El Vaquero: June 1, 2018

EL VAQUERO

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G L E N D A L E C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R Friday, June 1, 2018

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Volume 111 | Issue 6

Graduating Supermoms: Strolling Through GCC To some, Glendale College wasn’t just another step, but a whole new beginning

By Marian Sahakyan Managing Editor Strolling through GCC, the graduating supermoms To some, Glendale College wasn’t just another step, but a whole new beginning.

To most, graduating from community college seems like no sweat; though it takes someone who has crossed the long, bumpy road, to frankly understand ‘the true struggle’ of a community college student. As hundreds of students walk down the aisle to receive their certifications and degrees on June 13, they will each take away something beyond the hardcover diploma. Some in a form of a lesson, others in the form of lifelong friendships and memories.

As they collect diplomas, turn their tassels to the other side of the cap, they also mark the turnaround of a new milestone in their lives, a change and chance to celebrate all that they’ve acquired and achieved during their years here at Glendale Community College.

Among those graduating, are three supermoms, Anna Sargsyan, Armine Sahakyan and Tamara Grigoryan, who despite many mommy challenges, cultural differences and some language problems, stuck to their goals and built a brighter future for themselves.

With the help of one another, their loving husbands and caring professors, they, along with many of their peers and friends, deviated from the old Armenian tradition of a ‘stay at home mom.’

Sometimes they took classes that were hard, which kept them up all night, studying much harder than a typical student would.

A new language, different norms and a whole new world of education, were just a few of the things these women had to deal with. Well, at first.

All three ladies even got pregnant around the same time in 2016, and went through pregnancy together, as they had done with school. They watched one another’s other kids when needed, helped each other with schoolwork at other times.

Belinda Oldrati / Staff Photographer

FAMILY VALUES: Three graduating mothers pose with their kids. From left to right: Tamara Gregoryan, Armine Sahakyan, and Anna Sargsyan.

They created a friendship that will last a lifetime.

Anna is the strongest friend. Not just physically, but also emotionally. Her strength and positivity empower her friends daily.

When Anna and her husband moved their two young sons to the United States from Sweden, they did not know too many people in their new country. She described the transition as ‘smooth.’

One thing she did struggle with, though, were mommy things here in the U.S. She did not have a big support group of moms to tell her what products are good for her kids, or tips on how to keep the Armenian identity in their kids. She created a private Facebook page, naming it “US Armenian moms.’’ This will soon become a destination for 4,700 Armenian moms for any kind of advice.

She started to go to college, to take some classes here and there, when she decided to go back to her biggest passion in life, photography.

Aside from photography, she recalls painting as a young child. She says that she got her love for art from her mother’s side.

As a kid, she collected money so she could purchase her first camera, which she still owns.

She continued to photograph nature and people, through the scenic towns of Sweden. Then here in Los Angeles. So when it came to picking a major in college, it was a no brainer for her. Photography it was.

Last year, when Anna lost her baby to complications, her world came crashing down. But once again, she found an escape through the lens of her camera. She started taking photos. Every click of the camera became a reason for her to love and live.

She’s had some good days, and many bad since the event. On bad days she simply escapes to capture her raw surroundings.

Her perseverance has been stronger than her misfortune.

Among the incredible women graduat[See GCC Moms, page 2]

IN THIS ISSUE News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-16 Entertainment.. . . . . . 17-18

Liam’s Life: The People’s Protector

Advocating for organ donation and lowering alcohol blood limits in California

By Christopher Daniels Staff Writer

Belinda Oldrati / Staff Photographer

AWARENESS: Marcus Kowal talks to the audience about the hazards of drunk driving.

Swedish MMA fighter Marcus Kowal and his wife, Mishel Eder, visited Glendale Community College on May 16 to speak about the hazards of drunk driving and talk about their harrowing experience of losing their baby to a negligent driver.

They set up an organization, Liam’s Life, which aims to change the culture of drinking and driving through awareness and knowledge, promote safety and educate people on the demand for organ donation.

On Sept. 3, 2016, the 15-year-old sister of Eder took their 15 month-old-son Liam Mikael Kowal on a walk not far from the Hawthorne training center that Kowal operates. As she took Liam through the cross-

walk in his stroller, they were struck by the vehicle of a 72-year-old drunk woman.

Donna Marie Higgins, the woman who killed Liam Kowal that day, was sentenced to six years in prison in August of 2017 for vehicular manslaughter.

Kowal described the tragedy from his point-of-view. “I woke up from sirens and I thought it was the alarm from the gym downstairs,” he recalled. “I said to my wife, ‘the alarm in the gym is going off.’”

She replied, “No, it’s police and ambulance sirens.”

Eder called her sister numerous times with no answer, as she left off in search for them. “One of my neighbours came to the stairway and I came out from my apartment, and she said to me, ‘Your baby, your baby.’

[See Liam’s Life, page 2]

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elvaq EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ken Allard MANAGING EDITOR Marian Sahakyan PRODUCTION EDITORS Belinda Oldrati Hayk Rostomyan WEB EDITOR Carolina Diaz ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Adriana Garcia

Graduating Supermoms: Strolling Through GCC [From GCC Moms, page 1] Among the incredible women graduating this year, was Armine, a total smiley face. She is the kind of person who fills the room with so much cheer and laughter, making her company enjoyable beyond words.

She, too moved to the United States with her young kids and husband, and had to go through the difficulties of an immigrant.

She described the experience as ‘tough’ but doable if your mind is in the right place. She couldn’t help but get reminiscent when asked about her life back at home, in Armenia. Armine also made it

a point to say that her relationship with her husband is one of the best aspects of her life. You could see the love in her eyes.

When asked about their relationship, Armine said that she and her husband are a ‘crazy’ couple. They always did the unimaginable, constantly keeping their loved ones on their toes with never-ending pranks.

“It’s another one of your pranks,” their relatives told them upon hearing the news of Armine family moving to the U.S. To their disappointment, the family did move.

She remembers the first set of hardships she dealt with was

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 Carmen Fernandez Elena Jacobson Alexander Sampson

Belinda Oldrati / Staff Photographer

GIRL POWER: At GCC, three students bonded over mutual experiences.

CONTRIBUTORS Hasmik Bezirdzhyan Nare Garibyan STAFF ILLUSTRATOR Matthew Spencer FACULTY ADVISER Rory Cohen rcohen@glendale.edu (818) 240-1000 ext. 5214

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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not having a car to commute to school or a way to pick up her kids from school. Her only way to get around was with a bus, which she dreaded getting onto. She often missed exits and was always afraid to get lost. This happened to her on multiple occasions.

Though this was hard, she never allowed the negativities affect her happy personality. She was thankful for the opportunities. She continued to go through school, choosing one of the hardest major of business administration.

After graduation, Armine wants to take some time off to focus on her family, after which she wants to transfer to a 4-year university to continue her education. She dedicates her degree to her mother, who has believed in her beyond measures.

Tamara is the sweetheart of the bunch, a soft spoken lady.

Her main inspirations in life are her two young kids. She says that she wants to set an example for her them by doing what is right for herself.

She and her husband fell in love, when he visited Armenia from Los Angeles. Upon meeting, the two instantly fell in love, they just matched. Soon enough, they were thinking about marriage and starting a family. Some time later,

Tamara joined the love of her life in the United States, where both of her children were born.

Having dealt with a fair share of her own difficulties, Tamara says that the biggest thing that living in the new country has done for her was changing the way she perceived herself. She believes that the American society encourages individuality and independence. She learned to be just that.

She also talked about the big role of counselors and professors in the life of a student, and how lucky she was to have met some of the best mentors here at GCC, as she studied for her major of Accounting.

Tamara remembers the tremendous amount of support her professors gave her during her pregnant times. She would often have to leave class early or not attend at all, due to pregnancy check-ups and other procedures.

It was hard, but she did it because of the support and encouragement she got from others.

During our interview, all three ladies expressed their deep gratitude for the school counselors, professors and one another for supporting through their bumpy roads.

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

Liam’s Life [From Liam’s Life, page 1] I ran out in the street to find Liam’s stroller in two pieces and the little green frog he had with him every single day and slept with every single night lying in the middle of the street,” Kowal continued.

Liam was alive but in critical condition. Hours later, the baby’s short-lived life was over. He was declared brain dead.

Soon after, the doctors asked if the family wanted to donate the organs. It took them two minutes to say yes. In those two minutes, however, they came to the realization that their child was gone.

After the child’s organs were placed on a donor list, Kowal created a post on Facebook asking any friends or family to contact him if in need, “I didn’t want to share with the world what was going on, but I figured that was going to be the fastest way to get it out. It was shared over two thousand times.”

People started writing and begging him to have sympathy for their situations. Mother’s messaged him with pictures of their babies pleading with him to donate a liver, kidney, etc. During this time the family didn’t know just how much attention the accident had received. While at the hospital someone got ahold of Kowal’s cell number. Media as well as desperate families, called unremittingly.

Though he was in mourning and despised the calls, they opened Kowal’s eyes to the amount of people in need of a do-

nor. On average 22 people die everyday waiting for an organ, according to Kowal. With that, they decided to donate Liams’ kidneys to a young woman, whom they have contact with via text. The family has plans to meet her in the near future but has not worked up the strength.

Unfortunately, Liams’ liver and heart were too damaged to be donated. But the overwhelming demand for organ, eye and tissue donations gave Kowal a new inspiration. To bring change in society and understanding to human morality. “People can give life and live on through others” according to Liamslife.org.

Over a year-and-a-half’s time after the passing of their son, the couple has intensely studied the legal system in America to understand how best to affect change.

Kowal stated that every 53 minutes a person is killed by drunk driving; the equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing every week. Drunk driving is the most common cause of the death among young adults; more common than gun violence.

Law enforcement, for example, consider vehicles a lethal weapon when under the control of man and handle with the highest level of force. However, at the 0.05 drinking limit the same as two pints of normal-strength beer.

The law considers an individual “legally drunk” at which they may make the decision to handle a vehicle. Between 0.05 and 0.08 an individual can be detained, but not prosecuted, for drunk driving.

Liam’s Life foundation’s motto is ‘making the roads safer,’ and

the logo used is a green cartoon frog, symbolic of the one Liam always held with him. Kowal and Eder, creators of the foundation, fight to change the drunk driving limit from 0.08 to 0.05, which will create a higher regard for safety. Many European countries have implemented this change and the death rates from drunk driving has dropped by nearly 50 percent.

The family has reached out to politicians imploring one of them to have the ambition to take on this fight. “Being in this world of lobbyists and politicians we were told, ‘You’re never gonna win this fight.’ You’re up against giants,” Kowal stated with little worry. “What they’ve never been up against is someone like me.” In a business that’s centered around wealth, its rugged ends mean little to a family whose sole purpose is to honor the death of their son.

They recently flew to Sacramento to meet with California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who now stands behind the fight. Newsom is the top candidate for Governor of California this upcoming election, and Kowal has said that

Newsom pledged to help fight for Kowal’s cause. Though they received the help of Newsom, no other political candidates or current legislators have vowed to sponsor or carry a bill that would lower the legal drinking limit in California from 0.08 to 0.05 (Ken clarifications in grey).

Today, the foundation’s mission statement is to increase the total amount of organ donors by 20 percent. Eventually, they hope to make the law similar to other countries, where you are automatically registered as an organ donor but have the right to opt out.

They also work on informing and influencing the public on the dangers of drunk driving through advocacy, through the state legislature, and commercial/promotional short films.

Liam lives on through his mother and father, as they pursue social change and illustrate selflessness. Kowal finishes by saying, “Ultimately, what bigger sacrifice can you make, than to make sure someone else lives because of you.”

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

James Ojano-Simonsson / Staff Photographer

MAKE A CHANGE: The audience left feeling inspired by Kowal’s talk.

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Academic Excellence Pays Off at GCC

By Ken Allard Editor-in-Chief Four lucky and hard-working Glendale Community College students earned themselves scholarship awards during the Academic Senate meeting on Tuesday, May 8.

The scholarships were handed out for academic excellence and personal achievement, with each student having heart-warming background stories, which included a first-ever accomplishment by a GCC student.

Kasan Butcher, a 45-year-old nursing major, took home the Jeanne Cunningham Homemaker Academic scholarship – the first time it had been given to a father.

“We are really excited for this decision,” said political science professor Cameron Hastings.

“And all the faculty that we have spoken with that have had him feel kind of equally excited about this and that it’s a good decision.”

Butcher is a single father and re-entry student who has managed to maintain a 3.94 GPA going through the rigors of the GCC nursing program, all while taking care of two daughters.

“You can tell he’s doing an amazing job,” said biology professor Joseph Beeman. “This young man is going to go very far in medicine and do very great things. [He] has huge vision on where he wants to go, his goals, and what he wants to do with his future and nothing is going to stop him.”

The Jeanne Cunningham scholarship is given to a transfer-

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David Khechumyan Named Next ASGCC President Editor’s Note: GCC’s incoming ASGCC president submitted the following letter to El Vaquero to address the campus community.

Alexander Sampson / Staff Photographer

WINNER: Kasan Butcher, flanked by counselor James Castel de Oro (left), and professor Joeseph Beeman (right), gives his acceptance speech.

ring student who takes longer than four semesters to transfer because they are the primary caregiver for one or more dependent children.

Butcher took as many as six classes per semester at GCC and will be transferring to Cal State Los Angeles later this year.

“Being in a class with 18- and 19-year-olds,” said Butcher, “sometimes it’s torture.”

The Outstanding Career Education scholarship was awarded to architecture major Talar Manuail. She was described as hardworking, professional, modest, and humble by adjunct professor of architecture, Izabela Boyajyan. Professors have had nothing but good things to say about Manuail, according to Boyajyan.

Manuail is currently working on her advanced design project for architecture.

Selena Miranda was the recipient of the Two-Year Academic Excellence scholarship.

“She stood out tremendously,”

said counselor and assistant professor James Castel de Oro. “She showed her leadership, her participation, and she knew what she wanted to do.”

Miranda is a sociology major and was accepted into University of California, Riverside, UCLA, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has decided that she will be a UCLA Bruin for the fall of 2018.

The Four-Year Academic Excellence award was given to Stacey Yang, who is a biology major and will be going into medicine.

She was described as organized and focused by professors and counselors who knew her well.

“Her presence in the lab changed the whole attitude and atmosphere of everybody in that lab,” said professor Beeman.

“She’s super positive, really excited about learning everything that she can. Highly intelligent, and it just brought everybody together.”

Ken Allard can be reached at kallard438@student.glendale.edu.

My name is David Khechumyan, and I am your Associated Students of Glendale Community College President and Student Trustee for the fall 2018 through the spring 2019 semester.

I am very humbled and truly grateful for the opportunity that was given to me through the voice of the students, and am ready to execute my role to my fullest potential.

I come with years of leadership experience, including ASB President in high school, and most recently, I served as the vice president of campus relations. Having a background in leadership and knowledge of the dynamics of our student body, gives me a strong foundation to amplify a student’s voice.

My goal is to advocate aid for our students’ concerns, and strengthen the overall Glendale Community College experience.

My executive team and I want to make sure that every student on campus has a voice, because there are so many different walks of life on our campus, and we want to make sure that as the student bodies voice.

We represent and support all students. My team has had previous experience in

Courtesy Photo

our student government, because they served as senators for the Associated Students of Glendale Community College in the past. In total, we are a group of responsible, passionate, and hardworking individuals who want to make a change.

As your new President and Student Trustee, I promise to do my best to provide students with a president and student trustee who they can trust. I want students to communicate and let us know if there are any flaws, and how we can improve them.

My goal is to make sure that students know that our organization is for them, and that we truly are a group of students that do a good job at representing them.

My intent is to make this difference, and with my team by my side, we will not let you down.

Helping the Homeless: A Call For Humanity

GCC’s newspaper rallied to help Union Rescue Mission in a campaign to help rehabilitate L.A.’s vulnerable communities

By Catalina Juarez Staff Writer Homelessness has been an ongoing issue and a burgeoning problem in Los Angeles County, with the growth in the population booming to close to 60,000, according to figures from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. What was once only seen in secluded areas around the city, is now ubiquitous from city parks, to main streets, to public libraries and even City Hall.

Homeless policy is “like putting a Band-Aid on a shark bite,” said Los Angeles Daily News photographer Hans Gutknecht at an April Society of Professional Journalists summit in L.A. There are many events that can lead a person to become homeless. Indeed, not all of them are associated with drug use or mental issues. Homelessness to many people is a nuisance and the lack of will to address it has spanned many generations. It really does raise the question whether the human population has lost their touch with humanity at all.

Rory Cohen, the journalism instructor at Glendale Community College, has made it her mis-

sion to raise awareness about this ongoing issue, not only with her students at GCC, but amongst her friends, family and acquaintances. She has partnered up with Union Rescue Mission, which is currently building their third shelter to aid those in need in the South Central Los Angeles region.

“I think that the misconception is that we’re going to end homelessness and I don’t think that is possible to end homelessness, especially in our current climate,” said Cohen. “There is a lot more that we can do to rehabilitate those in need.”

Cohen, who comes from a Jewish background, described her decision to join Union Rescue Mission, a Christian-based organization, as a fundraiser for their current campaign. “It doesn’t matter what faith they are to me,” she said. “What matters is that they are making a true difference and I can play a small role.”

Not only did she start a fundraising campaign herself, she also encouraged her journalism students, including the editor-inchief, Ken Allard, managing editor, Marian Sahakyan, production editor, Belinda Oldatri, and oth-

Courtesy Photo

TEAM PLAYERS: GCC’s official newspaper team converges at the Society of {rofessional Journalists summit.

ers, including staff writer James Ojano-Simonnson.

Cohen explained that Union Rescue Mission is highly reputable, using the vast majority of money raised toward rehabilitation. She explained that it was this which caused her to want to help, as not every charity is as reputable because some spend a lot on overhead costs.

“I firmly believe in the con-

cept that whoever saves a life it, is as though he has saved the lives of all men,” said Cohen. “That is something that is intrinsically important to me. It’s a Jewish thought of ‘Tikkun Olam,’ which is about fixing the world.”

The URM is an organization whose core principal solely focuses on helping those who are homeless get back up on their feet while implementing their Chris-

tian values. They are one of the largest non-profit organizations and oldest one located in Los Angeles. Every year they organize a 5K walk around June to help raise awareness on homelessness and recruit more donors.

Together, the newsroom team raised over $1,500 for URM. Catalina Juarez can be reached at cjuarez734@student.glendale.edu.

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Patria: One’s Native Homeland

Compton gets a new specialty coffee shop, where the coffee is as amazing as the people who own the shop

By Tracy Mejia Contributing Writer Geoffrey and Deanna Martinez are Compton natives who decided to take a risk and open a coffee shop in the city of Compton.

Patria Coffee is opening at the intersection of Compton Boulevard and Alameda Street, right next to Wilson Park. It’s unique for a city that isn’t known for its coffee culture. The shop is expected to open to the public later this year.

This young couple plan to create a new home for those who have been searching for a friendly neighborhood coffee shop. Now residents will have no need to drive out to Pasadena or go into Downtown L.A. to get specialty coffee. Instead, they can just take a stroll by the park.

“The location picked me,” explained Geoffrey Martinez, 38 years old. “ I feel that black and brown people like coffee too.”

He continued, “Just because we live in Compton doesn’t mean we have to travel far. I feel like quality of life also applies to us in Compton.”

For the Martinez couple, launching the business was a gamechanger and a huge shift.

“I was first introduced to coffee roasting by my neighbor, Chris, in Compton,” Geoffrey Martinez said. “I always wanted to do business.” Geoffrey took a gamble that took off and business is expanding.

“This new-found passion became a small venture when I decided to leave my job to be with my newly born son,” he said. He started roasting coffee beans in 2016 and working with local restaurants.

Patria Coffee is the name the Martinez couple have been roasting coffee under for a couple of years. They pride themselves on sustainability. As for the

Rory Cohen / Staff Photographer

JAVA: Patria serves gourmet coffee in Compton.

name? “Patria means motherland or homeland in Spanish, but to me Patria is anything that reminds you of your heritage or where you come from,” said Geoffrey. “The name is a good fit because most of the coffee that we consume comes from Central America or Africa. So most of the people that grow coffee look like us,” he said, adding that “most of us that drink good coffee don’t look like us.”

Martinez described the need to bring gourmet, high quality coffee to his neighborhood. “Our people grow excellent coffee but drink substandard coffee,” he said.

“Patria is a home for those who want to drink an excellent cup of coffee here in a neighborhood full of black and brown.”

The Martinez family is one of the many Compton businesses that is trying to build

its community for the better. “I think that Patria is going to be the friendly neighborhood coffee shop, where people really will understand the importance of why we do what we do for the community,” said Martinez. “I’ll support my husband through all of this.”

Business is important, the couple said, but so is giving back.

“Although money is important to keep our business thriving one of our values is people over profit,” Martinez said. “We constantly remind our team that the people we serve are important, without people there wouldn’t be coffee.

We want to provide service with dignity, here in Patria we want to treat everyone equally, customer service is key no matter what you look or smell like.”

Patria Coffee is partnered

with the Compton initiative and the Unearth and Empower Communities (UEC). These two organizations gather the present community such as youth willing to be mentored, teachers, churches, small businesses, and residents. “I want to introduce young people who don’t have coffee skills to the coffee roasting industry,” he said. “We want to hire experienced baristas and then apprentices to learn from them, I just want to provide options for kids with an entry level work experience. We’re just trying to do what we can to support the local driven initiatives to make this a better place to live.”

Besides Patria’s location in Compton, the Martinez couple said they are already collaborating with restaurants in Bellflower, Huntington Park,

and South Gate. “Currently, we are partnered with The Nest in Bellflower,” he explained, citing the breakfast spot. They’re also involved with Cruzita’s Deli and Cafe in Huntington Park and Eat Good in South Gate. “With Patria, we’re really trying to toss the textbook to the side and are choosing to believe that there are people here who want a healthy option.”

Right now the couple is working hard to fix up their new cafe so they can start spreading their talent through a cup of coffee. The Martinez family is really showing why Compton is the perfect home for Patria Coffee.

Tracy Mejia can be reached at mejia.tracy1@gmail.com.

Foods of East L.A.

Being a foodie and experiencing different lifestyles around Los Angeles

By Carolina Diaz Staff Writer What is a good way to bring people together? Food!

In the county of Los Angeles, there are many cities that have various cultures and traditions that are incorporated in their dishes.

If you ever want to experience authentic Mexican dishes and desserts there is a city called East Los Angeles or widely known as East L.A. El Mercadito Located in Boyle Heights, El Mercadito, originally named El Mercado which means ‘The Market,’ it is a well known restaurant by the residents of East L.A. El Mercadito is a three-story building with three different entrances. Two of them take you to the first floor and the second entrance to the second floor.

Before actually entering El

Mercadito, the first two entrances have clothing stalls and at the same time they have stalls of different types of desserts and Mexican ice cream.

Once entering, the first floor mostly has clothes shops, stores that sell cowboy boots, stalls selling handicrafts and religious crafts.

The second floor is where all the restaurants are. There are three restaurants, two of them almost sell the same dishes but taste different because of the way the dishes are cooked. You can choose from eating seafood, mole, hamburgers, burritos and many other dishes. Once you are done ordering, you can ever pair it up with a Mexican Coke.

The third restaurant specializes in making gorditas, which is a pastry dish made of corn dough stuffed with either cheese, beans or meat. You can either eat it plain or add hot sauce on top to give it more flavor.

If you want to be more fancy, the restaurant on the third floor is for you. With live mariachi music you can choose the same dishes from the other restaurants, but this time instead of a Coke, you can actually buy beer.

El Mercadito is located in 3425 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90063. Parking is free and it is not a hassle to find a spot since they have a big lot for vehicles.

Tacos Lupita Street tacos are always a Mexican monument. Either you came from a party or just don’t want to cook, street tacos are always ready to serve you. There are a lot of taco stands around Los Angeles, but not only are Tacos Lupita good, but the workers are always positive and good at making you feel comfortable.

They will talk with you like they are your friends.

With different types of meat from carne asada, al pastor and

many more, you can either get tacos, each one costs less than two dollars, or a burrito. They also give you a fried small potato with your order of tacos, and you can even ask them if they can give you beans on top of your tacos. For drinks, you can buy any type of soda or their horchata.

They only accept cash, but there is a donut shop next to them that has an ATM. Parking can sometimes be a problem since it is a small lot that is shared with other stores.

Tacos Lupita is located at 2415 Pasadena Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90031. They start setting up around 5 p.m. and stop selling around midnight from Monday through Sunday.

Whittier Boulevard Street food runs this boulevard. Not only is Whittier Boulevard the heart of East L.A., but it was also iconic for its lowriders cruising back in

the day. In the morning, it is just a normal street with people shopping from store to store, but during the night, Whittier Boulevard is ready to feed the people.

There is not a specific place you can go to. You can walk along the boulevard and you will see street vendors selling bacon wrapped hot dogs, some selling fruits with powder chile, food trucks, churro vendors, and some selling candy.

There are many possibilities and the more you walk, the more your nostrils will get swarmed with the aroma of the plethora of vendors cooking.

It is recommended to carry cash, but there are ATM’s inside the many shops. To get there you just take Whittier Blvd and Arizona Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90022.

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

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A Talk With Brenda Stevenson

GCC’s One Book program brings acclaimed author to campus to talk about the impetus for the L.A. Riots

By Marian Sahakyan Managing Editor One gunshot. A 15-year-old girl. A contested murder. A killer who walked free. And a story that missed the headlines.

This one’s about Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old girl living in South Central Los Angeles, who was shot and killed by a Korean immigrant shopkeeper, Soon Ja Du. After a small dispute in Du’s liquor store over a bottle of orange juice and whether or not the girl was planning to pay for it, Harlins turned around to leave, but unfortunately never made it out. She was shot in the head. She died with $2 in her hand.

The story of Harlins touched the hearts of many and, expectedly, triggered the disobedient and violent uprising of an entire people, starting the Los Angeles Riots of 1992.

Though her case became very known within African Americans, it is evident that very few people outside of the community actually remember her name. Her story became overshadowed by the beating of Rodney King, and we as a nation recognized King as the face of this entire movement.

It’s a thing that society does, stigmatize. King was the big black guy, who did not want to listen to the police. That’s what they wanted to see, so they forgot the entire story of the young woman who went to the store for orange juice, but never came back.

To move forward the forgotten story, Brenda Stevenson, an award-winning author and UCLA professor, spent 20 years of her life researching and writing the book, “The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins,” which hit the bookstands in 2013.

Since the publishing of the book, it has received a lot of attention and love. Glendale Community College was not one to stay behind, as they chose this human interest story, for the One Book 2018 program.

By purchasing unlimited license to the book, the GCC library hopes to bring more cultural knowledge to campus.

After her Keynote speech, Stevenson sat down with El Vaquero staff to discuss the struggles of being an educated African-American woman in the Rodney King era, her career at UCLA, racial stigma and more.

What is your background?

Well, I am originally from Virginia and I grew up in an area that was under racial parting. When I was growing up, everything was separate, races were separate. We could not use the same water fountains, or use the same bathrooms, or the churches or the movie theaters or the restaurants. Where you lived was completely segregated.

I grew up with always the notion of racial difference and racial hostility that existed in the world.

My parents raised us to believe that all people are created equal under God. What inspired you to write this book?

My family comes from the South, my mother’s family still lives in the land in which they had been enslaved. That’s what I think what inspired me to write the book. My mother would tell me sometimes horrific, sometimes beautiful stories about our ancestors in the South and it just captured my imagination and planted a seed.

How did growing up in an area of racial conflict help shape who you are now? Did it make you better or bitter?

I come from a really Christian family and I’m very much invested in my Christianity, and I like to teach people and I think a lot of the time when we come across a difficulty, it’s mostly because of people just not knowing any

Alexander Sampson/ Staff Photographer

SHARING THE KNOWLEDGE: Harlins presents photos of the L.A Riots.

better. They’re just being taught things, the way their society explains things or the way that the media exploits racial difference.

How do you make others more culturally aware?

I feel really blessed to come to a community college and to work at a state university where I get lots of students in my classroom where we can explore these kinds of issues. I think that people aren’t really born some kind of way. They’re socialized. They’re taught to be racist. They’re taught to be sexist. And I think that the opportunity to teach people to understand the roots for this.

What is your mission as a professor?

My main responsibility as a faculty is to help young people acquire their dreams. To help them on the way to get what they want out of their lives. I do want to help people understand the racial conflict in this country and globally and where that comes from.

Were there any setbacks during this period?

Why UCLA? One of the reasons why I was attracted to UCLA to teach was because they had a large AfricanAmerican student body.

How did your book come about?

I was drawn into this story because I had just moved to Los Angeles and I kind of just saw it unfold. I was trying to understand this new place I’m living, why is this so different from the East Coast?

It took 20 years for me to write the book, because first of all I was trained to look more at the slavery or the Deep South, to look at women in the United States.

I wasn’t trained to look at Jewish women or Korean women, which had a big importance in this case. I had to go back and learn all of this. Learn about immigration in other ways.

I had to learn about when women got in as judges, as lawyers. I had to learn about urban life.

Life happens. I had my baby, my child was being raised. I was being chair of the department at UCLA. I was publishing in my other field, which is really slavery. I was writing articles and editing things. So it was taking me a really long time to finish this book. I had to decide. I had to stop being an administrator, so I gave up being chair and I had to give up a lot of other things in order to finish the book.

How did it feel to be an educated African American woman when your community was viewed so negatively?

When you’re on the East Coast, you always hear about laid-back L.A. It had the most diversity in the country at the time.

I was taken back when this happened. It was something that was happening all over the country. I had to wrap my mind around it.

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

C o n g r a t s t o t h e G C C Wo m e n & M e n !

The following 10 students were selected for the Women & Men of Distinction Award:

Women

Men

Maria Vardapetyan

Shant Krikor Anmahouni Eulmessekian

Talish Babaian

Reni Sahakian

Scarlet Isabel Galvez

Nareg Anthony Arakelian

Belinda Oldrati

Andrew Nazarians

Colleen Gabrimassihi

Enrique Cernas Aguilar

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HSP - It’s Like Having Superpowers

By James Ojano-Simonsson Staff Writer “Cry baby,” “drama queen,” “you better toughen up,” “don’t take it so personal,” “why do yo

get so easily offended?” are some of the phrases a highly sensitive person might hear during his/her lifetime.

We live in a culture where kids are raised to “toughen up” and hearing “big kids don’t cry.”

Pernilla G. Jonsson, 44, believes she’s always known that she’s HSP, a highly sensitive person, but did not know the actual term for it.

When she first heard and learned about the term HSP, she thought, “that’s me!”

A few years ago her mother gave her a book titled “Drunkna

inte i dina känslor,” which means “Don’t drown in your emotions.”

Reading a book that stated the obvious was the last piece to Jonsson’s personal puzzle.

“I have always been very emotional,” Jonsson said. As a child, she was mostly a happygo-lucky kid, but in her teens and when entering adulthood she

Celine Östevik, 19, learned that she’s HSP about a year ago through a link her mother found on the Internet. Östevik could see herself in a lot of what she read about, to then realize she’s a highly sensitive person.

She has always felt she was different, but in a special way.

“Why don’t people care as much as I do?” is a question Östevik has often asked herself.

Often, it made her feel that people were careless, but “it’s probably because I felt a lot more,” she said.

“I’ve also noticed that I can more easily sense the vibe in a room, or how an individual feels, which gives me a heads-up of how to react and act towards

them. It’s like a sixth sense.”

Getting an explanation of why she have always felt she was “extra,” gave her a sense of relief.

“Now I don’t need to wonder anymore,” she remarked.

By learning more about HSP, Östevik knows that she sometimes need to isolate herself from people in order to recharge and feel well.

As an HSP, you absorb a lot more energy, both positive and negative from those around you. Östevik has learned how to manage negative energy by not letting it affect her.

One thing that Östevik thinks is important for other people with HSP, is to use their big hearts to change the world, and never let the world change their hearts.

As all emotions, sadness and anger are equally important as joy. That is why many in the western culture don’t really know how to handle or express their “tougher” emotions.

However, in some cultures like

in Thailand and India, sensitive people are rarely teased.

A common first reaction many people have when they hear the phrase ‘highly sensitive person,’ is a negative reaction. That’s probably because the word

“sensitive” can seem charged.

But what does “sensitive” even mean?

One who is sensitive is very quick to absorb signals, slight changes, and influences. A sensitive person is observant.

noticed that many people around her did not really know how to deal with her other emotions.

“Happiness was easy of course, but anger and sadness were feelings that some people found hard to tackle,” Jonsson described. “I was told things like, ‘you’re so emotional,’ ‘when you’re angry you are so angry,’

and ‘when you’re sad you are so sad.’”

These comments often left Jonsson with a feeling of shame and not being good enough, having stupid flaws, and being difficult to be around. It has affected her self-esteem in many ways.

She often felt that she had to take a step back in order to fit in.

Being emotional and sensitive was a negative thing for her for many years and she tried to hold back her own personality. “I only felt good enough when being happy,” Jonsson confessed.

However, somewhere deep inside of her, she felt the need to be true to herself. “I cannot be anybody else but me.”

Her friends and family have always accepted her as she is.

Jonsson’s husband probably fell for her happy side. Nobody knows her as well as he does and they’ve now been together for 21 years and married for 15 years.

When Jonsson got the knowledge of being an HSP, she

felt relieved. “Understanding oneself is such a gift!”

As Jonsson started accepting herself, her personality traits, and the good things about them, she became more confident.

The positive things about being HSP dawned upon her and she realized she was strong and entitled to being just herself, sensitive and all.

“Until I found out about HSP it was more like a curse, but now I see it as a blessing,” Jonsson confined.

Jonsson’s HSP has been a gift in her profession as a teacher, as well. Quite often she gets credit from her students for being open-minded, a good listener, trustworthy, inspirational and understanding.

“To all the people with HSP out there, and everybody else for that matter, just be yourself. Always see the good and strong sides with being HSP. Learn how to deal with ‘the fragile,’ but never hold back. I believe HSP is a gift,” Jonsson argued.

Christina Holmström, 48, got a tip from a friend to attend a lecture about HSP almost four years ago.

Like many other who are HSP, Holmström understands herself better when learning about this personality trait.

“It’s now easier to turn negative energy into something positive,” she said.

Holmström also learned that there are many types of HSP. For some, HSP can be challenging, and for others, it’s easier to deal with.

Personally, she finds herself somewhere in between.

Being married to her husband Patrik Holmström for 24 years, she has gotten

love and support with her highly sensitivity. Exactly what an HSP needs.

“My wife is my everything.

She has taught me to be a better person through her ways of being empathic. Our wonderful kids have grown up to who they are today just because of that,” Patrik expressed.

As a highly sensitive person, she feels the need to protect herself from things that drains her energy, which is something many have to deal with.

“I don’t have energy to follow the news flow around the world, because I feel really bad seeing others suffering,”

Holmström mused.

She takes upon others’ emotions, both good and bad.

When something good happens in someone’s life she gets excited for that person, and if something tragic happens, she feels really sad.

It comes naturally for Holmström to help someone in need, even if she doesn’t feel too well herself.

Sometimes, it gets overwhelming as she finds herself stuck in a mess trying to unravel it, but something that also comes naturally is the fact that she never gives up.

“I know that being an HSP is a gift, that’s why I use it to do good,” Holmström said.

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Helena Bergström, 33, and her daughter Angelina Bergström, 16, heard about HSP a few years ago.

Helena has attended a few personality, leadership, and education lectures where HSP has been one of the subjects. That’s when she decided to do some research.

Since Angelina was about 10-years-old, she realized herself that she was more sensitive than others in her age, and that her mood was changing more rapidly.

At first, she thought she had a condition of some sort, since she felt she was different.

Helena can relate to Angelina’s point about being different, but also to the feeling of being an outsider and misunderstood as a young child.

She often felt that she had to hide her emotions, not only among her friends, but also within Grace Simonsson, 38, shared her thoughts about one of her sons, Felix Magnusson, 8, who she believes is HSP. When her and her husband Nicklas Magnusson, 38, had their second child, Julius Magnusson, 7, they realized that Felix was highly sensitive.

As parents, they try to see situations in Felix’s perspective.

Simonsson is always open with her emotions so that Felix doesn’t feel alone in having them.

To show respect towards his feelings, they try to motivate Felix by including him in decisions that concerns him, to the extent that he can grasp.

Throughout the years, Simonsson and her husband have become more pedagogic and self-reflecting, which have helped their daily lives to become more harmonic.

For instance, they’re more flexible with their daily schedule

and are understanding to make changes depending on each family member’s mood.

Simonsson sees herself in Felix in many ways. As a child, she was often told she was sensitive, and had an easier time communicating with adults or children younger than her, rather than people in her own age.

She sees those same traits in Felix. “He has a strong aura which can affect the mood in the room,” Simonsson described.

Simonsson talked about how their two children are each other’s opposites. Felix is more introverted, while Julius is extroverted.

For Felix, who has a higher self-esteem but lower selfconfidence, they try to set tiny goals, but it’s also important for Simonsson to let Felix know that it’s okay to not succeed at the first try.

Julius however, they encourage

Friday, June 1, 2018 her own family.

Angelina’s moodiness has sometimes been difficult to manage for Helena, and she wish she would’ve known about HSP when Angelina was younger so she could’ve been more supportive.

When Angelina learned that she was a highly sensitive person, it didn’t change a lot for her.

However, she felt it was interesting to read and even watch video clips about it. She stopped focusing on trying to find a diagnosis that would fit to her.

Angelina has realized that HSP is something she’s had good use off in some situations, without even knowing it at the time.

For Helena, it’s been a relief to get an explanation, but she can’t stop thinking, “what if I knew this before?”

HSP has taught her to be more understanding of herself, not be

afraid of making mistakes, and to not feel the pressure of “fitting in” and pleasing everyone else.

She’s now happy to be herself, which has increased her selfesteem and made her a stronger person.

What makes HSP special for Angelina is that she can absorb more impressions and see the tiny details around her, making her feel unique.

Her reactions can get more intense, which can be both good and bad. When Angelina is sad, she sometimes feel that she’s overreacting, and those situations makes her dislike being highly sensitive.

On the other hand, “my happy emotions and reactions are greater too, and that’s nice,” Angelina explained.

Both Helena and Angelina are happy that they can support and share the experience of HSP.

to dare to ask about things he doesn’t know, and to also stand for what he believes in.

Together with Nicklas, they have raised both of their sons with the NVC method (nonviolent communication).

It builds on avoiding misunderstanding and to make it easier to communicate with others, as well as being able to identify and express your own needs, and to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

“Like all parents, or human beings rather, both my husband and I lose our temper occasionally, which is of course okay. But it’s important to know the difference between feelings and actions; they are not the same.”

They’re open with their emotions, and listens with empathy. ”We hug a lot too,” Simonsson said with a smile.

Short about HSP

Characteristics of HSP

• The term HSP was coined by Dr. Elaine Aron, who started researching about it in the 90s.

• Ability to feel more deeply - Connecting their thoughts and emotions in different levels.

• Between 15-20 percent of the world’s population is HSP, both males and females equally.

• More emotionally reactive - More empathic and can put themselves in others’ situation emotionally.

• Many are introverted HSP, whilst 30 percent are extroverted HSP.

• Need for alone time - Since an HSP’s senses are more sensitive, they can easily get overstimulated.

• HSP is a biological trait.

• More aware of smells, tastes, sounds, and touch.

• HSP is not a diagnoses such as ADHD, ADD, or autism spectrum disorder.

• Often reacts stronger to its environment than others - Their senses picks up on things which those without the trait would not.

Editor’s note: Like all human beings, HSP or not, everyone is unique in their way. It’s about embracing yourself and finding your way to do good in this world.

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• Relate situations to past experiences - Often good at putting things in context and doing deep analysis.

• It takes longer for them to make decisions - Because they’re more aware of subtleties and details.

• Very observant - An HSP notices the details in a room, in a person, or in the weather faster than “non-HSP.” • Have above-average manners - An HSP is also very conscientious, and will more likely notice when someone else isn’t being conscientious.

• Highly sensitive people have reactions to criticism that are more intense than less sensitive people.

Design by Belinda Oldrati, Production Editor

James Ojano-Simonsson can be reached at james_centauri@hotmail.com.

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Shaping Science: An Interview with Rachel Ridgeway Physical Sciences division instructor talks about her inspirations, research work

By Nare Garibyan Contributing Writer This year Glendale Community College featured a robust schedule of events during Women’s History Month under the banner, “Nevertheless She Persisted: Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.” The contributions of women in various areas of society were recognized, including science, comedy, documentary film, literature, and politics.

GCC’s Rachel Ridgway, from the college’s Physical Science division, lectured about how women have helped to shape environmental policy. She recently sat down with El Vaquero to share some insights.

What do you love about studying geology?

The breadth of knowledge that geology encompasses never ceases to amaze me. Aside from the pure sciences of physics and chemistry, geology involves astronomy, geography, hydrology, meteorology, biology and all of the sub-disciplines where these overlap with one another.

Hydrogeology is my specialty, but the complexity of our climate system and all its feedback systems also fascinates.

What do you love about teaching geology and oceanography?

That moment when someone has made a new connection, understanding their relationship with our world in a deeper way.

Sometimes it’s captured in wideeyed wonder, other times with a particularly apt question or observation, or a new confidence in explaining an idea.

I love to watch my students develop confidence in their abilities as problem solvers. I love

introducing them to their inner scientist and helping them grow their empirical minds.

Can you describe your graduate school experience at CSULA? My advisor, Dr. Barry Hibbs, introduced me to the relevant literature and helped me learn what to look for in the field. Field work was always fun, demanding long hours schlepping gear and collecting water samples with my fellow lab mates.

As field research neared its end, I assembled all the data into a cohesive thesis. It was really satisfying to see all our hard work come together to tell a meaningful story that would help inform policy in the watershed.

What are the challenges of doing research?

Field research requires advance planning. First there’s reconnaissance. Then, when it’s time to actually go out and collect the data, you have to bring all necessary supplies. If you forget something, or something breaks, then you have to improvise. It’s a fun, and sometimes frustrating, challenge. In environmental research you are subject to the whims of the weather. It doesn’t matter if it’s -17°F or 120°F, the work still has to get done.

What is bioaccumulation?

Bioaccumulation is the tendency for certain elements or compounds to become more concentrated in biological tissue as you move higher up the food chain. It happens because some things bind to tissue rather than being excreted. So when an organism gets eaten, whatever elements or compounds are bound to its tissues, gets passed along to the eater.

billandkent / Creative Commons

CARSON PRESERVE: Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1966 in cooperation with the State of Maine to protect valuable salt marshes. Carson was a world-renowned marine biologist.

When that eater gets eaten, the process continues. Things that bioaccumulate tend to be liphophillic, meaning they bind to fatty tissue. Sometimes they also bind to proteins.

Probably the most egregious case of bioaccumulation occurred in Minamata, Japan in the mid20th century due to industrial mercury pollution.

When methyl mercury builds up in mammalian tissue it causes a variety of neurological impacts.

Other chemicals can bioaccumulate including lead, selenium, cadmium, DDT and other synthetic pesticides.

What is the legacy of Rachel Carson?

Rachel Carson is one of my personal heroes. She was a marine biologist and nature writer who documented the detrimental impacts of widespread use of the pesticide DDT, most notably the disappearance of top level avian predators.

Her seminal work “Silent Spring,” published in 1962, led to DDT being banned in the U.S. in 1972. She was one of the first environmental scientists.

Her work helped to galvanize the environmental movement that pushed for regulations to protect our environment – a movement which continues to the present day as we struggle to address the impacts of global climate change and its causes.

Describe your work in the Upper Newport Bay estuary.

Book Cover / Fair Use

GROUNDBREAKING WORK: Ridgeway credits the work of Rachel Carson as inspiring her and galvanizing the environmental movement.

Our work examined the sources of selenium to Upper Newport Bay, a protected ecological preserve. Selenium tends to bioaccumulate, reducing the viability of bird and fish populations.

We found that naturally-occurring selenium bound in historic marsh sediments was being

remobilized by a change in redox chemistry resulting from the drainage of the marsh.

Today, oxygen and nitrate dissolved in shallow ground water react with the chemically reduced selenium to form highly soluble selenium oxyanions. We identified several selenium hot spots, where shallow selenium-rich ground water discharged into surface streams and ultimately into Upper Newport Bay. How did your research help to inform policy at the Santa Ana Water Board in April 2017?

The selenium hot spots that we documented helped to inform the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMP’s) to reduce selenium loading to surface streams from shallow ground water discharge. The Board continues to consider the best approach for managing this diffuse source of selenium pollution, most recently looking into the feasibility of sending discharge from the most contaminated ground water sources to the sanitary sewer system.

They are still in the process of adopting Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL’s) and appropriate monitoring protocols to protect wildlife. Science makes slow and steady progress.

The regulatory process moves ever more slowly in its wake.

Tell us about publishing your work in the Water Research and Education Journal in September 2017?

This paper expanded on work that began with Dr. Barry Hibbs and one of his former graduate students, Monica Lee, back in 2004. They formulated the hypothesis that selenium was being remobilized from historic marsh sediments.

This paper gives additional support to this interpretation using selenium speciation analysis in water and soil samples.

What are your current research goals?

Currently, I am in the initial stages of reconnaissance and literature review to support the development of student research at GCC. I have a couple of projects in mind: one that will look at the fate of styrene on Southern California beaches and another to consider potential impacts of expanding the Scholl Canyon landfill. I am also working on another paper with Dr. Hibbs that will help constrain sources of ground water recharge to the shallow aquifer in the San Diego Creek watershed.

What advice do you have for students studying science?

If you want to study science, the best classroom is the field.

Find as many scientists as you can, and talk to them about their work and how they got where they are. Always be on the lookout for opportunity.

When it comes, take it. Keep in mind that the more you learn, the more you will realize that you really don’t know very much.

But keep questioning. That’s the key. And keep seeking answers.

[Students also need to know that] you don’t have to be a “math genius” [to study science], but you do have to recognize that the way through the problem is in the problem.

And you have to know to ask if you need help. No one does science alone. It is a highly collaborative process.

The only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask. Stay curious.

Nare Garibyan can be reached at ngaribya@glendale.edu.

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9

His Way of Life As a Businessman and a Father The lifetime lessons that a dad shares with his daughter will stick with her forever

By Chieko Kubo Staff Writer For me, he is my extremely kind and sweet dad. For his employees, he is a strict and frightening businessman. At his firm, he wears a “scary face” and sometimes reprimands employees harshly. But I also know that he very cares for all of his subordinates.

Noriaki Kubo, a 55-year-old Japanese man, is a corporate senior vice president of Socionext Inc., which has a business of designing, developing and delivering system-on-chip products. He’s been working on the semiconductor business for more than 30 years.

He has had a lot of varied experience throughout his business career and always taught me what he saw and learned. My father showed me how to answer an expectation, to face pressure and not to run away from it, to fulfill a responsibility, to care for somebody with love, to remember appreciation always, and to keep promises.

Joining Panasonic His career as a businessman started when he joined Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. as an engineer (now known as Panasonic) soon after graduating from university.

At first, he wanted to participate in a division of solar panels.

Even though he was clear in

every interview about what he wanted, the dream didn’t come true. He was appointed to a division of Large-Scale Integration (LSI). Since then he dedicated himself to the business.

But he was not a person who was full of hope for a successful career in the beginning. He moved to Osaka, the second largest metropolis in Japan, from a very rural home village.

As he was a new employee, he often thought about going back to his hometown. But he couldn’t. He lost his father right before he came to Osaka, so he had to provide his family with money regularly for his mother and four younger siblings.

The Marriage Three years later, his mother found a woman and introduced her to my father. She later became my mother.

My mother often told me her first memory of him. “It was just nine months. We got married nine months later from the first time we met. But I could see his kindness and love toward his parent and siblings at that time,” she said.

She thought that if she married him, he would care for her as well. “He seemed a very responsible man, and I was right.

That was why I decided on the marriage even though we just met two times,” she talked. They exchanged several letters during the nine months.

BUSINESS MAN: Working in his office, Socionext.

My mother is a friendly, sociable and cheerful person. She knew my father was too serious and felt a lot of pressure. I finally understand that’s why she always tries to make him smile.

A Project in Sillicon Valley Four years later since he started to work for Panasonic Corp., he had to stay in Mountain View, Calif., to get a big opportunity for The 3DO Co., also known as 3DO. The company

Kawana Hasegawa / Contributing Photographer

had already fixed to use semiconductor chip of Toshiba Corp. and he wasn’t informed of that from his company.

He thought that he just had to develop a new one better than Toshiba. But 3DO didn’t have any intention of using Panasonic’s. Therefore, he started from advertising Panasonic’s technology of it to cooperating with 3DO. That was the first big project that was left to him. He delivered to his boss. That was the moment he started to feel a sense of achievement and a joy in work.

Facing Obstacles

AS A FATHER: Having dinner with his daughter.

Chieko Kubo / Staff Photographer

In 2005, he was a project leader of LSI of Panasonic’s DIGA, which is the name of DVD recorders. He suffered the hardest time in his career.

Inside of the LSIs of DIGA, a hardware bug was found right before a large shipment.

That was caused by one of his subordinates. All factories that are related to DIGA had to stop operation, while approximately a million DIGAs were ready for shipment.

He was called and had thousands of meetings, in which he had to apologize to superiors and needed to come up with solutions. He had too little sleep and scarcely rested for two weeks.

My mother said, recalling that time, “Some people described a death from overwork as ‘a man was killed by a company,’ and I literally felt it and was scared of it those days.”

However, his team barely devised a method of repairing the problem. Then, he and his workers survived.

Despite the huge mistake, he didn’t fire a man who made the mistake. I asked him why. He said, “Because of the big trouble, our team was united stronger than before and our morale was also boosted. We actually got

something important that we could gain only through such toughness.”

In addition, my father felt sorry for him because the mistake was not intentional. He blamed himself more than anybody else.

“I thought that our team and he could turn the previous experience to advantage,” he said. I remember that a day my father looked very tired was the day he had to pass a discharge to somebody. The last thing that he wanted to do is dismiss an employee.

He painfully knew that they would have a wife, children, and people whom they have to support, so he avoided as long as he could.

After this incident, many employers recognized my father’s capability of dealing with troubles. Thus, his position was getting higher and higher thanks to that.

Love and Marriage No matter how busy he is, my father always remembers that he owes his success, career, and health to his wife. He doesn’t forget to give her a present on her birthday, Mother’s Day, and their wedding anniversary.

I think he feels a great sense of responsibility for work and family. One of the reasons why he cares for my mother very much, besides his love, of course, is he promised her happiness to her parents.

He would never like to betray them and himself. Here is the most substantial reason why I am proud of him greatly.

For me, he is my strong, reliable and absolutely ethical dad.

And I know he hides his warm kindness under his severe face.

I look up to him not only as my father, but as a great man.

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

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A Day in Venice Beach Story, Photography, and Design by Belinda Oldrati, Production Editor

What is life in Los Angeles without a trip to the beach every once in a while? A safe spot for having a good time any day of the week is Venice Beach. The atmosphere is unique, with people from all cultures in one place, hanging out and living out their passions. Sports is a big part of Venice, where you can play basketball, go skateboarding or roller skating, watch incredible street show artists, get fit at the Muscle Beach gym, or surf in the ocean. Production editor Belinda Oldrati explored what a day in Venice Beach could look like.

Shoot some hoops at the Basketball Courts

FOCUSED: Montreal Harris plays during VBL World Games.

The Venice Basketball courts, also known as “a hooper’s paradise,” is a place where people get to play outdoors from sunrise to sunset right by the beach. What more could a basketball player ask for?

Montreal Harris, 27, has been playing basketball for 19 years, and makes sure to visit Venice at least four times a month. “I truly love the atmosphere and comradery,” said Harris.

“Everyone is there to do what they love and to meet new people.”

Harris dreams about becoming a coach to impact the upcoming generation of basketball players, but first, he wants to make it onto a professional team himself.

Be amazed by boardwalk Street Shows

Roller skate at the Skate Dance Plaza

DANCE: Roller skaters dance and teach each other some new choreography.

The wonderful thing about the roller skating area in Venice is how it manages to gather people of all ages and race, as well as economic and cultural backgrounds.

People go there to enjoy some good old music on their roller skates, and the sense of unity among the dancers is incredible.

One of the legends of Skate Dance Plaza, who unfortunately passed away in 2016, was Craig Johnson. He was a skate dancer, hula hooper, and philosopher.

Tessa Cisneros, 41, talks about

when she first met Johnson back in 2010 while she was working by the boardwalk. “He would ride his bike down Horizon with his roller skates on, several hula hoops over his shoulders, a gallon of water in one hand, and usually a bag full of his amazing fresh juices, healthy cookies, and fruit from his farmers market,” she said.

Johnson is known for being a down-to-earth guy, and his positive energy could really put a smile on anyone’s face. “He skated his heart out because it made him happy.”

LAUGHTER: Immanuel Lyons demonstrates funny dance moves to selected audience memebers.

If you’re not into the sporty side of Venice beach, you could always relax at the beach, do some shopping, or take a nice walk along the boardwalk where a lot of people get really creative.

While strolling, there’s a big chance you’ll pass the Calypso Tumblers performing their street show right on the boardwalk.

The show has been in existence since 1993 and consists of dancers, acrobats,

musicians, and entertainers that will make you both impressed and have you laugh out loud.

One of the group members, Immanuel Lyons, 23, loves the fact that they spread love and positivity.

“My favorite part is the ‘One Love’ message we spread,” said Lyons.

They involve the audience in their show by inviting people on the spot to participate.

Although their show has a lot of humor in it, the underlying message is a beautiful and important one. “There’s only one race, and that’s the human race,” is what they’re closing the show with, and they truly create a sense of love and unity among the crowd.

Lyons said that “seeing different people of all backgrounds everyday” is what he loves the most about Venice.

JUMP: Isiah Hilt, a member of the Calypso Tumblers, is known for flipping over multiple people.

ALL SMILES: Craig Johnson always skated his heart out on the Skate Plaza.

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11

Get fit at Muscle Beach Venice

THUMBS UP: Andrew Hawkins takes a few minutes from his workout to catch up with his fans.

The Muscle Beach Venice outdoor gym is known to be the home gym of former bodybuilders and actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno.

Today, there are two other men taking the lead.

Athletes Ike Catcher and Andrew Hawkins, also known as the superheroes of Muscle Beach, put on a show for the Venice public

on a daily basis. “Venice is the best beach in the world,” said Catcher.

Venice is indeed a great place for a fun day, and there’s “a lot of artists and inspiration,” he said.

Catcher has been working out consistently for ten years, and the secret to his huge, defined muscles is “hard work and discipline.”

As they push themselves

in unbelievable workout routines on the bars of the outdoor gym, both residents and tourists passing by comes to a halt, and no one seems to be able to take their eyes off of them.

They are photo friendly, and not a day goes by without picking up people from the audience to use as free weights. Watching these guys work out is a must.

Experience the unique vibe of Venice Skate Park

PUSH IT: Ike Catcher performs one of his extraordinary workouts on the bar.

Enjoy the ocean by Surfing HAVING FUN: Jake Familton plays with well-known skater Isiah Hilt during his skate break.

ALMOST THERE: Surfers runs down to ride some waves in the Pacific Ocean.

While there are plenty of beaches in Los Angeles that’s perfect for surfing, why not take advantage of the ocean while you’re in Venice?

There are plenty of shops where you can rent surf equipment if you don’t have your own.

Jay’s Rentals is one of them, located in the heart of Venice Beach.

They have been renting out beach needs since 1996, and has everything from bikes to surfboards.

On Yelp, Brooke Ansley says, “This is the only place I ever rent from.”

They also have surf lessons for anyone who wants to explore the water with talented expert surfers before going out on their own.

Venice is a city that has embraced its skateboarding history and culture.

In 2009, they built a $2.4 million skate park right on Venice Boardwalk, which is now an iconic landmark to Southern California.

Unlike traditional sports, winning is not the driving force in skateboarding, but instead, it becomes a way of life.

Jake Familton, 7, knows this very well. He’s been skating since he was only three years old.

Familton got into skateboarding because of his neighbor who always used to skate in front of his house, and today, he dreams of becoming one of the top three professional skateboarders in the world.

Venice Skate Park has a friendly environment and it’s very common for skateboarders to cheer for each other when tricks are landed, and Familton, who’s one of the youngest at the park, is always happy to be there.

“I get to go fast, learn new tricks, and meet and skate with new friends,” he said. “All the skaters are good to me.”

SPEED: Jake Familton wows the audience with his speed.

All in all, Venice Beach is so much more than what meets the eye – it’s simply a state of mind. If you haven’t been there lately, you definitely want to see the recent upgrades and check out the vibrant culture that screams “Los Angeles.”

ONE IN, ONE OUT: The water may be cold, but that doesn’t stop these surfers.

Belinda Oldrati can be reached at belinda.oldrati@hotmail.com.

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Friday, June 1, 2018

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We Rise Los Angeles

Changing lives and minds by paying it forward with love and kindness

By Marian Sahakyan Managing Editor In the age of social injustice, shootings, #MeToo, bullying and mental illness, many don’t know where to turn to for help. Often confused, sometimes hopeless, too many individuals take the low way of alcohol and drug abuse as an escape from the demons they’re fighting.

With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, activists, athletes, artists and other community members came together in the heart of Los Angeles, for an empowering event to support the cause of mental health and the stigma that comes with it.

The event was backed by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and gained support from the Mental Health Services Act. On May 19, the event kicked off with a rally, and instantly gained the popularity of visitors, becoming a safe platform for individuals from all walks of life to come to and share their own struggles.

How many times have you crossed paths with a person and judged them just based on looks?

How many times have you judged any one person, detaching them from feelings and characteristics specific to humans? Judged without thinking about the effect your comments or behavior can have on this individual? How many times have you treated a person like a senseless, unimportant thing?

It can be the smiley classmate who brightens up the day or that charismatic barista at Starbucks.

Perhaps it’s your little sister who always finds herself most comfortable underneath her thin bed sheets, shielding herself from the difficulties of the world. As an escape, she listens to the melancholic tunes of an old Harry Styles song. She spends a bulk of her time on social media, lurking through happy profiles of people she doesn’t even know.

She finds it oh so hard to share.

Share her feelings and things she thinks about, regardless of who stands before her. She hates going to family gatherings because just about everyone around that

roundtable judges just about everything she stands for. A sense of disbelonging takes over her innocent little soul.

In a crowded room, she somehow finds herself singled out. To protect herself from the devils of others, she builds an imaginary wall between her feelings and actions. She builds it up so high that at times she is unrecognizable.

She acts like she does not care.

You will soon learn that it’s all just an act.

You often wonder why she is so hard to deal with. Why she is so picky. Why she is so problematic. During small fights, you ask what’s wrong with her. You call her a psycho, once again neglecting the fact that she is just a human, with feelings and typical human sensitivities.

She piles the stress on and on.

She piles it on so much until it spills. And when it does, it turns into a hot lava of words and pain.

It takes over your world.

You wish you had been more kind. You wish you had listened and supported her more. You wish you understood. Then one day you learn that she is not ‘the problem.’ The problem is the society. The standards, the stigma, the judgement.

All along, it was society’s fault. And you contributed.

You are the society.

You’ve too busy judging her.

Not the way she looked or the way she talked. It was more like what she stood for. Her beliefs, likes and dislikes. You ignored her strengths, and focused on her weaknesses.

You broke her down, just as you advised her to stand up for her beliefs. And as her hopeless tears came streaming down her cheeks, you found it beautiful.

You found her pain beautiful.

You will soon learn: Pain is not beautiful. Misery is not beautiful. Watching someone suffer is not beautiful. Making someone suffer is not beautiful.

The one thing beautiful in this is seeing the aching little flower blossom again. Seeing her rise beyond her powers to show the world that she is no longer misunderstood, but Miss Understood.

Mental health— a topic too taboo.

Hasmik Bezirdzhyan / Contributing Photographer

THINGS IN COMMON: The artist performed at the kickoff rally, sharing personal experiences through his craft.

Should it be, though? When will we, as victims and perpetrators of an unjust society realize that enough is enough? When will we realize that mental health matters just as much as physical health?

The cause, the problem, the solution.

I was one of them. I used to ignore the problem so much, until it hit people I know and love. So I went searching. I searched for ways to communicate, support and understand the outcries of these persons.

Imagine what it’s like to battle with your own mind on a daily basis and have the society dictate its ideals, at once. It’s like being stuck between two pushing forces and you can’t do anything but to explode. Explode out in tears and sadness. That’s how it’s been described to me.

And just as I was failing to support those who suffered, I was told about project We Rise.

Performers at the opening rally of We Rise included Common, Ty Dolla $ign, Vic Mensa, YG and the Jabbawockeez dance group, which led a dance class on May 27.

On their long list of events, We Rise kept it real, raw and interactive. Each day was dedicated to covering a different issue under the mental health umbrella.

Sessions spearheaded by experts tackled everything from concerns of mental health, displacement, suicide, bullying and the big problem of systemic incarceration in this country.

Often diving right into panel discussions with famous athletes

Hasmik Bezirdzhyan / Contributing Photographer

THRONES OVER MY HEART: Douglas Miles, creating a one of a kind piece, with the concept of a broken heart, or somebody unable to share their feelings.

and singers, Q&A series and film screenings, We Rise became so popular that they announced an extension of the original 10 day event, to 20 days.

Twenty days of art and fun in an atmosphere where people just “get it.”

Giving a special spotlight to the youth, Teen Town Hall provided an open space to easily discuss questions of personal identity and overall health. “Survival Guide to Adulting,” was a fun workshop, where guest speakers offered strategies on how to cope with stress, interpersonal relationships, responsibility and the newest of all, FOMO or fear of missing out.

To increase interaction, the agenda of daily to-do’s stretched as far as out as sports with some of the most loved athletes. It was a Mind, Body and Sports festival beyond the gates of We Rise, where participating athletes such as Jay Ajayi and Kobe Bryant, Shawn Johnson and Aja Evans, played around with children and adults. This was followed by a much-needed yoga session.

Considering art and creativity as a form of self-care, the We Rise building holds some true gems that address social issues.

To challenge the creativity of others, there were guided art making sessions in this very spot.

The gallery of We Rise is nothing short of miraculous. Yosi Sergant, an activist, who is one of the main organizers, helped put together the art of over 100 talented artists. Chelsea Wong and Guillermo Bert are just to name a couple of them.

Upon walking in, one comes across some of the most beautiful, conceptually appealing and relatable art pieces. The hustle and bustle of the city of Los Angeles is left outside at the doors, bringing a total zen to the visitor.

Each room of the building represents a different dispute within the society. Stretching from anxiety and stress to art dedicated to rape survivors and empowerment of one another.

The message behind We Rise was to create a safe environment, city and world for those who need the comfort of others. And having a big population of individuals dealing with an array of mental health issues, it is safe to say that We Rise is exactly what the the city needed.

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

Marian Sahakyan / Staff Photographer

WALL OF SHAME: A beautifully presented collection of dozens of protest posters, targeting some of the biggest issues in the society today.

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13

THE NBA FINALS Are we even surprised at this point?

By Alexander Sampson Staff Writer

With the NBA postseason coming to a close, nothing too interesting has happened at all in retrospect.

An NBA fan could have easily predicted our current Conference Finals match-ups from before the season even started. Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder losing in the first round of playoffs to the Utah Jazz and the Jazz’s continued success until facing the Houston Rockets were the most newsworthy events of the postseason.

That unexpected success still pales to the fact that neither the Thunder nor the Jazz were expected to make it far regardless. Rookie Donovan Mitchell stood out the most as the Jazz’s lead scorer and possible Rookie of the Year. Mitchell and the Jazz had their run cut short by the Houston Rockets who, lead by James Harden, lost their series 4-3 in the current Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors have been seeded to win the NBA Championship this year as early as three years ago with only the Rockets and The Boston Celtics as worthy opponents. The Warriors riding high off a near sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans, who lead by Anthony Davis will truly be a team to watch anywhere within the next two to three years, have their full team back with the return of their lead scorer Steph Curry.

The Eastern Conference finals, while expected to be won by the Boston Celtics, had trouble containing Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics lost the series 4-3.

After Lebron’s request to trade his entire team mid-season for role players there was no hope for them to beat their opponent even with the Celtics top player Kyrie Irving out on injury.

Wikimedia / Creative Commons

It’s been a running joke for years now that the Eastern Conference Finals is easy money compared to the Western Conference. The Cavaliers still making it to the Eastern Conference Finals with a brand new roster only further validates the sentiment.

The Cavaliers found a way to backup Lebron James as he put up MVP-level numbers, leading the team to NBA Finals. Many believed this years finals would be the most entertaining with an upset for both the Cavaliers and the Warriors but with Celtics and Rockets choking in the fourth we are once again slanted for a rematch these two rivals.

While the Warriors are still predicted to take the Championship, Lebron James and his ability to average a 42 point triple double might end up being tricky for the Warriors. It should be an extremely one sided win provided the Warriors are a team consisting of four NBA All stars but at this point with that being the expected outcome who isn’t hoping the Cavaliers beat the Warriors?

Make sure to keep your eyes peeled because we’re in for a wild series.

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

Nicholas La Photography / Creative Commons

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Friday, June 1, 2018

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Good Night, Sweet Prince A farewell from our beloved Editor-in-Chief

Belinda Oldrati / Staff Photographer

CHANNELLING FABIO: Ken Allard poses on top of a stack of newspapers unexpectedly during the spring 2018 semester.

By Ken Allard Editor-in-Chief They say to save the best for last, don’t they?

And that’s what happened, albeit somewhat unintentionally.

My last semester as a Vaquero at Glendale Community College exceeded my own expectations by a country mile, with my time at the El Vaquero newspaper playing a huge role in doing so.

I was brought on as editor-inchief during the summer of 2017 to help sew together a newspaper and journalism program that had slowly eroded into something that folks could no longer even recognize. Well, if they knew it existed in the first place.

Our old newsroom in the San Gabriel building only had visitors by mistake (usually looking for the computer lab). And the newspaper had a combined readership of about 24 people, quite a few of which were my parents, siblings, and close friends whom I forced to at least glance at the work we put in.

We did put in a lot of work, too, during that tumultuous fall 2017 semester of El Vaquero.

A lot of production nights that stretched into the early morning hours of the next day ended up paying dividends. As most folks

put it nowadays to us, “El Vaquero looks nothing like a community college-level paper,” they say.

While I played a role in the turn around, most of the credit goes to my mentor and adviser.

Reut “Rory” Cohen, the young, hip, do-it-all professor-turnednewspaper adviser, was the perfect choice for the job. (Shout out to David Viar on that one).

She injected energy into a program that was left for dead.

A program that struggled to find any students at all now has half-adozen students consistently finding themselves waitlisted. A student newspaper that struggled to find enough students to fill eight pages of content now has a selfreplenishing funnel-system of students cycling through journalism 102 and into the program.

While top-down leadership is required to get anything moving, a well-oiled machine only works as well as its component parts, and that’s where my classmates came into play. Fall semester was rough; myself and managing editor Marian Sahakyan, and the occasional masochistic student, would have to shoulder the burden to churn out a campus newspaper on-time.

So we did what we had to do.

This semester, the usual burden has been dispersed across the entire program. Recruiting efforts

headed by Cohen – abetted by some wicked-good Ratemyprofessor scores – nailed us an El Vaquero staff roster that may be the school’s best ever.

Every single student that is a part of the newspaper does their role and does it well. The delegating of responsibilities that were previously placed on my shoulders alone has oftentimes left me feeling like I have no responsibilities, and that’s how it should be, to an extent.

A well-functioning newsroom is a team effort; and having students feel that they play a critical role in creating something for the good of the campus teaches lessons and instills confidence that goes beyond the halls of Glendale College.

GCC will always hold a special place in my heart. On the surface, it is just your above-average community college, and that’s how I treated it early on.

I would come to class, put in the least amount of effort required to get an above-passing grade, and commute home. I didn’t give a second thought to establishing relationships, challenging myself, or adding skills through extracurriculars that would serve me well later in life.

But despite not being a university that can provide the “university experience” that we college-

aged kids crave, GCC is truly what you make of it.

And that’s a lesson that I learned too late. I heard the common advice, but ignored it. Spend time on campus; join clubs and immerse yourself with the school environment; provide a service to the school; talk with your professors on a more personal level; try and be a student-athlete.

That’s all stuff I knew I should have done, but hadn’t. Until this semester.

I joined track and field after a roughly 10-year hiatus of sanctioned competitive athletics, and it was some of the most fun I’ve had in years. Shout out to my teammates, some of the funniest individuals on the planet.

I stuck with the El Vaquero program and took part in on-campus events and clubs. I made lasting friendships with some great individuals – something I didn’t give a thought to early on at Glendale. “I’ll make real friendships once I transfer,” I thought. Oh, the naiveté.

The semester didn’t come without excessive stress, though.

I took on 17 units, working parttime, doing track and field as a student-athlete, figuring out my transfer situation, all while trying to balance a social life that included a few too many weekendlong indulgences.

The stress, which I thought I was managing well (hint: I wasn’t), adversely affected my duty with El Vaquero, and I left them hanging a few times.

If my El Vaquero mates staged a coup of the newspaper leadership (i.e., myself) and charged me with abandoning my post and dereliction of duty, well, that would have been a fair judgement.

Thankfully, the locks to my office were never changed and they kept me on as captain. It must be my sense of humor and exquisite taste in coffee.

For me, Glendale Community College was exactly what I needed. I dropped out of high school late in my senior year and had no sense of academic drive or professional direction. GCC served as the perfect incubator for my maturity, or lack thereof, and I have many, many people to thank for my transition.

While I love the school, I’m ready to leave. Next stop, San Luis Obispo, Calif., where I’ll be a Cal Poly Mustang for the fall of 2018.

Good luck and best wishes to the future staff and the incoming El Vaquero editor-in-chief, Marian Sahakyan.

Once a Vaq, always a Vaq. Ken Allard can be reached at kallard438@student.glendale.edu.

OPINION

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Friday, June 1, 2018

15

Mulling Over Mueller What you need to know about the investigation into Trump-Russia collusion

By Ken Allard Editor-in-Chief I’m a betting man at heart.

So when it comes to the most far-reaching and consequential political investigation in our country’s illustrious history, you can be certain that I’m going to place some of my chips on predicting the outcome.

Robert S. Mueller III, a longtime figure in Washington who has served in the Department of Justice under multiple administrations, is tasked with leading the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, and whether people within the Donald Trump campaign colluded with foreign governments – namely Russia – to tip the scales in their favor.

Robert Mueller and his allstar team of career lawyers have been granted the authority to not just investigate links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, but “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation,” according to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing the probe.

Which means that crimes such as, say, money laundering and accepting illegal foreign contributions are fair game for prosecution.

The combined résumé of Mueller’s lineup offers some hints on what kinds of crimes they may expect, or know that they need expertise in.

They have been involved in hundreds of cases involving organized crime, financial fraud, money laundering, cybersecurity issues, counterterrorism, appellate law, and more.

Prediction: By 2020, Donald Trump will be out of office via impeachment, and he and others in his campaign will be facing a litany of charges that will be brought about by the special counsel’s investigation.

Global Intelligence Apparatus The investigation already has what it needs to lock up dozens of individuals within the Trump campaign, but the wheels of justice, by design, turn slowly.

The FBI counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign and their suspicious connections with Kremlin-linked individuals began in late July 2016.

According to the Guardian, multiple foreign intelligence agencies, including that of Britain, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, and France, picked up suspicious communications between Trump officials and Russian-backed individuals as early as 2015.

Mount Wall / Creative Commons

MUELLER III: Robert S. Mueller III is tasked with leading one of the most partisan political investigations in history.

The information, intercepted during routine intelligence gathering and then given to U.S. officials, was deemed so sensitive that it was handled at “director level.”

This is what ultimately kicked off the multiple inter-agency, counter-espionage effort by American bureaus.

“They now have specific concrete and corroborative evidence of collusion,” a confidential source told the Guardian. “This is between people in the Trump campaign and agents of [Russian] influence relating to the use of hacked material.”

The “hacked material” is referring to the emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee by Russian agents, which were then disseminated through Wikileaks.

According to many legal experts, collusion is tough to prove. It comes down to who was involved, when it occurred, what type of information was exchanged, and, perhaps most importantly, the intent of the parties involved.

So, collusion may not end up being the main avenue for prosecution. But the key phrase in the appointment of the special counsel was “any matters that arose or may arise from the investigation.”

And when it comes to legal matters, Trump faces many, including on the civil litigation front from adult film actress Stormy Daniels and her heavyhitting lawyer Michael Avenatti.

Special Counsel’s Investigation It’s hard to say where exactly the special counsel is currently at

with their investigatory timeline.

Mueller, a Vietnam veteran, former FBI director, and wellknown by-the-books official, runs a leak-free ship.

The team chases leads in the shadows and any new information that comes out usually comes byway of requests for interviews or indictments of targets in the investigation.

Regarding indictments, there are many. As of now, Mueller has indicted 19 individuals and three separate entities. Of those 19, 13 are Russian nationals who have been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, as well as wire fraud and bank fraud.

This is in connection with their roles with the Internet Research Agency, a St. Petersburgbased “troll farm” that attempted – and succeeded – in interfering in the United States presidential election.

“Of course the Russian effort affected the outcome. Surprising even themselves, they swung the election to a Trump win,” said James Clapper, former United States Director of National Intelligence from 2010 to 2017, in his new book. “Less than 80,000 votes in three key states swung the election. I have no doubt that more votes than that were influenced by this massive effort by the Russians.”

The indictment of over a dozen Russian nationals resoundingly shut the door on the idea that the investigation was nothing more than a partisan “witch hunt.”

It was also the first public piece of information confirming Russian interference in the 2016 election, affirming the conclusion that the intelligence agencies came to months prior.

The Mueller inquiry hasn’t just skirted around the periphery of Trump’s campaign, either. The biggest developments in the investigation have reached directly into Donald Trump’s inner circle.

Flipping Conspirators Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements in December 2017, and George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to similar charges in October.

Papadopoulos served as a foreign policy adviser for Trump.

Both men lied about their contacts – or attempts to set up contacts – with members of the Russian government or people with high-level connections to the Russian government.

Flynn and Papadopoulos have agreed to cooperate with Mueller’s probe, offering information on further Trump campaign misdeeds in exchange for lighter sentences.

Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, and Deputy Campaign Chairman Rick Gates, have also been charged.

Manafort, who had previously worked extensively as a foreign agent on behalf of Kremlin-friendly Ukrainian politicians, has been indicted on over 18 crimes, including being an unregistered foreign agent and conspiracy against the United States.

Rick Gates has pleaded guilty and agreed to offer information regarding “any and all matters” related to Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation.

The significance of these indictments cannot be understated.

Federal investigators only offer

plea deals if they know that they can receive noteworthy insider information that can further the investigation, and lead to more indictments of guilty individuals.

The tactic is called “flipping” witnesses. A member of Mueller’s team, Andrew Weissman, the man who headed the Justice Department’s fraud investigation into Enron, is an expert in aggressively securing witness testimony, according to people familiar with him.

Perhaps the most explosive incident regarding the TrumpRussia timeline was the FBI raid on Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and good friend, Michael Cohen. The raid was executed by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York on referral from the special counsel.

Business records, emails, and other documents spanning years were all seized during the surprise raid after being under secret criminal investigation for months.

Getting Cohen to flip would be the nail in the coffin for Donald Trump. Cohen likely knows more than anyone on Trump’s dealings, especially in relation to the case on collusion. He was named as a significant figure in the Trump campaign’s attempts to set up a secret relationship with Russia, according to the infamous “Steele Dossier.”

The Case for Impeachment Conventional legal wisdom states that a sitting president cannot be indicted. The Justice Department holds this to be true, as well.

[See Mueller, page 16]

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OPINION

Friday, June 1, 2018

[From Mueller, page 15]

of upstart Democrats have secured victories in districts that The Constitution bars the leaned heavily towards Trump in president from facing criminal 2016. prosecution, according to the If the midterm results folDepartment of Justice, and Muel- low the current projections and ler has said that he would follow Democrats can find a super-madepartment guidelines. jority in the Senate to agree with This means that for Trump to their conclusions, expect Trump be indicted, he would have to go to be out of office sometime in the “Nixon route,” i.e., articles of 2019 via impeachment. impeachment through Congress.

The charges? Obstruction of With the current Congresjustice relating to the firing of sional layout being tilted in then-FBI Director James Comey; Republican favor with unabashed conspiracy to support If the midterm results follow defraud the of Trump, United States in the current projections and impeachment regards to his Democrats can find a super- actions in aiding proceedings majority in the Senate to agree and abetting would hinge with their conclusions, expect Russian help on a strong Trump to be out of office some- to influence Democratic showing in time in 2019 via impeachment. the 2016 electhe Novemtion; and other ber midterm crimes, such as those involving elections. federal election law and receivAll indicators are pointing to ing illegal contributions. a “Blue Wave” come election season, as a record number of incumbent Republican legislators Ken Allard can be reached at have opted to retire while dozens kallard438@student.glendale.edu.

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SATIRE Campus Starbucks to Release Adderall-Infused Beverages Coffee chain is teaming up with college to release a new line of beverages with an extra kick

Mike Mozart / Creative Commons

STARBUCKSRX: The lines for the new StarbucksRx beverages spanned hundreds of people on opening day.

By Ken Allard Editor-in-Chief The Starbucks kiosks on the campus of Glendale Community College are releasing a new Adderall-infused coffee beverage in preparation for the rigors of final exams.

This latest addition to the menu of the world-renowned coffee company is being lauded as an innovative and progressive step in potentially helping students achieve academic success while also quenching their ravenous taste for not just caffeine, but amphetamine-based study drugs.

“We’re proud to introduce this new line of coffee beverages to

the campus,” said GCC President Brian Weltz.

“We see that many of our students are hopelessly dependent on both caffeine and ADHD medications, so we figured that we could streamline the process and just combine the two.”

In order to legally sell what are normally prescription-only medications, federal regulators have ordered the campus Starbucks who are selling those particular drinks to apply for a special license.

The Starbucks on campus that have attained the license will be rebranding the company name to “StarbucksRx” to reduce confusion among those just looking for

a non-amphetamine-based cup of Joe. “I love the idea,” said 22-year-old engineering major Katherine Gomez, who is in her second year at Glendale Community College and fifteenth year on prescription Adderall medication.

“These drugs are already handed out like candy by most doctors, might as well just have Starbucks mix it up in my twice-daily venti mocha pumpkin spice frappuccino with extra whipped cream.”

To combat StarbucksRx’s new line of beverages, competitor Coffee Bean has teamed up with Novartis Pharmaceuticals to come out with their own line of coffee drinks with an extra kick –

this time byway of Ritalin.

Initial results of the new addition’s effects on the academic environment in early-phase group studies had come back promising.

Test scores were up across the board, as well as professorreported student attentiveness during classroom lectures.

Although, reports of heart palpitations were up by 76 percent and sweaty palms up by 64 percent.

“Nobody seems to shut the hell up once they get the chance to talk, either,” said philosophy major Jonathan Carroll, a member of one of the initial test groups.

Not all campus feedback has been positive. School cafeteria workers and local food joints who depend on student expenditures have protested the move, contending that a stark decrease in customer purchases could come about, as the Adderallbased coffee beverages stymie all but the most intense of appetites.

“At least I’m finally losing weight,” quipped student Jessica Lanza. “Thanks Shire Pharmaceuticals!”

Ken Allard can be reached at kallard438@student.glendale.edu.

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Deadpool 2: Electric Boogaloo Fighting for justice, neglecting other issues

By Rudy Guijarro Staff Writer Director David Leitch captures the Deadpool adrenaline, but it’s Ryan Reynolds charisma as the foul mouth anti-hero and the A-list cameos that makes this sequel spectacular.

“Deadpool 2” begins like most comic book films, the hero at his lowest, Wade Wilson girlfriend, Vanessa whom he had planned to start a family with, is killed by a man seeking revenge against him.

Depressed and broken hearted, he turns to drugs and alcohol to fill the void. After an unsuccessful attempted suicide by blowing up his entire apartment as he laid on top of gallons of gasoline, he’s rescued by his X-men colleague Colossus played by Stefan Kapichi.

Colossus takes what’s left of Deadpool to his home to be rehabilitated, and thus rolls the dramatic opening credits with Celine Dion’s “Ashes” playing in the background.

The film uses its soundtrack for humorous juxtaposition, such as playing Dolly Parton’s “9-5” during a brutal murder rampage insinuating this is Deadpool’s day job.

Reynolds narration assures you that “Deadpool 2” is a family film, despite the violence, after he takes interest in reforming a teenage troubled mutant Firefist (Julian Dennison).

While getting to know Firefist in a mutant detention center, Cable, a soldier from the future comes back in time to kill the 14-year-old Firefist.

Deadpool must get his act together and save his teenage mutant friend.

By this time, it’s seems you can guess exactly where this film is headed; Deadpool will reform the boy, destroy Cable and probably meet a new love interest.

And traditionally you wouldn’t be wrong. But that’s the beauty of Deadpool, he follows no formula.

Dating back to 1990, the comic books, created by Fabian Niceiza and Rob Liefeld, never followed any formulas and were never taken too seriously.

“Deadpool was hostile, we shouldn’t have been able to get away with a hero like him but we were so under looked, no one ever said anything or edited us,” Liefeld said at Comic Con. “We thought we’d be canceled anytime.”

Wade Wilson has never been an orthodox superhero, nor has had a precise timeline. During the Deadpool comic’s lifespan they have changed his name to Agent X and villain/partner Cable, whom appears in the film played

by Josh Brolin, to Soldier X. Brolin is currently playing two villains in the Marvel universe, Deadpool’s foe/friend Cable and Avengers super-villain Thanos; which is joked about in the film.

Marvel’s raunchy anti-hero has always been a foul-mouth troll of its own universe but now he’s taking jabs at ours. Deadpool’s gags are contemporary and refreshing.

The superhero pokes fun at our “PC” culture and organic lifestyle trends.

But the biggest gag was the fate of the X-force team, consisting of: Bedlam (Terry Crews), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan), Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgård), Vanisher (Brad Pitt), Domino (Zazie Beetz), and Peter (Rob Delaney).

An unexpected turn of events come about when the team goes skydiving towards their first mission, only to get accidentally slaughtered one by one.

“We were trolling the world.

That was the whole point. And the big thing was to keep it a secret,” Terry Crews said in an interview with Business Insider. “That was the hardest part. I didn’t even tell my wife what was going to happen.”

Marvel’s “Deadpool 2” surpassed critical and box office expectations. It’s opening weekend made over $300 million, making Deadpool the highest grossing weekend for an ‘R’ rated film.

“Deadpool 2” is an obscene stimulating escapade. Its intense violence and nonstop gags is sure to entertain most comic-book and non-comic moviegoers.

Rudy Guijarro can be reached at rudyguijarro@gmail.com.

What We’re Binging On Netflix

New season of “13 Reasons Why” tackles crucial issues, including bullying

By Chieko Kubo Staff Writer It’s almost finals! Netflix is the ultimate distraction, but sometimes, we all need a break. So whether you’re done with finals or need a breather, we recommend catching up with the latest season of “13 Reasons Why,” or watching the first season if you haven’t already. Be aware, however, that the show deals with sensitive, and crucial, topics.

The show is essentially 13 reasons why a young high school student killed herself.

One day, as an ordinary male student, Clay Jensen (played by Dylan Minette), comes home, and finds a small package. The package includes seven tapes. In the tapes, Hannah Baker (played by Katherine Langford), who committed suicide two weeks earlier, recorded in her own voice the 13 reasons why she decided to kill herself.

The scenes move back and forth between the present and the past when Hannah was alive.

However, the changes happen very naturally, so sometimes audiences might be confused. But at the same time, the speed of story-

telling attracts the audiences.

In addition, the characters’ feelings are described precisely, so that gives viewers strong sympathy for many people involved.

“13 Reasons Why” is based on the original book by Jay Asher.

Then it was developed by Brian Yorkey, and Selena Gomez was an executive producer. Some people say that this show is controversial because one of the fans committed suicide after watching it.

The father strongly protested executives making a second season of this, but was released on May 18 anyway, due to the high ratings of the first.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 10- to 24-year-olds in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That is why the author of “13 Reasons Why” wrote it.

In a discussion about the problems that are mentioned in the story, Asher says that, “The whole issue of suicide is an uncomfortable thing to talk about, but it happens, so we have to talk about it. And it’s dangerous not to talk about it because there’s always room for hope.”

Also, in the discussion, Gomez reveals, “We wanted to do it in a way where it was honest, and we wanted to make something that can hopefully help people, because suicide should never, ever be an option.”

The audience, especially teens and young adults, not only can enjoy it, but can also think about their circumstances and human relationships in their daily lives more carefully. Check out season one to prepare for the second season.

The producers also try to offer solutions for people who are suffering. 13ReasonsWhy.info is a website that helps viewers by engaging them in conversation, while also offering resources and advice regarding suicide and suicide prevention.

The National Suicide Prevention hotline provides 24/7 support to anyone who feels distressed or unable to cope. For information, visit suicidepreventionlifeline. org or call (800) 273-8255. Glendale Community College also has multiple resources available.

Go to bit.ly/GCCHELP to learn more.

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

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ENTERTAINMENT

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Arctic Monkeys Takes a Left Turn New album by alternative band stands apart from group’s previous work

By Adriana Garcia Entertainment Editor English rock band Arctic Monkeys’ frontman Alex Turner tore a page from David Bowie’s playbook for their sixth and latest studio album “Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino.” The album consists of 11 piano-heavy, ambient tracks that all stem from Turner’s conjured space theme.

“The moon has been colonized, gentrified, and turned into a luxury resort,” explained Pitchfork editor Ryan Dombal about the album’s concept. “Turner and his mates take up the role of the titular hotel’s house band.”

The album’s contemplative songs comment on contemporary topics like technology and consumerism, all from above the Earth’s atmosphere. The album’s eccentric conceptualization and sound are certainly a departure from the band’s usual, more traditional work.

Until now, their previous and supremely successful album “AM” was their most uncharacteristic, consisting mostly of heavy beats inspired by Dr. Dre but “sent flying across the desert on a Stratocaster,” as Turner described in a 2013 interview with NME magazine.

The albums before that, including their 2006 debut “What-

ever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not,” rely heavily on Matt Helders’ fast-paced drumming and have their rhythm established by guitar.

“Tranquility Base,” on the other hand, plays more like futuristic lounge music. There are no catchy choruses, blaring instrumentals or even hints of garageenclosed days.

Instead, there are slowly dispensed layered melodies and vocal medleys, with Turner’s voice leading them surely and exquisitely. The 32-year-old Yorkshire native widens his vocal range and lands somewhere between his usual drawl and mesmerizing rekindled Bowie intonation.

Turner composed the entire album on a piano in his Los Angeles home, then shared and modified it with the remaining band members and their usual producer James Ford to more accurately encompass the album’s space theme.

Most songs feature an old, dream-pop vibe with jazz components. Turner claims the jazz infusion came from following “the places [his] fingers would naturally fall on the piano,” and resembled something his father used to play, according to an interview with Rolling Stone.

The vocalist and composer also lists French musician Serge

Zackery Michael / Courtesy Photo

CD NOIR: The band poses together in this courtesy photo.

Gainsbourg and French film score composer François de Roubaix as heavy influences, beside the obvious Bowie nod.

First track “Star Treatment” immediately asserts the album’s distinctive sound and opens with the brooding lyrics, “I just wanted to be one of The Strokes / Now look at the mess you made me make.”

The line acknowledges and yet denounces the fact that the Arctic Monkeys may very well have

overpassed their American counterpart and early influencers. The Brit band immediately sold out their May show at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and filled the Hollywood Bowl for this upcoming October.

“Star Treatment” reflects the passing time since the band’s start. Turner wanted to present “This feeling of, ‘Hang on, I was just there a minute ago. It seemed just now that I was wanting to be one of,’” he half-explained, be-

fore stopping abruptly, to the Los Angeles Times.

But Turner should hardly be surprised at his band’s success.

They delivered four hard-hitting and infectiously enticing albums before experimenting with “AM,” and now they’ve demonstrated they’re as eclectically talented as they are popular.

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

‘Disobedience’ Explores Interesting Dynamics Film examines multiple themes in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in thoughtful, provoking ways

gettyimmages.com / Courtesy Photo

A-LISTER: Rachel Weisz, an Academy Award winner, poses for a photo during a 2017 event for Disobedience.

By Adriana Garcia Entertainment Editor Writer and director Sebastián Lelio showed his capability to capture and complement raw acting talent in this year’s Foreign Language Academy Award winner “A Fantastic Woman.” The Chilean native managed to do it again for his new drama “Disobedience.”

The film stars the equally seasoned actresses Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz, and tells the story of Esti and Ronit. Both women grew up in an extremely devoted Northern London Orthodox Jewish community, but Ronit

(Weisz) left for New York and a more liberal lifestyle.

She only returns for her father’s unexpected death and funeral, but his previous position as the community’s beloved religious leader seems to enable everyone to consider themselves closer kin than Ronit ever was.

Remarks about her absence in her father’s sickness, which no one notified her about, and the offhand mentioning of her exclusion from his will upset Ronit, a modern photographer, but nothing rattles her more than learning her two childhood best friends, Esti (McAdams) and Dovid (Alessandro Nivola), are now

married.

It eventually becomes clear Ronit’s surprise stems from the unspoken attraction between the two women, which we later understand materialized when they were younger. Ronit’s return unsettles the seemingly subdued and devoted Esti, and the film progresses into a struggle between faith and desire.

The movie’s powerful storyline required powerful performance, and McAdams and Weisz deliver.

Ronit’s character is a delicate balance of grief, regret and eccentricity that Weisz portrays perfectly. The Academy Award win-

ning actress, who also produced the film, approached the role purely intuitively, which seems to be her usual method, according to The Los Angeles Times. “She doesn’t even really get attached to stage directions,” costar McAdams explained in an interview.

“She just wants to be very, very free to explore and turn things on their head.”

McAdams, on the other hand, took on Esti’s role more methodically. “Lelio observed that McAdams needed to ‘understand everything,’” wrote Times entertainment reporter Amy Kaufman.

“I sometimes really feel like I have to nail things down to feel secure,” added the actress in the same article.

Nivola provides a compelling performance as the tender but desperate Dovid, whose potential position as new religious leader is placed in jeopardy by Ronit’s return and its effect on his wife.

Though all his character’s feelings are palpable, Nivola claims the most difficult task was not portraying emotion, but everything else.

“The challenge was pretty obvious,” said the 45-year-old actor. “I was playing somebody that was from a very particular world that was very different from my own. I didn’t have any familiarity with the Hasidic world, so the research is probably the most ex-

tensive I’ve ever done for a role.”

Nivola explained he spent time with a Brooklyn neighbor’s Orthodox Jewish brother in order to prepare for the role. “He took me under his wing and coached me on my Hebrew,” said the actor. “He invited me to all the Shabbos dinners at his house and really was determined to help me get it right.”

Nivola’s dedication and onscreen chemistry with both Weisz and McAdams cement their characters’ complicated triangle into place.

Director Lelio’s minimalist but thoughtful aesthetic ensured all attention went to the characters and their players. The 44-yearold recognized they were the most powerful parts of the story and explained they’re what initially drew him to the project. “I was immediately attracted to the dynamics between these characters,” said the director. “The characters are very human and vibrant and influx, but they’re operating in front of a backdrop that is all about fixed ideas.”

The tension between human fluidity and an ultra orthodox brand of religion drives the story, but the stellar performances provided are what ultimately make “Disobedience” most superb.

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

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State Too Strict On Environmental Regulations A recent article in the L.A. Times, dated May 1, 2018, focused on EPA regulations. The article, “California joins 16 other states and sues to halt Persident Donald Trump’s plan to roll back vehicle emission standards,” missed the point.

It is clear that the Trump administration’s policies have been rather anti-environmental, such as when the EPA under Trump attempted to repeal a bill that tracked the pollution of rivers by the coal industry. However, I don’t think that this new rollback of emission standards falls under the same category of anti-environmentalism.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Emission standards are a great thing. I mean, I can’t count the number of times I’ve had black smoke from the tailpipe of some ancient Ford blow into my face, forcing me to hold my breath lest I take a few minutes off my lifespan.

With all our emission laws here in LA we still have problems with smog, but we have made tremendous progress.

I’ve had old timers tell me about how as children they couldn’t go out for recess without coughing up a long, so it is clear that the EPA standards have been a great boon to the health of our state.

The EPA plan states that all new cars must achieve 55 miles per gallon by 2025, but this doesn’t really seem realistic unless we’re

talking about only driving Priuses and tiny Smart cars.

I think it’s completely unfair for the state of California to be fighting with the EPA for trying to rollback this seriously ambitious mpg requirement instead of first dealing with its own infrastructural problems Public transportation in California is terrible.

Nobody wants to wait 45 minutes for a bus, and there is almost no public railway transportation to speak of unless you want to travel between a small handful of destinations. Compare that with New York, where many people don’t even bother driving because of their superior public transportation. They can afford to fight for stricter and stricter emission requirements all they want because

Friday, June 1, 2018

they can survive without cars, but we Californian’s simply can’t.

The California state government wants to make it harder for the auto and oil industry to provide us with transportation while doing nothing at all to remedy that lack of transportation. I know Gov. Jerry Brown or Attorney General Becerra won’t ever have to deal with our terrible public transportation, but their job is to worry about their citizens instead of only worrying about themselves and their lobbyist lapdogs. Will cars become more affordable with the EPA cracking down on every company for not making tiny hybrid cars? No, definitely not.

Is it fair to force the American consumer to choose between a Prius or

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a Tesla? Not really, unless we’re willing to sacrifice economy in the name of idealism. There’s a reason why car companies offer diverse lineups: their profit margins would be seriously scanty if they only offered one specific type of car.

This whole idea of having ultra-efficient 60 mpg engines is a pipe dream, there’s only so much regulation we can place on the auto industry before car companies simply cannot afford to comply.

As we continue pushing for stricter and stricter efficiency standards, we must remember that we are shoving both American and International carmakers into the waters of infeasibility.

Andrew Zanzanian GCC Student

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