G C C E l Va q u e r o G CC _ E l V a q
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el.vaquero.gcc elvaq.gcc Wednesday, November 13, 2019 Glendale Community College Student Newspaper
Volume 114 | Issue 5
Giving Thanks
Matthew Spencer Contributing Artist
El Vaquero, in collaboration with Rotaract Club, is accepting donations on behalf of the GCC Food Pantry until Nov. 21 By El Vaquero Staff
As midterms wind down and looming finals weigh on our shoulders, it can be easy to become one-trackminded about the end of our semester approaching in December. It can make us consider Thanksgiving as nothing more than a long weekend before the start of finals, a last-ditch chance to save our grades. We at El Vaquero want to remind ourselves and the campus as a whole about the spirit of the holiday by giving. While the newspaper program runs as two classes, Journalism 103 and 104, we work closely together on stories throughout the campus that often touch on the very real ramifications of student hunger, struggle, and, frankly, poverty. Though we are two classes interspersed with some Independent Study students, we feel that this issue should be front and center, and want to use our newspaper platform to raise awareness.
This is why, throughout the month of November, we encourage all students and faculty to donate to the GCC Food Pantry. Until Nov. 21, you can bring any donations to our newsroom, located in SV 130, between the hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday through Thursday. Our editor-in-chief, Alin Pasokhian, came upon this idea when she saw empty donation bins around campus. “I thought, ‘if it’s that easy to leave bins around campus and hope people will donate, imagine how much more effective it would be to approach our fellow students and inspire them to donate directly?’ and that’s pretty much how ‘21 Days of Gratitude’ began,” she said. “I know plenty of my peers who benefit from the food pantry, and even they like to donate to the cause,” she continued. “Usually the people who have experienced food scarcity are the ones who want to donate because they understand just how hard it is to be without over the holidays.”
Non-perishables like pasta, beans, oats, nuts, and beans are always welcomed. Canned fruits and foods, along with soups and other instant meals are also greatly appreciated. Peanut butter, apple sauces, and condensed milk are just a few sweet treats you can share. Other essential items, like tampons, diapers, and shampoos are also badly needed. Somewhere near four out of 10 students who attend college or university have experienced “low” or “very low” food insecurity, according to a survey from HOPE Lab, an advocacy group that seeks greater access to affordable higher education. The same report from HOPE Lab also found that 46 percent of community college students had experienced some level of homelessness, compared to 36% of fouryear college students. It was with this kind of understanding that Glendale College launched its own GCC Food for Thought Pantry. Exact numbers on food insecurity
are hard to gauge, mostly because of a lack of data and shame that surrounds poverty. However, study after study continues to paint a picture that shows many of those students seeking a better life through a college education have experienced hard times. During the Fall of 2018, El Vaquero gathered over 15 grocery bags of items and cash donations. Students decided that this semester they would continue the effort and seek to double donations, if possible. To find how and where else to donate to the GCC Food Pantry, visit: http://bit.ly/FoodPantryGCC
In This Issue News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Features .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Entertainment . . . . . . . . . 7-8
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Wednesday, November 13, 2019
NEWS
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Rate My Professors Proves to Revolutionize Enrollment By A. Heimer Staff Writer Students can grade their instructors from 1 to 5, leave a difficulty rating and reviews at the popular website ratemyprofessors.com. This gives students tremendous potential insight into what they might be getting involved in with a professor before they sign up for a class. Rate My Professors is also useful when deciding which school to attend or which University to transfer to as most colleges and universities in the U.S. are rated and reviewed as institutions. Some students use Rate My Professors to game the system by spreading their studies across various colleges, getting the bestrated professor for the classes they need. Teachers have wide latitude in designing their teaching plans and two that teach the same course might have two drastically different approaches. Students can save themselves a lot of grief by doing a bit of due diligence first. While it is crucial to take each individual review with a grain of salt, Rate My Professors can usually give a student an idea of teacher’s technique, from the highest-rated faculty all-stars to the lowest, who are, according to the most common student complaints, usually teachers that needlessly overload their stu-
Blizzcon Protests By Elena Jacobson Contributing Writer “Free Hong Kong, Blitzchung did nothing wrong” rang through the air on Nov. 1 outside the Anaheim Convention Center as protesters held up signs to the attendees streaming into Blizzcon, a gaming convention dedicated to Blizzard Entertainment products. This protest was sparked by Blizzard’s banning of a hearthstone player known as BlitzChung for saying “Liberate Hong Kong, [the] revolution of our times” in an interview after winning a tournament. The actions taken made it clear
dents, harangue them with extraneous opinions or make emotional decisions which could impact a student’s future. Professors generally receive ratings and reviews which reflect their teaching style. The reaction to rate my professor from GCC teachers varies. “As a student I liked it”, one teacher told El Vaquero, “but as a teacher, I think it’s one-sided and some students say things that are inaccurate or not true, and you can’t contest it.” Another professor said she didn’t look at her ratings and pointed out that the reviews are biased opinions; statistically they weren’t fair because not everyone leaves a review, only those who feel compelled for some reason to do so. “The danger of Rate My Professors is that it can become a platform for bullying the instructor”, a teacher who had experienced online stalking and abuse told El Vaquero, pointing out that “even non-students can use it to attack you.” Rate My Professors removed its chili-pepper system for rating “hotness” of teachers in 2018, according to USA Today, “after facing criticism on social media that the rating was used to objectify professors, particularly women” and blowback to the site’s April Fool’s name change to “Date My Professor.” Anyone can post a review on
the website but most appear to be written by former students and though some detail obvious grudges in the comments, or perhaps found a subject too difficult and blamed the teacher, many students concur that overall the scores are generally accurate if one takes the time to sift through the reviews to get an idea of a teacher’s approach. The law of large numbers helps even out the freakier comments. Using ratemyprofessors.com, the GCC faculty directory and a TI 83, El Vaquero crunched some numbers: With a maximum score of 5, GCC as a school has a rating of 3.6. GCC has an average teacher rating of 3.92, with some consistent 5 scorers.
Out of 15 division chairs, six were not rated and the average of the nine who were is 4.04. Of 174 teachers in the faculty catalog, 59 were not rated and of those who were, 76 were nontenured Instructors while 39 were Professors or Associate Professors. Non-tenured instructors had an average rating of 4.101 compared to Professors with an average rating of 3.864. On a scale of 1 to 5, the differences are proportionately more significant. A deeper dive into the stats by division might reveal some other interesting facts, but it seems clear that good teachers get good ratings and though some have scores that fall far under the mean, receiving what would be a
fail in most classes, there are a lot of top-scoring teachers at GCC. Rate My Professors is a useful tool for planning a scholastic career if the ratings and reviews are considered judiciously. When a student planning his future prepares to commit to hundreds of hours to classes and coursework with a teacher, it’s important for them to know if they are getting involved with a good teacher or one with a dubious track record. And just like students that get a bad grade and must work harder, perhaps the lower-scoring faculty might consider re-assessing their methodology.
that Blizzard had chosen profits from China over their customer’s free speech, since Blizzard had not only banned the player for a year but also fired the interviewers who had done nothing wrong. This outraged fans and many gamers took to social media rallying everyone to boycott Blizzard. Before the protest even started Blizzard had gone into full damage control mode attempting to keep people from deleting their account and reduced BlitzChung’s punishment to six months instead of a year and giving back the prize money he won. This did next to nothing to soothe the anger as many people wanted the decision to be completely reversed. As the boycotts continued, several organizations
including Gamers for Freedom and Freedom Hong Kong put together the Blizzcon protest. About 75 people came to join the protest from all over the country, one protester even coming from Canada to speak. Several cosplayers joined the protest dressing up as characters from “Overwatch,” a game Blizzard produces. Others were dressed as Winnie the Pooh, since the Character is banned in China, because people compared Xi Jinping, China’s president, to the cartoon character. The protest was in the entrance of the convention center it remained peaceful and no one was blocked from entering. They even chanted “Enjoy Blizzcon but Free
Hong Kong” at one point, showing that the point of the protest was to call out Blizzard and the Chinese government, not the attendees of the convention. Earlier that morning Blizzard had once again tried to save face by delivering a vague, empty apology at the opening ceremony of Blizzcon. “We moved too quickly in our decision making, and then to make matters worse, we were too slow to talk to you.” J. Allen Brack the president of Blizzard said. “We will be better moving forward” While the president talked a lot in the vague address, he failed to mention any steps that would be taken or how Blizzard would be “better moving forward” nor did
he say that any decisions were reversed or that they were attempting to make amends in any way. So the protest went on putting more pressure on Blizzard and China, showing that the world is watching very closely to see what happens next. Visit the QR code below by scanning it on your Apple camera functionality or visit this link: http://bit.ly/BlizzconElvaq
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Gurgen Sahakyan
Letters to the Editors
Yesenia Thomson
Anahit Sydney
El Vaquero accepts story ideas in news, features, profiles, sports and entertainment from the public. Send an idea or article to the editor at elvaquero@glendale.edu or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 3211.
ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR Elone Safaryan
STAFF
STAFF WRITERS Dahlia Alrayes
EDITOR-IN-CHIEFS
Genesis Ruiz
Alin Pasokhian
Jenilee Borek
Afroditi Kontos
Natalie Casey
SENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGERS Eduardo Carreño Anahit Sydney
Anthony Gharib Eian Gil A. Heimer Jay Marshall
Anahit Sydney Staff Illustrator
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Genesis Barboza Jenilee Borek Natalie Casey PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Tatiana Pak SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATORS Eduardo Carreño Anahit Sydney
MANAGING EDITOR
Akane “Annie” Otsuka
FACULTY ADVISER
Michael Dumansky
Tatiana Pak
Rory Cohen rcohen@glendale.edu (818) 240-1000 ext. 5214
Gabriel Ponce
Letters may be reproduced in full or in part and represent only the point of view of the writer, not the opinion of El Vaquero or Glendale Community College and its district.
A. Heimer can be reached at aheimer570@student.glendale.edu.
Elena Jacobson can be reached at laneyjacobson520@gmail.com.
Member of the Journalism Asssociation of Community Colleges
All letters must include the full name, address and phone number of the writer. You will be contacted before publication. El Vaquero is a First Amendment publication. EL VAQUERO 1500 N. Verdugo Road Glendale, CA 91208 (818) 240-1000, ext. 5349 First copy free Additional copies $.25
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Dia de los Muertos Comes to GCC Events commemorated Latin heritage on campus By Genesis Barboza Staff Writer A celebration of life and death is practiced around the world in dissimilar ways. For Mexico, Dia De Muertos is a national holiday that was originated by the Aztec Empire. During the 16th century, Dia De Muertos was a commemoration dedicated to the queen of the underworld, “Lady of the Dead” and the king of the underworld, “Protector of the Dead.” The Aztecs worshipped Mictecacihuatl during Aug. with food and dances. This tradition changed when the Spanish Conquistadors looted most regions of Latin America. The Spanish conquistadors turned Dia De Muertos into a Catholic tradition. Today Mexican’s honor their ancestors who have departed on November first and second. The beautiful tradition begins with an ofrenda (altar) on the tombs of the deceased. Cemeteries and homes are filled with orange marigold flowers. The aroma of the marigold leads the spirits to their ofrendas. Pan de Muerto symbolizes the body and bones of the dead. The ofrenda also must have papel picado, fire, incense, salt, and a glass of water. The ofrenda has more symbolic pieces and photos of loved ones. V.O.I.C.E.S, The Multicul-
Genesis Barboza Staff Photographer
TRADITION: Performers demonstrate the Chichimeca dance, on Nov. 4 at Glendale College.
tural Center, and The Dream Resource Center hosted the Dia de Muertos party that provided free food like pan de muerto, champorado, and tamales. The Aztec dancers from San Miguel de Allende Guanajuato, Mexico, performed in front of the student center. One of the dances was Chichimeca and is dedicated to the elders. Each dance and song illustrates stories of the Aztecs. The dancers showcased their instruments, Huehuetl (Drum) and the Teponaztli (Log drum). The Teponaztli is carved on one side about 2- 4 inches. Flutes were also used for bird sounds and when announcing a battle. Ayoyotes is what they wore on
Genesis Barboza Staff Photographer
HISTORIC LOS ANGELES: Genevieve Hernandez, aged 2, poses during Olvera Street festivities in Downtown Los Angeles.
their ankles to keep the rhythm of their feet. “All the dances are based on the heartbeat ”- Adolfo Arteaga El Vaquero spoke to the co-presidents of the club V.O.I.C.E.S., Janet Antonio and Irvin who want to inform GCC students that the club is not only for Latino immigrants it is for all AB540 students. “AB540 is mandatory for undocumented students when applying for colleges. The bill is extended to any Non-U.S. Resident in Calif. who has completed 3 or more years of highschool, with their diploma, or the equivalent.” V.O.I.C.E.S. funds one scholarship every semester and hosts a ‘Know Your Rights’ workshop. According to the club, undocumented students can receive state Financial Aid and apply for EOPS. Glendale Community College has 500 undocumented students who aspire to get their degree and citizenship. V.O.I.C.E.S encourages many people to join from different backgrounds. The club currently has a Japanese international student and some Armenian students in the past. Irvine and Janet Antonio are hoping that on November 12, 2019 the Supreme Court hearing for DACAis a victory. Despite the predicament AB540 students face, V.O.I.C.E.S keeps their motto blare and vital “Breaking Barriers.” Genesis Barboza can be reached at gbarboz319@student.glendale.edu.
Will State’s New Freelance Law Kill Showbiz? By A. Heimer Staff Writer One of the many ramifications of California’s new freelance law which will require companies to hire independent contractors as employees may be the death of Los Angeles’ claim to be the entertainmentindustry capital of the world as freelance industry professionals prepare to seek more open work environments elsewhere. The controversial law known as Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) was signed by Governor Newsom on Sept. 18 and goes into effect Jan.1, 2020. The new law is already very unpopular with many of the gig economy workers at companies like Uber, Lyft and Doordash that it was designed to help, as many prefer the freedom of a free-lance work status and designing their own schedule to regular hours as an employee. It may have a negative boomerang effect in the sense that it is doubtful that companies like Uber will hire all their drivers as employees. It appears as if the legislative minds in Sacramento that dreamt this bill up did not think it through completely or fully consider its consequences, one of which may be that it may drive away many of California’s free-lance professionals and force show business to relocate. Some companies are reluctantly severing ties with freelancers they can’t afford to hire as employees. Many freelancers spread their work over various companies and prefer to manage their own work. Some claim that they make a lot more money freelancing than they could as an employee. For many, the new law could be the end of their work life as they know it. Freelance writers, for example, may submit no more than 35 articles per year to a publication under the new law. Some publishers will no longer accept work from California journalists, according to Columbia Journalism Review. For some freelance writers, 35 stories a month is not unusual and they feel professionally stymied by the arbitrary cap of 35 stories a year. “Get ready Nashville and New York — it looks like you’re about to have your own
recorded-music boom,” wrote the Recording Industry Association of America, A2IM and the Music Artists Coalition in a joint statement, according to Forbes. The music industry has always been a gig economy and will be hard hit under the new law. The effect on every level of the music business from artists, producers, composers, session players, backup singers, arrangers and orchestrators to part-time teachers, music technicians and bar bands will be disastrous. Non-union selfemployed workers will suffer the most. Some Musician’s Union local 47 members who, when they play a session, work as Sony studio employees are less affected by the new law. El Vaquero spoke to a veteran studio musician and union officer who supports it, saying, “this is not an official union position, but for myself, as a union member and official, we support the right of workers to collectively bargain and to be paid a living wage for their work. Workers should be paid benefits including unemployment insurance and social security. When you’re self-employed, you don’t accrue the benefits that you do as an employee.” Some of the professions that were exempted from the new law are doctors, lawyers and investment advisers, though not exempted were many of the other free-lancers with jobs which keep LA functioning. Intentional or not, the effects of this law on those many non-exempt professions will be drastically counter-productive. AB5 should be repealed. According to the California Secretary of State, “Article II, Section 9, of the California Constitution provides for the referendum process in California. Electors have the power to approve or reject statutes or parts of statutes, with the exception of urgency statutes, statutes calling elections, and statutes providing for tax levies or appropriations for usual, current state expenses.” Instigating a repeal of AB5 through the referendum process may be the only hope to save jobs and stop a brain-drain which will kill show biz in Hollywood. A. Heimer can be reached at aheimer570@student.glendale.edu.
Celebrating Armenian Culture By Genesis Barboza and Natalie Casey Staff Writers GCC celebrated Armenian culture with the help of the Armenian Student Association. Members of the ASA set up booths showcasing Armenian literature, instruments and a previous GCC visit from His Holiness Aram I, a famed priest from the Armenian community. Delicious food was provided. Rice, hummus, roasted tomato, and a choice between chicken or pork kebab was offered. Proceeds from
the event went towards providing Christmas gifts for children in Armenia. The highlight of the event was a dance performance by ASA’s secretary Anna Azaryan. She danced in a cream-colored, floor-length, traditional Armenian gown. Students watched as she graced across the quad for a few solo songs, then finished by bringing her grandma to the stage with her. A large portion of GCC’s student body is Armenian, and this event gave students a glimpse into what makes their culture unique.
For the Summer of 2020 GCC is accepting applicants for their study abroad trip to Armenia. As a bonus, full-time students enrolling in the Spring semester will receive a $500 scholarship towards their trip. The program is filling rapidly if interested email studyabroad@glendale. edu or drop by SR310 for details. Genesis Barboza can be reached at gbarboz319@student.glendale.edu and Natalie Casey can be reached at ncasey379@student.glendale.edu
Natalie Casey Staff Photographer
ARMENIAN CULTURE: Politicial Science and History Professor Levon Marashlian poses with his homegrown pomegranate.
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Veterans Day: A Different Kind of Family By Jenilee Borek Staff Writer Another Veterans Day has passed and even though many Americans send out their thoughts and appreciation for veterans over social media, few actually know what it’s like to serve or be a military veteran. Different resources are out there for veterans and GCC has its own Veterans Resource Center, but many current and former active duty members still struggle with mental or physical ailments or even struggle with adjusting back to normal civilian life. El Vaquero sat down with GCC student, Corporal Samuel Reynolds, who served in the Marine Corps, to understand more of what it’s like to serve in the U.S. military.
Jenilee Borek Staff Photographer
STANDING PROUD: Reynolds, 24, looks toward a bright future.
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Reynolds joined the Marine Corps a month after graduating high school because he felt like he wanted to do something with his life, and he was raised in a military family with his dad serving in the Army while he was growing up. He signed a four year contract with the Marines and had a variety of experiences throughout his duration of service. His service started on Aug. 18, 2013, when he went to boot camp in Parris Island, North Carolina, for thirteen weeks. There, the training there was mostly learning “To take orders at the drop of a hat without any thinking involved,” he said. The training was grueling but, “When you go through it with someone you […] gain a certain camaraderie, and from there you can make lifelong friends,” he explained. He added that, “It’s like a family outside of your family.” After boot camp, he had ten days with his family and then continued his training in Fort Sill, Okla. where he became an artilleryman. During this training he learned about “The weapon system itself and what the positions are in the weapon system and how to use all of the equipment,” he said. He was also trained to use rifles, machine guns, grenades, and had riot training at this time. Reynolds never went to combat but he deployed on a Marine expeditionary unit with the Navy, and he was on the USS New Orleans for a year, six months in which they were sailing around the world. His duties were to secure all of the equipment on deck and to also serve as security for the ship if they came upon any insurgents. During his time on the ship they rescued a boat of immigrants who had gotten taken out by the undertow away from Africa. “They had no food, they had run out of water […] so we took some of the supplies we had on ship, we boated it out to them, we gave them some gas, and sent them on their way,” he said. “It really does give you a sort of feel-good moment […] like I’m helping these people survive (because) they would basically die without us,” he said.
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Jenilee Borek Staff Photographer
A MARINE’S STORY: Samuel Reynolds poses in this Nov. 7 photo.
The last three months of his service contained a lot of training to help him transition back into civilian life, which is important for many military members. It doesn’t matter if veterans see live combat or not, many end their military careers dealing with emotional, mental, or physical issues after serving. “Mental health can take a bad turn for the worst in various different ways. […] While I was in my enlisted deployment, because there was barely any signal to the ship, you couldn’t really talk to anybody outside, and a lot of people that were on that ship had marital problems […] also you know depression, separation anxiety […] stuff like that,” Samuel said. “I saw a lot more depression and alcoholism than anything else. I have seen a couple of suicide scares,” he added. Samuel told us that most military members are really good about looking out for each other and helping each other through the tough days. “We’re all brothers-andsisters in arms,” he said. Even though the military has resources if someone is struggling while serving, more can still be done in that department. “A lot of self-harm does come out of the military for different rea-
sons,” Samuel said. He celebrates Veterans Day differently than a lot of Americans. “Veteran’s Day was always kind of a sort of holiday for me because […] my dad was in the military, so he would keep me home from school […] we’d go out and bbq […] and in the military we’d kind of do the same thing. Some of us would go and buy a bunch of meat and bring it back and grill,” he said. The main difference about Veterans Day for him is that he calls around to people he served with to make sure everyone is okay, and he thinks about the ones, especially that he knew, who aren’t with us anymore. As to why he calls a lot of veterans he explains, “Not a lot of veterans have family that they can go to. Everybody’s situation is different […] and so it’s really just about checking on each other and making sure everybody is having a good Veterans Day. Veterans Day is more or less just upholding the fact that you were in fact in the military, and that’ll never leave you no matter what.” Jenilee Borek may be reached at jborek028@student.glendale.edu.
A Look Into the Veterans Among Us
Jenilee Borek Staff Photographer
GCC’s VETERANS ASSOCIATION: GCC offers resources to veterans, Natalie Casey writes.
By Natalie Casey Staff Writer A day at the GCC Veterans Resource Center (VRC) begins at 9 a.m. with processing paperwork for incoming student veterans, a morning class, and coffee. Contrast that with waking up at 3 a.m. in Afghanistan, putting on 200lbs of gear and completing your missions for the day. For student worker, and Marine veteran Fernando Colonel, GCC is pretty laid back
compared to the Marine Corps. Colonel is an Art major, and works for the GCC VRC. He is also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and served on the front lines in Afghanistan. In honor of Veterans Day El Vaquero sat down with Coronel at the VRC to get a veterans perspective of life in the military, and obstacles one faces when transitioning back into civilian life. One thing that’s universal across all cultures: food. Everyone has to eat. When
Colonel was deployed in Afghanistan the locals would cook the food, he said “the rice was amazing and the goat was great.” On his base they had ‘Big Mac Friday’, which he actually enjoyed more than an American Big Mac. If you’ve met a veteran you might have noticed their sense of humor can be a little more rough around the edges than a civilian. When asked about his funniest moment while deployed Colonel asked me to define ‘funny’ because “our ideas about humor might be different.” I assured him I could handle it, and he recalled a memory of his buddy getting naked during a card game and using only a cup to cover himself. Another friend took the joke further and pushed the naked guy out of the room and locked the door just as their First Sergeant was turning the corner. The guys behind the locked door thought for sure they would all be deep trouble, but they hear through the door the Sergeant say, “You’re a fucking weird kid Brady,” as he walked by shaking his head. Colonel tells me that “You have to find humor in the stuff you do, because if you don’t it’s going to last a really long time, so we’ll make light of whatever we can.” He explains that the rigorous training that’s required of Marines, and all branches of the military, desensitizes them which affects their sense of humor as well.
While stationed in North Carolina, before Afghanistan, he was one of three Hispanics in his platoon and felt a culture shock, in his words, “Great food, but a little bit of racism in there.” As far as racism within the platoon it seems as though military members don’t have the privilege or time to be offended, even if they have a right to be. There are no politics out there, just survival. “You become such a close knit community and you all go through the worst moments. So that’s where veterans might be misconstrued. It’s basically that we’re desensitized to a lot of it and you know these are just words at the end of the day … I know that if I need you to do something for me regardless of my race you will do it, so it’s hard to break a bond like that with some words” That unbreakable bond that is formed overseas or at boot camp can diminish a bit once everyone gets back home. Priorities change, politics and opinions come back, and you’re no longer in life or death situations. “The interaction with the guys you spent your life with gets minimized to a Facebook post, and that Facebook post generates from where they’re living … we all come from different backgrounds, we have different beliefs, different friends. [“A Look Into the Veterans Among Us” continued on page 5]
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[“A Look Into the Veterans Among Us,” continued from Page 4] Sometimes I’ll see the anti-immigration posts, and I come from a family of immigrants but I was still there fighting for my country and leading most of them. We were having experiences, brotherhood moments with them, and now what I hear from them is that ‘I don’t want your family here.’” Race tensions in the military have a long complicated history. While some people have racist ideologies they also have an immense amount of respect for U.S. soldiers. The soldiers coming from minority backgrounds feel that if they are respected as a soldier they should also be respected when out of the uniform. A poll done by Military Times showed that the troops who participated in the survey polled white nationalism to be a greater threat to the United States than Syria, Afghanistan, or immigration issues. This isn’t a new or rare issue. When asked if Colonel would do it all over again, he says while laughing “I would probably flip a coin.” He gets serious and shares about a realization he had during combat when he got injured, “You realize that you’re a number in the system at the end of the day.” Nothing stays the same, and coming home from a deployment may feel foreign to some soldiers but for some, the thing that has changed the most is themselves. Whether they’ve acquired strong leadership skills, or an internal clock so accurate that even when
they’re on time they feel late, all soldiers see changes in themselves. Those seemingly positive changes, when combined with PTSD, can create issues for soldiers trying to transition back into civilian life. For Colonel he says that “going to war and seeing all the things that you see or experience you come back a little hardened. You get used to a certain way of living. If someone says something needs to be done at this time, well guess what? That is going to be done at that time. We’re so used to consistency and having it that way because our lives depended on it. So when we get back home, no one’s life depends on it. So it’s really frustrating when nothing is on time because there’s no sense of urgency. Which we fail to understand at first.” Even with the help of the VRC, navigating your way through the bureaucracies of attaining veteran benefits can be a challenging process. In person meetings with councilors of the VRC are manageable, but when you have questions regarding your benefits the wait times for the national VA phone-line can sometimes exceed more than an hour. Making sure all the correct forms are filled out, and you’re taking all the right classes can sometimes set your benefits back months if something is missing or incorrect. This process can seem unforgiving, but with the help of GCC’s VRC department you have people wanting to help you navigate this system, you just have to walk in the door. Natalie Casey may be reached at ncasey379@student.glendale.edu
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
The Numb Expendable Asset
By Cameron Thompson Contributing Writer MY NAME IS A NUMBER, ‘NUMB’ FOR SHORT. I’M A STATISTIC IN YOUR CASAUALTY REPORT. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT I SAY, I’M DISPOSABLE, I WILL NOT STAY. I WILL CLEAN WHEN YOU MAKE A MESS, I AM YOUR PAWN IN YOUR GAME OF CHESS. YOU GIVE ME METALS FOR MY MASS PRODUCED HONOR; YOU SEND ME ON MISSIONS; I MAY BE A GONER. MY OUTCOME IN QUESTION, A ‘NEED TO KNOW’ BASIS, I SERVE A SYSTEM WITH MULTIPLE FACES. JUST CALL ME A “NUMBER” ‘NUMB’ FOR SHORT. I AM NUMB IN MY NUMBERS YOU DON’T BOTHER TO SORT. YOUR EYES SEE THROUGH ME, FOR MY EXISTENCE IS CLEAR I’M A DROP OF COURAGE IN THE PUDDLE OF FEAR. SO SEND ME AWAY WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR MOVE, DRINK WITH ELITES AS I BLEED FROM MY WOUNDS. TELL YOUR LIES TO DEAF EARS AND BLIND EYES; HIDE TRUE INTENTIONS WITH MEDIA TIES. DISTRACT THE WEAK-MINDED WITH MATERIAL GOODS BUILD OUR STRONG NATION WITH DUCT TAPE AND WOOD BUT DON’T BE SURPRISED AT A SUDDEN COLLAPSE I’M NUMB TO YOUR CRIES WHEN YOU’RE A RAT IN A TRAP.
Image Courtesy NASA/MSFC
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The Perils of Instag ram Fame
Some influencers are being scammed big time
By Annie Otsuka Staff Writer You might have seen someone who is recommending a particular brand on their Instagram, or you might have even been asked if you want to become an ambassador for certain brands. A social media ambassador is someone who promotes a brand’s goods. These could range from fashion brands to health and wellness products. Some companies also focus on local events and food. In many cases, ambassadors would probably get free products or a promo code that allows people to get discounted purchasing in return for posting pictures of their items and recommending them to followers. Among these businesses of social media marketing, I found some who scam college students in particular. This could be especially alarming when it happens to an innocent person who just wants to try new things to further their career. I started to investigate this issue when I nearly got scammed by a so-called French accessory brand, which had never even existed. This “brand” asked me if I wanted to become an ambassador, who, if I signed up, would then get two items for free and 60% off for all purchases made in the future. Their accessories on their Instagram page were incredibly cute, and they incorporated many professional-looking pictures of ambassadors, who were already working with the brand, wearing their items. Moreover, the brand was saying that those who have done outstanding work would get a chance to go to Paris to do a professional shoot for free. It seemed too good to be true. I am not an Instagram user who has such a large number of followers, nor had I that many selfies, but they told me that I might be a great ambassador. My question was “How come?” I did some research, eventually finding unbelievable videos on YouTube from so many girls who claimed they got
La Venne Recruitment Graphixto
TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?: Influencers of a so-called French accessory brand realized that they were scammed.
scammed by the users behind this Instagram handle. What had happened to those girls was horrible. One of the young women, whose YouTube user name is Luna, became an ambassador but she felt she was being manipulated quickly which made her uncomfortable. She applied to be an ambassador and got the first two products for free. However, she had to pay a shipping fee. She looked at the items and the cheap package made her feel weird. She started to search on the Internet and found that all of the products, which cost $30 to $50 from the brand, actually cost less than $1 and are made in China. The goods were not manufactured in France, where the brand was apparently located. She realized that there was something wrong and contacted the company, but they refused to explain. To make matters worse, Luna got an email that said she had purchased items from the company when she did not. Her
credit card had been charged for around $20. She still is the lucky one, compared to another victim that we found while investigating, who had more than $100 stolen by the company. You can see her storytime YouTube video at: bit.ly/scamstorytime One influencer, who has a following of over a hundred thousand, told El Vaquero that some people want to be famous so much that they ignore the red flags. She explained that she hasn’t been scammed but gets requests from companies like this all the time. She asked not to be named but stressed that this is why Instagram celebrities and influencer hopefuls alike need to keep in mind and do their research before they consent to working with a company. For instance, even if a company is legitimate, will they use your photos if you work with them? Some companies have legal contracts that give them permission to use any and all of your photos once you work with them. For most cases, scam victims, including
Luna, have succeeded to end the partnership with the company by sending a message, so they would not be taken advantage of anymore. However, unfortunately, they would not get their money that is stolen back. Still, it is a good plan of action to contact the companies and avoid further theft. These scam pages on social media target young and fashionable girls and boys who are typically college-aged. Working as an influencer sounds cool and you will get more followers if you start to do business with companies, which is the goal of many Instagram users. However, these individuals need to be diligent and smart in order to avoid falling into traps.
Annie Otsuka can be reached at aotsuka136@student.glendale.edu.
Last month, Lowell Cafe became the first Cannabis restaurant to open in the United States By Yesenia Thomson & Alin Pasokian Staff Writers West Hollywood welcomed the nation’s first Cannabis restaurant Lowell Cafe, on Oct. 1, 2019. The cafe, which came to life with the help of famous
Alin Pasokhian Staff Photographer
END OF PROHIBITION: Lowell Cafe is the first of its kind.
investors including Miley Cyrus, Chris Rock, and Sarah Silverman, welcomes the beginning of the end of cannabis prohibition. On Nov. 4, El Vaquero was lucky enough to experience what Lowell Cafe has to offer. Due to the originality surrounding the idea of the business, the cafe is in high demand. This is why a reservation is always suggested when planning your visit. This not only helps you get seated, but it also helps them enforce their 90-minute seating time limit. Though there’s controversy around the time cap, if you want to prolong your visit, go during non-peak hours, as the space is small and the tables fill quickly. The atmosphere, though compact, packs a mighty punch. Helping maintain the chill vibes, the soft lighting and dark furniture complement the beautiful greenery and faint smell of citrus engulfing the outdoor patio. The establishment also solves the problem of heavy smoke with its $200,000 air-ventilation system. With this perfect environment, potheads
and beginners alike will find the ambiance to be just right. As you get seated, your food server brings you the Lowell Cafe food and cannabis menu. Your weed, through, is ordered through “budtenders,” who are friendly and helpful, often asking if you need suggestions or help in deciding. Guests are also encouraged to ask for pot and food pairings as well, which are said to enhance the dining experience overall. While this may seem ideal, as the night goes on it becomes evident that their system is impractical. Having to flag down two separate servers (which are in no visible way differentiated) becomes a nuisance that may make you feel rushed within your 90-minutes. Though the job of the “budtenders” is to provide information and suggestions to the patrons of the restaurant, the obvious upselling becomes distracting and overshadows any genuine advice they might offer. Because these servers spend so much time schmoozing certain customers, others are left waiting to place
their orders. This along with the obvious price-gouging creates a setting perfect for more affluent customers. Despite the restaurant’s light ambiance, the placement of the bathrooms can prove to be an issue for visitors. After you exit the restaurant, walk past the hostesses, ID check, and through the outside parking lot, you finally enter the bathroom. Though the restrooms are fine, this can still be a trek after a couple of joints. But hopefully the “wall of celebrities” proves to be worth the journey. Regardless of the shortcomings of the restaurant, the menu provided had enough options to offer a diverse experience for every customer, whether it’s your first time trying weed, or your hundredth. If you feel like splurging on cannabis, this would be the perfect place to explore the wonderful world of weed.
Alin Pasokhian can be reached at pasokhian@gmail.com. Yesenia Thomson can be reached at thomsonyesenia@gmail.com
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Wednesday, November 13, 2019
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A B o o k To o E x p l o s i ve to B e Fi l m e d ? The Greatest Epic Hollywood never produced.
By A. Heimer Staff Writer
It seems every now and then rumors swirl around Hollywood that they are finally making a film version of the “Monkey Wrench Gang,” with big-name players and even bigger stars. Edward Abbey’s Book, an underground masterpiece of anarchy and eco-terrorism in the southwestern desert, has had the film rights optioned many times but remains one of the greatest epics Hollywood has never produced. This is despite some of Hollywood’s best-known names having been attached to prospective productions of the 1970s cult classic at one point or another. A rag-tag band of merry eco-terrorists plotting to blow up Arizona’s Glen Canyon Dam while vandalizing construction equipment and being chased by Bishop Love and his Mormon police, “The Monkey Wrench Gang” is a raucous tale of inspired mayhem, with unforgettable characters such as “Hayduke,” the Vietnam vet and explosives expert who measured highway distances by six-packs of beer. Abbey later reprised Hayduke in another novel, “Hayduke lives!” and he has taken on a life of his own as a cultural archetype. Edward Abbey was an iconoclast, an anarchistic rebel spirit, a sometimes National Parks Service employee and prolific writer who based many of his books in the southwest. His poignant tale of the last of the cowboys getting ground up by the modern machine, ”The Brave Cowboy,” was adapted by Dalton Trumbo and filmed by David Miller in 1962 as “Lonely are the Brave” with Walter Matthau and Kirk Douglas. Douglas was instrumental in having the film made
and considered it his all-time favorite of his own movies, according to film critic Nathanael Hood in Retroset. There have been many rumors over the years about film versions of the “Monkey Wrench Gang.” The word in the late 70s was that the book’s content was so explosive that a mega-corporation had bought the film rights and planned to sit on them in perpetuity to discourage activists from becoming inspired by its anarchic message. That mega-corporation turned out to be Robert Redford, who had apparently bought the rights planning to sit on them until he felt he was old enough to play the character he had in mind. It’s intriguing to imagine how Redford would have cast himself, most likely as the mysterious “Seldom-Seen Smith,” or perhaps as the Gang’s avuncular “Doc.” Although he later sold the film rights, Redford was involved in the documentary “Wrenched,” produced in 2014, which explores the legacy of Edward Abbey’s desert novels and their inspiration to environmentalist groups. Leonard DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matthew McConaughey, Jack Black, and many others have been named over the years as being involved in film productions of the book, none of which have made it to the silver screen. An adapted, white-bread version of “The Monkey Wrench Gang,“ which probably would have disgusted Abbey, was made in 2012 as “Night Moves,” starring Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning and was so similar to “The Monkey Wrench Gang” that the current owner of the book’s film rights, Pressman Films, filed a lawsuit. “The similarities between
‘Night Moves’ and the Novel are so obvious that Internet bloggers have commented about the Film’s misappropriation of the Novel’s plot,” says the lawsuit, adding that “proving access is no problem because the novel was a huge success that got distributed everywhere,” according to The Hollywood Reporter in 2012. The lawsuit has since been settled. The last production news for “The Monkey Wrench Gang” dates from 2016 when Pressman films, producers of “Wall Street,” “American Psycho” and many other hit movies, made an industry splash with an announcement that Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman were going to direct a film version. Since then - complete radio silence. A source at the Direc-
tor’s Guild, who wished to remain anonymous, said they had heard no news of a production in the works. El Vaquero spoke with a representative of Pressman Films who said there was currently no news about the production of “The Monkey Wrench Gang.” Perhaps the call will stimulate some activity. One can only imagine the reaction at Pressman Films. “Why are they calling about The Monkey Wrench Gang? Is there some buzz? Glendale college, huh? We better be pro-active on this. Get me Seth Rogen …” If a film version were to have been made in the 1970s, when there was a huge demand for one following the book’s underground success, there is little doubt that it would have
profoundly affected the zeitgeist of the environmentalist movement and there still remains the nagging suspicion that there is some dark reason production of the movie keeps getting spiked. At least the book is readily available and readers can even enjoy the Dream Garden special edition illustrated by the iconic cartoonist Robert Crumb, whose illustrations should be undoubtedly be the story-board for the next director who attempts to film “The Monkey Wrench Gang.”
A. Heimer can be reached at aheimer570@student.glendale.edu
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The career of one of the biggest icons in hip hop By Gurgen Sahakyan Staff Writer With the release of his ninth studio album titled “Jesus is King,” Kanye West sparks conversation about his long legacy in the genre of hip hop. Equalling Eminem’s record of nine consecutive number-one albums on the Billboard 200 chart, West shows us a perfect example of longevity in a musical career. Raised in Chicago, this 42-yearold, known as “The King of Sampling,” began his career in the world of hip hop as a producer. Gaining attention around the nation for producing much of JayZ’s 2001 album “The Blueprint.” The latter is widely recognized as the rapper’s best album, partly due to the quality of production within the tracks, much thanks to Kanye. After signing with Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella record label, West released his debut album, “The College Dropout” in February of 2004, which included iconic hits like “All Falls Down” and “Jesus Walks.” With the release of his next
two studio albums, “Late Registration” and “Graduation,” the Chicago native rapper firmly established himself as the biggest name in hip hop at the time. With the death of his mother, Donda, West released a very emotional album, “808s & Heartbreak,” which changed hip hop forever. West took a very melodic and autotune filled approach to this album. This body of work has gone down as arguably the most influential project in the history of the rap genre. It inspired many artists to also do what “Ye” introduced to the genre, to include melody in rapping. Countless rappers and singers have since adapted Kanye’s approach to melodic rap and have run away with it. Travis Scott, The Weeknd, and even Drake, who is the highest-selling solo artist in U.S. history, have all admitted that West was the biggest influence in their music. However, his influence in music ranges within his production as well, and not just his vocal execution. He has influenced countless rapper-producers like Russ and J Cole, just to name a couple. Kanye West has also gone on to create his own music label, “GOOD Music,” helping some of today’s biggest names embark on their careers. Among those artists
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Photo By Super 45 Creative Commons
are John Legend, Travis Scott, and even Metro Boomin, who is thought by many, to be one of the best producers of this generation. Kanye’s influence, of course, has become a result of consecutive top quality music being released from the man. He is widely recognized as the rapper with the best discography of all time, with his first six albums all being labeled as classics by the commu-
nity. Additionally, his fifth studio album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” is to many music fans, the best hip hop album of all time. As previously mentioned, Kanye’s career achievements include nine number one studio albums, over 100 songs to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, and four number one songs. The fanfavorite has sold over 130 million
records in the United States and has won an astounding 21 Grammy Awards. With the versatility, evolution, success, and influence shown in his music, there is no surprise as to why many people believe Kanye West is the greatest musician to grace the Earth. Gurgen Sahakyan can be reached at gurgensahakyan07@gmail.com.
The Sun Sets on “The Morning Show”
How Apple’s TV Plus leading show eclipses all other streaming originals...in the worst way possible.
By Alin Pasokhian Editor-in-Chief
On Nov. 1, Apple launched the Apple TV Plus app on its devices. Along with it, came the Original series, “The Morning Show,” which centers itself around the lives of the people who create and produce morning television. With its all-star cast including Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carrel, Apple predicted it to be a hit. The show, however, has been faced with negative feedback from viewers and critics alike. Almost all negative feedback is well deserved. From the lightheartedness of the
way serious issues are approached, to the excessive need to be “relatable” with the countless F-bombs dropped as a lazy attempt to sound like normal people. The show seems like a poor execution of an excellent idea. What could have been something that gave the audience an inside look on the perfectly manicured world of morning shows and televised news, turned out to be a flop. The show begins with Mitch Kessler (Carrel) being accused of sexual misconduct and being fired from his co-anchor position on “The Morning Show,” after being accused by several produc-
tion assistants. His co-anchor, Alex Levy (Aniston), is also faced with this backlash as she was kept in the dark about her “work husband’s” sexual misconduct as well as having to recover both her career and the network’s health after the scandal. Though the topic of the MeToo movement is a very timely subject, the show seems to focus more on the outcomes that Kessler has to deal with. From the peril of the fellow white man to how men can no longer use their power to force women to sleep with them, Kessler’s narcissism overshadows what his victims
had to endure and continue to endure after the fact. The entirety, if not the majority of the show feels done-before, mirroring that of Aaron Sorkin’s “The Newsroom,” an HBO original highlighting the daily goingson of a television news channel. Although Sorkin’s “The Newsroom” covers much more delicate topics such as gun violence, terrorism, and how one factual mistake can destroy a journalist’s career. “The Morning Show” is a show with a huge production budget, well-known and liked actors, and mediocre writing that completely drags down the potential value the show
can have. Though it’s possible it can improve as time goes on and the writers get a feel of what the audience prefers, it definitely should not have been the debut show of the tech giant’s streaming services. Consumers can only fear what other sub-par but expensive shows can emerge from this, but must also hope that the content provided will improve as the service gains some more footing with time.
Alin Pasokhian can be reached at pasokhian@gmail.com.