Falconer April 2021 Issue

Vol. 46, Issue 4, 22 pages

Friday, April 23, 2021

Not a Virus

ANTI-ASIAN HATE on A10

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Q&A with Congresswoman and TPHS alumna Sara Jacobs Neha Pubbi

NEWS EDITOR

Q: How did your time at TPHS prepare you for or influence your career path?

A: High school is the time when a lot of us really start thinking about social justice, our role in the world and what we want to do in the future. For me, especially at TPHS, it was really great to have a such a big class and a big school because I was able to meet so many people who had so many different lived experiences and opinions. Just having that diversity of thought and perspective when I was in that formative stage was incredibly helpful to me.

Q: How does being from Southern California influence your legislative goals?

A: I didn’t realize that not everywhere in the country was as open and welcoming as we are in Southern California. My youngest sibling is transgender and my middle sibling is gender-nonconforming, and I feel like California — Southern California in particular — is on the leading edge of these social issues. Recognizing that the rest of the country didn’t have the same rights and perspectives as we did is part of what motivated me: that every kid in America should have the same kinds of opportunities that that we did. Also, we feel the impacts of climate change very acutely, whether it’s the wildfires (and I had a few fire weeks that I got off of school back in the day) or the rising sea levels. I also think that having our immigrant community here and getting to know so many friends and loved ones who are immigrants really helps to inform the way I think about how communities can be welcoming.

Q: Do you have any fond memories of your time at TPHS? A: I loved my history classes with Mr. Trupe. I originally thought I was going to be an electrical engineer and had a great time in physics with Mr. Harvey. A lot of my teachers have reached out like Mrs. Allen from AP English Lit and some of my former history and math teachers. It’s been nice getting to reconnect with so many of the people who were so important in forming my view of the world.

Q: What message do you think your becoming a Congresswoman sends to current TPHS students?

A: I think it’s important that all young people know that you don’t have to wait to make a difference. You’re enough right now. You’re old enough right now. You have all the tools that you need. Don’t let anyone tell you that you need to wait or that you’re not ready, because the world is changing fast. We’re having all these huge crises and change has always happened when young people have gotten involved, and so we need you right now more than ever.

Q: What would you tell current TPHS students?

A: It’s okay to enjoy being a kid. When I was at TPHS, we were all so fixated on taking the right AP classes, doing what we needed to do to get in college and all the extracurriculars and being busy all the time, and I think that it’s important to just enjoy being a kid. It’s okay to be imperfect — actually, in my job, I’m talking to people all the time, and with human interaction, the imperfections are actually what make people more interested in you, so it’s going to be okay.

april 23, 2021

TPHS moves into level three of the reopening plan after delay Katie Flint

ASSISTANT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Although TPHS planned on moving to level three of the reopening plan on March 9, students were not allowed to return to the classroom because of state guidelines and the San Diego County Public Health mandate.

However, on March 15, SDUHSD’s request for relief was granted by the Superior Court of San Diego, allowing the district to continue with reopening plans and implement the oneday-a-week on-campus instructional model.

On March 29, the SDUHSD Board of Trustees approved a resolution for TPHS to implement the fifth phase of the reopening plan. On April 12, TPHS moved forward with the four-day-a-week in-class hybrid distance learning model — which does not include alpha cohorts —

through the end of the school year.

After Spring Break, there are around 1,200 students on campus, or around 50% of the student population, according to Principal Rob Coppo.

Students who optin are required to be in person for all classes, but can return to fully learning from home at any time.

Tzippy Moehringer (12), who has been fully vaccinated, felt safe enough to return to campus and feels oncampus learning gives her more structure and

allows her to be more productive.

“I tend to get distracted when I’m at home … so when I’m at school, I can work ahead in classes and get other work done,” Moehringer said. “So, I’m generally more productive.”

All student athletes returning to campus must have the SDUHSD Parent Athlete Agreement and COVID-19 Waiver on file, as well as practice social distancing and wear masks at all times.

Nicole MacRae (12), a varsity cross country and track and field

athlete, enjoys getting out of the house and running with the team.

“The positive is the social aspect of it. It’s more motivating to run with people than run on your own,” MacRae said.

Before each practice or game, all coaches, athletes and game officials will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms.

For spectators, only four immediate family members from the same household are allowed to attend outdoor contests; only two family members are allowed for indoor sports.

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Jorie Rankin, all TPHS teachers recognized with staff awards Jenny Han

STAFF WRITER

Administrative Assistant Jorie Rankin was named Classified Employee of the Year on Feb. 17, while all TPHS teachers were named Teacher of the Year at the teacher follow-up meeting on March 19. Teachers’ and certificated staff members’ flexibility during distance learning was the main reasoning behind the joint TOTY award.

Typically, the process of awarding both Teacher and Classified Employee of the Year involves staff members nominating colleagues and then anonymously

voting on nominees. The winner then advances to the SDUHSD pool; if they win at the district level, they can further advance to the county, state and national levels.

The winner of Classified Employee of the Year, Jorie Rankin, works closely with Assistant Principal Michael Santos, facilitating communication with teachers and the public.

She is also responsible for managing substitute teachers, which has recently become a more difficult task. Despite her workload changing, she did not expect to win Classified Employee

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of the Year.

“To be honest, I was surprised,” Rankin said.

“I work with some pretty amazing people who I sincerely believe are all Employees of the Year … We [all] had to adapt to these unchartered waters … This whole place is award-winningworthy.”

With this year being an anomaly, the process of awarding Teacher of the Year was different as well. Rather than naming one educator Teacher of the Year, the majority of teachers voted to give the award to the whole staff in a show of support and solidarity.

Students have witnessed the tremendous growth of teachers in supporting their classes, especially in an unfamiliar online environment.

“My teachers struggled with the bugs and errors of technology, but as time went on, they became

more aware of how to circumvent these flaws,” Daniel Li (11) said.

Despite having to adjust to Google Meets and the new schedule that allotted less time for synchronous learning, many students believe the curriculum and quality of teaching remains the same for students preparing for upcoming AP tests.

“For [AP] classes ... it’s really hard to have to cut down on these typically more contentheavy classes,” Diane Zhou (11) said. “But, I feel pretty prepared at this point in the year.”

While the joint award may feel like a participation trophy for some, Coppo summed up the thought process behind both awards.

“Every employee on our campus has changed what they do dramatically, so ... it was to say we all … deserve some recognition for trying to get a square peg into a round hole.”

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National Chemistry Olympiad Exam Qualifiers Daniel Wang (11) Jonghyun (Jay) Won (10)

USA Math Olympiad (USAMO) & Junior Math Olympiad (USAJMO) Qualifiers Derek Liu (10), USAMO Elliott Liu (9), USAJMO Jacopo Rizzo (9), USAJMO

WCE National Dance Competition

American Invitational Mathematics Examination Qualifiers Torrey Duan (12) Saeji Hong (12) Brian Hsiao (12) David Lee (11) Derek Liu (10) Elliott Liu (10) Lucas Liu (12) Jeff Ren (12) Giacomo Rizzo (11) Jacopo Rizzo (9) Atharv Sampath (11) Edison Shen(10) Yuehua Xie(11)

TPDT All Female Sm. Hip Hop & Medium Hip Hop, 1st place

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Science Olympiad San Diego Regional Medalists Astronomy: Saeji Hong (12), Gwennie Liu (11) Chemistry Lab: Torrey Duan (12), Kevin Song (12) Detector Building: Will Kwon (10), Sri Ujjini (10) Digital Structures: Mia Chen (10) Gwennie Liu Disease Detectives: Dominic Li (12), Jason Shan (10) Experiment Design: Tamara Andrijanic (11), Kevin Song, Crystal Xu (10) Fermi Questions: Celine Wang (11) Forensics: Tamara Andrijanic, Amy Le (11) Fossils: Gwennie Liu, Andrew Wang (11) Game On: Will Kwon, Oliver Wahlin (10) Geologic Mapping: Dominic Li, Oliver Wahlin Ornithology: Gwennie Liu, Kevin Song Protein Modeling: Helene Gao (10), Irene Pi (11), Edward Yang (10) Sounds of Music: Torrey Duan, Kevin Song

Southern California State Medalists Astronomy: Saeji Hong, Gwennie Liu Digital Structures: Mia Chen, Gwennie Liu Ornithology: Gwennie Liu, Kevin Song Water Quality: Tamara Andrijanic, Dominic Li

Congress passes American Rescue Plan, Biden signs Neha Pubbi

NEWS EDITOR

The American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill, was signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11. It includes stimulus checks and an expansion of the Child Tax Credit, a tax credit for parents with dependent children, as well as health coverage expansions, increased funding for schools and vaccination sites, and increased housing assistance, with the goal to provide relief to American families and stimulate the economy.

The stimulus checks are worth $1400 for adults and dependents in households earning less than $80,000 of single income or $120,000 of joint income. In addition, the expansion of the Child Tax Credit seeks to reduce

child poverty, increasing the credit amount from $2,000 to $3,600 for children under age six.

“Expanding the Child Tax Credit is good, as many kids don’t have regular access to food [because of] the pandemic,” Ashley Hanson (12) said.

The stimulus payments and increased Child Tax Credit both contribute to closing the wealth gap.

“There’s funding for federally qualified community health centers in the expanded paycheck protection program,” Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, of California’s 53rd district (in San Diego Co.), said. “There is funding for a pilot navigator program to help small businesses understand the processes.

There is funding for childcare and restaurants with under 20 locations.

The $1400 check is targeted for families in need.”

The bill also includes $350 billion emergency funding for each state.

“There are states that need that much, and there are small states that don’t. It may have been smarter to distribute by population or size,” Ryan Wittenberg (10) said.

The first draft of the bill, passed in the House, also included a $15 minimum wage. However, it was removed in the modified version of the bill that passed in the Senate with a 50-49 vote.

“I was really proud that the package that we passed in the House included a $15 minimum wage. It’s clear that if we’re ever going to have an equitable recovery, we have to make sure that one job is enough and that workers

are paid their fair share,” Jacobs said.

“Unfortunately, it looks like it won’t end up in the Senate package. House Democrats are committed to getting a higher nationwide minimum wage.”

The American Rescue Plan is one of the largest fiscal spending bills ever passed by the U.S. Congress.

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TPHS introduces two new social science electives Jasmine Criqui and Srishti Thapar

OPINION EDITOR AND FEATURE EDITOR

TPHS has added two new social science electives to the course selection lineup for incoming juniors and seniors: Social Justice and Current Events.

According to Principal Rob Coppo, serious discussions about adding the classes for the upcoming school year started in July 2020 and were “without a doubt” influenced by widespread protests against police brutality.

“I don’t think there could be a more important topic for us than that right now,” Coppo said. “After last year’s events and what’s going on now, it became clear that we need to do more to educate our kids and give them a forum and avenue to really study this and not just talk about it on social media.”

Coppo stressed that improving TPHS and the national culture has to come through systemic change.

“It has to be a part of our system, a part of what we do; it can’t be an addon,” Coppo said.

Current AP Government and World History teacher Michael Montgomery has been a proponent of the Social Justice elective and is excited to teach the class next year.

“I always thought [the Social Justice class] was interesting and so I chose to [propose it years ago] and I’m glad it’s actually going to fly this year,” Montgomery said.

According to Montgomery, there has already been significant interest in the course, perhaps even enough to fill more than one class.

The TPHS Black Student Union

(BSU) club secretary, Kimberly Williams (11), has signed up for the new elective along with many of her friends. Williams feels that the class is important so that students “can know more about the people and communities around them. She also believes that school is an important platform for discussing social justice issues.

“If we want anything to get better, there has to be a start somewhere and I think that school is the best place because we spend the most time at school,” Williams said.

Another interested student is Satya Vargas (11), who says her interest in the class is due in large part to closely following the news.

“I’m hoping that [the class] will attract kids with a variety of cultural backgrounds because it will allow us

to look at the issues from a variety of perspectives,” Vargas said.

The Current Events teacher and enrollment requirements for the class had yet to be confirmed by the time the Falconer went to press.

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april 23, 2021

Renovation, modernization of I building begin Helene Gao

STAFF WRITER

Renovation of the I building to update facilities began on March 22 when temporary fencing was erected around the old building, according to Principal Rob Coppo.

The improvements are expected to take less than a year, as longterm planning and interior work has already occurred. The building will be modernized and adjusted while its structural foundation will remain unchanged. Construction has become more visible and audible, mainly taking place later in the day to avoid affecting students and teachers on campus.

The I building gets its name from the innovative courses it houses; which currently include Culinary Arts, Wood and Auto Tech and other hands-on programs. The construction for those classes will mostly take place during the summer to avoid displacing students.

The main hub for nutrition services, which is currently just north of the gym, will be moved to the old black box theater on the southwest corner of the I building.

“That corner would be the new main [nutrition services] hub. It would be inside, but you’d have doors that open and the lines would go outside,” Coppo said. “There will be tables outside, too.”

Additionally, Coppo hopes to build a cafe run by Culinary Arts students and Coffee on Tap in the future. Although it is uncertain where the funding for that project will come from, he is optimistic that students will have the necessary equipment for all food-related activities.

The construction will also add a “Maker’s Space,” a flexible learning environment that can be used for engineering, drama production and any other projects that require technology.

It will not be dedicated to a particular class or subject, but will have a rotating

schedule with cleanup between groups instead. The space will offer more opportunities for classes previously limited by their working environment.

“I took Engineering last year and we got to do fun stuff like make rocket parts with a laser cutting machine in the Wood Tech room,” Michele Kim (10) said. “With the Maker’s Space, classes like Engineering will be able to do more cool projects, so it’s exciting.”

Plans to build a TV studio for TPTV

in the I building have been pushed back.

“We had plans to build a studio and livestream news, but the teacher, Mr. Sanchez, left ... [and] the teacher that would’ve supervised [construction] is also leaving,” Ashley Chammas (12) said.

TPTV will continue to bring news to the student body, and plans for the live studio will resume in the next two to three years, Coppo said.

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Demolished SDCCU stadium will become Aztec Jerry Wu

STAFF WRITER

The 54-year-old San Diego Stadium, formerly known as both Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium, was demolished on March 22 and is being replaced by Aztec Stadium, part of the San Diego State University plan for campus expansion, which is set to be completed in late Sept. 2022.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, talk of building a new stadium arose as the structure continued to deteriorate.

According to Voice of San Diego, “pieces of concrete throughout the stadium are flaking and could be dangerous if they break. Metal is rusting. And the structures needed to cushion the stadium as it settles into the ground need some adjustments.”

The Los Angeles Chargers, which used to be the San Diego NFL team, played home games at Qualcomm

Stadium. The team had urged construction of a new stadium for almost 15 years. After a failed ballot measure, the franchise eventually moved to Los Angeles in 2017, and SDSU purchased the property from the city.

The original plan of the university was to continue playing in Qualcomm Stadium while a new one was being built. However, with zero attendance in the stands during the pandemic, the Aztecs settled on tearing down the relic to make way for a new stadium for their football team as they temporarily play in an MLS stadium in Carson, Calif., near Los Angeles.

The San Diego Stadium opened in 1967, called for by Jack Murphy, sportswriter and later sports editor for the then-San Diego Union. Built with a $27 million bond, it was the first multipurpose stadium in San Diego, hosting both baseball and football games at the

time. After playing in Balboa Stadium, near Balboa Park, for six seasons, in 1967, the Chargers moved to the new San Diego Stadium in Mission Valley.

Following an expansion in 1997, the facility was renamed Qualcomm Stadium, and later, SDCCU (San Diego County Credit Union) Stadium. Other than the Chargers, it has been home to the San Diego Padres and host to Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003.

With its long history in the community, many San Diego residents will miss the thrilling sports matches and memories that it brought.

“I’d go there for the Aztec college football games and ... my mom’s work had box seats, so we would get to sit in the nice seats, which was super fun,” Brandon Choi (10) said. He will most miss the atmosphere in the stadium, including the celebrating and yelling.

Others have spent their childhoods

at Qualcomm Stadium, creating irreplaceable memories.

“I’ve been to Qualcomm so many times, maybe 50... I went there in high school a couple of times for CIF football games,” English Teacher Brandon Keller said. For my senior year, I was lucky enough to get down on the field at Qualcomm Stadium. That was really fun. I had season tickets with my dad for four years, from 2005 to 2009.”

Many feel saddened and even annoyed by the demolition of the stadium.

“I really enjoyed watching different soccer teams come here to play friendlies before. Now with it [gone], it’s going to really suck,” Rohan Inamdar (10) said.

Construction of the new foundation of Aztec Stadium has made rapid progress in the last seven months. The stadium will have over 35,000 seats and cost an estimated $350 million to build.

TPHS plans to implement schedule change next year Piper Levy

COPY EDITOR

After a year-long delay due to distance learning, TPHS is ready to implement a new schedule for the 202122 school year.

In Oct. 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 328, which forbade high schools from starting before 8:30 a.m. with the exception of zero periods.

In order to abide by this bill, students will be required to opt-in to 1st period classes, which will begin everyday at 7:40 a.m.

“It is a good thing school is starting later because it helps release some stress from kids in terms of waking up early,” Mateo Pacelli (11) said. “For those who want to get some assignments done or meet with their teachers before school, they have that opportunity.”

First period classes will be created by demand, meaning that students will not be limited to taking certain classes in

the morning. However, administration predicts that many first period classes will be core classes.

“Pretty much every class, except for a rare exception, needs to be offered for first period so we can maintain balance throughout the day,” Principal Rob Coppo said. “Also, [all core classes will be provided in order] to make sure every student gets the classes they need.”

By starting school later, there is hope that morning traffic will decrease.

According to school surveys, mostly upperclassmen indicated they would likely opt-in for a first period class, contrasting with the high percentage of underclassmen who said they would likely opt out. This split would make drop-offs for underclassmen easier for parents, as most upperclassmen will already be parked and on campus.

Another change is the addition of a longer morning break between the first two block periods of the day.

“Instead of having the same amount of breaks, we wanted to have a longer nutrition break so students will have more time to grab a snack and get out of class,” Coppo said.

Other than the bell schedule change, students will also have two weeks less of their 2020 summer break in order to start the new semester calendar. With the school year starting in mid-August instead of late August, first semester will end before winter break instead of SEMESTER 1

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late January. Although there have been mixed responses, many students have reacted positively.

“Every year, I am forced to worry about homework and finals during winter break,” Logan Gutzwiller (12) said. “It will be good for the semester to end before break because students will be able to better enjoy their holiday.”

Student connectedness days will also stay this coming fall, but will be limited to every other week.

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ARTWORK BY AMANDA SALATINO/FALCONER

Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan could include funding to relocate track away from the Del Mar bluffs. Considering recent bluff collapses and ongoing stabilization projects, is rerouting the train tracks warranted?

Piper Levy

COPY EDITOR

The view from the Pacific Surfliner may be beautiful as passengers coast along the Del Mar bluffs, but one cannot help but consider the impending danger of a possible bluff collapse. In fact, at some points of the tracks, the cliff is located a mere few feet away from the train.

Over the past few decades, the beaches of San Diego have reported dozens of bluff collapses that have resulted in property damage and even death. Even though a bill has been passed by the Assembly Natural Resources Committee to dedicate $2.5 million toward research to identify early signs of bluff collapse, that is still not enough security for the passengers aboard these trains. It is impossible to be absolutely sure that a bluff is safe, and even if these researchers were able to identify the ones at risk, there may be no way to avoid the potential damage.

According to recent studies, the annual rate of coastal erosion due to rain, wind and rising sea level, is estimated to be six inches per year. Though this may not seem like a lot, over the course of many years it will add up and completely change the landscape of the bluffs along our beaches.

There is also the cost of repairing damages made by previous collapses to consider, such as the recent collapse on Feb. 28, which can seriously strain the county’s budget. Thus far, the county and federal government have had to spend over $10.5 million to safeguard tracks. This money would be better spent towards relocating the train tracks more

inland, or even underground, in order to avoid potential catastrophe. Only a few miles north, the train passes through the Solana Beach station, which was moved to below sea level shortly after the Amtrak railroad was built. Not only does this allow the train to avoid traffic and pedestrians, but it also steers clear of the dangerous bluffs nearby.

Although this may cost the city a considerable amount of money — over billions of dollars — and a lot of time spent doing construction which may disrupt traffic, the obvious benefits will ultimately outweigh these costs.

This railroad covers most of coastal California, making it the second-busiest intercity rail corridor in the U.S.. Each year, it carrys eight million passengers and $1 billion worth of freight. For this reason, it is incredibly important that we protect it at all costs even if that sum is very large, as it is a crucial part of American transportation. Getting rid of it would be an economic disaster.

Hopefully, once the main objective of relocating the train is achieved, engineers can shift their focus to internal advancements for the train. This could include faster travel speeds, shorter stopping times and more comfortable passenger arrangements.

Also, since a new track would have to be laid, if there is room in the budget, there could be double tracks laid which would decrease train traffic and allow more trains to be in circuit each day. This would in turn allow trains to carry more passengers and more freight cars to their destinations, bringing more revenue to our county and state.

Understandably, this issue will not be solved quickly, since the funds it requires cannot be easily obtained. However, as local citizens of Del Mar county, we must continue to fight and push for the relocation of the railroad, which also means pushing to keep the bluffs stable until that feat is possible.

The beautiful view may be lost in the end, but at least the passengers of the Pacific Surfliner will know their lives are safe from the Del Mar bluffs.

Dixie Wallerius

STAFF WRITER

The recent bluff collapses along the coast of North County have engineers, geologists and politicians working overtime to come up with a solution. As a result, the continuing conversation about moving the train tracks on the coast remains an urgent topic of discussion.

Since this has been an ongoing issue, Del Mar is set to be a large stakeholder throughout the debate.

Moving the train tracks inland would be an expensive, lengthy process and would disrupt the city of Del Mar, the beaches and tourism.

The bluff collapse that occurred on Feb. 28 has brought severity and urgency to the ongoing conversation. Prominent concerns when discussing rerouting the stretch of the train tracks on the Del Mar coast boil down to time, money and the community’s wishes.

Merely planning, designing and engineering an inland route could take 10 years on its own. Adding the construction of the inland route could bump that total up to 20 years.

Twenty years ago, a project aimed to help bluff stabilization was launched throughout the surrounding towns including Solana Beach and Cardiff.

The completion of the fifth stage was estimated to start in 2023, following the completion of the fourth stage in January of this year. The fourth stage included the addition of more concrete steel support columns, updated drainage systems and storm drains incorporated into the cliffs. In the past, multiple seawalls and retaining walls were put up in an effort to

help bandage the erosion that threatens the cliffs. The sea walls help with water erosion by limiting the impact of the waves, and the retaining walls help by keeping soil back to prevent erosion.

Since bluff collapses are clearly recurring accidents, having occurred in Aug. 2019, Dec. 2020 and January of this year, the work planned for the upcoming years has been expedited and moved ahead. The fifth and sixth stages of the stabilization project have been projected to cost roughly $100 million in total. Those two stages are heavily focused on protecting the railroad while more decisions about the relocation of the railroad continue.

Rushing the start of relocating the tracks is pointless because the other stabilization projects focused specifically on the tracks have not yet been able to prove that they will succeed. Waiting to see the outcome of the stabilization while the Coaster ridership is down 90% would be more beneficial than beginning construction. With trains carrying fewer people, this would be the most beneficial time to wait and see if the stabilization efforts have made an impact.

The beautiful beaches of Del Mar attract many tourists year-round. The pristine beaches with award-winning restaurants scattered throughout is a large factor for successfully drawing in tourists. All of that would be halted with a 20-year-long construction plan to move railroads inland, without giving the stabilization plans a chance to help remedy the issue.

Moving the railroads is expected to cost $3 billion and take 20 years of construction. The hefty price tag and expensive existing stabilization projects makes moving the train tracks simply just not worth it. The beautiful town of Del Mar attracts tourists all year long, and the Del Mar Fair alone brings in $700 million a year. The time frame of the rerouting would have the beach town under construction for two decades. The construction would severely limit tourism throughout Del Mar and have a detrimental effect on the economy of San Diego as well as the iconic scenery of the beaches.

A6 the falconer

opinion

april 23, 2021

Makeup can be empowering; the industry is not

Amy Ge

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

There seems to be a misconception that women who wear makeup do it out of insecurity or need for validation. Common comments under social media posts of women with makeup on tell them that they “look unnatural with makeup” or that they “look prettier without makeup.” Some of these comments are intended to make us as women feel more secure about our natural image and promote our selfworth. However, it is a misguided attempt at complimenting women because the majority of women don’t wear makeup to be validated by men. We wear makeup as a tool of self-expression and a marker of confidence in our feminine identity.

Everyone has different reasons for wearing makeup; some wear it to increase

their confidence and to accentuate their beauty. Some see it as a form of creativity and love to experiment with different colors, designs and finishes. Some use it to conceal their blemishes, spots or acne, and that’s okay. All of these reasons, and whatever others there may be , are perfectly acceptable.

I started wearing makeup regularly a year ago when I began getting bad acne breakouts. While my acne was something I was insecure about, wearing makeup to me was less about covering up my “imperfections” and more about having the ability to take control over how I present myself to the world. I feel good about myself when I wear makeup and that reason alone is enough to justify wearing it.

What’s more concerning is the role the beauty industry plays in reinforcing unnatural beauty standards for women.

For years, the beauty industry has taught us women that our skin isn’t smooth enough, our eyes aren’t big enough, and that we are not pretty enough, period. The media is filled with images of people with flawless glowy skin, marketing products that will magically rid our faces of natural “imperfections” like discoloration, acne or scarring. With the constant pressure to look like photoshopped models in

ARTWORK BY ISABELLA ZABARSKY/FALCONER

advertisements and media, naturally, women will look towards makeup to meet these impossible standards. The beauty industry profits off our insecurities— insecurities that they have helped develop and spread. Those that have been profited off of are then unfairly shamed for their insecurity or vanity. The only solution is for people to realize their own individuality and freedom in choosing how they express themselves.

Makeup is about creating an image that

you feel comfortable in and granting others the opportunity to see this creation.

I stand by Asian American beauty influencer Michelle Phan’s statement that “makeup is not a mask that covers up your beauty; it’s a weapon that helps you express who you are from the inside.” Makeup doesn’t just transform you on the outside. It transforms you from within, filling you with a sense of empowerment and strength, which is something everyone should be able to enjoy without falling under scrutiny.

Sinatraa’s die-hard fans must look past his fame

Jenny Han

STAFF WRITER

Celebrity idolatry is such a common phenomenon; however, we only seem to notice when it goes just a step too far.

Ex-Overwatch legend and current Valorant professional player Jay Won, widely known by his gamer tag “Sinatraa,” came under fire following sexual assault allegations from his ex-girlfriend, Cleo, who posted a file documenting several pieces of evidence that supported her accusations.

Despite considerable support for Cleo, other prominent figures and followers within the gaming community began to discredit her claims by asking for the “full story” and implying Cleo was being deceptive, a reflection of the power famous influencers wield simply by being well-known. Since the accusations, Sinatraa has been temporarily removed from Team NRG, his professional gaming team, and replaced with former Cloud9 professional playerTenZ. Aside from leading Team NRG’s worldchampion Overwatch team, San Francisco Shock, two years ago, Sinatraa was also awarded the title of 2019 T-Mobile Overwatch League Most Valued Player, giving him an incredibly large name within the professional first-person shooter (FPS) community. During his rise to the top, Sinatraa was considered to be one of the most toxic players, always insulting others and showing zero sportsmanship.

His negative attitude was attributed as the

reason why his team lost the previous year’s 2018 Overwatch World Cup. However, as he experienced his ups and downs, he became a more humble role model in the FPS community, developing a more personal relationship with his followers as they witnessed his positive growth and development. Fans and followers in the FPS community literally saw the zero to one hundred transformation of Sinatraa, which is likely a reason why Sinatraa’s followers are so eager to disprove anything that threatens their idolized perception of him and come to his defense despite clearly incriminating evidence.

Additionally, other professional Overwatch players including former player Dafran came to Sinatraa’s defense, saying that Cleo could easily be an “e-girl” who forged evidence to ruin her ex-boyfriend’s career and that the public was only supporting her because people have been waiting for something to cancel Sinatraa over for years.

Despite disapproving responses from prominent variety streamers, professional players and followers, Dafran doubled down on his words, saying that everyone was foolish for jumping on the bandwagon of cancelling Sinatra; he claimed that the public voice of hatred against Sinatraa was becoming too powerful and hoped that he had accomplished in making his audience more skeptical of the situation.

While many of Dafran’s followers disagreed with his statements, there were still some who agreed or whose opinions were changed, shown by replies like “he kinda right imho.”

With the gaming community being such a tight-knit group, it is no surprise that well-known streamers and pro players are often defended by their colleagues and dedicated followers. Previous scandals within this world have resulted in similar reactions from supporters and colleagues.

In just the past year, hundreds of sexual misconduct allegations were made against significant figures in the streaming, professional esports and gaming worlds; however, in most of these cases, the people facing charges were defended despite concrete evidence. A number of these accusations stated that the prominence and position of the offenders led to their own hesitancy in expressing their thoughts. Even in Cleo’s allegations, she acknowledged that Sinatraa’s status would immediately lead to disbelievers who preferred to stand by their idol rather than their idol’s victim.

Like with Sinatraa, influencers often have powerful friends and followers who will discredit the bravery and words of victims with the excuse that they simply aren’t sharing the full story; therefore, nothing is believable until the more famous personality’s story is out. Even then, those like Sinatraa will likely still receive support despite sufficient evidence in the form of audio recordings, text receipts and social media stories.

It is too often that followers of people like Sinatraa use the excuse that since they do not have everyone’s input, the information that they do have is automatically false. This mindset is dangerous, as it automatically allows famous people to misconstrue what their victims have to say.

In the case that these people, like Dafran, are notable and have large followings, their controversial opinions often influence others for the worse.

Celebrity idolizing is typically defined as placing figures on a pedestal because of an admired trait; in this case, because of Sinatraa’s prominence within the Overwatch and Valorant community, the public tends to weigh his words more than that of someone like Cleo. Sinatraa responded to Cleo’s allegations in a TwitLonger, saying that while he clearly

remembers the relationship differently, they both agreed that it was unhealthy. However, in saying that he was fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation, he also implied that some of Cleo’s evidence was taken out of context by indicating he was providing the full audio and video clips in place of the short snippets Cleo shared. The TwitLonger has many supportive responses such as “my man is a goat no matter what she says,” which has been liked over 100 times.

Although it is common to have wellknown personalities as role models, we often excuse inappropriate behavior because of someone’s prominence.

As our lives become increasingly centered around social media, it is no surprise that we as followers are more inclined to be lenient towards our idols.

While we only seem to notice when it goes too far, it still serves as a reminder that no one is perfect and no one should ever be idolized to the point of disregarding everything negative about them.

ARTWORK BY JASMINE CRIQUI/FALCONER

opinion

tphsfalconer.com

the falconer

A7

Anti-Asian hate has been overlooked for too long

Kevin Song

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I will admit without shame that I struggled immensely while writing this editorial.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a brazen Korean American who wears my Asian heritage like a badge of honor. To me, it seemed ridiculous that the statement “Stop AAPI Hate” was an opinion and not a fact. How could anyone possibly disagree with that?

Yet, with the current spike in anti-Asian attacks, I had to wake up and realize that these attacks weren’t just news stories.

There was a living, breathing person behind each crime … a person who would disagree that AAPI hate should be stopped.

So, for anyone who needs to hear: AAPI hate must be stopped — not only because it is morally and humanly awful, but also because the current epidemic of anti-Asian hate is the result of racism that has gone largely unaddressed until now. Anti-Asian hate did not just emerge in 2020; it has always been here, and has been allowed to remain for far too long.

Undeniably, Donald Trump was a key player in the rise of AAPI hate. By tossing

around slurs and racist rhetoric while ignoring their weight — or, more sinister, anticipating the grim impact they would have on the AAPI community — Trump normalized and spread hate. Considering the widespread influence he had and the volatility of many of his supporters, Trump emboldened people all across the nation whose anti-Asian hate had been festering with no outlet.

But, this hate didn’t just come out of nowhere; there’s a long, dark history of antiAsian hate in America.

America was founded in 1776, and Asian immigrants have been a part of the country’s history since its youth. The moment Chinese immigrants arrived in America in the 1850s, the long chapter of anti-Asian racism in America began.

Ever since, Asian Americans have constantly acted as voiceless scapegoats.

Most notable is the 1900 bubonic plague outbreak in San Francisco. While the plague originated from Australia, the first person to contract the disease in California was Chinese. Overnight, the entire Chinese community fell under public scrutiny, subject to home search and property destruction by San Francisco police. The parallels between the plague outbreak and the current coronavirus pandemic are striking — right down to the unfounded racism. But why have we allowed history to repeat itself?

History has repeated itself because Asian Americans have constantly been discredited and rendered voiceless.

The “model minority” myth is packaged as praise, but simply serves to drive

ARTWORK BY AMANDA SALATINO/FALCONER

the AAPI community apart from other minority groups and reaffirm that Asian Americans are, and will always be, foreign.

Fetishization, again, is justified as flattery, but simply dehumanizes Asian Americans down to their physical features and perpetuates racial biases, making it easier to justify racism and prejudice.

Fetishization becomes even more sinister when it intersects with misogyny.

The Atlanta spa shootings in March were, quite literally, dismissed by law enforcement as someone “having a bad day.” Are we so unimportant that the quality of someone’s day is more important than six Asian women’s lives? Is it acceptable that Asian women are fetishized to the extent that they must be killed in order to stop being perceived as sexual objects?

The answer to both of those questions is no. And, while I wish that the mainstream, both in the past and in the present, afforded us Asian Americans more visibility, the

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

responsibility also falls on us to make sure our voices are heard and to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself yet again.

To many of us, AAPI hate crimes are still just news stories, albeit horrifying. But, these crimes are very real and must be addressed before they become a reality for even more Asian Americans. This is not just about reveling in the current “Stop AAPI Hate” movement until it tides over: rather, this is about ending racism and prejudice that has been perpetuated over generations. This is about no longer sitting still and looking pretty — since, frankly, we’ve tried that for centuries, and it clearly hasn’t worked.

As I arrive at the end of this editorial, I consider if I’ve been too dramatic, or if I come across as too sensitive. But, demanding visibility is neither of those things. While the TPHS Falconer is hardly mainstream, it’s still a start. If I don’t do it for myself, who else will?

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEHA PUBBI

» NEHA PUBBI

News Editor Neha Pubbi reveals how writing for the Falconer introduced her to the world of politics and policy.

Growing up as the daughter of a nurse and an engineer, I frequently talked about science and math at the dinner table with the rest of my family. Joining the Falconer unveiled the world of politics, journalism and policy to me.

“Neha, what do you want to cover — Selena Gomez’s new album, the lacrosse game or the 50th Congressional District election?” asked the Editor-in-Chief during my sophomore year on the Falconer. I took my first step to becoming civically engaged by volunteering to write the article covering the congressional race. The incumbent, Duncan Hunter, had been indicted for corruption, and Ammar Campa-Najjar was the challenger.

After careful research on the race and a political environment littered with misinformation and slander, I endorsed Campa-Najjar in the article, titled “CampaNajjar fit for Congress regardless of

opponent.” Unfortunately, he lost the race by 1.7%.

Although Campa-Najjar lost, the article still opened my eyes to the large world of politics and government and ignited in me a strong interest in comparative politics, government policies and their impacts. I started reading about how the bills being passed in city hall, state senate, and U.S. Congress all affect citizens, often without their knowledge. I wanted to dig deeper and learn about these political forces.

As the Sports Editor and later the News Editor of the Falconer, I started choosing to write about topics related to policy like editorials on the Green New Deal, the State Senate Bill 889, which sought to raise the age to be tried in court as an adult, and the American Rescue Plan.

In the 2020 election cycle, I joined with Campa-Najjar’s 2020 Congressional campaign as an intern. Phone banking and

policy research reaffirmed my interests in politics and policy. The Falconer was my introduction to Campa-Najjar and to government as a whole.

During the internship with CampaNajjar’s campaign, I spoke with constituents who held opposing political beliefs but listened to their opponents to find common ground and learn about community priorities. I got my first exposure to listening to the other side of things on the Falconer through interviewing students with differing opinions about politics and community issues, or being assigned to write the “pro” about a topic I felt “con” about.

Being academically inspired by the Falconer, I also connected with like-minded

individuals — all of us obsessed with the food at layout and dreading choosing a font for an infographic. As Dickens put it best, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” I know it’s cheesy, but it’s true.

Looking at the clock and realizing it was 12:00 a.m., running on Chipotle and Vons chocolate chip cookies, and trying to find the last three words to cut to pass a page, while knowing you have a chemistry test the coming school day made for an extremely stressful situation, but also an energizing one and the best staff bonding activity.

My family’s dinner conversations have shifted from science to politics, and I am grateful to the Falconer for fostering my interests.

opinion

A8 the falconer

STAFF EDITORIAL

SDUHSD made the reopening process unnecessarily complicated and detrimental to students’ trust in the accuracy of future communications from the district.

SDUHSD was ultimately permitted to reopen on a one-day-a-week model on Tuesday, March 16, when San Diego county moved out of the purple tier.

Politically, this was a wise decision for multiple reasons. The campaign to remove Governor Gavin Newsom from office has reportedly reached enough signatures to trigger a recall election, almost entirely due to what many consider his mishandling of the pandemic. The state’s about-face on what is considered coronavirus-safe is likely due, at least in part, to the increasing demands from the business owners and parents who will be voting in said election.

At the local level, Haley has no doubt been under immense pressure to reopen SDUHSD as soon as possible. To that end, demonstrating to parents that there is a plan in place, however unlikely it is to work, might be politically smarter than waiting for an airtight plan to be approved.

Certainly, politicians using student health and welfare as bargaining chips is nothing new, particularly with regard to the coronavirus pandemic. Both Trump and Biden made the promise of reopening schools as soon as possible central to their 2020 election campaigns Though it’s refreshing to see so much national focus on the education system, much of it feels disingenuous. The idea that

ARTWORK BY JASMINE CRIQUI/FALCONER

At 4:52 p.m. on Sunday, March 7, SDUHSD Superintendent Robert Haley sent out a district-wide email informing students, parents and teachers that the state had failed to approve the district’s request for reopening that was sent on March 2.

In the ambiguously worded email, Haley insisted that all students who signed up to return to campus would be allowed to do so on their designated days, but failed to mention that they would not even be permitted to set foot in their classrooms.

Haley also shifted the blame for the botched reopening to Dr. Naomi Bardach, who leads the Safe Schools for All Team for the State of California.

However, regardless of whether Dr. Bardach was justified in refusing to approve the request, it’s clear that SDUHSD made promises to its constituents that it did not have the necessary paperwork to follow through on. Stranger still was the district’s decision to only inform students and parents of the problem the day before the reopening scheduled for Monday, March 8, especially when the deadline for the state to even reply to their request was March 9.

This incident caused confusion and frustration for students who had planned to return to school in person, as well as for the parents who had to scramble to arrange transportation. To prematurely announce a date for reopening in person was irresponsible on SDUHSD’s part

april 23, 2021

the best possible thing that can be done for students during this time is opening in person, as opposed to more pressing issues like investing in low-income school districts or increasing the ratio of counselors to students, seems ill-advised.

But, one thing that absolutely does

California’s COVID-19 Tier System

not help matters is the frequent mixed messaging from the district. SDUHSD’s goal should be to maintain an open and consistent line of communication with its constituents, not to further complicate an already elaborate reopening plan.

- The Falconer Staff

student voices

Tier 1: Widespread (Purple)

I would have wished for better communication between the district, the staff and students for the reopening, as many were unaware of the constant changes being made.

>10 new cases per day (per 100k people) >10% positive tests

Tier 2: Substantial (Red) 6-10 new cases per day (per 100k people) 6-10% positive tests

- Gwennie Liu (11)

Tier 3: Moderate (Orange) 2-6 new cases per day (per 100k people) 2-6% positive tests

I personally would have preferred if the reopening was earlier.

Tier 4: Minimal (Yellow) <2 new cases per day (per 100k people) <2% positive tests

We, the Falconer staff, are dedicated to creating a monthly newspaper with the intent of encouraging independent thinking, expanding our knowledge of journalism, and providing the TPHS student body and community with a truthful, unbiased news source, in accordance with our First Amendment rights.

3710 Del Mar Heights Road San Diego, CA 92130 PHONE: (858) 755-0125 x2245 FAX: (858) 523-0794 E-MAIL: falconer.ads@gmail.com WEBSITE: www.tphsfalconer.com

The Falconer is the student newspaper of Torrey Pines High School. Its content, which is the responsibility of the Falconer staff, is not subject to administrative approval. Unsigned editorials represent the opinions of the staff, while opinion columns represent the writer’s perspective. Advertisements do not represent endorsements. The Falconer, an open forum, welcomes signed letters or guest editorials on pertinent issues from the TPHS community, which may be submitted to room 102, via email at falconer.ads@gmail.com or to Mia Smith’s mailbox in the administration building. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

- Christopher Bennet (9) Editor-in-Chief Assistant Editor-in-Chief Buisness/Managing Editor News Editor Opinion Editor Feature Editor Entertainment Editor Sports Editor Copy Editor Staff Writers

Kevin Song Katie Flint Micah Levy Neha Pubbi Jasmine Criqui Mirabel Hunt Srishti Thapar Amy Ge Nolan Ezzet Brandon Raimo Piper Levy Helen Gao Viyang Hao Jenny Han

Matan Morris Kelsie Park Dixie Wallerius Jerry Wu David Zhang Jacob Zhang Photographer: Natalia Mochernak Jessica Yu Adviser: Mia Boardman Smith

Unstable Bluffs A year and a half ago, Dr. Pat Davis of Encinitas never expected that a celebration at the beach would turn into a family tragedy. In August 2019, he and his extended family gathered at Grandview Beach in Leucadia, when the bluff above them collapsed and took the lives of his wife, youngest daughter and sister-in-law. Since then, Davis, still grieving the losses, has been on a mission to spread awareness and ensure bluff safety on the beaches of San Diego.

Bluff collapses have been an issue for a long time in San Diego’s coastal community, causing avoidable casualties every year. What’s worse is that the trend does not seem to be slowing down.

“Since our accident, there probably have been … 40 or 50 collapses of the bluffs in our areas there,” Davis said.

Those bluffs are incredibly dangerous because they are prone to collapsing, compounded with the fact that so many people enjoy going to the beaches every day, unaware of the danger above them.

“They don’t quite pay as much attention to the bluffs and the dangers that they pose,” Kyle Krahel, the Deputy District Director for Congressman Mike Levin, who serves California’s 49th congressional district, said.

Others lack awareness of the hidden danger due to the issue’s limited coverage in the news or media.

“I don’t even really see bluffs mentioned in the TV news,” Henry Shear (12) said.

Bluff collapses have also affected the local train tracks that run along the Del Mar Bluffs. At night, freight trains travel through the rail line, carrying $1 billion worth of goods per year, according to the Del Mar Times.

Not only would possible bluff collapses interrupt passenger services, but they may also greatly disrupt economic activity. Even worse, the Interstate 5 highway system would not have the capacity to transport the surplus of goods if the freight corridor was cut Dr. Pat Davis off. The railway also serves as part of BLUFF SAFETY ADVOCATE a strategic corridor for the military, connecting various bases between the ports of San Diego, Miramar and Camp Pendleton.

Yet with such a huge threat looming in the community, the issue still has been left widely unaddressed and has not received adequate public attention.

“I don’t believe [people] have taken it very seriously because I haven’t seen any dramatic changes to make our beaches safer at all since I have been involved,” Davis said. “They have known of this problem for many years.”

He also highlighted poor signage as a major factor in the casualties caused by bluff collapses. A study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found that no one should be within 30 feet of bluffs with a height 10 feet or more, yet there is not always clear signage to warn people of these safety precautions. In addition to poor signage, the California Coastal Commission has only further stalled any meaningful change.

“The [California Coastal Commission’s] idea of mitigating any problems with the bluffs is managed retreat. They want people to move away from the bluffs,” Davis said. “If homeowners are up there, they feel that they should just move away and not do anything that would correct or mitigate some of the problems of the bluffs,” He added that when residents on the bluffs have tried to make structural improvements to their houses, the Coastal Commission

has denied them permits to make any changes unless their homes are truly in danger. Still, urgent change is needed.

“When you are going to let people go to the beach and be close to these bluffs, I think the city and state have some responsibility to protect people,” Davis said.

Along with seeking help from the local government, Davis has planned to introduce a few solutions to mitigate the problem, including better-trained lifeguards.

“The lifeguard service should not allow people to be close to these bluffs and that’s a difficult thing because, at high tide, there is not 30 feet available in a lot of areas in the North San Diego Area that will allow people to be on the beach,” Davis said. “I think the lifeguard service should enforce that recommendation that was [made] by the Army Corps of Engineers.”

Davis also proposes the relocation of certain lifeguard towers or stairways so they are safe from collapses as well. This, he highlights, will serve as “a form of vital visual protection.” Another viable option would involve building a toll wall that is four to five feet tall, preventing cliff erosion and future collapses from hurting people.

Additionally, the landscape must undergo necessary changes, such as exterminating the nonindigenous heavy ice plant that increases the chances of bluff collapses.

On top of Davis’ personal efforts, Congressman Mike Levin has also joined him in the fight for bluff safety after being inspired by Davis’ tragic story.

“Congressman Levin wants to do everything he can to support Dr. Davis ... [and his] efforts to have a safe beachgoing environment. … He will make sure that [the federal government] is doing its part to maintain beach safety and make sure that what happened to Dr. Davis’ family does not happen to another family in our district,” Krahel said.

Levin has already helped secure federal funding for the Encinitas Storm Damage Protection project, another long-term solution to the collapse.

The plan involves dredging sand out of the ocean and depositing it on the beach over the next 15 years, extending the beach and increasing the safe space for beachgoers. The construction will begin next year.

His team has also made great progress on relocating the train tracks in Del Mar. They are in phase five of stabilization. Levin wrote a letter of support to the Federal Railroad Administration through the Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair to secure a $9.8 million grant for North County Transit District for the stabilization work, and that grant was awarded, Krahel said.

Many San Diegans hope that adequate and prompt actions will be taken to address bluff collapse at local coastal areas.

“They should have awareness of what’s happening around so more people can push for something to happen,” Aweys Kharraz (11) said.

Likewise, Davis hopes that this issue is immediately resolved.

“I would like to see our beaches being made safer,” Davis said. “I would like to see people go to the beach and be aware that if they get within 30 feet of a lot of these bluffs, they are in danger.”

Thanks to his relentless advocacy and the strong support from local and state governments, maybe one day Davis and his family will know they made a lasting difference in public safety.

by Jerry Wu

I would like to see our beaches being made safer. I would like to see people go to the beach and be aware that if they get within 30 feet of a lot of these bluffs, they are in danger.

PHOTO BY JASMINE CRIQUI/FALCONER

feature

A10 the falconer

april 23, 2021

A long history of Anti-Asian hate were eventually dropped. Tragically, this is only one example of the many massacres targeting Asians that have occurred throughout history. Others include, but are not limited to, the San Francisco Riot of 1877 and the Rock Springs Massacre of 1885.

The targets of the first ever federal restriction on immigration enacted in the U.S. were Asian immigrants, particularly Asian women. Known as the Page Act of

Anti-Asian hate protest in Carmel Valley.

1875, this law banned the immigration of Chinese women for “lewd and immoral purposes,” lending credence to the stereotype of Asian women as exotic, sexual objects.

This stereotype is eerily still robust in the modern day, echoed by the Atlanta gunman’s justification of his crimes as the “elimination of sexual temptation.”

In 1882, as the economy worsened and anti-Asian racism grew, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, banning Chinese immigrants from entering the U.S. It was

to no

The California Supreme Court rules that Asian Americans are not allowed to testify against white people.

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only repealed 61 years later, in 1943.

This pattern of targeted hate continued throughout the 20th century, especially after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Hence, thousands of Japanese Americans had their lives uprooted and were sent to internment camps. They were held in spartan conditions under the suspicion that any one of them could be spies aiding the “Japanese enemy.”

Ultimately, none of the interned Japanese Americans were found to be spies.

In fact, many Japanese American men joined the war effort against the Axis powers once President Roosevelt repealed the ban that kept them from enlisting. Unfortunately, even veterans were not spared from anti-Asian hate.

On the heels of the Vietnam War, the U.S. hosted many Vietnamese refugees looking to leave their communist country. After settling in Texas, many took up shrimping to make a living. The more successful they became, the more Asian American racism swelled in these communities. It was not long until the Ku Klux Klan took matters into their own hands, holding demonstrations and setting Vietnamese boats on fire.

The pandemic has only further infamed the racist rhetoric we see in society every day. Unfortunately, in the most extreme cases, rhetoric can turn into violence. To help fight anti-Asian hate, you can support AAPI groups, report any hate crimes you witness and educate yourself on the history of Asian American hate. To fight this epidemic of hate, we must take action in our daily lives to stand up against racism.

by Mirabel Hunt

ch in

After a gunman shot and killed eight people, including six Asian American women, at three spas in Atlanta, anti-Asian hate claimed its place at the forefront of modern societal issues. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Anti-Asian, and specifically Anti-Chinese hate, has been on the rise. Ever since Former President Donald Trump called the coronavirus the “Kung Flu” and the “Chinese virus” on multiple occasions, Asian Americans all over the country have been blamed for the outbreak in plain and complicated terms.

Over the past year, both COVID-19 and hatred have ravaged the world during a historical presidential race marked by political unrest and racial outcry.

Although Asian American discrimination was not as widely reported on before the pandemic, it still existed.

In fact, Asian American hate has been plaguing the U.S. for centuries. In the 1850s, immigrants from China came to the U.S. in great numbers looking for economic opportunities. Soon enough, they were blamed for stealing jobs from white Americans. In 1854, the California Supreme Court ruled in People v. Hall that Asian people could not testify against a white person in court. This allowed white Americans to commit anti-Asian violence with a get-outof-jail-free card in hand.

17 years later, in 1871, white and Hispanic rioters attacked a Chinese community in Los Angeles following the murder of a white man who was caught in the crossfire of two rival Chinese groups. That night, at least 17 Chinese men and boys were lynched. While eight men were convicted, all of the cases

1941 internment camps

After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, many Japanese Americans are sent to camps where they face abuse and death.

2021 pandemic

Around 3,800 incidents of Anti-Asian hate are reported between March 19, 2020 and Feb. 28, 2021.

tphsfalconer.com

feature

The FALCONER stands in solidaRity with the Black Lives MatteR and STOP AAPI HATE movements.

The Falconer staff recognizes that these movements are combating centuries of injustice and inequality. We as a community must actively use our voices to support widespread changes to systemic issues. While we may hold people accountable for their past actions, we still have a long way to go. We condemn such atrocious actions against minorities and stand with them and supporting organizations in dismantling institutional racism.

the falconer

A11

feature

A12 the falconer

april 23, 2021

INCELS:

involuntary? celibates Elliot Rodger killed four men, two women and ultimately himself in 2014 near the University of California Santa Barbara. He was just 22 years old.

He identified as an involuntary celibate, or incel, who wanted revenge on women who denied him sex he felt entitled to. Now known as “ER” in the incel community, Roger’s actions have propelled him to celebrity status among his peers, inspiring a new wave of incel violence and terror.

The incel community started as a forum for female and male users to discuss their romantic struggles but has grown into a misogynistic breeding ground for young, male virgins. Frustrated by their inability to attract female partners, incels ironically direct their rage back to women, accusing them of deliberately choosing better-looking, richer or more successful men, or “Chads,” over them, a concept known as the blackpill.

They gather in online communities such as Incels.is, 4chan and Reddit with fake usernames to protect their identities, to vent their frustrations and discuss inceldom.

“If females had the brains of men, but just were attracted to all men, life would be perfect,” WawlDragon1683r, an Incels.is user, said. “Hopefully one day someone will figure out how to change women.”

Incel forums are filled with complaints aimed at women. For example, one popular incel belief is that women are too picky with regard to men’s appearances.

“Women’s standards when it comes to height piss me off,” Shadow-cel, an Incels. is user, said. “Their standards have doomed me to a life of loneliness.”

Many online communities including Incels.is discourage female users from joining, further distancing incels from female contact and increasing misogynistic behavior. Male incels drive the point home on thousands of online discussions.

“If you are a female guest and reading this, kill yourself,” doomed7, an Incels.is user, said. “Leave my site now.”

Womens’ standards when it comes to height piss me off. Their standards have doomed me to a life of loneliness.

Shadow-cel

INCELS.IS USER As a result of the harassment directed at women, Reddit banned the r/Incels subreddit, the largest incel community at the time, in 2017.

On many forums, incels justify and even promote misogynistic violence.

“It’s in male nature to rape, kill, and steal, but humans have built society’s around leaving behind those primitive natural desires,” ThoughtfulCel, an Incels. is user, said.

After Rodger’s killing spree, the condonation of violent incel behavior is a

very real concern.

“At least [Rodger] actually did something,” Yikerinos, an Incels.is user, said. “You’re in no position to disrespect Elliot.”

On incel forums, many users are seen treating Rodger as a hero by using his face as their profile picture or referring to him as “Supreme Gentlemen.”

“Each year that passes since Supreme Gentleman’s death, I feel I am becoming more like him,” Pumpkin, an Incels.is user, said. “ You were taken from us too soon.”

Incels believe that men who aren’t physically or mentally “elite” are destined for lives of unhappiness. Consequently, suicide and depression is widely discussed on incel forums.

“Back then, I didn’t have to worry about how many women liked me, but, sadly, those days are nothing but a figment of my imagination now. My depression has spiralled out of control over the past few days,” Genetic Trash Loser, an Incels.is user, said.

Many incels hope their community can gain back trust from society. Some forums are dedicated to preserving a more positive image of incels.

“Even if you kill people, it won’t achieve anything. If anything, it makes things worse for us,” Genetic Trash Loser said.

As of now, incels have been connected to a number of crimes, including a Toronto van attack in 2018 that killed 10.

Such attacks continue to taint the already damaged reputation of the incel community.

by Jacob Zhang

ARTWORK BY SRISHTI THAPAR/FALCONER

feature

In addition to having a successful music career, Rihanna also founded Fenty Beauty. Rather than naming darker skin tone products “chestnut” and “almond” and lighter products “porcelain” and “light,” as is usually done, she simply numbered each shade. In doing so, she did not give in to any ideas of what lighter or darker shades should be called and the connotations of such names, becoming a role model for companies that automatically label skin color. Fenty was also featured in Time’s 25 Best Inventions back in 2017 for its body-positive inclusivity and was eventually sold for $600 million.

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Since joining the Royal Family, Meghan Markle has struggled with mental health issues, including suicidal ideation, due, in part, to invasive news coverage. In a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, Markle revealed that getting treatment for her mental health was not available to her and that the media negatively impacted her mental health and exacerbated the Royal Family’s hostility toward Markle. Since the Winfrey interview, members of the Royal Family have responded to the public criticism after Markle and Prince Harry left the Royal Family.

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Singer-songwriter Lizzo has been the victim of relentless fat-shaming since the beginning of her career. Though people have criticized Lizzo for “glorifying” obesity, she continues to promote body positivity and normalizing bigger bodies to her audience through her social media platforms, such as TikTok. In a 2020 interview with the BBC, she said: “I would like to be body-normative. I want to normalize my body, and not just be like, ‘Oh, look at this cool movement. Being fat is body positive.’”

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Singer-songwriter Britney Spears first reached pop stardom in 1998 with the release of “Baby One More Time.” Since then, Spears experienced a tumultuous career; she only recently escaped her conservatorship agreement under her father as the hashtag #FreeBritney trended on social media. Throughout her career, Spears was sexualized, infantilized and harshly criticized by the media about her marriages, children and mental health issues. Now, Spears is slowly gaining control over certain parts of her life as her legeal fights for justice continue.

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Nevertheless, she persisted How some influential female figures today persevere through hardship

Information provided by ACLU, Associated Press, BBC, Harper’s Bazaar, The L.A. Times, NBC Sports, The New York Times, Time, Washington Blade and Vogue.

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National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman spreads her truth of feminism, race, marginalization and oppression by writing and publishing poetry for all ages. She became the youngest inaugural poet despite struggles with a speech impediment. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Gorman said: “There was this other echelon of pressure, which is: can I say that which needs to be said? … But I don’t look at my disability as a weakness. It’s made me the performer that I am and the storyteller that I strive to be.”

Tushnuva Anan Shishir became Bangladesh’s first openly transgender news anchor when she made her debut on International Women’s Day. Growing up in a conservative country, Shishir experienced harassment and bullying from her community which drove her to attempt suicide several times. Becoming a news anchor was difficult for Shishir as news outlets continued to reject her. But, since her debut, Shishir has been using her platform to spread awareness for transgender rights.

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The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg advocated for gender equality throughout her long career. After experiencing sex discrimination during her time studying at Harvard, Ginsburg cofounded the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), led the Supreme Court in protecting women’s rights through cases such as United States v. Virginia (1996) and has fiercely supported abortion rights for American women.

Even after winning five Olympic medals and over 20 World and National gymnastics titles, Simone Biles still faces bodyshaming comments. NBC and ex-athlete commentators constantly criticize her body and her lack of “body lines’’ that define the lean, long-legged body type of ballerinas.

Today, Biles utilizes her platform to spread body positivity and continues to prove her haters wrong as she makes gymnastics history.

Infographic by Jenny Han and Viyang Hao

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april 23, 2021

TEACHER FEATURE Learning how to read, write, speak and understand a language is incredibly challenging.

Under the current circumstances in which students are learning remotely, it can be especially difficult without personal aid from a fluent, experienced teacher. TPHS English Language teacher Joanne Serrano is working hard to ensure that her distance learning students can become fluent in English.

Under normal circumstances, Serrano would teach a combination of level one and level two English language learners in her classroom at school. “[In person], we always start class with a family bonding activity, and then I split [students] into two groups,” Serrano said. “My tutor and I work separately with one of the two groups, and we usually switch about halfway through the class so that we are working with the other group.”

However, in the current online format, Serrano has to find ways to teach all of her students at the same time.

“It’s harder to break the students into different groups,” Serrano said. “So, I picked a curriculum that is sort of middleof-the-road and adjusted it to make it more accessible for the level one students and make it a little more challenging for the level two students.”

Although Serrano has alleviated some difficulties of distance learning for her students, they still face considerable challenges.

“My students are in their houses with their family members who speak the same language they do, so their level of speaking and comprehending spoken English has decreased,” Serrano said. “We are doing a lot more speaking activities because they are not doing a lot of speaking at home as much as they do when they are in a classroom.”

Serrano understands that learning in an online format is difficult for many students, but nonetheless, she believes that her students learned several valuable skills this year.

“I think they’ve learned time management skills, organizational skills, technology skills and self-advocacy skills,” Serrano said.

Although teaching English language learners through distance learning has been difficult, Serrano has found it easy to persevere.

“I love my students, and I love what I do, so that is enough motivation for me to overcome certain challenges,” Serrano said.

One of the biggest challenges of social distancing is the lack of personal connection. But Serrano has been able to collaborate with other teachers and staff.

“We [teachers] have always worked together as a team, but this year, I am able to go in and connect with all of the sheltered teachers in their virtual classrooms,” Serrano said. “Also, the district office has been helpful in providing translations for emails, the English Language Department website and parent meetings.”

Throughout the course of distance learning, Serrano has learned many things about herself and teaching in general.

“I have learned a lot of new technology skills that I didn’t know before that will help me prepare for the future,” Serrano said.

Serrano adds that these students learning online are “pioneers” who are learning skills that nobody else before them has learned.

She also has some advice for current high school students.

“Remember that this time is temporary and you are going to be back in person soon,” Serrano said. “So use this time that you have to take care of yourself, and explore new things that motivate you and make you happy.”

So, while students may not be physically in the English language classroom conversing with their classmates in a foreign language, Serrano has made her class engaging and useful so that students can successfully learn from home.

by Micah Levy

Joanne Serrano

feature

tphsfalconer.com

the falconer

Becoming a Girl Scout is a rite of passage for many young girls. These Falcons, however, have never stopped crossing the bridge. From selling cookies as Brownies to earning their Gold Awards, these young women demonstrate what it really means to be a Girl Scout.

The Girl Scouts “I was shy when organization was I was little … [Girl founded over a century Scouts] has helped me ago with the hope get out of my comfort of empowering girls zone and made me and pushing them comfortable enough to to accomplish their seek out opportunities goals and pursue their in my life,” Lee said. passions.

However, Along with to many, they are benefiting the just girls who sell community, the Girl cookies around the Scouts organization neighborhood. What also benefits the girls else do Girl Scouts do? involved.

Emma Lee with her troop “I would define a “It’s forced me to (second to right).

Girl Scout as a leader, meet a lot of people,” someone who takes pride in themselves and is a hard worker,” Claire Malia Koliander (11) Laine Michaels and her senior Deller (11), a Girl Scout of 12 years, said. “Girl Scouts volunteer, help out said. “I’m a lot more buddy for Generations Connect. with the community and start nonprofits. It’s about bettering yourself, comfortable talking other girls and the community.” to new people. With Deller, like other Girl Scouts, has dedicated many hours contributing selling cookies and holiday bizarre, it’s definitely boosted my confidence.” to her community through service projects. The highest award a Girl Girl Scouts can also help girls form friendships and connections.

Scout can receive is the Gold Award, which involves making a large Though it is common to drift apart from elementary school friendships, contribution to the community over the course of one or two years.

Girl Scouts provides a way for girls to stay in touch.

“As an organization, we focus on supporting girls and giving back to “[Girl Scouts] has brought me really close to a really good group of the community. In the beginning our troop focused on nature because we girls. It was just a way for me to meet people in the beginning, and now were all interested in helping the environment, we get along well,” Laine Michaels (11) said. but as we got older everyone developed their Michaels is in the same troop as Deller along own passion projects,” Girl Scout Emma Lee with two other girls, and they believe Girl Scouts (12) said. has helped them grow as people.

Lee has been in Troop #1674 since she was “The organization strives to make change, but five years old; now it includes a mix of girls who to also bring young girls together to teach them attend TPHS and CCA. Although she initially important virtues from a young age,” Michaels joined the program after being pushed to by her said. “We learned how to be better people and we mom, she has always liked the idea of women are now able to grow individually as well.” supporting women.

Ashley Chammas, a member of Troop #1739, “I’m very grateful for joining Girl Scouts. believes that she became more involved in her It’s more than the cookies; it’s about building community after joining her troop. confidence, leadership and a heart to serve,” “I became a Girl Scout because it seemed fun Her focus in Girl Scouts has shifted over the to give back to the community … I joined with all years from earning badges with her troop to my friends so we could give back in a fun way,” working on bigger projects for Bronze and Silver Chammas said.

Awards, eventually leading to her own project Her troop votes to decide on the activities they for her Gold Award. participate in; specifically, her troop focuses on “After middle school we start dedicating helping the environment and encouraging others Malia Kolliander giving an ourselves to a project of personal interest,” Lee to be eco-friendly. They also work to educate people animal safety presentation. said. about mental and physical health with relevant For their Bronze Award, Lee’s troop ran a drive for the Escondido information about self-care.

Humane Society and educated people about the animal adoption process.

“Aside from selling cookies, helping others and [charity], we learn that Her troop also painted murals on the handball walls at Carmel Creek [we] women can do anything we put our mind to,” Chammas said. “We Elementary. Now, she is working toward her Gold Award by writing work to make the world a better place by improving ourselves and our a pamphlet centered around the experiences of homeless people in communities.” downtown San Diego.

by Helene Gao and Kelsie Park

Only 6% of Girl Scouts are awarded The Gold Award.

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Disney’s Marvel Studios took a creative sitcom-like approach with its new Disney+ miniseries “Wandavision,” ushering in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a breath of fresh air.

Disney’s Marvel Studios released its show “WandaVision” on Jan. 15, kicking off Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The show follows Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and the Vision (Paul Bettany) after they settle into their lives as sitcom show stars following the heartpounding action of “Avengers: Endgame.” However, viewers quickly learn that these sitcom shows are not as normal as they seem, especially considering that the Vision, at least according to the Avengers movies, is supposed to be dead. Their lives are broadcasted as a TV show, appropriately named “Wandavision,” with each phase of their lives encompassing one episode with its own sitcom style. Starting in the 1950s, Wanda and Vision live in an “I Love Lucy” themed episode; later, they star in episodes inspired by “The Brady Bunch” and “Modern Family.” Each episode’s editing, filming style and cinematography are reflective of its inspiration.

The first three episodes of WandaVision were confusing, to say the least. Why are two of the MCU’s most powerful superheroes living undercover as a magical married couple in a suburban town in New Jersey? The first episode features a dinner with Vision, his boss and the boss’s wife. MCU’s classic humor is still apparent, like Wanda having to cook a four-person meal

while hiding her powers in front of civilians. The episodes continue to feature funny scenarios such as Vision’s systems malfunctioning due to gum during a magic show and Wanda

becoming pregnant. However, there are also hints that there is something more sinister at play, such as when a bright red toy helicopter appears in the monochromatic world and a broadcasts a voice asking Wanda who was “doing this to her.”

In episode four, viewers learn that Wanda has created an alternate reality within an energy barrier around a small suburban town called Westview, New Jersey, and has been broadcasting episodes of her sitcom to the outside world. The rest of the show switches constantly from the real world to the artificial world inside Westview as characters try to figure out how to stop the alternate reality.

The show was well-cast, and because of its unique style, the actors were able to display their skills and ability to adapt as the show’s timeframe shifted through the decades.

Olsen definitely carries the show with her sterlla portrayal of Wanda and also has great chemistry with Bettany. The side characters are also engaging to watch, notably Kathryn Hahn (Agatha), who perfectly encapsulates a charismatic villain.

Personally, we both enjoyed the slower sitcom episodes and the gradual transition into the action-packed episodes, but we were disappointed when the show lost most elements of its sitcom style. The last two episodes were shot in a modern MCU style, with a CGI battle in the sky with bright lights and power beams; however, it also drew away from the initial appeal of the show.

Although there was a great twist in the villain reveal of Agatha Harkness accompanied with a spectacular villain theme song, we wish the story focused more on Wanda dealing with the consequences of her false reality. Despite being the protagonist, Wanda’s status as a hero is often questioned as the people in Westview seem to be puppets subject to Wanda’s whims in the sitcoms, and they are the ones who suffer psychologically from her trauma in their dreams.

For those with little knowledge or background of the MCU, the exposure of Agatha’s role as the villain was unexpected as she received little previous screen time. Her overall backstory was quite twodimensional and made little sense to those unaware of MCU lore. However, the majority of the show was easy to understand as long as viewers knew of Vision’s fate in “Avengers: Infinity War.” Despite presenting Wanda’s background unclearly, “Wandavision” redeems itself somewhat by skillfully using her relationships with other characters to reveal her pain, allowing us to empathize with her

as the miniseries comes to a close.

Many MCU followers, on the other hand, were disappointed that “Wandavision” failed to confirm fan theories like people expected it to. For example, Evan Peters, who had been cast as Wanda’s brother, Pietro, in previous Marvel movies, hinted at a MCU and X-Men crossover. However, much to theorists’ dismay, Pietro or “Fietro” (Fake Pietro) was reduced to being just one of Agatha’s pawns. A big reason why so many people were excited for “WandaVision” was the many questions the show could have answered, but the show’s lore explanations were lackluster in comparison to fan expectations.

The producers should be praised for how they took previously overlooked characters in the MCU, who were introduced in actionpacked movies, and placed them in the spotlight. Easter eggs in the show included Jimmy Woo perfecting his card trick from “Ant Man” and a commercial break featuring a toaster from Stark Industries, which were treats for long-time fans to see.

The post-credit scenes of Monica Rambeau talking to the Skrull generated anticipation for future projects involving her and Captain Marvel. The ending shot of Wanda studying the Darkhold as Scarlet Witch in an astral projection hints at future projects like “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Spiderman: No Way Home.” But for now, we can just admire MCU’s creative and successful approach to “WandaVision” as a stepping stone for Phase Four.

by Jenny Han and Helene Gao

tphsfalconer.com

entertainment

the falconer

OPINION

THE SCAMMYS

The Hobbit’s legacy continues Jerry Wu

STAFF WRITER

The 2021 Grammys were truly something to look forward to, as artists such as Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Harry Styles, Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and more were slated to perform. However, the award show was bittersweet. The performances were a spectacle to watch, but the drama prior to the show airing stained my thrill. While I was tremendously excited that Megan Thee Stallion won Best New Artist and Dua Lipa won Best Pop Vocal Album, other deserving artists such as The Weeknd and Rina Sawayama were completely excluded from the nominations. Coupled with the Grammy’s alleged mistreatment of BTS this year, it is clear that the Grammy Awards have many underlying issues in regards to racial bias and lack of transparency.

The drama that occurred prior to the Grammys was when The Weeknd publicly criticized the Grammys on social media for failing to nominate his album “After Hours” despite it dominating the charts last year.

He eventually boycotted the Grammys altogether and is no longer allowing his music label to even submit his music for consideration. The Weeknd made his decision because of the “secret committees” who ultimately decide the award recipients without transparency. Other artists such as Zayn called out the Grammys as well.

In a tweet, Zayn said the Grammys “[lacks] transparency of the nomination process and ... creates and allows favoritism, racism and [networking] politics to influence the voting process.” And, these artists aren’t wrong.

The voting process for the Grammys is quite confusing, to say the least. On their website, their explanation of the voting system is generally vague and states the obvious without divulging major details.

A 2016 article by Vox better details what it takes to be a committee member and therefore be nominated. There are four rather complicated steps: (1) you have to be accepted as a voter, (2) you and a committee of other voters whittle down the thousands of submissions for one genre, (3) the committee then votes on the final nominees, and (4) the mysterious “special nominating committees” take over from there. This step is where the issue of “secret committees” typically arise.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, former voting member Rob Kenner said, “The folks who control [the Grammys] are mostly old, rich white male executives with corporate agendas who look at these awards like toys and trinkets.” In another interview with Complex, Kenner said voting members typically voted artists based on name recognition rather than inspecting the quality of work.

Even the

Vox article concluded that in addition to producing a good album, it is probably best for artists to be intentionally controversial to gain that name recognition. Artists like Rina Sawayama with her critically-acclaimed debut album “Sawayama” failed to receive any Grammy nominations, while Justin Bieber’s “Changes,” which was received poorly by critics and the public alike, was able to garner several.

Aside from their unclear voting process, the show has also been accused of racial bias. At the Grammys, the most prestigious awards are commonly referred to as the “Big Four” categories which include Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. Winning at least one of these Grammys can help an artist tremendously with recognition and respect in the industry. However, few Black artists have actually won these awards. According to a 2021 study published by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, researchers found that 26.7% of the nominations for the Big Four categories from 2012 to 2020 went to Black artists, yet in that same period, only four Black solo artists actually won: Childish Gambino won Song of the Year in 2019, Chance the Rapper won Best New Artist in 2012, Pharrell Williams won Record of the Year in 2014 and Herbie Hancock won Album of the Year in 2008.

To address the allegations of racial bias, the Grammys assembled the Task Force for Diversity and Inclusion which proposed 18 serious changes to the Grammy Awards selection process. While this may seem good at surface level, upon deeper inspection, members of this Task Force described their experience on the committee as unproductive. Even with Grammys CEOs promising changes in recent years, their reactions are simply performative. Megan Thee Stallion’s win in the Best New Artist category last month still does not sufficiently prove that the Grammys are trying to overcome these criticisms.

One of the biggest examples of this racial bias is BTS. The K-pop boy group has achieved global success and began attending the Grammys in 2019. In 2020, BTS did not receive any nominations for their album “Map of the Soul: Persona” despite its global success. During the 2021 Grammys, BTS fans began to trend the hashtag “#scammys” on Twitter after BTS lost in the category “Pop Duo/Group Performance,” sharing the sour sentiment that the show simply used BTS for higher viewership.

The Grammys used to be a prestigious award show and still retains that title to a certain extent today, but the show’s continuous failure to address their convoluted voting system and racial bias ruins the show’s credibility and reputation.

While I am still going to cheer for my favorites to win a Grammy, I’ll never forget the horrendous decisions they have made.

by Viyang Hao

From afar, amid the thick grey smog, I spotted 13 short figures clothed in dark silky robes and thick armors of animal furs hobbling behind one another with their full-fledged, unwashed beards dragging behind them on the ground. As I squinted my eyes, I realized they were Thorin, the Dwarf King himself, and his company of dwarves! From the middle of the party, shoeless and with intense orange hair, emerged Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire.

You might think that this scene sounds familiar. Yes, this is in fact from “The Hobbit Trilogy,” directed by Peter Jackson. Composed of three separate films, the storyline features Bilbo Baggins, who is convinced by Gandalf the Wizard to embark on a quest with the dwarves to reclaim their Kingdom of Erebor. During their journey, they are caught in several lifethreatening situations like facing an army of savage orcs, a fire-breathing dragon or even a conceited kingdom of elves. Although I watched The Hobbit many times, I have never gotten tired of this epic trilogy and am always reminded that it is still the best movie series of all time.

One of the reasons that makes The Hobbit so incredible is its simple plot, beginning with the characterization of Bilbo Baggins. At the start of the movie, he is depicted as stubborn and arrogant, and he spends his life fenced off from the rest of society. The audience is caught off guard when he is chosen by Gandalf the Grey to be a part of the hazardous journey to reclaim the Dwarven kingdom. As the story unfolds, Bilbo blossoms into a valiant and selfless hero who saves the world. At the end of the day, from once being the ugly duckling of the lot, his new identity and persona make him someone viewers can easily relate to, aspire to be and are fascinated with. Compared to Frodo or Samwise, the main characters in The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo is much more joyful. The dwarves also play a crucial role in the storyline. The 13 short gnomes paired nicely with Bilbo at the introduction of the trilogy as they were also very arrogant and stubborn, but as the story progresses, they too become better versions of themselves by putting aside their greediness and helping save Erebor.

Never lacking any action and special effects in the movie, the band of the hobbit, dwarves, and wizard are involved in many exciting and intense duels, including when they are chased down by blood-curdling hounds of the orc army or when journeying through the dark cursed forest of Mirkwood, they somehow manage to save themselves from man-eating spiders.

With epic fight scenes, the movie is also an emotional rollercoaster. When the armies of the dwarves, humans, and elves ally to defeat the orc army near the end, the atmosphere is cheerful and inspiring. However, the tragic ending takes the audience by surprise. After Azog, the king of Orcs, kills Thoron’s two nephews, Kíli and Fíli, Thoron rushes in and fights to the death with Azog. As they duel, viewers including myself were forced to tears by Thoron’s sacrifice.

During the pandemic, whenever I watch the three movies, I am filled with warmth and hope that we as a society will get through what is happening in the last year. I am always immersed in a magic world full of adventurous fantasy that never gets old. Until today, The Hobbit still remains a masterpiece with its intricate yet simplistic plot, epic action scenes and uplifting spirits.

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april 23, 2021

Ice Cream There are many ice cream stores in San Diego. The Falconer got the scoop on a few of them.

IceSkimo Ever since IceSkimo opened its third location at the Del Mar Highlands on Feb. 19, it had been threatening my resolve to eat healthier.

The mounting pile of friends’ raving reviews and mouthwatering Instagram photos was maddening.

Unfortunately, my IceSkimo experience was a stern reminder of the dangers of high expectations.

The inside of the shop was unremarkable; if anything, it struck me how small the kitchen looked, with only three visibly frazzled employees holding down the fort despite a large menu and long line of customers waiting.

From the wide selection of snow, bubble waffle sundaes, milk tea and coffee, my server recommended the Passion Fruit snow and Cookies N Cream snow ($0.63/oz. each), as well as a bubble waffle sundae called the Strawberry Shorty Creation ($8.50). I was also offered the option to add condensed milk to the snow to sweeten it, which I did for the Cookies N Cream snow.

The next stop was to choose toppings from a dizzying list of 21 options, ranging from confections like gummy bears and cookie dough to fruits like cherry and mango. Per my server’s recommendations, I added mango popping boba and lychee to the Passion Fruit snow, and brownie bits and chocolate chips to the Cookies N Cream snow.

Finally, I had the option to add a drizzle —

caramel, chocolate, condensed milk, or Nutella — to the snow, so I opted to add Nutella to the Cookies N Cream snow.

My favorite out of the three was the Passion Fruit snow. While it tasted like Mango more than anything else, the snow was appropriately sweet and had the perfect consistency, giving the perfect amount of time to enjoy the taste of the flavored ice before it melted away into juice. The mango popping boba added bursts of sweetness to each bite, while the lychee added a welcome taste of authentic fruit. However, toward the bottom of the bowl, the snow started to thin out, and it started to taste as though there was more ice than flavoring. Overall, while I was satisfied with the Passion Fruit snow, it felt perfectly average.

The Strawberry Shorty Creation was a cup of warm bubble waffle wrapped around soft-serve vanilla ice cream, sliced strawberries and cheesecake chunks, all drizzled with condensed milk.

The ingredients worked together amazingly well, and the combination of the warm waffle and cold ice cream was also satisfying and filling. However, once again, the sundae failed to blow me away; I could definitely recreate it at home for much less than $8.50 to an equal, if not greater, effect. Ultimately, I felt that I’d paid $8.50 for a delicious dish concept carried by its flavors, not by its execution.

While the other two orders were passable, I highly regret ordering the Cookies N Cream

12925 El Camino Real Suite AA-1, San Diego, CA 92130 snow. The snow itself sorely missed the mark in every way possible: the flavor was an artificial-tasting chocolate along the line of a Breyers ice cream carton, and the consistency was like dense mud. The chocolate chips, Nutella drizzle and condensed milk were overly sweet and the only decent part of the order, the brownie bits, were cold, dense and tasted as though they had been sitting on the counter for a while (which, they probably had been).

In retrospect, maybe my high expectations contributed to my disappointment in IceSkimo — but it’s never good when the only word that comes to mind when describing a restaurant experience is “average.” IceSkimo would benefit from locking down on its unfocused menu, but for now, it’ll just melt away in my memory as another run-of-themill ice cream shop.

by Kevin Song

Gelato 101 Gelato 101 is an ice cream shop that specializes in gelato, a frozen dessert of Italian origin that is typically softer and packed with more flavor than ice cream. Gelato 101 is just minutes away from Moonlight State Beach. Due to its proximity to the ocean, it is a popular place and has been hyped up by many.

However, does Gelato 101 live up to its hype?

I don’t think so.

Gelato 101 is located right alongside the street in a corner store type of fashion which, naturally, translates to a hard time trying to find a parking spot. The sign is hard to miss, considering it’s big and bold on top of wooden planks. Inside the store, it’s like any other ice cream place. The menu offers more than just gelato; you can also choose from boba tea, coffee, smoothies, acai bowls, slushies and snow bubbles. From the wide variety of gelato that was offered, my server recommended a small gelato ($5.20) containing one scoop each of

pistachio and mango. No toppings were available, but that was quite all right as the flavor of gelato by itself was more than enough. Although the mango was slightly sweeter than the pistachio, they still complemented each other relatively well. The pistachio flavor had a very smooth texture and a sweet nutty taste to it. The light green gelato also had crushed pistachio powder on top that went with it nicely, contributing to the nutty flavor.

The mango flavor tasted very similar to sorbet.

It was very sweet, smooth and creamy. It was also very easy to scoop, making it easy to eat.

However, at the price of $5.20 for a measly two scoops, it doesn’t live up to its hype. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but it wasn’t worth the price.

You could probably find something of similar quality but much cheaper at your local ice cream place, or even in a supermarket.

I also ordered a small 16 oz. Taro Milk Tea

480 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024 ($5.20) which could be described as decent at best. The boba balls tasted a bit different since they were not as sweet as typical boba balls, but the drink overall was not terrible. The taro milk tea was pretty sweet and creamy with some foam at the top, but it wasn’t anything remarkable.

Overall, Gelato 101 is a good gelato place, but it’s really nothing special. For the exorbitant prices, you’ll be better off going someplace local, but if you happen to be in the area, give it a try.

by David Zhang

entertainment

tphsfalconer.com

the falconer

Creme & Sugar Ever since I heard about the unicorn milkshake at Cream and Sugar, in the Von’s shopping center on Mango Dr., I have been dying to try it and see if it lives up to the hype of their whimsical milkshake and dessert creations. As a result, going in, I had pretty high expectations, but, unfortunately, I was definitely disappointed.

There was a wide variety of desert choices, and naturally, I had to go with the popular unicorn milkshake, a make-your-own sundae and a scoop of black cherry sorbet. The prices seemed exorbitant to me, at around $15 for the milkshake and $8 for the sundae.

There was only one worker, and despite there not being a line, it took a while to place an order.

The worker called out my order after 15 minutes, and immediately I was filled with excitement as I saw the presentation of the ice cream. The milkshake was purple and covered with candy, and the ice cream was served in cute takeout food boxes.

The black cherry sorbet was tart but still sweet, and it was surprisingly my favorite, even though I was least excited to try that one.

The unicorn milkshake was somehow overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. I’m not a big fan of cotton candy, so the flavor wasn’t that enjoyable to me, and it was just too sweet overall. The candy on top made it fun, but it wasn’t anything special and only added to the assault of sugar in my mouth. I wouldn’t say it was worth the $15, but it would be a fun splurge on a hot summer day for little kids or someone with a pretty serious sweet tooth.

The sundae was probably the least memorable of the three. The ice cream was lacking in vanilla flavor with only the cherries to add some taste, and the ice cream ended up being lost in a sea of hot fudge. The entire thing, again, was just way too sweet for me, but that may be just personal preference.

Overall, my experience with Creme & Sugar

2646 Del Mar Heights Rd, Del Mar, CA 92014 was great on the presentation, but mediocre on the taste. The milkshake and the sundae were both too sweet and way overpriced, but I would recommend getting the sorbet or a basic scoop of ice cream. Creme & Sugar is worth trying at least once if you just want the fun experience, but I personally wouldn’t return again.

by Kelsie Park

Salt & Straw Ice cream was originally formed with rock salt and packed in straw to keep cool. Although modern-day refrigeration has taken over, Salt and Straw in One Paseo has preserved the century-old technique of handcrafting ice cream, but with a unique and modern flare.

The rustic-looking shop resembled a barn, providing a feeling of warmth and coziness.

The factory-line orientation of the store made it easy to survey the menu, order and then pay in minutes.

I ordered a Tasting Flight ($14.75) with four scoops of the cereal-themed monthly flavors for March: Peanut Butter Captain Munch, Cornflake Cookies with Marionberry Jam, OffLimits’ Dash Cold Brew Cocoa Crisps, and Snap and Crackle Marshmallow Treats, along with a single scoop ($5.50) of Arbequina Olive Oil and a split scoop (+$0.50) of Pear and Blue Cheese.

Right off the bat, I noticed that the monthly flavors were bold. OffLimits’ Dash Cold Brew

Cocoa Crisps had a very strong coffee flavor and Peanut Butter Captain Munch tasted more like peanuts than peanut butter. The Cornflake Cookies added a crunchy texture, which complemented the Marionberry Jam ice cream.

The flavor and texture of Arbequina Olive Oil and Pear and Blue Cheese, however, hit me out of the blue. Arbequina Olive Oil not only tasted like olive oil, but it also coated the roof of my mouth with oil, which made the ice cream extra smooth and very enjoyable. The scoop looked like a shiny billiard ball, with an initial flavor of olive oil followed by a gush of creaminess and sweetness.

Pear and Blue Cheese didn’t seem like something that would work in ice cream, but Salt and Straw definitely perfected this scoop. I could taste the clean and crisp flavor of pears with the little chunks of blue cheese sprinkled throughout.

As someone who isn’t a huge fan of blue cheese, I enjoyed how the clean flavor of pears muted the overwhelming funkiness of blue cheese, leaving

3705 Caminito Ct Suite 0580, San Diego, CA 92130 only a tiny hint remaining. But, for a person who enjoys blue cheese, this scoop might not satisfy their desire for a true blue cheese flavor.

The flavors at Salt and Straw are unique, innovative and constantly changing. I doubt I would be able to find olive oil or blue cheese ice cream in most ice cream stores, and I would highly recommend trying them. Additionally, the limited edition monthly flavors ensure that every visit to Salt and Straw is a new surprise.

by Jacob Zhang

Handel’s Having only been to Handel’s once, I was excited to try their delicious ice cream again.

When I arrived, there was a line, and it took a minute for the server to bring me my scoops of black cherry and mint with oreo ice cream ($4.50/ scoop). However, once I received the ice cream, I forgot all about the wait; it tasted that good.

The lady handed me two plastic bowls, each with a “single scoop,” which was more like two or three scoops. At that point, I knew I got my money’s worth.

To my surprise, the black cherry ice cream was not overly fruity or dense. One thing I usually dislike about fruit-flavored ice cream is that the texture often resembles that of a sorbet even when it is supposed to be regular ice cream.

However, the black cherry ice cream at Handel’s had a creamy texture that you could expect from a scoop of any traditional flavor, like chocolate or vanilla, which was exactly what I was hoping for.

I also enjoyed the little chunks of black cherry, as they enhanced the texture and added bursts of sweet, authentic black cherry flavor. However, this ice cream wasn’t my favorite, because I felt that the black cherry flavor was mediocre and it could’ve included more black cherry fruit chunks.

As a big fan of ice cream flavors featuring mint or oreo in some manner, I was ecstatic when Handel’s offered a flavor with both. “Mint with oreo,” as they call it, had the perfect ratio of … well ... mint and Oreos. The mint was not overpowering to the point that it felt like I just finished brushing my teeth, and there were chunks of Oreo cookie in every bite. I’m glad Handel’s did not hold back on the chunks this time like they did with black cherry. At the very bottom, I found nearly a full Oreo cookie waiting, which was a great surprise. The texture and consistency were also satisfying; the ice cream was not too creamy, but it was very fluffy, which

12843 El Camino Real Ste. 108, San Diego, CA 92130 was what I wanted. Unless you hate mint and Oreos, I highly suggest you try this flavor.

While Handel’s may not be the best ice cream shop for people on a budget, if you don’t mind spending a bit extra for a quality dessert, Handel’s is definitely worth it — especially if you get mint with Oreo!

by Nolan Ezzet

A19

Jerry Wu

STAFF WRITER

Sexual abuse runs rampant in sports PHOTO FROM THE ORISSA POST

Mirabel Hunt and Srishti Thapar FEATURE EDITORS

Trigger warning: sexual abuse.

The recent conviction and suicide of former USA Gymnastics coach John Geddert (pictured above) has once again brought up the issue of rampant sexual abuse in sports. It is an epidemic in nearly every occupation, and sports are in no way an exception.

On Feb. 25, Geddert was charged with 24 felony counts, including counts for sexual assault and human trafficking.

Hours later, he died by suicide at an interstate highway rest stop in Michigan. Before Geddert led the U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team to a gold medal win in 2012, he owned and coached at Twistars USA Gymnastics Club, where much of his abuse took place. Multiple women told investigators that Geddert berated them constantly, calling them derogatory names and even telling gymnasts to kill themselves. Some were also physically abused by Geddert and detailed how he would push girls against walls and stomp on their bare feet.

During court testimony on Feb. 24, an investigator recounted how Geddert allegedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old gymnast after a practice by pinning her against a wall, groping her and digitally penetrating her. Court documents state that while Geddert assaulted the gymnast, he said, “This wouldn’t be happening if you just completed my assignment at practice like you were supposed to the day before.”

In addition, Geddert has allegedly driven many

athletes to the point of serious injury, forcing them to fall and bruise extensively for the sake of gymnastics.

On top of all of these allegations, Geddert was also charged with lying about his knowledge of Larry Nassar, his colleage of decades, and Nassar’s extensive sexual abuse.

Former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar was federally charged with possession of child pornography and 10 state counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Though many had filed complaints against Nassar for years, it was not until 2015 that the USA Gymnastics organization took action and fired him.

In the wide world of sports, pervasive sexual misconduct extends far past gymnastics.

In June 2020, six former athletes associated with USA Swimming-affiliated clubs filed lawsuits against the federation under sex abuse claims.

Ten years prior, former USA Swimming coach Andrew King was sentenced to 40 years in prison for crimes including sexual abuse and child molestation.

He contested his 20 child molestation counts.

One of the plaintiffs, Debra Grodensky, claimed she was only 12 years old when King began sexually abusing her and 15 when he first had sexual intercourse with her.

She believes her sexual abuse

There is an inordinate number of [sexual abuse] claims [in sports], and federations have taken this issue too lightly for far too long.

Shortly after, he was also fired from Michigan State University (MSU). Many women have come forward about having been abused by Nassar as early as the 1990s, including Kyle Stephens, Aly Raisman, Simone Biles and Jordyn Weiber. However, these four only represent a small percentage of his victims, totaling 265 women.

In 2018, Nassar was also accused of drugging, raping and impregnating a 17-yearold field hockey player at MSU. Nassar’s abuse took many forms, including psychological and physical.

Added abuse came from the organizations that ignored and covered up repeated claims made against him.

was “100% preventable” and wants “cultural change and mandated education” so that “child swimmers can thrive without abuse.”

Along with King, former U.S. Olympics swimming coach Mitch Ivey and former USA Swimming national team director Everett Uchiyama participated in the chain of sexual abuse.

Ivey began sexually abusing Suzette Moran, another victim who filed a lawsuit, at age 12 and impregnated her when she was 17. He then pressured her into getting an abortion months before the 1984 U.S. Olympic trials.

The third plaintiff, Tracy Palmero, detailed her abuse

by Uchiyama, claiming it started when she was 14.

10 years later, when she reported the news to the director of USA Swimming at the time, Chuck Wielgus, Uchiyama signed a confidential document in which he admitted to the abuse claims. He resigned shortly afterward, but soon earned another coaching job and a letter of recommendation from another USA Swimming executive, further proving the complacency of the federation.

Unfortunately, this is not the whole story; there have been at least 590 more alleged sexual abuse victims of USA Swimming-affiliated clubs since 1997.

Before his death in 2017, Wielgus was one of many people being investigated for the alleged coverups of sexual abuse in USA Swimming. But, the plaintiffs contended the cover-up was more than just Wielgus’s doing; the entire federation had let abuse claims slide for years.

Ivey and Uchiyama both haven’t yet spoken on the issue, and while USA Swimming and the U.S. Center for SafeSport barred both from all Olympic sports for life, neither has been further investigated.

While the cases of sexual abuse in swimming and gymnastics are rampant, these instances are in no way the full picture of the sexual abuse epidemic in sports.

There is an inordinate number of similar claims, and federations have taken this issue too lightly for far too long.

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) hotline: 1-800-656-4673

After four months of boundless success, Manchester City’s 21-game winning streak in all competitions was brought to an end by team rivals Manchester United, ending in a 2-0 loss for Manchester City. The “Citizens” have set a new record as the English division team with the most consecutive game wins ever.

No one expected this, as Manchester City started the 202021 Premier League season worse than ever. Placing 11th in late November, most players were exhausted and discouraged from their earlier disastrous exit from the Champion’s League, losing 3-1 against French league team Lyon in the quarterfinals; many of their star players were injured. There were also occasional coronavirus outbreaks in the training facility, forcing five players to self-isolate.

The intense schedule, which was only made more stressful by the pandemic, exacerbated coach Pep Guardiola’s struggle to find a dependable rotation of outfield players.

Despite City’s poor performances, Phil Foden — a prospective 20-yearold English talent who spent the majority of the last season on the sidelines — has received more playing time. Impressing with his dazzling technique and pinpoint passing, he has proven himself as an important part of the squad during those challenging times. Ilkay Gündogan, a German midfielder, has also stepped up and led the team’s comeback; he became one of the most in-form players in the entire Premier League, scoring 12 goals this season, double his goals from last season.

Man City’s impeccable defense profoundly factored into their success, too. Rúben Dias, who transferred from S.L. Benfica over the summer for €79.2 million, was the backbone of the team’s defensive line, which was much needed.

Another defender, John Stones, has managed to rebound from his underperformance last year and returned to the starting lineup.

Slowly, as more players recovered from injuries and COVID-19, Manchester City became unstoppable.

Winning match after match, the team played with such elegance and perfection of Guardiola’s notorious possession play, cornering the opponent until they had nowhere to go. Manchester City now stands in first place in the Premier League table, leading eight points over rival contenders such as Manchester United. With everything going on in the world, Manchester City still shines in the darkness, providing hope through their historic feat.

tphsfalconer.com

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the falconer

DAY IN THE LIFE A passionate and driven fencer since the age of 11, Nicole Pustilnik (12) has earned her spot on one of the most competitive collegiate fencing teams in the nation and is also looking at the possibility of qualifying for the Olympics.

Inspired by her brother, Pustilnik was immediately drawn to the intense mental aspect of fencing once she picked up the sport.

“Fencing is like chess,” Pustilnik said. “It’s like having to stay one step ahead of your opponent at all times and use your actions against them in a way that flows.”

Fencing also provides an escape for Pustilnik from the other aspects of her life.

“It’s a useful tool for me to center myself and ground myself,” Pustilnik said. “If I’m having a frustrating day, I can just go and fence and I’ll feel better.”

Pustilnik practices at Team Touché Fencing Center in Sorrento Valley and represents her club at competitions. The relationships she’s built there play a significant role in her fencing career.

“Fencing is not just about the sport. It’s also been about friendship, and being teammates with somebody,” Pustilnik said. “At my club, we have a very nice environment of sportsmanship and we can come to each other for whatever we need.”

She is also seen as a mentor to the younger fencers in her club.

“I also really like it when younger kids come and ask [for] advice about fencing or some other aspect of their life, and it’s really nice to be able to talk to them as well,” Pustilnik said.

Due to the pandemic, all tournaments have been canceled for a full year. Despite that, Pustilnik says that “the fencing community as a whole has stayed very strong during the entire pandemic, and we’ve been very safe. There’s hand sanitizer, temperature checks, we wear masks and that’s all we can really do.”

There have also been rumors circulating about Pustilnik’s potential qualification for the Olympics, but Pustilnik says qualifying for the Olympics is not her main goal.

“I do have a couple of events that could allow me to qualify [for the Olympics] but it’s not my focus,” Pustilnik said. “I am focusing on the process of becoming the best fencer I can be and developing my style as much as possible.”

Balancing her academic and social life with such a demanding sport is no easy feat, but Pustilnik handles it well. Recently in her free time, she has been studying for her permit test, composing music, or just unwinding with a long walk.

“I love taking walks with my mom and my dog,” Pustinik said.

“That’s a really good way for me to decompress: fresh air and a long walk.”

Nicole has committed to the University of Notre Dame, where she’ll study pre-professional science and fence for the Fighting Irish.

“I’m really excited to see what the next four years look like. I’m a little nervous, but it’s definitely a big step forward,” Pustilnik said.

by Amy Ge

NICOLE PUSTILNIK

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A22 the falconer

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april 23, 2021

Collecting sports cards is now more than just a hobby Kevin Song

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

It is many people’s dream to become a millionaire one day. For sports fans, that dream seems to have become a little more attainable, through a common childhood hobby that many of these fans may have partaken in: card collecting.

An autographed trading card of Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic sold for a staggering $4.6 million on Feb. 28, making it the most expensive basketball card to date; the previous record holder was a Honus Wagner card which sold for $3.12 million. The uptick in prices isn’t limited to just basketball; sports card prices are booming across the board. A 1952 Mickey Mantle rookie baseball card sold for $5.2 million in January, and a 2000 Tom Brady rookie football card sold for nearly $2.3 million on April 3.

Currently, the sports card trading market is valued at around $5 billion, with most cards being sold in eBay auctions. Card prices have been driven up by heightened demand and scarcity.

Most significantly, the pandemic has generated interest in the hobby, as people of all ages have turned to card collecting to pass the time. For example, many adults who collected cards in their youth have returned to this hobby during the pandemic.

“The pandemic hit, and every single guy that’s around my age...got back into it,” special education teacher Alex

Golland said. “My friends and I haven’t looked at our cards in 15 or 20 years, [but] we see this boom in the card business and immediately, everyone’s like ‘what do I have?’”

Because rare cards are being sold at mind-boggling prices, many collectors are hoping that they will be the next lucky person to net a high-value card.

“The fact that those [high-value] cards exist...makes all collectors hold onto their cards forever, since you never know which modern day rookie card will be the next $3.9 million card, like Mike Trout’s,” Dr. Kace Ezzet said. Ezzet stopped collecting when he entered college but restarted collecting at age 57 once the pandemic started.

Others have been attracted to card collecting after sniffing out a potential business opportunity. Entrepreneurs find the potential profit to be made in the booming sports card market irresistible. For instance, 32-year-old entrepreneur Leore Avidar launched a start-up named Alt, a platform for sports card exchange reminiscent of apps like Robinhood that allow anyone to invest with ease.

“I turned less than $10,000 into a multi-million dollar portfolio,” Avidar said in an interview with CNBC. Rookie cards, in particular, have experienced major price increases across the board, since collectors see a rookie card as an investment; if that rookie becomes the next Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, the card will skyrocket

in value.

“For LeBron, his legacy is already written. You get a Zion [Williamson] card, who knows what he’s going to be?”

Golland said. “The young guys now, it’s like a stock...you’re investing in their careers.”

However, the unexpected boom in the sports card industry also has clear negative impacts. For one, people hoping to profit off of sports cards often empty the shelves, artificially inflating the demand, and price, of cards. This makes sports cards less accessible to children and other collectors who have an earnest, genuine interest in the hobby.

“As a six-year-old, [collecting] was so inexpensive,” science teacher Matt Livingston said. “Now, it’s $7 a pack, and it’s just outside the range of what your regular middle class parents could purchase for their children...I don’t buy my kids cards because it’s not

possible for them to really be collectors anymore.”

Others have taken advantage of the high demand for sports cards and addictive nature of collecting to sell forgeries. With online auction houses performing the majority of transactions during the pandemic, such illicit activity is easier than ever.

“Ebay has made [selling cards] so easy,” Ezzet said. “However, watch out for forgeries if you are buying expensive and rare cards.”

All in all, the sports card trading market hosts a wide variety of sports fans with different intentions, embodying a complicated balance between nostalgia and profit. Some collectors own cards that are bent and worn from years of love; others meticulously open packs by the thousand and store them in mint condition like trophies. Regardless, the sports card market is a place where all types of collectors must coexist.

PHOTO FROM THE ATHLETIC

NCAA continues long history of discrimination Viyang Hao

STAFF WRITER

One evening during a break from homework, I scrolled mindlessly through my FYP on TikTok until a seemingly random video of a weight room caught my eye. Without thinking much about it, I closed the app.

The next day, I saw “#weight room” trending on Twitter and looked further into the situation, and that’s when I remembered the TikTok I had seen the day before.

The viral TikTok video showed a small weight rack and a pile of yoga mats, which constituted the women’s weight room at the NCAA March Madness Tournament. The TikTok compared that with the mens’ weight room, which was a fully-equipped, significantly larger room. Twitter users began to post more content to criticize the difference in treatment between female and male basketball players.

The NCAA’s discrimination included quality differences in meals and players’ swag bags. This should not have had happened when the fight for gender equality has been gaining more and more momentum, yet it still occurred.

NCAA President Mark Emmert even admitted as much in an NPR interview.

Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women’s basketball, said that the women would be receiving a full weight room if their teams reached the third round of the March Madness Tournament, but at the same time, the men had full access to a complete weight room from the beginning

of tournament. The NCAA further embarrassed itself when it posted a picture on Twitter almost immediately after the TikTok was posted online that showed the vastly-improved and betterequipped women’s weight room.

The lack of professional photography for the women’s tournament is also evidence of a gender disparity.

Photographers were not hired until the third round of the women’s tournament, while the men’s teams had working photographers from the beginning of their tournament. But, there is still more to explore.

The quality of swag bags players received was also addressed by the NCAA. The organization responded by saying the swag bags “were equal in value.” But, judging by the pictures that were circulating online, the women’s swag bags included items like a shirt, two plastic water bottles, a baseball cap, a scrunchie, small bottles of shampoo and deodorant, a towel, an umbrella, a string bag and a pair of socks. The men’s swag bags, on the other hand, included items such as a shirt, several towels, a baseball cap, multiple commercial-sized shampoo bottles and deodorants, soap, wipes and a book by Georgetown coach John Thompson. The inequality in these swag bags should make the NCAA embarrassed, yet they still continue to discriminate against women.

Another troubling experience that the women’s teams, although not widespread, have to face is the differences in receiving COVID-19

testing. University of Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma told NPR that his men’s team is tested daily with PCR COVID-19 tests while the women’s team members is tested with antigen tests, which are far less accurate than PCR tests. There is no good reason why the women’s team should receive a less accurate COVID-19 test despite participating in activities identical to the mens.

The NCAA has stated on their website that they want to establish “an environment that is free of gender bias” but it is clear that there is systemic discrimination in the NCAA that continues to exist unaddressed.

Sex discrimination in the NCAA has persisted because it does not have to abide by Title IX. Title IX was first passed in 1972 and states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” While most colleges and universities must follow these requirements, the NCAA does not have to since it does not receive government funding as a governing orgnization.

The NCAA faced a lawsuit in 1999 when the U.S. Supreme Court case called NCAA v. Smith ruled that the organization legally does not have to follow Title IX. Yet, the NCAA claims that it “wants” to promote an environment free of gender discrimination. The Court has also

implied that there is a chance that the NCAA might have to follow Title IX in the future, but that has not yet occurred.

The viral TikTok opened up an opportunity for the NCAA to properly respond to online accusations and prove that it is implementing serious changes. Its weak and terrible initial responses show its lack of regard for the systemic discrimination in sports and do not count as understanding the severity of the issue.

Women in the NCAA should not be poorly compensated; they should be treated the same as the men’s teams.

After all, the NCAA does claim to want to promote an equal work environment.

PHOTO FROM TIKTOK

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TPHS dance team wins Nationals Piper Levy & Dixie Wallerius COPY EDITOR & STAFF WRITER TPHS dance team became national champions at a competition on March 27 in Thousand Oaks, despite facing setbacks due to COVID-19 throughout their training season.

Training during the pandemic forced the dance team to overcome obstacles that would not have been present if it were not for the COVID-19 restrictions.

As a sport, dance thrives off of the crowds’ energy and cheers. The limited audience number was unprecedented and something that the team had to adapt to.

“It completely sucked, compared to what it was because a big part of why the competition was so fun was because there was always a huge audience that was super loud and then all of our rivals were in the audience.”

Sasha Lewis (12) said. “With the pandemic, there was no audience allowed so it was up to us to scream at each other while we were competing.”

The time off during the pandemic was also another unfamiliar situation that the team had to overcome as a whole. Francis Florendo, one

Houston,

of the dance team coaches found distance teaching difficult yet beneficial in the long run.

“I had them submit me videos every day of them doing the dance. I was trying to make some kind of experience worthwhile or just something to grow from.” Florendo said. “It was me finding a way, at the end of the season, they were willing to be there too, not me having to force them, that they wanted to be at the last competition.”

The preparations for competitions looked different from pre-pandemic years.

For one thing, practicing outside with no mirror was something that wasn’t typical in previous dance seasons.

“So for most of the year, we were actually practicing outside because we weren’t allowed in the dance room.”

Haley Schultz (12) said. “It was a lot harder because we couldn’t see ourselves in the mirror and stuff so it was definitely different practicing outside verse practicing in the dance studio which is what we normally do.”

The team lost practice time but gained more practice time as restrictions

we

Brandon Raimo

SPORTS EDITOR

Houston, Texas is the fourthlargest city in the U.S., and one of the country’s largest sports markets. But for the past four years, professional sports teams in the city of Houston have steadily declined, as the Astros, Texans and Rockets have devolved from powerhouses to laughingstocks in their respective leagues.

At the end of 2017, the Houston Astros were on top of the world. In the 2017 MLB season, they led the league in runs scored and finishing with the thirdmost wins in the league. They capped off this incredible run by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games in the World Series, cementing their status as one of baseball’s greatest teams.

In the following two seasons, they retained that status, but were unable to reclaim the Commissioner’s Trophy.

Two weeks after a heartbreaking loss to the Washington Nationals in the 2019 World Series, an article published in The Athletic detailed a scheme implemented by the Astros in 2017 to steal opponents’ pitching signs. The evidence of this scandal was convincing enough that the league took action, fining the club $5 million and stripping them of multiple draft picks. Additionally, the team dismissed manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow. Not only did this incident taint their 2017 Championship, but it

loosened up and options became more flexible.

“It was a lot less hours.

We used to train around 12 hours a week and it was only around two this year.” Lewis said.

Competition came, with physical and mental obstacles. The team had to rally together to pull up their energy to make up for the small audience. Florendo also had to make sure that despite oncoming obstacles, the team was ready to succeed.

“It crazy, crazy situation like a is this even possible journey navigating through the COVID-19 protocols, making sure everybody is safe, and still doing the things we need to do.”

Florendo said. “Competition

have

The New Knicks

was still around the corner and we had to do something about it.”

Although the competition was different, most of the girls on the team could agree that the hardships they experienced brought them closer together.

“I think it almost feels more special this year because there was so much more stuff we had to deal with this year and there were so many more obstacles that we had to go through this year and still being able to win was really nice.”

Schultz said.

Winning gold at the West Coast Elite competition took a back seat to just being able to perform and compete. The national championship was the frosting on the cake.

Matan Morris

STAFF WRITER

It’s an understatement to say that the New York Knicks have been struggling for years now, and the 2019-20 season wasn’t much different for them; they finished with a disappointing 45-21 record.

This was not a shock considering how terrible the Knicks have been in recent years. However, what most certainly came as a surprise to many is the Knicks’ current season success so far. As of April 20, the Knicks are the fifth seed in the East, sitting at a comfortable record of 32-27.

The Knicks’ impressive season can be largely attributed to the hiring of head coach Tom Thibodeau; his style of getting everyone to play hard defense has been bought into by all the players. Another reason for their success is the emergence of foward Julius Randle. Over the offseason, he enhanced numerous skills, such as his shooting and playmaking ability. Also stepping into his own is shooting guard R.J. Barrett. Barrett has continued to improve over his first two years in the NBA, having much more strength and tenacity than before.

Despite losing starting center Mitchell Robinson to injury, the Knicks have managed to remain one of the league’s top defenses. This new culture has the Knicks in a push for the playoffs, and a bright future.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TPDT

many

sent the team onto a steep downward trajectory; they barely reached the playoffs in 2020 after finishing with a losing record, and are currently on a similar pace for the 2021 season.

While the Astros were in the midst of their historic 2017 season, the Houston Rockets were also building a championship contender. Following a successful 2016-17 season, in which head coach Mike D’Antoni won Coach of the Year and guard James Harden emerged as an MVP candidate, the Rockets acquired point guard Chris Paul in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. Behind Paul and Harden, the team finished the 2017-18 season with the best record in the NBA, but fell to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. In the subsequent season, chemistry issues involving Harden and Paul began to arise, and the team’s success in the 2018-19 season dipped noticeably. They won 53 games, 12 less than the prior season, and were again ousted by the Warriors in the playoffs. Desperately attempting to remain relevant, the Rockets sent Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for point guard Russell Westbrook, but once again fell short in the 2019-20 playoffs, losing to the eventual-champion Los Angeles Lakers. At this point, the team decided to start over, firing D’Antoni, swapping Westbrook for Washington Wizards point guard John Wall, and dealing

sports

Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in return for a multitude of draft picks. The newlook Rockets have struggled immensely during the 2020-21 season, including a 20-game losing streak that lasted over six weeks.

Though the Astros and Rockets have tailed off in recent years, no team in pro sports has faced a drop-off in talent as drastic as the Houston Texans. The Texans were a legitimate contender in 2019, led by quarterback Deshaun Watson, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, and defensive lineman J.J. Watt. After finishing the 2019 season with a 10-6 record and edging past the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round, they met the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round. Despite entering the game as heavy underdogs, they took a commanding 24-0 lead midway through the second quarter, but were quickly overwhelmed by the dominant Chiefs’ offense and ended up losing the game 51-31.

Instead of building on what they achieved in 2019, head coach and GM Bill O’Brien decided to trade Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for mere pennies on the dollar, and let go of multiple key defensive players as well. Because of O’Brien’s horrible decision-making, the Texans dropped to 4-12 in the 2020 season, and to add

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insult to injury, they traded their firstround pick in the upcoming draft to the Dolphins prior to the 2019 season.

Furthermore, their underwhelming 2020 season influenced Watt to sign with the Cardinals and Watson to demand a trade, extinguishing any chance of a resurgence in 2021.

For a city as populated as Houston, their lack of success in pro sports is pathetic. Not only has every one of their teams struggled for the past year, but their futures all look remarkably grim.

Houston sports fans will likely see their teams continue to produce minimal results for years to come.

PHOTO FROM GETTY IMAGES

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A24 the falconer

april 23, 2021

TPHS teacher of the year 2021 campaign posters IT’S NOT WHAT YOUR SCHOOL CAN DO FOR YOU, IT’S WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUr SCHOOL. (And we’ve done a lot.)

lars trupe MY BRAIN BUCKET SPEAKS FOR ITSELF History

viviana ALVArAdoGomez

Michael rall

I CAN’T WAIT FOR MY STUDENTS TO SPEND EVERY HOLIDAY CAROLING IN SPANISH

I taught my students how to make guaca-mole out of AvogadRo’s world language

science

abby brown

BRANDON KELLER

MY STUDENTS LOVE Me SO MUCH THAT THEY ALWAYS SIN(X) in AND LOG(X) OUT OF CLASS

MY STUDENTS ARE SET FOR A CAREER IN MLA FORMATTING english

math This page is entirely fictional.