as leaving lights on or overusing fans and air conditioners have bigger effects on the environment than one may believe. According to a 2010 study done by the USEPA on global warming, “the burning of coal, natural gas, and oil for electricity and heat is the largest single source of global greenhouse gas emissions.” The fossil fuels used to produce the non-renewable electricity are the core cause of the slow but alarming temperature rise of planet Earth. Fortunately, there has been progress in use of electricity since 2010. According to NASA’s data on global climate change, in December 2017, carbon dioxide emissions reached a peak of 407 parts per million (“Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions”). Of the 407 ppm, 33% (134 ppm) of all carbon dioxide produced comes directly from electrical usage (“Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions”). Luckily, cutting down electrical use is a matter of behavioral habits, rather than life-altering choices. As stated before, the cutting down of one’s electric use relies on daily routines and changes in behavioral habits. In an article written by Brave New Climate titled “Top 10 Ways to Reduce your CO2 Emissions Footprint,” describes that “behaviour change lies at the heart of most individual actions on reducing our individual carbon footprint.”

photography by: Dixie Chatt

NTABLE RACE ST TIME

photography by: Grace Briquelet

Brave New Climate suggests that “by being sensible about your use household energy use, and making sure your house is well insulated, you can make a huge dent in your CO2 emissions.” Practicing changes such as wearing an extra layer of clothing instead of turning on the heater, opening the window rather than blasting a fan, or shutting off lights when not in use can drastically cut down an individual’s production of greenhouse gases greatly. Brave New Climate also explains that recycling plastics decreases one’s carbon footprint by using less electricity, stating that “the carbon footprint of fixing things is far lower than making them from scratch.” Another eco-friendly routine to implement into daily life is by switching from unsustainable beauty products, to environmentally-friendly brands such as Love, Beauty & Planet and Lush that use recycled plastic or “naked” cosmetics to minimize their effect on the planet. California’s biggest killer is society’s favorite luxury: cars. Meanwhile, as most American households drive their children to soccer practice or ballet lessons, the emissions from the overuse of motor fuel has melted the 15,000-year-old ice glaciers in Greenland. The USEPA reports that “34% of all CO2 emissions come directly from transportation.” As for California, in 2016, the California Air Resources Board reported that their overuse of unsustainable transportation makes up for 46% of the state’s greenhouse gases (“Carbon Dioxide”). To put in perspective of how severe the car emissions truly are, Car Talk, a global warming awareness blog and podcast, states that “burning one gallon of gas creates 20 pounds of carbon dioxide.”

Unfortunately, due to many Californians commuting to work and sitting in Los Angeles traffic for far too long, the state’s production of car emissions has only generated exponential growth. In an interview hosted in 2018 by David R. Baker on California’s gas emissions, UC Berkeley energy economist, Severin Borenstein, stated that California has “not made progress on transportation,” and has “made negative progress.” Although Borenstein acknowledges that the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions comes from transportation, there are many simple methods to cut down the carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles. Giving up the convenience and immediate satisfaction of day-to-day use of cars is difficult, but a luxury one must compromise with to help save the dying planet. Switching to an electric car is a great way to cutting down one’s CO2 emissions. Not only are they better for the planet, but are relatively cheaper than the average vehicle. Electric vehicles, such as a Tesla Model X or 2018 Ford Focus Electric, have zero tailpipe emissions, producing fewer greenhouse gases and leaving the planet with cleaner air. For Californians, buying an electric car is particularly beneficial. According to MYEV, a website promoting electric vehicles, California has the lowest net electricity, compared to “central U.S. states like Colorado, Kansas and Missouri where fossil-fueled electric plants are most common.” Electric vehicles also use less oil, and according to Canadian news magazine writer, Andrew Leach, “given that the world consumes about 86 million barrels of crude oil per day, it would be easy to conclude [Earth] will run out of oil in 55 years, or sooner if we increase production consumption.”

The second biggest contributor to greenhouse gas is methane. Grossly enough, methane is mainly produced from cattle passing gas. In a New York Times article titled “Your Questions About Food and Climate Change, Answered” Julia Moskin, Brad Plumer, Rebecca Lieberman and Eden Weingart state that the dairy and beef production from cattle accounts for over “14.5 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases each year.” To coincide the negativity of the overpopulation of cattle, Brave New Climate additionally mentions that methane “packs 72 times the punch of CO2 over a 20 year period.” The high demand for beef and dairy increases the amount of methane produced by cattle annually. A study done by the Environmental Defense Fund estimated that the nation’s methane “may be almost 60 percent higher than federal government estimates.” By cutting one’s intake of animal products, it not only generates less of the much-ignored methane, but also uses less fossil fuels, land, and water to produce. Although many Californians enjoy a juicy burger from In-N-Out, sacrificing the indulgences of one’s food choices impacts greatly on their economical footprint. Switching to only consuming white meats such as chicken or clams, that take less land, water and produce less greenhouse gases, can severely change the effect one has on the planet. In spite of chicken or oysters being cleaner for the environment, EcoWatch, a climate activism and awareness news site, stresses that “there is no such thing as sustainable meat.” As for veganism, the University of Oxford held a study and found that “cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could reduce an individual’s carbon footprint from food by up to 73%.”

Even though dairy cheese seems harmless, continued in the same New York Times’ article, the four authors, Julia Moskin, Brad Plumer, Rebecca Lieberman and Eden Weingart, explain that cheeses “such as cheddar or mozzarella, can have a significantly bigger footprint than chicken or pork,” and that “plant-based foods like beans, pulses, grains and soy tend to be the most climate-friendly options of all.” Soy, in particular, is universally eco-friendly. EcoWatch also described soy product’s sustainability by stating that “a pound of beef requires 13 percent more fossil fuel and 15 times more water to produce than a pound of soy.” Buying local produce can impact your footprint extremely. By buying locally grown food, it takes less effort to transport and according to the New York Times, “fruits and vegetables that are shipped by plane can have a surprisingly hefty carbon footprint. During the winter, that may include asparagus or blackberries — produce that’s perishable and needs to move quickly between distant places. By contrast, apples, oranges and bananas are often shipped by sea, which is more fuel-efficient.” Given in the name “global warming,” Earth is severely overheating. The Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG), a wildlife protection organization, recorded that “2012 was the hottest year on record in the US,” pointing to the severity of the temperature changes. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), air temperatures “have increased by about 5°C over the last 100 years.”

The CPSG also described in an article titled “Climate Change & Wildlife,” that in dried out climates “plants and forests suffer from the lack of water,” and that “increased wildfire activity due to hot, dry conditions poses a risk for safety of wildlife;” proving how major the effects of the temperature rise has on every climate. Not only do greenhouse gases change the temperature, but they melt ancient glaciers in the process. Explained by the WWF, “the Earth’s north and south extremities are crucial for regulating our planet’s climate and are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of global warming, which has global consequences.” Rafi Letzter, a writer for Live Science, explains that Greenland, a country located near the northern pole, “lost roughly 631 trillion pounds (286 trillion kilograms) of ice per year,” from 2010 to 2018. By destroying these ancient habitats so rapidly, the animals occupying said habitats are becoming endangered as well. According to the National Geographic, “coral, polar bears, and frogs are among the species hit hardest.” Due to the specific environments these species need to live in, they are not able to adjust and evolutionize as rapidly as the climate is changing. Specifically for polar bears, the disappearance of ice not only disrupts their food chain, but reproduction, predatory protection, and ability to travel long distances.

Explained in an article published by the National Geographic titled “7 Species Hit Hard by Climate Change,” climate change has forced polar bears “to exploit alternative food sources… and some even have turned to goose eggs.” Although polar bears and other colder-climate animals are facing the most reprobations, the sudden changes in all ecosystems has been extremely devastating to all walks of life. The U.N Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) explains that “a 1.5°C average rise may put 20-30% of species at risk of extinction,” and that “climate change is happening too quickly for many species to adapt.” One: the number that haunts humans globally. One planet, one Earth, and one chance to save it. Humans, as a whole, need to take initiative and educate themselves on steps to preserve the sole planet given to them. One can only hope that society will be willing to give up their luxuries of constant electricity, single use transport, and unsustainable food to lessen their environmental impact. We need to take action, and fast, because according to the IPCC and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Climate Assessment, “the world must cut carbon dioxide emissions by at least 45 percent in 12 years to preserve any hope of maintaining a livable planet.” Sustainable living is simpler than it may appear, but small sacrifices such as recycling, taking public transport, or going easy on the electricity can diminish an individual’s greenhouse gases tremendously. Reevaluate your living, and choose cleaner and greener options. Live sustainably and save the planet.

photography by: Dixie Chatt

ANOTHER STAR

IN THE SKY By: Izzy Agnello

Stars look down on us night by night. They witness what the world hides under the blanket of darkness. They uncover truths that people of the world will never see. In ancient cultures, people believed that good souls became stars. It is the souls of the dead that light the dark earth to provide hope to daydreamers, letting them know light is never far away. It is these souls who gaze down, watching. Out of sight, they keenly watched over the bright stadium lights as the show goes on. It was just another game to everyone in the stands, knowing not what the night really meant. The marching band was there, as always. However, this game day was different. It was not just another brisk October night, not just another pregame. As the band lined up on the field Mr. Gilboe, the band director, approached the trombone section. He had requested they play their hearts out that night. It was October 19, 2018, the thirteenth anniversary since trombonist, Ryan Dallas Cook passed in a motorcycle accident.

Another night in 2005. The youthful trombonist, Dallas Cook, rode his motorcycle upon the Costa Mesa Freeway. After a day of preparing for a college exam and practicing with his band, going home was on his mind.These plans were put to a halt when a man driving a SUV collided into the freeway barrier. Then, Cook tried to brake, but he skidded into the left rear of the SUV with force. This caused Dallas Cook to fly from his motorcycle on to the ground where he was struck by several other cars passing by. The man fled the scene but was later found and sentenced to nine years in the Sierra Conservation Center located in Jamestown, California. Cook had only been twenty-three years old when the dark-colored Hyundai ended it all, but this was the start of a grander story. From 1996 to 2000, Cook attended Huntington Beach High School. This is where he nurtured his love for music by playing trombone in the marching band. Like most high schoolers, he wanted to channel these passions into something fun, something he could do with friends.

This led to the creation of The No Tones in 1998, then Bomb Squad, which eventually turned into the third wave ska band Suburban Legends in 1999. It was in this group where Cook played trombone. The band provided an outlet for all of Cook’s talents. The band would perform dance routines that included Cook jumping on the shoulders of other band members, doing handstands and flips, and even balancing his trombone on the palm of his hand. According to close a friend and bandmate, Chris Maurer, “Suburban Legends puts on a very theatrical performance, with choreography and stunts. Ryan was always encouraging all of us to perform our shows with the same enthusiasm and energy, whether there were two people in the audience or two thousand.” While other members of the band felt “discouraged” or “silly” going all out, Cook’s discouragement never showed. These comedic choreographed moves along with Dallas Cook’s down to earth personality helped draw people to Suburban Legend’s shows.

Online there is a silhouette of Ryan Dallas Cook. Articles tell the story of his death, Wikipedia portrays a summarized story, but the people in his life added the essence of Cook. They season the facts with personal encounters and with the love that they still have for him. After finding brothers Tim and Chris Maurer on Facebook, the picture that is Ryan Dallas Cook became clearer. Tim Maurer had first met Cook in high school via the Academy for the Performing Arts (APA), a program where kids from different schools come to learn and practice various branches of performing arts. Ultimately, he got involved in what would be Suburban Legends as one of the founding members and vocalist. Dallas Cook was one of the two trombonists. Maurer described Cook as “laid-back and had a very carefree attitude.” However, this did not stop from Cook working harder than anyone else.

While whistling through his teeth, Cook worked midnight shifts at Denny’s on top of organizing band merchandise and setting up and striking equipment. When Suburban Legends started getting big, everyone’s lives began to change rapidly, and for Maurer, Cook was the person he could talk to. Tim Maurer was a young single father who sometimes felt lost, and Cook would sit and talk with him as they drove across the country. To this day, Ryan Dallas Cook has made Maurer feel less lonely and taught him “that you need to live life to the fullest.” Chris Maurer, the younger brother of Tim Maurer, did not join Suburban Legends until 2001. However, being the excited little brother, he followed his older brother to their first shows, rehearsals, and to their first recording session. It was at this recording session where he met Dallas Cook. When the original bass player left the band this gave Maurer the chance to be in the band. From 2001 to 2004, the band released Rump Shaker, started playing shows at Disneyland, and toured. Since they were spending most of their days together, the band bonded and became each other's family. In Maurer’s eyes Cook, “was in many ways, the rock that keep us all going. He took care of us. He would usually drive the van all night long, taking turns with Brian Robertson [the other trombone player], while the rest of us goofed off in the back and slept..” When 2004 came around Chris Maurer left the band to get married and go to school. The last time he saw Cook was at his wedding in June 2005.

Later that year, October 19, 2005, the phone rang. It was Tim Maurer, his brother, calling in the early morning. Chris Maurer thought it was unusual and answered. Only to find out that Dallas Cook had been driving home the night before from rehearsal and got into an accident. Chris asked if Cook was okay. “No,” replied his elder brother. The memory of the rest of the conversation went with time. Cook’s death left Chris, “completely devastated. Ryan was family to me. I was a wreck for months. It was the most difficult and painful time of my entire life. Everyday life became extremely difficult. I was newly married, going to college full time, and working part time. I was constantly thinking about Ryan, and I just couldn’t focus on anything else. It was a time of constant pain. There were usually a few moments when I woke up in the morning when I would not remember, but then it would all come rushing back. I would have recurring dreams for years where Ryan would come back, like it was all a big misunderstanding. Then I would wake up and lose him all over again. It was so unnatural for him to die. It was tragic. It was wrong. He was so young, so full of potential. He was one of the best human beings that I have ever met.”

The sky is brighter and nights are less cold, knowing that he is up there. Cook genuinely loved people. He had the power to make everyone he talked to feel important. He had his way with people and touched the lives of friends, family, and strangers. Cook was the type of friend who you could call in the middle of the night and he would gladly listen to whatever one had to say. Chris expressed, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wish I could tell him how much his friendship had meant to me, how much I loved him. I would give anything to bring him back. It breaks my heart thinking about how much he has missed out on. I miss him. The world misses him. Farewell my friend.â&#x20AC;? To the family and friends of Ryan Dallas Cook: Look up at the stars every night. Notice the brightest one. That is Ryan Dallas Cook, looking down, smiling and laughing. He sees how the years have changed you and loves you still. To Ryan Dallas Cook: I never meant to get emotionally attached to this article. Not knowing what I was getting into. Not knowing you personally, but knowing your essence has made it harder for me to cope with the fact that I will never meet you. However, you have inspired me to be a better person and shown me the importance of loving openly, even without you physically being here. Let you be happy wherever you are. From one trombone player to another, Thank you.

photography by: Tim Maurer

Candy Hart-Peratt editor-in-chief

Dixie Chatt design editor

Ally Brodmann managing editor

Gracie Briquelet art director

Grace Gillett social media director

Andrea Cervantes photography editor

Alexis Jacinta staff writer

Sheldon Stires staff writer

Sarah Tran staff writer

Cole Clark staff writer

Carter Bernard staff writer

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Lea Nguyen staff writer

Isabel Scarpino staff writer

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Jameson Jaksch staff writer

Parker Baughman staff writer

Alexis-Marie Goytia staff writer

Zeke Gillett staff writer

Izzy Agnello staff writer

Lilly Vu staff writer

Cooper Gilliard staff writer

Kayla Nguyen staff writer

Angelina Sotelo staff writer

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