March 21: Spring 2018 El Vaquero

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Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Volume 111 | Issue 2

Walking Out In Solidarity Glendale Community College stands with Florida shooting victims in nationwide protest

By Elena Jacobson Staff Writer Over 200 Glendale Community College students walked out of class on the morning of March 14 to protest gun violence and in memorial of the victims of the Parkland, Fla,. mass shooting.

Students gathered in Plaza Vaquero around the 17 empty desks adorned with white roses, red poppies and candles and listened as the mic was opened up to anyone willing to share their thoughts and support.

The protest was a part of a much larger national movement that involved hundreds of schools across the country. Each movement had a planned walk out of class that would last for 17 minutes. One minute for each life lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school exactly one month to the day.

The recent shooting has been the final straw for a lot of people. Students came together in unity across the nation to try and convince politicians to restrict the same type of firearm used in recent school shootings.

The walk out event on campus had several demands, including the banning of “assault-style” weapons and high-capacity magazines, the expansion of background checks to all gun sales, and government research into gun violence.

During the protest here at GCC both students and faculty came up to the microphone and shared their experiences and thoughts on the matter, including one very impassioned student.

“Their lives were unfortunately lost, but not in vain,” said Maria Alicia Sandoval, a sociology and political science major.

“We will use the loss to make change. We can not have anymore blood spilled on the tables where our students are seated.”

Many students expressed similar sentiments of concern for their and others’ safety, as many have personal or second-hand experience with these tragedies.

Belinda Oldrati / Staff Photographer

SOLEMN MEMORIAL: Organizers put out 17 desks to remember the students and faculty killed in the Parkland, Fla., shooting massacre.

“I don’t want to go to school everyday and have to look over my shoulder,” student Sean Barry said. “We shouldn’t have to live in fear.”

The protest did not go without other opinions being aired. One student walked by shouting, “Shall not be infringed, the Second Amendment, ladies and gentleman.” This came as an English professor was talking about how worried she was for her daughter’s safety, who is in elementary school.

Student Audrey Cardenas, who is both pro-gun and also pro-gun control, participated in the protest. “These kids are scared with no one to hold them and tell them it’s OK,” she said. “It’s sad.”

Cardenas is a proud gun owner, possessing both a handgun and a shotgun, but joined out of concern for her three-year-old daughter’s safety.

An estimated one million students came together across the nation to make their voices heard and demand change in a display of unity and outrage.

“We stand in unison with our fists up in the air to know and to tell all these children and to tell the politicians that we need change now,” said Sandoval. “We fight so that future generations don’t have to.”

Since the Feb. 14 shooting, no nationwide gun control measures have been passed.

[See Walkout, page 2]

IN THIS ISSUE News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6 Opinion/Satire . . . . . . . . . 6-8 Entertainment.. . . . . . . . . . . 9 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

Builder of Worlds GCC production manager brings fiction to life with elaborate sets

By Hayk Rostomyan Production Editor

Carmen Fernandez / Staff Photographer

UNMATCHED VERSATILITY: Guido Girardi programs light systems in the GCC auditorium.

The architect wakes up and goes to work. His job is to create a world for others to live in. He lays the ground, the sky, and the walls. To make sure that everything is in shape he even gifts this world with light that he creates.

For the past 25 years Guido Girardi, the performing arts production manager at GCC, has been building the environment for college plays.

Due to downsizing in the early 90s at a freelancing company that he previously worked for, Girardi’s talent was brought to Glendale Community College. In ‘93, he enrolled in a Spanish 102 class taught by Lourdes Pérez. The class was held in the old CB building, which used to be where the water fountain is today. Lourdes re-

counted that he’d have trouble staying up in her class due to him staying up working on his theater productions. Her father worked in the same field as Girardi and this allowed him and Pérez to grow as friends and eventually he asked her out on a date.

In ‘96 they joined in holy matrimony onboard the Queen Mary. “Once we got married I was like why would I work anywhere else. Everything is (already) here,” recounted Girardi. Today, Lourdes Girardi works at GCC as the Chair of the Language Arts Division.

Girardi is in charge of the events that are held at the main theater stage, the smaller theater studio, and the dance studio in the Sierra Nevada building.

“I usually design something for the show. Weather it’s set building, lighting, or both,” Girardi said.

[See Builder, page 2]

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NEWS

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

elvaq EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ken Allard MANAGING EDITOR Marian Sahakyan PRODUCTION EDITORS Belinda Oldrati Hayk Rostomyan WEB EDITOR Carolina Diaz ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Adriana Garcia STAFF WRITERS Jasmine Amabile Allison Ayala Katrina Bulay Christopher Daniels Rudy Guijarro Catalina Juarez Chieko Kubo Vendela Lindblom Kevin Perez James Ojano-Simonsson PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Elena Jacobson Matthew Spencer

Walking Out In Solidarity [From Walkout, page 1] On March 7, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed into law a bill that imposed additional firearm restrictions – the first instance of increased gun control measures in the Sunshine State in decades.

The $400 million gun control bill increased the minimum age to purchase any firearm from 18 to 21 years of age. It also imposed a three-day waiting period on gun purchases and banned “bump stocks,” a modification that allows a semi-automatic rifle to increase its rate of fire similar to that of an automatic weapon.

The legislation was passed despite stiff opposition by the National Rifle Association.

Other students, who opted not to speak at the open mic, rallied around in support of those who did. One student had a sign encouraging people to call their local representatives and demand change.

Sergio Domingues, who lead the protest here on campus, ended the protest with some powerful words. “This time it was 17, how many more?”

Prominent politicians took to Twitter to show support for the students participating in the walk

Belinda Oldrati / Staff Photographer

COMMUNITY GATHERS: Over a hundred students and staff gather in front of the Administration Building on March 14 to advocate for more gun controls.

out event.

“There is a powerful movement happening in this country, led by the courageous students of Stoneman Douglas High School, demanding action on gun vio-

CONTRIBUTORS Hikari Izumi PHOTOGRAPHERS Carmen Fernandez Alexander Sampson FACULTY ADVISER Rory Cohen

rcohen@glendale.edu (818) 240-1000 ext. 5214

Belinda Oldrati / Staff Photographer

SPEAKING UP: GCC student Maria Alicia Sandoval participates in the rally against guns.

Letters to the Editor 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.

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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.

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lence,” California Sen. Kamala Harris tweeted. “Yet GOP leaders are refusing to give us a chance to vote or even debate legislation on this issue.”

“We’ve heard the students who participated in the National School Walkout loud and clear.

I’ll never stop fighting for stronger laws,” California Sen. Dianne Feinstein tweeted. “As a country we can’t allow children being shot to death in school to become routine. We must break the cycle of discussion and turn to action.”

The protests were started by the March for Our Lives movement in Washington D.C., but students organized the protests themselves at their individual schools throughout the United States.

“March For Our Lives is creat-

ed by, inspired by, and led by students across the country who will no longer risk their lives waiting for someone else to take action to stop the epidemic of mass school shootings that has become all too familiar,” reads the mission statement of the movement.

The shooting that started all of these rallies occurred in Parkland Fla., on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school, where the 19-year-old perpetrator used a semi-automatic AR-15 to kill both students and teachers.

The shooter has been charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.

Florida prosecutors have stated that they will be seeking the death penalty.

Elena Jacobson can be reached at laneyjacobson520@gmail.com.

Builder of Worlds [From Builder, page 1] Girardi designed the set and the lighting for Glendale Community College’s production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”

Two students won the school’s KCACTF nominations and are eligible to win the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship.

In ’98 Girardi worked on his proudest campus project, “Guys and Dolls.”

A lot of work went into designing the set for this musical.

Girardi wanted to recreate the Ed Harper painting, Nighthawks, as if it were a book. He wanted every scene change to look like a page from a book was being turned. To achieve this on time for the opening night, Girardi received aid from his friends at the East West Players theatre organization. This production marked the first time that the college produced a musical.

Every couple of years, apart from working on campus, Girardi puts on a show with the East West Players in Downtown LA. East West Players was founded in 1965 and is the oldest and largest Asian American theater company.

This company gets him working with professionals. This is a contrast to working with students, which in most cases, are beginning to learn their craft. The last show Girardi worked on with them was the 2014 production of Beijing Spring.

He did lighting design for this opera that’s based on the uprising in Tiananmen Square. At the time the play was running it was also the 25-year anniversary of the event and many attendees came from China to see it. Girardi’s contribution won him the Sage Award from the Arts In LA organization for his lighting design.

Girardi is very proud of his former students who’ve contin-

ued to work in the industry after graduating. One of his first students, Gilbert Bagramian, designs the lighting for all the major Persian and Armenian groups, as well as some hip-hop artists.

Girardi added that Bagramian opened his own company and that he’d moved forward and worked with the likes of Kanye West.

Some improvements that Girardi would like to make to the Theater Department include updated equipment.

Twenty years ago they had state-of-the-art tech, today they still have the tools they got in the ‘90s and early 2000s.

The equipment still works today but they cannot do what the newer models can. By moving the location of the bathrooms to the main floor, he’d like to make it easy for people to find the restroom, Girardi said. One last change he’d like is to get new seats for the auditorium. “With

theater, you do as much as you can with what you have and we’re very good at that,” Girardi said.

“Part of what a [set] designer tries to do is to get the audience to feel like their inside that environment so they kinda forget who they are and that they’re watching a show,” Girardi said. “Which is one of the great things about theater, versus a movie, is that it’s 4D. Everything is happening all the time all around you all.” This is particularly true for the plays in the smaller stage where the actors are usually next to the audience, he mentions.

In addition to his duties as production manager, Girardi also teaches part time on campus.

Be sure to check the catalog.

After all, it’s time for the curtain call.

Hayk Rostomyan can be reached at hayk.rostomyan@gmail.com.

NEWS

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Wednesday, March 21, 2018

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SHPEing Lives GCC chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers makes an impact

By Carolina Diaz Staff Writer Glendale Community College hosted their third annual Maker Faire on March 17, put together by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) next to the Sierra Vista building.

Early in the morning the volunteers gave each attendee a drawstring backpack with information about the program, a free shirt, and a lunch ticket for In-NOut. This year Scarlet Galvez, president of SHPE, was the event coordinator and it was her first time planning the Maker Faire.

“I definitely had other struggles since I did not get the chance

to participate in the past two GCC Maker Faire events,” said Galvez.

“The most difficult part for me was figuring out what to do and in what order.”

Galvez, a mechanical engineering major, joined SHPE in Fall 2016 where she got the position of historian and then became president in Fall of 2017.

“This is my first time organizing an event and the fact that we planned for at least 300 people made me quite nervous,” said Galvez.

“SHPE changes lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support

and development,” reads the mission statement of the group.

With plenty of lectures and workshops, SHPE was ready to showcase all their inventions and teach the attendees something new about engineering and space.

From having a space escape room to making slime, they had different options to attend to.

In the conference room by the Student Center, the students and organizations displayed their robots and other inventions. You got to see an LED chandelier to a 3D printing machine. The attendees had the chance to test out some of the robots and machines they had there. Parents had the opportunity to sign up their chil-

dren to a summer camp that has a different lecture and workshop every day.

What seems to be the most popular lecture was titled “How to Get to Mars, and What to Do When You’re There,” presented

by Armen Toorian, instructor of engineering at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Everyone was interested in the new rover that would be sent to Mars in 2020 and how it would get there.

There was also a workshop that most adults and little kids were interested in. The solar bug kit and sphero was a hands-on workshop where the attendees created their own little car toy that ran on solar power. Once

they were done they were able to keep it as a memory and show off their creations.

SHPE is not only a club to some but the members feel like family. Students can expect to learn and even experience academic career development. The focus is not just on “building robots” but on how to improve their resumes, networking, and learning new set of skills.

“One can be an engineer, but SHPE has taught me how to become a professional engineer,” Galvez said.

Carolina Diaz can be reached at itscarodiaz@gmail.com.

FEATURES Barbie Joins the 21st Century For the first time Barbie represents real women instead of the artificial

By Adriana Garcia Staff Writer Toy manufacturing company Mattel released 17 new “Role Model” Barbies in honor of International Women’s Day. The line includes accomplished, groundbreaking women like artist Frida Kahlo, aviator Amelia Earhart and filmmaker Ava Duvernay.

Because they’re based on real women, the dolls range in race, color and (only slightly) size.

The move came after a Mattel global survey found 86 percent of mothers were concerned about their children’s role model exposure.

“As a brand that inspires the limitless potential in girls, Barbie will be honoring its largest line up of role models timed to International Women’s Day because we know that you can’t be what you can’t see,” Lisa McKnight, senior vice president and general manager at Barbie, told the press.

“Girls have always been able to play out different roles and careers with Barbie and we are thrilled to shine a light on real life role models to remind them that

they can be anything.”

The collection is a commendable step in achieving a more intersegmental view in female empowerment – something I often found lacking in the contemporary feminist surge.

And although its “curvy” dolls could be curvier and its renditions less polished and more life-like, they’re trying.

Involving role models like these women in girls’ playtime is crucial in creating new, positive life expectations. This is especially true for girls of color.

One Christmas, in what I can only assume was an attempt at making me a more feminine child, my parents gifted me two Barbie dolls. The first was a standard model with blonde hair and blue eyes. The second had a deep tan, brown hair and smelled like coconut.

I tossed the first, kept the second. I was pleased at seeing a doll that slightly resembled the women around me, but all I could do was change her from an evening gown to a bathing suit.

Eventually I tossed her out, too.

However, a small study conducted at Oregon State University found it’s not Barbie’s lack of career outfits that reduce girls’ confidence in achieving personal career goals. It’s her physical appearance.

The unattainable 110-pound, 5-foot-9, over-sexualized image that Barbie is modeled after creates a disconnect for girls that renders her multiple career options equally unattainable.

When asked, girls who played with a Mrs. Potato Head felt they had more career possibilities than those who played with Barbie.

The “Role Models” collection’s diversity in height, color and identity could be a step in fixing this problem.

The dolls’ distinctive features, such as gymnast Gabby Douglas’s skin, soccer player Sara Gama’s hair and fencing champion Ibtihaj Muhammad’s hijab will resonate with girls who don’t see their image reflected in mainstream media, and encourage them to pursue any career they desire.

Adriana Garcia can be reached at agarcia5422@student.glendale.edu.

Barbie / Courtesy Photo

MAKING HISTORY: From left to right: Helene Darroze, Nicola Adams Obe, Chloe Kim, Frida Kahlo, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Katherine Johnson, and Gabby Douglas are the new faces of Barbie.

Lessons and Memories From ‘Tatik’ Celebrating strong women, generations apart

Carrie Lu / Creative Commons

FLOWERS AND SUNSHINE: A field of sunflowers takes one down memory lane.

By Marian Sahakyan Managing Editor The folds on her skin had become so pronounced, making it difficult to tell what she would’ve looked like as a young woman. I loved every crease and line on her face.

I loved that at the age of 82, she had more black hair than white; she had never dyed it.

“Happy women’s day tatik,” I kissed her soft, wrinkled cheeks, handing her a sunflower bouquet. She gave me a puzzled smile followed by nervous silence. I once again realized that I had failed to help her remember.

It all started about three years ago when my grandmother started to confuse me with my sister. She suddenly became ignorant to all the things that once made her happy. She no longer knew that I was the granddaughter named after her, or that sunflowers were her favorite.

She became numb to information, and memories were no more. They diagnosed her with dementia.

That night as I drove around, baffled with questions and filled with bittersweet recollections, the word “legacy” came to mind. Suddenly, I realized that people are not forever, but what is, is the way they make us feel.

I remembered all the times she inspired me with the stories of strong women in our family. Like Araksya tatik, who raised my grandmother and her two siblings alone, while her husband was away at war. Or her sister Arus who endured many miscarriages before she was able to give birth to four sons, only to see half of them die before the age of 45. These stories were given to me raw, unfiltered, waiting to be told.

She no longer tells me stories, or bakes Armenian gata with me. She doesn’t help me with foreign language homework, and she doesn’t give me sunflowers from her garden. But she gave me her name, tales and lessons to pass on and along.

I realized that that’s kind of what women’s history month is all about, learning something and passing it on and celebrating the power of being a woman. As photographs, experiences, lessons and stories are told and actions are taken, we are given the choice of embracing these or letting them pass.

It could be grandma or Mother Teresa, Ellen DeGeneres or Marilyn Monroe. It’s about celebrating legacy and women who empower.

Marian Sahakyan can be reached at manehsahakyan@gmail.com.

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PhanatiX: The Legacy of Paczynski Founder of initiative talks about impact, growth of special showcase at GCC

By James Ojano-Simonsson Staff Writer Since 1996 the showcase has given a good foundation to GCC dancers.

Patt Paczynski, a staff member at Glendale Community College’s Dance Department, and the founder of the PhanatiX program shared some history and her vision about the showcase, that took place over the weekend.

It all started when Paczynski was in the modern dance community in Chicago, her hometown. The dance style “postmodern” was trendy, but minimal, Paczynski explained.

Later she got more drawn to jazz and ended up choreographing a lot for various theaters where she grew up.

“Without Patt, this department would not exist,” Ani Vartani, Dance Club president said. “She keeps all the dancers’ progresses documented. She knows this department inside out, and she has seen many dancers come and go with happiness and feeling content with themselves to continue their journeys in the dance world.”

Paczynski grew up watching TV shows featuring Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and Cyd Charisse, and was inspired by their work as performers.

Later in life, Paczynski studied at the Dance Center of Columbia College, where she was part of a program called “Works in Progress.” It gave her and other students opportunities to choreograph and perform every month, as well as getting feedback on their dance pieces, which is

Belinda Oldrati / Staff Photographer

SMOOTH CHOREOGRAPHY: Sera Shahgholian dances Patt Paczynski’s piece.

Belinda Oldrati / Staff Photographer

YOU’RE THE ONE THAT I WANT: GCC Dance Club performs a classic “Grease” piece.

important for dancers’ growth.

“I was excited to move to Los Angeles because the support for independent choreographers back home in Chicago was evaporating, so it was a good time to relocate,” said Paczynski.

Paczynski moved to California and attended Glendale Community College as a dance major. The program was very different from what it is today. During her first fall semester, they developed and worked on dance pieces that did not always make it to the yearly show since many students had either graduated or did not take the class during the spring semester. A problem because they only had one performance per year, she explained.

That was when Paczynski got the idea to bring her college experience to GCC. So she pitched her idea about having multiple opportunities for students to choreograph and perform, which Hillary LeMieux, the director of the Dance Department.

The original name for the GCC dance showcases was the

Phanatics Dancers. A previous director of the Dance Department, Lynn McMurray, came up with the name. Since he believed a dance student’s passion for dancing was equivalent to sport fanatics, Paczynski said. Over the years “The Phanatics Dancers” became “PhanatiX,” but the core vision always remained.

Paczynski proudly shared her most memorable show, the 10year anniversary of PhanatiX in 2006, where she choreographed the whole show with a theme similar to “American Idol.”

At last week’s PhanatiX show, Paczynski showcased a piece inspired by Bob Fosse, but with her own touch.

Sera Shahgholian, a dancer that was profiled in the March 7 El Vaquero issue, performed Paczynski’s choreography [“5, 6, 7, 8 ... ,” Features]. The show was a success, with over a 100 people in the audience attending Saturday’s program.

“When I pitched my idea about PhanatiX, I would never know it would still be alive today,”

Paczynski said. “I feel that it is my legacy.”

James Ojano-Simonsson can be reached at jojanos818@student.glendale.edu.

WHAT’S NEXT? WHAT? FACULTY ALUMNI DANCE PERFORMANCE WHERE? AUDITORIUM MAINSTAGE THEATRE WHEN? Tuesday, May 29th @ 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 30th @ 12:20 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 31st @ 12:20 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

Friday, June 1st @ 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, June 2nd @ 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, June 3rd @ 2:00 p.m.

The Sounds of Tomorrow Building bridges between the underground music scene and the Angelenos

By Alexander Sampson Staff Writer As the the world changes, there are many tropes that remain infinite. One of these tropes being the progression of music within a rich underground scene.

The underground, while being easier to find, has flourished under the change brought on by the internet. This change has allowed for anyone from around the world to discover a sound or aesthetic that truly speaks to them, thus connecting them in a way that was impossible before.

An underground scene can now claim international renown before being accepted by radio-level airplay, in some cases even ignoring traditional radio to remain true to their sound. That’s where “Soulec-

tion” comes in.

Flourishing under this new age of technology is “Soulection” radio.

Founded in Los Angeles in 2011, “Soulection” began as a music collective of DJs and producers under a new subgenre of music called future bass.“‘Soulection’ is what I call a swiss-army knife, it’s a very modern experiment,” said Kay. “There’s really no format.

I’m all about not following a format,” said “Soulection” radio cofounder Jo kay. Their sound grew bigger and bigger using Soundcloud as their main platform, ironically enough creating a format for similar startups to follow.

Starting off local, the collectives first call to fame began with their original residency in Echo Park’s Echoplex, renowned for its ties to the

music underground. For years the Echoplex has hosted many successful startups with “Soulection” being a gleaming star on that list.

“Soulection’s” time at the Echoplex ended due to their growing fame, however. Switching residency, The legendary Regent theatre in downtown Los Angeles sparked a change in “Soulection’s” career. Shortly after the switch, “Soulection’s” radio show found a new home in Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio allowing their sound to reach a large number of fresh ears.

A beautiful juxtaposition from my time within the scene, fresh ears are now what pack the lines of “Soulection” shows that sell out weeks in advance with lines circling the block. I have had the pleasure of attending these shows since their time at the Echoplex and watched them

Alexander Sampson / Staff Photographer

HYPE UP: Homies Only brings together a group of empowering youth to bond over music.

grow into the force they are now.

My first show left me with such an amazing feeling as I got to relax and vibe to jazzy music with everyone else around me.

It was an intimate event in 2013 that left you exhilarated. Fast forward to 2015 and the size of the shows have changed but one thing remained constant, the feel-

good vibes were here to stay.

Even with increased audience size, “Soulection” still pushes its signature sound through making sure its purpose is never forgotten.

Alexander Sampson can be reached at asampson323@gmail.com.

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Ceramics, Turning Wheels How one GCC program is truly one of a kind, just like students’ creations

By Marian Sahakyan Managing Editor Dull stairs lead up to a building so overlooked, that if it was gone tomorrow, most students wouldn’t notice it’s missing.

Most. It’s a less populated part of campus, but has become home to the community of creatives and fine art connoisseurs.

Upon walking into the ceramics lab in the Aviation Arts building, one steps into a whole new realm of college life. Suddenly, the precalculus anxiety and science stress are no more. Everything becomes timeless and calm, and the only thing indicating a sense of time are the texture or moisture of one’s ceramic piece.

To the left of the studio is the ‘kiln,’ a furnace oven designed for baking or as they say in the ceramics world, ‘firing’ pottery.

Across from the kiln are all the different types of glaze and paint that students use to color their pieces.

Although it seems that ‘glazing’ or coloring pottery is as easy as watercolor on paper, it takes a professional to understand the distinct differences. Many factors go into the final color of the piece one makes. Temperature, composition, colorants and other glaze materials are just a few of the things that affect the final product. For example, if the colorants are volatile, they will dissipate into the kiln atmosphere if it is fired at a high temperature. Essentially, the deceiving nature of glazing is exactly what makes it so much more fascinating for students.

Straight ahead, through the studio room, one sees the work space; tall tables paired with stools, there’s a wrap-around path of the turning wheel, where students gather to make their pot-

tery. All in all, it’s a warm and welcoming environment, where students feel inspired to create.

“The clay room feels like home to me, I feel like I’m in a different world,” ceramics major Caye Hartman said. “I’m free from my busy life and I’m able to create things, and being around creative minds makes me happy.”

The leaders of the department have done everything possible to create a stress-free environment to influence prolific freedom for their students.

“Some [students] come here with a little bit of experience,” Ceramics Department chair Richard McColl said. “Knowing the basics, they come here to learn the form, and we have structured a program that you can take to any university and you are at the top of your class. We give people foundation.”

Many years ago, when the previous head of the Ceramics Department, Robert Kibler started the program, he had no idea that it would become such a big success. The small program grew popular within the student body and is now one of the most sought after in the area. It offers over ten classes to choose from, covering everything from history of ceramics, technique, form, glazing, design and calculation. Glendale Community College also offers a prominent certificate program to be completed in two years or four semesters. “[You] get an experience not only in technique but in form and in glazing and design and history of ceramics, there’s a rhythm element to everything,” McColl added. “It’s not just college, you learn a lot that can transfer to the rest of your life and the rest of your college career, which is fantastic.”

When asked about the com-

SPIN ME AROUND: A student demonstrates how to shape clay on a turning wheel.

petitiveness of the field, finding real life jobs and the outcomes of having a ceramics degree, McColl explained that one can make it in any field if they have passion, willpower and dedication for their craft.

“It’s definitely hard to find a job, but you can create a job,” he explained. “We have students who are running businesses, students who are teaching, students who have transferred. We have students who are running most of the ceramics centers in the area.”

He then proceeded to parade some of his students who recently had shows in both New York and Tokyo.

“We have really talented peo-

ple getting out of here,” McColl smiled proudly.

As students get more comfortable with the clay and find their inspirations, they become part of a bigger learning experience; marketing and learning. The Ceramics Department holds annual winter sales of the artwork of its students. By doing this, they allow students to get more of a reallife, hands-on experience of what it will be like to make a living as a ceramics artist. “[They] learn how to market [their] work, exhibit [their] work.

We teach how to make pieces that can be exhibited in competitive jury exhibitions around the world,” said McColl.

Belinda Oldrati / Staff Photographer

Depending on the level of technique and advancement used, pieces normally range from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars.

Eighty percent of the proceeds of the sale goes to the student artist, and the other 20 is donated to the department for maintenance, for things such as clay, colors and replacing the kiln.

Seemingly a universe of its own, ceramics is just one of many little worlds residing under the name of GCC. As we journey through each program on campus, one can’t help but think, what’s next?

Marian Sahakyan can be reached at manehsahakyan@gmail.com.

A u t h e n t i c R a m e n i n Ts u j i t a Amazing Japanese food makes customers come back

By Chieko Kubo Staff Writer “Irasshaimase!”

When people walk into Tsujita, they hear vigorous and friendly voices from waiters and waitresses welcoming them in Japanese. Irasshaimase literally

means “welcome to the restaurant.” Tsujita is a Japanese ramen restaurant where people can experience delicious ramens that taste authentic.

It offers ramens, all perfectly tasty. The restaurant stresses on the soup. Each ramen has different flavors: soup from dried small

Chieko Kubo / Staff Photographer

GLENDALE LIMITED: Tsujita’s Special Chicken Ramen.

fishes, from pork bone, and from chicken. Moreover, those soups have been boiled 16 hours. Customers can add toppings that they want. They can add char siu (barbecued pork), ajitama (seasoned soft-boiled egg), and more. In addition, they can alter the taste; they can add soy sauce, spicy takana, or red ginger for free.

Tsujita serves not too Americanized ramens. Instead, they offer those that are cooked by a specially trained Japanese chef.

The kitchen manager of Tsujita in Glendale is Naoyuki Kurashige.

He is from Japan. Surprisingly, he remembers every regular customer and what they ordered. He often adds toppings for free for frequent customers.

Furthermore, all servers are friendly and quick. Customers can get food in as little as 10 minutes. In the restaurant, everything

is clean, too. To add authenticity, all staff say “thank you” in Japanese when customers leave. It is a Japanese style and culture to behave like this, especially at a ramen eatery.

People can get the amazing ramen at a great price. The cheapest ramen is Killer Dan-Dan Noodle without soup at $10.45. Customers can choose the level of spicy.

Tsujita also serves many kinds of rice bowls, such as Spicy Tuna Don and Salmon Ikura Don. These are all $5.99, but these all become $4.99 when combined with any noodles.

In Tsujita, there is seating for all types of groups: tables for more than four, for two, and big tables that can be shared with anybody. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very modern and comfortable with fashionable lights shining on the tables.

The busiest time is 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., especially on weekends. Tsujita has happy hour, where customers can drink sake at half-price, so they can have a good time when they go.

Delivery service is available for Tsujita, too, so customers can order through Uber Eats.

When visitors finish eating their meal and head out of the restaurant, they hear “arigatougozaimashita!” from all staff members. That means “thank you very much.”The restaurant is located at 769 Americana Way, in Glendale, Calif. and has several locations, including in Downtown Los Angeles and in Honolulu, Hawaii. Reach the Glendale location at (818) 553-3822.

Chieko Kubo can be reached at ckubo195@student.glendale.edu.

6

FEATURES

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

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Hikari Izumi / Contributing Photographer

LOTS OF ENERGY: Women compete at the Air Wipp 2017 conference.

Woman Represents Big in Parkour Vast majority of participants are male, but that’s about to change

By Hikari Izumi Contributing Writer Elise Bickley took first place in the world-class parkour competition within the Air Wipp Challenge women’s division, even though she is just 13 years old. She looks very small and thin, but has so much energy. On her stage, she performed difficult tricks that even other professional parkour competitors do not attempt at competitions. Her performance proved that women have potential to stand on the same stage with men.

Have you ever seen videos of people doing incredible stunts, like jumping from rooftop to rooftop and performing complex acrobatics in extreme environments? At first glance, it seems completely risky and insane

to whoever is watching. But in reality, the people that perform these death-defying stunts have learned to control their bodies with such accuracy and capacities that only they understand. This is through the training discipline known as parkour.

Parkour was developed from French military training practices.

The player’s intended goal is to get from one point to another in a complex environment without assistive equipment and in the fastest and most efficient way possible. Learning about parkour and doing parkour can benefit and improve your physical and mental capacity, according to trainers. It can also lead to careers. “I want to be a stunt double for movies,” said Bickley.

The training discipline is still relatively unknown, and there

are more men than women in the parkour community because it has an “exclusive boys’ club” image in the world, except the United Kingdom. In the U.K., parkour is getting more common.

The participation figures for parkour are 96,700, according to Sport England‘s Active Lives Survey. There are enough gyms, parks, and instructors that help boost its popularity.

Bickley started parkour training two years ago in the U.K environment. Before she started parkour, she was often scolded by her mother because she was jumping around the furniture at home. Her parents took her to a small parkour club to stop her from jumping inside the house. She has not only the best environment in the U.K., but also an aptitude for parkour. She grew

Work harder to have the relationship you want College students have been singing the same song for the past decade: “It’s so hard to date now.” Well, it’s true, but it’s not dating that’s changed. We have.

People have gotten lazy, and why not? We can listen to music, watch movies, and order pizza by pressing a few buttons. It’s all at the palm of our hands. So it makes sense that so many think dating should be in the same rhythm of everyday leisure.

And that is exactly the problem, we have forgotten the difference between pleasure and dating. Going on a date is tough, nerve wrecking, fun, and not fun, all at the same time. It is a rollercoaster ride that serves as a gateway to a potential relationship, hook up, and if the date went wrong, a learning experience.

But it’s our sensitive egos that has scared us away from a proper meet-and-greet and has steered us to this “Twilight Zone” reality of meeting someone online to avoid the pressure of walking up to a person we find relatively attractive and saying “want to go out sometime?”

Overcoming that pressure was something everyone before 1997 had to overcome, which is why there were so many after school specials about how the boy meets the girl, or vice versa. The awkwardness of dating is precisely why dating is so important. You learn a lot about yourself and what you want out of a person and, more importantly, what you don’t want.

Mark Twain once wrote, “Love seems the swiftest, but it is the slowest of all growths.” Our generation is impatient, that goes without saying, but patience is not an emotion, it’s a skill. To properly date, you need a lot of patience.

In grade school children make friends by greeting each other, making conversation, and finding common ground; dating shouldn’t be any different. It takes work, it takes real contact and commitment to go on an honest date.

culture.

Nowadays, the number of parkour competitions is growing as the development of the parkour scene expands.

However, competing with others is not preferred in the parkour culture. Competition is necessary for the development of parkour, but players must not forget about respecting others and competing with only their former self. Bickley knew the parkour spirit already in spite of being just 13-years-old. She also said that she loves the community and the progression of completing skills that she couldn’t do before.

When the chairman announced her name as the first prize recipient, not only was she completely overwhelmed and shocked, but so were people in parkour community. It was definitely one of the most historical events in parkour culture.

A 13-year-old girl took the first prize in the world-class women competition, doing many difficult tricks which even the male professional athletes did not attempt at competition.

“I think my parents are happy for me to do parkour because I don’t have to jump around their furniture anymore,” said Bickley. “It’s just quite difficult to fit everything in because I have training and other things on as well as school and [a] social life so sometimes I miss out on things with my friends but I don’t mind.”

Hikari Izumi can be reached hizumi253@student.glendale.edu.

OPINION

EDITORIAL

Dating Was Never Easy

to a world champion with only two years of training.

The world-class competition, the Air Wipp Challenge, has been held every year in Sweden since 2012 by Air Wipp, the parkour brand that was established by two parkour trainers in 2008. Today, the competition has become as big and famous as the Red Bull competition, in which parkour is also featured.

Red Bull does not hold women and youth competition, as did Air Wipp in 2017. It was Air Wipp that held the first youth and women divisions at world-class competitions. The participants were chosen from online video submissions.

Thirteen women participated in the women’s division from all over the world and 15 boys participated in the youth division from all over Europe. The schedule was divided into two days. The first day for on-site qualifiers, women, and youths.

Even though it was the first time to hold the two divisions, people filled up the audience seats to watch the competition.

The stage was lighting up, the chairman excited the audience, and the competition was broadcast live on YouTube.

In such as high-stress situation, the youngest girl took first prize.

She decided to participate in the competition because she just wanted to meet everyone and to have fun. “I don’t think it’s right to just care about the competing side of it,” said Bickley. It is an important mind set in the parkour

Victims Come In Many Shapes Lessons still being learned

By Adriana Garcia Staff Writer “Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house,” my father always said. He taught me everything I know about winning an argument and always reminded me not to touch a subject that would leave me vulnerable.

California Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia might not have received the same lesson. Her positions as head of the Legislative Women’s Caucus and an active member of the #MeToo movement were disparaged after multiple sexual misconduct accusations arose against her in the past months.

Garcia consistently used social media to ensure the public she would not work with politicians who had allegations against them, and condemned men who blamed alcohol for their predatory behavior.

She has two pending accusations, and former legislative staffer and alleged victim Daniel Fierro claims she appeared inebriated during his assault.

Last year was nothing if not a rude awakening about the need for transparency in the workplace.

The #MeToo movement gained momentum midway through the year with Hollywood horror stories involving big-name executives like Harvey Weinstein and entertainers like Louis C.K. The movement was grand in encouraging victims to come forth, break silence and openly accuse those who cause harm. It also, however, encouraged a select few to pursue an ideology that demonizes all men.

It’s important to recall men and boys are assault victims as well. One in every 10 rape victims are male, according to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network website. And while the most prominent example of male victims might currently stem from actor Kevin Spacey’s accusations, what about female aggressors?

Garcia appears to be the first female accused of misconduct in the public sphere, but the stigma surrounding male victimization might impede a more accurate number.

“Because men in our society are expected to always be ready for sex and to be the aggressors in sexual relationships, it may be difficult for a man to tell people that he has been sexually assaulted, especially if the perpetrator was a woman,” the University of Michigan Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center website noted.

Moreover, the fiercely female #MeToo movement might

rightfully be hesitant to highlight male victims’ experiences due to the masculine sex’s tendency to overshadow female commentary and concerns.

Including males’ assault experience, especially if the perpetrator was a woman, might break the momentous feminine solidarity created in the past year and draw attention to the already overwhelmingly encompassing male gender.

But transparency should flow both ways. There should be no discrimination between a male or female assailant, because both can cause an equal amount of harm.

There shouldn’t be a “wrong” place to speak up about harassment, either. A man shouldn’t be afraid to use #MeToo if he feels it’s his most immediate and safe outlet, as long as his intention is to contribute and stand with the movement rather than overpower it.

Fierro, for instance, shared his experience “because he thought Garcia’s behavior was at odds with the #MeToo movement, which could harm the cause she was so closely associated with,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

In this tumultuous climate, we should recall both victims and assailants come in many different forms, and we should not assign a gender to either one.

Adriana Garcia can be reached agarcia5422@student.glendale.edu.

OPINION

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Wednesday, March 21, 2018

7

Living Off Some Pocket Change Millennials are facing more financial struggles than previous generations

By Catalina Juarez Staff Writer Millennials have consistently been bashed and mocked for not being able to have their own home or be financially stable to even afford one.

Aside from constantly being compared to Generation X, which in many cases happen to be their own parents, millennials are faced with the constant pressure of having everything done by a certain age.

What everyone fails to realize is that, as cliché as it sounds, times were much more different back when Generation X was coming up than they are now with millennials. For instance, things were much more affordable and minimum wage at the time was enough to cover most living expenses.

Teenagers were able to move out of their parent’s house by the age of 18, but today, it is nearly impossible for a college student to even think of moving out on their own, let alone buy their own car. It’s come to the point where you either choose between having your own means of transportation or having your own place; either way, you’re struggling.

Minimum wage has everyone living paycheck-to-paycheck.

Oxfam America conducted a survey and concluded that 41.7 million workers earn $12 or less and 58.3 million American workers make just under $15 an hour. Now, to many, having a minimum wage of $15 doesn’t sound as bad, but looking at the bigger picture, these are still very low wages to live off from, yet alone raise a family.

If we take a trip down history, between 1965-1980 Generation X had earned an average income of $43,000 a year and in some cases even more. They earned more than their parents ever did, which allowed them to become financially independent at a very young age. You compare that to the millennial era whose average income came in at $18,000 and you wonder why many are still living at their parent’s house or struggling to get by.

Then, there’s also this constant debate of raising the minimum wage to a much more reasonable pay. What some fail to realize is that even though the minimum wage increases, prices of goods and services continue to increase, as well. It’s “purchasing power” that matters.

Millennials are faced with so many more hardships in this era then Generation X ever did in their time. Times have really made it hard for this generation

Aviva Luttrell / Creative Commons

DESPERATE FOR HELP: Christopher Barcomb, a homeless man in Northampton, Massachussetts.

to venture out on their own.

Expecting to live a “decent” life with these wages is impossible.

It’s almost as if millennials are playing a choosing game; choosing between what they really need or settling for something that will do just as good and can meet their budget.

Not to mention that millennials are also struggling with furthering their education

because even tuition fees have increased significantly over the years, leaving students no choice but to end up with student loans.

Everything comes at a price.

So before bashing the millennial era on their choices or questioning why they’re still living at home, let’s question the unfortunate circumstances they have to deal with on a daily basis. These are individuals who

are living their lives paycheckto-paycheck but are making their best to make ends meet. As Bernie Sanders once said, “... if somebody is going to work, that person has to receive at least a wage that they can can go out and live with dignity on. That’s an extremely important point.”

Catalina Juarez can be reached at cjuarez734@student.glendale.edu.

Worst Trophy Ever One man’s treasure is another man’s tragedy

By Allison Ayala Staff Writer The wisest animal in Africa no longer has the protection it needs from our country. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “withdrew previous rulings on trophy hunting and said the agency would allow sport hunters to receive permits for the trophy items on a “case-bycase basis,” according to the Washington Post.

Elephants are not the only animals in danger. Rhinoceros, buffalos, big cats of Africa, crocodiles, and other animals are at risk from poachers. They are used for making rugs, belts, purses, and boots from their skins. Some are even stuffed as trophies. But what can we do?

Sharing a meme makes us feel good, but we need to be careful about sharing the wrong information.

Indeed, a popular post on the internet suggests that groups have painted rhinoceros and elephant tusks pink so poachers don’t kill them. It’s sort of fake news, though. “The truth is simply that dying a tusk pink is simply not a realistic way to deter a poacher,” according to the KOTA Foundation, a group that teaches exclusively about African elephants. “First, there is the problem of capturing

LOTS OF LOVE: Like humans, elephants, too, show affection towards one another.

an elephant. They have to be anaesthetized the same as rhino.

This can be quite difficult and many times the animals don’t wake up as an unintended consequence for trying to save them.”

For a while, it seemed like something was being done. A task force was set up by former President Barack Obama in 2013 to curb wildlife trafficking.

“President Obama established the task force with a July 2013 executive order. It directed 17 federal agencies to support antipoaching activities, including a

reduction in consumer demand for products that no one really needs, like souvenirs and trinkets made from elephant tusks. FWS estimated that in 2012 one elephant was killed for its ivory every 15 minutes,” according to the Washington Post.

At the time, international trade in the “illegal merchandise was worth an estimated $7 billion to $23 billion annually in 2013,” the aforementioned article found. The Obama administration saw some successes with halting the animal poaching and even had

Adam Scotti / Creative Commons

bipartisan support. In September of 2016, final approval was given for the Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt (END) Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016, sponsored by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Edward R. Royce (R-Calif.). The legislation supported increased assistance to local officials fighting poachers “who are often armed with nightvision goggles, heavy weaponry, and even helicopters,” according to Royce’s office.

The Trump administration move can bring back this climate of illegal trade. There

is no reason to kill beautiful, sentient animals for their tusks. This sport is cruel and leads to the endangerment of animals. Furthermore, there are no economic benefits to trophy hunting despite some suggestions to the contrary. “The suggestion that trophy hunting plays a significant role in African economic development is misguided,” said economist Rod Campbell, lead author of a study for International Fund for Animal Welfare. “Revenues constitute only a fraction of a percent of GDP and almost none of that ever reaches rural communities.”

The study found that trophy hunting revenue never “accounts for more than 0.27 percent of the GDP. Additionally, trophy hunting revenues account for only 1.8 percent of overall tourism in nine investigated countries that allow trophy hunting, and even pro-hunting sources find that only 3 percent of the money actually reaches the rural communities where hunting occurs.”

Trophy hunting supporters claim that hunting generates $200 million annually in rural Africa. That is an insignificant figure, and the cost is even worse. We could drive these animals to extinction.

Allison Ayala can be reached at allisonayala912@gmail.com.

8

OPINION

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

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More Than Gun Control

An illness in American society that’s beyond the NRA and politics is right under our nose, but we refuse to talk about it

By Hayk Rostomyan Production Editor There is a pattern of finger pointing that occurs in the aftermath of a mass shooting.

Those who lean to the left side of politics blame the president (particularly if he’s a Republican) and the National Rifle Association. Those on the right side blame the incident on a lack of good guys with firearms and societal mental illness.

Who’s right and who’s wrong?

What if we are ignoring the true reason for the increase in mass shootings in the United States. Long before the shooting in Parkland, Fla., the United States experienced a massacre in Columbine, Colo. Three years later, a documentary maker targeted the Second Amendment. “I made “Bowling for Columbine” in the hope the school shootings would stop and that we would address the issue of how easy it is to get a gun in the United States, and tragically, those school shootings continue,” said ideologue Michael Moore.

He focuses on those who break the law by mocking those who bear arms and are the good guys.

More importantly, states that have changed their laws to protect citizens haven’t necessarily seen progress. California has some of the strictest gun laws. However, they have the most murders committed by firearms according to the FBI’s 2016 Crime in the United States report. Could it be that murdering someone in the state, with any weapon, is easier when so few have a way of protecting themselves with firearms?

This also works in contradiction to the number of

households who own firearms that had lowered from 51 percent of homes in 1978 to 31 percent of homes in 2014, according to the NORC at the University of Chicago’s General Social Survey.

There seems to be a correlation in states with strict gun control and an increase in gun-related crimes.

In the United States during 2016, 1,604 people had been murdered with knives, 472 killed by blunt objects like bats and hammers, and personal weapons (hands, feet) had ended 656 lives. That’s from FBI official statistics. In the same year, handguns resulted in 7,105 deaths while rifles were used to kill 374 people.

This goes against the idea that assault rifles are the deadliest weapons in America. The popular argument is that it’s easy to go into a state with relaxed gun control like Arizona, get an assault weapon, and sneak it through state lines. However, most of the firearms used in violent crimes are purchased from the black market, an illegal method of getting weapons.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms found that there were over 190,000 guns reported either lost or stolen in 2012, and the ATF has reported that over 177,000 were lost or stolen from private residents and vehicles. So the argument that gun control can prevent mass shootings is again proven wrong. This does not mean that the 50 states should just give out firearms. Some sort of gun control is needed at the state level to prevent an incident like the one in Parkland.

After all, the monster that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school was able to legally purchase an

AR-15, even with all the red flags in the air.

We can pretend video games are the problem all we want, even though studies show most mass murderers aren’t playing “Call of Duty.” The real social issues that affect Americans are those of poverty, mental illness, and broken households. When looking at the lives of criminals, a pattern correlated with a lowincome lifestyle is noticeable. It’s possible that a system that creates more jobs can prevent a desperate person from committing theft and robbery. After all, why would a person who has their needs met turn to a life of crime?

As for the issue of mental illness, that is more complicated to solve. Possibly a psychological type of test could determine whether a person is allowed to buy a weapon or not. How do we get ahead of the issue? It can start early by someone being bullied in school or living within a toxic household. To prevent a psychopath from being created, we have to take the burden as a society to identify these problems and getting help for these people instead of staying silent.

We live in a society where we are taking shame away. If a young man is strange, we say that it’s okay and we should not bully him. We have begun to accept the unacceptable. We saw this in countless interviews given by former classmates of the Florida teen who killed other students and teachers.

Some say he was a victim.

He was awkward and he had a tough upbringing. Well, tough luck. If he was bullied, maybe he deserved it and other students were trying to serve social justice.

It’s shocking to call the victim

a part of the problem. Lest we forget, the Columbine shooters were victims of heavy bullying because they dressed in black in goth fashion. A week before that shooting, they were allegedly confronted by their school peers and were criticized with homophobic slurs. That’s not okay, but it doesn’t validate what they did. These kids had problems and no one stepped in.

Now consider the Florida shooter. He is a 19-year-old that was part of a white supremacist gang. A 19-year-old could be saved from following a dark path if they are shown the reality of life; that race does not play a factor of whether you are good or bad. Ignoring the problem and brushing it under the carpet creates a time bomb.

Another step we can take is to identify an addiction to the internet. The internet is a great tool that connects us to the world and allows avenues to learn all sorts of wonderful things.

However for some people, the internet can turn into an addiction just like gambling. This extreme introversion creates a person who is ignorant to the norms of society.

They become outcasts in the real world so they become parts of groups online that are nothing more than echo chambers. These online echo chambers are able to feed the negative stereotypes of someone’s thoughts with memes like Pepe the Frog. Replacing what should be a dark joke into a perversion of reality.

An additional issue that is credited for an increase in criminal behavior is the rise of singleparent households. American society has been ignoring its family values by seeking simple pleasures. The divorce rates in

the U.S. are up to 50 percent, the American Psychological Association notes. That doesn’t even factor that there are many single parents struggling to be both mom and dad to a kid.

Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist for the University of Toronto in Canada, credits degenerative behavior to broken marriages. He says that a person growing up in a home with two parents allows the kids to get a good mix of values from their mother and their father.

His analysis stated that two sets of parents, almost always, results in a more well-rounded child. In contrast a single parent household, where there is a missing father usually, the child is far more likely to either have substance abuse issues or to become a criminal.

The Florida shooter, experienced a troubled upbringing and acted out violently when he was as young as two. There were so many red flags that he needed help. Instead, his adoptive parents kept guns around him. They told the media they had no clue he was sucked into anti-Semitic and white supremacist conspiracy theories. The signs, however, were there.

We should learn from these tragedies in order to prevent more individuals from turning to the dark side.

There are many angles to the problem of violence in the USA. Simple gun control legislation is not enough to save lives. These laws would serve as a Band-Aide, but they are not enough to heal the societal wound.

Hayk Rostomyan can be reached at hayk.rostomyan@gmail.com.

SATIRE Night of The Living Men A woman’s ultimate prey

By Rudy Guijarro Staff Writer Attention all women: The world is now ridden with evil pig monsters. They’re in our schools, our jobs, and even our homes. These monsters come in all shapes and sizes, and all titles. Some can be our dads, but don’t let his dad jokes fool you, he’s just as dangerous. If you see a monster, also known as a man, shoot on-site, no questions asked.

Women might be asking themselves, ‘Why men? What have they done?’ Well those are very stupid questions. What have men not done? They have been responsible for genocides and serial rapings that date back to the Crusades, and did you know the Crusaders fought in the name of Jesus Christ who was, you guessed it, a man.

Even the men we were told to look up to were terrible individuals. George Washington owned slaves, Charlie Chaplin was a pedophile, and George Bush Sr. would grab women’s butts when they posed for photos. And what kind of world do we live in, when we can’t trust the Bush family?

“The only solution to this epidemic of mass murdering and raping in our society is to get rid of men, once and for all,” said Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti before getting attacked by a group of #MeToo activists.

All current male politicians will be automatically substituted by women of equal value.

President Donald Trump will be replaced with Roseanne Barr, a fellow incredibly loud and wealthy television personality.

“I am so happy to be president of the United States of America,

and I didn’t even have to kill Jill Stein to get here,” yelled President Barr at a flock of birds passing by.

Women have dealt with enough scrutiny from men for too long. Whether it is men giving them unsolicited compliments, or opening doors for them, as if they can’t do it themselves. And getting women pregnant, as if they can’t do it themselves.

In 2018, we have learned a lot. Some might say too much, some might say too little, and some might say, too much of too little. But one thing is for sure, the greatest threat to mankind is man.

And whether you’re Weinstein, Einstein, or Rammstein as long as you’re all born male, you’re all a target.

Rudy Gujarro can be reached at rudyguijarro11@gmail.com.

August Brill/ Creative Commons

MYSTERY MAN: Coming out of nothingness, an unknown male, shows his presence.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

9

“Day 69” Album Review Disco died in the 70’s, rap died in 2018

By Rudy Guijarro Staff Writer Born Daniel Hernandez in Bushwick, Brooklyn, the 21-year-old rapper is hip-hop’s newest and loudest up-and-coming rapper, with his rainbow hair, Skittles teeth, and countless “69” face tattoos, Tekashi is certainly the genre’s strangest act yet.

Tekashi’s freshman album “Day 69” debuted No. 3 on the top R&B/Hip-Hop Billboard in its first week release. “Day 69” has moved over 55,000 units, just under Post Malone’s album“Psycho,” according to Billboard.com.

“Day 69” is nothing new to Tekashi fans, it brings the same eerie synthesizers, 808 drums, and “SCUMGANG!” intro that his debut single “Gummo” perpetuated. “Gummo” was released on Youtube in Oct. 2017 and has already reached over 140 million views.

The album consist of 11 songs, although two of them are “Gummo,” the last track being a remix featuring rapper Offset from the infamous Hip-Hop duo “Migos” which is never a good sign for an album to have repeated tracks.

The songs “Billy” and “Kooda” were released on “WorldStarHipHop” Youtube channel last month as teasers for the al-

bum, unfortunately they only proved that 6ix9ine gave it his all in the debut single.

“Keke” showed some potential with a melodic guitar intro, but seconds in, it gave way to the monotonous theme of the album that seems to be scream, curse, scream, gunshots.

“When I make music I don’t have any thoughts,” Tekashi said in an interview with XXL Magazine. “I just be angry as f**k. I feel like that’s when I make my best music.”

But yet there is a reason for his success and incredibly large audience. It’s his repetitive and depraved lyrics about sex, drugs, and murdering that makes Tekashi’s heavy metal flow ring in your ears, and if that doesn’t do it, the many machine gun sound effects definitely will.

Tekashi, like most young hiphop artists today, such as Post Malone, Lil Pump, and Travis Scott, have come from an era of rap music called “Trap,” a slang term that dates back to the ‘90s referring to “Trap house,” a place where drugs and guns, among other things, are sold.

The difference between other “Trap” artists and Tekashi is he doesn’t just talk about about living the lifestyle. He displays his gang affiliation on his social media, mainly on his instagram

Daniel Hernandez / Courtesy Photo

NOT A COLGATE SMILE: In this promotional shot, Daniel Hernandez is all smiles.

“6ix9ine_” where he is constantly seen holding guns and threatening his “haters.”

In most of Tekashi’s music videos, he seems to have a heavy gang affiliation with the Los Angeles street gang “Bloods,” considering all the red sweatshirts being worn and red bandanas waving in the air. But when asked about his affiliation in an interview by All Urban Central, Tekashi said “just because you see me with mad Blood n***as doesn’t mean I’m Blood, just because you see me with mad Crip n***as doesn’t mean I’m Crip.

I f**k with both.” Afterwards,

he proceeded to throw large amounts of money on the floor saying, “Y’all need to get some money, y’all too broke.”

There’s are a lot of controversies surrounding the rapper, but none are more disturbing than his statutory rape case that occurred Feb. 21, 2015. Tekashi was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl when he was 18, although the rapper claims he was 17 at the time. Yet, he still pleaded guilty to the use of a child in a sexual performance on Oct. 20, 2015 according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

“I don’t know her exact age,

I think she was 14 or some s**t like that,” Tekashi said in an interview, when recounting his interrogation.

It’s needless to say Tekashi 6ix9ine is, like his music, not suitable for all ages. His over-thetop personality has skyrocketed him to the top of the charts. But will his music be a passing fad, or a real trademark for this generation? His fans say ‘yes,’ critics say ‘no.’ One thing’s for sure, Tekashi is not the rapper we need, but the rapper we deserve.

Rudy Guijarro can be reached rudyguijarro11@gmail.com.

From a Vision to Academy Awards Wes Anderson continues to stun with his extraordinary film direction

By Adriana Garcia Staff Writer “It is the vision of the director that takes an ordinary movie and turns it into a work of art,” actress Emma Stone reminded audiences during the 90th Academy Awards.

And no one’s vision is as easily identifiable – easily because it’s so delightfully complex – as Wes Anderson’s.

The 48-year-old director’s enigmatic and excruciating attention to detail, backed by tender stories and endearing characters, make his films complete and utter bliss.

Anderson’s ninth feature film and second stop-motion animated work “Isle of Dogs” is set for release March 23. If it’s anything like its predecessors, it will be visually captivating, charming and heartfelt.

The Texas native’s most distinctive qualifier is arguably his visual style. One film critic, Matt Zoller Seitz, wrote of his technique that it packs “each frame with so much detail that the film’s very assemblage becomes a work of art; a mosaic built of tiles that are themselves mosaics.”

The filmmaker’s set design, costumes and color schemes are meticulously planned and executed to serve each film’s individual

aesthetic.

Younger brother Eric Chase Anderson contributes to initial plans with detailed illustrations that outline his sibling’s vision.

A typical Anderson scene includes pastel backgrounds, stagelike ambiance and characters in imaginative attire. His 2001 film “The Royal Tenenbaums,” for example, features three characters perpetually wearing matching red track suits, one in a fur coat and loafers and another in a cowboy hat.

Other trademark qualities include bright pops of color, a compulsive obsession with symmetry and minuscule detail props scattered among the set like Easter eggs. God’s-eye-view shots often highlight particularly complex frames.

Anderson also takes frames from personal favorite films and emulates them to achieve pleasant shots. Borrowed frames come from an array of genres. The list includes “Harold and Maude,” “The French Connection,” “The 400 Blows” and “The Last of the Mohicans” to name a few.

But while his frames are sometimes borrowed, his writing is singular. It’s earned him three Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and quite often reflects his experience as a child of divorce.

Anderson’s films contain serious concepts (robbery, suicide, divorce, death, addiction and war) but always feature odd, amiable characters that lighten their severity.

“I am trying to come up with characters surprising to people and surprising to me,” said the filmmaker in an interview with The Guardian. “People who like weird people are more likely to like my films than people who call people weirdos.”

But Anderson’s writing is most successful because of its authenticity.

The often larger than life protagonists, “Rushmore’s” Max Fischer, “The Royal Tenenbaums’” title character, or “The Grand Budapest Hotel’s” Gustave H., for example, always experience an emotional pivot.

These strong-willed characters are never more appealing than when they display vulnerability.

There to compliment the films’ emotional tones are very particular soundtracks and scores. Like most everything about his work, the director is extremely specific.

He takes personal taste and inserts it.

Notable and often-used works include those by The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, The Velvet Underground and Nico, David Bowie and even the music to

Charles Schulz’ “Peanuts.”

The scores to Anderson’s films were done mostly by musician and former Devo front man Mark Mothersbaugh.

Mothersbaugh claimed the director’s preciseness was immediately visible upon meeting for his debut 1996 film “Bottle Rocket.”

“By the end of the first day, I understood that he didn’t like bass sounds,” said Mothersbaugh in a 2016 interview. “He didn’t like brass. He liked plucky instruments and bells and flutes and piccolos.”

Anderson’s palate expanded over time and eventually allowed for full orchestra scores composed by Alexander Desplat.

Desplat scored the filmmaker’s last two features and the upcoming “Isle of Dogs” as well.

The director’s particularity also shows in his casting. Veteran actor Gene Hackman, for instance, only agreed to play Royal in “The Royal Tenenbaums” because Anderson threatened to cancel the project otherwise, claiming he wrote the part specifically for him.

Anderson generally works with a steady group of actors, including Owen Wilson (who also writes with the filmmaker), Edward Norton, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. Most recently, Tilda Swinton and Frances Mc-

Dormand joined the group.

The aforementioned performers are all featured in “Isle of Dogs” alongside fresh faces (or voices) like Greta Gerwig and Scarlett Johansson.

Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa (“Rashomon”) heavily influenced “Isle,” according to Anderson. Other evidently influential filmmakers for his previous work include François Truffaut, Ingmar Bergman and Alfred Hitchcock.

The above mentioned directors inspired Anderson’s artistic career just as he inspires contemporary masses.

The director’s unique work enables fanatics to create their own artwork. There’s even an annual art show titled “Bad Dads” based entirely on his films.

“I love that,” said the filmmaker in an interview with critic Seitz. “What could be more encouraging to me than to see people responding that way?”

And as long as Anderson’s films continue to perfectly concoct their own enchanting worlds that display “the beauty of brokenness,” as Seitz eloquently wrote, audiences will continue to respond.

Adriana Garcia can be reached at agarcia5422@student.glendale.edu.

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Wednesday, March 21, 2018

SPORTS

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Hoop Dreams Basketball player Serigne Athj talks about the struggles that have lead him to this point It’s not difficult to see that he’s a family man.

“I want to take care of everyone that has taken care of me,” Athj said. “My family, and the Before expressing to you people that have stayed loyal and the life of a young man born true to me throughout my life.” into adversity, I must begin by The word “familia” is tattooed defining the word struggle – to across the side of his neck to strive to achieve or attain someremind him who he does it for. thing in the face of difficulty Unfortunately, the high school or resistance. Difficulty, a term years that followed held many that Serigne Athj, a 20-year-old student-athlete of Glendale Com- trials. He dealt with depression, mourning the losses of family munity College, has come to and friends. know all too well.

Across an eight month span At first glance you think you of his junior year in high school see rage in his eyes. His chin is he lost four people he held dear held high with pride and shoulto him. His best friend passed ders broad as if to give off the due to intoxication, his uncle radiance of ruggedness. These by stroke, and two other close characteristics are often seen in friends passed in the same car acthose who live in the “Jungles,” cident at which the only survivor a nickname of the Baldwin was the driver of the truck that Village neighborhood on the hit them. intersection of Rodeo Road and Concealing the emotional M.L.K Boulevard. whirlwind these losses brought One of the birthplaces of the him, the headstrong young man hip-hop movement, flashpoint of found refuge in the gym and racial riots and disenfranchisement. But in reality, he can better aimed his problems in a more productive direction. be explained for his adaptability Relentlessly, he lived in the and intelligence. gym, spending a significant Athj’s story is much more amount of his free time in the than just a ball and a dream. place he considered his home.

In coming to learn about the But the gym is only there for so circumstances he has endured in long, eventually we all have to life, I could not help but to feel actually go home. admiration.

His father remarried years afAt the age of 10 years old Athj’s mother died abruptly from ter the passing of Athj’s mother, and the a heart attack, a “His relentless pursuit relationship surprise to any of his basketball career between Athj young person but especially one has earned him high praise and his stepwhose relationfrom coaches and admir- mother rapidly ship with his ers. Coach Vigen regards became an issue. mother was dehim as a “unique kid who After scribed by him as handles himself with great circumstances an “unbreakable professionalism.”” made it too bond.” hard to bear, As a boy, Athj 16-year-old Athj moved out. He had promised his mother that bounced around for the rest of he would make it to the NBA his high school career, staying and buy his parents a big house, on his teammates’ couches and retire his father from work, floors, wherever he could rest his take care of his little brothers head for a night. and sisters, and his aunts and During this time Athj found grandparents. To each of which himself slowly becoming a he gives credit for raising him.

By Christopher Daniels Staff Writer

Sam Lee / Courtesy Photo

THROUGH THE LANE: Serigne Athj, No. 24, finishes through contact against Pierce College’s team.

household name. He was placed on the ESPN top-100 list for juniors in California and received heavy favor from high-level schools such as Saint Marys, San Diego State and University of Washington, to name a few.

But good fortune had a way of passing, as during a late night game against Fairfax high school, Athj suffered a injury to his shoulder which cut his season short. A shoulder that wouldn’t be the same, he re-injured that same spot the following season which took him out of the recruiting eyes of a lot of colleges.

Cal State San Luis Obispo was willing to take the chance on the young prospect until he suffered a similar shoulder injury, this time to the opposite side. After having to medically redshirt, Athj was let go from the Cal State SLO program.

Months later, coach Vigen Jilizian of the Glendale Community College program and Athj came into contact, and Jilizian brought him on board. During his two-year stint here, he has

been awarded All-Conference honors twice, along with placing himself in the record books after a 44-point breakout game his freshman campaign where he made 22 free throws.

Athj had now crossed a barrier many black kids wouldn’t have found their way to: he was now a college athlete. Nationally, black men make up 2.5 percent of undergraduate students, but make up 61 percent of college basketball teams, according to Sporting News.

Athletics is a not only a tool, but an opportunity many African Americans from low-income cities use to further their education and obtain a degree.

During this time, Athj had found stability in the home of his 27-year-old cousin, in the “Jungles.” His relentless pursuit of his basketball career has earned him high praise from coaches and admirers.

Coach Vigen regards him as a “unique kid who handles himself with great professionalism.”

Through all Athj has endured his

dream of making it to the NBA has not faded, he still is in pursuit to overcome all odds stacked against him.

He has some big goals if he gets there. “I want to change the lives of children much like myself who grew up in hardship,” he explained. “I want to give back to the communities I grew up in – Pasadena and LA – give the youth the ability to chase their dreams.”

If you happen to notice him around campus, don’t be afraid to walk up to him and ask him about his life story, he’s very open to sharing his journey.

After all, it’s not merely what we go through that defines us.

It’s also what we grow through.

Athj will be playing at the University of California, Los Angeles next year, where he will continue his education and work toward a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Christopher Daniels can be reached at christopherdaniels00@gmail.com.

WHEN: April 7 Where: Sartoris Field The third annual Vaquero Classic will be held at Glendale Community College on the Sartoris Field on Saturday, April 7.

Join in to watch a track and field meet in which many campuses and teams compete on Glendale’s home turf.

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Home Games Spring 2018 March 20 Tuesday Victor Valley College Baseball 2:30pm March 22 Thursday Santa Barbara City College* W. Tennis 2pm March 23 Friday Victor Valley College Baseball 2:30pm March 27 Tuesday College of the Canyons* W. Tennis 2pm March 30 Friday San Diego Mesa College W. Tennis 12pm April 2 Monday Glendale Community College M. Golf 10am April 3 Tuesday Cerritos College M. Tennis 2pm April 5 Thursday Barstow College Baseball 2:30pm April 5 Thursday Los Angeles Valley College* Softball 2:30pm April 6-7 Fri-Sat Vaquero Classic Track & Field 11am April 10 Tuesday Antelope Valley College Baseball 2:30pm April 12 Thursday West Los Angeles College* Softball 2:30pm April 13 Friday East Los Angeles College Softball 2:00pm April 13 Friday Antelope Valley College Baseball 2:30pm April 14 Saturday Antelope Valley College Baseball 1pm April 19 Thursday College of the Canyons Baseball 2:30pm April 19 Thursday Antelope Valley College* Softball 2:30pm April 24 Tuesday Citrus College* Softball 2:30pm April 26 Thursday Citrus College Baseball 2:30pm

SPORTS

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Results from the week of March 12

Monday March 12 Men's Golf finished 6th in WSC match at Citrus Tuesday March 13 Baseball beat Antelope Valley 9-5 (10 innings) Softball beat West L.A. 15-1 Thursday March 15 Baseball beat Canyons 2-1 Women's Tennis beat Antelope Valley 9-0 Men's Tennis beat Santa Barbara 5-4 Friday March 16 Men and Women's Track competed in Orange Coast Classic Saturday March 10 Baseball beat Citrus 5-4

Schedule for the week of March 19 - 25

Monday March 19 Men's Golf hosts WSC match at Oakmont CC, 11 am Tuesday March 20 Men's Tennis at home vs El Camino, 2 pm on campus courts Women's Tennis at Santa Monica, 1 pm Baseball at Victor Valley, 2:30 pm Softball at Antelope Valley 2:30 pm Wednesday March 21 Softball at home vs Barstow, 2:30 pm at Glendale Sports Complex Thursday March 22 Baseball at home vs Victor Valley, 2:30 pm at Stengel Field Women's Tennis at home vs Santa Barbara, 2 pm on campus courts Softball at Citrus, 2:30 pm Friday March 23 Men and Women's Track & Field in WSC Inland Meet in Bakersfield, 11 am Baseball at Victor Valley, 2:30 pm Saturday March 24 Softball in Ventura Tourney vs Ventura, 8:15 am Softball in Ventura Tourney vas Cuesta, 12:30 Sunday March 25 Softball in Ventura Tourney vs Long Beach, 10 am Softball in Ventura Tourney vs San Diego City, 2:30 pm

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