INK Winter - Spring 2017

Ink winter - Spring 2017

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Out with the old, in with the new Messenger’s keen eye for ceramics Prop. 64(20) Seeds of Life [Your name here] Five memories until tomorrow -fiction Spotight on Jessica Bertine Film photography wins new fans Benjamin transitions to retirement No meat, no dairy, no problem Stomp the town Comic hero flies by local store Masthead & staff photo

Letter from the editor Dear readers, Thank you for picking up the 2nd edition of Ink magazine. I hope you enjoy the content that we at the Inquirer have worked on over the coarse of the semester for your enjoyment. I hope that we've kept you sufficiently informed about local news, Diablo Valley College clubs, and DVC events.

As the semester comes to an end, I look at my DVC career as the most influential period of my life. I don't know where I'd be without some of the amazing teachers I've had. Now that I will be transferring to UC Santa Cruz for the winter quarter, I can't help but feel emotional about leaving my home here at DVC. I want to thank Mary Mazzocco and Julius Rea for being amazing instructs, and teaching me things in my writing that, frankly, at times, were a hard pill to swallow. For all the resistance I may have shown at the time, I can't thank you enough now — I literally could have not done any of this without you guys.

I also want to thank Keith Mikolavich, Judy Myers, and Marcia Goodman for inspiring my love of literature.

Enjoy reading this magazine, have a good winter break, and I'll miss you.

Marcel Scott Editor-in-chief

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out with the old, in with the new: gentrification comes to the suburbs Article and photos by Erin Smith Diablo Valley College has undergone some major transformations over the last few years, from the newly renovated Commons to the brand new cafeteria and culinary arts building. The campus will continue to see new upgrades for the next 10 years. But what about Pleasant Hill and the surrounding cities?

Commuting students may have noticed the closure of the nearby Tahoe Joe's, Elephant Bar, and the seemingly abandoned Sizzler's. The closures of these eateries marks the end of an era for kitschy, hyper-themed restaurants. The suburbanites have spoken and they are ready for a more modern and upscaled environment.

At the same time, rents in more metropolitan cities like Oakland and San Fransisco are skyrocketing. The out-priced tenants are migrating to cities like Concord and Martinez.

These cities appear attractive to prospective city dwellers due to easy access to BART, cheaper rents, and a budding downtown scene.

Concord alone has seen a three percent population growth between 2010 and 2015 and is slated to grow another 3 percent by 2020.

The hipsters from over the hill come not only with higher salaries but with different tastes and habits of going out and the surrounding business's must accommodate them.

Downtown Concord is a prime example of this. Salvio Pacheco Square will soon be 100 percent occupied due to new restaurant openings. Lima, a Peruvian restaurant, and three Asian-inspired eateries- Fusion Bistro, Poke Salad and Tea for U are open or opening soon.

On the other side of town, Arash Pakzad is crafting his own vision of what the people want.

Pakzad, a transplant himself, moved to Martinez from Los Angeles in 2011 and purchased his first property in Martinez in 2012. He transformed a sushi place into Barrel Aged, a modern American eatery with an emphasis on locally sourced products and quality cocktails.

He quickly saw the need for similar places in the area and

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opened up, Barrelista, a coffee shop with the same sentiments.

"I had my coffee shop operating at the same time as Barrel Aged. I bought the coffee shop, it was an empty space. I got that in Oct. 2013 and I built the coffee shop and opened up the coffee shop in Feb. 2014 and we were operating both the restaurant and the coffee shop diagonally away from each other," said Pakzad.

For the first eight months of business, there were days the coffee shop would only sell $30 or $40 worth of product. “The coffee shop is pretty dynamic because Martinez was definitely still not the place it is today, or the place it's becoming. We were the first in the immediate area, aside from Mountain Grounds, to introduce a forceful organic program where your only choice was to get organic milk, your only choice was to get an eight ounce cappuccino and

a 12 ounce latte. You couldn't get ventis and big huge sizes of your coffees. The only choice was to get all-natural meat and hormone-free and nitrate-free and organic meats. We were learning how to do it in the coffee business and people weren't ready for one size lattes, one size cappuccinos," said Pakzad.

Over the years the community came around and realized the value Barrelista had to offer.

"You can go into Barellista and get an organic whole milk latte and a Wakin' bacon sandwich for less than $10 bucks. So we kinda like culture shocked or re-shocked the neighbor hood with not upcharging, but forcing quality," said Pakzad.

The bar eventually moved over to the coffee shop.

"We reintroduced the bar working side by side with the city of Martinez."

The community was also a huge help.

"We got probably 40 or 50 letters that people wrote, and we didn't have a hard time doing it, they just did it out of their own proactive measures to help us get re-opened in some kind of format," said Pakzad.

Working with the community helped Pakzad to continue his passion of opening restaurants and giving back. "I consider us a value, and I consider us loving human beings that truly believe in hospitality and service," he said.

Working with the community can also help the people that are often, and sometimes literally, left out in the cold when areas become more gentrified and rising rents force people onto the streets.

"I ride my bike to work and I ride along the canal trail, and there's just people getting up in the morning, they've been sleeping along the canal trail, because you can't afford rents around here," said Melissa Jacobson, a history professor at DVC. There's no doubt that the Bay Area, although a blessed place to live, is one of the most expensive places to reside.

According to rentjungle.com, the average rent in Concord was $2270 in Oct. 2016.

"They're in this difficult spot," said Jacobson, referring to the shortage of jobs available that pay enough to afford the area’s rental prices. "There's no place like early twentieth century through World War II, (when) you could get a room for the week or a room for the night. They were called SRO's- single room occupancies- and you could get a place to stay while you kinda get things together and you didn't have to get first month’s, last month’s (rent) and pay utilities," Jacobson continued.

Jacobson emphasized the need for more affordable housing in the area rather than more commercial real estate. A 180-unit apartment complex recently broke ground at 1825 Galindo St. and is slated to open in summer 2018. Across the street a 270-unit apartment complex is in the works, as well as a 170-unit development at the former Blockbuster Video site, and a 230-unit complex on Salvio St. The units will have a range of price points, but will they be affordable? The question still remains.

As far as a solution, “What if the county had a job board for people to get county type jobs, like fix the streets, landscaping, or repair county buildings.

I think it's the county's responsibility to try to find housing and find some jobs so people can feel good about themselves.

Go to work and have a place that's safe to sleep and it may not be a lot of money- at least you have some," said Jacobson.

The current state of the economy in the Bay Area has left some better off than others, but Pakzad proves that business owners can make an impact as well.

"Nobody makes minimum wage that works for us; everybody makes over minimum wage." Pakzad acknowledged that minimum wage, although now higher, is still not enough to cover the true cost of living. "We're able to employ people and give them 40 hours a week. Right now I have 17 employees just at the coffee shop," he said.

He is also working on opening a new restaurant, Cuff and Collar, that will employ more people and give the community a new place to eat, drink, and socialize. “We in Martinez, I believe, we see obstacles as opportunities and we've turned it into like our own quaint awesome thing.”

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Messenger’s keen eye for ceramics Photos By Nikki Moylan, article by Nina Cestaro

Diablo Valley College's own ceramics professor Mark Messenger aims to welcome students into a nurturing space and wants them to realize the correlation between creating art and problem solving.

“It's inspiring to assist students.

There are always projects going and each individual has a unique approach.

And watching students develop their own solutions and style is really gratifying. This is ‘problem solving’ within specific parameters and it’s the crux of any studio or lab experience but there’s more," he said.

Messenger elaborated on the connection between art and problem solving.

“The first step to resolving a problem is defining it. An instructor or boss usually does this, but individuals can also

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set their own parameters. This is the ability, unique in any field, to devise a beautiful question. This is not confined to studios or labs, but it happens in them a lot."

His classes are influenced by artists and scientific greats like Da Vinci, Einstein, Fromm, Tesla and Jobs, to name a few. The students “discover a potential, both personal and collective, for progress, a potential enabled through creative, ethical ‘problem formulation.'

Nurturing an environment in which this is possible is what I like most about teaching," he said. Messenger emphasized how the benefits of gaining this problem-solving skill can be useful in and outside of an art studio, "This is called STEAM and involves an equal emphasis on Science, Technology, En-

gineering, Art and Math. Unfortunately, there is also an abbreviated version, STEM presently under discussion here at DVC. Fortunately, the most recent studies and articles point out the shortcomings of this simplification clearly.

A STEM emphasis, without equal attention to the arts and humanities is dangerous.

History is filled with examples of effectively destructive technocrats, from the mythical Daedalus to the horrifically concrete Albert Speers from the Third Reich.

I don’t think this is our community goal. One can only hope that this incompatibility is obvious.”

Messenger occupies a rare space in art. He's a satirist who conveys a political message through his sculptures.

He is motivated by his frustration with lack of leadership and transparency in government, and with the overextension of funds in multiple wars overseas with no endgame. Messenger enjoys working with students at any stage of learning, from the complete novice to the more skilled craftsman who is already manufacturing dish sets.

“There is my Art 151 class on Fridays, which is interesting because this is where I encounter students who may not have studied art before. It gives people an opportunity to show themselves the technical side to ceramic art. They study different eras and then get to produce it at the same time," he said. "And it’s really important because this may be the only time this student will experience art in their life. Then my responsibility is making sure they have a good experience.” Students in Messenger's classes can attest to their positive experience.

Natalie Francine, a third semester art student at DVC said, “Mark Messenger has been very supportive as an instructor no matter what direction you want your semester to go in. I get to create what I want.”

Randy Stansberry, painter and long-term student at DVC said, “Mark Messenger is very organized, knowledgeable, kind and a good art teacher who is ready to teach. Once, a few years back when my fiancé had passed away, I emailed him saying I would be out for a week. When I came back he stopped teaching and gave me a hug and that made a positive impact on me, considering that was my first semester taking classes with him.”

A long time student of Messenger's, Adam Swanson said, “Mark is a gifted teacher and potter. His explanations are clear.

He’s a very good teacher for beginners because he doesn’t criticize or have an agenda. He has a passion for clay, firing, potting, sculpture that is undiminished even after years in the field. He is not burnt out or getting a pay check but loves creating, sculpting,

potting and teaching, a very unusual combination.”

Messenger said, with regard to being an art teacher, “There’s never a dull day. I always look forward to teaching and to seeing what my students are doing, there’s always something interesting to be working on. I’ve heard it said that if you’re bored, it’s your fault and I’m never bored. There’s a lot of busy work, but that’s just part of the whole package.” Speaking of never being bored, on his off days he can be found in art galleries, fishing through art books or newspapers for ideas or simply finding inspiration from getting his hands deep in clay and seeing what wants to be born.

Travel is also a big part of his life. “I have taken several sabbaticals where all I do is work. I went to Greece, Ecuador and it’s always special because I can just take sketches and work from morning 'til night," he said.

As for what's in store for the future, Messenger is currently working on a piece for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference.

(NCECA) “About NCECA, it’s an annual show that is both east and west coast and renowned internationally - this years it’s in Portland.

“I started on the new work in February, entitled 'Cliffhanger.' I don’t know if I will finish it in time.

"It’s like that moment in a movie, or in life where the person is at the edge of a cliff and falling and their hands make contact with someone pulling them up and it’s life or death and those hands are what I depict,” he said.

“It’s not like these are all good people or bad people, that would be simple. I mean, I teach. I sleep. I work on my sculptures.

“You just keep working. That’s all you can do.”

7 Ink

PrOp. 64(20) Cannabis in California becomes legal, but what does that mean?

Photos and article

by Marcel scott

Proposition 64 has passed in the state of California. For those of you that don't know what Prop. 64 is, it's the cannabis initiative which has just made recreational marjiuana use legal.

For those strongly opposed to pot smoking, this might make you infuriated. For those who love smoking that sweet ganja, you might be taking a celebratory bong rip to the dome at this moment.

But don't be too mad that this initiative passed, and also don't celebrate too hard. Prop. 64 doesn't mean the streets of California are going to be filled with cannabis smoke, because it's actually still illegal to be smoking on public property, and frankly, prop. 64 makes smoking cannabis outside just like drinking alcohol outside — cannabis will be just like an open alcohol container.

If one is caught smoking a joint, they could be subject to a ticket, and also if they are acting disorderly, be detained for public intoxication. Also, prior to Prop. 64 passing, there was no standardized limit for driving under the influence while high on cannabis — now there is, sort of.

The limit hasn't been set at any particular number in the state of California, but according to Barbara Hewitt, Diablo Valley College's addiction studies coordinator, California will probably be moving towards what other states have set as their legal driving limit as "a blood level of five nanograms of THC," with anything over that level being considered intoxicated.

Unfortunately — for people who ingest cannabis — that legal level, set by other states right now, is actually extremely low, especially for a substance which has been tested as inconclusive with how it actually impairs a person's driving ability. Comparatively, alcohol, which objectively impairs your driving ability, has a much higher legal driving limit.

However, until that number is actually set in stone, police will have to rely on sobriety tests. Suspected intoxicated

drivers will be challenged with tests, according to Hewitt, such as having a suspect "close their eyes for 30 seconds" and seeing how near they come to that time. If a suspect opens their eyes far too early, they could be drunk, if they open them far too late, the suspect could be high.

Those are just some of the things you can expect to happen immediately.

As of Nov. 9th, pot is legal to smoke for anyone over the age of 21 and in a private setting.

But cities still haven't figured out how they are going to run their own legislation. Outdoor cultivation, sale of recreational cannabis, and licensing marijuana retailers are all things that

are going to have to be figured out city to city.

Most likely, cities around the state are probably like the city of Pleasant Hill, who won't be meeting until January to figure out what this new law means.

This is quite common for most California cities right now; most don't know what they are going to do.

Regardless of what some cities decide to do, some are going to become cannabis capitals, and others are going to become dry districts where pot will remain stigmatized. This could disrupt many of California's borders and areas of population density. If cultivation is important to people, and other people

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see a profit to be made off the cannabis industry, then we could see a mass migration to the highly acclaimed cannabis country of California known as the "Emerald Triangle," or better known to non-pot smokers as the counties of Humboldt, Trinity, and Mendocino.

The Emerald Triangle is already an area of mass cultivation, and there's little reason for anyone to believe that that's going to change anytime soon, especially with prohibition being lifted.

Humboldt, Trinity, and Mendocino

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could be seeing a major influx of people migrating in the hopes to cash in on some green gold. On the other hand, those areas have always been open to mass cultivation, even though weed was still illegal in those areas.

So perhaps there won't be a major migration to these parts, but instead perhaps that migration has already taken place. It's hard to say.

When Colorado opened its doors to cannabis on Jan. of 2014, they did something very similar to California

with regards to the recreational sale of marijuana: they didn't allow for the sale of recreational pot until two years after amendment 64 (Colorado's proposition name) was passed.

This was to ensure that the industry didn't just explode with random cannabis stores which didn't have a standard for what they were selling.

California has done exactly the same thing.

Under Prop. 64, pot will fall under the watchful eyes of the Department of Food and Agriculture and the Department of Public Health. Frankly, the cannabis industry having extra departments making sure the product is safe should hypothetically turn out to be a good thing. For now, that remains to be seen.

What could end up happening is the departments will end up pushing out the mom and pop growing operations, and end up favoring big money cannabis.

Some of the requirements that the departments might set could be too difficult for a small grower to comply with.

However, just like everything else that the proposition promises, this still remains to be seen.

The other thing these departments could shake up is the edible industry, according to Ben Adlin in Leafly.com, "Prop. 64 prohibits products 'easily confused with commercially sold candy or foods that do not contain marijuana.'"

This could be any edible, because a pot browny could easily be confused with a regular browny — they look identical. Perhaps edible makers will have to start making their products in pot leaf shapes just to get rid of the confusion, or maybe this could simply just be solved with a simple label on products containing cannabis' psychoactive compound THC. Regardless, Prop. 64 still has a lot of legislation that still needs to be worked out. Good thing California has allowed for some extra years to get everything into working order.

Plant genetic diversity protects more than food supply

Seeds of life I

magine a pitchman telling you, "Our product offers reduced data, far fewer options, a higher chance of complete failure and, should it fail, a potential for a devastating system collapse." How eager would you be to get on board with that bad boy?

Bethany Black, Diablo Valley College horticulture instructor, suggests that's exactly what is happening to our food and seed supply.

Ensuring genetic diversity through seed saving is the remedy she teaches to all her students.

"We're living in a world that keeps limiting choices," Black says. "When everything is genetically the same, there's no resistance in that population."

Article and photos by Jeannette Chiappone

This leaves plants vulnerable to pathogens, insects and environmental shifts, such as climate change.

Dr. Tim Johnson, head of seed preservation at Seed Savers Exchange, one of the largest heirloom seed banks in the United States, says, “We need to have a really robust and diverse collection of genetic resources at our disposal” to address emerging pathogens and stressors. “We need this huge, diverse pool because we never know which gene, which little bit of germplasm is going to be the silver bullet.”

The most basic of all human needs — from the oxygen we breathe, to the food we eat, the clothing we wear and the shelters we build — start with a seed: a tiny repository of genetic data from which a plant grows, Johnson says.

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Among the plants humans need to survive, the lack of diversity among our food crops is the most grave.

Black says clones, genetically identical varieties, are the most susceptible to being wiped out, which can have catastrophic consequences when the clones are part of the food supply. One of the world's most popular clones, the Cavendish banana, is on the brink of extinction today.

The science journal "Nature" reports the Cavendish banana has no resistance to a soil-born fungus which is slowly making its way around the globe.

But losing bananas would be only a small blow compared to other foods.

When a cloned food is the main source of a peoples' calories, the results can be tragic.

In the 1840s, the entire population

of Ireland depended on the lumper variety of potatoes for survival, Black says. The lumpers were grown from tubers, not seeds, resulting in clones of one another. A fungus-like organism spread across the island killing every lumper potato that grew. Historical records show one million people starved to death in Ireland in a matter of a few years. One million more fled the island in a desperate attempt to save themselves and their families from death.

"Had they been growing 50 or 60 kinds of potatoes, there would have been a much greater likelihood that something would have been resistant to the pathogen," Black says.

Quite a few foods we eat today are cloned, including nearly anything seedless — navel oranges, grapes, many varieties of apples, and garlic, to name a few.

Fortunately, most crops are cultivated from seeds. But how those seeds are selected and acquired has changed dramatically in modern times, Black says.

"One hundred years ago, 99.9 percent of farmers and gardeners saved their own seeds," she says.

Back then, farmers and gardeners knew which plants were heartiest and had the best flavor, and from those plants seeds were saved in a process known as selective breeding.

"In the 1930s and 40s, there started to be a commercial seed industry, and what has happened is that there are fewer and fewer varieties of seed being sold," Black says.

Johnson of Seed Savers says "a lot of seed companies are buying their seeds from one or two distributors. So, you have these huge companies that grow tons and tons of seeds.

When you look at all the offerings between these seed companies, it looks like there's lot of diversity," but they are all buying and selling the exact same seeds.

Black says seeds used to grow most commercial crops are patented and are not available to be purchased by the home gardener. Johnson adds that it's

illegal for patented seeds to be studied by independent scientists, so there is no way of knowing how genetically diverse the commercial food supply is. Johnson says his concern is for the corn crops which were nearly wiped out in the 1980s. He says there is no way of knowing if that crop is still vulnerable to failure.

Black and Johnson are taking the staggering lack of genetic diversity seriously, as are thousands of gardeners and farmers and dozens of private organizations. They’re on a mission to save heirloom and crop-wild relative seeds. Each one of these types of seeds has important and unique qualities.

Heirloom plants, Black says, are those that have been grown outside the commercial food industry by small farmers and gardeners for hundreds of years, although some heirlooms are now being grown commercially. Their fruits and vegetables have not been selectively bred to produce commercially important qualities like ripening all at once for cheap and easy to harvest, or to remain bruise-free during the packing and shipping process, or to look good rather than to taste good, she says.

Heirloom plants have been selectively bred for heartiness and flavor only.

Crop-wild relatives seeds are critical, Johnson says, for capturing the widest range of genetic diversity possible. "Every crop that we eat is a domesticated form of something that was wild," he says.

An example of one such wild-relative is the tomato that grows in Mexico.

When originally domesticated, only about 5 percent of the available genetic range was cultivated, Johnson says.

"This means we have a huge pool of potential germplasm that's unimproved and wild.

There's an effort to capture these seeds and a lot of these plants are in jeopardy because of land development."

Sometimes seed saving is about much more than preserving genetic diversity. Sometimes it's about preserv-

ing and honoring something uniquely human — the diversity of regional cultures.

Many years ago, Black discovered a spicy pepper so delicious, she decided to grow some in her home garden. At that time, she couldn't find a company that sold the Aleppo pepper seeds anywhere, and it's not as if she had a shortage of seed catalogs.

After speaking with many master gardeners, she finally found a person who had grown the amazing pepper who was willing to part with 10 pepper seeds.

With these 10 seeds she planted her Aleppo pepper crop and enjoyed the results immensely.

Today, the city from where the pepper originated, Aleppo, Syria, is

becoming a bombed-out shell with most of its inhabitants fleeing for safety because of civil war. Cultivating their famous pepper is probably the last thing on the Syrians' minds these days.

But Black knows that when the civil war has ended and the Syrian people return to Aleppo, she will happily send the famous pepper seeds back to them.

In the meantime, their heritage is being safely stored in seeds for future generations.

And so are the genetically diverse seeds from every imaginable crop from vegetable and flowers, from timber and cotton, preserved by people and organizations, for all the future generations to come.

Now, that's a product worth getting on board with.

13 Ink

[ Your Name Here] Get internship experience before graduating [Street Address] [City] [State] [Postal Code] [Your Phone] [Your Email]

About Me Just when you think you have time to give more attention to the social aspects of life, you’re hit with more career related crap, like how important it is to find an internship before graduating.

Education For many students, transferring from Diablo Valley College to a four-year is one of their top goals.

Work Experience In addition to school, a great number of students work part-time jobs.

One, sometimes two or three jobs are needed to maintain a constant inflow of cash for daily life expenses, with the hopes of saving money to pay for college and live independently.

Skills Finding a job has become exceedingly competitive for graduates. Those who have no internship history are more likely to have an even harder time finding a job according to both CollegeBoard and Forbes.

References Article and art by Dominique Smith

In a “US Weekly” article, it’s mentioned that starting an internship before transferring is much smarter than waiting. This way you have at least one internship under your belt before graduating.

What is an internship?

This may be apparent to students who have already completed internships or for those who have already done research, but if you haven’t given internships much thought, it would probably help to have some clarity.

An internship is any temporary pre-professional experience that allows a student to test out a profession by exploring personal talent, gaining valuable skills and knowledge, and receiving daily feedback and constructive criticism.

Typically internships last anywhere from three months to a year.

Unrelated part-time or full-time jobs do not count as internships.

Internships should be specific to the major or career a student is interested in pursuing after college.

Why intern?

A very valuable part of interning is the amount of support and guidance that comes with it.

Interning can be intimating and challenge a person’s confidence due to lack of experience and knowledge, but as an intern you’re not expected to know everything.

The main point is to learn and decide whether or not a field is for you.

Through your internship the people you work with will teach and guide you through the specified field that a professor or reading a book may not be able to do.

This way you not only get hands-on experience and build your skill set, but you also stop doubting yourself and become more comfortable with your capabilities.

A vital part of interning is forming networks. The connections you form through your internship will expose you to opportunities you may not get otherwise.

These days knowing a professional

who can vouch for you and introduce you to other professionals can be the difference of getting employed.

Once you get a job in the real world, employers will be less lenient and have higher expectations.

One of the best media platforms to network is LinkedIn; don’t underestimate its value.

Employers really care about who you know and LinkedIn is a good way of getting a resume online and accessible to high profile business people.

What should you do before getting an internship?

“I was one of the first designers on the team here, so when we’re looking to hire a new designer, a lot of the time I’m the interviewer. During interviews, I’m looking for someone who’s enthusiastic and passionate.

Show me what you’ve done.

Make me want you on our team. Having a degree from a prestigious school doesn’t prove much to me. I’m not interested in your degree.” ~Zain Ali If you’re still an undeclared major, it’s important that you find out what your interests are before finding an internship.

Having an idea of what interests you will make it easier for you to narrow down your choices. Internships can be very competitive, so it’s vital to be passionate and eager about a specific field.

DVC offers career courses that help students research and form an idea of what they’d be interested in.

There are also career exploration

websites like Eurkea.org, that allow career seekers to take tests which direct them to jobs they may enjoy.

DVC pays to have this website available and free of charge to students.

Once you have an idea of what career you like, it’s important to work on projects outside of school.

“I was one of the first designers on the team here, so when we’re looking to hire a new designer, a lot of the time I’m the interviewer. During interviews, I’m looking for someone who’s enthusiastic and passionate,” said Zain Ali, senior designer at Instacart. “Show me what you’ve done. Make me want you on our team. Having a degree from a prestigious school doesn’t prove much to me.

I’m not interested in your degree.”

Like Ali stressed, it’s important that students make time to be creative and build a portfolio to showcase their skills.

This goes for students in all majors.

Whether it’s creating a website, starting your own business, planning a community event, or testing out a new solution for an ongoing problem, using your skills to create something is a great way to get noticed. It’s also really important to take advantage of your resources.

Take a visit to the Career Center on campus at your school, speak with friends and family members who may know people in your field of interest and reach out to professionals in your area.

The Career Centers on campus are there to help guide students. They have in-depth information on where to find internships.

There are countless websites online that will guide you to internship opportunities including: LaunchPath, Glassdoor, InternMatch, LinkedIn and Idealist.

Popular times to intern tend to be during the summer and over school breaks.

Don’t wait until the last minute to look for an internship. It’s extremely important to stay on top of deadlines for applications and start looking for internships months in advance.

15 Ink

Five memories until tomorrow Story by Frank Guitron

T

he first memory I ever had started with a loud sloshing sound followed with a bitter smell and bright lights. The light burned my eyes as if someone had poured liquid metal into my skull and my body convulsed as I hit the floor. The clear chamber had released the fluid that had kept me alive for the past few months and I struggled to get up as I slipped and found that my legs couldn’t work, because until this moment gravity had never affected them. My body felt heavy and clumsy as I stumbled through the room.

A woman with honey blonde hair and bright green eyes helped escort and clean me. She would later go on to be one of my mentors, a bright and charismatic woman, oddly single for someone as vivacious and charming as she was. Dr. Robert Page walked through the doors on the far opposite side and aided Delilah. A harsh loud roar of jumbled sounds emitted from his throat. I was terrified. Are they going to hurt me? Why am I here?

What am I? Who am I? The stress was enough to make me pass out.

The next morning and my second memory, my ears had adjusted to the sounds. I had heard these noises such as the humming of machines and the speech of Alphas. I had learned language from the auditory sensory gear they had placed on my head as I was forming. It was a simple chip that left a mild indentation on the heads of the clones. This was one of our many identifiers, I would later learn, that people could use to distinguish the copies from the originals. After a few hours of sitting in my clean, completely white room, Dr. Robert Page entered into the room with two men. Strapping

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a black collar around my neck they informed that my conditioning was to start tomorrow. For the next month they conditioned me to walk.

My third memory involved Delilah accompanying me on most of these walks, teaching me about different music, art, the romances of the English language, the beauty of scientific thought. She was reluctant at first to tell me about where she was from but after some prodding she said a small town in California. I can’t count the number of times we would go on these walks.

Each time seemed more intimate than the last. A small piece of this compound was carved out for us. It was a time when I could feel like myself.

On the third of these walks, she handed me a small stone engraved with the phrase “new beginnings” to remind me that I didn’t have to resign myself to fate.

When Robert would take me for walks as well and would discuss who I was supposed to be.

If I questioned him, the collar would send out a low voltage shock to startle me. In conversation he would bring up the necessity of being able to properly regulate clones, and that in order to keep the balance of the population, we were to become an extension of our Alpha.

Clones were only authorized for the elite in society and for the scientists who worked on the project. In fact, scientists were the first test subjects, I had heard. A fear of having the elite government officials duplicated and ruining the current agenda of the powers at play, that was expressed constantly.

That’s when they decided instead of having full equipment placed on our heads, to create the cognitive memory

chip. It didn’t need to be as far into the skull as it was. They put the microchips into the heads as infants before they add the accelerated growth hormone so that the head could form around it, causing death if they were to remove it without the proper tools. Dr. Page would smile every time he reminded me of this. I wondered if there were other clones in the compound, no one ever answered that question.

My fourth memory involved his memories. Images of the first time Cheryl and I met filled my mind as I dreamt. The sweet taste of her mouth, the calming waves of the beach crashing down as we made love on our first date. The white dress she wore as we walked up to the altar… but these aren’t my memories!

I woke in a cold sweat beating my head. A large bowl was clinging uncomfortable onto my skull with several different green and red lights and wires leading from the device directly into my brain. The red lights flashed boldly, “awake.” I quickly attempted to rip the wires that were attached and leading into my head, as a white flash of pain began to overtake me. I couldn’t get out of this alive. That I knew.

“These aren’t mine!” I screamed as I was pounding my head with my fists. A large man walked into the room with a long needle. I tried to struggle and get away, tears running down my face.

“Please don’t make me have his memories. I don’t want to be him,” I begged.

“Sorry Casey,” the man whispered.

Regret filled his face as he began to insert the needle into my neck. “Go to sleep buddy. Hey, remember the time we went camping and your sister accidentally lit herself on fire?”

I remembered the incident as I slipped back into sleep and chuckled a bit. We had kept telling her to drop to the ground and roll. She just ran around, until finally I tackled her to the ground.

The next two months continued with the same training, me trying to gain some semblance of identity, and them ripping it down. The memories of the exact moments tended to crash into each other and destroy themselves on impact. I was losing my memories, and gaining Casey’s. The moment his wife found out he was cheating and he blamed her. I had his memories, I felt his emotions in the moment, yet at the same time I felt my own. I felt pride in seeing her breakdown in tears, she was weak and pathetic. I felt shame and regret. I wanted to beat the crap out of the man responsible.

Casey was a very successful and wealthy doctor who had worked in the lab, well respected. He had been having affairs left and right until the final moment when his wife finally snapped.

I could see that she was the villain, but she also wasn’t. I sympathized with a woman I knew I’d confront eventually when she picked me up and would drive us to our two story house and I’d play with our three dogs, Coco, Rocky,

and Sniffles (Cheryl’s idea, not mine).

This life wasn’t horrible; it was the man I was. The man he was. The man they wanted me to become. Whenever I would question the nature of my Alpha out loud, they would shock me. This didn’t make me want to never think that way again. This was how I think and I refuse to allow others to dictate that. I would just stay quiet. The one trait that helped me keep my identity was ironically the same trait I inherited from my Alpha, Casey’s stubbornness.

My fifth memory that I can recall occurred tonight when I took action, but the ground work started a couple weeks ago. The bright side of having transparent doors is that I can notice when the guards would get tired, and that Hank the security guard would do what he called “momentary power downs” in which he would take five minute naps while standing up. The trick was to notice when the “power downs” would occur and make my move. The second step would be to take a keycard from an authorized member of the staff.

This part would be difficult because I have never stolen a thing in my life.

I couldn’t face the wife after everything we had done. He had done. I began to discuss my misgivings to Delilah who had become more and more

of a source of support. She nodded and smiled, and I even saw sympathy displayed on her face. She came to my room and we talked. The guard left the door open to ensure I wouldn’t cause any harm to the staffers, and assured me that I wasn’t the first clone, and he has no problem putting down a sub-human.

Delilah’s pager went off, and she hurried away, not noticing her keycard had dropped onto the floor. That was the final stroke of fortune that I needed. I quickly kicked the card under my bed and waited until late at night, when momentary power downs were required.

The large bodied Hank rested his spongy back against the wall and powered down. Now was my chance. I quickly grabbed the card and left hurrying through the hall, yet careful not to make a noise. I slid her card through the three different doors that would lead to my freedom. I never thought of what my new life would be outside of the compound, but I felt no matter what, it would be better than seeing the woman I had hurt so badly.

As I opened the final door I saw you, Doctor Page. So that’s how I got here, what are we going to do?

“Well, you are obviously your own man, Casey.” Dr. Page sneered at me.

Please don’t call me that name. That name, that man he isn’t me.

“A shame” Dr. Page said casually.

He then noted the stone in my hand. “‘New beginnings,’ cute idea huh?

I told Delilah it wouldn’t mean much to a man like you, but then again you aren’t him.”

What are you talking about?

“It’s better you don’t know,” he smiled and pulled me forward and whispered in my ear, “to the vat with you, my dear failed experiment.”

As these words ushered forth I felt a sharp sting in the side of my neck. I fell into the doorway as the walls seemed to be squeezing in on me. Delilah was looking down at me, as she jotted down a few notes and mentioned that she won this week’s bet.

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Spotlight on Jessica Bertine Article and Photo by Chelsey Schallig

Diablo Valley College alum Jessica Bertine's anxiety is a daily struggle, but as she learned to fight for what she wants, she discovered there is strength in her disorder.

Bertine lives in the East Bay and spends most of her time as a set designer, scenic painter, and professor for DVC's drama department. She also mentors students in the art of design.

After she transferred from DVC, where she received training from 2003-2005, Bertine completed her Bachelor's degree in theatre at the University at Buffalo, New York, in 2007.

She later received her Masters of fine arts in design and technology from the University of Missouri, Kansas City in 2010.

Bertine represents herself as a freelance and independent designer. She worked on lightening and scenic design for most of DVC’s productions. Her work was featured in “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Comedy of Errors,” “Pride and Prejudice,” and “The Little Shop of Horrors.” Bertine was born in San Francisco and moved to Hercules with her mother after her parents separated.

"The community heavily consisted of Asians and African Americans so I learned to be a minority, but there was a huge sense of community in Hercules. Every weekend I would stay at my best friend's house and I became a part of their family," said Bertine. Any good memory Bertine remembers consists of friendship because she's an only child.

"I was in high school and my mom, me and my friend went up to North Tahoe to see snow for the first time.

I enjoyed snow tubing and just remember having the best time," said Bertine.

Her father, James Bertine Jr, comes from a French and English background. He was born in Baltimore, MD, but grew up in Jacksonville, FL and was a military man for 27 years.

Bertine's mother, Carol Bertine, has both Irish and German heritage. Her mother grew up in New York and later worked as a manager in the financial district of San Francisco.

"My parents separated when I was two years old, so my mother and I left San Francisco to Hercules. My parents divorced when I was four years old and I'm still learning who my dad really is," said Bertine.

Her favorite memory from childhood was spending the 4th of July with her father in New York. She recalled how the neighborhoods would all be decorated in red, white, and blue. "I love the holidays especially the 4th of July because I got to see my dad in

New York. Homes would be decked out in flags, I would get to see fireworks and I learned a lot of patriotic songs for the two years I was able to participate in the parade," said Bertine.

She first learned about her disorder after graduate school and for the last five years, Jessica has been learning about her anxiety disorder.

It has taught her how to deal with communication and listening.

"I'm learning how my anxiety is a huge strength and weakness and about the times where I can get very timid when talking to people about my ideas.

I'm learning that my ideas are important and it taught me that it's ok to not get my way," said Bertine.

At the age of 17, when she was tran-

“My parents separated when I was two years old, so my mother and I left San Francisco to Hercules.” ~ Jessica Bertine sitioning from high school to DVC, the dynamic was different for Bertine.

"My mom was an alcoholic at the time and I was figuring out relationships. I wasn't getting the help on how to become an adult.

I considered Ken Hein, who was a professor here at DVC, to be my dad without actually being my dad.

I would talk to him about my ideas and he would actually listen. That was huge to have someone to talk to," she said.

Bertine had fears about having a career as a freelance designer.

After she graduated from her master's program, she started connecting the dots of all the activities that she loved as a child, like drawing, watercolor, dance and piano.

"This career is exciting and challenging because I get to work and meet with

different people.

It's ephemeral, you can never recreate the same amount or experience," she said. Bertine became interested in set design when she was inspired by Adolphe Appia, a famous Swiss architect and theorist of stage lighting and decor. "Appia modernized or fathered the scenic design we see today.

He rejected painted two-dimensional sets for three-dimensional "living" sets.

I loved how simplistic his scenic designs seemed and the lighting would completely transform his sets," Bertine said.

Bertine transitioned out of college as she completed residency requirements from academic to professional.

"I was actually supposed to travel to London and work with lighting for the program specialist who was the lead at the Beijing Olympics, but I didn't have the right paperwork.

I was detained for 9 hours and got to spend one day in London," Bertine said.

She takes pride with her work and considers it an accomplishment when people come together and work together to create something beautiful.

"I have master classes for my undergrad program where professionals come to teach and interact with students.

I remember we had to work on a theme park design based off of the old story of “Journey to the West.” We got into two huge groups and my group was so collaborative it surprised me," Bertine said.

She defines herself as a creative and mentions how important overcoming anxiety is to her. Bertine wants people to know that anxiety isn't controlling her life or career.

“I want people to know that I am outgoing and silly, even though I'm not comfortable showing that side of me a lot.

I'm witty when I'm on my own, but most importantly, I want people to know that I'm caring.”

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film photogrAphy wins new fans students thrive even in the age of the selfie Photos and story by Nikki Moylan

F

ilm photography is still popular with student artists at Diablo Valley College, despite today's reliance on digital cameras and smartphones.

DVC offers intro to film photography, or ART-160, and the darkroom is located on the top floor of the art building.

Photography professor Nicole White says, "A lot of people are interested in film photography as an art form. The students do a wide range of projects and I'm really happy with the work that's being put out." Photo stores such as Mike's Camera and the Looking Glass in Berkeley offer rolls of film and paper from popular film photography brands like Ilford and Kodak. The complex process of developing film and processing it into photos is taught in detail in the ART-160 class and so are the necessary darkroom skills.

The unraveling of light-sensitive film from its canister and rolling it onto film reels must be done in complete darkness, which can present a challenge at first for novices.

"You lose all of your senses, except for touch, in the dark. After three or four rolls of film everyone becomes adept at the process," White says. Students can also choose to experiment in alternative processes like cyanotype, which has been around since 1870, making it one of the earliest forms of photography. Cyanotypes are bluish-colored photos as opposed to the traditional black and white.

Another alternative method of capturing a photo taught in class is photograms, which are pictures made of object's silhouettes placed in light that don't use a camera.

White also likes to incorporate some digital photography skills

in her class in an attempt to meld traditional and modern methods of photography. She shows her students how the two can work well together.

For example, photographers can use a special film meant for transparency to print a digital photo that can be made into a contact print, which is placing the film directly on a piece of paper to develop.

“Because of the popularity with students, more film photography courses will be available in the Spring 2017 semester.”

White, having just begun at DVC in the Fall 2016 semester, says that her students are really interested in street photography, and a lot of them went out to photograph protests around the Bay Area regarding the 2016 election. Others prefer to go the traditional route, and snap photos of landscapes and portraiture. Emma O'Brien, a student in the class, prefers to photograph architecture, but her friend and classmate Kyle Cafarelli prefers creating portraits. "I've been shooting film for about 5 years now, and when I first started out I enjoyed photographing landscapes," Cafarelli says.

The influence that social media has on photographers and their artistic styles is something that made Cafarelli want to shoot portraits.

"Social media is great for photography, but it can also kill originality," he says. "Although, it does help a person create their own style, and is really helpful when you're stuck."

Both students enjoy the process that film photography has over

digital. O'Brien says, "With digital, you can shoot in automatic, but for film there is a lot of adjusting that happens for every picture. It's hands-on and you put a lot of work into everything you do."

"There's also a lot of ups and downs, like when you process a roll of film and it's entirely black.

But the process is definitely worth it," she says. Cafarelli agreed, "The whole process of developing film is great. I love the sound when you load film and hear the winder set it in place. I also love the mechanical sound of the shutter firing... it's beautiful. So is watching the paper change in the developer and watching it go from a blank to what you've created." Photography students are encouraged to sell their prints during holiday sales that the art department hosts at the end of every Fall semester. White also plans on doing field trips to galleries in San Francisco for creative inspiration and to allow students to further develop their artistic style.

Because of the popularity with students, more film photography courses will be available in the Spring 2017 semester. Portfolio classes will be available for students who have previously taken Photography I and II. In addition to film photography focused courses, there will also be a hybrid course, ART-150 PK, which is called Digital Darkroom. The course will focus on bringing digital photography into the darkroom and allow for film to find its way into online editing tools. "The darkroom area is really a wonderful and underutilized space, “White said.

"When we get a new art building, I hope to get the film photography department as popular as it once was five or six years ago.”

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Benjamin transitions to retirement Photos and article by Kayla Robinson

D

r. Helen Benjamin takes one final tour of the Contra Costa Community College District’s campuses as the district’s chancellor, leaving behind empowered educators and inspired students. After 27 years at the college district, 12 years of those years as chancellor, Benjamin prepares for retirement.

Benjamin has a way of using her own life experiences to relate to and identify with any issues. For instance, when I talked with her, expressing my concerns as a current community college student as well as a minority student, she extended reassurance and a great deal of encouragement.

“All of my school experiences have shaped who I have become as an educator. I don’t know that I was really conscious of it as I was doing it,” Benjamin says. “I just looked at the options before me and what I had seen in terms of professionals who looked like me, and those were teachers.”

As chancellor, the aim is to ensure the highest quality learning experience for current and future students.

The chancellor’s office motto says learning happens through “creative leadership, committed and valued employees, effective services, sufficient funding, and an environment of respect, mutual trust and open communication.”

Mojdeh Mehdizadeh, President of Contra Costa Community College says, “I met Helen over two decades ago.

One of the things that really struck me was just how incredibly hard-working she was. I mean she was on it.”

Benjamin entered college in Texas, where she graduated magna cum laude and earned her master’s and doctoral degrees from Texas Woman’s University in Denton. Her career began as Dean of Language Arts and Humanistic Studies and Related Occupations at Los Medanos Community College.

She has served as the the chair of the Community College League of California Board of Directors, chair of the CEO board, vice chancellor of educational services at the district office, and many other positions throughout her career.

Mehdizadeh says, “She is someone that I have watched over the years and certainly have looked up to as a mentor and have certainly learned a considerable amount from.”

The CCCCD offers a study abroad program that allows students the opportunity to study overseas. Benjamin noticed that no students from Contra Costa College had participated in the study abroad program.

Mehdizadeh says, “much of it has to do with the socioeconomic status of the student population, and she went

out of her way to develop a scholarship program which she provided a considerable sum of the funding for.”

Two students from Contra Costa College have been able to go through the study abroad program as a result.

This is “truly amazing because both of those students had never even been out of their immediate city. She truly changes student’s lives.”

Kayla Robinson: What made you decide to become a teacher?

Helen Benjamin: Well, in my situation the only professionals that I knew, who looked like me, were teachers. I went to school every day and I was in all black schools and so the professionals in my life were educated. So when I got to college and was faced with

choosing a major and I looked at the list, I said well, I want to be a teacher.

And then you had to choose what you wanted to teach and I chose English. That’s how I got started.

KR: Should students decide their major first before going to college?

HB: I think it depends on the individual.

The world in which I grew up and made those decisions about what profession I wanted is so different from the world now.

Because you could just be broadly educated, you can have a bachelor’s degree and sometimes go in many different directions. Forty years ago, when I was making those decisions, if you got a degree in English, you were pretty

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limited in what you could do.

But the world is such a different place with the advancement of technology in every single field that I think there are more options for students.

People tell students to follow a passion, but you need to know what your passion is.

Many times at 18, 19, 20, you have no idea what that is. So it depends on the individual and where that person is in terms of his (or her) thinking.

Sometimes students aren’t even at the level of maturity to even think about having a permanent job or working full time.

So they take their time, they take some courses and kind of try to figure out what they want to do.

Then some know exactly what they want to do: “I want to be an engineer, what do I have to do to be an engineer?” Then on the other hand some say, “Well, I like to read, I like to write, I like working with numbers, I’ll take a little math, I’m not sure what kind of job…” You know? So it just depends.

KR: Any other advice for students?

HB: It’s really important for students to do well in school. But I think it’s also important for them to enjoy school- enjoy their courses, enjoy their lives, and not be so committed or so involved in getting their education that they don’t have fun.

That’s an important part of development as well. I never stressed to my own children that I wanted them to make all A’s because I wanted them to be what I considered whole- having the ability to get along with people.

You don’t live in a world by yourself, you live in a world with other people.

That’s why in colleges we offer all kinds of experiences to students so that we educating the whole person.

My advice to students is to take advantage of all that the college experience has to offer, not only academically and intellectually but socially as well.

It’s all about you in terms of making yourself the best person you can be and it’s about service to other people.

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No meat, no dairy, no problem

Article by Julia Muskevich

Five fruit and veggie facts to fuel your new year Some of the “fresh meat” you just purchased is two-weekold hamburger injected with gases to make it cherry red.

Meanwhile, up to 10 percent of species are becoming extinct each decade. And Donald Trump was just elected president.

Has it ever made more sense to become vegan? Here are five great reasons why you should start.

1. An astonishing body transformation. Major bloating is unavoidable after the holidays, but did you know it can be caused by the chemicals found in foods produced from the meat industry? Going on a plant-based diet can completely detox your body from all of the chemicals, processed ingredients, antibiotics, and hormones that come from eating

meat, according to “The Vegan Diet as Chronic Disease Prevention.” By doing so, you are increasing your metabolism, causing your body to burn calories up to 16 percent faster while building a lean body.

Not only does a plant-based diet enable a faster metabolism, but it also is the trick to having clear, healthy, and glowing skin. Fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants, vitamin E and folate which gives you that desirable summer glow during the winter. Consuming healthy fats, like olive oil and avocado, is what makes your hair and nails grow thick and strong.

And as an added bonus, studies have shown eating a plantbased diet reduces allergy symptoms and relieves the pain of

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migraines and PMS, allowing for your holiday season to be a little more bearable.

2. Many huge health benefits. Yes, it is true, removing meat and dairy from your diet radically impacts your overall health. Veganism has been connected to lower BMIs, reduced risk of type II diabetes, and lower incidents of cardiovascular diseases, according to The Vegan Society. Centering your diet on plant-based components can lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and mortality rates due to the abundant nutrients consumed on a daily basis. In other words, becoming vegan or vegetarian means living an average of 3 to 6 years longer than those who do not.

Astonishingly, plant-based diets have in fact been proven to lower rates of cancer. A major study published in the “Journal of Urology” showed that men who switched to a vegan diet had either stopped the progression of their cancer or have reversed the illness entirely.

Consuming a diet high in grains, fruits, and vegetables reduces the rates of prostrate and colon cancer. Similarly, it has been clinically proven that countries that consume less meat have lower rates of breast cancer.

In this case, your best alternative to fictitious healing water is consuming more greens!

“In other words, becoming vegan or vegitarian [can mean] living an average of 3-6 longer than those who do not.”

3. It’s cheap, abundant, and delicious!

First things first: you do not have to give up your favorite foods. PETA has created a wide-ranging list of popular supermarket foods that are vegan; Oreos, Twizzlers, and Kraft Taco Bell Dinner to name a few. The key is to

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find replacement foods to substitute your favorite snacks. For example, purchasing coconut- and almond-based ice creams rather than dairy-based.

The taste may not be identical, but it certainly won’t taste any worse. A point often overlooked is that grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds can be cheaply purchased in bulk, as well as in-season vegetables and fruits. So you do not need to stress over the anticipation of an expensive grocery list.

You will quickly learn of many more different plant species that you have never even heard about. Eating Vegan on $4 A Day generates a nutritional sound meal plan that costs less than a double cheeseburger. It also features a huge number of recipes to experiment with to diversify your meals each day.

There is an on-going belief that vegans suffer from a protein deficiency. Not true. Vegans receive the same amount of protein minus the fatty component.

You can get equally as much protein as someone who regularly consumes steak as long as you consume enough plant-based protein. Quinoa, beans, nuts, grains, seitan and tofu are all plant based sources of protein.

4. You’d be making a substantial difference in the environment. Did you know nearly 20 percent of manmade pollution comes from the meat industry? Or that nearly 3.5 billion humans could live off of the food that is currently being fed to livestock? It’s mind-boggling. According to PETA, about 20,000 pounds of potatoes can be grown on one acre of land; only about 165 pounds of beef can be produced on one acre of land. A varied vegan diet requires about one-third of the land needed for a conventional Western diet. The expense of water exploited in the meat industry is also troubling-- only 25 gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of wheat, while 2,500 gallons are needed to produce one pound of meat. The self-evident distinction between the production of vegetable and meat is be-

yond comparison. More animals means more land to grow crops in order to feed them. Not only do we not have the land to produce all of this meat, but we also cannot afford to feed both the increasing rate of the human population and the cultivated animal population. It is estimated that there will be 2 to 4 more billion mouths to feed by 2050, as stated in Elite Daily. There is just not enough to feed a growing population on an animal based diet. The meat-loving trend is contributing to global warming, widespread pollution,

“The key to becoming vegan is taking it step by step. It’s neither a race nor a spontaneous decision.” deforestation, land degradation, water scarcity, and species extinction.

5. And most importantly, you would be saving the lives of countless animals.

Whether intentionally or unconsciously, both vegans and vegetarians are taking a stand against animal cruelty and exploitation by demonstrating compassion for animals. Nearly 500,000 animals are killed every hour for their meat in the U.S. alone. According to Vegan Outreach, a single person is capable of saving about 50 animals each year by eliminating meat from their diet. Imagine 100 people saying no to meat. That potentially saves 5,000 animals every year. The key to becoming vegan is taking it step by step.

It’s neither a race nor a spontaneous decision. It takes time, research, and patience. Start by picking a single food group to eliminate from your diet, and then try it for a few weeks to see how you feel. From there, you can begin to increase your plant and protein intake.

Either for a lifetime or just for a season, adopting a vegan lifestyle will result in clarity, positivity, and a transformation both physically and mentally.

Vegan Eats Around the Streets Story by Glenna Herbert

The Bay Area offers a wide assortment of tasty restaurants and pop up cafes which can make any foodie overwhelmed with choices. However, finding restaurants that are either entirely vegan or vegan-friendly can be tricker than it seems. If you’re looking to expand your pallet and move away from traditional eats over winter break, here’s a few vegan, or vegan friendly restaurants scattered around the East Bay:

Sanctuary Bistro

True Food Kitchen

1019 Camelia St., Berkeley, CA 94710 This small, family run bistro is a perfect spot for date night or a unique lunch with an entirely vegan and gluten-free menu.

The atmosphere is modern and cozy with draped curtains, scatter succulents, and string lights carpeting the ceiling. Their menu is constantly changing, as they use the freshest ingredients in season, and also offer a bar with local wines and unique beer on tap. What this restaurant lacks in size it makes up for in an authentic environment and creative, sustainable food.

According to their website, Sanctuary Bistro will donate a percentage of their profits to community non-profits for animals, education, and the arts.

120 Broadway Lane, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Although this restaurant is a part of a growing chain, True Food Kitchen offers a unique menu with an assortment of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free foods so there is always something new to try. There is a full bar and plenty of seating , not to mention a warm, welcoming atmosphere with fresh artwork and design. With nutrition at the center of their mission, True Food Kitchen is an urban spot to eat healthy this winter break.

Also check out: Veggie Grill 1320 Locust St., Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Veggie Grill is a casual and family-friendly spot for a quick vegetarian meal. It’s very easy to order with a diner-like setting that makes it convenient to grab a meal on the go. Located in downtown Walnut Creek, Veggie Grill makes eating cruelty-free meals a breeze.

The Butcher’s Son: Vegan Delicatessen 1941 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704 This is an all vegan ‘butcher’ shop deli that offers a fantastic array of vegan deli sandwiches, plant-based appetizers, sweet treats, and creative foods that make this a perfect spot to expand your pallet.

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Stomp the town Article by Alberto Chang Photos courtesy of American Federation of Art

This winter, in a nonpareil display of fashion history, the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) will exhibit the evolution of the sneaker. A 200 plus year journey full of technical advancements, impactful innovation, and outstanding visionary work.

Originating in the Bata Shoe Museum of Toronto, Canada, “Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture� will make its way to the city of Oakland Dec. 22 and be available for Bay Area visitors to witness the history of a footwear that has transcended generations and socioeconomic status.

Sneakers, worn by millions throughout the world, began their timeline alongside the first Industrial Revolution and “this exhibition offers a fascinating look at their evolution over the years, showcasing how social influences and technology impact design and creativity,” said OMCA Curator of Public Practice, Evelyn Orantes.

The museum exhibition will be the first of its kind in the United States; never before has there been a showcasing of over 140 iconic sneakers, including rare collectibles from brand names such as Puma, Adidas, Reebok, and Nike. Alongside those, private designs from notorious sneaker collectors, or “sneakerheads,” like Bobbito Garcia and hip-hop group Run DMC will also be a mere glass case away.

With every pair sequentially organized, observers will be able to chronologically admire the sneaker’s developments, from the crude and elementary

slip-ons of the late 1800s to the stylish and coveted Air Jordans of today. And through film, photos, sketches, and interactive media, visitors will come face-to-face with the inspirations behind every shoe in between.

“Each sneaker in this exhibition has a story to tell,” notes Bata Shoe Museum Senior Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack.

Every pair will be categorized into six sections, each representing a different epoch — ­ all of which will precisely reflect the vogues of the day.

The birth of the sneaker, to be debuted in section one, will shine a light on the humble beginning of a footwear that had to wait until 1917 to finally reach popularity after the vulcanization of rubber was developed. Following that innovation, which realized a more comfortable walk, the second section of the 1920s to early 1970s came containing the sudden appearances of Chuck Taylors and other sport shoes

that, despite their long-ago premieres, have retained unprecedented levels of adoration.

Section three will acquaint visitors with how the sneaker became an emblem of social status in the 1970s and 1980s, leaving the last three sections to be awesome insights into the thinking behind contemporary favorites like Air Jordans and Yeezy Boosts, as well as some high-end designs from Prada and Louboutin. The ample collection is set to be unveiled at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth next. From December 22, 2016 to April 2, 2017, however, those in the Golden State will have the opportunity to check it out before its American sojourn comes to an end. “We are delighted that OMCA audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy and add their own experience to this enlightening exploration of sneaker culture,” said Curator at the American Federation of Arts Michelle Hargrave.

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comic hero flies by local store O Story by Will Nevin

n a rainy Saturday afternoon, Joe and Libby Field opened the doors to their Flying Colors Comics to dozens of waiting fans celebrating Local Comic Book Store Day, showcasing famed cartoonist Darick Robertson for autographs.

Joe & Libby Field first opened Flying Colors on Treat Boulevard in 1988, hosting hundreds of autograph signings throughout the years, including a Stan Lee visit attended by hundreds of people, turning Flying Colors into an East Bay comic book destination across the nation.

“Since we’ve opened our store,” Mr. Fields explains, “we try to be fair and offer a good price. Fairness is a big part of what we do and our goal is for each customer to look forward to the next time they visit.”

Over the years, Mr. Field has accumulated an untold amount of comic book knowledge and acquired national recognition for being a local and family-owned comic book store.

“Today, we’re inviting back an old friend, Darick Robertson, for au-

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tographs and questions.” Mr. Field explained, “as well as Q&A with fans during the signing. Been about ten years since Darick was last here signing his Marvel comics for fans.”

Robertson is notorious for his work in DC Comics Justice League and Marvel’s Wolverine, garnering him millions of comic book fans around the world.

Robertson described how “co-operating with other artists allows a comic book character to gain more depth and details compared to individual work. Even famous and iconic images from the Superman and Batman comic series, as well as their on screen adaptations, were developed by co-operating artists.”

Mr. Field added, “Nothing strikes out of the corn rows like they used to. It’s tough for new comics to have mass exposure. However, we do order special edition comics for Free Comic Book Day as well as other special events like today.”

Robertson started chuckling and stated “Reminds me of when I was in Comic Con a few years ago signing autographs and answering questions. On my break, walking

around I saw a women with her very young kids and everyone looked miserable. I approached them and asked if the kids liked any comic books. The kids said, ‘no.’ The mother explained how her kids liked television cartoons and thought these cartoon characters would be here at Comic Con. I then asked if she liked comics. She again said, ‘no.’ I began to list all of these comics she might like with no avail.

She could not understand how comic books could be something she could read.”

Recently, Robertson has collaborated in a new DC Comic with Warren Ellis titled “Transmetropolitan,” about a journalist who goes rogue and fights against a futuristic government.

Looking through the three displayed Marvel classics Darick drew and co-operated in, I started reaching for one of Darick’s old Marvel classics to purchase when Robertson said, “No. This comic is the one for you.” Darick began to stand up and brought out a different series. “‘Transmetropolitan’ is perfect for a journalist.”

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Thursday, Nov. 10 - Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2016

Volume V, No 5

Ink magazine is produced by members of the Inquirer Staff. All material is created by Diablo Valley College students and does not represent the opinions of the college or the Contra Costa Community College District.

Contact Us inquirer@dvc.edu

Fred Wood appointed new 4CD Chancellor ERIN SMITH Managing editor ALBERTO CHANG Staff member

A fantastical demonstration of horticultural technology is to debut on campus soon.

In just a few years, Diablo Valley College will become home to its very own student-managed vertical farm; an agricultural triple threat that will serve as an organic food provider, a research facility, and a prestigious reason for attendance.

The idea sprouted in early 2016 when two of the college’s student-run organizations—the horticulture club and the chemistry club—were contemplating possible collaborations. With innovation in mind, they asked a question that would kickstart an ambitious project: Why not go to where the future of agriculture is?

Though by name they counter common sense, vertical farms are anything but unfeasible. And, as of late, we are seeing a progressive shift from traditional farms to them. In general, the same set of ingenious steps make them all work: Farmed fish consume intank algae, fish waste is then produced, nitrates from waste mix with the water, and nitrated water is utilized for outside-plant and in-tank algae fertilization. This

Graphic illustration by COOPER MEAD

Aquaponics is a closed loop irrigation system that uses fish to provide waste for microbes and worms to turn into nutrients for plants. cyclical system, called aquaponics, allows for crops to be readily grown in stacks instead of on horizontal plots of soil. And, depending on their designs, “farmscrapers” can reach heights of dozens of feet.

The chief reason to get excited about them, says Chemistry Club Public Relations Officer, Chelsey

Froh, is their ability to revolutionize how we get our greens. If you want to give it a term, call it “urban farming.”

Because vertical farms take up diminutive spaces, they can be practically built within any urban area of high-population density.

Consequently, distances between consumers and their food sources

are radically curtailed, yielding two wonderful outcomes: Eating organic is made easier and environmentally unfriendly methods of cargo transportation are seriously reduced.

One purpose of the campus’s forthcoming vertical farm will be Continued on Page 2

New details emerge surrounding board trustee death KAYLA ROBINSON Copy editor

John Nejedly, a Contra Costa Community College District trustee, was pronounced dead after he was found shirtless and unresponsive in his New Orleans, Hilton Riverside hotel room on Oct. 9.

A security supervisor reported finding his body with blood and bodily fluids visibly running down his mouth and chin. The officers confiscated a clear plastic bag containing a gram of white powdery substance from the bathroom sink, $300 in cash, a woman’s bra and cell phone.

The untimely death of John Nejedly remains “unclassified” according to the NOLA police department’s incident report. Jason Melancon, a Coroner’s Office spokesperson said,

“We won’t have a final cause of death for Mr. Nejedly until toxicology testing is completed.”

There are many questions that still circulate this case that will not be further investigated until the coroner’s report is finalized, which could take up to “6-8 weeks” according to a NOLA public information officer.

Mr. Nejedly, 52, was the longest serving board member with a total of 22 years on the Community College Board. Leading up to his death, Nejedly had attended an annual convention of the Association of Community College Trustees from Oct. 5-8 in New Orleans, LA. A memorial service was held for the former trustee on Oct. 27 in Livermore, CA. Courtesy of CONTRA COSTA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

Contact KAYLA ROBINSON at KRobinson@DVCInquirer.com

On Nov. 4 in Martinez a special meeting was held to determine the newly appointed Chancellor of the Contra Costa Community College District, Dr. Fred Wood was appointed to the position.

Having just served at Minnesota University of Crookston as a faculty member he left to take care of family in Northern California, he is now welcomed into the CCCCD. Most notably, Dr. Wood has come full circle as he began his college career right here at Diablo Valley College, “Community college was a big deal for me,” he said during an open forum at DVC. “My experience at DVC was life changing. The faculty and staff nurtured me and gave me the confidence I needed to succeed. They advised me not only about the next courses to take, but where might be the best place for me to transfer,” he continued in a response via email.

“If DVC had not been here, I would have never gone to college,” he said. This statement holds a lot of bearing and rings true for a lot of students currently attending DVC. One of Wood’s most unique qualities is his attention to the students themselves. The position of Chancellor holds a lot of responsibilities, a lot of which deal with faculty and staff. But what about the 1,019,640 students it’s meant to help?

Dr. Wood worked at UC Davis for 26 years and helped establish a cohesive relationship between the students and faculty. He focused on marginalized students.

He helped build the new Student Community Center at the heart of the campus which now houses the LGBT Center along with a number of other critically important student centers. He’s also known for acknowledging non-traditional students such as online only students, and social injustice issues as he assisted with Cal Grants. “I would be here. Talking with you.

Talking with faculty, talking with students,” Wood said in regards to what he would do as Chancellor.

Spring publications: Feb. 9 Feb. 23 March 9 March 23 April 20 May 25

Continued on Page 2

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