Vol. 87 No. 11 - Nov. 17, 2017

Tour informs students

Invitational is successful

B-ball season returns

One of many LMC-sponsored college tours provides insight into the transfer process — page 3

LMC collaberates with high school orchestras for one massive performance of Beethoven No. 1 — page 4

The men’s and women’s basketball teams prepare for the start of a new season ­— page 5

V O L .

8 7 ,

N O .

F.Y.I. Important Dates November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month Nov. 23-24

Thanksgiving: College campus is closed in observance of the holiday

Dec. 8

Last Day of full-term classes prior to finals

‘Reality’ takes stage at LMC Student-written play “Reality Check” will show at 7 p.m in Dec. 6, 7, 8 and 9 at the California Theatre in Downtown Pittsburg.

Munirah and friends are trapped inside of a game called and must find their way out. Tickets are $10 for middle and high school students with I.D. $12 for college students and government services with I.D. and $15 general admission.

Study session for finals week A study session will be offered to LMC students Wednesday, Dec. 6 from 3 to 9 p.m. in The Center for Academic Support.

Free pizza and refreshments will be offered and a vast range of subjects will be covered. No appointments are needed, drop-ins are welcomed.

1 1

F R I D A Y ,

N O V .

1 7 ,

2 0 1 7

L M C E X P E R I E N C E . C O M

❑ CIVIC ENGAGEMENT SERIES ❑

The impact of equity Eight voices in first TEDx

By BRENNA ENOS

benos@lmcexperience.com

As students, faculty, staff, family and friends filed into the Recital Hall at Los Medanos College, a murmured excitement fluttered throughout the auditorium. Heat from camera lights beamed over the stage fully equipped with a podium, projector, red circular carpet Dale Satre and four big red blocks that announced the event of the night: “TEDx.” A branch of f from the influential media platform TED Talks, TEDx is a local and self-organized event that people from across the globe can participate in. Broadcasted live, this TEDx event is the first to ever occur in the Brianne Visaya district, and can pave the way for future TEDx events at the campus in the future.

TEDx co-coordinators Marie Arcidiacono and Laurie Huffman gave a heartwarming speech before the event about the excitement they felt over bringing the first ever TEDx not only to LMC, but also to the entire Contra Costa district.

“From the day I arrived Daniel Beaver on campus… I saw we were highly innovative,” mused Huffman. “Besides being No. 6 in the College Choice awards, Los Medanos College tonight is on the TEDx world map.”

Part of LMC’s Equity Speaker Series, the TEDx event surprisingly only received eight speaker applications, See TED, page 6

Hannah Siddiqui

Nina Ghiselli

Al-ameen Ishola

Photos by Adria Watson and Eloine Chapman

Nilton Serva

Hailey Solares

Artist spurs awareness

By PERRY CONTINENTE

pcontinente@lmcexperience.com

Experience • Adria Watson

Student Ambassador Alexander Chavez.

LMC recruits ambassadors Los Medanos College is recruiting outreach ambassadors to represent LMC through campus tours and outreach. The job boasts a flexible schedule in addition to providing experience for jobs and college admissions. Students can apply at the Office of Student Life.

Daily class cancellations Save yourself from making an unnecessary trip to campus for a class that has been canceled.

Professors cancel classes unexpectedly and often can’t tell their students in person.

The LMC website offers a daily class cancellation page, visit www.losmedanos.edu/

Experience • Crea Jones

Artist Favianna Rodriguez during her lecture.

“Marriage equality, immigration, marijuana, the right to choose, as an artist I care about these kinds of events,” said Favianna Rodriguez before a crowd of LMC students.

Rodriguez’s art reflects politics, culture, economics and the ties between them.

Rodriguez, the child of two Per uvian immigrants who grew up in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, has

been immersed in diverse cultures, political activism and environmental issues her entire life.

Much of Rodriguez’s art revolves around immigration, including her “Migration is Beautiful” series, which has become symbolic of the struggle around DACA, Trump’s proposed border wall, and undocumented rights in general.

Rodriguez applauded LMC’s status as a sanctuary campus,

Astronaut’s life journey inspires

By ROBERT PIERCE

rpierce@lmcexperience.com

Former NASA astronaut José Moreno Hernández visited the Los Medanos College campus Tuesday, Nov. 14 for his keynote speech titled “Find Your Space in College” as part of LMC’s “Achieve UC” event and “Equity Speaker Series.”

Hernández was born into a migrant farmworker family from Mexico, and described his childhood of hard work all weekend during school time and seven days a week during the summers.

He recounted watching the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 as a 10-year-old on a black-andwhite television, “grabbing the antennas to increase the reception.”

‘Mesmerized’ by what he saw on the television, Hernández decided right then

and there he wanted to be an astronaut, and never looked back after that.

At the tender age of 10, Hernández had a long road ahead of him to become an astronaut, but he was encouraged from the very beginning by his father, who pulled him aside the same night and told Hernández five steps to reach his goal: decide what you want to be in life, recognize how far you are, give yourself a road map, pursue education and put in effort.

“I would add one other ingredient to that recipe,” Hernández said after reciting his father’s recipe to his audience at LMC, “and that is perseverance.”

Perseverance was a key theme throughout the speech for Hernández, who was rejected by NASA 11 times See NASA, page 6

as explained by Lab Coordinator for art, journalism and drama Eric Sanchez.

“LMC will not cooperate with ICE,” said Sanchez.

“We really try to protect your privacy, your family’s privacy.”

Rodriguez responded saying, “I’m excited that you are a sanctuary campus.”

Sanchez’s statements echoed Rodriguez’s art. One key element of Rodriguez’s art is the butterfly motif, connectSee ART, page 3

Comedy showcase represents

By ROBERT PIERCE

rpierce@lmcexperience.com

Experience • Brenna Enos

Astronaut José Moreno Hernández speaks at LMC.

The Los Medanos College LBGTQ+ Task Force assembled a crew of LGBTQ+ comedians to perform at the first ever Queer Comedy Showcase, a free event held Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. in the LMC Little Theater on campus. The LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Caucus and Allies Student Group put on the event and its funding came from The Professional Development Advisory Committee, LMC Associated Students, the Drama Department and the Division of Equity.

The motley crew of “five stand-up comedians from the San Francisco Bay Area,” according to the showcase promotional poster, consisted

See LGBTQ, page 6

L O S

M EDAN OS

C OL L E G E

Quotable

E X P E R I E N C E

Perspectives

FRIDAY,

NOV.

17,

2017

2

“You’re only free when you’re asleep, baby.”

— Patrick Stump

Tammy Seward

Kimberly Stelly

LADY T

SOCIALLY UNWELL

Enough of the mass shootings

Subtle racism is still racism

The last several months have been heart wrenching for many areas of our country due to natural disasters or man made tragedies.

I cringe every time the news comes on and when I get on social media as facts of each case comes to light.

For instance, the shooter in the Sutherland Springs Church shooting in Texas was discharged from the US Air Force due to charges of domestic abuse. According to law his records should have been given to the FBI, which would have prevented him from buying any type of gun. This oversight or whatever they call it has proven a fatal mistake for the 26 people he killed ranging in approximate age from 17 months to 77 years, nine of whom were from the same family. A quiet Sunday morning shattered by the senseless act of a mad man.

Shots rang out for 20-25 minutes in the community the other morning in Red Bluff after a man started shooting at random residences then stole a truck going on a shooting rampage. The gunman rammed the truck into an elementary school fence and tried to enter the building. His entrance was barred when school staff locked down the campus as soon as they heard the shots.

We often think none of that crap will affect us or even come near us. But it does and it has. The otherwise quiet town of Concord has been shaken by the news of a 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed while simply standing around with friends and hangin out, as teenagers say, right near their high school. Nobody else was hit as they ran away in fright.

I had a conversation with my kids one day about what they thought of the NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem.

They understood to a point, but also said it seemed disrespectful; there are other ways and times to protest. My 14 year old also voiced what I’ve been thinking for a while now; society seems to be going backwards.

The most beautiful part of life is when we come together as one to help our fellow man.

The Louisiana Cajun Navy, a group of volunteers, grabbed their boats when Harvey hit Texas and helped rescue people and animals from the floodwaters. First responders in Las Vegas ran toward the shots, as people tried to dodge bullets flying around them they covered each other, many of which were strangers when the day began. Two private citizens, one armed, chased down the shooter in the Texas church shooting.

This should be our first response when something happens. Everyone who has ever tried to help in these or other disasters, whether it is their job or not, should be hailed as heroes. If you’re not able to help because you’re not close there are other ways to help. Technology has proven its usefulness in helping others far and wide.

Facebook had several notices to help collect clothes and essentials for survivors of the fires in Northern California; people were even offering homes, property and stables for horses if needed.

My heart goes out to all who have personally been affected by these and other events and I pray for healing even though we will probably never fully understand why these things happen.

We should be more receptive to picking people up, not picking on people. In times of trouble natural or man-made we should be grabbing each other’s hands and rising above these situations. This is what we should be doing, helping our fellow man.

Not attacking them!

Hate in all its venomous forms should have no place in society.

A song by Mandisa comes to mind.

“We all bleed the same, So tell me why, tell me why We’re Divided”

Are you a Black person who has been called “whitewashed” or an “Oreo”? Are you the Black friend people feel comfortable saying racist things to despite your pro-Black politics? Do your non-Black friends say they’re blacker than you when they know a song you don’t know? The friend people ask ridiculous, racially insensitive questions to, because they’re not worried about you being aggressive?

Then you might be the “safe Black friend.”

As uncomfortable as it is to be in this position, it can be far more uncomfortable to call people out for disrespecting your sense of blackness.

Don’t get me wrong, I applaud anyone who speaks up and can defend themselves against this ignorance, but it’s not always an easy thing to do.

People, who don’t always make it a point to call out their problematic non-black friends, aren’t inherently self-hating. They are not more tolerant of racism, stereotypes and homophobia than your average “social justice warrior.”

I’m not denying that there are some Black people who hate themselves, but sometimes it’s just hard — and emotionally exhausting — to have to defend your community against harmful stereotypes.

It’s hard being the token minority in a group arguing for why your community deserves the same economic, social and political freedom as their white counterparts.

Some, like myself, are less inclined to speak up because confrontation makes them physically ill — I will do anything to avoid making people feel uncomfortable.

Perhaps this speaks to some sort of cowardice. Or it speaks volumes about the relationship between privilege and Black discomfort.

Black people are taught to speak up about injustices, big or small. However, in other instances, they are taught to make themselves smaller so their identity is easier to “consume” for those in a position of privilege.

And Lord help those who don’t pick up on when their friends are being racist. There are things that have been said which made me uncomfortable that I now realize why I felt that way, it was more subtle racism.

Some forms of discrimination are considered so miniscule that both the perpetrator and the victim don’t even know it’s happening.

But when you do realize it, you find there’s pain littered throughout the process of discovering, and hey, maybe your friends don’t like you for the reasons they’re supposed to like you.

Maybe they want you to be cool enough to show off, but not dangerous enough to get mad at them for it or cause a scene.

Most people think if a Black person speaks up enough about being uncomfortable in racially tense situations, you’re far better off because at least you’re voicing your discomfort.

What often happens is these people are seen as constantly angry, and people censor themselves around them but don’t really change their thought process.

If you stay silent, you let the discomfort override any feeling of friendship or bonding, except you’re choosing to suffer quietly.

While staying silent about the things that bother you isn’t ideal or advised, it’s hard not to wonder where the responsibility of the person inflicting the damage is.

Maybe instead of blaming Black people, who choose or refuse to speak up, stop putting unfair, racially insensitive and ultimately harmful labels on them. S top referring to your Black friends as “the angry one” or “the one I can actually bring around my family.” Get to know your friends, for who they are, not who you assume they are.

Experience • Lissette Urbina

Editorial

Solve the nuclear problem

A

bill introduced by California Representative Ted Lieu would prohibit the president from launching a nuclear strike for any reason other than in retaliation without a formal declaration of war from Congress. With rising nuclear tensions and Trump’s increasingly unhinged behavior, this bill is not only a good idea, it is an essential one.

Nuclear engagement, especially a first strike, would have massive and irreparable international implications and could lead to full-scale nuclear warfare. While Trump is far from an ideal person to have unilateral control over the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, no human being should have the ability to, at a moments notice, use weapons of such unfathomable destruction and invite such ruin upon humanity. It is inarguable that a preemptive nuclear strike could be anything other than a grave error.

The bill, while a necessity, is only the first step — the only way to ensure a secure future for humanity is to push for global disarmament of all nuclear weapons. Their very existence is a threat to humanity’s continued survival.

The president’s actions are clearly those of someone who does not understand the stakes he is playing with, by taunting a historically volatile foreign head of state who has issued direct threats and is increasingly capable of a nuclear strike, Trump is demonstrating his inability to understand the severity of the situation.

Social media must be recognized Social media is arguably the single most widespread contribution to the planet by recent technology. You can keep track of your friends, family, and even your next-door neighbor’s cat if you feel so inclined. The world has become a smaller place, and people are now becoming more connected to one another with the simple click of a button.

But this new technology hasn’t been a one-sided wave of connection and convenience.

Making the world more accessible has also made hate speech more accessible, and has allowed it to propagate faster than ever before.

Slander, racism, threats of violence, and other forms of malicious messages can now spread across the globe in an instant.

At the end of September, social media sites began a new campaign to snuff out malicious forms of speech on their websites, namely Facebook and Google. Facebook even created another 3000 positions to help police the problem.

One of the most pressing issues, however, isn’t even the domestic hate speech, blatant threats, and “trolling” that seems to be plaguing social media accounts. But rather the difficulty of the government and Silicon Valley corporations to understand how the other works.

This lack of understanding – the struggle to communicate across a cultural gap – slows the progress on the issues incredibly. Corporate culture, is focused on the creation of profits, and avenues for profit. The government concerns itself with the needs of its citizens and their safety and wellbeing.

This creates a rather large difference in interest, one that slows down progress, particularly on the issue of what can and cannot be said on a platform.

Government ultimately wants the sites to be regulated and secure, but this system is far from lucrative. Conglomerates would shy away from limiting the options of their user base, as the decrease in site traffic and registered users would cause a loss in overall profits.

The true solution, however, involves a different culture entirely: student culture.

Voices

Josh Wood AMUSING MUSINGS

Students and younger individuals provide the vast majority of the user base for social media platforms, finding various tools to circumvent age restrictions, or any other safe gate in place.

Culture change has been proven to actually occur faster, and with a larger effort from multiple parties, if it becomes a group activity.

Unfortunately, most people choose to do the opposite of help, and propagate the messages of hate and violence that circulate around the net.

Student populations in the high school and college age range comprise nearly 50 percent of the user base for all social media accounts.

Ultimately, the issue lies in the very hands-off and personal nature that the world has adopted with regards to public space. The majority of people can walk right past screaming and abusive conversations on the street and force themselves to pay no mind, claiming it is either none of their business, or that there is nothing they could do to improve the situation.

This is the fundamental difference between social media and real life. Social media offers an anonymous report function that not only levees an accusation against that individuals account, but also permanently adds to a total of times they’ve been reported. This anonymous process is far safer than intervening in real life, and can be done in only a few minutes.

With college students being the part of the user base with the largest sphere of influence, it’s time that these campaigns for online behavior and user contribution move their focus from the high school students who have been ignoring these messages for decades, and begin to move towards the audience that is capable of creating a change in the world around them.

LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE

Do you think Kanye West fell off?

Experience

C

L M C e x p e r i e n c e . c o m

o m p i l e d

b y

A.R.

B

r o o m

&

A

l e x

C

a m i l l i

California Newspaper Publishers Association

Journalism Association of Community Colleges

“Were it left for me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

— Thomas Jefferson

“He fell off when he married Kim Kardashian.”

— Gannon Goldensoph

“Yeah, he’s kinda doing his own thing and going crazy.”

— Grace Garcia

“He was never relevant.”

— Sara Rahman

“Yeah, he definitely fell off.”

— Zandre Givens

“I’ve never really listened to Kanye.”

— Ben Knapp

“I was never really a fan.”

— Shayna Wilmoth

Editor-in-Chief ........................ADRIA WATSON Managing Editor.................KIMBERLY STELLY Perspectives Editor..................JESSE GOMEZ Campus Editor ..............PERRY CONTINENTE Features Editor ........................BRENNA ENOS Sports Editors .......................CARLOS RUIZ & ANDREW GONZALEZ Graphics Editor .................LISSETTE URBINA The LMC Experience is published Fridays by students in the Journalism Program. The newspaper serves both as a laboratory for journalism classes and as a First Amendment forum for campus communication. Opinions expressed in the Experience are solely those of the students and do not represent the views of the college.

L O S

M EDAN OS

C OL L E G E

Quotable

E X P E R I E N C E

Campus

FRIDAY,

NOV.

17,

2017

3

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other” — Walter Elliot

Team grows at tourney

By AZI CARTER

acarter@lmcexperience.com

Los Medanos College’s debate team held their own in the Penguin Invitational Nov. 4 and 5. Hosted by Dominican University, nine colleges — more than 115 participants from across the country — gathered for the event.

Five teams represented LMC: Sumneet Nirankari and Ayesha Khan, Kirstie Tabelin and Hailey Solares, Christopher Chu and Kyle Marshall, Brian Kiar and Gadai Bulgac, and Richard Stanfield and Dylan Lee. The honor of Top Community College Team in British Parliamentary (BP) Debate went to Los Medanos’

own Kyle Marshall and Christopher Chu — this tournament being Chu’s first ever.

LMC debaters competed with schools from all over the state and across the country like University of Mississippi, University of Miami, Northwest University, UC Berkeley, Pepperdine, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Claremont College, Humboldt State and the host school.

Khan, new to the debate team, found her first experience “empowering yet humbling” — wetting her feet in the fierce competition. Khan paired up with Nirankari — another first time tournament debater — and both were confident and reserved as

they strategized together to hit the mark in their competitions.

“This tournament was a re-learning experience for both my partner and myself, “ said Richard Stanfield, president of the debate team and veteran debater. Both he and his partner (Dylan Lee) were paired together for the first time.

“My partner and I are still in a new partnership, we were able to find some flaws and fine tune the better parts of our collaborative process,” said Stanfield.

The team is preparing for their Experience • Azi Carter upcoming competion at the Claremont Colleges for the US National Debate Hailey Solares and Kirstie Tabelin discuss topics, techniques Championship Nov. 17-19. and plans of action for their upcoming debates.

Locker room build underway

Experience • Crea Jones

Construction crews work on demolishing the old locker rooms to make room for the new ones. The build includes a reinvention of the Physical Education Complex including two dance and fitness studios, a dedicated athletics workout room and a general weights and cardio room in addition to two new classrooms and offices for staff. To replace the current locker rooms, temporary swing space locker rooms and showers have been made available.

SF State welcomes LMC students

By JORDAN NEEL

jneel@lmcexperience.com

Experience • Jordan Neel

San Francisco State students Collin Finegan and Zoram Mercado give LMC students a tour of the campus showing what the school has to offer.

ART From page 1

ing the migratory patterns of the monarch butterfly with undocumented individuals and drawing attention to the artificial nature of borders.

“Butter flies do not care about borders,” said Sanchez.

“Borders are not natural, they are manmade and designed to separate us.”

Rodriguez commented that rather than accuse Mexico of job stealing, the United States should instead apologize for the raping of the country and the subjugation of its people.

Rodriguez went on to explain the importance of symbols and how they can catalyze social change.

“As a visual artist, symbols are important,” she said, singling out the 1969 photo of the earth taken from space as an example of a powerful symbol.

“This symbol is not even 50 years old but has impacted our culture,” said Rodriguez, drawing attention to the fact that the first Earth Day took place just one year after the iconic image was taken.

She also mentioned #BlackLivesMatter and Occupy Wall Street’s ‘99 percent’ as strong motivators for social change, becoming points that created conversation and brought is-

sues to the forefront of society.

Rodriguez also brought together the issues of environment, race, and economics to show how deeply connected they really are.

“If you look at a map of air pollution you can see that the most affected areas are largely poor communities and communities of color,” said Rodriguez.

“Natural disasters like Puerto Rico reinforce that.”

Another issue that Rodriguez’s art referenced heavily was sex positivity and sexual pleasure. Several of her pieces feature a clitoris.

“There is a lack of knowledge about vaginal pleasure and masturbation,” said Rodriguez.

“Too few people realize that the clitoris is the point of sexual pleasure.”

Rodriguez continued on connecting rape culture to sexual shame and silence.

“Rape culture worsens when there is silence around sex,” she said. “That silence leads to societal rot and abuse… saying no to rape culture means saying yes to open, honest discussion.”

Rodriguez’s ar t can be viewed in the California Museum in Oakland where her work is displayed as part of “Arte y Almas” exhibit that will run until Dec. 30.

Los Medanos College students toured San Francisco State University Nov. 1. The day began with a tour of the campus, followed by lunch at which students were addressed by Director Adriana Gallardo and Outreach Coordinator K. Sara Figueroa, both from Associated Students Project Connect, and Dr. Larry Salomon of the Ethnic Studies program.

The afternoon was filled with workshops on a variety of topics.

LMC student Zarya Carter said the tour was informative since it touched on things she didn’t know about like housing rates.

“I’m still indecisive,” said Carter. “This would be a great school for convenience since I can ride on BART to get to the

school. I intend to take more tours in the future so hopefully I’ll have a choice by then.”

Former LMC student Renee Smith is currently studying Journalism at San Francisco State. She is proud to continue her education and hopes to finish next spring.

While not involved in the tour, her words of advice for students are to meet with counselors before transferring and match up the classes taken at LMC to make sure they transfer.

“Matching up classes to each institution is crazy important,” said Smith, “you don’t want to fall behind because of failed transfer classes or classes that don’t match up to the university you want to go to.”

Program Coordinator for Transfer & Career Services Danna

Tejada, who coordinated the tour, said she enjoyed its brevity, leaving students more time to learn about the school while there.

She said tours like this influence transfer decisions, so those planning to continue their education should take these opportunities.

“Going to schools, seeing the diversity and asking questions in person plays a huge factor on deciding where you want to transfer,” she said, adding that such tours stimulate “students’ interests giving them answers to questions they probably wouldn’t get on the website.”

The next tour will be to Southern California Jan. 16-19, taking students to schools like UCLA, UCSB and Long Beach State University. For more information go to losmedanos.edu/transfer

L O S

M EDAN OS

C OL L E G E

Quotable

E X P E R I E N C E

Features

FRIDAY,

NOV.

17,

2017

4

“You can always spot bright people. They are reading a book.”

— Gary Soto

A harmonious collaboration Music unites schools

By LILLY MONTERO Staff Writer

Dr. Luis Zuniga’s weeks of hard labor and coordination finally came to fruition Wednesday, Nov. 8 with the Los Medanos College Orchestral Invitational, Beethoven No.1 — a night of powerful music and successful collaborations.

The night began with the Heritage High School Orchestra playing two very distinct pieces, led by their director Steve Ernest. The first was “Two South American Tangos”

by A.G. Villoldo. Their second piece, “Conquistador” by Deborah Baker Monday, began with a brief hiccup, but they picked up the darker, moody piece shortly after.

Next was the Antioch High School Orchestra, led by their director Kenan Baker. Though the band did not set out to play in the large collaboration, the small orchestra of 10 packed a punch with a medley from the blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Farandole”

by George Bizet.

The Freedom High Orchestra, led by George Chilcott, brought the airy feelings of spring to the chilly fall night.

They played a trio of pieces: “Pennywhistle Jig” by Henry Mancini, “Ashokan Farewell”

by Jay Ungar — which began with an impressive violin

Experience • Adria Watson

Heritage High School music director Steve Ernest conducts band students as audience members watch. solo — and “Hornpipe” by George F. Handel.

Director Julianne George and the Alhambra High Orchestra finished off the features with two pieces: “Take 5” by Paul Desmond and “Amadeus”

by Mozart, the first being jazzy and upbeat, the second intense and action-packed.

The night ended with what was colloquially termed the

“Mega Orchestra.” The orchestra consisted of more than 100 people from the Heritage, Freedom and Alhambra High School orchestras, as well as LMC’s own orchestra led by Dr. Zuniga.

Before playing, Zuniga asked that the audience give them “five minutes” to get themselves situated and a cacophony of practicing musi-

cians ensued. Then, from the cacophony rose this singular sound, which grew in height as more musicians picked up the tune. The crowd fell silent and then broke into applause.

Zuniga then gave his closing remarks and welcomed the participating high school students to LMC’s rehearsals Monday nights. He also said that the audience could expect

collaborative events like these to come.

With that, the “Mega Orchestra” played the first and fourth movements of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1. The piece was bold and bright, with the sound of birds in the wind section and bees and thunder to be heard in others. Zuniga leaned into the band, jumping with the music, and coming in

low with his finger to his lips for the quieter portions. The piece ended as boldly as it began and the crowd swelled with applause afterwards.

The success of the Orchestral Invitational was a fulfilling night for many reasons, especially for those who at first felt intimidated by the collaboration.

See BAND, page 6

Soto visits LMC

Award-winning author inspires

By BRENNA ENOS

benos@lmcexperience.com

Experience • Brenna Enos

Signing and selling his books, Gary Soto interacts with student Maika Jimenez and others after his presentation at LMC. During the event, Soto discussed some of his novels, poems and plays and how his hard work led to their fruition.

“What is your major?” Gary Soto asked several students as they filled into the Recital Hall at Los Medanos College. Computer Engineering, Science and English were among some of the answers. For Soto, now a famous American poet, novelist and playwright, Geography was his major in college — not due to his interest in the subject, but because he thought it would be the easiest option.

While Soto has now published over 40 books, he came from very humbled beginnings: graduating high school with a 1.6 GPA and furthering his education at Fresno City College.

Soto majored in Geography believing that it would be an easy subject, but was soon surprised to learn that, in fact, it was not. Upon receiving his first assignment in one of his classes, Soto realized that he was struggling to compose an essay.

“I showed up not knowing how to write,” explained Soto when recalling

his community college experience.

His lack for writing skills abruptly changed after he was rejected by a girl he had fancied in college and took to poetry in an effort to “mend a broken heart.” From that point on, Soto immersed himself into poetry, novels and plays until writing his own pieces that are well known today.

Among some of his popular works are play “Nerdlandia,” children’s illustrated picture book “Chato’s Kitchen,” and proverb novel “Meatballs for the People: Proverbs to Chew on.” One piece that Soto focused on during his presentation was his poem “Oranges,” an adolescent love story about the first time he had gone on a date.

Receiving admiration from younger readers, Soto showed a video a tenyear-old fan had used Lego figures in a recreation of the poem.

Young audiences have not only created videos based on Soto’s writing, but have also been in some of his plays. One of his recent musicals, “In See SOTO, page 6

Pitt park gets a facelift

By AZI CARTER

acarter@lmcexperience.com

Photo courtesy of IMDb

Chris Hemsworth as Thor in “Thor: Ragnarok.”

‘Ragnarok’ is comedic

By D’ANGELO JACKSON Staff Writer

“Thor: Ragnarok,” the third film in the Thor franchise and unlike its predecessors, is astonishingly comedic in tone throughout. Not to say that none of the past Mar vel films have ever offered any laughs, but one of the film’s biggest pulls without a doubt is it’s rapid-fire jokes and constant situational humor.

In this inclusion to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Chris Hemswor th) finds himself thrown across the other side of the universe, fighting for his life on an alien planet, all the while his home

REVIEW

world Asgard is under violent takeover.

The new villain is Hela the Goddess of Death (Cate Blanchett), in addition to new cast member Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). Returning to the central cast of characters are Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) in supporting roles for the hero, whom for one reason or another find themselves all on the same planet as Thor.

Ragnarok is definitely one of the biggest formula breakers to come from the MCU a necessary development for a film that is to be both the 17th in an ongoing franchise and original all at once.

See THOR, page 6

More than 200 volunteers from Kaiser Permanente, First 5 Contra Costa, East County Regional Group (ECRG) and the city of Pittsburg did their part in helping local area kids by building a new playground together.

The volunteers gathered Saturday, Nov. 11 to construct the new play structure at City Park on Railroad Ave & E 17 Street in Pittsburg.

LMC student Abisola Ishola decided to make her mark in the community by volunteering for this event as a representative of Alpha Gamma Sigma.

“This was the perfect event for me to help ser ve the community by impacting the lives of children,” Ishola said.

“It was really cool seeing how the individual components that we were working on came together to make a uniform playground.”

KaBOOM! Project Manager Brian McNamara welcomed the volunteers with coffee and

Experience • Azi Carter

Volunteers lift materials and hold up poles during the playground’s construction. breakfast burritos. KaBOOM! is a national non-profit dedicated to giving kids in poverty in America – a childhood filled with balance and active play, so they can thrive.

Having collaborated with par tners to build, open or improve more than 16,700 playgrounds and having served 8.5 million kids, they have created places to play and they continually work to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy and productive lives.

“It felt good knowing that we helped create a space where kids could go out and have fun,” said Ishola.

City Park was chosen for this project because it is in a low-income area in Pittsburg, has a high concentration of young children and was identified as being in need of priority improvements by First 5/ECRG’s Pittsburg Parks Assessment.

The city is also continually reviewing its parks and play structures to determine what

improvements can be made, according to a recent press release from First Five Contra Costa. The playground is estimated to impact the lives of 1,600 kids in Pittsburg.

That same press release stated “a playground is more than a playground.

It’s a brain-expander, friend maker, and muscle-builder. Play is central to a child’s ability to grow into a productive adult.”

To learn more about the park and its mission, visit kaboom.org.

L O S

M EDAN OS

C OL L E G E

Sports

Quotable

E X P E R I E N C E

FRIDAY,

NOV.

17,

2017

5

“Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you.”

— Arnold Palmer

Experience • Eric Perez

Los Medanos College men’s basketball team members work on their shooting technique in the main gym during one of their practice sessions on Tuesday.

BBall strives for consistency

By JESUS CANO Staff Writer

The sounds of rainy afternoons and the frosty feeling of freezing temperatures are coming soon, but that won’t affect what is going to happen on the hardwood under the roof of the Los Medanos College gymnasium as men’s basketball gears up for the 2017-2018 season.

The Mustangs concluded last season on a hot streak in conference play, winning 13 of their final 14 matches played while maintaining a 13-3 Bay Valley Conference record. However, head coach Derek Domenichelli said that the team will be a going through regrouping phase, as they return no starters from last season. But as always the expectation for him remains the

same this year, and that is to win.

“I’m looking ver y positive towards the season,” Domenichelli said. “We have a very good group of returning guys but it’s going to be a matter of getting the chemistry bugs out the first couple of tournaments.”

Quincy Smith is one of those returning players. He racked up nine points per game and teammates describe him as one of the most hardworking players.

Paul Oha is a player who also received a lot time on the court according to Domenichelli.

Oha stands tall at 6-foot-6 and averaged eight points per game.

In addition, Domenichelli said Demauriaye Smith, Andrew Hall and Oshe White are also

Redemption season

returning players that capable of making an impact, this year.

Domenichelli explaned that a key component for the Mustangs’ success last year was their great team chemistry. Current players strongly believe it is up to par with last year.

“The chemistry is pretty great,” Oha said.

“We just have to pick it up where we left off last season.”

Domenichelli points out two standout players who were recruited out of high school to play for the Stangs: Raahzel Watkins from College Park in Pleasant Hill and Raydale Robinson from Deer Valley in Antioch.

During his tenure at DV, Robinson racked up 10 points per game and lead his team in

rebounds per game with six.

Watkins averaged 16.4 points per game and 3.2 assists at CP, while also helping the his alma mater Falcons to a league title his junior year, the same season he won the Diablo Valley Athletic League MVP. Despite this being his first year at the community college level, Watkins has high expectations for his new team.

“I like LMC’s play style, it’s fast paced and suits my game better.” Watkins said. “I feel like this season we can go undefeated because our team is stacked.”

The Mustangs’ path to another strong season will officially begin with conference play Thursday, Nov. 30.

Soccer second in the Bay Valley

By JONATHAN LITTLE Staff Writer

The Los Medanos College women’s soccer team ended the 2017 season in second place with an overall record of 12-6-2 after recovering from a slow 0-3-1 start. It was an impressive turnaround for a team that just a year ago finished at the bottom of the Bay Valley Conference with a record of 2-11.

Sophomores Vanessa Kualapai and Autumn Kish led this year’s team, along with a supporting cast in Sydney Torrano, Emma Spears and Norma Jara Ruiz.

The three losses at the beginning of the season came when the Mustangs were still trying to build chemistry and find the fire they needed to win games.

The team found its stride and was able to pick up big wins in the second half of the season, keeping the Stangs in the hunt

for one of the top two spots in the Bay Valley Conference.

“I’m very proud for how this season ended, and how we came together as a team,” said first captain Kualapai, explaining how well the team grew together and how they kept having fun playing the game they all loved.

“I think in the first half we were still learning how to play with one another, and once the second half came around, we started to connect, and everything started to click,” she continued.

Once that happened, the Mustangs went on a wild ride, going on a seven game win streak to end the season after finding themselves at 5-6-2. “We ended up really bonding on and off the field,” said second captain Kish.

Throughout the season, the key factor to the team’s success was the connection every player had with one another. For those

Bound for the playoffs

able to watch the team from the sidelines, there was never a dull moment. There were laughs and smiles all around before, during, and after the game. One thing head coach Zach Sullivan preached to the team toward the end of the season was to “play each game like it’s your last.”

The players took it to heart, and it was off to the races for the Mustangs as they scored a total of 28 goals during their winning streak.

The sophomores left their mark, but the future will depend on returning freshman coming back to play for next year’s team as it is their turn to lead the team to battle.

“I think the way we finished will give the returners the confidence boost they need to do Experience • Cathie Lawrence well and it’ll give new players hope on doing even better than Los Medanos College midfielder Adriana Urrutia battles with a Marin we did next season,” said Kish. Mariners defender during the Stangs’ 1-0 victory at home on Oct.27.

Stangs fall to Folsom Lake

By CARLOS RUIZ Staff Writer

After last year’s win/loss record of 2-12, the Mustang women hope to have a more successful campaign in the 2017-18 season, and looked to create success on the court as they faced the Folsom Lake College Falcons in a scrimmage at home, Wednesday night. Yet they were unable to grab the win in the end and lost 61-73.

As they prepare for the first Bay Valley conference game of the season against Solano College Dec. 20, the Stangs Experience • Eric Perez worked to hone their game Los Medanos College against Folsom College from the Big 8 conference. The guard Elsa Ross.

Mustangs started the first ed sophomore guard Eleanor quarter strong and fast with all Matson getting a rebound players exhibiting their strong and putting it in the hoop by dribbling and ball control, solid herself and sophomore guard Experience • Cathie Lawrence passing and many offensive Chrysta Ray keeping the ball The Los Medanos College volleyball and football teams’ impressive performances all season lead them both rebounds, but they were unable in play to pass it to Buggs for to capitalize on plays close to another layup. However it to clinch a spot in the playoffs. While the women’s volleyball team’s 18-8 record may have fell just behind the rim. They finally got their wasn’t enough to gain control in Solano in the Bay Valley Conference,it still took them into the state playoffs (above is Ashley Dixon vs. Yuba). first point in the game after The opponent and location of the first match has yet to be decided, but will take place Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. After freshman guard Adora Buggs the first quarter, which ended finishing second in the American-Pacific 7 conference with a 3-2 record and a stellar 5-0 record against non- quickly drove down the court with the score at 8-19.

Things started to pick up conference opponents, the team (top photo vs. San Jose) will play in the Living Breath Foundation Bowl vs. for a layup. for the Stangs in the second the Merced Blue Devils Saturday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. in Rabobank Stadium in Salinas.

Other early key plays includSee BBALL, page 6

L O S

M EDAN OS

C OL L E G E

Backtalk

LGBTQ From page 1

of Baruch Porras-Hernandez, Irene Tu, Alexandria Love, Wonder Dave and Natasha Muse. Originally, the poster listed a performer named Luna Malbroux and omitted Love, but the aforementioned roster was the one that performed.

Professor Liz Green worked with Porras-Hernandez — a personal friend of hers that she met in the Bay Area poetry slam community — to recruit the other four acts, most of which had ties to either Green or Porras-Hernandez via the same community.

The per formers comic styles were as diverse as their backgrounds, and all touched in some way upon their personal experiences as members of the LGBTQ+ community and/or being persons of color.

There was no distinct crowd favorite, but almost every joke and anecdote drew a roaring applause from the attendees.

After the performances, most of the comedians gath-

ered in the center of the Little Theater for a panel discussion in which they took turns answering questions from the audience.

One of the first questions was how the performers became interested in stand-up.

Dave cited George Carlin and the Comedy Central “Gay Comedy Hour” as influences, noting that the latter aired before his parents came home and gave him an early sense of self and inspiration. Love talked about growing up in a “stand-up heavy household” watching the Kings of Comedy Tour, stating “Def Comedy Jam” performer Bernie Mac as a specific inspiration.

Por ras-Her nandez described his experiences growing up around hilarious cousins and older relatives, dealing with stage fright and eventually getting into open mic nites with a friend.

Muse talked about her time performing in a burlesque-type show and eventually coming to prefer performing on the mic to performing as a dancer.

As the questions came in,

NASA

the performers all got the chance to share some personal stories about not only their journeys as performers but also as people.

“I think being gay made me funny,” Dave said in response to a question about how coming out changed the performers’ lives. He revealed that growing up in a small town, he was the first person to ever be publicly out at his local high school.

“Maybe not the best decision,” he laughed in retrospect, “But someone’s gotta do it, and I’m a very angry teenager… [because of this, today] I don’t own a bait and tackle shop in Wisconsin.”

“For a split second, I had one thing in common with this guy I never would have spoken to otherwise,” Love stated, describing a moment after a politically-charged show held a few weeks after the November 2016 presidential election in which an audience member approached her to respectfully air some grievances they had with the material, which led to a discussion between the two.

Another question asked was how the performers go about more sensitive topics in their routines.

“My rule for comedy is… it’s not funny if it’s not honest to you as a person,” Love answered.”

“To be honest, I’m not super sure I’m there yet,” Porras-Hernandez admitted, describing a few jokes that landed badly at previous events and stating that he hopes to one day be able to take on serious issues, like mental health, in an entertaining yet tactful manner. “Do I have an eating disorder?” he questioned jokingly.

“I record my sets and listen to them,” Dave said. “Sometimes even changing one word can make a joke more or less offensive.” He also described a technique he calls “couching”, in which he places newer material in the middle of sets so that if a hit-or-miss joke misses, it doesn’t cause the whole show to start (or end) on a flat note.

One of the last questions was if the comedians ever

N O V.

17,

2017

6

felt pressure to address, or avoid, LGBTQ+ issues in their stand-up — whether their own personal ones or larger community ones.

“Yes, depending on the room and the gigs I want,” Porras-Hernandez said, describing a show done in Santa Rosa attended mostly by ‘old white couples’.

“None of the immigrant stuff worked… they weren’t feeling the gay stuff,” he said. “I made fun of myself running as a fat guy and they loved that.”

Muse described a feeling of having to upfront with her gender identity in some shows, and sidelined it in others.

“I wanna know that you know that I know… that I’m trans,” she said adding, “Sometimes there’s a pressure to expand and talk about things outside of that when I do queer shows.”

“When I do queer shows,” Love stated, “I tend to be [the only or one of the few] bisexual people on the lineup.” She went on to describe how early in her career, she sometimes felt the need to

he urged.

While he was applying for over a decade, Hernández used his degree to start working at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a Scientist Engineer on their nuclear non-proliferation program.

An opportunity came up to work in the newly formed at the time Russian Federation for five years as a nuclear scientist, and Hernández leapt at it, even taking classes on Russian language and culture to prepare, after hearing on National Public Radio that the United States and Russia would soon be collaborating on a space project that eventually became the International Space Station.

“It didn’t take a rocket scientist, even though I was one, [to see] that we were going to work with the Russians in space,” Hernández joked.

The unique experience gave him the edge to finally make it into NASA after nine applications.

But out of 100 finalists, only 15 eventually become astronauts ever y year, and Her nández went through the finalist program three times before making it to the 15 — meaning it took him 12 applications overall.

“Part of the advice I want to give to kids,” Hernández stated during the same interview, “is when you pick a goal, make sure you enjoy the journey.”

During the more-than-a-decade-long process of applying to become an astronaut, Hernández never stopped enjoying the “journey,” from becoming a certified scuba diver to moving to Russia for five years, and took great pride in his work at the laboratory.

“It wasn’t a bad consolation prize if I didn’t get selected,” he stated with a smile.

Retired from NASA, Hernández, when not making celebrity appearances like the one at LMC, works as the President and CEO of his own engineering LLC, Tierra Luna.

“Anything is possible in life if you put your mind and effort to it,” he encouraged.

“Including reaching the stars, like I did,” he said.

Hernández runs a Twitter account, @Astro_Jose where he holds the honor of being the first person tweet from space in Spanish.

but of those eight speakers, all included different races, genders and ages.

“Those eight fell in our lap,” explained Huffman, adding, “What’s amazing about that is the diversity” that naturally occurred.

Commencing the evening with a speech about entrepreneurship, Nilton Ser va explained that he used to live in the streets and often found himself getting into trouble. Due to this, Serva was incarcerated twice but instead of letting that defeat him, he spent his jail time reading and focusing on his personal development.

Growing up in the streets and getting incarcerated “preparing me for such a task that I thought was impossible,” said Serva. “Entrepreneurship was meant for me.”

Hannah Siddiqui was the next speaker and she discussed how her food allergies made her conscious of living a sustainable lifestyle.

“Growing up I ate pretty much everything without a care in the world,” recalled Siddiqui, later stating that since having food allergies she is not only cautious about what she puts in her body, but how it impacts the environment.

“This is about more than just my health.”

Switching it up from environmental health to military strategies, intelligence analyst Dale Satre took the stage to bring light on foreign policy between the U.S. and China.

Combining his interests in international relations with economics, Satre gave a constructed analysis of the possible future that the U.S. could face when China further expands their military.

“We have to realize that China is not invincible,” Satre emphasized. “The U.S. is still #1, but we have to be content with no longer being the sole super power in the world.”

After a short break between speeches, featuring a TEDx video and food and beverages for guests, the evening reconvened with LMC professor Daniel Beaver. With a lot of experience in the field of marriage and family counseling, Beaver talked about how the digital world invades inter-personal connections.

“Everywhere you go, you see

screens,” said Beaver, adding that this is the new normal – and that is the issue. “People are avoiding real contact,” Beaver continued. “We have a major disconnect.

Beaver wrapped up his TED talk by suggesting that people who suffer from a disconnect due to technology share their feelings and celebrate their emotions with their friends, family and partners.

The Latinx culture was discussed and celebrated by Hailey Solares’ in her TED talk about cultural acceptance in America. Passionate about international relations and a member of the Latinx community, Solares brought light to the many benefits that the Latinx culture brings to the U.S. including bettering the economy and making up a large portion of the work force.

Despite the benefits that the Latinx culture brings to America, “many still feel marginalized and looked down upon,” explained Solares, adding that it is important to accept all cultures and celebrate what they offer.

“Culture is so vital to our lives.”

While discussing some Nazi comparisons to present day America, Al-ameen Ishola maintained a focus on the impor tance of acceptance between races in his presentation on the future of race relations.

Throwing his U.S. passport on the ground at the beginning of his speech, Ishola stated that he was not born in America, but unlike many of the people who were born in the country, he is not afraid to discuss the topic of racial issues and hopes that after his speech, other people can do the same.

“My willingness to toss [his passport] away like that, symbolizes my willingness to have a candid conversation about Americas history and its horrors.”

Bringing light to a hyper-local and global issue, Brianna Visaya discussed the effects of agricultural run-off and pollution in the Bay Area’s own Delta ecosystem. Due to poor water quality and other factors, invasive plant species are now abundant in the Delta — that same phenomenon present in many ecosystems

around the world.

“Our actions, no matter how big or small, impact the environment in some way,” she emphasized.

Finishing off the evening with a comedic take on her disability, LMC Counselor Nina Ghiselli cracked jokes about her stutter, but also brought light to the struggles that she and other people with disabilities face. Growing up with her stutter and receiving backlash from both friends and teachers in school, Ghiselli felt like she had “a voice that wasn’t being heard.”

Ghiselli compared having a stutter to an iceberg, stating that what most people see is the top half of the iceberg, but the par t submerged under water contains all of the painful emotions that come with dealing with the disability. While she once had an “iceberg” filled with sad emotions on her disability, she had now overcome those feelings and encourages other people suffering with those emotions to do the same.

“Each of us who has a disability needs to look at the icebergs that we have and the icebergs that we want to transform into,” said Ghiselli.

“All of you whether or not you stutter or have a disability… you need to analyze the projections and the stigmas that you might hold.”

As the evening came to a close, all TEDx speakers rejoined on the stage for a final round of applause. In appreciation for their efforts, TEDx coordinators Arcidiacono and Huffman were given large bouquets of flowers from the LMC community. Following the night’s closure, speakers, coordinators and audience members all congregated outside of the Recital Hall in celebration of the evening.

One of the many gathered in the excited crowd, LMC President Bob Kratochvil congratulated speakers and talked amongst others in the LMC community. Upon giving praise to Ghiselli, she jokingly asked Kratochvil, “Am I fired?” due to her uncut and honest speech. With a hearty and genuine laugh, Kratochvil responded “no!”

To watch the stream of the TEDx event, visit losmedanos. edu/

From page 4 ing revolves around Hispanic characters — or in the case of his short story “La Guera,” a white girl named Pricilla who adopts Mexican culture.

In this novel, Pricilla’s parents send her away to Wisconsin to “be white again” and to her families surprise, Pricilla not only maintains the Mexican culture that she has inherited, but even influences her Wisconsin family members to adopt the same.

Soto explained that Pricilla, like many of his characters, is not flawless, but that’s what makes his stories so intriguing.

“As a Mexican-American writer, I don’t want to make my characters perfect,” said

Soto, adding that he in fact “aims to make them imperfect” becasue pefrect characters are not interesting.

Able to detail very personalized characters and context in his stories, Soto explained to the audience that he gathers much of his inspiration from the real world.

Writing about many subjects from DREAMers to innocent first dates — Soto encouraged the audience filled with aspiring writers and literature lovers, to do as he did: work hard and draw inspiration from real world experiences.

“If you’re not out and about experiencing life, you stay stale,” said Soto.

‘overcompensate’ for that, and also talked about times she was booed ‘like crazy’ at LGBTQ+ events for mentioning that she is bisexual.

“I have to be very precise with my jokes about sexuality,” she continued. “I try to think a lot about what I want to get out of that joke.”

Overall, the panel discussion was very insightful and inspiring to many audience members, and the performance itself was a hit.

“For a free show, that was really great,” LMC student Kenneth Prado said after the show, adding that Muse was his favorite performer.

“I appreciated the diversity… of all the comedians,” beamed student Mary Abusafieh. “I really liked them all, I felt like I could relate to them all.”

Porras-Hernandez, Dave, Tu and Muse can be found on Twitter at @baruchisonfire @TeamWonderDave @ irene_tu and @NatashaMuse.

Searching the name of any of the comedians yields other profiles and videos for each.

From page 4

BAND

From page 4

Follow the LMC Experience online at lmcexperience.com

THOR

From page 1

SOTO and Out of Shadows” tells the tale of a young Hispanic girl who was discovered as an undocumented immigrant at the San Francisco International Airport.

The song “Just Fourteen” is one of the big tracks of the musical and it displays the heartbreaking emotions she, and many other DREAMers feel about immigration policies.

This musical had a strong emotional connection with Soto, he himself grew up in a poor Hispanic neighborhood in Fresno and had witnessed the struggles that immigrants endured.

Due to Soto’s Hispanic background, much of his writ-

F R I D AY,

TED

From page 1

before finally being assigned a role in a space mission as an astronaut.

“You can’t give up on yourselves,” he said. In addition to his father’s five-step recipe for lifelong success, Hernández told the audience of his personal three-stage plan to accomplish an individual goal — the first stage being to find out the minimum requirements.

Hernández did just that.

After graduating high school in Stockton, he attended University of the Pacific in Stockton as an electrical engineering major.

“I was getting my butt kicked that first year,” Hernández stated in an interview.

Describing himself as a “product of public education,” he explained that “it wasn’t easy” adapting to the private school environment, and holding down a full time job, sometimes two or more jobs, while doing it.

After years of hard work, Hernández eventually graduated with a 3.5 GPA and transferred to the University of California Santa Barbara for post-graduate education with a full-ride scholarship — work no longer needed.

Just going to school wasn’t enough, however, Hernández revealed during the speech.

“I got the first rejection letter, I expected it,” he stated. “But then I got the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth… and I thought, wow, I must be doing something wrong.”

Hernández implemented the second stage of his plan, which is to compare oneself to “successful people” or the people who have already achieved your goal — see what they are doing, or did, that you are not, or have not.

Hernández looked at successful NASA program applicants and noticed that everyone else was a pilot, so he became a pilot.

When that still didn’t get him accepted, he looked again and saw everyone was scuba certified, so he himself got not only basic certification, but advanced and even rescue certification to be competitive.

But that still wasn’t enough.

Hernández had to move on to the third stage of his plan, which is to rise to the top.

“Do things that distinguish you from the competition,”

Web

E X P E R I E N C E

Heritage High School director Steve Ernest explained that when he first approached his students with the piece they told him, “We can’t do this” because it was simply too overwhelming.

But over time they continued, “chipping away at it” piece by piece and in the last few weeks before the event Ernest said that it “really started to sparkle.”

Carla Santos, a freshman from the Heritage orchestra, expressed similar sentiments.

She admitted that in the beginning she “didn’t know half the things in the music”.

The collaboration was a learning curve for her. Over

the span of the semester she learned what tempo and pit staccato were, as well as how to sight-read, but playing next to a college student encouraged Santos because it gave her someone to look up to.

Julianne George, Alhambra’s director, described the phenomena she was seeing in her own students.

“When you’re sitting next to someone better than you, it’s like sports,” Julianne said. “All of a sudden you’re playing at an accelerated rate.”

The night was an impressive feat for ever yone involved and Dr. Zuniga succeeded at bringing together “a community through music.”

Upfront the movie is an action-comedy and a complete blast throughout, credit due of course to the material being handled by director Taika Waititi who is no stranger to directing comedy. Not to mention the amazing comedic timing of the cast, and for having some of the most exhilarating action scenes in the MCU yet.

But the same comedy that might make it so appealing can easily be its biggest drawback. Several gags and character quips are sandwiched between some of the film’s quieter moments, creating a few pacing problems and a bit of mood-whiplash at times. For instance there is the preoccupation with side-plots, reconciling the arcs of others characters, and eliminating past characters without any proper sendoff or later mention.

Through-and-through the entire movie was straightforward about being an action-comedy while never pretending to be anything else even in it’s more precious scenes, begging the question, ‘are any of the scenes in question negligible in the context of the rest of the movie?’ The answer to that question is ‘yes,’ they are completely forgivable.

Overall it’s a great viewing experience and one of the best superhero movies yet.

Impressive considering that the reputation of past Thor movies middle in popularity when compared to other superhero movies, elevating this one to something far above being filler in the Marvel canon.

BBALL From page 5

quarter, as it began with multiple instant offense rebounds, a quick stolen pass by Buggs sent to Ray for a finish, and a lob assist to freshman guard Alanis Lara.

The crowd erupted in loud cheers as the team got close to overcoming the deficit, yet the Falcons kept finding opportunities to add more to the lead. In the dying seconds of the second quarter, a late layup by Buggs got the crowd excited and lead to a halftime score of 25-28.

As the third quarter opened, the Falcons kept finding ways to the basket while scoring eluded the Mustangs despite solid steals and passing. They continued to show hard work and a never-give-up attitude, but still continued to fell behind as the third quarter ended at 42-50.

The Folsom Lake offense couldn’t be stopped in the four th, but the Mustangs showed heart by never giving up no matter how far behind they found themselves from the first to last minute of the game Eventually it all ended with a final score of 61-73.

The team’s next game is on the road Nov. 30 against De Anza College at Modesto Junior College.

Their next home game is against Gavilan College, Dec. 5. For more information on the women’s basketball team, visit http://www.losmedanos.edu/ basketball/womens.asp