Vol. 44, Issue 3, 24 pages
Friday, December 14, 2018
CLIMATE CHANGE on A11
I think it’s overly simplistic to suggest that we only have until 2030 [to prevent climate change’s effects] and then after that it is too late … it might already be too late and we just don’t know that now. Dr. Steve Running
IPCC FOURTH ASSESSMENT LEAD AUTHOR AND NOBEL LAUREATE
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Vlada Demenko
STAFF WRITER SDUHSD held a parent education forum, featuring suicide prevention speaker Stan Collins, at Canyon Crest Academy on Nov. 11 to educate parents about self-harm and suicide prevention, following the deaths of three CCA students in the first semester of the school year. No statement has been made by parents or the district about the nature of those deaths. The purpose of the forum was to discuss the current state of mental health among students. Hundreds of parents attended to learn more about how they can support those with mental health issues. “I heard lots of stories about students that have been having pretty big issues, like suicide, and we don’t know the whole story,” CCA parent David Chen said. “We’re definitely concerned about the students; those are my kids. That’s why we’re here.” The forum began with CCA principal Brett Killeen talking about the significance of addressing the recent discussions surrounding mental health illness. “If we can just save one life, anything we’ve done here tonight is more meaningful. Hopefully, we’ll all learn [more about suicide prevention] together,” Killeen said to the gym full of parents. Later, TPHS Principal Rob Coppo was introduced and emphasized the forum’s significance for all families in the district. “Like CCA and Cathedral [Catholic High School], Torrey Pines has suffered student losses over the last couple years,” Coppo said. “There’s nothing more painful for a community or for a school.” From there, keynote speaker Stan Collins, writer and consultant for Each Mind Matters, a program with thousands of organizations that assembles activists dedicated to ending the stigma around mental health, began his presentation.
His main goal was to teach parents how to handle suicide. “You’re afraid of what’s going on in the community and what’s going on in people’s lives,” Collins said. “I’m hoping what you’re going to walk away with tonight is a sense of comfort around this topic.” He went on to say one of the major problems surrounding suicide is the hesitation to talk about it in fear that doing so will normalize it. “When we have negative messages about suicide, we will have negative outcomes,” Collins said. “When we have positive messages about prevention, about hope, about positivity, we can actually move toward help.” While no details have been released about the recent student deaths, there are different opinions on what causes students mental health issues in the community. “Mental health is a big part of [suicide], the pressure kids feel about their future. Social media is also a piece of it,” San Dieguito Academy counselor and parent Ann Nebolon said. “I think those things combined are the major issues, but, of course, there are other underlying factors.” Some SDUHSD parents and students cite academic pressure as the most overwhelming factor contributing to mental health issues. According to U.S. News and World Report, CCA ranks 14 among all high schools in California and has an 86 percent AP participation rate. “I lead tours for incoming freshmen, and I have parents coming to me and asking what statistics CCA has about going to Ivy League schools,” CCA senior and ASB member Jaye Patrick said. “I think that’s a very toxic environment bleeding into our kids.” Parents have become increasingly aware of the pressures prevalent on campuses through their children. “[My child] thinks it’s rigorous and it’s hard because of all the frequent quizzes
The TPHS iGEM team presented its project on chitinase at the 2018 International iGEM Jamboree in Boston. The team received a Bronze Medal. Team Captains: Joshua Chung (12) Stella Chung (12) Kishan Shah (12) Human Practices Team: Angela Liu (12) Joshua Kim (12) Arjun Naageshwaran (11) Claire Wang (11)
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and tests,” CCA parent Jenny Wei said. Most parents and students did not, however, have ideas of solutions that could be implemented to lighten academic stress. “I would support measures to cap the number of APs taken,” CCA senior Allison Martin said. “I know several people who take way too many APs, and they’re definitely overexerting themselves.” Others believed it should be up to students to decide how many AP classes they take over their high school careers. “I believe in choice, so ... I think that what parents should do is talk to their kids about the pressure they individually face and let [the choice of which classes to take] be a child and parent decision,” CCA parent Alicia Gressen said. Killeen said that academic pursuits should not overshadow health. “I don’t really care about rankings, I don’t care how many AP tests a student takes, I don’t care that they got a five [on the AP test],” Killeen said. “What I care
about is that they’re happy, that they’re allowed to be kids.” There has yet to be any policy changes in response to the concern over students’ mental health in the district. “Now is not the time, in my opinion, to engage in policy change,” Killeen said. A wellness fair at the end of the forum was set up with resources for students. One of these resources was a company called Evolve, a treatment center for teens 12 to 17 years old who struggle with mental health issues. “If a parent or even teenager wants to be an agent in their own healthcare, we really to try to be there, so if anyone’s having an issue or crisis, we are here for them,” outreach representative Brook Harper said. “Kids are reluctant to reach out for fear of the stigma and how they may be looked at as inferior because they are struggling.” The district held the forum again at La Costa Canyon High School on Nov. 14.
PHOTO BY DAVID VAPNEK/FALCONER
FULL HOUSE: Parents and district staff sit in rapt attention at the district mental health forum featuring speaker Stan Collins at CCA on Nov. 11. The forum was repeated at LCC on Nov. 14.
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TPHS Falconer staffers attended the NSPA/JEA Journalism Conference in Chicago and the Falconer placed 7th in Best Excellent in Review Writing: Alexei Serguienko (12)
Members from the TPHS Computational Thinking Club attended the Wolfram Technology Conference in Champaign, Illinois to present their work. Shannon Brownlee (12) Ryan Heo (12) Likith Palabindela (12) Emily Zhang (12)
Lab Team: Allison Bien (11) Farrah Kaiyom (11) Daniel Kim (11) Elliot Kim (12) Amrita Moturi (11) Aidan Zhang (11) Poster Team: Alina Ho (12) Allison Jung (11) Melody Mao (11) Rebecca Shin (12) Emily Smith (12) Web Team: Ryan Heo (12) Josephine Kim (10) Daniel Liu (11)
Model United Nations competed at UCLA. Varsity Research Award: Alisha Chakraborty (11) Ashley Hansen (10) Neha Pubbi (10) Gopika Yallapragada (11) Best (1st) Novice Award: Vivian Miller (11) Maxine Sy Chu (12)
Varsity Outstanding (2nd): Maxine Sy Chu (12) Novice Outstanding (2nd): Isabella Liu (10)
Sophia Chen (12)
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that Brown creates for her students. “She has been working with a lot of students with Mathematica, and she has TPHS math teacher Abby Brown was been teaching it for 15 years,” Palabindela presented the Wolfram Innovator Award said. “It’s [because of] the amount of work from Wolfram Research at the Illinois she puts in with her students, the amount Wolfram Technology Conference for her she uses the software. It’s the Innovation work in teaching Wolfram Mathematica Award; she just does so many projects with the software that she got the award.” software to high school students. According to Brown, Wolfram employees The Wolfram Innovator Award is given annually at the Wolfram Technology generally nominate people they work Conference in Champaign, Illinois, to a with outside of the company in Wolfram handful of individuals around the world Technologies. Not long after being notified for their contributions in expanding the that she was being considered for the award, use of Wolfram technologies, such as the Brown shared with her students that she won the Wolfram Innovator Award for computer language Mathematica. Mathematica is a technical computing her extensive work in Wolfram Language, introducing computational system using Wolfram Language and including Java Programming Language to solve coding to students and spreading interest real-world problems with computational in the Mathematica program. Brown has been teaching Wolfram thinking, a method used to deconstruct a Language over her problem and solve entire teaching it using coding. career at TPHS, Regular coding though the software typically involves was initially a directly writing demonstration code and is known tool which she as hardcoding. did not expect “I guess would become an Mathematica is integral part of her easier. I guess curriculum. that’s the main “At some point attracting point many years ago, for everyone: the we were able ease of use,” said to get licensing Likith Palabindela for us to put (12), who attended [Mathematica] on the Wolfram school computers,” T e c h n o l o g y Brown said. “That Conference. “For Likith Palabindela (12) was really the other languages, STUDENT difference maker it’s more low because then I level where you have to do everything by yourself. But could get my students to be using it and Mathematica has a lot of built-in functions, developing activities and things for them to which you can use for what you want to use directly.” The Wolfram Technology Conference in do, and if you do want to make your own Champaign was held from Oct. 17 to 19. functions, it has that capability too.” A math teacher at TPHS who has taught Brown, along with five TPHS students — Wolfram Language for almost 20 years Palabindela, Shannon Brownlee (12), Ryan and, in doing so, has significantly increased Heo (12) and Emily Zhang (12) — and an students’ exposure to Mathematica, Brown alumnus, Issac Gelman (‘18), attended the was nominated for the award by Paul conference to give short presentations on Fish, the Academic Account Executive at their experiences with Mathematica. Students were chosen to attend the Wolfram Research. Brown qualified for the Innovator Award conference based on their interest in nomination through her efforts in running Wolfram Language and how they pursued “CT at TP,” along her years of instructing that interest outside of Brown’s class Wolfram Language and creating original material. Specifically, Brownlee and Zhang were lesson plans that incorporate artificial intelligence with technological material chosen for their code for a training program
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Esther Choi
FEATURE EDITOR
It’s [because of] the amount of work [Brown] puts in with her students, the amount she uses the software... and so many projects with the software that she got the award.
Kevin Song
STAFF WRITER Kristin Gibson won the Area 5 SDUHSD Board of Trustees seat on Nov. 6, defeating Dr. Cheryl James-Ward and Lea Wolf. Early voting for Areas 1, 3 and 5 began on Oct. 8 and continued until polls closed on Nov. 6. Gibson won 42.7 percent of the 7,301 total votes in Area 5, James-Ward came in second with 36.8 percent of the votes, and Wolf followed with 20.5 percent. Gibson served two terms as the board president of the Del Mar Union School District (DMUSD). Additionally, she taught in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District and also contributed to projects at the San Diego State University School for Teacher Education. “I believe [Gibson’s] recent experience ... as president of the [DMUSD school] board resonated with her community,” said Beth Hergesheimer, president of the SDUHSD board. As president, Hergesheimer endorsed candidates, including Gibson, in the three areas with seats available. The 2018 election was the first “bytrustee area” election in SDUHSD, as opposed to the traditional “at large” system, meaning the district was divided into separate trustee areas and one board member was elected by registered voters in that area rather than by voters everywhere in the school district.
The change was implemented in response to the California Voting Rights Act, which prohibits the use of an atlarge election if it “impairs the ability of
In order to support the district ... [members] need to work together respectfully, unified around the common goal of doing what is best for the students. Kristin Gibson
SDUHSD AREA 5 BOARD MEMBER
a protected class to elect candidates of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election.” “I believe our SDUHSD community has been well-represented by at-large trustees,” Hergesheimer said. “However ... many local jurisdictions have made similar changes due to lawsuits or the imminent threat of them.”
PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION FROM ABBY BROWN
STAR STRUCK: Abby Brown stands next to Stephen Wolfram, creator of Wolfram Language with Augment Technologies. Palabindela and Heo, on the other hand, were chosen for their participation in the Wolfram 2018 Summer Camp. Zhang, Brownlee and Brown gave a joint presentation on the supplementary Wolfram Language information Brown taught in her classes, and Zhang and Brownlee offered personal insight into the experience as students who have used Mathematica. “A lot of people at the conference are interested in educational applications for Mathematica,” Brownlee said. “People get into college, and they don’t really know how to code using a higher level coding language … Mathematica is a separate, higher-level programming language, which means it’s based off of C++, but it has its own functions that are built in [so you don’t have] to hard code everything yourself.” Palabindela and Heo shared their experiences as students learning computational thinking at the summer camp. The two presentations were followed by questions from the audience. “A lot of people [were] asking us questions afterwards,” Brownlee said. “They were just super interested in hearing from Emily and me [about] our student experiences and what we liked or disliked, what we thought could be implemented in the workplace [or] in school differently, all
that kind of stuff.” All four students are in the Computational Thinking Club, otherwise known as “CT at TP”, which teaches the logic and mechanisms behind Wolfram Language to students outside of Brown’s classes. “I started [the club] because we have this amazing technology, and I knew that there would be students out there who would be interested in learning more about it,” Brown said. “A little selfishly, I use it with my classes, and I mostly teach seniors and juniors, and I thought it could be beneficial down the road if I have students who have more experience with the software before they enter my classes.” Two years ago, members lost interest in the Computational Thinking Club, then called Wolfram Language Workshops, due to disorganization and freely-structured lessons. But last year, a more organized lesson plan has led to greater student interest and steady attendance. The club has introduced students like Palabindela to Mathematica. “My friend Ryan [Heo] told me about the club last year, and I wanted to try out different things because college is coming up, and I wanted to know what I wanted to do,” Palabindela said. Brown will attend the Wolfram Technology Conference with students again next year.
It was the first time in eight years that two board seats were open. Mo Muir also sought re-election in Area 1. Each candidate emphasized different district issues in her campaign. Gibson, stressed the “fractured governance team,” and noted the frequent seat openings on the SDUHSD board of trustees and promised the “restoration of proper governance” and a responsible and transparent board. “In order to support the district in moving forward ... we first need to have a collaborative governance team,” Gibson said. “Members ... don’t need to agree on everything, but they need to work together respectfully, unified around the common goal of doing what is best for students. ” The main challenge Gibson faced while campaigning was connecting to voters, many of whom had no children or connections to the district. “The vast majority of voters do not have children in the district,” Gibson said. “Candidates, with limited resources, need to find ways to connect with these voters, to compel them to be interested in the election and to educate them on the issues.” Gibson’s experience as a DMUSD board member helped her develop connections with members of the community before the election. “Over the course of my two terms in Del Mar, and as an involved parent in our local schools, I developed productive relationships with many community
members who were then willing to campaign on my behalf,” Gibson said. According to the California School Boards Association (CSBA), school board members are expected to establish an effective and efficient board structure, ensure accountability, and advocate for children and public schools. As a member of the SDUHSD board of education, Gibson’s specific tasks, in addition to the ones outlined by the CSBA, will include overseeing and evaluating the district superintendent and school budget. Gibson’s vision for the school board is clear. “I’ve had eight years to work with and learn from some of the most talented, ethical, caring educational leaders in the state,” Gibson said. “I have a clear vision of what effective leadership looks like, what exceptional teaching and learning look like, and the limited but significant role a school board member can play in bringing about positive change.” With the recent election of the new school board members, some students hope that their concerns with the school board will be addressed. “I wish the school board was more connected to the student body,” Eric Kim (9) said. “As a student, I have no idea what it is or what they do. Considering they’re our district board, that’s a little concerning.” Elections for areas 2 and 4 will be held in 2020.
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Neha Pubbi
STAFF WRITER TPHS Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) test scores increased over the 2017-18 school year, elevating TPHS’ ranking against the other four SDUHSD campuses from a tie for last place against La Costa Canyon in 201617 to second place, behind Canyon Crest Academy. Taken by the current senior class, TPHS’ 2017-18 SBAC scores showed 38 percent and 54 percent of students exceeding math and English standards, respectively. The scores from the 2016-17 school year, taken by the graduating class of 2018, showed 31 percent and 38 percent of students exceeding in Math and English, respectively. The blame for low scores in 2017 was assigned to the lack of marketing by the administration, according to principal Rob Coppo. “I don’t think we did a good job on promoting the importance of SBAC scores to our students [last year], so we are really looking to Lisa Callender e m p h a s i z e ENGLISH TEACHER that this year,” Coppo said. Another reason why the scores were lower than expected in 2017 is that the SBAC aligns with the Common Core curriculum, which the class of 2018 was transitioning to from older academic standards. However, that transition would have affected students across the whole state. “SBAC is still important, but it doesn’t have the weight that it once did … also I think you saw the last group of students that were on a different track than what Common Core was looking for,” Coppo said. Administrators credit the SBAC score rise in 2018 to an increased effort by teachers to stress the SBAC’s importance to students. “I did talk to my AP Seminar class about the importance of the SBAC,” English Department Chair Lisa Callender said. “We had a talk about … taking it seriously.” Moving the testing dates and bell schedules may have had an impact on the scores as well. “We moved the SBAC testing to before the AP testing which ... [may have] helped keep students focused [because] our kids
are a little burned out after AP testing, so they might be a little more fresh by doing it before. We just did all the testing during class time and didn’t disturb the school day,” Coppo said. Additionally, AP English Language teacher Catherine Moffett told her students that she would take individual SBAC scores into consideration when deciding to write a letter of recommendation for students. “I think that it was probably a stimulus for a lot of people who had no other motive to try or actually pay attention to what was on the test,” Lauren Grove (12), a student of Moffett’s AP Language class last year, said. Some teachers felt that Moffett’s decision was helpful in motivating students. “I think if there is one thing that motivates Torrey Pines students, it is talking about college, so I do think it motivated students in the right way. We are collectively Torrey Pines and there is a responsibility of you as a citizen of Torrey Pines. It can’t be all about the individualism. And one of those things can be taking this test very seriously,” Callender said. Teachers also framed the test in terms of the legacy of the school. “Ms. [Mia] Smith kind of made it a pride thing, like [she conveyed] ‘No way are we going to be the last in the district.’ Like, ‘This is Torrey Pines; we’ve been at the peak of academic excellence for years, and you need to keep that standard high,’” Sophia Chen (12) said. While SBAC scores are not considered in college applications, they are used by the state to measure student achievement. “My teachers were telling us that the SBAC helps our ranking as a school [and] that how we do on the SBAC can affect like how we get into colleges and how many college representatives come to our school,” Grove said. However, Coppo said that TPHS isn’t only measured by the SBAC. “[It’s important that we see the SBAC] as just one component of a larger accountability series of measures so that we value [the test] but [it] isn’t our be all end all of the year; we are more than test scores,” Coppo said. Current juniors will be taking the SBAC during second semester.
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We are collectively Torrey Pines and there is a responsibility of you as a citizen of Torrey Pines.
Katie Flint
STAFF WRITER On Dec. 7, the TPHS fire alarms went off three times, once after lunch ended and twice at the beginning of 7th period. According to assistant principal Michael Santos, they were not planned fire drills, and the administration is currently looking into the cause. “It was not a drill, it seems like individuals had pulled the fire pull stations,” Santos said. “We are doing everything that we can to see what the source of the alarm was, as well as to see if there are any individuals we need to talk to.” When students heard the fire alarms, they were confused about where to go, since drills usually happen during class. Many did not know where to convene without instruction from their teachers. Also, some did not hear the alarm go off, since they were returning from lunch offcampus. “The teachers were organized. The students didn’t know what they’re doing because no one’s really experienced a fire drill like that where it’s about to be the next class and it’s during lunch,” Emily
Bycott (11) said. Some students went to their classes and were brought by their teachers to their designated evacuation areas, while others waited off campus. “I feel like [the response] wasn’t organized, people just wanted to skip class.” Mika Horton (9) said. Many students did not take the fire alarm seriously and thought it as a prank or a false alarm. “I was confused so I went outside the front of the school, but I didn’t think it was real. I thought that someone had pulled the alarm as a prank,” Emma Lee (10) said. Santos shared what students should do in case of another fire. “If they are in class, the teacher has a specific place that they are going to. During lunch, there is not really a space,” Santos said. “It is more about going into the open areas that allows them to be safe, but we will also have staff there to help manage those areas. So getting out of buildings and going into those open areas. ” The open area sites include the front of the school, any of the parking lots and the grassy hill in front of the E Building facing Del Mar Heights Rd.
more students received Standard Exceeded in Mathematics
more students received Standard Exceeded in English
infographic by bea de oliveira and neha pubbi
Student special free fountain drink and chips with purchase of burrito when student id presented
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Since Oct. 22, workers at Canada Post were on strike for 24 hours in a variety of cities because of wage differences between rural and city carriers. They also are striking because of violations of national overtime rules and potential resulting work-related injuries. The strikes ended on Nov. 27 after legislation was passed by the Senate, although the Canada Post expects package delays.
Chinese scientist, Jiankui He, of Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, claims he genetically modified twin baby girls, a first. The claim was met with near-universal condemnation by the scientific community, which used such strong language as “horrified,” “profoundly disturbing,” and “monstrous.” According to He, he and his team used the CRISPR gene-editing technique.
On Oct. 2, American journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered during his visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Saudi Arabian officials initially denied knowledge of his whereabouts, but on Oct. 20, Saudi state television reported Khashoggi’s murder. The investigation is currently carried out by a joint Turkish and Saudi task force. A recent CIA report shows evidence connecting Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman to the murder, although the Saudi government denies involvement. The body of Khashoggi has yet to be found.
Kosovo set a 100 percent import tax on all imports from the nations of Serbia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The tariff increase resulted from an “aggressive [international] campaign against Kosovo,” said Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Enver Hoxhaj. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that imposed tariffs could damage relations in the whole region. Head of the UN Mission in Kosovo, Zahir Tanin, called on Kosovo and Serbia to normalize ties. Neither Serbia nor Bosnia recognize the Republic of Kosovo, which claimed independence from Serbia in 2008.
On Nov. 25, three Ukrainian naval ships were seized by Russian forces near the Kerch Strait in disputed waters, control of which Russia has claimed since it annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. The Ukrainian defense ministry said all three of its vessels were immobilized and stormed by Russian special forces, and 24 sailors were taken into custody. Russian president Vladimir Putin called the event a simple “border incident.”
U.S. Border Patrol agents fired tear gas at a large, unarmed group of migrants, as it overwhelmed Mexican police in an attempt to cross the U.S. border at Tijuana, Mexico on Nov. 25, prompting closure of the pedestrian bridge and the border crossing and several miles of Hwys 5 and 805 leading to the border. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and Tijuana police made arrests on both sides of the border and promised to deport arrestees to their countries of origin.
Information from BBC, Chatelaine, CNN, NPR, and the Washington Post
WORDS BY YURY BUKHRADZE, KATIE FLINT, AND BRANDON RAIMO
art by sam mathe/falcon artist
President Donald Trump sent over 5000 active-duty military troops to the U.S.Mexico border to defend against a caravan of Central American migrants.
Dhathry Doppalapudi
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR In response to the 7,000-person migrant caravan, President Donald Trump recently deployed over 5,000 troops to the southern border of the U.S. Not only is Trump legally allowed to do this, but it is a necessary measure in the country’s scramble to fix a broken immigration system. According to Title X, Chapter 13 of the U.S. Code, the president has the authority to call any federal service into action as he deems necessary whenever he thinks that “unlawful obstructions, combinations or assemblages, or rebellion against the authority of the United States” are unable to be processed by ordinary judicial proceedings. Thousands of migrants assembling at the border — far too many to be able to be processed by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings — give Trump reason to call on this power. Moreover, this is the foremost responsibility of the Department of Defense: to provide the military forces necessary to ensure our nation’s security. The 500 active-duty troops at the border are doing exactly that. Many people don’t believe the claim that the caravan approaching our border carries criminals and threats to our national security. However, the Department of Homeland Security recently confirmed that among the caravan are over 600 criminals convicted with crimes such as “assault, battery, drug crimes, burglary, rape, child abuse and more.” The DHS also stated the group was violent when they crossed paths with government officers. Photos and reports of mothers and their children sleeping on the ground and running away from tear gas have led the public to falsely believe that the caravan is composed of mostly women and children, but the DHS
says the people in the caravan are mostly men, with only a few women. The caravan is pushing women and children to the front of the caravan to be “human shields” as the caravan makes contact with military forces, according to the Guatemalan Intel Minister. During a recent security conference, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales confirmed that the Guatemalan government detained around 100 people “completely involved with terrorists.” An absence of military personnel guarding our border may give way to such terrorists in the U.S. Of course, not all of the migrants are necessarily threats. There are people who are escaping horrible events in their country and coming to the U.S. for asylum. These people just want a better, safer life for themselves and their family, and they deserve a chance to get that life. But our mess of an immigration system makes it extremely difficult for them to legally enter the country, forcing them to enter illegally. People shouldn’t have to break the law for a better future. The only way to lower illegal immigration rates and help these families is to fix our broken system. Currently, there are over 735,000 pending immigration cases, and the average wait time for an immigration hearing is 711 days — almost two years. According to the National Immigration Forum, the backlog has been worsening as “funding for immigration judges has failed to keep pace” with more and more cases. The immigration courts and asylum granting process must become faster and less complicated; if serious changes are not made, the issue will only worsen. There is no way to “peacefully” stop violent, convicted criminals and terrorists like the ones hiding in the crowds of asylum-seeking migrants at our southern border. The only way our border and country will be secure is to stop them using force. That is what the men and women in our military are supposed to do, and stationing them at the border in the midst of such a large-scale immigration crisis is the only way to effectively handle this threat.
The following question was posed in a Politico and Morning Consult poll:
Do you support deploying National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border?
49%
42%
*9 percent did not know or did not have an opinion
Before the midterm elections on Nov. 6, President Donald Trump deployed thousands of troops at the southern U.S.-Mexico border. After the election, many believed that the troops would return home for the holiday season; however, the soldiers still remain at the line separating the U.S. from Mexico. Trump’s decision to deploy troops is not only immoral and unconstitutional, but cost ineffective. By deploying troops at the border to act as law enforcement, the president is violating the Posse Comitatus Act, which bans the Armed Forces from interfering in civil government. However, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly changed the cabinet order by allowing U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use “lethal force where necessary, crowd control, temporary detain and cursory search” to stop migrants, which is a domestic problem that is unrelated to the military. Seeking protection, the migrants are generally poor and vulnerable, posing no threat whatsoever to the U.S. Many are escaping drug violence and political instability, and they have trekked their way across the continent for economic opportunity, not to cause violence. Research from the Cato Institute found that undocumented immigrants commit less crime than native born residents. Additionally, the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy found that undocumented immigrants pay over $23.6 billion in income tax, even though they are ineligible for many social service benefits. Even if the migrants created problems for the economy or safety of American civilians, strict enforcement fails to stop immigration. In fact, an increase in border enforcement occurred over the decades increased illegal immigration by over 44 percent, according to analysis by the Washington Post Furthermore, the costs of border control are extremely high, resulting in unnecessary deficits amounting to millions of dollars. According to a report by Congress on Nov. 20, the Pentagon estimated a $72 million cost to prepare and deploy the troops at the southern border, which includes $19 million for personnel, $20 million for transportation of equipment and
Daniel Kim
SPORTS EDITOR supplies, $28 million in operating expenses and $5 million for other barrier materials. Trump campaigned that the southern wall could be built in about 4 million dollars, but gradually increased the estimate to a drastic 10 million dollars over time. In simpler terms, Trump is investing $72 million in response to an initially decreasing Mexican immigration rate. The amount of money invested to counter an already decreasing immigration rate lacks logical support for an expensive $72 million cost. Over the holiday season, Trump intends to keep the troops deployed at the border, which is disrespectful to the soldiers’ who should return home for the holidays. Although they dedicated their lives to the nation, American soldiers should not been seen as only pawns of the government. Not only does the deployment waste millions of dollars on a non-urgent issue, the troops and their families are forced to spend the holiday season apart from each other. In the past, troop deployment at the southern border had resulted in failures. In July of 2010, former president Barack Obama ordered “Operation Phalanx,” transporting 1,200 National Guard troops. The operation cost $145 million, taking resources from other Department of Defense projects while failing to establish U.S.-Mexico border security. Due to the two policies’ similarities, the odds are in favor of Trump’s policy ending like Obama’s operation, which was an expensive failure, to say the least. Rather than invest money and resources in an ineffective solution, Trump should push Republicans in Congress to properly fund our immigration system and create a pathway to citizenship.
When Jim Acosta, chief White House correspondent for CNN, held on to his microphone and tried to get President Trump to answer a question about the Central American migrant caravan during a press conference, two things were immediately made clear: Trump’s distaste for the “hostile media” and his demeaning responses that attacked Acosta’s questions and CNN’s ratings. Giving up his microphone after a few more attempts to ask questions, during which a White House staffer tried to grab the microphone from him, Acosta then became the direct target of Trump’s criticism, calling him a “rude, terrible person.” In a statement later released by the White House, Acosta was accused of placing his hands on the woman trying to take his mic away. As a result, his press pass was suspended — not because of the questions he asked or the fact that he was from CNN, but due to his “misconduct.” While previous administrations have had to deal with tough questions and reporters, whose jobs are to ask those questions and get important White House-related stories out to the public, the Trump administration is using Acosta’s “incident” as a way to limit the press. Trump’s “welcoming” view of a free press and tough questions was also made clear in a statement released by Sarah HuckabeeSanders, despite his obvious attempts to divert attention or avoid answering certain questions during the conference. In response to the revocation of Acosta’s hard pass, which gives him access to White House events, CNN filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, stating that Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment rights were being violated. Following federal judge Timothy J. Kelly’s ruling, Acosta’s press pass was reinstated, to which Trump responded that he would create new standards for how White House reporters should act. With the new guidelines, each journalist can ask a single question and then willingly yield the floor to other journalists, unless a follow-up question is permitted at the discretion of the White House staff. Journalists must also physically surrender the microphone to the next speaker. Violation of these rules may result in suspension or revocation of a reporter’s hard pass. Such guidelines not only place restrictions on journalists and their ability to inform the public, but also hinder their rights which were promised by the Constitution, namely the freedom of
the press included in the First Amendment. Cooperation between our government and press, as well as a journalist’s duty to cover important stories, are vital to the protection of our democracy and rights. Therefore, Trump’s “press decorum” rules must be revoked or changed. While unspoken rules of proper conduct, such as reporters waiting for their turn to speak, are in place during press conferences, the new rules have nothing to do with “decorum,” but rather serve as a restriction on the number and nature of questions that can be asked. With the public’s need to know what is happening in the White House, these rules present an escape for the Trump administration to hand out vague, inaccurate information without space for pushback while dangling the threat of press pass suspension in front of faultless journalists. Additionally, journalists are unable to fully cover a story if they are only limited to one question — that question may not even be answered completely or truthfully. Making a journalist’s job impossible through this limitation, as well as the ability of the White House to control which questions or follow-up questions they will answer, is a direct violation of the free press and will certainly infringe upon our democracy and access to news. Trump is only using Acosta as an example and scapegoat to create these rules; his real agenda veils information from the public and places harsh limitations on outlets that he calls “fake news.” This a power not entitled to any U.S. administration. The White House also should not be able to give or take away press passes; the choice of who gets a press pass should be made by an independent committee of correspondents from Congress. That way, the White House will not have a stake in what questions are asked during conferences, avoiding possible conflicts of interest. “Decorum” rules should not be equated with limitations on the press. Its impact on our democracy needs more awareness, which can be accomplished through news outlets spreading and questioning the ridiculous idea that reporters are restricted to a mere question and through journalists refusing to attend a conference. Our Constitutional rights must never be violated by an administration that is trying to hide or deflect questions about the truth from the public.
of Americans believe that freedom of the press is essential for an American democracy, according to an Ipsos poll
Daniel Lee (12) I guess [the rules are] pretty fair. They’re not going to hold up the line and it will take less time to answer questions.
Aidan Connelly (10) That’s unfair. I feel like people should be able to ask more than one question. I think that’s very harsh to take away their pass.
art by darren jiang/falcon artist
Amanda Yen (12) I don’t think you should ever restrict the press. It’s really limiting when you can only ask one question for a story.
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opinion
A8 the falconer
Vlada Demenko
STAFF WRITER Advanced Placement classes have been a staple in the education system since the Cold War, initially intended to prepare American students to outperform their counterparts in the Soviet Union. Now, the purpose of the classes is to offer students a more rigorous, college level curriculum that rewards their labors with a weighted GPA and credits later on in college, depending on their score and on the national AP test. Competitive schools often have students who are taking mostly, if not all, AP classes. It is widely known that colleges prefer that students take the most challenging high school course load available to them. Students also sometimes make AP class load a status symbol representing intellect, and, for many teens, selfworth. This makes AP classes seem more like a necessity, rather than a choice. While students’ concerns about potentially appearing unfavorable with limited APs on college applications is understandable, the cap is ultimately better for students, as it provides space for an improvement in mental health, self-reflection and character. Pressed by the application process, students often stalk up on 6, 7 or 8 APs during the school year, all the while overworking themselves. According to US News and World Report, TPHS has 74 percent of students taking AP
classes, while CCA has 86 percent. Such high percentages indicate that the majority of students in this area take APs. This statistic alone can pressure incoming students into taking more APs. Because these students take mostly AP classes, as well as various extracurricular activities on top of that, they often find themselves stuck in cycles of staying up to work, getting less sleep and therefore developing sleep deprivation. According to Stanford Medicine News Center and director of the Stanford Children’s Health Center Nanci Yuan, “with academic demands and extracurricular activities, the kids are going nonstop until they fall asleep exhausted at night. There is not an emphasis on the importance of sleep, as there is with nutrition and exercise. They say they are tired, but they don’t realize they are actually sleep-deprived.” Also, students taking many APs find themselves spending too much time worrying about their APs classes outside of school, leaving them less time for other pursuits of interest they may have. Making Caring Common, a 2016 initiative by Harvard University and other elite colleges trying to change the admissions process, stressed the importance of a student displaying interest both in and out of the classroom. “[Yale will] advocate for more flexibility in the extracurricular sections on both the Common Application and Coalition Application, so that colleges can more easily control how they ask students to list and reflect on their extracurricular involvement,” according to a report from Making Caring Common. Taking the time to pursue extracurricular participation is beneficial for the character of the student, which is helped by a development of their hobbies and interests outside of academics. Not to mention, a student’s chance of being accepted by colleges may be
december 14, 2018
increased, for, aside from strong test scores academics, colleges seek students dedicated to activities outside of school. Colleges search for interesting qualities from students because they don’t want just academically exceptional students, but caring, unique ones as well. Opponents of AP cap restrictions argue that college applications appear less impressive with less APs. However, it should also be noted that schools takes into consideration any restrictions high schools may have in terms of the academic opportunities they offer. This recognition ultimately would not harm an applicant’s chances, as long as that student took maximum advantage of the unique opportunities given. In addition to that, not all of the credit from AP classes are accepted by colleges, making it pointless to overload on AP classes anyway. According to Washington think tank the Progressive Policy Institute, only 25 percent of the top 100 ranked U.S. News World Report colleges “allow students to receive
credit in all AP subject area disciplines.” AP classes should be capped for the good of the students. Overwhelming expectations to outperform peers and stockpiling APs can easily lead to irreversible health consequences. We should not force students to go through crushing academic stress in the name of college, and try to prevent students from inadvertently overworking themselves. Mental health and character will always be more important than getting into a university.
art by amrita moturi/falcon artist
YURY BUKHRADZE
I moved to the United States at the end of my freshman year, when I was 16. Moving was a shock for me; California was a drastic change from Moscow, where I grew up. Almost immediately after coming to TPHS, I realized that it was going to be a tough journey. I was all alone in a completely new environment. The first problem upon coming to the U.S. was expected: lack of friends. But the thing is, I didn’t know how to make any. In Russia, where you don’t pick your own classes and school schedule, you have the same 20-30 classmates for 11 years of school, so your classmates naturally become your good friends. Not to mention, I wasn’t in Russia anymore — I was in California, where people grew up in a completely different environment. I was lucky that I spoke English fluently, so the language barrier wasn’t an issue — it was a cultural barrier. My sophomore year was mainly characterized by my attempts at assimilating into the American society. I slowly made friends among my new classmates and learned to recognize local cultural references. However, it still was extremely hard to fit in. What made it worse was a trip to Russia during winter break: reuniting with my old friends made me feel that Moscow was the right place for me. For some time I even thought about forgetting about California and going back to Moscow to live with my brother or grandmother. Thankfully, I realized that would be a bad decision. I returned to California, where I realized two things. The first was that I didn’t
have to go back to Russia to connect with my own culture. The second was that the best way to find my place here at TPHS was to join some extracurricular activities. It was junior year when I began executing my two-part master plan. The first thing I did was start emphasizing my Russian roots. Even though I live in the U.S., outside of school I mostly speak Russian, browse Russian websites, listen to Russian music and so on. Not only that, I realized that the best way to connect to my culture would be to participate in my local Russian community. I did that in two ways. During sophomore year I started playing guitar, and my teacher helped me find some Russian events at which I could perform. The other way was through community service: I started to volunteer in the Russian School San Diego during junior year and continue to do so today. These two activities allowed me to feel connected to my own people even outside of Russia and helped me understand that people can always find others who have similar views, regardless of where they are. Then, I started participating in extracurricular activities at school. During junior year I tried many things, but it took me a while to find the right ones. I discovered one of the hobbies that I’ve practiced my whole life but somehow neglected: writing. I also had a chance to get into journalism, which I was always interested in but never was brave enough to try. Joining the Falconer was one of the best things to ever happen in my life, for it allowed me to find a new way to express myself and to engage with other
photo by katheryn yoo/falconer
Copy editor Yury Bukhradze discusses the struggles of moving to the United States and maintaining his Russian roots while trying to assimilate into the American society.
people around me. And to find new friends. I also decided to tell other people about my country. When I moved to the U.S., I was afraid that people would be prejudiced against me due to the current political climate — thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Even better, people were interested in learning about my heritage and usually got very excited when I told them where I am from. So I began sharing with others how life was in my Motherland. For that purpose, I even created a Slavic Club at TPHS — it allowed me not only to connect to my roots, but also gave me a way to tell other people about our culture. It became a meeting place for other TPHS students of Russian and Slavic descent. By the end of junior year, I realized I was homesick no more. Sure, even today I occasionally feel nostalgic for calm snowstorms, the loaded Moscow subway or three-digit price tags for a bottle of Coke. But it doesn’t matter where I am — it merely matters what kind of person I am and who I am with. However, there are still two things left unresolved: there still aren’t people whom I would call close friends, and I usually don’t hang out with people outside of school. Honestly,
that doesn’t matter to me anymore. As long as I have some people I have common interests with, I don’t feel lonely. After all, there are many people I can call friends and whom I enjoy spending time with — it doesn’t matter that it only occurs on campus. Moving to the United States has also helped me to become a much more active and wellrounded person. My desire to fit into my new society allowed me to test new interests and find something that would shape me to be the person that I am today. Now, looking back, the two years I spent growing accustomed to a new environment were indeed a rollercoaster. However, the struggles of a shifting surrounding have allowed me to see the world from a different perspective and partake in an insight of a completely different culture. Furthermore, it allowed me to connect closer than ever to my own culture. Born in Siberia, raised in Moscow and now living in California, I am simultaneously influenced by these places, remaining the same in identity. As a good friend of my family told me after I moved to the United States, “It doesn’t matter where you are, you’ll always be Russian.”
Maya Satchell
STAFF WRITER On Nov. 6, the Democrats flipped seven governorships and five state senates, and gained control of the House of Representatives by grabbing at least 40 seats and gaining a majority of 27 House members. In addition, in this past midterm election, 47 percent of registered voters turned out, which is the highest midterm voter turnout since 1966, according to NPR. However, despite the victories in this past election, there are many steps that Democrats must take in order to have a positive impact on the future of this country. This blue wave should not only be recognized for its accomplishments, but should also be seen as a model, a lesson and a spark for Democrats to feed off and learn from in order to secure more victories in future elections and to turn their ideas into policies. There was an 188 percent increase in young adult early voting this midterm election compared to 2014. These young people voted for a vision of a brighter future in which everyone can enjoy affordable healthcare, a sustainable environment and a future in which active shooter drills are not part of school schedules. Democratic candidates who ran for office and won, such as Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and many more, campaigned on those same ideas. Young voters, with the same ideas as these fresh faces to politics, were energized to see a new face of the Democratic party emerging, views of which
Maggie Choy
STAFF WRITER Victoria’s Secret knows what people have been saying: The lingerie brand is antiquated, out of touch, enmeshed in an old and objectifying idea of female beauty that is played out, white and essentially centered on breasts. But Victoria’s Secret has built and profited from objectifying women, with narrow standards of attractiveness at that. Established to explore fantasy, it’s too late for Victoria’s Secret to change; it would require them to abandon their entire philosophy. Internally, Victoria’s Secret has many good reasons to stay with their angel wings and their typical models. According to Vogue, last year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was seen by 1 billion people in 190 countries — a 45 percent increase from the audience in 2016. In a recent interview with Vogue, chief marketing officer of parent company L Brands Ed Razek and executive vice president of public relations at Victoria’s Secret Monica Mitro opposed changes to their shows. In their interview, Razek and Mitro cited the show’s racial diversity and that all their women wear natural hair. However, what caught everyone’s attention was the fact that Razek said he does not want transgender people walking the annual Victoria’s Secret show because the entertainment special should depict “fantasy.” People want to see sexiness in more body types and Victoria’s Secret has not yet delivered that. Victoria’s Secret mass produces so many products that they must maintain the standard they have always kept. Victoria’s Secret cannot deny that they are producing lingerie just for
aligned with their own. It was this new blood in the Democratic party that generated so much enthusiasm for a midterm election, and the enthusiasm can be measured by the $49 million raised from small donors for Democratic House campaigns, compared to the $15 million raised by small donors for Republican House candidates. If the Democrats want to continue winning in the future, they need to make sure that there is a similar level of enthusiasm as in this blue wave for every election. However, there is more to be learned from the downfalls of the blue wave. Two hundred million people were eligible to vote in this country in the midterm election, yet only 110 million were registered. What’s even more disappointing is only 47 percent of the 110 million people who are registered to vote took the time to cast their votes. About 52 million Americans took actions to change the direction of the country for all of us. What is preventing people in our country from exercising this vital power to influence the future of the United States? And can these newly elected Democrats reform it? In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down the portion of the Voting Rights Act that had required federal clearance of any changes to voting rights and procedures in certain states. Since then, states such as Georgia, Kansas, Arkansas, Nevada, Indiana and Florida have engaged in numerous acts of voter suppression without accountability. Ohio cut early voting by a full week, North Carolina closed 868 polling places and at least 36 states still do not permit same-day registration. In this election in Georgia, former Secretary of State Brian Kemp enforced the exact-match system that invalidates
“voter registrations if there are any discrepancies, down to dropped hyphens,” according to the Daily Beast. This law alone prevented 53,000 people from voting, 80 percent of whom are African-American. From 2012 to 2017, Kemp also removed 1.4 million people from the voting rolls, again mostly people of color, simply for not having voted recently. In the 2018 midterm election, Kemp ran for governor and was in charge of running the election, which certainly appears to be conflict of interest. Thus, no matter how much voter enthusiasm there was and no matter how inspiring the new candidates might have been, such as Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams who raised $42 million dollars for an office Democrats have not controlled since 2003, the Democrats still lost because the laws in place in some states did not
sexiness, but that is what they are known for. Victoria’s Secret is not able to change the legacy that they have been holding for many years. If Victoria’s Secret uses glamorous supermodels to promote the company, they should continue to do so because that is what makes them stand out, especially since many companies no longer do so. If they suddenly deviate from what they’ve evolved into, it could hurt their company more than what is happening now. On the other hand, for example, American Eagle, also known as Aerie, is starting to embrace female curves, promoting a girl power and body positivity message. American Eagle promotes this by using the hashtag #AerieReal so they inspire more females around the world to be confident with their unique bodies. Many online startups like Thirdlove are also gaining market share with underwear that caters to different body shapes and emphasizes ease and fit over glamour. They both make sure that they feature models of all ages, races and body types and cisgender and transgender women. Victoria’s Secret needs to stay exclusionary rather than adapting to this new generation. Ever since American Eagle’s change on promoting body positivity, they have been earning more every year compared to Victoria’s Secret, whose yearly earnings are dropping drastically. According to the Wall Street Journal, L Brands, whose main companies are Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works, dropped 41 percent in sales this year. This is due to the declining sales at Victoria’s Secret, which make up 35 percent of L Brand’s sales.
According to Forbes, Victoria’s Secret had a 0.4 percent gain and American Eagle had a 2.3 percent gain over the same time period. The biggest problem is that women are looking for a different kind of undergarments and have a different set of values. Instead of a $60 padded bras, they are opting for cheaper undergarments that prioritize their own comfort.
allow people to have a voice. However, this can change, and the Democrats in the House and in state legislatures have the opportunity to put forth policy to address this and many other issues that they campaigned on. Although few laws may be passed, with the Trump administration and a Republican controlled Senate, the Democrats, if they want to succeed in 2020, need to at least put forth bills, as a unified party, that can prove to voters that the people in office are the change they voted for. After the blue wave, it is apparent that this country wants to see a government that truly represents the people, and makes policies for the people. Nevertheless, there need to be laws in place that make it as easy as possible for all people to vote and turn their enthusiasm into change. As Barack Obama said, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the change we’ve been waiting for. We are the change we seek.”
art by vlada demenko/falcon artist
However, Victoria’s Secret has tried to adapt with the changing times by ending its catalog, doubling down on its production of sports bras and even releasing a collection of “bralettes” — bras without underwire and padding. Victoria’s Secret have tried to make the transition — for instance, they market their bralettes with the slogan “No padding is sexy.” Although Victoria’s Secret has a specific image for models, it is still able to accommodate everyone of all sizes. Lane Bryant is the sister company of Victoria’s Secret and they sell plussize lingerie, but within a specific range, just like every specialty retailer in the world of clothing. Because Victoria’s Secret has a specific market they target, they don’t need to market to the whole world. According to Vogue, Victoria’s Secret has given back to the community in many ways, such as by building cancer hospitals, a children’s hospital, a center for science and industry and a national veterans’ hospital. They have also donated more than 1 million hours of associates’ time and hundreds of millions of dollars to women’s causes. Victoria’s Secret will take action to diversify their models if its the right thing to do for their company. But, Victoria’s Secret is dedicated to an idea of sexiness rooted in this era, when women and their bodies are defined by the eye and imagination of a male beholder. It’s the personality that Victoria’s Secret portrays that keeps them distinct from all other lingerie companies. Victoria’s Secret has done everything possible to incorporate today’s trends, but they cannot change to shape today’s society. This company has been women’s first love from the very beginning. If they want to remain relevant with the social conversation, then they will have to accept the responsibility of reforming. We cannot ask so much right now; it will take time and effort for changes to happen.
art by anna jeong falcon artist artist art by anna/jeong /falcon
opinion
A10 the falconer
december 14, 2018
Local, state and midterm elections in 2018 drew out a record number of voters.
52
year high in midterm voter participation; 47 percent of registered voters voted
116,489,889 the number of Americans who voted
7%
188%
the national share that 18 to 24 year old voters made up of the electorate
OUR CONGRESSMEN:
67%
of 18 to 29 year-old voters identify as Democrats, versus 54 percent during the 2014 midterm election
Mike Levin 49th and Scott Peters 52nd
years since Democrats controlled the 49th district; Mike Levin will take Darrell Issa’s seat.
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have faith in democracy, a drop from 60 percent two years ago
have lost faith in democracy Information provided by the United States Elections Project, CNN, the Harvard Institute of Politics, Vote.org
the number of voter registrations attributed to Taylor Swift after she posted on Instagram asking her fans to register. infographic by farhan hossain/falconer
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The report highlights a ard ofy u1.5 was Warming a de d Climate “Special oC.” y. wea tionon finin ent eignt ose G wildl and w s agai a l m e o r g news: the in R d them e in numberk of climate change impacts that could be avoided by limiting is the first report in a series to be produced firsthand, we read about is ofagspecial re sove reports the mpose nesses d Stat tac i IPCC he ricanAccording e website, the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment tCycle. the global om ct ito s t r i u . f n at warming to 1.5 C as opposed to 2 C or more, which is likely n l b a a e ech 5 p a U e n s m t d a e “an1 assessment A are l specific sen behind the urgency reported by the media. he of a Special Reports, like this one, ic a sp rk 20 Amer le of t ationa pre a structure issue and generally follow theInsame as a volume of According to Holdren, the Special Report emphasizes that it is n p n r m o d rean o e e d r t s p n o n la dard the n” i acc Assessment Report.” no longer possible to avoid catastrophe if humans simply continue s a i n h i it con ar staconsequences a The Oct. 8 report considers the of global e P warming to pursue the goal of 2 C. It states that the 1 C of global warming dw , th tan a “dr s w e i of 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels ed and global ’s v greenhouse gas that has already occurred since 1750 is “well past dangerous,” call mp a stronger global and that 1.5 C of warming, in comparison to 2 C, will still lead emission pathways in the hope of encouraging u r r. T response to the threat of climate change. to much worse effects than the current global situation and may In M According to Dr. Kim Cobb, a professor at the School of Earth and be an unavoidable reality by 2030. Holdren also emphasizes that Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology who the “most likely result of current trends in technology and policy was recently appointed a Lead Author to the IPCC Sixth Assessment, innovation” is global average temperature increases of 3-4 C, and around 97 percent of the global climate science community believes the report did not examine the consequences of this range due to its that climate change is man-made. narrower mandate of 1.5 C. By examining carbon isotope measurements, scientists identify “[The report] calls into serious question whether sustainable “isotopic signatures” that pinpoint the sources of carbon dioxide prosperity can be achieved at all in a 2 C world,” Holdren said. “It’s emissions, the largest of which is burning fossil fuels, according to clear from this latest IPCC look at 2 C that these higher figures [of Dr. Steve Running, a University Regents Professor of Ecology at 3-4 C] portend climate catastrophe.” the University of Montana who served as a chapter 14 Lead Author In fact, catastrophic effects — such as decreased productivity of for on the Fourth Assessment of farms, forests and fisheries; heat the IPCC, which was awarded the waves; floods; wildfires; droughts Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. and ice sheet melting — have According to its website, the IPCC already been observed for some time does not conduct its own research across the globe and will continue to for the reports. Rather, predictions occur in the future, even if drastic regarding carbon dioxide emissions action is taken immediately. and subsequent warming were “It will be extremely difficult made using models used in the for billions and billions of people IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report, to make a normal living,” Running according to Stanford University said. research professional Carolien The goal of the Paris Climate Kraan. Those models use data from Agreement is to prevent those numerous global processes that can outcomes by lowering global affect global temperature, including emissions. However, its success has carbon dioxide emissions, solar been limited, as the actions it calls radiation and ocean currents. for are voluntary and the largest Dr. Steve Running The point from the Special 20 countries in the agreement IPCC FOURTH ASSESSMENT LEAD AUTHOR AND Report seized on by both the media are failing meet their pledged ilitytosssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss Hurricane Harvey hit NOBEL LAUREATE and the public is that humanity has emissions-reduction Huge swaths ofgoals. the 4thEven largestifUS city remained underwater until 2030 to stem climate change’s all countries in the agreement were catastrophic effects. However, to meet their goals and cap global ch warming y to 2 C, that would still not be enough to curb climate change. from whiof according to both Running and Dr. John Holdren, a professor d b e y l e s f t s th o s rai o los ncts i mo Environmental Science and Policy at Harvard University and the According to Georgia Tech’s Cobb, while the Paris Agreement, when t 31, 66, bo ponen oised t f prec ity 6 1 r , may have seemed a pivotal step in tackling climate o Former Science Adviser to President Barack oObama, 12-year first drafted, p e llips the o o j s r y s a wa pp hi e. P ing agreement’s requirements on emissions reductions were orit ing m Kthe prediction is not completely exact. to o and P he stat easure e maj rawchange, ng n i o h d a t i t d l the u as far-reaching as they needed to be. m ith that , Holdren points to a graph from never in eReport eric Special mil m incl ing . Th infour A ineries ionand ts w mcurves or n unties illustrates global net carbon dioxide While agree it is too late to avoid all the impacts of f l BP emissions o l e for scientists s, ay f co e r 16 mi tawhich ge p nesdare ath t ychange, ear o p representing predictive pathways. The based climate they believe it is possible to save the planet from havpathways, l $ n e u d e f t e th ecen hers d u perc ” According to Running, one of the most important rworst tes the t effects. abo ral system hanthe Fifth on mathematical models of Earth’s climate ly Wfrom d a o r n a c n a I i d e l e e n ivid p s. om ttle. to which , at 2 sev rting the Assessment Report, allow scientists to estimate can take to help mitigate these is to stop subsidizing P, acountries d com ission steps y frdegree ease d B a l l d e , e o e n l r t n p l S a n em hefossil s t o ainglobal re to f its carbon emissions must be reduced to in order ee afuel industries. igne S e stwarming on por limit t ing o ared des blu carbo xxon, te a “f arb nge m c a i sup h conareas t a n e t to 1.5 C. The graph in the report contains shaded surrounding Implementing a carbon tax and increasing the use of technology n i ic ba app e E to cre eo cha wh defeatoro cranges om es likin ing, g fe , in ex removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are gencies t the curves that represent “areasbiof that rthe inphysically i d uncertainty,” e t o s n a f e s h a f s l a h e n e a t a T sthat e cr methods ure ostill mp follow an eder allowable amount of carbonecdioxide the ly inalso scientists and experts agree could significantly fhelp itiz te of ted for emissions ach mea r oil c on to y 13 gs to da tates, pro n t mate to c the catastrophe ej graph al reduce b a p r u d d e a e f d o d e y pathways. In other words, the indicates the deadline to reduce of climate change. Beyond that, individuals n e a a li al tt ed S ra ssu war ni in maj signe esd ging d curb c y th uin der inpart a g e remi can do ftheir ort i kesby Unit en to re uof t t e t p e e e e T h emissions is a range time around 2030 rather than that specific mitigating climate change’s effects forcing s r . v t a n s to s r a k o B c a b i n r i t , a a t s f . p t t o t h i c o a e r . f s s t d s s ctiv e ce axe im areas a mpt preports. en ge arefor te many not s much the by oul atof roje 15 But, despite ion spoliticians year, contrary P yclimate changeajoseriously stato r sci esents and lan othose ns, ttemedia chanvoting uld at w pe mor sedtot discuss a s p l o O e y $ n i p N t k r u b e s o a c G n a w t r e m f t s a use are s p m th p t eg de g a conscious of Athe riissue uncertainty, trend is distinct. of misgeneral , CN on x o the agraph l kno onomy ing the day esand f cli promise cant to iltake tha sions out r stry’s crpoliticians eate state-b Hwho o ash xide e years ntives vy a ta ave m e cost osin orida n F increase. c o f signifi mage w rican ec s p g e i d o u n W f p e n h n d o e l i “What is clear from the graph is most such trajectories entail cuts measures to limit Earth’s temperature h m r u t o i o a i d e e a e ays in d d t eq te me inc to l ould ise th were has oil in with scape ss — mer lo, a F eplac onstalk p2030,” ent l ers arbon idioxide cto , the f tchange],” s af omicemissions g tha in[climate he A d s, wof around a r g t m n e o r m i a e s l r e s o 50 percent by Holdren “Almost all politicians don’t want about d t s h p s f a u p c b e l t d o Votinx carbon i n o c nta o ion e n t on ss la ly to last s Cur woul for arm e size as pred will om r to d ito eco h prop all e ta m“And ion trajectories al w age a climate ecord ng go s ss ofnthe g g in an requireFremissions h e t i b p h virtually t Running said. “They are afraid that they lose votes, and so there t o n n a d k o to said. e l g i a i g n l f i 6 i o m f r c l g g n i 5 v d b o h u i e the a as s to ri l gas d an in ut p. Ca bill t t his 1,6 hangin uding r and vir thro by1, the wh middle is e ver-ch ch les resolis e dcentury.” rcen we, bon e in of al thecitizens, a win the almost no discussion ofenthese topics. I 0think as voting ennegative e . e k r t , s r e i p d a e a 3 ncl l ac R est o u n g g c l 6 u t e . e n n m u2030 m about it.” 1 tury’s tat vities thto non sothe never see gua fects of nment, i e Midw ard, x, them to otalk cedforce na Running, h a rboneed ke e 1 n of st saccording n a n i a u g a l v cha Furthermore, t focusing to l i d l r t i t s h f i h o n o a o i n o t rw c t e a a r r t e e t c r i e o i r i l v o c c , w f c n r g f t v t s i i a c h a e the enlost hope that their generation en ur interpret e best gswaysoto arb atintackle hethel report’sit’information. res . Going isrupted Ini metri nisthnot d climate in d vwill d t ice on had in Scientists r v t c n u “deadline” have , i s n e t l i o s i a a coral reefs s f u a e h a d e e y f n h B l r s e d h v o t a i b g h e t g l d p r t i a p u e o n t a t u a h u r o e r e b i p going h h b looking e b t ce h p “The ic e is just he so.nia, cr the So d of n wgo ing uel in inof] change and generations toy, do ps, ike Mdioxide out t onom coul s by mid he h try. would toathe newer ax w xed are n en r nd licato ucarbon t i t g leatmospheric ash [amount n t s f . i o n a i f a o n y i . i k l s u d e m l r e l l c a s i W a d e r a c b hsaid.e “With g r d re a generation s C co at doesn’t ga tu ch m have now, ss st, t re up,” Running theivglobal we seem to be able change enough,” eve rte eemissions the e rto epu there’s e ral n Tues w“My es in frastruc supply 1980s l Southea the ure th requi he futu s e ionair suppo proble f fo les and ourag R e s i o f f d e d s e d r o l n s i d hopet is that the kids ofwi[this]inggeneration f e o n knowto c magicalrogabout n nothing it’s Running said. ll12 years from now … I hthink a “My ic really p l bi Gates of the 6. rts a uld fall ead to th t e ction lectio he rest a me tax an tax in ming p bl veh t to en r. ash u o need n 2030 [toeeprevent o d isgsomething of liberathat expoWe rum about. r 1 until ll we m le y’s e ssthat t e have c s overly fsimplistic to suggest only this they to do something have got r c e c o i e p e l 0 n i o s a e s o t n l a t c B f d ld sl re 2 c l b c i l w o d r i o u i l e e d a , o e r po aliti r d d h i o s j u n b d m e r c y i d n e g e o e n e o s c a x ort that$it e r 1 is too late t al ot economical n[young Am and fro climatesochange’s changes, r v changes vand llin aclifestyle s ac tos have la d co effects] d … For o fi after er, a dthen ns, yand de 00, m hang Tue some ff ultur Irethink seaso ach to ure a voter tly-en y gas o re dri adans nerg y nio Steit sdon’t ecte we just e t ialready oa the ate c ct by 21 n a deca gricmy fand ar e to rebe i usystem a t rof f a f l f m r e d , o i measures might too late people] will be much more ready to do that than generation.” e b i a i l a d v n s e n m e c h o n r u e t r m for n rece i y a , s a i d A cate , To as c a sim ted h s l s o f t s o t e N f y r y e v e r o . . c o Liu r e n i th iv fo Angela o erg h w a tur t finds port sa estic p know that on of e fo o so and Cal aled a ctionby at Re t did r or alf Neha Pubbi en d gat tim adv now.” b sur e new e epor d, the re oss dom the Gre rt said i d to alte ban te to d get h e a om e, whic failure x -- es ave be ing ne ts. r rial in l p t e a o e e l s r r u B sur he ol ie po of gr l m he ed sta ities ular ssed the e ta ld h help x cu ind dw All t enth of e losses n the re ls had tr ed that t tica mit w defeat n pop ida pa uther n ic util 0. e mea led to rom th -- wou ts and ther ta large helpe t o t a li id 3 r r ns h e to a ouble th worked on offici veral no f t Flo irst so t elect by 20 lmost bid to laska lated d BY COLETTE CHIANG/FALCONER i tha nues 2023 projec et by o d som , whic e ART oil n f a h s a A a e u y t s o than tists who inistrat wever, s e e s e y n v t h f g b o t c n th ire t sour ted a dow d and ly re at. 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december 14, 2018
In the Gold Rush of 1849, the demand for Vitamin C to combat scurvy, compounded with the taste of the golden, sweet fruits, established the orange as an important part of California’s citrus industry. Later, in 1889, Orange County was named after the millions of orange trees that were planted. More recently, in 2001, the Soarin’ Over California ride at Disneyland opened, featuring footage filmed while flying over citrus groves with the sweet scent of oranges piped in. Today, California’s $1 billion citrus industry is the second largest supplier of citrus fruit in the nation. California’s citrus industry is endangered due to global warming and heat waves that have caused droughts and increased water prices throughout the state. Decreased water availability has increased the need for irrigation. However, increased irrigation comes with implications for California’s agriculture and human health. Most irrigation waters contain some salts, especially in coastal communities like those in California. One of the most visible effects of climate change is the anticipated rise in global sea levels, which will add seawater to freshwater aquifers, or underground water sources. In coastal communities, as drought reduces water availability and increases the demand for irrigation, salt from irrigation water will slowly accumulate in the soil. Salinization, or the buildup of salt, is a major concern because excess salt in soil can disrupt the flow of water and nutrients into plant roots and, at high enough levels, draw water out of the plant and into the soil. Salinization could potentially negatively affect human health as well. If the salt reaches deep enough, groundwater, which is the source of 38 percent of California drinking water, and more in dry years, will become undrinkable. Friend’s Ranch, a family-owned citrus farm in Ojai Valley, was founded in the late 1800s and has been passed down over five generations. In recent years, the farm, currently owned by Anne and Tony Thacher and their children, George and Emily, has run into new problems with water quality and availability that are exacerbated by climate change. “[Citrus trees] can survive 115-degree weather as long as they are irrigated,” said Emily Ayala, the Thachers’ daughter. “So water availability is the biggest issue with climate change and almost all of California’s agriculture. Water quality has a lot more to do with crop output than anything.” About 40 percent of California’s 27 million farm acres depends on irrigation. Currently, agriculture uses approximately 60 to 80 percent of California’s available water supply, according to a study conducted by the Congressional Research Service, or CRS. The amount of irrigation-dependent farmland is only expected to increase with temperatures, and rising summer temperatures lead to drier soil, increasing the need for irrigation but leaving less water available when more is needed for agriculture and consumption. The recent wildfires in California further demonstrated the impacts of climate change on agriculture. According to the San Diego County Farm Bureau, an organization of 2,000 members representing the agricultural community, the recent fires raised concerns because farms are generally located in rural areas that are more susceptible to fires, lacking the fire breaks and non-wooded areas of more developed regions. Friend’s Ranch was recently impacted by the devastation of wildfires on crops; the Thomas Fire hit Ojai Valley in December 2017 and was, as of August 2018, California’s eighth-most-destructive wildfire. “We’ve had some issues here in Ojai Valley where we grow citrus, the big one being the huge fire we had last year,” Ayala said. “That had a larger effect on our citrus crops than anything, because smoke has ethylene, which is a plant hormone [that accelerates the process of fruit maturation].” Citrus crops exhibit a low level of ethylene production throughout maturity and do not experience accelerated maturation under the influence of ethylene. In fact, when exposed to elevated levels of ethylene, such as those present in wildfire smoke, citrus fruit can turn yellow in color, which can result in nutritional deficiency, loss of leaves or even death of the citrus tree. Even if citrus orchards are not directly burned by wildfires, they suffer from the fires’ unseen effects. Water scarcity is driving Californian farmers to plant crops requiring less water, especially in southern California, where certain regions’ water prices have doubled and are among the highest in the state. Many Californian citrus farmers are transitioning to more profitable, less water-dependent crops like grapes, pomegranates, dragon fruit and nuts. “[Dragonfruit] uses very, very little water,” said Eric Larson of the San Diego County Farm Bureau in
an interview with the National Public Radio (NPR). “[Farmers] are getting a lot of money per pound.” However, farmers’ adaptation to crops more suited for changing temperatures also presents a threat to human health. With significant increases in global temperatures in the past century, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) reported that the list of sustainable crops is shrinking rapidly. This is supported by a study conducted by Yale University researchers Christine and Robert Prescott-Allen in 1990, which includes a list over 100 crops that have contributed to increases in food weight in at least one country. In less than three decades, that number shrunk to just 50 crops contributing to 90 percent of the world’s diet. A report published by the National Academy of Sciences in the U.S. concluded that a growing reliance on fewer food crops accelerates the rise in global obesity, heart disease and diabetes, which are dependent on diet. Aside from its negative health impacts, a homogeneous global food basket makes agriculture more vulnerable to disease and pests, which are only exacerbated by rising temperatures. As farmers transition to monocultures, or the cultivation of one crop type, pest populations attracted to one species swell by gaining a greater food supply from the same amount of land. “A monoculture is a buffet for plant-eating insects,” University of California, Davis professor William Wetzel wrote in his 2016 report “Why Insects Pests Love Monocultures, and How Plant Diversity Could Change That.” “[Whereas] variable crop is a buffet where every other dish is nasty.” Warmer temperatures also lead to an increase in insect metabolism and population, as many crop pests have warmer ideal breeding temperatures, not only presenting problems to crops, but also to human health. “We are seeing changes in the geographic range of the ticks and mosquitoes that carry diseases like malaria, Dengue fever and Lyme disease,” said Kristie Ebi, co-chair of the International Committee On New Integrated Climate. Though they are temporary, farmers’ adaptations to climate change can sometimes have unforeseen benefits. “They can now grow corn in Canada where they used to grow wheat, and corn is more profitable than wheat,” Daniel Sumner, economist and professor at the University of California, Davis, said. Since carbon dioxide is a key component of the photosynthetic reaction that creates sugars, fiber and fuel on Earth, NASA’s Earth Science team, along with many other scientists, found that rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have a slight fertilizing effect on plants known as the “greening effect,” apparent in satellite images showing more green plants in 25 to 50 percent of Earth’s vegetated land. “Plants need carbon dioxide, so there is a small fertilization effect of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” said Jennifer Burney, an environmental scientist at the University of California, San Diego. “[But,] the carbon dioxide that’s caused the warming doesn’t offset the damages of global warming.” Higher carbon dioxide concentrations may temporarily boost plant growth, but plants that are grown in extra carbon dioxide are often less nutritious, although scientists aren’t sure why. In addition, green vegetation is appearing where it isn’t supposed to, like the Arctic, as a result of lower temperatures, underlining scientists’ concern about melting Arctic ice. “Most crops have an optimal temperature,” Burney said. “But once you get hotter than that optimal temperature, [crops] actually do much, much worse… The rule of thumb is [that] for the major crops, every degree Celsius of warming, you can expect a few percent drop in crop yield.” In the long run, family farms like Friend’s Ranch are hit the hardest by climate change. “Especially in Southern California, water prices are absurd,” Ayala said. “You can’t buy a piece of land and farm it [to] pay off your mortgage anymore. So family farms are disappearing.” The impacts will be widespread, changing food security, nutrition and everyday foods we take for granted. by Daniel Kim and Kevin Song
december 14, 2018
water we waiting for? At almost any time of the year, a snapshot of Del Mar’s beach would include people surfing and bodysurfing in the waves, building sand castles, tanning, playing beach volleyball and walking up and down over two miles of golden sand. Around three million tourists flock to the beach town annually, compared to the 4,200 people who call it home. But Del Mar, which translates from Spanish to “of the sea,” could be on a path to fulfill its name to a higher degree. With a National Research Council study projecting a possible California sea level rise of one to two feet by 2050, the city is slowly being overtaken by water — beach-first. “The Coastal Commission has been around for decades, but up until, maybe, 10 years ago sea level rise as a concern really wasn’t on the radar for anybody,” Del Mar mayor Dwight Worden said. “If you look at the Coastal Commission’s approved plans for Del Mar — they were approved in the early ‘90s — they don’t say anything about sea level rise.” As the water’s edge creeps closer to valuable homes and local infrastructure, cities like Del Mar are faced with the reality that the threateningly high sea levels of the future are nearing the present a little more each year. While sea levels have been rising globally since the end of the last ice age about 12,000 years ago, the rate of ascent has increased, more than doubling since the 20th century, to arrive at the current average of 3.4 millimeters per year, according to a report from the California Ocean Protection Council. Such increases have been spurred by a rise in ocean temperature, resulting from increases in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration. As a matter of fact, on Aug. 3, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego recorded its highest-ever sea surface temperature of 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit. “[Carbon dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels] covers the planet like a blanket. And just like a blanket keeps you warm … the same [occurs] with carbon dioxide,” said Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan of Scripps Institution. “It traps the heat coming from the earth and keeps it warm.” The planet’s average temperature has increased by 1.05 degrees since 1975, according to NASA. But even such a seemingly minor growth in the planet’s temperature leads the oceans to enlarge — a concept also known as thermal expansion. As the water heats up, it becomes less dense and expands. The OPC report states that over the last century, thermal expansion accounted for approximately 50 percent of sea level rise, while the melting of the polar ice caps is responsible for the other half. Del Mar is already showing evidence of the harmful effects of rising sea levels. In October alone, four bluffs collapsed in Del Mar, and on Dec. 10, yet another one gave way. Bluffs have also collapsed in Solana Beach and Encinitas in the past decade. According to Academic (Project Scientist) of the Integrative Oceanography Division, Dr. Adam Young of Scripps Institution, ecologically, these events are mainly attributable to erosion, which itself is a result of train and foot traffic, wave action at the bluffs’ base and rainfall. According to the San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, “increased rainfall [has] caused more damage [to the bluffs] over the last years.” That rainfall is related to warmer oceans’ interactions with the atmosphere. The water cycle, enhanced by rising temperatures, increases evaporation. “When you have phases of ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) like El Niño, it can actually change the jet stream. And the jet stream is basically the determining factor for where storms impact the U.S.,” Postdoctoral Researcher Dr. Rachel Weihs of Scripps Institution said. As climate change advances, the number of storms, amount of precipitation and risk of flash flooding are expected to increase in storm-affected areas, while more intensified droughts will arise in drought-prone areas. “The extremes are becoming more extreme,” Weihs said. To improve the condition of the bluffs, SANDAG announced plans to commence its Del Mar Bluffs Stabilization 4 Project in the coming months. The goal of the plan is to “preserve track-bed support to ensure uninterrupted rail service” while “protecting the Del Mar bluffs from erosion, drainage improvements,
rehabilitation or damaged slopes and sea walls,” according to SANDAG. Just up the street from the bluffs sits Del Mar City Hall, where Del Mar City Council’s Sea-Level Rise Stakeholder-Technical Advisory Committee met during the three years that they spent developing a multi-part adaptation plan, which Worden refers to as a “toolbox.” The primary tool is sand replenishment, a process involving the removal of sand from either the seabed or other beaches and relocation a beach in need, which would serve a dual purpose if implemented. “Sand replenishment will keep a wide beach, which does two things,” Worden said. “It [maintains] a beach for [people] to enjoy … and it keeps the ocean back so the water can’t attack the homes.” The two other main components are the dredging of the San Dieguito riverbed and the implementation of “living levees,” or a special landscape to confine the river to its channel. The purpose is to decrease the level of the water in the river while simultaneously increasing the height of the river bank, thereby protecting nearby homes from flooding. “Instead of tying our tool usage to dates, we tied it to what we call thresholds, meaning we’re going to monitor the width of our beach every year; we’re going to monitor flooding impacts,” Worden said. “If three years in a row we end up with a beach that’s narrower than ‘x,’ then we’re going to start using tools to address beach issues.” With that being said, Worden said that the earliest date any of those pieces of the plan could be carried out in the field would be about three to five years from now. Part of the reason for the delay is the years-long process of gaining approval from federal, state and local agencies and acquiring permits, including one from the California Coastal Commission, that will allow Del Mar to receive sand from other beaches. Additionally, the adaptation projects require state and federal money, as well as local matching funds. While the city has been met with some resistance for the actions it may take, especially given the multimillion-dollar price tag, Worden is optimistic that the general public will reach the conclusion that the implementation of the proposal is in both the city’s and the citizens’ best interests. “I’m hoping that it will help us build a coalition of support to do the adaptation [plan] if people realize that it is the least expensive of all the options available,” Worden said. “I want people to understand that if you … own a $15 million house on the beach here, it’s in your interest to support us raising money … Because if we don’t [succeed with the adaptation plan] then you’re just going to get flooded out. The most expensive [option] is to do nothing … because then you lose the beach and you lose the tourism and all of those impacts,” Del Mar residents Jim and Elizabeth Crouch said that they are aware of the potential threats of climate change and find it “frightening and sad.” “We’ve lived here for 30 years, and we’ve noticed the changes taking place [on the coast],” Elizabeth said. “We’ve followed [the plan] long enough to know that it’s very complicated.” If this adaptation plan does not prove to sufficiently method of mitigate the effects of sea level rise, however, the last resort is to retreat; how exactly such an action would be accomplished is not yet known but would be determined later down the road. “Retreat is not feasible now … we’re going to monitor field conditions, and if things reach a certain threshold, then we’re going to reopen the plan at the time, whether that’s five years from now or 100 years from now,” Worden said. “We’ve pushed it off as far as we can without saying it is totally off of the table.” In the meantime, Del Mar will continue to be a destination for surf, sun and sand, and its residents will go about their daily activities as usual. But it’s safe to say that uncertainty about the future of their city will lie in the back of their minds. “Climate change is not some funny, fancy thing that’s going to happen 100 years from now,” Ramanathan said. “It’s already happening. Climate change is in our living room.” by Alexei Serguienko and Eve Gross-Sable
feature
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WATER SUPPLY
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o f drought in the southwest if emissions continue at their current rate
$17.9 billion
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A single sphere, flashing brilliant colors and patterns, rests serenely on the top of a tall flagpole, with a shivering sea of onlookers, over one billion strong, watching excitedly from below and on screens worldwide. Not only a physical but also figurative beacon of light to many, the Times Square Ball carries, in addition to all 11,870 pounds of geodesic Waterford Crystals and other materials, a prestigious history of human sweat, endurance and triumphs. With the exceptions of 1942 and 1943, due to the wartime “dimout” of lights in New York City, the Ball, which has gone through seven major changes in design over the years, has been faithfully lowered each New Year’s Eve. “Seven!” Wood and iron were the main components of the first New Year’s Eve Ball, — crafted by a young immigrant metalworker named Jacob Strauss in 1907 — which was, at that early day, an impressive contraption that was adorned with 100 25-watt light bulbs, spanned five feet in diameter and weighed an impressive 700 pounds. “Six!” The Ball’s original design finally saw its first pivotal transformation 13 years later, with the rise of a much lighter and sophisticated 400-pound Ball made completely of wrought iron. Although 1907 was indeed the first year of the world-renowned Ball Drop, it was not, in fact, the first year that New Year’s Eve was widely celebrated by revelers in Times Square, which actually held its first New Year’s Eve festivities three years prior to 1907. Busy and spritely, New York City in 1904 was a progressive city on the cusp of wonderful changes — such as the opening of the city’s first subway line — many of which took place in Times Square. At the time, the impressive Times Tower, which has served as a monumental player in the Ball’s history, soared as Manhattan’s second-tallest building. Even 114 years ago, the Tower was the proud focus of an unprecedented New Year’s Eve celebration, which also commemorated the official opening of the new headquarters of The New York Times. Heading the New Year’s Eve celebration of 1904 and of more festivities to follow, the newspaper’s owner, a German-Jewish immigrant named Adolph Ochs, renamed Longacre Square “Times Square,” in honor of Ochs’s famous publication. Ochs was unfazed when, two years later, New York City banned the fireworks display
accompanying the New Year’s Eve celebration; instead of the fireworks, he asked for the first Times Square Ball — its balllowering process to be carefully managed by Times Square sign designer Artkraft Strauss to be lowered from the tower flagpole to mark the end of 1907, as well as the hopeful birth of the coming year. Thanks largely to the optimistic and unyielding Ochs, the Ball has continued to attract tourists from all over the world, and has undergone many changes since then. “Five!” In 1955, an aluminum Ball weighing only 150 pounds replaced the original design, which continued to be used until the 1980’s. “Four!” With its cheerful red light bulbs and a green stem, the new ball was made to resemble an apple for the infectious “I love New York” marketing campaign; but after a mere seven years, the Ball would revert back to its traditional design with white bulbs. “Three!” In 1995, the Ball was modernized with aluminum skin, rhinestones, strobes and computer controls — the aluminum Ball was lowered for the last time in 1998. “Two!” For Times Square 2000, Waterford Crystal and Philips Lighting completely transformed the Ball using “a combination of the latest in lighting technology with the most traditional of materials to remind us of our past as we gazed into the future and the beginning of a new millennium,” according to the Times Square official website. “One!” In 2007, for the 100th anniversary of the Times Square Ball Drop tradition, a dazzling new LED crystal ball was crafted using advanced Luxeon technology that dramatically enhanced the luminosity, as well as the color capabilities, of the Ball. “Zero!” Amid the giant billboards that flicker neon from a thousand dizzying directions and the falling snow, a crowd swathed in a flurry of scarves, mittens and earmuffs gasps in awe as it watches the Ball, bedecked in its latest Gift of Harmony design of rosette cuts, spiral down from the t i p p y top of One Times Square; it is a beautiful sight and one that links together billions of lives in the promise of a golden y e a r filled with happiness and success. by Kahyun Koh
On his third studio album, “STOKELEY,” rapper Ski Mask the Slump God stays true to the unique rap style that earned him his large fan base. The thirteen-track project dropped on Nov. 30 and features other rappers such as Juice WRLD, Lil Yachty and Lil Baby. The album starts off on a weak note with “So High.” The track is slow for a Ski Mask song and good for the first minute or so, but then gets boring as he drones on about how high he can get. The next track, “Nuketown,” features “Lucid Dreams” breakout rapper Juice WRLD. I expected the song to blend Juice WRLD’s style of emo singing/ rapping with Ski Mask’s fast, loud, high-energy and almost gross lyrics. Instead, what I found was Juice WRLD abandoning his own style and trying to adopt Ski Mask’s. His intense yelling is overwhelming and painful — he should have left that to Ski Mask, the scream god. The song crumbles, and what might have been an amazing addition to the
album ends up being the worst track of all. Despite its repulsive title, the third song, “Foot Fungus,” is the best song of the album. What the song lacks in lyricism, it makes up for in its addictive rhythm. The background music is just a simple beat. The beat, along with the “skrrrrrrrrt” ad lib in the chorus, pays tribute to Snoop Dogg’s classic, “Drop it Like it’s Hot.” The song and “Faucet Failure” are pretty similar in that they both have slower rap (at least by Ski Mask’s standards) over a toned-down beat. Ski Mask was best friends with the late rapper XXXTentacion, and paid homage to him in “Save Me Pt 2,” a reference to XXX’s “Save Me.” Featuring Atlanta singer Austin Lam, the song itself doesn’t talk about XXX, but it discusses topics that were typically brought up in his songs, like mental health and drug addiction. “Mary Jane replacement for any b*tch that kill my vibe,” Ski Mask sings, talking about how
he deals with issues in his love life by smoking marijuana. The concluding track, “Cat Piss (feat. Lil Yachty),” is really good. Although I’m a firm believer that Lil Yachty is completely talentless, I actually like this song a lot. It has a great rhythm and I can almost actually decipher what Lil Yachty was mumbling in his verse. It is a great close to the album. Most of the songs in the album were exactly what I expected from Ski Mask. Neither great nor bad, they were just good. Complete with Ski Mask’s trademark combination of strange lyrics (“She wanna see my purple pickle up in the wind?”) and good flow, the songs were okay. Although there were several really great songs, I got an actual headache after listening to Ski Mask scream for 32 minutes straight. However, I understand that his music is targeted at a specific demographic, and I’m sure the white, Audi-driving high school boys across America will love it. by Dhathry Doppalapudi
Two years after their second album “I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it,” The 1975 released another eclectic and perfectly done album, “A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships.” The 15-track album features an extensive range of musical styles, ranging from ‘90s rock to Afrobeat and electronica. On the opening track, “The 1975,” the familiar minute and a half of synth-like voices rings out. The lyrics and song act as an opening to the band’s other albums, with the albSSum’s aesthetic constantly shifting around to complement the unique theme of each record. “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME,” the third track, is the album’s first true introduction to its central message of relationships in the digital age and the need to search for interpersonal connections beyond the internet. The track begins with an electric guitar, followed by an upbeat tempo introducing the vocals. The instrumentals of the song truly shine a spotlight on the
star of the song: the lyrics. The lead singer, Matthew Healy, describes his relationship with a girl and later on tries to justify the reason he “two timed,” or cheated, on her. Healy notes that the girl always texts another boy, singing “You text that boy sometimes/ Must be more than three times/ I didn’t mean to two-time you.” The song and its cautionary message about infidelity in virtual relationships provide the perfect introduction to the album’s other tracks. The most distinct track on the album, which sets The 1975 apart from other alternative rock bands, is “The Man Who Married a Robot/Love Theme.” It is less a song, and more a spoken word poem; the lyrics are narrated by a monotone robot voice comparable to Apple’s Siri, who tells the love story of a lonely man who falls in love with the internet. When the man dies before telling the internet everything about himself, the song grimly concludes with “You can go on his Facebook.” The eerie ending points to people’s preference for the
internet and social media over face-toface human interaction. The remainder of this man’s entire life is his Facebook profile. The album concludes with the song “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes),” featuring Healy’s sturdy vocals and a strong beat that grows more powerful throughout the song. The song discusses the all-too-real topic of suicide, with Healy singing that the feeling of pain, though it may feel overbearing at the time, is no reason to die. To Healy, suicide should never be the final choice. Overall, I think The 1975 created an album featuring a variety of songs that successfully navigated many musical genres while bearing a prominent and relevant message as well. From the influence of the internet on our modern love lives and the current mental health crisis and rise in suicide, this album pieces together an engaging story, all the while conveying a message about the digital age we all need to hear. by Bea De Oliveira
Jaden Smith, son of famous actor Will Smith, has been known as a lot of things, such as an influencer and an actor. But over the past few years, Jaden has tried his hand at the rap game. On Nov. 17, he released his 11-track, second studio album, “The Sunset Tapes: A Cool Tape Story.” After a promising start to his rap career with last year’s album “SYRE,” Jaden’s newest album flopped completely. A combination of crazy autotuning and lazy rapping are apparent throughout many of the album’s songs. The opening track, “SOHO,” with its perfectly mellow vibe, is the best track of the album, in my opinion. It starts off very slowly with a classic piano, drawing the audience in, then drops into a hypnotic beat as Jade comes in. Unfortunately, the lyrical content isn’t very rich, considering Jade just rambles about a girl who wants to go to SoHo. The track comes off like a Travis Scott song, minus almost everything good about Scott, as Jaden completely fails to
utilize auto-tune and layered vocals. The following track, “Calabasas Freestyle,” sounds a lot like a Drake song, but with more inaudible, over auto-tuned ad libs in the background. I did enjoy the beat, but Jaden’s lyrics are very lackluster. Lines like “rap is just one of my fetishes, like a dragon that’s pregnant” left me deeply confused. While he impersonates Drake’s style, Jake sadly fails to establish a flow or any resemblance of good lyrical content, a quality Drake is well-versed in. The third song on the album, “Play This On A Mountain At Sunset,” has an ambient atmosphere and a soulful beat but auto-tunes Jaden’s voice to the point where I can’t understand what he is saying. The song then proceeds to layer that voice so that it takes away from the beat. The actual rapping ends at the three minute mark and continues with ambient noises for three more minutes. It’s safe to say I will not be playing this song at any mountain top at sunset. Jumping ahead, Jaden’s eighth track
“SYRE in Abbey Road” is a one minute and 44 second song that consists of Jaden once again heavily auto-tuned, reverberating and layering his voice so much that you can’t understand what he is saying. This is probably the worst track based off the fact that it has zero lyrical content, and breaks off from the relaxed atmosphere Jake somewhat continues through the past seven tracks. While it has SYRE in the name, the song has zero connection to his debut album. Overall, the album really disappointed me. I enjoyed Jaden’s debut album “SYRE” because he came out with his own style, and it sounded like he was putting his all into every song. Jaden’s songs grabbed my attention with his aggressive flow and personal lyrical content. However, with his most recent album, there is none of that. I understand he’s trying to change his style, but the entire album comes off as his clumsy attempt to copy off other successful rappers. by Leo Silverman
A18 the falconer
entertainment
From being the source of multiple viral memes to former President Barack Obama’s favorite cartoon, “Spongebob Squarepants,” the animated Nickelodeon show, is a cultural behemoth and the voice of a generation, whose main character’s mononymous influence puts him on par with Oprah, Beyonce and Elvis. The show’s creator, Stephen Hillenburg, died on Nov. 26 at age 57 from ameotrophic lateral schlerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Left behind by Hillenburg is an eccentric show that has become the face of the Nickelodeon brand, generating over $13 billion in merchandising revenue. Almost two decades after its premiere, “Spongebob” still tops television charts. For the week of Dec. 2 to 8, it was the most watched U.S. show on both television and streaming platforms, beating out shows like “Game of Thrones,” “Saturday Night Live” and “Riverdale,” according to software company Parrot Analytics. Despite its overwhelming popularity, Nickelodeon’s rivals have been unable to create anything like “Spongebob.” It features the adventures of a yellow sea sponge and kitchen sponge hybrid (porous is he!) who is a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, the premiere burger restaurant of underwater city Bikini Bottom. Idealistic, naïve and driven by a passion for cooking Krabby Patties, Spongebob is the perfect foil for his cast mates, guiding viewers past the capitalistic greed of his scheming boss Mr. Krabs, the cynical and sarcastic Squidward Tentacles, the intellectual and practical Sandy Cheeks, and Spongebob’s dense and easily angered friend, Patrick Star. Since Enthusiastic and prone to singing, it is easy to see why young children widely connect with Spongebob. Unlike most other cartoons, however, the show also retains the interest of older audiences. That is partly due to the more adult humor hidden behind the superficial veneer of Spongebob’s smile. While such humor is apparent in the innuendos in the names of characters and settings (Bikini Bottom, Sandy Cheeks), the characters also seem to change as the viewers age. Though his distaste for Spongebob’s shenanigans and negligence at the Krusty Krab portray seem to Squidward as a villain at first, he has now transformed into an icon of relatability, as millennials entering the workforce face stagnating wage growth and job dissatisfaction, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. On a Reddit post of a Spongebob meme, one user commented that after entering adulthood, fans of the show relate more “with Squidward, someone … stuck in a low-end job, being sick of the man keeping us down.” Created in 1999, Spongebob grew up with Generation Z, the generation born starting in 1997, according to the Pew Research Center. The first generation to be born after the creation of the commercial internet in the early 1990’s, members of Generation Z, along with millennials, took Spongebob along with them as they defined popular internet culture, casting the show in so many memes it has been dubbed a “meme farm.” Memes are known primarily for comedy, but they have become vehicles for political and social commentary, informing young people about current events in an engaging manner. There is a meme of Squidward on strike
outside the Krusty Krab. The screenshot has been paired with socialist and communist literature regarding working conditions and fair pay. While often sarcastic, references to socialism and communism reflect changing attitudes toward the U.S. economy. Gallup polling found that millennials and Generation Z are the first two generations in U.S. history to prefer democratic socialism over capitalism. Again, after Democrat Beto O’Rourke lost his Texas Senate race to incumbent Ted Cruz, liberals expressed their outrage with a Spongebob meme. In it, Spongebob has contorted his body into the shape of Texas. After asking Patrick what he thinks Spongebob is supposed to look like, Patrick responds with “Uh, stupid?” “No, I’m Texas!” Spongebob says. “What’s the difference?” Patrick replies. Conservatives have also used Spongebob memes on social media. In September, Donald Trump Jr., son of the President, retweeted a meme of Patrick struggling to open a jar with a caption claiming that if President Trump were to open a jar, Obama would claim to have “loosened it for [him].” In no other time could an artifact of childhood permeate day-to-day adult conversations. Thanks to the internet, millennials and Generation Z do not need to let go of a part of their childhood embodied by Spongebob, but instead hold on to it as they navigate the adult world. While Spongebob’s saturation benefits from the internet, his growth online may also signal the end of a unique and universal figure like him ever existing again. Spongebob references work because most people have seen the show, a memory from a time before iPhones and social media. Kids today, however, have many more options for entertainment, from Youtube, Netflix, Fortnite and Instagram to television. Whether or not generations following Generation Z will ever have a figure as beloved and well known seems more and more unlikely. The days when most kids could only be found watching either Nickelodeon, Disney or C a r t o o n Network on Saturdays are over. by Farhan Hossain
december 14, 2018
It is common for older films to be reimagined into more modern counterparts. This year had an especially large number of these newer versions, including “Overboard,” “A Star is Born,” “Tomb Raider,” “Robin Hood” and “Christopher Robin.” Many of these movies were childhood favorites of previous generations. This fall, “The Grinch” was added to the list. Although the new Grinch is less evil than in the past, he still embodies the Grinches of old. It is a classic story with good morals and has been produced twice before, both as an animated TV special and a live action theatrical movie. The movie follows the basic plotline of past versions, but it is especially relevant with references to our modern day habits and technology, plus, it’s funnier. It still resembles its predecessors, but the writers’ big change is that this year in Whoville, Christmas will be three times bigger than last year, according to a newspaper headline in the film. While the Whos are still characterized as the crazy inventors and Christmas lovers they are in previous iterations, the audience gets a deeper look into other characters like the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who. Critics say the Grinch is too nice in this adaptation, and I agree. For example, the Grinch in the children’s book and both previous productions would never be caught in Whoville during the day. Also, the previous Grinch treats his dog like a slave and has an iconic creepy smile, unlike the nicer version displayed in this adaptation. The newer, nicer version goes grocery shopping in Whoville, is kind to his pup and has no crazy grin. Maybe in a world with so much hate, the creators of this remake didn’t want to release more negativity, or maybe the producers wanted to dull it down for the new “overly sensitive” generation. Many critics say the newest generation is too sensitive and can’t handle some of the harsher things that would go on in the original show. On
the other hand, some viewers find the Grinch grouchy, but overall, toned-down evil is relatable because many people can identify with the less enthusiastic Grinch over the hyper Whos. Whatever the reason behind the change in the Grinch’s personality, it might be very disappointing to some. Later in the movie, during a flashback from his childhood, the audience learns the Grinch was an orphan who was always alone on Christmas, which explains his resentment toward the holiday and his desire to steal it. Back in Whoville, the audience is introduced to a little girl named Cindy Lou, and, while initially she is a bit demanding, Cindy Lou eventually becomes endearing in her plan to trap “Santa” and ask for her wish to be granted. The Grinch, undercover as Santa, has second thoughts about his plan to steal Christmas because he realizes, after Cindy Lou’s wish, that some Whos aren’t selfish. However, Cindy Lou’s request alone isn’t enough, and he sticks to his plan. The new movie had high definition animation, epic montages and familyfriendly humor. The best part, however, was the soundtrack, which consisted of pleasant holiday songs, including two songs by Tyler the Creator. The two songs provide the creative spark that helps distinguish this adaptation of the movie from the earlier adaptations. Tyler the Creator’s version of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” composed by Danny Elfman, follows most of the song’s original lyrics with some new ones. On the other hand, Tyler’s “I Am The Grinch” is a new song discussing the ins and outs of the Grinch’s life and his mean feelings toward the Christmas season. Tyler also dropped a six-song EP inspired by the movie titled, “Music Inspired by Illumination and Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch.” For a younger audience, the movie can be a little hard to follow with all the flashbacks and sporadic shifts in setting. Additionally, I feel the movie definitely should have been shortened by removing some scenes, because they disengaged viewers and diverged from the overarching theme that one can be truly happy even without materialistic prosperity. But it’s important to keep in mind this movie wasn’t necessarily designed for an older, hypercritical audience; it leans toward a younger audience, which is why the innocent plot and restrained humor is appropriate. While it’s true that the movie was lengthy and a little confusing, with all of the twisty side plots and flashbacks, I think it is important to remake classic movies so that newer generations will be able to experience such well-loved classics too. In the end, the most recent remake of “The Grinch” comes to the same conclusions as its predecessors; in a fun, cutesy way, the movie successfully teaches its viewers that apologizing for one’s mistakes is the right, and that Christmas is more about spirit and love than materialism. Finally, no matter what hostile front we show the world, kindness and love are the things we need most. by Katie Flint
ART BY DHATHRY DOPPALAPUDI
Leo Silverman
STAFF WRITER
Brandon Raimo
STAFF WRITER Boys soccer (0-1-1) tied the Point Loma High School Pointers (2-0-2) 3-3 in their second game of the preseason on Dec. 8, thanks to striker Michael Mines (12) netting two goals. “I think we played pretty well for the most part, but there are some things we need to work on offensively and defensively,” Mines said. Other than a Point Loma free kick that went out of bounds, the only chance in the first 20 minutes came when a Point Loma midfielder lobbed a long pass to a forward, who lost the ball. 24 minutes into an evenly matched game, Mines trapped a pass, dribbled past a defender and shot low ball that passed the Point Loma goalkeeper for the Falcons’ photos by anna jeong/falconer first goal. With the Falcons leading at 1-0, Point DRIBBLES AND SLIDE TACKLES: Ted Merrifield (12) traps the ball and looks to pass Loma managed to get a corner kick with seven minutes left in the first half and got or dribble past the defenders (TOP). Ryan Crean (12) sprints alongside a Point Loma a shot off, but Falcons goalkeeper Nick player to receive the pass and look to make a successful cross or shoot (BOTTOM). Bello (11) saved it. Bello’s highlight play in the second half but shot too high and Point Loma delivered a fast strike through resulted in a dangerous counterattack, missed the net. a dense crowd of Falcon defenders, tying and midfielder Ish Uno (12) fired an With 13 minutes left in the game, the game at 3-3. unreachable strike to the bottom left Point Loma had a golden opportunity to Despite the Falcons’ final attempts to corner, giving the Falcons a 2-0 lead. tie the game with a free kick. The kick retake the lead, they were unable to score, Three minutes after the goal, Mines was lobbed into a crowd of players, and and the game ended at a 3-3 tie. caught a pass close to Point Loma’s goal, both teams fought for possession. A Point “We played well and gave it our best, but was pressured by a but we gave up a couple of goals we don’t defender and the shot went want to be giving up again,” Falcon head wide right. Despite the coach Andy Hargreaves said. “There are a miss, the Falcons went into lot of positives to take away, from scoring halftime with a comfortable three goals, but we have some work to do 2-0 lead. defending.” Point Loma started Bello, however, was less generous about the second half attacking his performance as well as the team’s. relentlessly. With six “I don’t think I played to my full minutes passed in the potential. As a whole unit, we didn’t play second half, they decreased our best defensively,” Bello said. “I think the deficit to 2-1 on a long it’s a work in progress right now, and we strike. Michael Mines (12) just have to figure some things out with Point Loma kept some new players playing new positions, attacking, and, with 26 STRIKER but I think once we figure those things out minutes left in the second we’ll be good.” half, they struck again, but the shot was Loma forward hit the ball off the crossbar, Mines played with an aggressive, saved by Bello. After a failed attack by and another player was able to follow the scoring mentality and was able to create the Falcons, Point Loma fired a long pass rebound and bank it into the net, tying the chances for himself all game. and outran Torrey Pines’ defense for a game at 2-2. “A lot of it was my teammates just breakaway and a great chance at a goal. Six minutes after Point Loma scored the passing the ball forward, and I made runs However, Bello made an excellent diving tying goal, Mines immediately scored his into open spaces and got the defense off save that maintained the lead for the second goal, giving TPHS a 3-2 lead with balance,” Mines said. “I’d say my strengths Falcons. time ticking down to end of regulation. are my speed and finishing, and I think I TPHS attempted to counterattack, but Mines retrieved a pass and fired a high used that well to get chances today.” Point Loma thwarted those efforts with a strike in the corner that Point Loma’s The Falcons travel to Poway for their formidable defense. The Falcons managed goalkeeper could not stop. The lead would next game against the Poway High School to get a breakaway with 16 minutes left only hold for five minutes, however, as Titans on Dec. 14.
I think we played pretty well for the most part, but there’s some things we need to work on offensively and defensively.
Last Friday, TMZ Sports released a security video from February 2018 capturing Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt shoving and kicking a woman outside a hotel room in Cleveland, Ohio. Hours after the report, Kareem Hunt was placed on NFL’s Exempt List, banning him from playing until the investigation completes and a final verdict is made. On top of that, the Kansas City Chiefs cut Hunt, and he is now a free agent after clearing waivers. Just like many previous domestic violence cases regarding an NFL player, there are many red flags. I’d like to preface that domestic violence is horrible and should never be tolerated. Unfortunately, this is not the first time the NFL has been inconsistent with domestic violence claims. A similar case occurred in 2014 with Baltimore Ravens star running back Ray Rice. When the league originally investigated the claim, they stated they failed to obtain any evidence and deemed it false. Months later, a video surfaced, showing Rice knocking his fiancée unconscious and dragging her out of the elevator. The NFL switched sides, banning Rice from the league. The league came under serious fire as they claimed to have done an in depth investigation and came up with nothing, yet TMZ was able to obtain the video. The league was heavily criticized and accused of sweeping the huge case under the rug. Considering the Hunt incident occurred in February and the video came out in November, it seems the NFL still hasn’t learned from its past. The league claims that it attempted to gain surveillance footage many times, but the hotel stated a corporate policy only allowed them to give it to authorities. Since the police never pressed charges, they had no interest in the video. The only problem with that claim is, how was TMZ able to get the video? How is it possible that a celebrity news station could beat corporate powerhouse to the punch? Hunt even claims that the league never attempted to interview him regarding the fight. The league’s defense? They couldn’t get into contact with the girl who was assaulted, so there was no point in interviewing Hunt. Not even a month ago, the league came under fire for inconsistent rulings, as current Redskins linebacker Reuben Foster was arrested on a domestic violence charge. This time, the NFL decided not to suspend the player, even though he was actually arrested. Since the original video of Hunt was released on Nov 30th, multiple other claims of Hunt getting into fights have come out, including another video showing Hunt being restrained after allegedly beating a man at a club. The NFL should have learned from the Rice case and taken Hunt’s case seriously in the beginning. The fact that they actively employ former police investigators but still can not obtain hotel surveillance tapes unacceptable. This entire situation could have been handled in a much more professional manner, yet the NFL once again chose profit over morals. This is simply unacceptable from the league. The NFL needs to establish a system for all cases of assault or domestic violence and stop putting their greedy interests ahead of everything else. Who knows what the NFL will become if this happens again.
tphsfalconer.com
sports
the falconer
A21
Yuree Huh’s (12) 11 years of playing golf at an elite level has earned her offers from many Division 1 schools across the nation. Yuree Huh (12) had just woken up, ready for another day of training for an upcoming golf tournament, when she realized her vision was blurry. Not thinking much of it, Huh went back to sleep, only to see that her condition had worsened. “I just woke up and literally couldn’t see anything out of my left eye. I was blind,” Huh said. She then went to a neurologist at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center and soon learned that an overload of stress had caused her brain to halt the signals sent to her optic nerves. “My occipital lobe was being heavily overworked and my optic nerves in my left eye were severed,” Huh said. She stopped playing golf after learning about her condition in the 7th grade. “I had to stop playing for two years because of my health. I was playing at least five hours everyday in middle school,” Huh said, “I did recover over time, though.” Once Huh regained vision in her left eye, she had a hard time practicing golf again. “I basically had to start over,” Huh said, “[the transition] was really awkward; I hated it.” In order to play golf at the high level she used to play at, Huh had to practice every other day of the week for at least three hours per practice session. “I do driving range, and then I chip, and then I putt, and then I play on a golf course,” Huh said. According to Huh, her practice schedule is flexible, which allows her to focus on certain aspects of her game. “Some days, if I’m not hitting the ball too well, I’ll spend another day only doing driving range. If I’m not chipping too well, I’ll spend more time chipping and so on,” Huh said. Throughout Huh’s experience playing golf, she has always struggled with anxiety. Huh would often have anxiety attacks during tournaments because of what felt like the overwhelming pressure to excel. “I get lightheaded, breathe heavily, shake uncontrollably and curl up into a ball when I get anxiety attacks,” Huh said. Her experience of playing golf for over 11 years is the only way she figured out how
to control her anxiety and lighten the impact on her performance. “Over the years, I learned that, in order to stay calm, I just have to convince myself that I’m practicing by myself. That’s honestly all you can do while playing golf,” Huh said. Even after her long break from golf, Huh’s consistent and rigorous practice routine has allowed her to perform at an impressive level over her high school career. Huh has accumulated a number of achievements. She has played at tournaments hosted by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), San Diego Junior Golf Association (SDJGA) and Southern California Professional Golf Association (SCPGA) and has played at the Toyota Tour Cup, to name a few. Out of the tournaments listed above, Huh has won the AJGA, SCPGA and SDJGA tournaments. Huh has also excelled at playing for her school teams. During her sophomore year, the Girls Golf team tied for first at the CIF Finals. She was also nationally ranked at one point in her career. “I don’t really keep up with my stats anymore, but I remember there was a point in my sophomore year when I was ranked 40 in the nation for my age group,” Huh said. Huh attributes her success to her determination to continue playing golf on the collegiate level. “I think I stuck to playing golf because I’ve already invested so much time to play and because I wanted to find more opportunities to go to college with it,” Huh said. So far, she’s received offers from Georgetown University, Boston College, UC Davis, Florida State University, University of Colorado, University of Texas, Texas Christian University, University of Arizona and others. Despite Huh’s wide variety of options, she does not want to leave California. “I just wanted to stay in California, and I really care about weather, so I know I’ll hate it outside of California,” Huh said. She has since decided to attend San Diego State University because she wants to stay close to home and because of the academics offered at the school. by Jeremy Chung
PHOTO BY DAVID VAPNEK/FALCONER
STAFF WRITER Officiating is one of the most controversial topics in sports. Anyone who watches a major sport knows whether it’s a foul in basketball, a penalty in hockey or a yellow card in soccer, the call made by the ref is almost always disputed by the affected side. Some refs are notorious for making bad calls, and while football is fastpaced and hard to officiate, Walt Anderson and his officiating crew had a terrible officiating performance in Thursday’s matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 29. Coming into the game, the Saints boasted a 10-1 record and had beaten their previous three opponents by a combined score of 130-38. The Cowboys had a lesser record of 6-5 but were coming off a 3-game win streak, including a win in Philadelphia against the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles. Despite being 7-point favorites, the Saints started slow, giving up a touchdown on the Cowboys’ first possession and punting on the next. At halftime, the Saints faced a 13-0 deficit and had yet to produce any effective offense. To make matters worse, Saints
head coach Sean Payton had used both of his challenges, in which a coach can challenge the ruling on the field and have the refs review it with instant replay, on incomplete passes to receivers Michael Thomas and Dan Arnold. They were able to cut the lead down to three with a Wil Lutz field goal and a Keith Kirkwood touchdown, on which the refs could have called an offensive pass interference penalty. Those scoring drives were aided by two 15-yard penalties by Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory. The first, most controversial call came with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Saints running back Alvin Kamara caught a pass in the middle of the field and ran toward the sideline. After running for about six yards, he was hit hard in the head by Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith. He was clearly shaken up and staggered to the Saints’ sideline, showing obvious concussion symptoms. Despite this extremely illegal hit, there was no flag on the play, and the Saints were forced to punt. Another controversial call came with six minutes left in the fourth quarter, with the Cowboys facing a third down and five. Quarterback Dak Prescott threw a short
pass to receiver Cole Beasley, who was immediately tackled by Saints cornerback PJ Williams, but Beasley reached across the first down line after he was downed, and the refs gave the Cowboys a new set of downs — a call that may have cost the Saints the game because they couldn’t challenge the ruling on the field. Later, the refs would miss another obvious call when Saints defensive tackle David Onyemata tackled Prescott by his face mask — a nocall that, if called, could have given Dallas the win. The Cowboys would go on to win, thanks to Brees’ late-game interception to Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis. Despite all the missed calls in the game, the worst call by a ref of the week wasn’t even in this game. It was in a Sunday night matchup between the 8-3 Los Angeles Chargers and the 7-3-1 Pittsburgh Steelers. They were tied at 30 with three seconds left, and Chargers kicker Michael Badgley came on to attempt a 39yard field goal. The kick was
blocked by Steelers cornerback Joe Haden, but the play was called back because he was offside. On the replay, it appeared that Chargers long snapper Mike Windt had moved before the snap, causing Haden to run offside. After another offside penalty by Steelers cornerback Artie Burns, Badgley made the kick, giving the Chargers an important yet controversial win. The job of a referee in football is a very hard one, given the game’s fast pace, but the calls made in these games were inexcusable. These refs cost these teams games and, maybe, their entire seasons.
photo from business insider
Brandon Raimo
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The Price to Play Youth sports are an American tradition. The entire industry, according to the Atlantic magazine, is worth $17 billion. For some comparison, an average National Football League franchise is worth $2.5 billion, according to Forbes. However, participation in youth sports nationwide is down — although looking at the data shows that while the number of poor kids playing sports has gone down, participation rates among the wealthier is actually up. According to the Atlantic, among those in families making $25,000 or less, the rate of kids playing sports in 34 percent, down from 42 percent in 2011. Among kids in households making $100,000 or more, the rate has risen from 66 percent in 2011 to 69 percent today. Sports are important in development, as Gallup found that 66 percent of student athletes compared to 54 percent of non-student athletes are reported to be thriving in their jobs and well-being. Additionally, sports, and club sports in particular, provide a leg up in college admissions. “Parents are probably hoping that their kids find something that they are passionate about that will also keep them in shape,” said Annabelle Pham (11), a University of Chicago Heidi Shen soccer commit. TENNIS PLAYER According to the NCAA, as of 2015, 95 percent of women and 93 percent of men who currently play soccer in college played club soccer in high school, 92 percent of women and 89 percent of men who play college basketball played club basketball, 90 percent of women and 88 percent of men who swam in college competed on a club swimming team, and the numbers are similar for other sports as well. Most club sports have club fees that average $1,850 per season, according to USA Today. These club fees do not include money for private lessons, which, in many cases, is needed in order for a child to earn a spot on the top teams. These weekly lessons, depending on the sport, can reach into the hundreds of dollars. Most importantly, when playing on an elite club team, frequent traveling across the country is required. This means that thousands of dollars might often be needed to pay for plane fare and hotels, to and at travel tournaments in cities all over the country. Although some clubs offer scholarships and if an athlete plays for a regional, non-travel team the costs are significantly lower, these high-exposure tournaments are exactly where the college coaches recruit. “In order for colleges to know who you are, you have to perform at a certain level and show your commitment. Tournaments display capability and interest,” TPHS
varsity tennis player Heidi Shen (11) said. These days, college coaches do not go to individual high school games in order to recruit players. Instead, the coaches go to club tournaments, where they can evaluate players who are competing against each other on different club teams from around the country. The best way for college coaches to come into contact with promising high school players is to “evaluate players when they compete in club allstar events,” according to Los Angeles Times sports journalist Eric Sondheimer. Some of the best athletes in the country play for TPHS. The boys lacrosse team was ranked number 1 in the west, according to U.S. Lacrosse Magazine, and many of the TPHS boys and girls tennis players are ranked in the top 100 players in the nation, according to TPHS tennis player Eshan Talluri (12). Much of the success of TPHS athletes is due to the affluence of the surrounding neighborhoods and resultant availability of private coaching, and the countless clubs in the area. However, there are still several incredible organizations that are trying to address this economic issue and are creating more opportunities for children from lowincome families to play at an elite level. Starlings Volleyball Club was founded in 1996 in a low-income area of San Diego. The club has spread to 50 cities nationwide and many Native American reservations, and over 30,000 athletes have participated in the past two decades. Over 70 athletes from Starlings have received athletic college scholarships. “I could not be more grateful for Starlings and the opportunity it gives so many inner city girls to be aspiring athletes,” Ashley Mello, a former Starlings athlete and a San Diego native, said. Mello was the first in her family to go to college and now she has a masters degree in social work. She says her success has inspired her younger sisters to play sports and learn life long skills. “I always was making friends who turned into family and always practicing to be a team player, to never give up and to keep on fighting,” Mello said. Athletic organizations that make such opportunities for low-income youth are few and far between. The large majority of club sports participants either have to pay the fees or are forced to stop playing. They don’t play club sports. by Maya Satchell
For colleges to know who you are, you have to perform at a certain level and show your commitment.
december 14, 2018
tphsfalconer.com
sports
Mia Sullivan
girls water polo november 29, 9:08:45 pm nikon d7500 lens: 18-200mm iso: 800 exp: 1/1000 f/stop: 3.5mm
Photo by Alexei Serguienko
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AirPods are the perfect earwax remover! Reusable and good for the environment! You can reduce your Q-tip waste output by investing a couple hundred on AirPods! AirPods are so multifaceted, you can use them in the morning to brush your teeth, then when you are on your weekly jog stick them up your ears and jam out to your tunes! Hoping to earn a good grade on that Honors Chemistry test? Maybe you can sell your AirPods on Ebay and buy your grade at High Bluff!
Too cheap to buy your own set of AirPods? Steve Jobs would be ashamed. But hey, you can always borrow them from your friends, just make sure to wipe off the ear wax off before. Next time you’re in class, wear AirPods! Don’t worry about them not being noise canceling, you’ll still be able to hear your teacher yelling to take them off.
Are you angry at the world? Do you need an escape? If vaping in the handicap stall of the bathroom before third isn’t doing the trick, use AirPods to rock out to your favorite genre: trashy a$$ Soundcloud rapper wannabes. When you are stuck at your grandma’s house during this winter break, make sure to bring your waterproof AirPods and use them as diving rings.
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Apple model wearing the newest generation of AirPods
written and designed by Katie Flint