PB Magazine April 2015

MAGAZINE April 2015 Edition

NEWS SPORTS LIFESTYLE FEATURES

ARE WE READY FOR HILLARY? York College students sound off on what they think on what they think about the Democratic candidate and her taking up her campaign residency in Brooklyn page 5

New Tech, New Features Excite Following the release of the Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy S6 will be hitting the market next month with all new designs and features. Queens residents are loving it.

Apple Smartwatch released on March 9th to much fanfare and positive reviews. The watch’s design is much like a traditional watch, but what makes the device special is its innovative features. Apple Watch has “Apple Pay” which allows users to manage online mobile payments without needing your computer by your side. Samsung’s answer to the Apple Watch seems to be the Galaxy S6, which will be released next month and has two editions; the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy Edge.

The S6 has the sharpest pixels of any smartphone in the market now which allows for advanced picture quality, and one of the most awaited techniques the Galaxy finally has is the fingerprint scanner, which Apple first introduced with the Iphone 5s. Smartphone users find fingerprint scanning very convenient, it saves time from entering a passcode and gives smartphone users the assurance that only they will get into their phones.

From: Samsung.com

The S6 has the sharpest pixels of any smartphone in the market now which allows for advanced picture quality, and one of the most awaited techniques the Galaxy finally has is the fingerprint scanner, which Apple first introduced with the Iphone 5s. Smartphone users find fingerprint scanning very convenient, it saves time from entering a passcode and gives smartphone users the assurance that only they will get into their phones.

The S6 will also include a brand new charger that doesn’t require an outlet, the charger will be a wireless port. Without the outlet you can charge your phone anywhere.

The Edge will provide android customers with a curved Galaxy S6, the grip will be easy to hold and the bonus feature will be the night clock which allows the customers to see the time for a set period of the day but those features will come at a price, The curve will sell for more than the regular S6.

Benjamin Chase, a Psychology major here at York, currently owns a Galaxy S5.

“I can’t wait to get the Galaxy S6 Edge, the functions look amazing and the curved design is very good,” he said. “I’m not an iPhone user but the Galaxy S6 Edge suits me but it just cost a bit more.” The Galaxy S6 is listed as $500.00 and the S6 Edge is about $600.00 Jason Chen, T-Mobile employee, isn’t caught up between team “Galaxy S6 is a great phone as of now and I also have an Apple watch so I can’t wait to see the Galaxy S6 Edge.”

From: Apple.com

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Women’s Softball Lacks Chemistry, says Teammates

T

he current Disney television lineup leaves much to be desired. Disney seems to be putting out some silly, unfunny sitcoms that are not really that entertaining.

Yet, as we see all the time in entertainment, there is a flash of pure brilliance. And a cartoon named Gravity Falls is just that, a brilliant creation.

Gravity Falls is a cartoon that follows twins Dipper and Mabel through their summer vacation with their Great Uncle Stan at his “Mystery Shack” in Gravity Falls, Oregon. Gravity Falls seems normal on the surface but then Dipper finds a mysterious journal containing information on all of the towns darker secrets.

Gravity Falls is a blessing for the Disney Channel. The animation is amazingly fluid, the background art is drawn fantastic and the writing and humor is smart. It doesn’t make kids feel like they’re idiots and treats them like adults. This helps bring in people who are outside of the young target demographic. The interactivity with its fans is also one of a kind. There are puzzles and secret codes in the episodes themselves that allows fans to be immersed in the cartoon.

Series Creator Alex Hirsch has said that he loves it when fans get involved and analyze and look for clues. Things are working better when viewers make up theories about the show. He even leaked a fake image of a huge spoiler just to throw fans off. This type of cartoon has never been seen before on the Disney Channel. If you were to try to come with any comparisons it would come close to a mix between the monster of the week type Scooby-Doo and the almost over the top humor of My Little Pony.

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or the Women’s Softball team its seems that the season has been a long one. Over the last twenty games the team has managed to accumulate the record of 2-18. With a roster of the nine players they seem to out of their elements. Speaking to a couple of players the frustration is evident.

“We should be playing a lot better, as a team we have no chemistry. We’re nine deep and some of the players do not take the games or practice seriously” said Darlene Judan who is one of the go to pitchers for the Cardinals.

When asked about the depth of the team and how it plays into the overall performance she was honest.

“We know what we have and we have to figure out what are strengths and weakness are as team. People have to step up and play hard, I put my all in every game. After every game ice is completely necessary” she continued.

As bad as the record may seem optimism can be seen within the performance of the team. After going 0-18, the team has won two in a row and with six games left in the season they can use these last couple games as experience and maybe even try to

win out.

“As a team we don’t really know how to win. And having gone through the same situation and slowly improving in high school, I know that it is something that needs work” said Judan.

Team captain, Karen Werner also feels that the team needs to learn how to win.

“We have a lot to do if we plan to get any better. It all starts with practice and the work you put in” Werner stated.

Attempts to contact the coach Tracy Marshall by phone, email and appointments were unsuccessful. With everything that the team is enduring this season, it could all be a blessing. They say experience is irreplaceable, well surely losing eighteen game in a season could be a memory that is unforgettable.

Judan, who was not apart of the team last season which went abysmal 7-21 is already tired of the losing.

“Everyone needs to step up if change is something we expect. This is not something I am use too and if the we as a team want better results we have to band together and take this a game at a time” stated Judan.

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n April 12, former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, began her presidential campaign for 2016.

Clinton, who was also a former US senator and first lady, has a video titled “Getting Started” on her new campaign website which shows middle class families talking about their current lives and getting ready for what’s coming, Clinton doesn’t appear until the end of the video.

In the video, Hillary has pledged to be a “champion” for the everyday American and their families.

“I’m running for president,” she said. “So I’m hitting the road to earn your vote.” With the video, Clinton’s team sent a memo to the press to explain what her strategy will be for the first few weeks of her campaign. According to Business Insider, the memo was also very specific about her team wanting to “avoid the impression of an entitled juggernaut and instead have a `grassroots’ effort that is `about voters, not her.’”

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here was also a email that was sent to the press which described what some of her strategy process will be during the “ramp up” stage in the beginning of her campaign.

“She’s committed to spending the next 6 to 8 weeks in a `ramp up’ period where her team will start to build a nationwide grassroots organization, and she will spend her time engaging directly with voters,” the email said. “In May, once her supporters in all 50 states are organized for house parties or to watch over live-streams, Hillary will hold her first rally and deliver the speech to kick off her campaign.”

Clinton has already leased two floors of office space on Clinton street in Brooklyn where she will base her campaign.

Clinton ran into some issues mid-March after it had been revealed that she had used a private domain for her official work while she was at the State Department, she claimed that it was due to convenience, but she also admitted that “it would have been better” to use multiple emails. Clinton held a news conference to respond to the email controversy so that she would

be able to keep democratic voters on her side.

“I saw it as a matter of convenience, and it was allowed,” said Clinton at a press conference. “Others had done it. According to the State Department, which recently said Secretary Kerry was the first secretary of state to rely primarily on a state.gov e-mail account. And when I got there, I wanted to just use one device for both personal and work e-mails, instead of two. It was allowed.” Her candidacy has not been affected in any way and she’s leaving it up to voters to support and trust her to be President in 2016.

Other candidates who have announced their 2016 White House bid are members from the Republican party, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida).

From the Democratic standpoint, aside from Clinton, some potential candidates include Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley (D), former Senator Jim Webb (D-Virginia) and former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee (D).

Do you think Hillary is a good candidate?

“Definitely, Hillary Clinton is a good candidate for presidency since she is already a politician and she has many years of experience in that field in general and she knows about American policy and the foreign policy as well. As the wife of [former] president Clinton, she knows a lot.”

Adam Rida, 20, Aviation

“Yes I do, I just don’t really like her foreign policy. She has turned a blind eye to a lot of bad things that have happened overseas like the use of drones as she was Secretary of State so you should claim some kind of responsibility for something like that. I’m probably going to vote independent.”

Katherina Thompson, 22, Communication Technology

“I think Hillary is a good candidate because she is the wife of Clinton and I think she has years on top of years of experience and I think because Clinton was such a good president, I really think and am hoping he will be behind her pushing certain things.”

Tiffany Gordon, 27, Interdisciplinary Studies April 2015 PB Magazine 6

Open Mic Night at York Gets Widespread Attention, Praise from Faculty

Irshaad Ismail Hosting the Pek Open Mic Event at York College, Photo Taken By: Marvin Duarte

York students gathered at the African American

Resource Center (AARC) on an early Tuesday afternoon for the Pek Open Mic event to spectate, perform, laugh, applaud, and support each other through art.

Much of the performers at the event presented some of their favorite poems like “To One Who Is Too Cheerful” by Charles Baudelaire read by Eric Ortiz 22, an occupational therapy major at York College.

“This poem is a lot less filthy and a lot more about the dark, shameful, painful, bizarre, and bitter negativity” said Ortiz “Towards someone who radiates light and love and the desire to somehow “get even” with them because you’re actually humiliated by how much better they are than you, and I think that’s something unhealthy that doesn’t get spoken about very often.”

Anneisa Hussain 21. An English major at York College presented her own poem titled “The fall of the natives”. Hussain heard about the event last semester and decided to attend this most recent Pek Open Mic event since it peaked her interest.

The Pek Open Mic was held during club hours from 1-2pm on march 31st in the AARC room 3b04.

The event was sponsored by PI ETA Kappa, which 7 PB Magazine April 2015

Orael Sanchez (Right) and Jelitza Delgado (left) performing a musical montage Photo Taken By: Marvin Duarte

is York College’s academic fraternity and hosted by Irshaad Ishmail 20, an English major at York College.

“The idea came from an event I went to at the jamaica performing art center--it was an event where people had a platform to express what they loved about queens through storytelling or poetry or music,” Said Ishmail, “And I thought it would be interesting to implement something similar at York.”

As a host for the past couple of semesters Ishmail never got a chance to perform himself up until this most recent open mic event which, was one of his most rewarding experiences. He got his courage to perform from the rest of the participants to read his own poem aloud.

“When I performed that poem I wrote for my girlfriend who was sitting in the audience, it was the first time I ever performed a poem, but it was rewarding when

I saw the smile on her face and the encouragement of the rest of the audience.” Said Ishmail.

Aside from mostly poems being read aloud by fellow students some even took it upon themselves to perform music. Orael Sanchez 21, a Psychology major at York College with a Minor in music played the guitar as she sang along with her best friend Jelitza Delgado.

Sanchez and Delgado did a mash up of “I’m Not the Only One” by Sam smith, “Breakeven” by The Script, “Excuse My Rude” by Jessie J, and an untitled spoken song that Sanchez created. Sanchez stressed that as a team with Delgado they love mixing and mashing things and making it one big cohesive story.

“We like the reaction of “I never would have expected that... especially together... and the story you told in the process..” And if we can get that reaction while helping someone in the process or showing.

We were in a similar position, its all the more fun for us” said Sanchez, “This specific mash we had mixed a while ago because we liked how it sounded and we bent it so the overall story was “two girls cheated by the same person, but they’re better at the end of it... they don’t need someone that vile anyway... and now they have each other and they understand each other and are good friends despite the situation.”

Ever since the spring 2014 Irshaad has gotten at least 2 Open Pek Mic events to happen each semester.

Irshaad stressed that the event has gone down to once per semester because of the weeks of preparation that it requires and he hopes that after he graduates the events continue to grow with more participants and audience alike. Most students who attended the event feel that it should occur more frequently.

“I believe it should be hosted more because our school has such a diverse student population of talented students with hidden talents” Said Hussain, “They are able to open up their shells and express themselves in a positive way”

Eric Ortiz reading his poem to the audience, Photo Taken By: Marvin Duarte

More York College students performing musical montages for the Pek Open Mic event, Photo Taken By: Marvin Duarte

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