The Bull Magazine Spring/Summer 2013

THE BULL

A SUPPLEMENT OF THE ROUNDUP | SPRING & SUMMER 2013

Editorial Board:

Editor-in-Chief |

Managing Editor |

Photo Editor |

Asst. Photo Editor |

Copy Editor |

Natalee Ayala

Calvin Alagot

Lynn Levitt

Steve Palma

Michaia Hernandez

Staff:

Jorge Alvarado

Kristen Aslanian

Jeffrey Gonzalez

John Gutierrez

Tynisha Lewis

Teresa Leyva

Jeremy Nation

Evelia Rodriguez

Advisers:

Jill Connelly

Jeff Favre

Models:

Jorgi Gardiner

G’Monay Houston

Special Thanks: Julie Bailey, Stefanie Frith, Todd Rosenblatt, Jasson Bautista, Sean McDonald, Fariba Molavi, Joven Calingo, Doreen Clay and the Foundation for Pierce College

Editor’s Note: Thank you for picking up The Bull. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Tinseltown Treasure

The world-famous sign still stands strong after 90 years

The roots of the famous Hollywood sign are much deeper than the steel poles mounted on the hillside of Mount Lee.

Once a simple ad, the sign has grown in stature to the point that three organizations now care for it—the city of Los Angeles, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the Hollywood Sign Trust, according to Chris Baumgart, the trust’s chairman.

The Hollywood sign was first built in 1923. Harry Chandler created it as a promotional vehicle to sell single-family lots in an area called Hollywoodland.

The original letters were 50 feet tall and spanned more than 500 feet. The sign also featured 4,000 20-watt bulbs, spaced eight inches apart. At night the sign blinked—first “Holly,” then “wood,” and, finally, “land,” according to hollywoodsign.org.

The structure of the sign was originally built with telephone poles, wood and wire because the structure was only supposed to last for about two years, according to Marty Shelton, a member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

As the years went on, the sign went into disrepair, and there was no interest from the city in maintaining the Hollywood sign, Shelton said.

In 1949, the letters were falling down the hillside, and the neighbors asked the city to remove them,

according to a promotional video by the Hollywood Sign Trust. The city and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce decided to put up a new sign. This one would read simply “Hollywood.”

The Chamber of Commerce finally raised an estimated $250,000 to rebuild the sign in 1978.

“In 1977, Fleetwood Mac pledged a charity concert, but local residents prevented it,” according to historysign.org. “The next year, however, Hugh Hefner hosted a gala fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion, where individual sign letters were ceremonially auctioned off at $27,700 per letter.”

The new sign was rebuilt with steel girders and cement. Each of the nine letters stands 45 feet tall and spans 450 feet.

“The nice thing about this sign is that it’s not going anywhere. We’ve had earthquakes, wind storms, terrible weather, and that sign still sits there

Photo courtesy of the Hollywood Sign Trust

Story & Photos by Kristen Aslanian

The well-known Hollywood sign sits on top of Mount Lee, which is located in Griffith Park in Los Angeles.

standing strong,” Baumgart said.

The City of Los Angeles owns the land on Mount Lee and the sign. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, on the other hand, owns the rights to the image and the trademark of the nine-letter set. Lastly, the Hollywood Sign Trust is responsible for the maintenance and preservation of the sign, and for promotions of the image of Hollywood as a center of motion picture production worldwide, according to Baumgart.

The Hollywood sign is under constant surveillance, with cameras and a guard at the top of the hill.

“There are interesting events that have got us, where there is security for the Hollywood sign,” Shelton said. “Over the years, people have altered the sign. There was a point back in the 1970s when the Hollywood sign said Hollyweed for marijuana.”

It is illegal to approach the Hollywood sign because people have tried to climb the hill over the years to touch it. For that reason, the Hollywood Sign Trust has installed about 24 security cameras.

From its humble beginnings and fall into disrepair, to being named Los Angeles Cultural-Historical Monument #111 in 1973, to its ongoing role as moniker for the land of dreams, the Hollywood sign is one of the world’s most recognizable icons.

The Hollywood sign is built as an illuminated advertisement for an upscale real estate development. The sign read “Hollywoodland.”

The 13 50-foot high letters were decorated with 4,000 20-watt light bulbs that were spaced 8 inches apart. The total cost of the Hollywoodland sign was $21,000.

A struggling actress named Peg Entwhistle, 24, climbs to the top of the letter “H” and takes a swan dive into the hillside of Mount Lee.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce enters into a contract with the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Parks and Recreation to give the sign a complete makeover and remove the “land” so it would spell “Hollywood.” The cost of the repair and rebuild of the sign totals an estimated $4,000. The light bulbs were removed.

Gloria Swanson sponsors another makeover of the sign and the City’s Cultural Heritage Board declares the Hollywood sign as a historical landmark.

The old sign is demolished, and a new sign— four stories high, 450 feet long and weighing 480,000 pounds—makes its debut during Hollywood’s 75th anniversary celebration.

The sign is lit to celebrate the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The Hollywood Sign Trust is chartered as a California non-profit organization and given the tasks of maintaining and securing the sign, and promoting Hollywood as the center of the global entertainment industry.

American Film Institute and the Hollywood Sign Trust host the celebration of the 80th anniversary at the opening night of AFI Fest 2003.

Hugh Hefner, founder and chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises, organizes “Save the Peak” to raise funds to buy and protect the 138 acres behind the sign. In line with that, a starstudded press conference is held on top of Mount Lee.

The Hollywood sign remains a shining symbol and popular tourist spot in Los Angeles.

Source: hollywoodsign.org/press-room/fast-facts

View of the Hollywood sign through a sight telescope located on the second floor of the Hollywood and Highland Shopping Center.

FOO FIGHTERS’

TAYLOR HAWKINS

FIVE questions with FOO FIGHTERS’ TAYLOR

HAWKINS

The late 1990s was a special time for drummer Taylor Hawkins. He had landed a gig with Canadian singer Alanis Morissette. Soon after, Dave Grohl, the former drummer of Nirvana and founder of the Foo Fighters, asked Hawkins if he knew anyone who could fill his recently vacant drummer spot in his new band. Hawkins said, “me,” and the rest is history.

What was the defining moment in your life that you realized that life is a real thing versus the dream and naivety that we usually go forward with?

I spent my 20s trying to be a rock star and I spent my 30s trying not to be one. I think that when I sort of became successful to the level I dreamed of as a child and when I was younger, I never really thought it could happen. But when it really did happen and it got to that point, I realized that I am still the same, and nothing changed inside of me, and I was waiting for it to change and I think that kind of freaked me out a little bit. I thought this was going to be the answer to all my prayers. Once this happened I thought I would feel like a million bucks, and you don’t. Life isn’t like that. There is no one answer and no one defining thing that is going to say, “Oh you’re complete now. Your life is going to be great from now on.” It’s not like that. I thought that success was becoming a famous rock ‘n’ roll musician. And you are lost for a second. And then, you’re still just you and you know I get so much joy out of other things. I mean, I still get a lot of joy out of playing music. It’s awesome when you win a Grammy or your record does well. That’s really good. That means you did the work and somebody noticed it. I get just as much joy out of raising my children or going mountain biking. I really do actually.

Do you still have the Coattails?

I don’t right now. I’m not doing that right now. I stopped doing that right now. I am thinking about doing something else. It’s hard to find the time. Between the Foo Fighters and helping Dave with his movie project “Sound City”—we are talking about doing something with the Foo Fighters again—I don’t know if I’m going to have any time. I’m writing songs. Whether anyone will ever hear them, who knows?

OK, so you played for the Grammys and won how many Grammys and in the same week you played for the president of the United States.

I have performed for the president a couple of times actually. Yeah, we went to the White House and played on the Fourth of July three or four years ago, and we just did the Kennedy Center Honors, which the president was up for that too, honoring Led Zeppelin.

Did you get to speak with him?

Yes, I’ve met him a couple of times. You know what, I have actually played for the president three times. Excuse me. And, yes, it was the week of the Grammys. You are right! So, yes, I performed for him three times. I have met him a couple of times. He’s cool. His wife is really cool. She is the coolest. She is the bomb. She’s super cool. Yeah, it’s kind of fun having a hip president. He is a hip guy. He is cool, you know, and I think his heart is in the right place.

What message do you have for future musicians?

The only message that I have would be play music because you love music, not because you want to make money or be famous, because I’m here to tell you one thing. Fame is absolutely not going to fill your hole, and I have had little tiny bits of it. I’m on the low, low, low scale of fame, and it doesn’t do anything for you. And big fame seems like more problems for you. Who would want to be Brad Pitt? He can’t, like, go to Taco Bell. He can’t go to his favorite record store without being flanked by a bunch of people. That’s no good. So if you want to play music, play because you want to play music, not because you want to be rich and famous, because chances are you are not going to be rich and famous. If you get lucky like me, you may make a really good living, and that is luck and hard work, and all the hard work in the world does not mean it’s necessarily going to happen either. And that’s my message really, that you should play music because you love it. Because I will tell you one thing, if I worked at Home Depot or whatever, I’d still play music. I know I would. I’d have to!

Foo Fighters, featuring Taylor Hawkins on the drums, plays at the Pomona Fairgrounds for a Harley Davidson rally.

Weaving a path to success

Networking to the top of Atlantic Records

While he was going to school and waiting tables at a local restaurant, Kevin Weaver never expected to become the executive vice president of the iconic label Atlantic Records. His fairy tale story brings his passion to life.

While working one day, a good friend of Weaver’s asked him if he would be interested in an internship at International Creative Management (ICM), a talent agency.

“Yeah sure. I love music,” Weaver had

said to him.

“On my first day there I got tickets to a concert and a box of CDs,” he said.

Weaver stuck around.

“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he said.

Weaver was able to showcase himself and his work through the networking, and this is something that is common in the music industry, according to Wayne “Skip” Perkins, a music instructor at Pierce College.

“One skill that really needs to be developed other than music is networking, being able to go out and talk with people and promote themselves and being able to network with people,” Perkins said.

Weaver spent three years at ICM. From 1991 to 1993, he became passionate about his job.

It allowed him to grow and to get promoted, and it created future opportunities.

“I just kind of immersed myself more in it and continued on the path,” Weaver said.

While Weaver was in the Assistant/ Agent Trainee Program at ICM, he met many influential people.

“Networking is extremely important in this kind of business,” said Aidan Kiely, a music major at Pierce.

Jason Flom, who ran a label called Lava Records in the mid-1990s, mentored Weaver.

“He hired me as the second employee. I was the West Coast A&R [Artist and Repertoire] person,” Weaver said.

In 2005, Flom sold Lava Records to Atlantic, and was appointed chairman and

Atlantic Records Executive Vice President Kevin Weaver sits in the living room of his house, located in the hills south of Ventura Boulevard.

Story by Teresa Leyva

Photos by Lynn Levitt

CEO of the Atlantic Records Group and took Weaver with him.

By the time Weaver returned to Atlantic Records, he was the senior vice president. Weaver really got the ball rolling when he began working on major projects and collaborating with prominent people.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved with tons of fantastic projects,” Weaver said.

He was nominated twice for a Grammy for two soundtrack albums he put together for the HBO show “True Blood,” and he won for the best original soundtrack album for the HBO show “Boardwalk Empire.”

Weaver runs a tight ship, balancing work with family and still managing to be professional at all times.

“I work all the time, so ultimately there’s no real schedule to how crisis

evolves in my world. There are a lot of fires that need to be put out on a constant, daily basis. A lot of times I’ll have to deal with stuff on weekends and during the evenings, so I wouldn’t say it interferes with my personal life, but my job is my personal life,” Weaver said.

A common misconception people make is thinking that those in high-ranking jobs live a life that is laid back and all fun and games. It’s really the opposite. They are constantly on the chopping block, and all eyes are them. One wrong move and there goes their reputation.

“I’m honest, loyal and I’m trustworthy. Reputation is a critical component to your character and it’s very important that my reputation is consistent with who I believe I am as a person,” Weaver said. “I don’t think there’s anything I would want to

change about my job. I’m very fortunate I work for a great company. I’m very lucky to work with super talented incredible artists who are very talented and smart as well, and I’m pretty pleased with my job.”

From waiting tables, to working with some of the industry’s top artist, Weaver went with the flow and landed his dream job.

“I had no expectations. I just went into it like this is fun. I enjoy doing it and I’m just going to go down the road and kind of see what develops and where it leads,” Weaver said.

Weaver’s first day at ICM turned out to be the beginning of what became a path to the executive vice presidency of Atlantic Records. He continues to work hard on a daily basis, and he hopes to continue winning awards in the future.

Weaver’s 2011 Grammy award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media is displayed on top of the fireplace in the den of his house.

Drafting Dream Drives Drafting Dream Drives

Designer creates blockbuster rides

Automobile designer Harald Belker, 51, holds his first book, “Ride,” in front of his miniature replica of a futuristic vehicle from the film “Minority Report.”

Story by Natalee Ayala

Photos & Illustrations by Lynn Levitt

Batman, “Iron Man,” “Minority Report,” “Tron” and “Transformers” can all be identified instantly by one feature: their vehicles.

These films, as well as others, have iconic vehicles that are recognized by many people, even by those who have never seen the films.

However, the man behind the designs and concepts remains behind the scenes.

Harald Belker, 51, is a German-born automotive designer who has aided the production of these films’ iconic vehicles.

Belker, who had studied at Georgia Southern University and graduated with a degree in Industrial Technology, got his design career started after he attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.

Belker then went back to Germany to work for Porsche. In 1991, he returned and worked for Mercedes-Benz, and was part of the design team that created the smart car.

By 1994, Belker did not see himself working in the corporate world, and decided to go on his own.

He got his big break when he got the opportunity to work on the 1996 film “Batman & Robin.” The film, directed by Joel Schumacher, featured then rising-star George Clooney.

“That was the luckiest day of my life,” Belker said. “The chances for an automotive designer to get to design the Batmobile just doesn’t happen.”

Belker then went on to work for blockbuster films like “Minority Report,” “Cat in the Hat,” “Iron Man,” “Tron Legacy,” and most recently, “Battleship.”

Although his career may seem exciting, Belker spends a lot of his design time behind computer screens. In fact, he says he can spend up to 10 hours a day behind his screen working on a project.

When assigned to project, Belker meets with the director and producers to develop the basic ideas for what they’re trying to produce.

“For ‘Minority Report,’ we spent six months developing just the system for the futuristic mass transportation system,” Belker said. “Then it comes down to the vehicles themselves. Sometimes it takes one sketch, sometimes several.”

For the future, Belker wants to take his design skills to the world of Hot Wheels.

In order to make it in the design business, Pierce College’s Industrial Technology Department Chair Thomas Fortune said, “you’ve got to have some fabrication skills.”

Aside from working on films, Belker has published two design books, “Pulse” and “Ride.”

Both books depict Belker’s design dreams for the future of vehicles, including futuristic motorcycle models.

Students looking to get into the graphic design business must have undertanding, and apply the knowledge into other areas.

“Practice, practice, practice,” said Michael Cooperman, a Pierce assistant professor for the Art & Architecture Department.

Cooperman’s advice is something that Belker can attest to.

Rides of the past

Belker’s designs are created in the privacy of his at-home office in Marina del Rey.

Lexus vehicle from the 2002 film “Minority Report”

Batmobile featured in the 1996 film “Batman & Robin”

Miniature models of some of Belker’s creations

UNDER CONTROL

While violent incidents escalate, the debate on gun control continues

Story & Photo Illustrations by Jeremy M. Nation

Photos by John Gutierrez

It is a common fear in the mind of parents that their child might be caught amid screams of terror and shouts of warning as a killer steps slowly, purposefully down a narrow hall.

Students running from him become, in an instant, victims crumbling to the floor, with pools of crimson spreading from their twitching bodies.

The killer stops at a door, listening to the whimpers of young children barricaded in a classroom. The air is tense. His adrenaline is pumping. He forces his way into the room and the screams are silenced, cut short by the deafening report of gunfire.

As sirens close in, the killer moves through the hallways of the facility, violently dispatching those in his path. As police forces approach, the conflict climaxes in a bloody bout of gunfire. And, in the end, no one wins.

This chilling fictitious account fits an archetype that is becoming more commonly reported, which has led to a contentious nationwide debate.

On one side, anti-gun lobbyists argue for tighter regulations on firearms, while pro-gun political pundits say their constitutional rights are being trampled.

Executive Director of Women Against Gun Violence Margot Bennet said that the culture of violence in the United States is exacerbated by the proliferation of guns. Her organization has been working to have background checks become a legally mandated part of all firearms exchanges.

“We’re not against guns, but we do believe in regulation,” Bennet said. “And we’ve found that where there is regulation there are fewer gun deaths and less gun violence.”

Bennet is a proponent of evasion with respect to conflict resolution. She believes that firearms are not a solution to home defense.

“If you’re afraid of where you’re going, don’t go there,” she said.

While avoidance is a tactic that may benefit some, it might not work for everyone, particularly someone who lives in a dangerous neighborhood.

Top: Margot Bennet, executive director of Women Against Gun Violence, explains her stance on gun control.

Bottom: Effects specialist Mike Tristano talks about the portrayal of firearms and sensationalism.

“I would say that you’re creating an atmosphere of fear, because how do you know that anywhere you go is going to be safe from whatever danger there is?” said Hollywood special effects legend and gun owner Mike Tristano, in response to Bennet.

Tristano has made a living primarily with firearms. He has provided consultation in a variety of films and television programs. He said that the portrayal of guns is one-sided in the media.

“What the news reports is basically everything bad that goes wrong, or anything that they can sensationalize,” Tristano said.

Pierce College History Department Chairman Brian Walsh agrees.

“Once you look at the victims, and they get, I guess, a bit more white, a bit more affluent, it does change things. It shouldn’t, but it does. And it changes the media coverage and the perception,” Walsh said.

While opponents of firearms continue to lobby to restrict guns through legislation, the Second Amendment guarantees United States citizens the right to bear arms; which has been interpreted by the Supreme Court as a fundamental right to own firearms as a means of personal protection.

“Let’s face it. We’re a country made from a revolution. So firearms are an important part of our heritage,” Tristano said.

The topic of regulation continues to snowball in political forums. President Barack Obama signed 23 executive orders in January aimed at gun violence.

While there may be unavoidable legislative battles enacting these laws, the administration maintains that they are intended to diminish gun related violence in the United States.

Walsh said some of the executive orders are aimed at allowing

medical research to be conducted by the Center for Disease Control. Prior to the order, Congress was forbidden from spending federal money on gun violence as a health issue, despite the large number of hospitalizations that result from it.

Walsh said that Obama’s signing of the executive orders is aimed at allowing medical research to be conducted by the Center for Disease Control.

Prior to the order, Congress was forbidden from spending federal money on gun violence as a health issue, despite the large number of hospitalizations that result from it.

Walsh said that Obama’s signing of the executive orders represents a clear message.

“It was a statement. It was a little bit of a posture, but it was a statement. I’m all in on gun control,” Walsh said.

Walsh added that pandering to rural demographics might hinder Democrats from making any true push in the direction of legislation affecting gun ownership.

Standing in the way of potential legislation are powerful lobbyists, specifically, the NRA, which Tristano and Bennet agree has a leadership that does not necessarily portray the views of the organization’s membership.

Guns are not always central to a violent action, which results in a massive loss of life. A group of men described as members of a rogue international criminal organization took action, and thousands of Americans died. The attacks on 9/11 were greater than any that had taken place on American soil—and not a single shot was fired.

“Most people don’t need a gun to kill someone else,” Tristano

Pierce College students react to the debate on gun control

Maria Varajas, 20, has been coming to Pierce for two years and she believes that guns cause more violence.

“Usually, the ones that end up getting hurt are the ones that didn’t do anything,” she said.

Varajas said that people need to consider the consequences of gun ownership.

“I really don’t think we should own guns. And if we are, they should really regulate who owns them and how to use them,” Varajas said.

Alec Pereta, 18, who is in his second semester at Pierce, has a different take.

“People are wrongly seeing guns as sort of an evil thing in society,” he said.

Pereta is against restrictions on gun ownership.

“If you take guns away from lawabiding citizens and yet there are criminals around with guns, I think it puts the lawabiding citizens in a deeper hole without any means to protect themselves,” Pereta said.

said. “You can do it with a bat. You can do it with a car. You can do it with a knife.”

Tristano recounted a man in China with a knife who assaulted children in a school. When asked how they stopped the assailant, Tristano replied, “With a gun.”

On April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

According to MIT News, on April 18th, the suspects at large in the Boston bombing engaged MIT Campus Police, resulting in the alleged shooting death of Officer Sean Collier.

The Cambridge Police Department received reports of a carjacking and were in pursuit of a vehicle fitting the description when suspects exchanged gunfire and reportedly tossed explosive devices from the vehicle. During the course the police pursuit, one of the suspects identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was critically injured. He was pronounced dead once transported to a hospital. At least one officer was seriously wounded during the pursuit.

Both suspects in the carjacking have been implicated by the FBI in the Boston Marathon bombings. The remaining suspect, who the FBI identified as Dzhokar Tsarnaev, 19, was considered to be armed and extremely dangerous after he escaped local, state and federal authorities only to be captured in the nearby town of Watertown a short time later.

According to CNN, the deceased suspect “was wearing explosives and a triggering device when he died.”

These violent actions breathe life again into the issues concerning public safety, further blurring the complicated line between preserving individual rights and effective regulation.

“I would say that you’re creating an atmosphere of fear.”

- Mike Tristano, special effects coordinator

Pushing the pedal

L.A.C.M L.A.C.M

Los Angeles Critical Mass

Steven Casey, a Pierce College student, is a cycling enthusiast, a passion he lives daily while commuting from home, to school, to work and to various local bike events throughout Los Angeles. Casey’s San Fernando Valley garage is loaded with all things cycle. There’s completed models—fixed frames, road and track bikes—alongside a vast collection of cycling accessories and assorted parts.

The photography major’s knowledge of bicycles advocacy and cycling history began with his father Kevin Casey, a cyclist who built bike wheels for professional races, and who is mechanic at the Serious Cycling –Bicycle John’s shop in Agoura Hills. Casey believes in safety first, and it shows, from his choice of riding a Bianchi road bike with a front brake, and front and rear lights, to his attire: gloves, a helmet and bright clothing to be visible at night.

Casey rides for fun and for exercise, and he gets plenty of both, with the semi-annual Los Angeles Critical Mass bike ride, which is the largest community ride in the nation. Critical Mass rides are quickly becoming a popular global group activity.

Many cities throughout the nation are making it easier for people to use bikes in everyday settings. It’s a way of life and an alternative transportation for most students.

Story, Illustrations & Photos by John Gutierrez

Cyclist Steven Casey, a photography major at Pierce College, relaxes in front of the Student Services building with his Bianchi road bike before his class starts.

Casey holds an old framed photo of his father (third person from the right in the top row) with his cycling racing team.

For Casey, looking for parts from different bikes in his garage at home is like searching through cycling history.

Casey rides his Bianchi road bike along the Orange Line bike path, which he takes daily to Pierce.

Master Lock Rough Street Hand Cuffs are a necessity for Casey’s Bianchi road bike when he’s in class at Pierce and having to keep his bike secure outside the classroom.

Critical Mass volunteers, who are helping organize and guide a ride, gather and listen to instructions from Will.

Cyclist Brian Will holds a laminated spoke card that will be given to cyclists who are

Cyclist Gilberto Barraza attaches a flag pole that helps identify him as a volunteer to cyclists.

Volunteers listen to final instructions while they prepare to ride out for four hours on a 30-35 mile ride throughout Los Angeles’ city streets.

The BMW R1200 RT-P is the primary motor unit for the LAPD’s motorcycle officers, who participate with the bicycle unit in every Critical Mass community bike ride since 2010.

From street luge to Hot Wheels LUGE YOUR MIND

Tom Mason has spent most of his life on his back, and he has made a living doing it.

Mason is the Guinness World Records holder as the fastest street luger in the world.

Lying on metal supported by wheels— and no brakes—Mason set his record of 81.28 mph on a downhill road in Lone Pine, California, one inch off the ground.

“It’s kind of a hybrid of the long board skateboard, but you lay down on your back, and that way you create the least resistance of air, and it’s the fastest way to go on anything, on urethane wheels, with excess speeds over 80 miles an hour,” Mason said, describing street luge.

Street luge began in the 1970s at Signal Hill in Long Beach during a speed run for long board, skateboards, and for stand up speed boards.

One day, a racer showed up with a small handle on the front, and he lay down, holding himself in the prone position and no one could touch him.

“And then the next race, everybody went to lay down and that’s when they coined the name ‘street luge,’ because

they said they were watching ice luge and they realized how fast they went and how aerodynamic they were,” Mason said Mason started street luging on Mulholland Drive, usually between midnight and 4 a.m., a period when there was no traffic.

was the yellow line.”

Mason took the bronze medal in the 1996 X Games, but he was stripped of his medal—and nicknamed “The Bad Boy of Street Luge” by ESPN—because he was found to have caused an accident during the race.

Shortly after, Red Bull energy drink began to sponsor Mason as the International Red Bull athlete, and a demanding media responsibility was added to his life.

He began putting on races all around the world, including in South Africa, Brazil and San Francisco.

If they could not find a street with lights, someone would drive close behind the rider.

“As funny as it sounds, I learned to luge at night,” Mason said. “My first day race, I lined up on the starting line, and I looked at someone and said, ‘You realize that I never luged during the day and I’m scared to death because I can see telephone poles, barbed wire fences and cliffs.’ At night we had all the same stuff but all I could see

“We did it at the foot of the Christ in Brazil. That was insane,” Mason said. “Twenty-two hairpin turns, starting at the toes of Kristof.”

Between races, he was endorsing the sport with actors and entertainers for kids. He got Shaquille O’Neal on a luge board made for Shaq’s hulking frame for Universal Studio’s Shaqtacular.

Also, Mason visited various locations of Ronald McDonald House and even had an appearance in the Hollywood Christmas parade.

In 2004, street luge was removed from

“A lot of people say I killed the sport.”

- Tom Mason

Guinness World Records holder for fastest street luger

Story & Photos by Lynn Levitt

the X Games.

“A lot of people say I killed the sport, because we put the stakes too high, too quick,” he said. “I decided maybe I had pushed the limits so hard racing almost every weekend for eight years—knock on wood—and I’m still in perfect shape.”

So, Mason bowed out of the sport, and he said he doesn’t miss it.

“I have a lot of great projects going right now that involve street luging. I have no interest in racing at all,” said Mason Mason now works in the movie and stunt businesses, and has maintained his own contracting business.

“I was just recently the guy on the GEICO pig commercial as a street luge guy,” he said. “I have a show premiering on the Travel Channel. I am the stunt coordinator for a really cool guy named Kevin Connolly. He was born without legs, and he wants to do extreme sports.”

Mason also works as stunt coordinator with Team Hot Wheels, a process by which Hot Wheels fuses real-life cars with the imagination of play in 1:64 scale.

“[Team Hot Wheels] is all top secret.” Mason said.

“Unfortunately, we are friends,” said Billy Hammon, co-partner with Ted Moser, CEO at Picture Car Warehouse (PCW), with a laugh. “Good friends for many years. He works with me sometimes on some of my projects, or I’ll work with him sometimes on some of his projects.”

PCW is where 15 life-size Hot Wheel cars were made. Two were showcased at the Los Angeles X Games. A ramp was designed after the orange Mattel toy ramp, only this version was 66 feet long. Two drivers take the life size vehicles around the double loop experiencing 7Gs, defying gravity. The stunt went off as planned.

That morning, Moser was under the hood of a vehicle. When it was turned on, it backfired from under the hood and flames went into his face. Burnt hair and eyebrows are minor examples of what can happen when working in the extreme sports business.

Despite the fact Mason is world-class athlete and pioneer of street luge, he is also a professional racecar driver, motorcyclist, professional wind surfer and owner of a successful construction company. He also has found time for a wife and two children.

“My kids play traditional sports,” Mason said. “Let’s get back to traditional sports, drug-free, steroid-free, and just see who the real athletes are in the world.”

Mason says that going down the hill is fast, but getting back up the hill is a whole other story.

Left: Tom Mason puts on protective gear before he prepares to luge. Above right: Mason and best friend, Picture Car Warehouse CEO Billy Hammon, in front of Hammon’s major Hot Wheel collection. Bottom right: Mason, applying the brakes with only shoes, prepares to stop going down the Santa Monica mountains.

Social media invades 21st century

As the 21st century advances, social media is playing an increasingly important part in daily communication.

It’s becoming a household name, and it’s expanding to every part of the world. But what is the effect on the people? Does it help them, or does it break them?

Social media stands for forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share ideas, personal messages, information and other content.

Most people think this is limited to only Facebook, but it’s more than that.

There’s Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, MySpace, YouTube and more social media sites than most anyone can imagine.

With more than 1.06 billion active users on Facebook alone, one-seventh of the world’s population is now on a social media site.

“I feel like social media has taken so much time of my life by just sitting down on the computer instead of going outside and hanging out with friends,” said 18-year-old Pierce College

student Marcy Nahigian. “Social media has made society grow slower, learning-wise.”

The world has mixed opinions about social media.

“I like social media, especially YouTube, because it lets me see what people are doing. It’s funny, sad, political, or just plain stupid,” said Manuel Alvarado, a Pierce student.

Most people use social media to connect with old friends and relatives they haven’t seen in years, or who live in another part of the country.

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Sometimes social media is used for business to promote and to keep in contact with associates. Making millions of dollars in revenue yearly, the industry is an economic powerhouse.

Social media has opened the door to many successful celebrities, including Justin Bieber, Karmin, PSY, Carly Rae Jepsen and Jeffree Star.

Millions of people want to be famous, and they try anything, from music, stunts, make up, comedy, hair, trends, sex tapes, art, fights and more to get recognized. Anyone can search anything and something will show up.

“I know many girls that want to become famous just to get guys and be loved by a lot of people, but there’s always going to be haters,” said Lupe Ramos, a 14-year-old freshman at Reseda

“It’s led me to probably the worst stuff that’s happened to me in my life, but I still continue using social media.”

Lupe

Ramos, 14

Reseda High School student

Story by Jeffrey Gonzalez Illustration by Fariba Molavi

High School.

Just starting her teen years, she’s already seen the effects of social media.

“It’s led me to probably the worst stuff that’s happened to me in my life, but I still continue using social media,” she said.

Kicked out of school for cyber bullying, Ramos has been in a social mess this last year. She has been in the scene for about a year, and she said it has made her a different person. Connecting to the online world has given her access to drugs, sex, gossip and drama.

“Everyone is doing it; all of my friends have been talking to guys and meeting up with them,” she said.

Having more than 2,000 friends on Facebook, Ramos said she knows fewer than 100 of them personally, but it doesn’t stop her from meeting up with random people.

“I only hang out with friends because they can hook me up with drugs,” she said.

On the other hand, Penelope Valdez, a first year student at Pierce, uses social media for communication and self-promotion.

Being a mega Twitter fan and tweeting more than 31,600 tweets since September 2011, Valdez said, “I can’t live without Twitter. It’s my life. I try to tweet every second.”

When Valdez was in high school she wanted a social media where she could say whatever she wanted without being judged. Exploring some social media sites, she stumbled across Twitter, and never again was her life the same.

She tweets about class, homework and friends.

Communications with her classmates is the key to success

because she learns if there’s a surprise quiz or homework.

“Social media has helped me achieve things that other generations didn’t,” she said.

Older generations are discovering more about social media as they join the trend, so younger generations tend to stop using social media because older adults are invading their space.

“Social media won’t get burned out. It’s just that parents are joining to keep in contact with old friends, and younger generations feel like their parents will check up on their social media,” said Staci Baird, social media expert and professor at Stanford University. “It’s up to you if you want to let them in your social life or not.”

Social media has been here for just a few years, but there are already many ways to find jobs or connections by using it. For college students who are looking for good internships and good work connections, Baird recommends LinkedIn.

With more than 200 million users in some 200 countries, LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to get connections worldwide. LinkedIn is considered one of the most professional social media sites when looking for work connections. It is used to upload a resume for millions of people--including company heads--to review your profile, add you and even hook you up with a job. This is highly recommended for those graduating from college and are having a hard time getting a job.

From professional social media websites to casual social media sites, this generation has many advantages over previous generations regarding communication. Only time will tell that this trend continues.

Statistics according to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.com.

Love at first site

Two couples share their online dating experiences

Story by Evelia Rodriguez Photos & Illustration by Lynn Levitt

Online dating has become one of the most popular ways of dating since the traditional bar scene hook-up.

What is it about online dating that has so many young and old people following this new way? Is it that many people enjoy talking to someone they’ve never met? Could it be that people want to explore other options like dating someone across the world?

One downfall of online dating is the risk of developing feelings for a stranger who may not be who he or she claims to be online. According to globalpost.com, there are more than 83 million fake profiles on Facebook alone.

What if you’re talking to a sex offender, or to someone

who has the wrong intentions for getting to know you? There have been many cases where young teenagers have met older adults, and have gotten kidnapped and brutally raped.

You may think you are talking to the person of your dreams, and get emotionally attached to them, but sooner or later you may find out that they’re fake.

However, sometimes that doesn’t matter, because the connection with that person is so strong that you really want to be with them, and their lies don’t matter to you.

An example of this situation is the relationship between of Tashina Watson and her girlfriend, Vanessa Cortez.

When they first started getting to know each other, Watson had a different name: Alex Lemond from New York City. She also wasn’t the girl in her online pictures.

“I wasn’t really me, but then, when I told her, she forgave me and I knew it was going to play out,” Watson said.

Watson was so afraid to lose her girlfriend of two years, but she knew she had to confess to her if she wanted their relationship to go any further. Cortez reacted dispassionately

(L-R) Princess, Mark, Scott and Joy Levitt walk out of their home.The couple, who has been married for three years, met online.

when she found out the truth. She would spend all day waiting for Watson’s phone calls and text messages, and at the end of the day she had her heart broken.

Considering that she had spent two years in the relationship, Cortez didn’t want it to come to an end. Within three weeks Cortez wanted to meet the real girl behind the computer. So they set up a date where they could meet each other through Skype, and Cortez finally got to see the real Watson.

Cortez was so anxious to meet Watson in person that she started applying to colleges nearby her. Cortez got accepted to the University of Minnesota, Duluth, just two hours away from Watson. When they finally met, Cortez had been kicked out of school due to bad grades, and she was going to be sent back to California. To stay longer, Cortez had to move into Watson’s apartment where her family didn’t accept their relationship.

For about a month, Cortez and Watson spent all of their days together, until Cortez gathered enough money to go back home.

“Yes, I think our relationship is strong because we are kind of the same and at the same time we are not, so it’s good. When I finish school I’m going to move to California to be with Vanessa,” Watson said.

Not all online relationships are based on lies. Some of them are so successful that two out of five people are now in an online relationship.

According to match.com, more than 120,000 couples are married every year, thanks to their services.

“Many people decided to try online dating because they feel more comfortable opening up about their feelings and desires,” said Monica Williams, a representative from match.com.

Williams, who met her husband through the website, has seen a rapid increase of members over the years, as well as an increase in successful relationships.

Mark Levitt and his wife, Joy, who he met through an “Asian girl website,” have one of these successful relationships.

“I came home bored one night and I was on MySpace and this Asian girl website popped up. [The] next thing I knew, I was checking it out, and it took me to a bunch of girls from the Philippines,” Levitt said.

Paying the $50 for a three-month membership, he managed to talk to many girls, but he says he only chatted with girls that had webcams.

One day, he was scrolling through pages of girls when he spotted a profile, the one that belonged to Joy.

“One of the things that put her over all the other girls for me was that I could tell that she was a real person. She had a webcam in her house so I could see her house, her mom, her sister and her daughter--that is now my step daughter. I could see her whole family. I knew she was real,” Levitt said.

The couple has been happily married for three years.

Not everything was perfect in their relationship. But Levitt had to go through many different obstacles.

For instance, he had to bring Joy from the Philippines to the United States. On top of that, he had to marry her in a certain amount of time. Levitt has no regrets.

“It was one of the best things I’ve ever done,” he said.

There are many dating website on the Internet, but you have to make sure you’re on the right path, because no one wants to get their

Scott Levitt (left) says that what made Joy stand out from the other girls online was that he “knew she was real.”

Fashion LEGacy

Leggings make a comeback

Story by Tynisha Lewis

Leggings have come along way since being used by men for warmth and protection during the 13th century.

Over the centuries, hunters, soldiers and cowboys wore leggings underneath as two separate garments.

As time passed, leggings took on the form of a single garment and hit the fashion world in the 1960s as nylon.

While leggings have been seen throughout generations, modern-day leggings are edgier than ever, with different textures, fabric and prints including jean leggings (“jeggings”), pleather and velvet, to name a few.

In fact, leggings are so popular that one out of every three customers purchase at least one pair, according to Fashion Q employee Melissa Aranda.

Iconic fashionista Patricia Field credits herself with inventing modernized leggings in 1979, according to an article written by The Sun newspaper. Field is best known for her work as costume designer, stylist and fashion designer for TV shows, inlcuding “Sex and the City” and “Ugly Betty.”

Jorgi Gardiner pairs white leggings with gold and black geometric patterns with a black crop top. Photo by Lynn Levitt

G’Monay Houston models black leggings with cutout panels on the side. Photo by John Gutierrez

Taking it to the top

Story & Photos by Steve Palma

Angel Ascencio shows the trophy that he won from the “Yu-Gi-Oh!” Championship Series San Diego event.

“Yu-Gi-Oh!” tournaments remain a part of today’s culture

When it comes to trading card games (TCG), many names come to mind.

“Magic the Gathering,” “Naruto,” “World of Warcraft” and “Pokemon” are ones that one may mention. “Yu-Gi-Oh!” happens to be the TCG with the highest attendance rate for tournaments, as well as having one of the most popular cartoon shows among the younger crowd.

In the TCG scene of “Yu-Gi-Oh!” players compete in tournaments on local, regional, national and worldwide levels. Players strive to become the national champion of their region each year, and ultimately the world champion.

Angel Ascencio is off to a good start, having won a “Yu-Gi-Oh!” Championship Series (YCS) tournament in San Diego April 6 and 7, 2012. There were more than 1,500 competitors in attendance.

Ascencio won 19 rounds over the weekend tournament, which eventually led to his becoming the champion.

Ascencio says that the biggest contributing factor to his win was “brainstorming with friends to help out with card choices for [his] deck, and

practicing with friends that want to do well.”

He also admitted to practicing up to nine hours a week, not including the local tournaments he enters to test his deck and the different card choices he wants to make.

“Practice makes perfect. That’s the biggest key to success,” Ascencio said.

On the other side of things, many people enjoy the more casual and local side of the trading card game. At local stores, friends and fellow players gather for smaller tournaments as well as to simply enjoy the card game and to trade among themselves for cards they are looking for. This is a much less stressful and tense environment than a competitive one.

A store located in a small plaza in Pasadena, has as many as 50 people enter its tournaments on Tuesdays, which consists mostly of older adult males who are coming straight from work or from their classes. This is where Pierce College student Nicky Rojanasopondist plays.

Rojanasopondist has been playing “Yu-Gi-Oh!” for more than six years, and he has also placed in the top eight of

a regional level event.

When he’s not at a tournament, he also plays the game on an online simulator for even more practice.

“I just want to do as well as some of the more pro players,” he said.

Rojanasopondist practices up to eight hours a week, not including the tournaments where he competes on weekends.

When asked about the deck he uses, Rojanasopondist said, “I think it’s well over $800 at this point.”

As with most TCGs, there comes a time when they slowly lose popularity and eventually become a thing of the past.

Barrett Keys, a full-time employee at a local shop in Pasadena, has a different view on the future of “Yu-Gi-Oh!”

“It’s really easy to win sometimes and people like that. It’s simple,” Keys said. “‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’ is currently riding the median between ‘Magic: The Gathering’ and ‘Cardfight!! Vanguard,’ where it draws the people who are competitive but want to remain casual. As long as there’s a sort of happy balance, I don’t see why it wouldn’t remain popular,” Keys said.

Two players (not pictured) participating in a tournament on April 9 in a Pasadena trading card game store give it their all to win.

Nicky Rojanasopondist, a Pierce College student, thinks through possible plays as he tests against his friend (not pictured).

Packed together

Shadowland Foundation aims to educate about wolves

Colette and Paul Pondella founded the Shadowland Foundation in 2009. Located in the Lake Hughes area, Shadowland is dedicated to educating people about the true nature of wolves and their contribution to the ecological balance the environment.

“The wolf has always been iconic,” Colette Pondella said.

Roman mythology tells of Romulus and Remus, abandoned to die in the Tiber river. The river carried them to safety, and the she-wolf Lupa found and suckled them until a shepherd and his wife found them.

The Pondellas are like the shepherd and his wife in reverse, saving the life of a black Alaskan Timber wolf named Shadow.

Shadow died in 2011 and left behind Alaska and Takoda— the Alpha female and male of the pack—and six pups born May 2010. A newer addition to the family is Freedom, who, on March 3, 2013, turned 1 year old.

While the Pondellas continue to educate the world about the wolves, an iconic journey is taking place.

A wolf has crossed over the Oregon border into California, looking for a mate. Early in life, this wolf, after

being captured by biologists, was collared with a GPS and named OR-7.

OR-7 was released back to the wild. In September 2012, shortly after the state of Oregon put a death warrant out on his father and sibling for killing cattle, OR-7 left his pack.

Now named Journey, he is the first wolf to cross the border to California in 90 years. He was last seen March 12, 2013 in Siskiyou County.

Colette said, “If Journey finds his way to Shadowland and finds a mate from her pack, she would let the two go to live their life together.”

On March 13, 2013, OR-7 was reported back in Oregon with no further updates. Wolves throughout Oregon are protected by state and federal endangered species acts.

Although protected in many states, an article in the Los Angeles Times, published April 16, 2013, stated that gray wolves in the Rocky Mountain region declined 7 percent last year. In 2013, 553 have been killed by hunters.

Additionally, in an article published April 25, 2013, the LA Times revealed a plan by federal officials to remove gray wolves in the Lower 48 states from the endangered species list.

Story & Photos by Lynn Levitt

Takoda, the alpha male of the pack.

Above: Colette Pondella, co-founder of the Shadowland Foundation, pets Freedom as he celebrates his first birthday on March 3, 2013. Left below: Alaska, the alpha female of the pack, sits tall with 1-year-old Freedom in Lake Hughes, California. Right below: Tehya in a classic wolf pose at the Shadowland Foundation in Lake Hughes.

A Whole Lotta Bull

Brahma bull is lasting emblem of campus’ past

Pierce College, formerly known as the Clarence W. Pierce School of Agriculture, was originally thought up by its namesake for the purpose of providing students with a specialized school for vocational agriculture. Over the years, the college, which opened in September 1947, has transformed to service general education needs of students ranging from high school graduates to professionals looking to brush up on basic skills. Through all the changes the school has gone through, what remains constant is Clarence,

the school’s Brahma bull mascot.

Photos by Lynn Levitt

Left: The new library houses this statue of Pierce founder Clarence W. Pierce (not pictured) and a young Clarence, the school’s mascot.

Right: This silver statue of the bull is displayed in the front office of the Maintenance and Operations 4500 building.

This symbolic image of a Brahma bull, located on the walkway of the Pierce College Mall, is reminiscent of the school’s original mascot, Clarence, named after the college’s founder.