25K Magazine

More Miles, Less Cancer

A heartwrenching trip around the world that united a family. p. 25

Apple uncovered

p. 9

De Volta Ao Brasil F8 and be there

p. 17

p. 23

JB

•

About 25K i Letter From The Editor ii-iii Biographies

1-2 7-8 11-12 20 21-22 29-34 29-34

ASFs It’s A Cruel World After All Amazon Deforestation The Poison Apple Finder Twins?

Temptation

Opinions 3-4 Under the Whip 5-6 Welcome To Wasteland 9-10 Apple Uncovered 13-15 Beauty or beast?

16 Modern Art? Features 17-19 De Volta Au Brasil 23-24 F8 and Be There 25-28 More miles Less Cancer 29-34 ¡Viva La Scaccia!

Table Contents Do you know your Countries?

Of

Dear Reader,

This magazine does not come with a receipt. You cannot return it. We dare you to try, but please don’t. Your satisfaction is our goal and every word in this seemingly themeless magazine is molded to please you, dear reader. We looked for humor, dynamics, drama and unorthodox events all across the world, in hopes of compiling bundle of enjoyment. This magazine has been created to fit no individual, therefore allowing you to interpret it as you wish. Established in the spring of 2011, the crew of 25K bickered and fought for your entertainment, and through that, something beautiful was born.

Enjoy.

The

CHRIS

Chris is a superhero at night. His hobbies include being foxy and being very friendly to women in retirement homes. He likes wearing red because it reminds him of Santa Claus, his alterego. On Saturdays he runs across the world, making fun of anyone that walks by. His dreams for the future include ruling the world.

Crew

MARIAH

Mariah is a modest 15-year-old, laid back, top model. Her hobbies include playing lacrosse and playing with her sexy dog Stoney.

Everyday at six Mariah wakes up from her beauty sleep and thinks to her self “How will Chris and Jeremy annoy me today?�. Her dreams for the future include becoming a doctor and a rabbi.

Of

JEREMY

Jeremy is an intriguing highschooler with an accent so hard to place that people wonder about his origins.

He blogs about interesting statues and monuments with an affinity for the more immature ones. He enjoys playing saxophone and crying at sappy movies. His dreams for the future include flying over San Fransisco in a wing suit and stopping bullets with his bare chest.

CAROLINE

Caroline is a black clad teenager, despising common things with a love for the weird. Though intimidating on the outside, she is actually a sweet person. Some of her pet peeves include getting doors held open for her and the very successful store “Walmart�. Her dreams for the future include meeting Jack White and having a fruit farm.

It’s a

Cruel Wor Afte

Everyday elephants and other animals are performing in circuses across America.

Most of these elephants are abused and harassed. I have never before heard of an elephant playing the trumpet in the wild. These trainers get their circus animals to perform amazing tricks by hurting them. This inhumane activity is supported by oblivious Americans all over the U.S. People need to become aware of what they are supporting before they continue to pay circuses that abuse their animals.

1 spring 2011 Opinions

rld er all Tim Frisco: Elephant Abuser An elephant trainer, Tim Frisco, taught his other trainers to beat their endagered Asian elephants into submission.

He instructed them to sink the sharp bull hooks intho the elephants flesh and twist until the animals cried out in pain.

Multiple videos were taken of trainers using a blowtorch to remove the same elephant’s hair.

Named Clyde As the Ringling Bros circus was crossing the Mojave desert, the animals confined in their boxcars began suffering due to the heat and dehydration. The circus refused to stop the train after being warned that the animals were in danger. A young lion named Clyde died in the heat.

Janet An elephant, Janet, rebeled in a Florida zoo, going on a rampage while three children were on her back. Police shot 47 rounds into her to bring her down. they reported, “these elephants are trying to tell us that zoos and circuses are not what God created them for ... but we have not been listening.�

Pete The Elephant In White Plains, NY an elephant named Pete did not perform her trick properly during the show. Later she was taken to the tent, laid daown, and five trainers beat her with bull hooks.

Abused Baby Elephants The Ringling Bros Circus tied up their baby elephants to get them to learn tricks. As babies, elephants are abused with bull hooks, electric shocks, and pitchforks so that later in life they will perform certain circus tricks.

25k Magazine

Opinions

5

th Under Circuses have been an exciting tradition since the ancient Roman times.

They became a place to take your family when looking for fun. But there comes a time when you need to wonder, how they trained that elephant to stand on its hind legs, or play that trumpet.

By Mariah N.

C

lowns, mimes, lions, balloons. The circus: What’s not to like? Any person in the stands, cheering on the elephant standing on its hind legs and the tiger jumping through the flaming hoop wouldn’t see the pain and suffering many of today’s cir-

3 Spring 2011 Opinions

cus animals are forced to endure. The circus has become an American family tradition, I recently saw the Austin Shrine Circus when it came to town.

Had I known about what circuses do to their animals, however, I would have thought twice. A number of training tools such as bullhooks, pitchforks, and

blow torches are used to hurt and scare the performing animals into submission. If these “fun-loving” circuses are to remain legal in the U.S. they need to become animal friendly. Until they do, people should not support circuses that continue to abuse their animals.

Don’t be fooled by the peppy music

he

Whip yet another way in which they are being abused. PETA, an animal rights organization, recently discovered that the Ringling Bros. circus has elephants that are “chained for as many as 60 to 100 hours [at a time]”, and lions and tigers have “barely enough room to turn around [in their cages]”.

PETA also recorded information on a young lion traveling with the Ringling circus that died in a “poorly ventilated boxcar” while being transported across the Mojave Desert when temperatures reached “100 degrees Fahr-

occur. Encyclopedia Britannica mentioned in the article “Circus Animals: Abused and Dangerous”, reported that there have been many “animal attacks and escapes from animal circuses, often resulting in property damage, injuries, and death for both humans and animals.” As long as animals are tortured for the entertainment of others, they are a threat to the public and their trainers.

Putting a stop to animal abuse is not only for the good of the animals, but for the protection of the public as well.

Even though we may not be able to

co, continued “beating elephants with bull hooks” and “shocking them with electric prods.” The United States Humane Society reported that “the circus [Feld Entertainment] tortured its Asian elephants with bull hooks and chained them for long periods.”

These circus animals are not being trained in a humane way, and something needs to be done about it. Even though circuses are fun and entertaining, a great night out is not worth the torture of an innocent baby elephant. Every time you buy a ticket to go see circus animals perform you could be supporting the abuse of animals.

The boarding of circus animals is

enheit”. The lion, Clyde, “likely died a miserable death from heatstroke and dehydration.” There are other cases similar to this one in which animals being transported from place to place have died in their box cars and cages.

Abused circus animals tend to snap due to too much pressure and can become, according to ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), “a threat to the public”. ASPCA also reported that there have been “hundreds of incidents involving circus animals attacking and escaping” which often leads to “property damage and injuries”. If circuses treated their animals better, they could become more audience friendly, and fewer incidents could

see the harm committed behind the shady circus tents, we must attempt to put an end to it. Not only has footage been captured of circus animals being beaten, proof that their living environments are unsanitary has been found as well. The more these animals are abused the bigger threat they become to the public. Even though it may be a fun and exciting place to take your children, refrain from supporting the abuse of animals. Had I been informed earlier of the cruelty and harassment these circus animals are forced to endure while no one is watching, I would have realized the $18.95 I spent on a ticket was definitely not worth the show.•

Photo by commons.wikimedia.org

and dancing animals, prancing around the rink and jumping over hurdles.

Most of the animals you see performing have been abused by their trainers. Footage of circus animals being beaten or struck was recently captured by to PETA workers while undercover during special training sessions.

Encyclopedia Britannica reported in the article “Circus Animals: Abused and Dangerous” that a Ringling Bros trainer, Tim Fris-

“

The lion, Clyde, likely died a miserable death from heatstroke and dehydration.

”

25k Magazine

Opinions

4

W asteland F welcome to

orests, particularly rainforests play extremely important roles in the survival of our planet. The largest rainforest on our planet is Amazon rainforest that covers five and a half million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres) which is more than half of remaining rainforests on our planet. Once, rainforests covered 14% of the earth’s land surface while now they cover just 6%. Many experts agree that if current trends of deforestation are about to continue we could lose all of our rainforests by the end of this century. The government and wood cutting industries try to give words of relief: that cutting wood is not dangerous, and we can make more oxygen with today’s technology. But those words mean nothing, they are just trying to hide the ugly truth.

People need to realize why the Amazon is being so heavily destroyed. Human population is constantly growing, needing more and more food, and this is when we need more land to farm, and the Amazon, an inhabited jungle (there are native tribes but the Brazilian government doesn’t consider them humane) is the perfect place to farm.

There are three main causes for Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

Clearing the forest for cattle pasture in the Amazon rainforest (is the first) caused 70% of the deforestation of trees

“

in the Amazon. According to scientists deforestation is the second biggest cause for global warming, responsible for more than 20 % of total CO2 emissions. The second cause for excessive Amazon rainforest deforestation is logging. People often mistake logging as the biggest cause of deforestation, but this is far from truth. In reality logging only causes 3-4 % of total deforestation.

This percentage may seem small but it is not negligible. Tropical rainforests are excellent sources of many quality and expensive wood (ebony), and this is the reason why many people turn to illegal logging. Illegal logging is still a big problem in Brazil, and there is still not

to wood that was inaccessible before.

Deforesting rainforests causes dramatic effects throughout the world.

When forests are destroyed it cause the impacts of climate and temperature changes to be exceedingly stronger, because rainforests (trees/plants) absorb large quantities of CO2 (carbon dioxide). This means that less trees equals more CO2 in the air. More CO2 cause the destruction of the ozone layer, causing temperatures to rise. Rainforests are also the richest biodiversity areas on the planet with thousands of endemic animals and plants that are unique to them.

The Ecological Problems organization believes that “due to all the undiscovered plants, rainforests could be hiding cures for currently incurable diseases like HIV/Aids etc.

Obliterating the Amazon will cause millions of species (including native Indian tribes) to go extinct. In the last 40 years Brazil who owns more than 60% of the total Amazon rainforest, lost more than 600,000 sq km (232 000 sq miles) of Amazon rainforest.

How can Deforestation be helped?

First of all rich countries should step in and ensure huge funds to stop deforestation. This money should be given to the poor natives of the Amazon so they wouldn’t need so many farms and cattle to survive. But this can be hard, for there are a lot of corrupted politicians and police in Southern America.

Deforesting rainforests causes dramatic effects throughout the world.

5 spring 2011 Opinions

an adequate control that would put an end to this. The last main cause for destruction of Amazon rainforest is infrastructure building. Which is responsible for about 3 % of total Amazon rainforest deforestation. The main problem with infrastructure building in Amazon is the lack of sustainable management and good planning. The best example for this was the building of infamous Trans-Amazonian Highway. Trans-Amazonian Highway is not only connecting far away places, but also opens new areas for farms and easier exploit of quality woods. This now opens industries

”

Photo by .wikimedia.org

The devastating destruction of our Amazon rainforest must end. Destroying this beautiful forest not only harms wild life, it hurts the envirnoment as well.

By Jeremy J.

Burning down trees in the Amazon to make land for cattle pasture.

ensure that the Amazon rainforest is protected from illegal loggers and pastures.

In order for all of this to work, farmers need to be more ecologically educated, so they can better understand the true importance of tropical rainforests. There are of course new laws, but they aren’t precise or strict enough to stop the deforestation.

Laws against deforestation need serious sentences to their offenders (jail sentences instead of fines), and governments have to promote the importance of rainforests

where ever and when ever possible. Unless people learn the importance of rainforests, profits will always be more important than Amazon rainforest. Money is not everything, and people have to realize this as soon as possible. Otherwise, not only survival of Amazon rainforest will be at stake but our own survival too.

When all this deforestation factors are summed up, the estimates say that the current rate we are destroying we will have reduced the Amazon by 40% in two

decades. Just imagine these tropical rainforests that stood for millions of years are being cleared each day by chainsaws, bulldozers and fires. We are destroying in a blink of an eye something that was created for many millions of years. Now that you are done reading this article an area of Brazil’s rainforest larger than 50 football fields has been destroyed. •

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Deforestation in The 35000

Rai

30000 Sq. km deforestation per year

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inforest 1988-2010

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0 1 20

Apple

Uncovered

By Chris P.

44

march march2011 2011

Opinions

S

omewhere on the other side of the world, a child goes to work. Numerous electronic parts on a table are reflected in the childs empty eyes. All bear the same Apple logo. The products manufactured by Apple Inc. are known for coming from low safety standards and low wages. As Apple disregards their workers rights to a safe environment, consumers must give up their hunger for products adorned with the famous apple crest.

Apples use of child labor is highly immoral should not be tolerated by the international community. The companies manufacturing division is primarily stationed in China, where child labor is a big part of their growing economy. Peter Clarke from EETimes reported that “in 2010 Apple audited 127 facilities [in China] and found 91 cases of underage labor”. That is ninety-one children who will remain illiterate and uneducated, shackled to long work days and extremely low wages.

The cases were just of those who have been caught with false IDs, but there are undoubtedly more child workers manufacturing products for Apple. A reporter for The Telegraph, Malcolm Moore also commented on the use of child labor, noting that Apple has not stopped using the factories cases have been found in. This severe neglect for human rights not only brings indecency upon the manufacturing company, but also upon Apple for this extreme level of tolerance. The use of child labor has to end in Apples suppliers, and it all starts with Apple putting its foot down.

The working conditions of Ap-

“

a ban on communication on the shop floor and workers live twelve-to-a-room in company dormitories. It is no wonder that Terry Gou, CEO of Foxconn, “could not promise there would be no more worker suicides in Shenzhen“. There is no shortage of workers rights being denied in

Solutions, almost 7% of American adults have iPhones and 54% of iPhones and iPod Touches are sold in the U.S. A country whos values are built upon freedom and equality is ignorantly supporting the use of child labor and minimal workers rights in developing countries. This hy-

Workers toil for long hours, manufacturing Apple proudcts.

Apple hired factories, all for the sake of growing corporate greed. Another Apple factory has been discovered to endanger their workers by exposing them to n-hexane, a chemical which left workers “unable to walk”, according to Amy Lee of the Huffington Post. This haz-

pocrisy is overwhelming and boycotting should take place to hold American values over low prices of electronics. In May of 2010, ChinaDaily reported that workers rights groups have begun protesting over the workers suicides by marching and boycotting Apple products. This reaction

”

I can not promise there will be no more worker suicides in Shenzhen.

ple factory employees is infamous for toxic environments and heavy amounts of emotional stress. In 2010, ten suicides occurred at Foxconn, a Chinese manufacturer. Workers claimed that the ten hour days spent at conveyor belts assembling Apple products gave them “little reason to live”. According to Forbes magazine, workers are forced to accept overtime, getting only one day off a week. There is

Photos by Roman Kröpl and WikiMedia

Terry Gou, CEO of Foxconn

ard could be avoided with operational ventilation systems, a factory necessity denied to the employees. Counts of suicides and chemical hazards are too abundant to be ignored and yet, Apple “did not cut ties with the factory”.

Despite these indecencies, the American consumer still craves products with a sleek Apple logo when the products should be. According to AVAI Mobile

should be a worldwide response to the injustices workers have to endure every day.

Somewhere in China, a child goes to work so Apple products will maintain their low prices and the corporation will uphold their rising revenue. Consumers need to end their hunger for the latest Apple product and start fighting for that child. •

25k Magazine

Opinions

10

The Poison Apple

By Chris P.

Apple is known for their innovative products and the wallet-crippling prices that follow, but little is known about the origins of the products. Children in China have been found in factories fabricating iPads and iPhones, and more recently, workers have commited suicide claiming that the work gave them “no reason to live�.

11spring 2011 Opinions

91 15 17 90 Billion Dollars

cases of child labor found in Apple hired factories

are earned by Apple annually

Worker suicides

iPhones sold worldwide.

Million

25k Magazine

Opinions

12

Beauty or Beast?

Modern art has many different forms. From odd sculptures made of torn objects to abstract paintings with seemingly meaningless splatters, it has dominated the art community today. But some critics still claim it is illegitimate, and shouldn’t be considered art.

By Caroline M.

T

here has been a heavy debate brewing about the definition of art for a long time, but it all comes down to one question: Who decides what art is? It’s easier for us to accept the historical artists’ work as genius, but what about the modern artists today? Because of modern artists’ unconventional mediums, some people judge their art as talentless junk. However, art is made of creativity and modern artists show more than enough of that in their work.

They should be given more respect in the art community for their unique creations.

“

non-traditional pavement canvas.

Chakaia Booker is another modern artist with a controversial medium than chalk: torn up tires. People have claimed for decades this sort of creation cannot be seen as art in any way because it is literally made out of trash. The Denver Post even goes so far as to say that “[tires] hardly seem like a promising material for a contemporary sculpture.” Booker, however, takes these strips of a typically ugly or junky substance and puts them together to create an intriguing variety of textured sculptures. That is, until you see the work of Chakaia Booker.” The fact that she’s

”

Who decides what art is?

Julian Beever is another modern artist, except instead of using able to take such an unorthodox and somewhat monotone mateuncommon mediums, he has an uncommon canvas. All over the rial and make beautiful and interesting pieces of work shows her world, he creates realistic chalk drawings on sidewalks that appear phenomenal talent: yet she continues to be nailed by critics who 3D from a certain angle, almost to a frightening extent. Accord- are too blind to open up their eyes to a new form of art. ing to a British newspaper The Independent, people have walked It is no surprise however, that this is so. Artists that we revere by one of his drawings of a canyon and been scared they might today, such as Vincent Van Gogh, were considered blasphemous fall in. He uses anamorphosis, a difficult projection technique, to the name of art when they were the “modern artists” of the to create the 3-D effect. It takes a considerable amount of skill to day. A similar thing seems to be happening now. People are so pull off the craft, definitely earning him the title of a talented and close-minded to what they believe art is because they’ve only respectable artist. been exposed to one However, the type in their lifeway he maniputimes. It is evident lates the style that undervalued artis seen as rather ists become considinartistic in some erably more famous areas, due to the after their death. fact that he uses This is a pattern we the sidewalk should halt, and give as his canvas. more recognition Some critics and respect towards claim Beever’s today’s modern artchalk drawings ists based on their are meaningless talent and imaginabecause of their tion, not their chosen transient nature, medium. for because of Many different their unprotected kinds of art exist all outdoor location, around the world, they will get ruit is just a matter of ined after a hit of opening your eyes to Julian Beever with one of his 3D sidewalk chalk drawings. bad weather. But it. Art cannot have a Beever holds quite a different view of his art. He describes his set, concrete definition: everyone is going to see art in their own creations an “art for the people”, and that is certainly what it way. But it is my hope that we, instead of squinting with narrow seems to be. They can be seen by the everyday person walking eyes at it, learn to gaze openly at this modern art and bring the to work, anyone on the street without going to an art museum, talent of these artists into the light.• which some people could view as stuffy and boring. That fact makes Beever’s art truly sensational. The levels of effort and creativity that appear in his work are immeasurable, despite his

15 spring 2011 Opinions

?

Modern Art Robert Rauschenberg

A scuplture made out of torn quilts, New York City trash, and paint.

Hans Hofmann

An abstract painting titled “Elongation�.

Alexander Calder

A large, iron scuplture that sits outside the Sprengel Museum Of Modern Art in Germany.

25k Magazine

Opinions

16

De V

Br

Volta Ao

rasil Back To Brazil

Forrest Novy had graduated his high school military academy a private, the lowest rank. It was either go to Vietnam and join the army, or serve in a different way. He knew he was not good soldior material, so he decided to travel to Brazil and join the peace corps.

By Mariah N.

H

e zipped his suitcase and stepped back. Then, grabbing as much as he could carry, he headed for the door, jumped in a mustard yellow taxi, and slowly began to drive down the road.

Although he had gone more times than he could count, It had been 40 years since Forrest Novy had first traveled to Brazil to work with a community of poverished kids. A love

“

Each child he worked with lived in a residential facility, a place where children whose parents had leprosy (Hanson’s Disease) would go. Their home was on the top of a small hill that overlooked the surrounding fields, and from the building you could see Cariacica in the distance. It was “Edu can dario alzria bely, the place where you educate kids,” he said in a quick Portuguese tongue, so fluent you would hardly notice he

portunities for these kids to experience different people, to experience life in a way that would make them think how exciting it is to be who they are,” Novy explained.

Not only had these kids had a major impact on him, but he had left a memorable impression on them as well. After working with the kids for a short time, he began to document.

Taking pictures with his camera whenever he could, snapping a shot here and there. His

It gave me an opportunity to break away from my social constraints.

for the country and his work continued to drive him back.

It was 1971 and the Vietnam war was in full swing. Just out of college, Novy was a young man who was looking forward to starting his life, and joining the army was not a part of his plan. At the time, every man out of college had to draw a number. That number would determine the time at which he would be called to serve in the army. “ [It was] like a lottery. I had a low number, 142, [and] I didn’t want to go to Vietnam,” he explained.

There were two alternatives to joining the army: Vista, a non-profit organization set on fighting poverty, and the Peace Corps, a program in which volunteers would travel to a number of third world countries to help people living in poverty. “[I] decided I would enjoy traveling to someplace new, someplace different where I could learn [another] language,” he said.

Three short weeks after applying to be a physical education instructor, Forrest’s application was accepted by the government, and in 1971 he joined the Peace Corps.

His work began in the small town Cariacica, which translates roughly to “dried crap”.

Novy fell in love with the town and the children he began teaching. He ended up staying for four and a half years before returning to America.

“I learned how to appreciate 150 kids who were growing up in a different than when I was growing up,” he explained. “It was an incredible experience to be around [these] kids.”

19 Spring 2011 Features

-Forrest Novy

Forrest Novy in Cariacia.

was not native to the land he spoke of.

It is obvious how much his first trip to Brazil had influenced his life, and it was while he was spending time with these kids that he realized he would spend his life helping underprivileged kids.

“I learned what friendships were all about.

I learned to respect cultural and lifestyle differences” The way Novy’s voice sped with each explanation of his life in Brazil showed that he strongly believed in the work he had done there.

“The whole idea was to try to create op-

”

camera was so foreign to the children that after seeing it, they began to replicate it.

“They got the sound, the way it looked,” he said, “ [there were] 150 cameras made out of clay.”

Novy was surprised by the amount of influence things like this had on the kids. They were intrigued by any new experience he could show them. A handful of his friends were not as persistent as he was, and quickly returned to the United States. Novy continued to visit the children, and although it was difficult a lot of the time, he managed by learning to speak Portuguese, the town’s native language. He came away from it all with a working knowledge of the language, and a vocabulary of 300 need-to-know words.

“The key to feeling comfortable with another culture [is] to learn the language,” he explained.

“I could form utterances in different tenses that enabled me to communicate,” he said as he preceded to give examples of the many things he could say.

It was his understanding of the language that allowed him to interact with civilians, become involved in the culture, and stay for so long. By going into the Peace Corps he was introduced to different ways of life, and met all kinds of people. “[The experience] removed me from my world in the United States,” he said as he smiled, “It gave me an opportunity to break away from my social constraints [and] learn a lot about myself in terms of things that were hard for me to do, that I never thought I could do before.” •

Photo by Alan Camucha

Finder

By Caroline M.

A Blackout Poem From “De Volta Ao Brasil”

He zipped his suitcase and stepped back. Then, grabbing as much as he could carry, he headed for the door. Down the road and away from his home, Forrest was on his way. Excited and nervous, the little boy inside him eagerly waited for his journey to begin. It had been 40 years since Forrest Novy had first traveled to Brazil, and a love for the country had driven him back.

The Vietnam war was in full swing. Just out of college, Forrest was a young man who was looking forward to starting his life, and joining the army was not a part of his plan. At the time, every man out of college had to draw a number.

That number would determine the time at which he would be called to serve in the army.

“Like a lottery. I had a low number, 142, [and] I didn’t want to go to Vietnam,” he explained.

There were two alternatives to joining the army: Vista, a non profit organization set on fighting poverty, and Peace Corps, a program in which volunteers would help enrich the lives of people through a series of different programs. “[I] decided I would enjoy traveling to someplace new, someplace different where I could learn [another] language,” he said.

Three short weeks after applying to be a physical education instructor, Forrest’s application was accepted by the government, and in 1971 he joined the Peace Corps.

His work began in the small town Cariacica, which translates roughly to “dried crap”. Although not the most extravagant name for a town, Forrest fell in love with the children he was teaching.

“I learned how to appreciate 150 kids who were growing up in a different than when I was growing up,” he explained, “It was an incredible experience to be around [these] kids.”

Each child he worked with lived in a residential facility, a place where children who’s parents had leprosy (Hanson’s Disease) would go. Their home was on the top of a small hill that overlooked the surrounding fields, and from the building you could see Cariacica in the distance. It was “Edu can dario alzria bely, the place where you educate kids,” he said in a quick Portuguese tongue, so fluent you would hardly notice he was not native to the land he spoke of.

It was obvious how much his first trip to Brazil had influenced his life, and that he believed strongly in the work he had done there.

“The whole idea was to try to create opportunities for these kids to experience different people, to experience life in a way that would make them think how exciting it is to be who they are,” Novy explained.

Not only had these kids had a major impact on him, but he had left a memorable impression on them as well. After working with the kids for a short time, he began to document. Taking pictures with his camera whenever he could, snapping a shot here and there. His camera was so foreign to the children that after seeing it, they began to replicate it.

“They got the sound, the way it looked,” he said, “ [there were] 150 cameras made out of clay.”

“I ended up spending two and half years setting up a physical ed program for kids who’s parents suffered from Hanson’s disease,” Novy said.

A handful of his friends were not as persistent, and quickly returned to the United States.

“The key to feeling comfortable with another culture [is] to learn the language,” he explained.

He lived with a Brazilian family for three months, going to school five days a week, putting in six hour days. He came away from it all with a working knowledge of the language, and a vocabulary of 300 need-to-know words.

“I could form utterances in different tenses that enabled me to communicate,” he said as he preceded to give examples of the many things he could say.

It was his understanding of the language that allowed him to interact with civilians, become involved in the culture, and stay for so long. By going into the Peace Corps he was introduced to different ways of life, he met all kinds of people. “[The experience] removed me from my world in the united states,” he said as he smiled, “It gave me an opportunity to break away from my social constraints.”

There he went, 40 years later, back to the country where his adult life began. And what does he say about these experiences, the ones that will last him a lifetime? Every child he taught and friend he made? As he stepped off the plane and into the fresh Brazilian air he knew too well he thought, “It made me a better person, it became my future.” •

25k Magazine

Features

20

21 Spring 2011 Features

Painting by Grant Wood

Twins?

By Chris P.

Jeremy and Axel Are a man and a woman They are not the same. *DISCLAIMER: Axel is not a woman. He is actually a man, contrary to this inaccurate depiction.

While you may have seen Jeremy around, that may not be the man you’re falling in love with. He has a twin named Axel, who is just as charming and attractive as his brother. To tell the difference between the two is the difference between a great choice and a great choice. You can’t go wrong with these twins.

Can you name the 5 differences?

Answers: 1. Axel has a flatter chin 2. Axel has longer hair 3. Jeremy has bigger lips 4. Jeremy has bigger eyes 5. Axel has a smaller nose

F8BE and

THERE

Inside look at Austin photographer Woody Welch about why his passion for photography is so important to him and how his optimism allows him to be successful in an unreliable buisness.

T

By Caroline M.

he small lawn outside his photography studio tells a story. A bike leans against the side of the building, birds chirp in the spring leaves and he stands against his Prius. He’s wearing a red bandana on his head and a Cesar Chavez T-shirt and is holding something in his hands. It’s a chipped Nikon with red and yellow wire showing in places.

That camera has been with him for 700,000 shots. 700,000 moments that Woody Welch has captured forever in photos.

Welch is a professional photographer from Austin, TX, who has traveled to countless places for his work: ranches in New Mexico, the Bahamas, and many places in Central America. He started out as a beginner at age 15, and is now in the process of opening his new photography studio.

“I really wanted to be an adventure and travel photographer, that’s what my sights were set on,” he says. “Little did I know I couldn’t make very much money out of that.”

However, despite the financial obstacle, Welch has made his passion for photography into a successful and exciting career.

23 Spring 2011 Features

“It’s all about F8 and be there,” Welch explains. “F8 being the camera’s middle aperture range. The point being you just have to be ready for those moments. You just gotta get out there, look, observe, watch, feel, frame and compose.”

Woody Welch started as a photographer’s apprentice and assistant after college in 1993, learning all that he could from his mentors and inspirations. Nature seemed to be a common theme in his role models’ work: Galen Rowell and Dewitt Jones, two photographers that Welch highly admires, both worked for National Geographic Magazine. He talks of the compositions of Ansel Adams with large admiration as well.

“There’s a lot more to Ansel Adam’s work than a lot of people understand. He had such a huge influence on government policy and the founding of national parks,” Welch says. “He really introduced me to the power of change photography can initiate.”

Welch himself got the chance to work on a similar project when he was hired to document the night sky movement in West Texas for Texas Co-Op Power Magazine, the largest

magazine in the state of Texas. His photos were featured in one of their articles about preventing light pollution.

“When I’m working for somebody like that it’s as important to me as anything because I’m speaking to so many people,” he says. “I’m able to move people hopefully for the better, for change, on a large scale.”

Welch has been a lot of places to try and accomplish this, but two locations in particular seemed to capture his interest the most.

“One of the places I think really inspired me and just opened up my whole world was Manawatu, Mexico,” he says.

Typically accustomed to raw nature settings, Welch was surprised at his sudden love for the town with the vibrantly colored houses and rolling hills. “[Manawatu] is human-made, not necessarily nature-made, which is usually where my favorite places are. That really changed the way I looked at things,” Welch laughs. “I definitely wasn’t in my comfort zone down there and I figured

Photo by Caroline M. out from that trip that I peruse some of my best work when I’m not in my comfort zone.”

Roatan, Honduras holds a special place in Welch’s heart as well. He describes the place as “magical”, and remembers a specific character that he met while there.

“

work nicely.

“Concentrating on my relationship with the talent, that is the most important thing because when the subject lets their guard down, they let me into their lives, then that’s when I capture those moments,” Welch explains.

He can try posing them, setting up the scene,

Though he recognizes the evil in the world, Welch’s idealistic and hopeful view on life shows greatly in his photography.

“You can choose to frame bad things out in your head,” Welch says. “There’s bad and good in this world, there always will be. And we can either choose to concentrate on the bad

”

I peruse some of my best work when I’m not in my comfort zone.

“My buddy hired [a sailor] for the week, and he would take us out to sea and we would swim with dolphins, catch turtles, on these amazing, virgin, untouched places that were just gorgeous,” Welch muses. “It’s one of the best things about my job, I get to meet all kinds of crazy cats.”

From the light in his eyes when he talks about the people he’s met, it’s evident that Woody Welch is very much a people person, and this often translates to his

and doing as many preparation techniques he can think of, but in his opinion, the most exquisite shots come from sheer seconds that you could miss in an instant if you aren’t ready.

“I love when I see someone see a print of mine and they smile or they giggle or they even cry,” he says. “That’s the ultimate for me. That’s why I got into this business. Not to make money. To remind people this is a beautiful life and you have to open your eyes, maybe frame some things out sometimes.”

or the good. My work chooses to concentrate on the brighter, happier side of life.”

This kind of pure optimism has driven Welch’s career throughout the years and all the financial stress and other hardships. But there is one thing he is always sure of. “It’s a natural to me,” he says. “I get that camera in my hands and I know. I know I can make it happen.” •

25k Magazine

Features

24

More Miles Less Cancer

When Liam Jessin was diagnosed with leukemia in 2002, his family promised him that they would take a trip around the world. The Jessins ventured across five continents in an effort to raise cancer awareness, and had many adventures along the way.

By Jeremy J.

I

wanna go there,” 4-year-old Liam Jessin said to his mom Lydie while watching a travel program on TV in his hospital bed. Liam had been diagnosed with leukemia when he was 3 and had been stuck in a hospital bed for three years.

“I couldn’t tell him he was too sick to travel,” said Lydie. “So I promised him; one day we will travel everywhere, take a tour around the world.”

In 2006, 4 years later, Lydie decided it was time to keep the promise she had made to Liam.

After 2 years of preparation the family sold their house, bought a 30 ft. motor home, and took off for their trip around the world.

The journey’s whole point was to raise cancer awareness to the poor and young generation in other countries, who had no idea what cancer was, because of the lack of support most Hispanic governments have in public schools. Originally, the Jessins were going to start with a complete tour of North America, then travel down south to every country in Central America and South America, then a boat to Africa, roll back up to Asia, and lastly head west to Europe. This trip was to last for a total of three years, but due to the sky rocketing prices of gas, the Jessins had to get their trip short by 2 years.

“I felt we were robbed from the rest of our travel due to the price of gas,” said Lydie when she found out that the trip could not continue. But it didn’t stop her from having the time of her life.

So inSpring 2008 they 2011 started the impossible, and left for eastern U.S. After a couple of months the family

25

Features

Photos by Stephan Jessin

was about to cross the Mexican border. So far nothing had been hard. Finding food, gas, a place to sleep, everything was fine and rolling smoothly.

“The U.S. and Canada were pieces of cake, but when I reached Mexico, I got slapped in the face with the culture shock,” Lydie Jessin said. “Our worries went from ‘when are we going to get clean laundry? To “are we going to get something to eat tonight?’ The family sometimes would go a couple days without eating or being in any physical contact with other people.

After this near starvation experience Stephan the father, decided to make some changes to the RV. He installed secret food storage closets and got big 4X4 wheels with all the equipment necessary in case of an emergency. After that they felt much more prepared.

By then, the Jessins had arrived in Honduras, one of the most stunning countries they visited. It was the first country where they were not welcomed; and several times native people would give them the finger while we were rolling by.

“It showed the strong affect the Americans have on them,” Lydie said. “It also changed the way we look at other cultures, people, and ideas. We lost a lot of our judgmental opinions and broadened our way of thinking.”

This was also the country were the friendship of a lifetime blossomed.

“We had arrived to a little beach village, and while looking around for a parking spot to stay for the night we saw this other camper, an Irish couple with a huge Bobtail named Francie. We25k droveMagazine up to them and started

Features

26

making friendly neighbor chat; this turned into a ‘join us for bia. dinner.’ And to our greatest surprise they were doing the exact “It’s a beautiful, romantic city on the coast of Colombia,” she trip we were doing.” said. “Colombia is not as bad as everyone says, all the drug dealThis was the beginning of a great friendship. ing and killing has moved on to Mexico.”

“Throughout the trip we met wonderful people willing to take The family was now rolling south through Ecuador, Peru and us in Lydie said. Mostly everyone we met was always interested Bolivia. These were some of the most stressful countries. First and offered to help. Also the fact that we told them we were in Ecuador they switched hemispheres. Then in Peru, the high French and not Americans helped.” altitudes caused Liam to start having lung problems. This was After arriving in Barranquilla, Colombia, they headed for one the first sign of his future lung transplant (they later found out the most dangerous that he was breathing places in the world. with only 1 lung).

The Farc, a rebel And last Bolivia, the group of terrorists, death hole country. live in the northern “We went days woods of Colomwithout eating, there bia and they have was only one paved a bad reputation for road in the whole kidnapping tourists country. We couldn’t and holding them get out because we hostage until the were lost.” government paid After those 2 to 3 their ransom. The treacherous months, Jessins were on arriving in Chile and edge while travelArgentina felt great. ing there.

They felt like rep“This was the licas of European scariest moment of cities (Buenos Aimy life, we weren’t res is called “Little planning on runParis”). This is when The Jessin family at the Hand of the Desert in Chile. ning into them” the Jessin gang got said Lydie. “We were rolling on a dirt road in the middle of the separated. The 2 youngest (Liam and Julian) took a plane from Colombian forest. And all of a sudden a bunch of men dressed Argentina to France to visit their grandparents for 2 months, in army uniforms; jumped out of the bushes and stopped us, Lydie went back to Austin to get a job, house, cars, etc to get they had huge machine guns. Stephan slammed the breaks and everything running again, and Stephan and the twins (Axel and yelled at us to hide in our beds (he knew these guys had a ter- Jeremy) had 3 months to go wherever they wanted. With the RV rible reputation). Thankfully they told us they were Colombian they rushed down to Ushuaia, the southernmost city on earth. governmental guards who were here to protect tourists from the “I had heard the Patagonia was amazing, but I didn’t know it Farc. We had heard stories from friends who had seen their part- was that amazing!” Stephan said. “It was exactly like my campner get shot right in front of them. I really thought that was it.” ing experiences when I was young. It was -2 degrees Celsius From then on Lydie decided to make their trip safer and avoid inside the RV, and if you think about it we were only 800 km those kind of bad experiences by cutting off all the “far away away from Antarctica.” from civilization” roads. But despite that frightening encounter After a month of freezing temperatures, they headed back up in the country, Lydie’s favorite city remains Cartagena, Colum- to Brazil, and this is when the adventure began again.

27 Spring 2011 Features

“We sold the RV so that we would have enough money to buy a house back at Austin,” Stephan explained.

But not having an RV didn’t stop him from continuing traveling. After selling the motor home they put their remaining belongings in a backpacks and backpacked South Africa, China, and Japan.

“We petted lions, saw close up wild animals and ate weirdest food ever. A guinea pig in Ecuador, ox penis, fish head, caterpillar on a stick, raw bugs, and the list goes on,” Axel said. “But it was still the best experience of my life.”

Two years after the trip, now settled down in Austin, Lydie still

asks herself the same question: Did the trip really changed you?

“After explaining that cancer was not a shameful illness to people that were casted out of their village, it made me feel like this whole trip made a difference to others too and that made it all worth it,” Lydie said. “And even stuff that seems impossible or wacky now seems reachable if you put yourself in it. There are so many ways of living, we didn’t have to live a conventional life, but as long as we hold on to our core values we should explore more and not let society rule us too much.”

Those 40,000 miles the Jessins traveled are more then just miles, they are miles of hope.

A colorful festival the Jessins attended while in Columbia.

25k Magazine

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28

What’s Your

T

→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

emptation

?

→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→ Find out what kind of person you like to be around from a variety of different LASA profiles.

Obsessed with all kinds of sports, the baller tends to think he/she is “the best�. This baller is attached to baseball. Not your typical baller sport. Most look to soccer or basketball, however this one is special. The baller resides near the top of the food chain, and feasts on other peoples self confidence.

The

Baller

31 Spring 2011 Features

Charmer The

The Charmer is known for his talent with the ladies, but he’s more a love ‘em and leave ‘em type. To be a Charmer, you have to have a way with words and that conquest attitude. If left without the comfort of a playmate for too long, the Charmer will become fragile and sensitive to teasing. BEWARE.

25k Magazine

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32

Commonly found eating lunch in a teacher’s room while working ahead on their math homework, the conservative student tends to be a loner. The only times they are found with others is the rare occassion in which their pair up with another person just like them.

The

Conservative 33 Spring 2011 Features

Ginger The

Normally the ginger tends to be an outcast unless other gingers exist in the habitat around them. This particular ginger was able to pair up with a few others creating some kind of ginger cult. This ginger’s hobbies include cleaning, sucking soals, and glitter.

25k Magazine

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34

¡Viva La Scaccia!

By Chris P.

T

o Michael Scaccia, the roar of an audience and the roar of a classroom are one and the same. He has played bass for a variety of bands and teaches English to the freshmen of LASA high school. As both a musician and a teacher, Michael Scaccia lives two lives in parallel.

“Teaching and performing feed off of each other, and for me it’s a really important creative outlet to what I do,” he says thoughtfully, “I feel like I’m a better teacher because I’m a performer.”

But being a travelling musician isn’t all it’s made out to be in movies.

Waking up early in the morning, Scaccia put his instrument into his car and starts the long drive to the venue. He arrives in the afternoon, just to wait until the gig at night. “Usually nothing goes exactly as you want it to,” Scaccia says, “You have to be able to improvise on the spot with maybe somebody didn’t show up on

35 Spring 2011 Features

time, maybe the equipment isn’t what you expected, the crowd isn’t what you expected, they didn’t have the food, all kinds of different things happen and you have to be able to take care of things in the moment.”

People idolize musicians for their rebellious lifestyles and partyhard personas, but through years of experience, Scaccia found out that lifestyle was gone.

“It doesn’t exist anymore because there are too many musicians who are too good at what they do that if you have that lifestyle and you act irresponsibly in any way, you become a liability to your band, to yourself, and to your management company,” Scaccia says, “and they can always find somebody who can fill your part and who’s a kinder gentler human being. [Being a musician] has nothing to do with having a rock star lifestyle.”

Though sex and drugs don’t accompany Scaccia’s rock ‘n roll, he

Michael Scaccia, the infamously charming professor at LASA high school, started at a prestigious Bostonian school and ended touring the famous clubs and bars of the southern United States.

Photo by Dustin Diamond still gets enough satisfaction to last a lifetime. After traveling with the Ryan Beaver Act across the mid-western United States, Scaccia joined a U2 cover-band, christened Mysterious Ways, but not before he took a year long hiatus. Not even glancing at his instrument, he went about, reading books and painting his house. He was then ready to jump back into the music industry.

“It refreshed the batteries. You gotta do that every now and then as a musician,” Scaccia reflects, “it kinda recharges what you’re doing.”

Since joining Mysterious Ways, he has toured all over Texas and will be doing a gig at the USO for the troops in Afghanistan. On stage in front of thousands of people, one has to wonder if Scaccia gets nervous.

“I’m always nervous before I play, for a little bit,” he confesses, but once he overcomes the nervousness, the sheer euphoria of per-

forming envelops him. “It is one of the most incredible feelings you will ever have in your entire life,” Scaccia explains, beaming, “You feel like you’re able to connect with the audience and communicate something musically with them and then they give you immediate feedback on whether they liked it or they didn’t like it and you’re concentrating so hard to make sure every thing’s right and being in the moment and being emotionally available to the audience that you’re spent when you’re done and they take everything out of you, and it’s a high like you would never believe, it’s amazing.”

After the interview, Michael Scaccia turns back to his class. Gathering the attention of students, he stands on his podium.

To the dismay of the class, Scaccia enthusiastically says, “Now turn to page 337 of your grammar books...” •

25k Magazine

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36

Do You Kn Your C 1.

What is the Capitol of Nicaragua?

2. Brazilia

3. What 4. What

is which country’s capitol?

continent is Bulgaria in?

Language do they speak in Brazil?

5. What

country is directly to the west of France?

Answers

1. managua. 2. Brazil. 3. Europe. 4. Portugeses. 5. Germany. 6. Niger. 7. Russia.

8. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, Azerbijan, Russia, Norway, Kuwait. 9. France 10. 50

now Countries?

By Jeremy J.

6.

Which country is shaped like a chicken leg?

7.what

is the biggest country in Asia?

8. What

9.

Countries are considered the Oil countries?

What country did Napolean lead?

10. How

many countries are in Europe?

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