IMPACT Magazine Winter 2013

IMPACT PA LO M A R C O L L E G E

JOE LIMER: POLITICAL POET SAMPLING LOCAL BREWS LEARN TO TRAVEL FOR LESS

WINTER 2013 ISSUE NO. 5

OUTSIDE THE LINES Street artist brings his experiences to the classroom

the telescope

TRICK-OR-TREAT Look inside for fun Halloween facts, as well as the top movies, songs and hangouts according to The Telescope staff • Page 6

FIDENTIAL

COFFEE CON

t types all about the differen Check out a new column brought to you by Daniel e coffee, and ways to prepar Keeney • Page 7 Galigo and Rachel

Palomar College’s

paper

Independent News

•

Vol. 67, No. 4 •

Monday, October

14 2013

•

VETERANS

Palomar College’s Independent Newspaper

•

Vol. 67, No. 5 • Monday, October 28, 2013

1140 W. Missi

CHRISTOPHER BULLOCK & GENEVIEVE GREEN • THE TELESCOPE

DE

WHAT’S INSI

FOOTBALL FIELD

KINESEOLOGY BUILDING*

S

PALOMAR MARKS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

TENNIS COURTS

SOFTBALL FIELD

SOCCER FIELD

POOLS SAND VOLLEYBALL COURTS

NS

ilt

mplex to be bu

’s Men’s and women played water polo teams Southwestern College recently • Page 12

UPCOMING EVENTS

ness Breast Cancer Aware @ 1 p.m.

• Oct. 15, 11 a.m. s, Health San Marcos Campu Center

s Start Fast Track Classe • 10/16/13 y Days Political Econom - 3:30 • Oct. 16-17, 8 a.m.

Campus p.m. @ San Marcos ness Breast Cancer Aware @ 1 p.m.

• Oct. 17, 11 a.m. Health s Escondido Capmu Center 10 21, Oct. • Health Fair t Union a.m. - 1 p.m. @ Studen Quad

CSU

ols on

court-advantage miss having homethe team was 9-0 though, seeing as ll added. last year” Marsha es Director According to Faciliti the construction Chris Miller, once ex is finished, on the Athletic Compl is considered to be the Dome, which designed by rk a historical landma Buckminster ct the notable archite eled into a Fuller, will be remod r. museum for Paloma ns additio One of the newest

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Palomar offers” program that d a voter-approve Deegan said.

by Prop. M, the purpose of passed in 2006.

Taking over for construction bond RACHEL KEENEY building will money and the the Dome, the new g events and The majority of the complex will THE TELESCOPE addition to the all indoor sportin host largest rt, ex c Compl and training state-of-the-a A $67-million Athleti all the Coach’s offices be spent on a new the logy on kinesio ction and rooms as well. indoors athletic is set to begin constru the winter of about the new s in replace the Dome will asked campu that g Marcos When buildin San Coach s.

Palomar officials. s for indoor sports, south part of campu the facilitie at 2013, according to g of Fame ’s volleyball ology buildin At the 2013 Hall An athletic/kinesi Leigh Marshall, women excitement l field where ed her nt Robert Deegan head coach express Induction, Preside and a home footbal will highlight s. “It will be nice iasm about the for the new facilitie showed his enthus s. “We will games will be played x that will be better lighting to have a court with new Athletics facilitie te facilities the new athletic comple the campus Marshall. “I will first-ra side of and air flow” said be building a built on the north e kinesiology to match the firs-rat near Borden Road. be funded The project will

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by the Telescope. Blueprin

9 PAGE UPCOMING EVENTS TURN TO COMPLEX, Walk-in Flu Vaccines • Oct. 29, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. @ Health Services Center

cepted ing ac Halloween Escape • Oct. 31, 10

tions now be and UC applica

PAIGE HARVEY

academic year. offers a The Transfer Center ing now beginn variety of workshops which provide through November, r students to assistance for Paloma ely fill out accurat completely and tions.

CSU and UC applica information “(Students) receive and submit on how to start colleges of their applications to the the application choice. Completing good success to is the first step in university,” said 4-year a to r transfe y Assistant Brittan Transfer Center

•

Vol. 67, No. 6

• Monday, Nove

op to help finalize critique worksh a.m. - 1 p.m. @submit Student tingUnion Quad before your applications Wong. come to the • Nov. 2.

Fungi” “Students who them. “The Kingdomon these definitely more a.m. - ation noon @ Palomar More10 inform workshop are s the College proces rring can be found on workshops prepared in the transfe said.

Arboretum r. paloma : website ’s Wong ” Transfer Center after attending, enter.“42”) admission ng/tra Movie Night nsferc (featuring unseli CSU Fall 2014 edu/co application Oct. 1 and end CSU Additio•nal applications open www.

Oct. 28, 1 p.m. at @ SU 204 2014 admission assistance is located application Nov. 30. UC Fall end and 1 Nov. UC . tor.edu csumen applications open COFFEE CONFIDENTIAL at admission. assistance can be found Nov. 30. also require .edu.

UC applications universityofcalifornia l Statement. The an Essay/Persona .COM hosts a workshop PHARVEY@THE-TELESCOPE Transfer Center as well as a these, write to on how

More choices with Cross Enrollment THE TELESCOPE

Cross enrollment is offered to Palomar students who would like to enroll in additional courses at a four-year university without formal admission.

According to the transfer center staff, cross enrollment is available for Palomar College students at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), San Diego State University (SDSU), and University of California San Diego (UCSD).

Students may choose to enroll in one course per academic semester on a space available, crash term basis.

The students who attend the host school full time will have

priority over students from Palomar if thy both are trying to crash the same course.

The transfer center staff also stated that in order to be eligible for cross enrollment you must have a 2.0 GPA, paid all outstanding tuition and fees at your home campus for the current term, completed at least one semester at Palomar College and be currently enrolled in at least six units.

Most students commented that they were happy the option to cross enroll was offered.

“The option to cross enroll will probably help me in more ways than one. It could help with both the decision making process on where I should transfer, and bettering my time management

skills,” said student Jessica Groeper.

“This is my first semester, so after I will try and take advantage of this (option),” said student Zach Reed. “It would be cool to take one course at each campus (if eligible) to see which one is the best fit.”

Another student, Christy Jones, said “I really want to transfer out of Palomar to SDSU. Getting to know the campus before being accepted will help me really make my decision.”

The transfer center’s website states that cross enrollment forms can be picked up at the transfer center and must be signed off and stamped by a counselor at Palomar College before taking it to the host campus for review. The

1140 W. Miss

ion Road, San

CLIFF IRELAND

T

he Child Developm event at the San ent Club hosted their third Anti Marcos campus -Bully on Oct. 25.

Along with film “Bully” was guest speakers and facts about bullying, the show awareness of bully n to a full house in order to help raise victims, but the ing and the effects it has on bullies as well. not only the

FACTS ABO

UT

BULLYING: • By age 24, 60 perce charged with a crim nt of bullies have been e.

• Bullying was a facto shootings reviewed r in 2/3 of the 37 school by the U.S. Secre t Service.

• More girls are percent are girls cyberbullies than boys. 59 and 41 percent are boys.

• Cyberbullies spen online, more than d 38.6 hours per week other teens, who spend 26.8 hour only s a week.

Former Palo

The night starte d with 12 year old John, who Unlike the choos other two a topic for a schoo e bullying as presentations where the guest because he was l assignment speakers were victims, a forme spoke about the a victim. He bully was invite r emotional effect d to be a guest of bullying, how s speaker. it could lead to suicide and how Standing in front bullying can be of a large avoided. audience for the According to John, tell his story, formefirst time to students who comm one in five bully Jason expla r high school it suicide do it partly as the became a bully ined how he result that occurs at schoo of bullying that it has on and the effects l. him even to this “Students who day. acquire emotional are bullied However, first affect us all,” Johnproblems that that he too was Jason explained a victim of bullin gotten so bad that said. “It has g, until he decided to fight suicide to escap some result to “About the midd back. e the problem.” le of my However, John freshman year I got into a believes bullying did state that he physical altercation can be avoided. , which I won “Just adding a that altercation little and bit it more made me super vision can feel excellent – be it gave me powe between success the difference r,” Jason said. and failure of the life of a child,” John said.

mar student

HEATHER RANDALL

THE TELESCOPE

When most young people graduate high schoo concern is wheth l, their biggest er going to get into or not they’re their top colleg e pick. For Saman tha Webb, her primary concern was staying off the streets.

Webb is a forme r Palomar student, and the survivor of alcoholic parent s, homelessnes s, abuse, and neglec t. Against all odds, Webb navigated her way throug h

the system, gradu ated with honors, played high school varsity sports and watched out for her younger brother.

Webb was the keynote speake r at a recent gala to benefit Casa de Amparo, an organ supports San Diego ization that children and families affected by child abuse and neglect, on Oct. 26 at the Fairba nks Country Club.

“I had to witnes s my mom go from sober to a drunken stupor that would last weeks on end, As a young child, ” Webb said.

Webb watched

TURN TO BULLY,

PAGE 10

beats the odds

her mother nearly drink herself to death. Eventually, Webb’s mother died, leaving her and her brothe r to be cared for by their neglec tful, alcoholic father.

The family reside d in Templeton, Calif., but shortl y after their mother’s death, they relocated to San Diego. Webb’ s father was unabl e to hold a job, and relied on the $350 per month of Social Security money Webb and her brothe their mother’s death. r received after Former Palomar studen t Samantha Webb at the Crystal Ball Benefit for Casa de Amparo on Oct. 26.

TURN TO WEBB, PAGE •Heather Randall/ Telescope 10

the telescope

22, 10 College Fair • Oct. t Union a.m. - 1 p.m. @ Studen Quad

THE TELESCOPE

for college is Though applying , the process of complicated enough university can be transferring to a dizzying. ber are the Novem and r Octobe both California filing months for (CSU) and State University California (UC) University of Filing months tions. applica r transfe and UC schools are when CSU for the next accept applications

Learn what our Telescope barista has to say about the famous French Press • Page 7

enrolling, but the course at the host campus not included in Advanisced R.A.D. • Nov. 12, the 12 units

by Palomar6 p.m.required @ Room G-8 College. Palom In addition, due to ar Homecomin g• overlapping academic calendars Nov. 14, 10 a.m. @ SU-Qu this program is only offeredadin certain combinations.

Contact a counselor at 760891-7500 or the transfer center at 760-744-1150 ext. 2552 for further information.

PHARVEY@THE-TELESCOPE.COM

Palomar College’s Independent Newspaper

Join Palomar College’s award-winning, student-run newspaper, The Telescope. Writing, photography and design positions are available. Staffers have taken jobs at the The Associated Press, Gannett, U-T San Diego, the Press-Enterprise and Patch.

ADVISER ERIN HIRO | EHIRO@PALOMAR.EDU | 760-744-1150, EXT. 3762

www.the-telescope.com

Marcos, Calif.

THE TELESCOPE

Adam Devine from “Workaholic

How to Write a Perso Statement Works nal hop • Nov. 5, 1 p.m. @ MD-33 1 Basic R.A.D. (Rape Aggression for Womeby n) • application Nov. must5, be approved 6 p.m. @ Room G-8 both the home and host campus Food 4 Food • Nov. 6, 10 administrators qualify. a.m.to @ SU-Qu The website also admentions Veteran’sand Daylibrary academic advising use• Memorial Nov. 7, 11at a.m. @ SU-La are only available the student’s wn Latinos inFinancial home campus. the Businessaid Secto students are alsor Works eligible cross hopfor • Nov. 8, 6 p.m. @ NS-255

•

nti-Bully event

s” has a new TURN TO CANCER, show •PAGE Page 79

UPCOMING EVENTS

PAIGE HARVEY

mber 4, 2013

“It’s good to become aware See what of their breast shape — what Palomar studen ts do tofeels cure a hangover feels normal and what • Page 4 abnormal. We as individuals are more aware of how our different body parts feel compared to the doctor who performs the exam once a year.”

According to Paarman, students can help spread awareness by educating themselves and making sure both male and female family members know the facts

•There are 2.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. • An estimated 232,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 65,000 new non-invasive cases will be reported • 40,000 U.S. women are expected to die this Read year what a Telescope writer thinks of the Washi • 2,200 new cases diagnosed in men ngton ins controversy • Although rare, 5 percent of breast cancer11Redsk is diag• Page nosed in women who are under age 40

tio nb

new athletics complex

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Palomar hosts A

IDE

2013 BREAST CANCER ESTIMATES

ence. y of Facilities and Mainten

$67 million co

Photo illustration of

Both organizations provided free breast examinations and handed out pamphlets explaining breast cancer and its affects. The Health Center also had a raffle for a free “Booby Prize.”

Joyce Paarman and staff assistant Lenka Schanka were manning the Health Center booth. Paarman, a registered nurse, spoke of the importance of getting a breast exam. “(Self-examination) is good for teenage girls and young men,” Paarman said.

Illu str a

not Online dating does it sets out to accomplish what do • Page 5

WHAT’S INS

etting up booths decorated with pink tablecloths, balloons and flowers, the staff of the Palomar College Health Center and North County Health Services (NCHS) were on campus to help promote breast cancer awareness on Oct. 15.

BASEBALL FIELD

PRACTICE FIELD

Palomar Colle ge’s Independ

DAY

Palomar College and The Telescope honor Palomar’s many curren members this Vetera t and past military ns Day • Page 3

1140 W. Mission Road, San Marcos, Calif.

ent Newspap

(1,200 * COMPETITION GYM ROOM SEATS), OFFICES, WEIGHT THE D INSIDE AND MORE LOCATE G KINESEOLOGY BUILDIN

g The T and ITC buildin s are now construction project 3 complete • Page

•

os, Calif. on Road, San Marc

“THE TELESCOPE”

@TELESCOPENEWS

THETELESCOPENEWS

IMPACT M

A

G

A

Z

I

N

E

ONLINE AT WWW2.PALOMAR.EDU/ IMPACTMAGAZINE/

2012-2013

Best Student Publication Western Publishing Association

2012-2013 Magazine General Excellence Journalism Association of Community Colleges

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR

Brian Korec Scott Morton

PHOTO EDITOR

Brandy Sebastian

WRITERS

Danielle Deluca Marlene Estrada Nichole Gray Paige Harvey Cotton Pettingell Hannah Ryanen

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jade McConnell Alex Semel Gary West

STAFF DESIGNERS

Daphne Delgado Mercedez McNabb

DESIGNERS

ADVISERS

Stacie Antimony Jessica Baluka Natalie Enciso Shohei Kajita Keiko Muraishi Brianna Newman Matthew Oronoz Rob Pape Dilek Picard Victor Ramirez Bri Valdivia Rico Vazquez

Change is inevitable.

Like the passing of time, change is a constantly moving unstoppable force.

We’ll talk about the change in our magazine, as well as in people, trends, culture, and society. From the top down IMPACT breaks the mold of previous issues.

Bucking tradition, I came into the role of Editor-in-Chief from a photography background, but with a passion for journalism. Our staff consists almost entirely of writers, photographers, and designers who have had little to no previous journalism experience. It’s definitely been a real adventure. We also teamed up with students studying graphic design to bring a stronger and more contemporary look to our pages.

Inside you’ll meet a professor who uses his poetry to connect with students, a potter who is learning to see in a world where he is now blind, and a man who uses his passion for art to help keep students out of trouble. We’ll also take a look into how college students should change their spending and saving habits to prepare for the future, the recent resurgence of facial hair, and we’ll change the way you see Palomar.

However, not all change is positive, and we’ll take a look at the harmful effects of hookah, the media’s infatuation with violence, and how advancing technology is hurting our social skills. In our constantly changing world, the only choice we are left with is to adapt.

Sincerely yours,

Wendy Nelson Jay Schultz

IMPACT is produced by students enrolled in Journalism 103 & 120, offered at Palomar College in San Marcos, California. To learn more about IMPACT or future issues, contact Wendy Nelson at wnelson@palomar.edu.

IMPACT MAGAZINE • 1140 W. Mission Road, San Marcos, CA 92069 Funding provided by Carl D. Perkins Career Technical Education Act of 2006

Brian Korec, IMPACT Editor-in-Chief

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The World in your Pocket 6 Traveling on a budget Blind Ambition 10 Relearning ceramics without sight Don’t get Hosed 14 Is flavored tobacco safe?

Glorifying Violence 16 Society’s obsession with the courtroom Music: Linked to the Source 20 A new age of finding music

28

Financing your Future 22 Tips to stay out of debt Smell the Roses 26 A look at Palomar’s scenic side Tour the Brew 28 Inside North County breweries Facial Fuzz 32 Beards and mustaches around campus Writing on the Wall 36 Graffiti artist turned teacher

40

Dysfunctional Communication 40 How technology affects our social being How to Save on your Outside Stay 44 Tips to camping, without leaving a dent in your wallet Discovering Artifacts 46 Professor de Barros travels with students to West Africa Listening to Limer 50 Not your average Joe The Big Bad Bully 52 Perspectives from both sides

22

Qual-i-Tea Time 55 The increasing popularity of iced tea College Gourmet 56 Recipes from the IMPACT staff Trekking California 58 Enjoy surf, sand, and snow in one day

Cover photos by Brandy Sebastian

52

58 14 26 36

TRAVE ON A DLING IME I

BY HA PHOTONNAH RYAN E S BY G ARY WN EST

magine being able to travel wherever your heart desired. You could see all the different cultures, flavors and lifestyles the world has to offer. Now, imagine doing this for basically free. All you have to do is have a little faith in humanity. Sounds like an unattainable dream, but Eric Faucher, 34, did just that. He travels all around the world, and finds jobs in the places he visits, stays there for however long he desires, and packs up for the next journey. Now Faucher’s passion for travel may be a bit extreme for the average college student, but it is not impossible to go see what the world has to offer for maybe a summer, or semester. His advice for first time budget travelers is to “just buy your ticket and the rest will follow.”

CREATE A BUDGET Even though careful travelers will find bargains and freebies, a travel budget is still important. A travel budget will help you plan how much to spend on everything from plane fare to souvenirs. To easily create a travel budget, visit fivedollartraveller.com. This website provides a free budget planner, and calculator breaking

everything into sections making it rather simple to construct a personal travel budget. When this is completed print it, pack it, and don’t leave home without it. Depending on the country, the exchange rate negatively impacts your stay. The exchange rate affects the value of currencies between countries. It tells

PUSH YOURSELF OUT INTO THE REAL WORLD, SOMEPLACE YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN BEFORE. you, for instance, how many euros your dollars will buy. Fortunately, Independenttraveler.com makes it easy to search the value of a US dollar in any country. Picking a location with a good exchange rate and reasonable costs will help eliminate the worry of running out of money and getting stuck in a foreign country, and allow the length of the trip to be prolonged if desired. For example, the euro is building strength on the US dollar making Europe one of the more expensive continents to visit.

PICK A DESTINATION Narrowing down your destinations can be tough, but Triptuner.com can help. This site can help locate destinations that fit a traveler’s inclinations, goals, and aspirations for the journey.

6 • I M PAC T

This website is designed like a stereo equalizer, making it simple and fun to use, and allowing you to instantly see which destination is best fitting.

Student adventurers should be concerned with personal safety.

Travel.site.gov/travel/ is a reliable

source to find detailed information, travel alerts, and travel warnings of current conditions overseas.

All travelers should enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). This is a free service for US travelers abroad that notifies them in the event of an emergency and, where applicable, information about necessary evacuations. They will also contact family members designated by the traveler to receive notice of the emergency.

BUYING THE PLANE TICKET Just seeing plane ticket prices can be enough to make a person cancel the trip. Just remember, buying the ticket will most likely be the most expensive part of the voyage. Take a leap of faith, get out a credit card, and hit purchase. Most travelers have a hard time deciding when is the cheapest time to buy a ticket. Wait until prices drop and risk the plane filling up? Or buy it in advance, when prices might be more expensive, but have a guaranteed date, time, and seat? Statravel. com offers discounted tickets for

students to fly internationally and anywhere in the United States.

Farecompare.com is a useful website for cost cautious travelers looking to buy a ticket at the lowest possible price. Farecompare suggests buying tickets on a Tuesday, traveling during the off season, flying on a Wednesday, and not shopping too far in advance, or too close to the desired take off day.

WHERE TO STAY? Finding a good deal on a hotel is easy, but not very lucrative for the trip. Thanks to the Internet, there are many resources that make it possible to find places to sleep for free. The cheapest way to do this is by relying on strangers. “You have friends all over the world, you just haven’t met them yet” According to the couchsurfing website. This website displays hosts in a chosen destination that are willing to open up their homes for a couple of nights.

Making it possible to meet locals get a feel for their culture, and maybe make new friends.

Similar to Couchsurfing.com, Staydu.com is another traveling website that gives travelers the opportunity to stay with hosts, although in return the hosts ask for help working for their small businesses, farms, hostels, yoga retreats, surf schools, art projects. “All hosts offer you an accommodation for work, for money, or for free” said Nicholas Schneider, site founder.

Nicholas Schneider, 25, from Germany created this website two and a half years ago with his brother because they believed “everyone should be able to travel long term on a budget”. According to Schneider many of the members are in their

“

TWENTY YEARS FROM NOW YOU WILL BE MORE DISAPPOINTED BY THE THINGS YOU DIDN’T DO THAN BY THE ONES YOU DID DO. SO THROW OFF THE BOWLINES, SAIL AWAY FROM THE SAFE HARBOR. CATCH THE TRADE WINDS IN YOUR SAILS. EXPLORE. DREAM. DISCOVER.

”

Photo by Brandy Sebastian

MARK TWAIN

8 • I M PAC T

twenties who want a change in life are eager to travel, and the hosts are older with families, and/or a small business, who are happy to host people from around the world. His advice for first time travelers is “try out new things, to be open to different people, cultures, and behaviors. If you are looking to do everything your way it is better to stay at home.”

Some first time travelers are skeptical to depend on a stranger, but fear not, it is still possible to travel at a bargain. Hostels are the cheapest option for travelers having to pay for a place to sleep, ranging in price from $10-$40 a night. When staying in a hostel be prepared to stay in a coed room full of bunk beds and fellow travelers from all around the world.

Hostels are a great place to meet people all around the same age, with a traveler’s state of mind, embarking on a similar journey. This makes it easy to find a fellow traveling buddy to share a day explorations with a potential new friend. Studentuniverse. com, the largest student travelers discount website, offers discounts on hostels all around the world.

WHY TRAVEL “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.

Discover” — Mark Twain People in their twenties are generally not tied down to any crucial commitments, making your twenties the perfect decade to discover other cultures, places, and maybe yourself.

Twenty somethings don’t mind having to sleep from couch to couch, going a few days without a shower, or sacrificing a couple of sleepless nights, all to save money while exploring new places. If you wait to travel until after most debts are paid off, moved out of mom’s house, or have made a down payment on a car, you may find yourself wrapped up in a career with little to no vacation time, kids, and/ or a significant other making it more expensive and harder to just pick up and go. Push yourself out into the real world, someplace you have never been before, knowing not a single soul, away from the conformity of life, waiting for you will be a life changing experience. n

hat Every Traveler Should Know Using a credit/debit card outside of the United States

Before you leave the country call the bank and inform them when and where the trip will be taking place. If the bank is not notified they will cancel the card to protect the cardholder from unauthorized spending. Credit and debit cards charge an exchange rate fee every time the card is used outside of the country. To avoid these charges open an account with a bank that is a member of the Global ATM Alliance, allowing customers to use their debit card at other international banks with Global ATM Alliance with no transaction or conversion fees.

Outlet converter

In some areas around the world there are plug and voltage differences, which could create a frustrating, and potentially dangerous situation. If items such as a hair dryer, laptop, camera, battery charger, etc. are on the list to be packed, then an adapter plug and voltage converter is a must have.

Cell phone usage

Setting up an international phone plan while still in the states will prevent a hefty phone bill compiled of international charges and outrageous data fees. Independenttraveller.com, an informative international cell phone guide, familiarizes travelers with the major cell phone companies and their international service plans.

Be aware of the metric system

Majority of countries use the metric system, a decimal system of measurement originally based on the meter and kilogram. Conversion charts are easily accessible online for free, and handy when entering a metric system country •Distance: Measured in kilometers •Speed: Measured as kilometers per hour •Gasoline: Measured in liters •Temperature: Mesured in Celsius •Weight: Measured in kilograms

WINTER 2013 • 9

LEARNING to SEE again

STORY BY MARLENE ESTRADA

PHOTOS BY BRANDY SEBASTIAN

I

magine living your entire life in a seeing world, witnessing all the beauty the world has to offer; the sunsets and sunrises, the colors of fall and spring, even witnessing something as simple as rain, when suddenly one visit to the doctor changes your entire life. This was the case for Palomar student, Jay Castro, living what he presumed to be a healthy life, but one doctor visit proved him wrong.

Castro was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, within 30 days he lost his eyesight. The seeing world he once knew became dark, becoming nothing more than a memory.

MOVING FORWARD Many would crumble under the reality of not being able to see again, but Castro said he did not want to become his disability, he wanted to keep being Jay, not “blind jay”, just Jay the way he had always been known.

“This is the hand of cards [I] was dealt, now [I] was going to play the cards and come up with a winning hand and move forward,” Castro said.

Coping with his new life, he moved from LA down to Carlsbad, where he began attending the San Diego Center for the Blind in Vista where he learned the fundamentals of being blind in a sighted world. He learned Braille, how to cook, clean, basically everything he had to learn to be part of society once again. The center didn’t only teach him how to adapt to the sighted world, it also led him to Palomar College.

It had always been Jay’s goal to obtain his Master’s in English and teach English as a second language, but with things constantly changing he never got the opportunity to pursue his goal, but now he has the chance.

He is currently working towards his Associates degree in English and to transfer to CSU San Marcos. As part of the transfer requirement, he had to take an elective pertaining to arts, he chose ceramics. Jay entered this class thinking it was, “slip-casting,” a type of ceramics he was familiar with — little did he know that he was in for a big surprise.

MOLDING A NEW PASSION In front of him a large, rectangular, twenty-five pound pug of clay, was set on his table waiting to be molded into an art form. “I got this big pug of clay in front of me, what am I going to do with this?” Castro said these were the first thoughts that came to his mind when he realized it was not the class he had experience in. He was awarded a sighted aid, who taught Jay how to make his hands and the clay become one and how to mold and shape it into art.

Help also came in the form of his instructor Kelly Schnorr, who taught him techniques and how to work with his hands and become comfortable with the clay.

Castro began to experiment with all the different elements of molding

he was learning, on his own. He said as he became more and more enthralled in the beauty of ceramic art, he began to realize how essential the arts are and how helpful they become to those like the blind, but also just students and people in general.

“They teach you analytical thinking, how to think out of the box…how to communicate, and use the resources around you, but also it teaches you to ask questions,” Castro said, “College students want to do everything on their own and the problem is that if you don’t ask questions, if you don’t ask for help, or think out of the box you are going to end up with a 25-pound block of clay.”

People shut out their imaginations and creative sides and art offers a way to express yourself, to push yourself beyond the limits you think are set for you. Castro said, “It offers you the possibility of having a new mentality of switching from the ‘me, myself, and I mentality’, to the ‘us, we, and them’ mentality.”

“I got this big pug of clay in front of me, what am I going to do with this?” — Jay Castro

WINTER 2013 • 11

ART WITH NO LIMITS For Castro, limits did not exist and he envisioned elaborate sculptures, but perhaps his biggest goal was to get on the pottery wheel. In a process where your eyes and hands are your biggest tools, Castro had to do without one. He did not let his blindness stop him from attempting the wheel, and everyday he would finish his project quickly so he could work on his wheel technique. He took the processes that he learned from the instructors and manipulated them to work for him in the unsighted world. For Castro, perhaps the most beautiful thing about the process is the fact that he is not afraid of making the sculpture too high or too low, or too crazy, he said he just feels with his hands and explores the endless possibilities that the clay offers.

With no rhyme or reason, he began his first sculpture. Inspired by Gwen Stefani and Angelina Jolie, hence the name “Gwengelina,” the sculpture is a full head piece that he made with intricate designs out of a pug of clay.

It was the first piece that was a true representation of his work, it was something you could look at and say

“it’s art.” His most inspirational piece came after and is named “ME” a large vessel in which half is a regular dimensional face and the other is second dimensional where all the features are carved straight into the clay. He said it represents both sides of his life; the sighted life he once lived where everything was just seen and not felt and the unsighted life where touch and feeling is everything.

In creating his two pieces he not only defied expectations of what he would be able to do as a blind person, but he also inspired his fellow classmates and even taught his instructor a few things.

discovered a new way of teaching and being more elaborate with her explanations, Schnorr said. Instead of just demonstrating and allowing the students to visually grasp the mold or design, she has now learned to describe every aspect of her work, which has turned out to be beneficial for her and the students, “I think having Jay in the class really helped me in making my demonstrations better for the other students … explaining things in more detail,” Schnorr said..

As a blind student many assume that an art class is not fit for a person with this disability, but Castro entered the class and demonstrated that when you push your limits you can accomplish so much.

He said he was able to make pieces that many were afraid to attempt because he couldn’t see them, he saw a vision in his head and he went for it without hesitation, without caring if it was perfect or if it would break.

Something that the sighted find

“I think having Jay in the class really helped me making my demonstrations better...”

- Kelly Schnorr

INSPIRATIONAL ENCOUNTERS For his instructor Kelly Schnorr, who had never taught a blind student, having Jay in her class opened up a whole new area for her. She

as their Achilles heel, is the fear of failing or imperfection, but for his fellow students watching Jay’s fearlessness inspired them to think less of what others thought and only have their opinion matter, “I admire how fearless Jay is with his projects. … I don’t think I can be fearless like Jay, but I have learned that all that matters is that I like it,” said classmate Naoko Ogura. According to Schnorr he inspires other students to push themselves and look beyond perfection or a small simplistic piece.

“In the class with Jay, they would just see Jay happily working, overcoming challenges and obstacles and it would give the students courage to just go for it and be OK with failing and figuring out a way to reconcile and overcome [it],” Schnorr said.

Jay Castro is optimistic, and regardless of his disability he has found a way and a new love of art that has allowed him to express himself in a way that people thought impossible. Being the unique, limitless, and courageous person that he is, Castro’s next conquest is glass-blowing. n

TOP: Jay Castro throws on the wheel with his instructor, Kelly Schnorr.

BOTTOM: Jay Castro explains the process of making his art.

WINTER 2013 • 13

HOOKED ON HOOKAH: A DANGEROUS HABIT STORY AND PHOTO BY MERCEDEZ MCNABB

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he smoke blew out from between her teeth as she laughed, like steam through a gate. The coals glowed as she inhaled, bubbling, a smell like mint. But no amout of pleasantness can hide the danger.

From bohemian downtown cafes, to locations near college campuses, businesses that offer hookah are everywhere.

According to Fumari.com, hookah has been around since the 15th century. Over the past decade more and more college students have picked up the trendy habit. Many young adults continue to smoke it without realizing its harmful effects.

What many smoking this flavored tobacco don’t know, is that smoking hookah for an hour is the same as smoking a whole pack of cigarettes. It also contributes to the negative effects of secondhand smoke.

“The popularity of hookah smoking among young adults is quite alarming given the potential for negative health effects,” said Erin L. Sutfin, assistant professor of Social Sciences and Health Policy at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Sutfin and other researchers recently published a study on hookah use in the online journal of Alcohol and Drug Dependence.

There are about 20 hookah lounges in San Diego County and over 300 lounges in the United States. Hookah is typically found in social scenes such as parties, lounges and cafes. The tobacco

in hookah is a moist, flavored tobacco called shish, which is soaked in honey or molasses.

Charcoal is used to heat up the shish and then smoked through a water pipe to cool down the burning sensation.

“Everyone smokes hookah, it passes time and it smells good.

I smoke hookah with some close friends, who are all smokers. I just like to smoke with them to bond,” said Palomar student Ryan Rodriguez.

According to the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center study, hookah users shared a mistaken perception that somehow smoking from a hookah was less harmful than smoking a cigarette.

However, hookah contains the addiction forming substance of nicotine.

“People think smoking hookah isn’t harmful because it’s flavored, fun and socially accepted.

They are uneducated about its ingredients which is similar to cigarettes,” said Palomar nursing major Selina Jimenez.

The addictive drug that is found in cigarettes, nicotine, is also delivered when smoking through the hookah pipe. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), water pipe smoke is as toxic as cigarette smoke. According to hookahviews/health.php, there is 2.96 milligrams of nicotine in shish and 1.74 milligrams in a cigarette.

“Unfortunately, many young adults are misinformed about the safety of hookah smoking and

some mistakenly believe it to be safer than cigarette smoking,” said Sutfin in the Wake Forest report.

The water and ice in the hookah pipe does not purify any ingredients of the shish. The charcoal burns the shish and the water in the pipe cools down the burning sensation in the lungs, but it can still cause damage, even though it doesn’t burn.

Hookah can also cause cancer and infectious diseases because shish contains lead, nickel and arsenic.

“I think they’re making all these different flavors of hookah to recruit more smokers, but smoking is bad for you. Plain and simple,” said Palomar health professor Buck Taylor.

Not only has the water pipe gone trendy, but students are picking up hookah pens and vapors too. According to U.S. Health Works, some vapors and Wzhookah pens are simply flavored liquid, heated by the battery giving it a steaming effect rather than a “smoking” action. However, the use of these may encourage a smoking habit. Another possible negative hookah use is the sharing of the hookah hose which can pass on germs and viruses like colds, flues and oral herpes.

“People are naive and narrow-minded, I don’t know why anyone would continue to smoke something that is bad for them,” said Palomar Student Jon Lunn. n

WINTER 2013 • 15

Are you not entertained?

STORY BY NICHOLE GRAY ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRI VALDIVIA

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ost of us don’t claim to love violence, but plenty of us enjoy watching it. Law and Order aired for 20 years, from 1990 to 2010, and Law and Order SVU, the spin off about sexually based offenses premiered its 15th season in 2013. There are also plenty of

other prime time dramas that entertain us with criminal offenses and violence.

But when it’s not scripted, we are even more intrigued by stab wounds and gunshots. Over the last three decades we have been given front row tickets to high profile trials. We ourselves take the place of future jurors by the end of a nightly recap and cast our judgment. The media uses its bright lights to create an electric fascination that leads to high ratings and mania.

LET THE SHOW BEGIN Thirty-year-old George Zimmerman sat in a courtroom filled with cameras. His face was filled with fear as the cameras flashed and his verdict was read. A group of Florida jurors had come to their controversial conclusion that Zimmerman was not guilty. Back in April of 2011, Zimmerman was arraigned and charged with murder in the second degree, his gun had shot a fatal bullet into a 17-yearold African American by the name of Trayvon Martin. The police arrived within 2 minutes of the gunshot fired, and from there, there was no turning back. We were about to witness one of the most racially heated and disputed trials of the 21st century.

On that fateful evening, Zimmerman was patrolling a gated community where he participated in a neighborhood watch program. Based on 1 6 • I M PAC T

what the locals had to say, he fancied himself to be a vigilante. Zimmerman spotted Trayvon walking through the neighborhood where the young man was staying with his father. Zimmerman called 911, reporting a suspicious young man, but the dispatcher clearly tells him to back off. Nevertheless, he confronted Martin and they began having a physical altercation that continued to be heard over a witness’s 911 call. Civil rights attorney, Benjamin Crump, fought on behalf of the Martin family to bring the infamous 911 calls public, and he was successful. In the recording it is clear someone was screaming for help, but the defense and prosecution would proceed to argue over who was really fighting for their life, Zimmerman or Martin. Zimmerman had suffered a broken nose, and lacerations to the back of his head so the defense had proof there was a struggle.

Daytime and primetime news programs didn’t take any time to consider the repercussions that came with turning this tragedy into another exploited courtroom nightmare. There was so much coverage it was as if a war had just been declared. The conservative faction of the cable TV political spectrum believed Zimmerman deserved his freedom, and the left insisted the case was rattled with neglect and ignorance.

People wept and rioted when George Zimmerman was handed down a not guilty verdict. It seemed the majority of the world felt Martin had blatantly been disregarded by the justice system. Celebrities got involved; Beyoncé and Jay-Z marched with Trayvon’s mother in a protest.

Stars of all ages turned to social media; plenty using twitter to express their disdain.

Miley Cyrus typed out: I feel sick. #RipTrayvonMartin.

Chris Brown expressed his anger simply: #Bullshit And Bill Maher chimed in with some sorrowful sarcasm: “This is America waddya expect?

The only thing u aren’t allowed to kill in an instant is a fetus.

Hey Zim, find another hobby now that u won.”

The Zimmerman scandal was just another installment in America’s real life murder mystery series.

MURDER FOR THE MASSES Advances in social media have made these tragic tales more tangible and fascinating. Before Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr you could only turn to the local news and the paper. Still, the relative simplicity of trials before the millennium didn’t stop the public from obsessing.

On Oct. 3, 1995 over 100 million people tuned-in to watch O.J. Simpson receive an acquittal for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. The entire process that led to his freedom was a shocking form of entertainment. It had been translated all over the globe in different languages, OJ was infamous. Even when the trial came to a conclusion, it remained a hot topic and to this day people will mention how OJ seemed to magically beat the case. The world was enchanted with what went on inside the courtroom and in America it was about to affect the justice system.

Most millennials have no memory of the sideshow that was a double murder trial. Yet we know OJ Simpson through pop culture, he’s mentioned in rap music, comic stand up routines and in everyday conversation.

Although in the past, cases that involved scandal and gore received attention, the media had never been as obsessed as they were with OJ. Ted Bundy’s case, in 1979, gained a following and was the first to be broadcast nationally. The trial was discussed on the news nightly, but there were no cable channels with 24/7 coverage of the gruesome content. Still over 250 reporters, from 5 continents, traveled to cover the horror story of Bundy, a charismatic man who murdered and mutilated over 30 young women. The world considered Ted

Bundy a vile human being and there was no question that he was guilty.

No lawyers could save the perverted criminal from prison and eventually death, but OJ Simpson was a sports’ entertainment phenomenon. OJ was everything from an extraordinary football star to a spokesperson for national brands. OJ had a magnetic charisma; he was a happy guy, a man’s man. The public didn’t want to believe he was a murderer, and those who accepted his guilt were so very disappointed by a man they could never have fathomed would kill the beautiful mother of his children.

“This is America waddya expect?

The only thing u aren’t allowed to kill in an instant is a fetus.”

— Bill Maher

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OJ DIDN’T START THE FIRE Four years before the Simpson trial, Court TV was launched and began televising trials in July of 1991. The channel was only available to 3 million subscribers and ratings were nowhere close to spectacular. Court TV finally got the break it needed in the disturbing tale of two spoiled young men who murdered their wealthy parents in cold blood. Erik and Lyle Menendez

were arrested in 1989 at the ages of 21 and 18. When their trial commenced, they were 25 and 22 respectively, and did not have the cocky attitude they had possessed when arraigned.

The brothers were trying to portray some sort of youthful vulnerability; the defense was claiming they were victims of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of their perverted parents.

Although the prosecution shouldn’t have had a hard time proving that the young men committed the murders in cold blood, on January 1994 the result was a mistrial. The jurors were deadlocked in both cases; the brothers had separate juries.

The Menendez brothers’ second trial was not televised, and the abuse accusations were thrown out which lead to a guilty verdict and resulted in these two, greedy men receiving life in prison. Yet this decision to return to the traditional private trial wouldn’t close Pandora’s box. The nation was in love with the ultimate soap opera, but unlike the scripted versions, the consequences and emotions are real. We feel sad for those who survive these tragedies, but the severity of the pain doesn’t resonate. After diving into the most gory,

scandalous details, often leaving us desensitized to the content. Networks over the years have bombarded us with rape and murder, while their ratings soar and show us that the controversial and violent content is being consumed by the masses. Court TV was the first to take a risky move and sell murder to the masses and the others followed suit. This explicit fascination has gone on to influence the justice system, and spawned a new kind of journalism that is embodied in people like Nancy Grace.

Casey Anthony wore her hair up the morning of her sentencing. The media spoke often about her appearance often as they presented her as a sexy party girl who desired freedom from motherhood. The saga that would determine whether Casey Anthony would live or die by lethal injection. Plenty of Americans were watching; casually following the scandal from the start when Anthony was arrested in 2008. With the media’s assistance Americans had judged and gawked at her over those preceding years. Although a villain, she was still a victim of aggressive, sensationalized journalism. The prosecution accused Anthony of duct taping her daughter’s mouth shut, murdering her, and burying her in a wooded area close to

her family home. The defense, led by Jose Baez, was twisted, inconsistent and called Caylee’s death a drowning accident which was covered up with the assistance of Anthony’s father.

TRIAL AND ERROR The images of little Caylee Anthony tugged on America’s heartstrings as journalists gave emotionally charged performances, yet no one came as close to being completely consumed with the case as CNN’s very own Nancy Grace. Grace adopted the slogan, “Justice for Caylee” and was beyond furious when Anthony was acquitted and set free. The situation was disturbing, once again the puzzle pieces didn’t match up, but apparently her legal team did something right, they provided the jury with reasonable doubt.

The year Anthony was arrested Court TV changed its name to Tru Tv. The network has continued broadcasting high profile trials. You may remember the murder trial of legendary music producer Phil Spector who was convicted of murdering a beautiful model; the defense claimed she committed suicide with his gun. More recently Conrad Murray became a star on Tru TV during a trial in which he was being blamed for the death of an

obviously self destructive, bleached pop star. Still, nothing trumped the tale of Casey Anthony, and despite expanding their sensationalized empire, Tru TV didn’t find the next big theatrical spectacle until Trayvon Martin became a household name.

Arguing between politicians, celebrities and everyday people won’t change the verdict or bring the victim back from the dead, nor will extensive 24-hour coverage, all that seems to do is confuse the jury and stereotype the victims. Based on all of the scandals discussed, confusion seemed to lead to acquittal and hung juries. The hyped up drama that surrounds the provocative cases affects the ability of the jury to go into the courtroom without bias.

The cameras hunt down tragedy and create sensationalized nightmares for the masses to consume. We can only wait and wonder what crime will catch the attention of the people once more.

Many experts believe most jurors that enter a courtroom filled with cameras; especially if the trial has been debated publicly, enter with preconceived notions and emotional connections, leaving a high possibility of a hung jury and a lack of honest justice. n

MUSIC: LINK TO SOURCE STORY BY SCOTT MORTON

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uying music isn’t what it used to be. Like the rest of the world, the music industry is figuring out how to adapt to the Internet. There is now a virtual store with a digital product instead of CDs at a record store. Digital rights management and high on ITunes store ($1.29 per song) have driven people to pirate music illegally or switch to online radio, which only gives a small percentage to artists.

Artists are learning new ways to connect directly with their fans through the Internet. Record labels used to have complete control over the interaction between artists and listeners. The larger the record label the larger it’s reach, but in most cases they also took a bigger cut of the profit for helping promote the art2 0 • I M PAC T

ist. The super fan of the band would spend the same amount as a person looking for a song because it was on the radio. The only real interaction happened at concerts. The idea of making a life as a musician was pretty grim.

There still had to be a way to make money off of music. Artists want to get their music to more people and fans want to give their favorite artists money to support them. People interested in checking out the band may not want to pay ten dollars for a CD they had never heard of.

This is why the Internet has become a more appealing way to get music for both artists and fans. It allows direct interaction that is much more personal than anything before.

In the early 2000s Napster was

in the spotlight for allowing people to download music illegally. Smaller artists embraced piracy because it spread their music without a record label but larger bands were upset that they weren’t getting paid for their work.

Musicians that turned to the web to self publish their music have found better ways to connect with their fans than ever. From offering extra incentives to super fans to letting new comers hear an album for free before deciding to buy it musician have found unique ways to reward their fans. With the Internet artists have the opportunity to be their own manager, promoter and publisher.

A new age of buying music is upon us and these sites are leading the revolution. n

-Bandcamp.com Bandcamp.com is best for finding independent rock bands. Free sign up is attractive to artists without a record deal but still want a platform to promote themselves. A band makes a profile that will then have all their albums on it available for streaming and purchase at whatever price the band chooses, often being $.99 cents for whole albums. Browsing for new artists is intuitive and quick. Listeners have paid more than 48 million dollars with $2.3 million in August alone, according to Bandcamp’s website. Video game soundtracks have also been successful on Bandcamp, drawing from titles such as Fez, Minecraft, LIMBO and, Super Meat Boy.

-Soundcloud.com Like Bandcamp, Soundcloud allows smaller artists to promote themselves. The most appealing part of Soundcloud is being able to make and share playlists. Most popular for electronic dance music Soundcloud allows streaming of all the songs and an option to download if the artist chooses. Artists will closely interact with fans through Soundcloud, posting remixes and new songs on soundcloud first for limited time downloads before becoming unavailable again. Technically a social media site some of the best pages are Record labels such as Young Turks or Fact Magazine. When soundcloud launched its upgraded media player it claimed to “reach more than 180 million people every month, equivalent to 8 percent of the internet population.”

-Datpiff.com The source for Hip-hop/Rap, DatPiff has mixtapes from the biggest artists being put up daily. All the mixtapes are free for download because they are promotional. They even give artists a chance to market themselves, letting upcoming mixtapes from artists be previewed. A Datpiff release usually comes before an album to build hype. Oftentimes the mixtape becomes more popular than the album because more people can get it for free. Meek Mill’s mixtape “Dreamchasers 2” has 8,000,000 downloads while his album sold 400,000 copies. A well-timed Datpiff release can make a rappers career and the fans reap the benefit.

-Direct from the source via blogs Many artists choose to directly link with their fans via blogging. Blogs like runthetrap.com and metalsucks. com act as a filter to show new artists to fans of a genre.

For up and coming artists having your music featured on one of these blogs can be a make or break in your fan base. Some artists choose to keep their music rights to themselves letting their whole albums be downloaded off of their website or blog. In 2012, rapper, Action Bronson released his new album a week early on his website for free if you sign up for the newsletter. Many artists prefer this method so that they don’t have to deal with a record label.

-pledgemusic.com The success and popularity of crowdfunding has exploded in the last year and Pledgemusic.com is the most organized of these sites for music. Pledgemusic is only for musicians and you can browse by genre and often listen to demos ahead of time. The rewards you get for pledging money vary from 5$ for a digital download on release to $250 dollars for a private guitar lesson with the artist. Bands can do true fan service by giving out one of a kind items, autographed memorabilia, and early access to the music. Rock band Minus the Bear was successful in September 2013 getting 166% of their crowdfunding goal releasing an acoustic EP.

WINTER 2013 • 21

COLLEGE CREDIT CRISIS QUICK TIPS TO HELP MANAGE YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE FOR IMPACT BY RALPH CHAPOCO PHOTOS BY ALEX SEMEL AND BRANDY SEBASTIAN

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any college students have failed to make sound monetary decisions and those choices could prove detrimental to their long-term financial health.

Failing to pay a credit card bill completely, waiting to contribute to a retirement account, not having a budget to work with, failing to establish an emergency fund, and not checking a credit report are just a few of the mistakes that young adults make when it comes to their personal finances. Over time these decisions can have a significant impact and can decide if a person is financially secure or lives in a constant state of stress.

Palomar College Professor Joel Glassman summarizes it this way, “no budget, rely on credit cards, don’t save.” His assessment is in line with the analysis of other financial experts when it comes to the finances of young adults.

Students fail to have a budget

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prepared for their everyday expenses.

“I would ask my students how many of them prepare a budget and out of 28 students I’d say maybe three say they did,” said Glassman. Therefore, many overspend and rely on credit cards to make up the difference.

Other students do an adequate job of not overspending but many fail to keep track of their spending regularly. “I am not that strict with my budgeting. I go on an as needed basis,” Kaitlin Graham, Palomar College student noted. This can result in lots of frivolous spending.

Credit cards are another problem that many students face when it comes to money management.

Many of them pay only the minimum required amount or forget to pay a balance at all. Sebastian Miranda, another Palomar College student is one such example, “I live paycheck to paycheck and pay the minimum on my credit card. If I have money then I will put in more.” Sebastian doesn’t realize that the interest rate on credit cards can be very high; some are as high as 20 percent. Paying only the minimum amount ends up costing the user thousands of dollars in interest.

Suppose that someone spends $300 on a credit card dining out at restaurants or socializing with friends and that card has an interest rate of 20 percent. And suppose the user only pays the minimum amount at the due date. Using the Federal Reserve interest calculator, it will take the person over 18 months to pay off the card and would pay nearly $50 in interest payments. That is a lot of money to pay over a long period of time for an experience that will only last a few hours.

Savings is a third issue when it comes to money management. Many Millennials do not have an adequate amount of savings to deal with life’s unexpected expenses. A lack of a financial cushion can prove disastrous and force people further into debt.

The issue is not saving, per se, it’s the fact that it is not a priority. Many young adults save only after they have paid all of their bills. Therefore savings is sporadic and takes a long time to accumulate.

The final issue that young adults need to prioritize more is retirement; many adolescents have not even thought about retirement let alone saved any money toward it.

“Retirement, no because I am only 20,” said Samy Elbanna, a Palomar College student in her first year.

Financial experts cannot emphasize enough how important it is to start saving immediately for retirement.

The heart of the matter is compound interest. “The moral of the story is the sooner you start saving the more it starts working for you, earning interest on interest on interest.”

Glassman said.

The difference between saving

now and saving later can be significant. Using CNN’s retirement calculator highlights the point.

Suppose that someone starts saving $100 per month at age 20 and earns a rate of return of 8 percent will have over $500,000 by the time she wants to retire. Contrast that with someone who begins saving $100 at age 30 and earns the same rate of return will only have about $230,000 saved by the time retirement comes. That is the magic of compounding interest; WINTER 2013 • 23

it makes even the smallest amounts matter.

Although difficult it is possible to turn one’s financial situation around.

The key is to live within your means and to check that urge of wanting everything right away.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF BAD CREDIT Abusing credit cards or other forms of debt can have a massive negative impact on one’s life.

Creditors utilize what is known as a FICO score to determine an applicant’s credit worthiness when applying for any type of loan, be it a mortgage, a car loan or even another credit card. The higher the 2 4 • I M PAC T

credit score, the higher the likelihood that a person will be approved for a loan and the lower the interest rate will be. The difference in monthly payments between two people who are considered a good credit risk versus someone who is considered a bad credit risk can be staggering.

Suppose that two people are applying for a five-year, $20,000 auto loan and one is considered a good credit risk and the other is not.

As a result one borrower receives an interest rate of 3 percent while the other, because of a negative credit history is forced to pay an interest rate of 6 percent. The borrower with good credit will pay approximately $360 while the other will pay almost $390.

In a more extreme case, if one’s credit score is very low, the borrower may not even qualify for the loan. If that is the case then the borrower will need a cosigner. “It could actually prevent you from getting a house or a car. If you are really close to the downside then you are really going to have problems getting credit,” Glassman added.

THE MONEY SOLUTIONS It is never too late to reverse one’s financial mistakes. The first step is to understand one’s financial situation.

One of the first tasks is to create a personal daily spending diary to track the purchases.

The reason for the exercise is two-

“

I would ask my students how many of them prepare a budget and out of 28 students I’d say maybe three say they did.”

— Palomar College Professor Joel Glassman

fold: the first is designed to track spending so the student does not spend more money than he has in his account but the second, and more important reason, is to understand one’s spending pattern. It is shocking to realize that one has spent nearly $500 on food and $250 on clothes in one month and may make that person change his spending habits.

For those who do not want to track their spending electronically there is a website called mint. com. This website will access one’s personal financial accounts and will actually track the different spending categories so that a person can get a better grasp of where one’s money goes. The site is very secure and is a read only site. This means the site only tracks the accounts and does not allow the user to make financial transactions through the site.

The second step is to make savings a priority; that is to say saving money first, before any money is used to pay for bills and other expenses. The most successful savers make the process automatic so they do not even have to think about it. They instruct their bank to move a fixed amount from their checking account to their savings account every month

or after every pay date. The leftover is what they will use to pay for living expenses. Most do not even realize they are saving money; they do not see the money so they do not even miss it.

Third, never be late on paying a credit card and try to pay the balance completely. Remember the consequence of a bad credit history.

It will cause one’s interest rate to increase and may even disqualify someone from getting credit.

Along those lines a person should check his credit report at least once per year. A person can get a free copy of his credit report by contacting the three credit bureaus; Equifax, Experian and Transunion, and filling out a form. Be sure all the information is correct and make sure that no one has opened any loans in your name.

Fourth, establish an emergency fund. Professor Glassman, “It is always recommended to save between 3-6 months of your monthly expenses as an emergency fund.” Life happens and

the unexpected expense will always be an issue: a car needs new tires, the dishwasher breaks down, a family member gets laid off, all of these situations are likely to happen and one needs to be prepared.

The final step is to begin contributing to a retirement account.

There are a number of mutual fund companies where one can start an Individual Retirement Account or IRA. One can even instruct the mutual fund company to automatically contribute money from a checking or savings account on a regular basis.

Even a small amount of $50-$100 over a long period of time can make a big difference and most financial experts agree that it is never too early to start.

Professor Glassman adds as a final piece of advice, “Live within your means. Start saving early, I can’t emphasize that enough.” n

PALOMAR’S

HIDDEN GEMS PHOTO ESSAY

BY JADE MCCONNELL LEFT PAGE Top: Eucalyptus trees in Lot 12.

Bottom: James Hubbell structure in Arboretum.

RIGHT PAGE Top left: Circular rose garden in the Palomar front lot.

Top right: Flower graffiti near Arboretum.

Bottom left: Rock garden at MD building.

Bottom right: Rock and mineral collection case in NS building.

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WINTER 2013 • 27

BREW

HOPPING

STORY BY PAIGE HARVEY | PHOTOS BY BRANDY SEBASTIAN & GARY WEST

People all over the world search for different styles of beer. North County San Diego has quickly become a hub for craft beers. Whether you are looking for a family run, local, non-corporate or mass producing brewery, San Diego offers any style. The following are some of the top breweries in North County.

STONE BREWERY Location: Escondido, Calif.

According to San Diego’s BeerAdvocate, Stone Brewery has grown extensively, becoming the 11th largest craft brewery in America.

Stone started out in 1996 and is now massive. Not only well known in San Diego County, Stone beers are sold in 35 different states. As the name implies, the bistro at Stone is known for it’s stone architecture, both inside and out. The place has a masculine feel to it, with raw metal and bulky wood tables all inside a garden setting. Stone has diverse tastes with everything from smoked lagers to assertive double IPA’s, and funky ales. The beers pack the perfect thirst quenching ale that will leave you with a hoppy buzz. Not only are you surrounded by some of the master’s of craft brews in the area, they pair the beer with excellent food in their bistro at the Escondido location.

Favorite Beer: Stone Ruination IPA

Prices: Brewery tour & taster $3 16oz. glass $7 Growler $20

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PORT BREWING CO. Location: San Marcos, Calif.

Favorite Beer: Hightide IPA Port opened in 1992, as one of the few locally crafted beers in the area, at the time. Port was started by brother and sister, Vince and Gina Marsaglia, brewing in their home. Port is about aggressive, west coast style beers.

The brewery is one of a few that share with another brand; Lost Abbey and Port are a two-for-one when at the brewery. There are a minimum of 18 different beers on tap. The beers at Port are experimental and are usually brewed with ingredients that are most commonly associated with cooking to create their signature

flavors. Port is now ranked as one of the top 10 new breweries in the nation by industry experts, according to Beer Advocate. The $1 tasters at the brewery and the visual aesthetics of the brewery are simple, divey, and very rustic. The ambiance has a kind of thrown together feel with big long picnic tables to sit at and paper utensils.

Prices: 16 oz. bottle $5 Tasters $1 Growlers $18

OFF BEAT BREWERY Location: Escondido,Calif.

Favorite Beer: Bitter Robot Red Ale Offbeat Brewery is off(the) beat(en) path. Offbeat is North County San Diego’s local, noncorporate, hidden gem that was founded by Tom Garcia and his wife in 2011. Offbeat carries beers ranging from red and brown ales, to hoppy IPA’s. The aroma’s of the beers mixed with the thick head on the Caticorn IPA create a full body ale that is dry, but not too bitter, leaving you wanting more. Offbeat is family and pet-friendly and occasionally has food trucks parked outside to pair with the beer. It is limited to four beers, as of now. The beers here

are hoppy, adding that bittering ingredient that gives the bite to your beer, but retains its freshness. The murals painted by locals on the wall are all playful and fun, but dark at the same time leaving the atmosphere is quirky, but not overly so.

Prices: Pints Tasters Growlers

$5 $2 $15

IRON FIST BREWERY

Location: Vista, Calif.

Favorite Beer: The Gauntlet Double IPA Iron Fist is a family owned craft brewery; literally, the whole family is working behind the bar. Iron Fist is dog friendly, family friendly and it even has different food trucks parked outside every day during business hours to pair with its delicious beers. Iron Fist has an open layout housed in a large warehouse with high ceilings and coregated metal covering the walls. The atmosphere is fun and laid back with a lively and unique bar located in the

front. They specialize in Belgian style beers, but there is still a wide variety of flavors. Iron Fist ranges from the strong demand for hoppy IPA’s to Belgian beers. The beers do not only focus on high alcohol content and taste bud wrecking hops, they are all sophisticated and all have one thing in common; they are unfiltered and are naturally carbonated. n

Prices: 16 oz. pour Flight of 4 tasters

$4 $5

IAN

BAST

not

HY GRAP

Y SE RAND

BY B

O PHOT

What is your facial hair inspiration?

I took advantage of the fact that my facial hair grows so rapidly and decided to see what would happen.

What’s your facial hair care routine?

I apply a little wax every morning.

What is the most bizarre object you have found in your facial hair?

Once I looked down to find a spider hanging from my moustache.

How do you and your facial hair bond?

I caress it, read it stories, sometimes I braid it.

What is the most bizarre object you found in your facial hair?

It’s where I keep my pencils when my pockets are full.

Does your facial hair have a name?

Flourish.

What was your insipration for your facial hair?

Movember. To bring awareness to men’s prostate cancer.

What’s your facial hair care routine?

Whatever toughens it up.

How do you and your facial hair bond?

Our bond is sacred and unspoken.

If your facial hair had an animal spirit what would it be?

A furry little kitten.

What’s your facial hair care routine?

I usually have my 3-year-old year old granddaughter pick the color for me.

What is the most bizarre object you found in your facial hair?

Peanut butter from getting up in the middle of the night eating it with a spoon.

What was your inspiration for your facial hair?

Magnum P.I. How do you and your facial hair bond?

It goes where I go.

What is the most bizarre object you found in your facial hair?

A girl.

If your facial hair had an animal spirit what would it be?

Lion.

What’s your facial hair care routine?

Suave Shampoo! thats it.

3 4 • I M PAC T

What is the most bizarre object you found in your facial hair?

One day I found a piece of Carmel Corn.

What was your inpiration?

I aspire to grow a full length viking beard.

This is just step one.

What is the most bizarre object you found in your facial hair?

Lint on some occasions.

How do you and your facial hair bond?

Like any loving relationship, most days we get along fine, others its a pain.

If your facial hair had an animal spirit what would it be?

A grizzly bear wearing sunglasses.

How do you and your facial hair bond?

On a warm sunny day playing badminton.

Does your facial hair have a name?

Chuck Norris. Because I’ve been told it’s that awesome.

If your facial hair had an animal spirit what would it be?

Spider.

What was your inspiration?

I like the challenge of trimming it and not messing up.

Does your facial hair have a name?

Mazi Style.

WINTER 2013 • 35

GRAFFITI GURU Street artist brings his experiences to the classroom

STORY BY SCOTT MORTON REPORTING BY DANIELLE DELUCA PHOTOS BY BRANDY SEBASTIAN

M

ost people may see graffiti as vandalism, but for one former Palomar student it is a way to bring all of his influences together and help people.

Charlie “Chale” Mejia grew up doing graffiti and today it is a still a part of his lifestyle. He uses the experiences he had growing up to shape his art and lets his art help him connect with kids from troubled schools.

Over coffee Mejia relaxes and talks about his history in graffiti and growing up in rough neighborhoods.

When he talks he has the wandering mind of an artist but the open warmth of a teacher. He chooses his words thoughtfully making sure he explains himself correctly.

As a kid Mejia chose graffiti instead of the gang life around him.

He hopes to show kids that there is another way to succeed than the streets.

“You don’t have to take that path to be a gang member,” Mejia said.

“They can see oh alright this guy goes to college.”

Growing up in East Los Angeles and Tijuana, Mejia was exposed early on to the harsh reality of gang life. His uncles were involved in gangs and his father was killed in gang violence.

“I had already been to like 20 funerals, like friends or family in the gang or in that community,” Mejia said.

To get away from the violence and poverty he picked up graffiti. “There

has to be something else,” Mejia said.

Influenced by skateboard art that was popular at the time he started doing more and more work.

As a small child he drew with his family. His aunt would spend days coloring one picture and he learned to take his time to make a piece good. At the schools in Mexico they stressed perfect lettering and that’s where Mejia had his first exposure to lettering styles.

“Your letters had to be either perfect circles or perfect lines,” Mejia said. “We would get slapped on the hand with the ruler if it was real sloppy.”

As he became more serious about graffiti, he helped start a graffiti crew.

They would have battles with other crews but it was mostly friendly. They enjoyed seeing how others worked and learning from their techniques.

Artists would keep in touch with others in San Francisco or Arizona by mailing photos of their work and keeping photo books.

Today Mejia said kids are lucky to have access to other artists’ work.

“Nowadays young graffiti artists have the Internet and blogs and Instagram and so much access. Right now you could see what a famous graffiti artist in San Francisco is doing.

There is someone there taking a picture, and there are progress shots.

It used to be you would wonder how they did that and now you can see it happen,” Mejia said. “They don’t have to struggle as hard to get there, now they can concentrate on something different something cool.”

Although Mejia gets his style from seeing other artists work and incorporating their techniques into what he has always known. Finding

your own style is very important to Mejia.

“As long as you are always trying to change and be different. Be yourself but be different, push yourself. Try to find your style,” Mejia said He gets his graffiti style from combining Mexican culture, hip-hop, Nicknames, and social activism. Mejia is proud of his heritage and displays it in his art.

Where Mejia grew up nicknames were important to finding an identity. Nicknames were a term of endearment and if someone had a nickname for you it meant accepted you. Mejia’s nickname “Chale” has multiple meanings.

Originally it came from hip-hop culture, it was a way of saying his name, Charlie with a bit of slang.

“I was super hip hop at this point in time, and I was just like yo yo yo,” Mejia said.

But it also means something similar to “Nah” or “no” in Chicano slang. He sees this as being confident, standing your ground against authority and saying “No” when told to follow the rules of society.

When taking Chicano studies classes his art incorporated that as well with Mayan and Aztec influences.

These influences came through in his art as he tried new things.

“One of the compliments that wasn’t meant as a compliment at the time was ‘I don’t understand why you are always doing different stuff.’ He was really confused. I was like ‘thanks!’ because obviously I was doing new stuff,” Mejia said.

By the time Mejia was 18 he had stopped painting illegally. He still had friends that were involved but he said it wasn’t worth going to jail for.

WINTER 2013 • 37

Graffiti artists question who really owns public property like walls and bridges.

“It is a whole different way of thinking. It is a public wall if you can push McDonalds and Nike down my throat why can’t we push our images?” Mejia said.

Laws against tagging are often broken because putting their art out is a matter of passion, he added.

“When you are just trying to express yourself you just want to do it. If there is no outlet you are just going to do it, “ Mejia said.

While a student at Palomar, Mejia took drawing classes with art professor Doug Durrant who got him into the habit of keeping a sketchbook.

Mejia still keeps his sketchbooks to look back on his influences at the time of the drawings.

Instead of finishing his art classes he decided to become a teacher so that he can help children more directly. Learning from others has

3 8 • I M PAC T

always been how Mejia learned new skills and he hopes to pass that on to other people as a teacher at Palomar one day.

“I went back and volunteered at the multicultural department because I want to teach at Palomar,” Mejia said.

Professor Frank Puchi encouraged Mejia to become a teacher, letting him take an internship helping teach the Chicano Studies 100 class the following semester.

After working in a future teacher program tutoring at Palomar he was hired on fulltime to help kids at MAAC school in Chula Vista teaching world geography.

All of the cultural things he has experienced growing up come through in his art he hopes to teach kids through it. To him Education and Graffiti go together.

“I think that it’s just super complex.

The beautiful culture where it all goes together you cant have one without there other,” Mejia said. n

ANTISOCIAL MEDIA

STORY BY BRIAN KOREC | PHOTOS BY BRANDY SEBASTIAN

T

ell your life’s story in a single tweet. Discuss a current world issue. Talk about your recent heartbreak, or that unneeded stress in your life. Quite difficult when limited to 140 characters or less, isn’t it? Technology is advancing faster than it has in decades, and the impact it is having is personal, our own social abilities and wellbeing. It can’t be denied that technology is changing the ways we interact as a society. These new means of communication and interaction are leaving people stressed, distracted, and isolated, not to mention with developing social and emotional disorders.

Studies show that a lack of real social interaction affects your mental state along with your social abilities.

Non-verbal interactions like texting and emails make communicating harder because you lack the human element; little things like a touch or eye contact and facial expressions that can give more meaning to a conversation.

Verbal inflections, which we normally use to understand conversations and relationships, are completely lost in flat emotionless text. Non-verbal communication is critical for both content and context. According to Palomar Speech Communication Professor Chris Lowry, without nonverbal cues it becomes exponentially harder to interpret all of the different meanings in a sentence, and even harder to recognize them in friends and acquaintances.

Technology, along with social networking, can bring people together and make contact quicker and easier. The issue is that people don’t limit their exposure to it. Some people lack real face-to-face personal interaction.

"If someone is using technology too much without face-to-face they might be a little bit rusty as far as it goes.

Being able to handle themselves one on one with a person in a competent manner [becomes harder],” Lowry said. He added that it becomes harder for people to handle themselves in one on one situations in a competent manner, and it is harder to find the right word choice and style.

Lowry explained that it is important not only to have face-to-face interaction, but at the same time learn how to use these new technologies in the right way. Smartphones, computers, and new technology make

face-to-face interaction an unneeded hassle. It is possible to communicate instantly via platforms like social media, instant messaging, and text, forgoing the need for personal interaction. The problem becomes that these methods of communication lack a personal aspect. Complex emotions and attitudes are hard to communicate through things like text messages, emails, and computer screens.

“There’s no person to person, you’re talking to a computer screen and a computer screen is replying to you. You don’t a get a feeling between the person when you type on the keys,” said Palomar College art major Derek Northington.

As you get closer to someone through face-to-face interactions you will get used to their non-verbal cues and facial expressions, which can’t be read in a text or heard in a phone call. Lowery said that as you get closer to other people, you develop an awareness of their contextual cues and ticks. When you change the way you communicate you change how it comes across, and thus how people interpret it.

The same message received through speech, text, or computer will have different interpretations and impacts.

Without tonal inflections, or other contextual visual clues, the receiver loses something in conversation.

If people don’t build up a rapport with one another, the lack of social and contextual cues can lead to misunderstandings, arguments, and damaged relationships.

Northington said that he hates to text because the messages are sometimes misunderstood.

“It’s a text, you’re reading it.

It’s like reading a book and you’re

interpreting it. Because conversing with a person you get everything.

Feelings, the way you look, the way you stand, hand gestures all of that.

You get none of that through the text message. That’s not communication.”

Northington said.

RELATIONSHIPS In interpersonal relationships, face-to-face communication is critical and without it friendships may struggle. If relationships are built through technology or the Internet there are different mannerisms and interactions. According to Lowry, people on the Internet will lose their mental block of when things are, or are not, appropriate to say, or how quick to delve into personal facts. It is important to learn how to participate in small talk and when not to jump into personal conversations.

When communicating through nonpersonal means it becomes harder to find the line you shouldn't cross, and what topics are too taboo to bring up. "It's hard to sense in a text or an email, but faceto-face you read how they are reacting and you can learn to adapt,” Lowry said. Through technology and social networking like Facebook and Twitter, people tend to reveal personal information that they wouldn’t have before, and aren’t discouraged from saying things they might have held back in person.

“You have all of those people having an open discussion on the Internet, they know nothing about each others’ background, or economic standpoint, and it’s an ignorant conversation,” Northington said.

Lowry added that it is easier to type or text something because of the disconnect, that lack of face-toface contact.

WINTER 2013 • 41

“That’s the thing, people tend to get a little bit braver [on the Internet].

Because the person is not there, they might say something that they're not afraid to say, that they might be afraid to say in person, but they'll say online because they're not meeting them face-to-face. They might even say something they regret because they might be saying it as they're reacting rather than putting some thought into it before hand.” People tend to be more open through these technologies because there is no personal connection, and this can cause people to say something that may put the other person on the defensive. “They're not afraid of having that face to face conflict. They can be really aggressive online because they go, 'Hey I don't care, it's just words on a screen, '” Lowry said.

There is a newly forming set of rules that come with technology that affects personal relationships that some people are not aware of. Relationships with technology have morphed and changed and some people have yet to catch up with it. When talking with a former student, Lowry said he discovered how technology was changing his student’s relationship with his girlfriend. If the student didn’t text his girlfriend immediately or frequently enough, she would get upset, it had become a new factor in their relationship that was an issue.

Something so casual that may have been insignificant in the past is now important.

“It really affected how they got along,” Lowry said. “There’s certain rules that should be set up and certain etiquette that needs to be set up. I think the key thing is knowing where and when to use these specific devices. There’s a time and a place. It’s when we don’t think about it before hand that it can lead to trouble, when it leads to misunderstanding where conflict could occur, because the channel you used was inappropriate.”

This is where the effect of rapidly evolving technology complicates communication. Lowry added that many people struggle to adapt quickly enough to this, and it’s changing and hurting their relationships, and this is where face-to-face is critical in relationships. Technology simply doesn’t work when we are trying to learn about each other, to really know and understand those around us.

4 2 • I M PAC T

PERSONAL MENTAL HEALTH Various social and personality disorders are being connected to, and caused by our use of these technologies. Anxiety, depression, and introverted tendencies top the list. According to the study “Narcissism and Social Networking Web Sites” published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin by Laura Buffardi & W. Keith Campbell, it was found that using social media can cause narcissistic behavior. Many users see these sites as a way to promote themselves and their popularity, usingW it to regulate their self-esteem. They use relationships and numerous but shallow friendships to portray the look of being popular and successful.

Social networking gives people feeling that they are being listened to, because with technology that drives people apart, most feel like there is no one to listen. Sherry Turkle a Psychology and Sociology Professor at MIT, said during her Ted talk “Connected, but alone?” that when people post, they feel like they have automatic listeners who see what they are trying to communicate, and that it drives us to these technologies that seem to care about us. We become lonely from these technologies, but are afraid of intimacy. Turkle said that people turn to technology when they are their most vulnerable and that people gain the illusion of companionship from these technologies, without the actual demands of friendship.

According to Turkle People are turning in on themselves and using

technology to connect, but not communicate.

Turkle contends that because people have grown accustomed to the constant use of technology, they become anxious when left alone. Even if it isn’t consciously, the first reaction is to dive into devices and technology, and in turn because of this people are no longer used to being truly alone.

Technology grants the immediate gratification of connection. “Solitude is where you find yourself so that you can reach out to other people and form real attachments,” Turkle said during her talk. She added that this actually causes people to become lonelier because of the reliance on these technologies without real connections.

For people with introverted tendencies, anxiety disorders, or depression, these technologies can be a precursor to real interaction. They can be used to learn social cues, become more accustomed to communicating with others, and even learn what is or is not socially acceptable.

However there needs to be a point where people make the leap from the virtual and the technological into personal interaction. Moderation, like with all things, is truly the key for using technology. Take a break from technology sometimes, turn off your computer, put down your cellphone, and unplug and go out into the world. You’ll screw up, stumble, and say the wrong things, but real communication is a great way to grow. n

CAMPING ON THE CHEAP STORY BY PAIGE HARVEY PHOTO BY JADE MCCONNELL

C

amping is a way to relax and connect with your friends and nature – if you are well prepared.

Without planning beforehand you could be up all night covered with bug bites and searching your iPhone for the cheapest motel nearby. Camping is a great way to explore different areas and bond with your friends all on one low-cost budget.

BORROW, BEFORE YOU BUY If you have never been camping, you probably do not have the correct gear to enjoy your trip. Before you go to REI and invest in the most “Fancy Nancy” tent, ask around. Collectively, your friends and family may be able to help make up for the bulk of things you need that you don’t already have. If you have to buy, buy used, especially if you are new to camping. Outdoor online retailers run great sales on camping equipment such as: Sierra Trading Post and The Clymb.

Move fast on these sites, because most items can go very quickly. Craigslist is the easiest go-to for finding cheap camping gear. Most users on Craigslist will buy brand new, use them once and will re-sell for half the cost. Also, turn your old vinyl shower curtains into tent tarps instead of throwing them away.

PICKING YOUR LOCATION Do your research first. Look up what fits your needs best – beach, mountains, desert. Your location can change the cost of your trip; freecampsites.net can locate 100 percent free places to camp in the area you choose. Ask around for recommendations on where your friends and family like to camp.

Your iPhone or Android is the new Swiss Army knife. Download apps like, “Ranger! ParkFinder” or “Camp Finder” before you go so you can find a place to pitch your tent, both apps are under one dollar in the app store. Lastly, campers who plan to do without amenities can check on boondocking.com for a user-

compiled list where setting up a tent is a no-cost adventure.

FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE SURROUNDINGS If it is your first time camping at the particular spot, arrive early and bring a map. Make sure you arrive with plenty of time before the sun goes down and set aside enough time to set up your campsite. Practice setting up the tent and taking it down at home before you get to the campsite to avoid taking up all your daylight. Once you have set up, walk around the campsite and check where the bathrooms are and do some basic exploring to get the lay of the land before dark.

BE SAFE Even if you are a professional camper, pack a first aid kit with all the first aid essentials. Do not forget handsanitizer, sunscreen, a map, and insect repellant spray. Also, bring lots of light – flashlights and lanterns to light up your campsite without draining the battery on your car lights.

PACKING THE RIGHT FOOD Try and plan what you’ll have for each meal so you don’t run out. Markets and restaurants at campsites are over priced and most of the time, not so good. Pre packing food in Ziploc bags for each meal is the easiest, least time consuming and cheapest route, i.e. baking potatoes and wrapping them in foil. Once at the campsite put the wrapped, already baked, potatoes straight into the fire to warm them up. Most meals are easy and can be cooked right over the fire. Hot dogs and hamburgers are cheap, can be packed in a cooler and cooked over the fire. Pack one pot to cook canned foods for dinner (soups and beans). Snack foods like granola bars, PB&J, Gatorade, water, and beef jerky are all under $5 and can be found at the local grocery store before you arrive. n

Digging for KNOWLEDGE FOR IMPACT BY HEATHER RANDALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF PHIL DEBARROS

Dr. de Barros removes a sample of iron smelting slag from the

Fired remnants of a tuyère used to funnel air into a furnace.

slag tapping basin beneath the 2,400 yr old furnace

I

magine how you would feel if you were offered the chance to become part of an archeological adventure on the other side of the world in Togo, West Africa. Would you take it? Two former Palomar students were offered the opportunity, and both said yes. Kellie Kandybowicz, 32 and Gabby Lucidi, 21 were in different stages of their archeology studies when they embarked on the adventure. Both women shared the good fortune of taking a course with the same professor, at different times, which allowed them ultimately to share in an experience that enriched their lives.

Enter Dr. Philip de Barros. De Barros is

4 6 • I M PAC T

Palomar College’s resident archeology and anthropology professor.

After joining the Peace Corp shortly after it was first founded in 1962, de Barros accepted an assignment in Togo, West Africa. He entered the Peace Corp in 1966, and remained a volunteer until 1972.

“There were so many things I liked about Southern Togolese culture; it liberated me in some ways,” de Barros said.

Since the 1980s, de Barros has spent decades learning about the Bassar region, its resources and the people. His ultimate goal has been to discover what the effects of the rise of the iron industry in Bassar had on

Bassar’s society. In order to begin to answer that question, de Barros first had to establish a ceramic chronology, which is what archeologists do to find out what century the site they’re studying is from.

“It was a lot of work because I was a pioneering archeologist in the area, I couldn’t depend on anybody else’s data because no one else had done any excavations there,” de Barros said.

Throughout the years, as de Barros has expanded his research and knowledge of Bassar, he developed contacts with locals and began bringing a select number of students from the United States over to assist in professional grade field work.

THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME After hearing de Barros speak in class about his previous work in Bassar, and a future trip he was planning, both Lucidi and Kandybowicz were hooked and approached him about what they needed to do to go with him. While neither woman’s parents were thrilled about the idea initially, both sets of parents eventually came around and allowed their daughters to pursue the adventure they both so desperately craved. They planned to depart from the United States at the end of January, 2013.

Kandybowicz learned of de Barros plans to go to Africa nearly a year before departing on the two and a half month long adventure. She was still in the process of applying to San Diego State University (SDSU), when she first learned of de Barros plans to take students with him. She approached de Barros, and peppered him with questions. Her anxiety was soothed immediately upon hearing de Barros explain that he was pleased with her work and asked her to come with him. Kandybowicz found out she had been accepted to SDSU around the same time, but opted to take a semester off so that she could go on the trip.

“I decided that I thought it was an opportunity worth taking,” she said.

Above: Large, intensively used iron bloom crushing mortar made of stone (likomandjole) at Bitchabe.

Left: Palomar College students Gabby Lucidi (left) and Kellie Kandybowicz (right) helping two Togolese graduate students in archaeology (Labodja Fankibe and Pakou Harena) map a likomandjole near Ingale.

WINTER 2013 • 47

Prior to departing, Lucidi had the chance to be a teaching assistant in one of de Barros’ advanced excavation classes. Lucidi gained confidence as she noticed de Barros paying her compliments on her work.

She knew she wanted to travel the world before getting tied down with too many other commitments, so when the opportunity was presented for her to go on this trip, she knew she had to do it.

“It was amazing waking up every day and going to work in the field,” Lucidi said.

Kandybowicz went to go for the life experience. Once she signed onto go, she said she had difficulty focusing on her studies because she was so excited about going to go.

“I almost felt like I was letting go of my goals because I was so excited to go to Africa. I needed to reinvigorate my focus. I feel like 100 percent, that happened there (In Africa),” Kandybowicz said.

Later Iron Age furnace at Bandjeli which used

ACCLIMATING TO LIFE IN THE FIELD

iron ore nearly

When Lucidi and Kandybowitcz arrived in Togo, they spent a few days with de Barros at a hotel in Lomé before heading off to Bassar. The first couple of days, they purchased water bottles, screens to sift for objects out in the field, and other supplies to bring along on the long car ride up to Bassar. De Barros also purchased a car and hired a chauffeur to take them.

“It took about 9 hours to get up to Bassar on really rickety roads that had a lot of potholes,” Kandybowicz said.

The three of them stayed with a family that de Barros knows well in Bassar. It took some time for the two women to adjust to the lack of readily available tap water that they had previously taken for granted, at home in the States.

“A lot of times, there was no running water, so we would fill large barrels of water, when the water was running, and use that,” Kandybowicz said.

The family they lived with prepared food each day for all of them. They had yams, black-eyed peas, white rice, tofu, and a little bit of chicken. Going to the markets on Saturdays for treats was something both women looked forward to each

The large hole at

4 8 • I M PAC T

70% iron-rich. the base is where the iron bloom was removed after smelting.

week. They also occasionally drank millet beer. Kandybowitcz embraced the simple lifestyle of Bassar.

“I kind of liked it to be honest.

It was nice not having so many options,” Kandybowicz said.

In the field each day, Lucidi had a chance to work on her surveying skills, which she said really improved over the course of the trip. De Barros utilized both Lucidi and Kandyowiticz to help him walk a new area and divide it up into quadrants while looking for lukomandjols which are iron bloom crushing mortar tools.

At one point, Lucidi had the chance to identify an anvil that hadn’t previously been identified. An anvil is a flat stone block that is used as a surface to forge iron tools.

Lucidi said not only did she excel in developing her archeology skills, but she also gained a much broader appreciation for herself as a person and life in general.

“Just the fact that I did it and stuck with it, personally, has given me a lot

more confidence in what I do,” Lucidi said.

Kandybowicz fondly recalls being given her African name by the family who hosted them when they arrived in Bassar.

“We were given African names.

Mine was Aoussi. It means only child,” Kandybowicz said.

While working in the field, Kandybowicz said that she and Lucidi began each day around 5 a.m. It took an hour by car to get to the dig sites, and because of the extreme heat, they needed to be finished working by 12:30 p.m. Each day, Kandybowicz and Lucidi would screen for pieces of charcoal after the ground had been excavated down to 60 to 80 cm by locals that de Barros hired.

“We would just walk and look for stuff (pottery or charcoal) on the ground, and flag it, if you see it,” Lucidi said.

Lucidi and Kandybowicz screened for charcoal at six different sites in and around Bassar. Carbon 14 dating is used to determine the age

of organic remains All the dates fell within the the 14th Century. It’s an extremely accurate process, so it is used frequently by archeologists.

The work Kandybowicz and Lucidi performed assisted de Barros in his long-term research of when and where iron working was being performed by the native people in Bassar.

ACHIEVING GOALS AT ALL DIFFERENT STAGES On this trip, de Barros specifically wanted to discover when the native people stopped smelting, and began Blacksmithing. Smelting is a process to purify iron. Ore is retrieved from the earth and then is placed into a furnace so that the iron and the slag are separated. The pure iron is then used to make tools.

De Barros utilized Kandybowicz and Lucidi to help map archaeological and ethno-archeological sites (areas that were recently abandoned). The sites were blacksmithing villages.

De Barros said he hoped to discover a large amount of information from the work that he, Lucidi and Kandybowitcz were doing.

“There were lots of things to look for. They had to learn how to recognize anvils, stone hammers, slag deposits, little lukomandjols and pottery,” de Barros said.

Kandybowitcz and Lucidi not only screened for organic matter, but they also managed the photo log, GPS log as well as learning to map sites, and conduct GPS readings themselves.

The hard work and dedication both women put into their work, paid off.

De Barros said he was extremely

Palomar College students Gabby Lucidi, Kellie Kandybowicz and Sonali Patangay help sift through slag looking for charcoal to date the nearby smelting slag mound (now dated to the 14th c. A.D.) in Bitchabe.

pleased with both of them.

Both women were grateful for their experiences. Lucidi explained how she understood her fortune before going to Togo and admits that having that experience really impacted her for the better.

“I feel like I grew up. I have a totally different perspective on life,” Lucidi said.

Lucidi enjoys studying stone tools and lithics. She’s not sure what she wants to specialize in moving forward though. She said she’s

always loved geology, and she has a good eye for identifying objects in the field. She credits de Barros with inspiring her to begin studying archeology.

Having returned to the States, and continuing on with their studies, Kandybowicz and Lucidi will forever remember their amazing experiences and continue on with a uniquely special appreciation for themselves and the lives they create for themselves moving forward. n

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS • Established chronology for basic ironworking in the Bassar Region Late Stone Age with polished stone axes: ends ca. 2,500 years ago Early Iron Age: ca. 400 B.C. – 200 A.D. Later Iron Age: 1250-1950 A.D. with large-scale iron production and the long distance (200 km) trade of iron and iron tools from 1500-1910 A.D. • The rise of large-scale iron production led to higher population densities, larger and longer lasting villages, village aggregation in the iron ore zone as iron production became the basis of the Bassar economy, the rise of long-distance trade, and a modest increase in political centralization (chiefdoms).

• Documented that the Bitchabe area of the Bassar region began to specialize in blacksmithing in the early to mid-15th century based on C14 dates.

• Rise of the Bassar Iron Industry during the early Iron Age led to the rise of a 63-acre industrial center and market for iron tools ca.

400-200 B.C. at Dekpassanware 12 km north of Bassar town.

• The Bassar region began producng iron tools made of a low carbon steel 2,400 years ago.

•Documented the spatial organization of Early and Later Iron Age blacksmithing sites (anvils, stone hammers, forges, slag dumping areas, houses).

•Discovered the remains of a 2,400 iron smelting furnace used during the Early Iron Age; these remains include a slag tapping basin beneath the furnace, large tuyères used to funnel air from bellows into the furnace, and parts of a furnace base that permits us to estimate its external and internal diameter.

WINTER 2013 • 49

WELCOME TO THE SLAM

Political science professor Joe Limer connects with students via poetry

STORY BY COTTON PETTINGELL | PHOTO BY BRANDY SEBASTIAN

“

Click!

We interrupt this program to bring you a special announcement. Now you, yes you, can be successful in life. You can have the perfect American life with 2.4 kids, a dog, and a white picket fence, as long as you’re powered by Viagra, Cialis, Extenze, or Depends, with your 90 pound desperate Joseph Limer, professor of political science at Palomar College, is a veritable slam poet wordsmith and performer of epic proportions. He started in his classroom and made it all the way to the finals of the National Poetry Slam Championship earlier this year in August. Whether he is on the stage, with his friends and colleagues, or in front of his students, he uses his poetry to teach.

“I needed an outlet, so I would always write,” Limer said. He never thought his poems would amount to anything, they were just for him, but when he became a teacher at Palomar, he decided that he wanted to try to use his poetry to teach. “I have a strong sort of idea or philosophy in regards to political science, in that you shouldn’t just know political science, you should be able to articulate an argument. So to me, it was about speaking up and expressing yourself,” he said.

After concluding a lecture on the moral implications of utilitarianism or the Marxian superstructure which is simply a representation of the modes of production, he drove his point home with a poem, but he doesn’t just stand up there and read from a page. This is slam poetry. He composes himself, takes a deep breath, shakes out his arms, cracks his neck, adjusts the sleeves on his sports coat, then he jumps at you, eyes wide with anticipation at your reaction to the abrupt cadence and rhythm of slam poetry. He stomps across the stage in time with his words, his hands pointing accusatorially at his audience or pantomiming what he’s saying. And his words, his words hold social significance, and can make even the most zealous lover of our way of

house wife with surgical enhancements.

Living in a foreclosed space that you call home. Roaming around in a brakeless Toyota that moves faster than your 5 Hour Energy buzz. Because in this commercial program, you are being programmed to act, so please act now, operators are standing by.” (From Joe Limer’s “Click”)

life question some of its systems. Here’s what he has to say about the state of the US public education system in his poem “Education”: “Ask me if I’m trying to advance a liberal agenda, and I’ll tell you, I’m just trying to get students to think for themselves. Ask me if I do it for the money, and I will show you my paycheck...

And PUNCH YOU IN THE THROAT! Ask me. Ask me why I do this and I will say, I just want to teach.”

Students clap when he’s done with a poem, often inspired by the obvious passion for his poetry. After one of his poems about education, Garret Gale, a student in his Political Science 100 class said, “I don’t usually like slam poetry, but that was awesome. It makes me wonder how my education has shaped who I am and what I do.” Limer has heard things like this from students a thousand times, which only inspires him to do more.

After performing his first poem in class a few years ago, Limer was invited to CSU San Marcos to do another poem there. He said the more he performed, the more opportunities he had to perform, and the more passionate he became about poetry. “And that’s when I got connected with the San Diego slam poetry team,” he said. The team is called “Elevated!” and they have competed in the National Poetry Slam for several years, but earlier this year, they earned 4th place in the championship finals. Limer helped his team beat out top teams from around the country, proving himself on the national stage with poems about education and technology, hoping to

teach the masses and open their minds.

But, as much as he loves performing, he said he loves teaching more, and he doesn’t really care how big the audience is, only if they are listening to what he is saying, and stimulating their critical faculties. “I write the poems for myself, but I perform them in a way that makes other people feel connected to them.”

Limer said that he may not know about certain social issues, but he investigates them, and he wants to see how other people feel when he presents those facts in a poem.

He holds poetry workshops every Thursday and offers extra credit to his students who attend. The workshop is a safe haven for students to express themselves without fear. Palomar student, Vincent Catheline said, “It was partially that it was worth a lot of extra credit, but I’ve since gotten past that.

So I guess now I’m just doing it because it’s just an interesting thing, something to try out.” Vincent is working on his poetry with people from other classes, performing, writing, and sharing it with them. Others had similar stories. Allison Chan also came for the extra credit, but ended up sharing her emotion and her vision with the rest in the workshop, even when she had capped out on extra points. The students stay because of a mixture of respect for Limer, and a desire to improve and express themselves.

“Caution! Some of you may experience what we professors call the light bulb effect, in which case, don’t resist it. It’s called critical thought…

And now, back to our regular scheduled programming.

Click.” n

BULLYING OUT OF THE SHADOWS Victims use painful past to help others

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX SEMEL

“H

ope you die! The world is a better place without you! I hope you &^%# kill yourself!” are just some of the messages that may show up on the screen of your cellphone, tablet, computer, in an e-mail, or as a post on Facebook or Twitter. Cyberbullying is the modern and ultimate way to intimidate or destroy a reputation and hurt someone’s life.

“I have been bullied my entire life, but the cyberbullying, it was a coordinated attack,” said Palomar College student Andrew Stevens.

The “net” is full of shocking and sad YouTube videos, depicting incidents of suicidal teens, such as the recent case of 15-yearold Amanda Todd, and the latest victim of cyber bullying, Rebecca Sedwik. Cyberbullies use the Internet to send pictures and to post verbally abusive messages.

According to the Bully Project, 81 percent of youths agree that online bullying is easier to get away with than bullying in person, and 80 percent also believe it is easier to hide online bullying from parents.

Some people endure a lifetime of bullying, which begins in grade school and continues into adulthood. Some people succumb to this abuse, while others overcome it and use it to help others. Palomar student Andrew Stevens and former Palomar student Jason Hallock were bullied. However, their stories are very different – one was bullied for most of his life and the other became the bully.

THE VICTIM When Stevens was a young child and the bullying started in school, his mother tried to help him out. She would attend meetings and attempted to get

the school involved, however most of the time her efforts failed. Steven said it would wind up being a situation of their word against Stevens’ word.

During high school Stevens said the bullying had become a constant presence in his life until one of his classmates started calling him names because Stevens was gay. After realizing what was being said to him, he said he became very sad.

At one point, he said he had enough, and so he told a teacher who intervened. Stevens said that she told the student who was bullying him that he needed to stop bullying him if he wanted to pass the class because his behavior was unacceptable.

Stevens said the bullying finally stopped his senior year of high school, when students learned that he was going to join the military, and surprisingly, even some of the bullies came to apologize. Stevens said that some of them said, “Sorry, I was a jerk to you.” “So it was some redemption there,” Stevens said.

Unfortunately for Stevens, the bullying didn’t stop. When he was halfway into his deployment in Afghanistan, his fellow Marines started heckling him and questioning him about his sexuality.

“One of them was very belligerent, so I asked him why,”

WINTER 2013 • 53

“ Stevens said. The Marine explained that he had found some emails, regarding Stevens’ sexual orientation, when using Stevens’ computer.

This fellow Marine then threatened to disclose that Stevens was gay to his superior officers, and tried to use this information to disobey commands under Steven’s authority, as during this time, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was in effect. This became a very serious issue for Stevens, as the ramifications seen at that time could have been up to that of a dishonorable discharge, where he would have lost his job. Thankfully, a Staff Sergeant dismissed these allegations, and told them that he is going to treat the matter as a “personal grudge,” Stevens said.

When Ste got out of the Marine Corps, he participated in the “IT GETS BETTER PROJECT.” Through the project he posted a video on YouTube to help other LGBTQ teens that are being bullied because of their sexuality.

Within three weeks of posting the video, posts and emails with painful and threatening messages regarding Stevens and his sexual orientation showed up.

“I could not believe that this group of soldiers that I was so close to in Afghanistan, people that potentially you have to lay down your life for or your life depends on their hands, would be able to or willing to react on this way,” Stevens said.

While he still receives e-mails bullying him, calling him names, and threatening him, Stevens said he also receives e-mail from kids that are dealing with similar situations, who find comfort in his testimony, hearing that at some point it gets better.

It has gotten better for Stevens. He 5 4 • I M PAC T

You are going to be the bitch or the bully and I was not going to be the bitch anymore,” Jason Hallock.

has used his experience to help others.

“Actually being bullied has made me a more compassionate person, I don’t even tolerate harassing people from the military,” Stevens said. Since the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Stevens has joined the Marine Corps Reserves.

Stevens is a member of Palomar’s LGBT group, which he describes as a group that offers lots of support and is a place to find people “just like me,” Stevens said. He said that in this group there are people who are religious and who “do not use religion for evil but for good.

The Ex-Bully Hallock was also bullied when he was in grade school. Jason was picked on and thrown into trashcans consistently, and intimidated by the same group of kids until he was 14. Hallock wasn’t going to take it anymore. He became the bully. Hallock said that he would walk around school with soda cans in his hands so he would have strong fists ready to go. If he did not like how people looked at him they were punished.

“You are going to be the Bitch or the Bully and I was not going to be the Bitch anymore,” Hallock said.

Hallock’s lifestyle is similar to a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde life. At home, “Dr. Jekyll”, kind and polite, a straight A student, loving and caring with his mother and little sister, becoming “Mr. Hyde” at school, terrorizing

classmates and authorities until he graduated.

Some bullies just need one thing, any excuse to launch attacks. Some victims will turn around the table and become a bully as a self-defense/self preservation behavior, so as to stop being victims as in the case of Hallock. Bully or Bitch, similar to the concept of fight or flight, wherein the victim must choose between one of two diametrically opposed options.

Hallock said that throughout middle school and high school, he terrorized those around him and he did not have any respect for anyone not even himself. “I took everything I wanted,” Hallock said.

Hallock said that he felt like he was unstoppable. However during his senior year in high School authorities make him sign a contract that he would not fight on school grounds.

“So I would follow people home and let them have the consequences,” Hallock said.

Hallock said that his reputation has followed him. His nickname, “Rhino” is a painful memory for him. “I told my sister not to use my nickname ‘Rhino’.

We don’t have the same last name, do not ever say I’m your brother. I did not want the consequences of my behavior on her.” Hallock said that he deeply regrets his past bullying.

He said that he now has friends who love him for who he is and have taught him to respect others. Hallock said that when he came clean to his mother, she was appalled. He said that he is looking forward to helping others and using his experiences in a positive way.

Every victim handles bullying differently. One thing Stevens and Hallock know for sure is there is a way out and life does get better. n

OUT OF THE KETTLE STORY BY DAPHNE DELGADO PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BRANDY SEBASTIAN

W

herever you are, whatever you are recovering from — work, a sore throat, a hangover — tea goes with the occasion. If it’s raining outside, put the kettle on the stove. If it’s hot outside, pour a glass of iced tea.

Tea originated in China during the Shang Dynasty around 800 A.D., and has evolved over time to be what we consume today.

Drinking tea has turned into a true art form.

According to the Tea Association of the USA, Americans consume well over 55 billion servings of tea (over 2.50 billion gallons) a year. Over the past few years the popularity of iced tea has increased considerably. It has even become the popular drink of choice over soda.

According to Coffee Talk Magazine, “Ready to drink teas have found their way into supermarkets in a greater variety than ever before, and have outspaced soft drinks on shelves.”

The popularity has risen because of its reputation of being a healthy alternative to other sugary drinks such as soda, and its cheaper price. Tea has an ingredient in it called Catechins. Catechins are a type of disease-fighting flavonoid and an antioxidant.

This ingredient prevents harmful chemical reactions in which oxygen is combined with other substances. Take a look at the back of an Iced Tea can and a can of soda and you will find that 12 ounces of iced tea has 22-36 milligrams of caffeine where a can of soda can have 36-46 milligrams of caffeine. According to the United States Association of Tea, due to its high sugar content, iced tea is a healthy alternative to drinking soda, but only in moderation.

A certain brand of iced tea has become more popular based on its taste and price tag; that brand is Arizona Iced Tea. The brand prides itself on using all natural ingredients and being an American owned and operated company. According to Arizona Iced Tea Company they started out making beer and then moved onto brewing iced tea when they realized that’s where the real money was. Now they have become the #1 ready- to-drink tea in the United States.

Because of its popularity amongst students the team of Impact magazine decided to do a taste test of which Arizona Iced Tea is the best based strictly on the flavor. We tested six flavors. Green Tea, Sweet Tea, Tropical Tea, Raspberry Tea, Lemon. Here is what our team favored:

Half Lemonde, Half Iced Tea 42%

Green Tea 33%

Raspberry Tea 25% Lemon Tea 0% Tropical 0% Sweet Tea 0%

c Re

e ip sf

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staff of IMPACT the

CHEESE PANINI

1 slice of mozzarella 1 slice of provolone 1 slice of cheddar Pesto (basil, olive oil, garlic, and pine nuts ground together) Ciabatta rolls 1. Spread pesto on both slices 2. Layer Mozarella, provolone, and cheddar on the slices of bread 3.Combine both layers of bread.

4.Grill in the skillet until cheese has melted.

COOKS’ CORNER College students are notoriously bad cooks. The staff at Impact Magazine wanted to help students break away from this stereotype by providing cheap and simple recipes that will put Top Ramen to shame.

POTATO SOUP FROM ECUADOR

5-7 medium potatoes 5-7 onions scallions (green onions) chopped small 2 liter of water or chicken broth 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic salt , pepper 1/2 cup of milk (if wanted) shredded cheese 1. Saute’ onions 2. Add garlic, salt pepper, add water or chicken broth and potatoes to pan.

3.When potatoes are soft, take one out of pot blend it with a 1/2 cup of milk.

4. Add the blend to the pot take it off of the fire.

5.Serve with some avocado and cheese on top0

MONKEY BREAD

1 can of buttery biscuits 1.5 c granulated sugar 1.5 c brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1 c butter 1 Bundt Pan 1.Heat oven to 350 degrees F 2.Mix together sugars and cinnamon 3.Melt Butter 4. Cut biscuits into quarters 5. Dip biscuit into the melted butter and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture

6. Set pieces in the pan making no more than two layers 7.Sprinkle remaining sugar and butter over the top.

8. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown

STROMBOLI WITH MARINARA SAUCE

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough (recommended: Pillsbury brand) 1/4 pound sliced pepperoni, about 24 slices 6 slices provolone, deli sliced 6 slices Italian hot ham 8 slices Genoa salami 2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano or Romano 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 2. Cover a flat surface with cornmeal 3. Break open the tube of dough and remove it from container.

4. Roll out pizza dough onto the surface in a rectangle shape 5. Cut pizza dough in half both ways creating 4 sections 6. Layer each section with even amounts of the meat and provolone 7. Roll each piece on an angle from corner to corner making a long roll that is thicker in the middle and thinner on each end.

8.Brush rolls with extra-virgin olive oil and pat with garlic powder and grated cheese 9. Bake until evenly golden, 12 to 14 minutes then serve.

MARINARA SAUCE

1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped A dash of red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon anchovy paste, optional but recommended 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes Salt and pepper

WHITE BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

RUM OR BOURBON BALLS

2 tablespoons corn oil 1 large onion, chopped 4 large garlic cloves, chopped 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper 1-pound boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces 3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans) 1 cup canned chicken broth 1 7-ounce can diced green chilies 1/2 cup whipping cream Chopped fresh cilantro 1 Avocado

Makes: 2 dozen

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat.

2. Add onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, dried red pepper.

3. Sauté 5 minutes.

4.Push onion to 1 side of pan.

5.Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan.

6.Sauté chicken approximately 5 minutes.

7. Drain beans; reserve 1/2 cup bean liquid.

8. Add beans, broth, chilies, cream and reserved bean liquid to chicken.

9. Simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 10 minutes.

10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

11. Ladle chili into bowls.

Top with avocado and sprinkle with cilantro.

1 c finely crushed vanilla wafers 1 c chopped pecans 1 tablespoons cocoa 1 c rum or bourbon 1 tbs. light corn syrup 1 c powdered sugar 1. Combine wafer crumbs, pecans and cocoa.

2. Mix liquor with corn syrup 3. Add 1 cup powdered sugar 4. Form into balls by using your hands 5. Roll balls in remaining powdered sugar 6. Let ripen in an airtight container several days before serving 7.Roll balls in powdered sugar again before serving FLAPJACKS

Makes 1 flapjack 1 c flour 1 tsp of baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda A chunk of butter A few splashes of buttermilk to soften dough 1. Add enough buttermilk for soft dough.

2. Roll out round on floured surface to fill skillet.

3.Prick with fork all over one side.

4. Flip in a buttered covered skillet over burner. Flip over when bottom side is browned.

(Careful Burns Easily) For Biscuits: Double baking soda in the recipe For Pancakes: Same Mixture but leave out shortening and beat 1 egg and 1 cup buttermilk and melt 2 tbsp. of butter into the battter.

1. Saute’ garlic in pan 2. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes

WINTER 2013 • 57

THE ROADTRIP CHRONICLES STORY BY MARLENE ESTRADA AND HANNAH RYANEN PHOTO ESSAY BY ALEX SEMEL

One of the many perks of living in Southern California is being a short distance away from a variety of climates. In one day you can visit the beach, desert, mountains, and end the day wherever you choose.

With snacks packed, a couple changes of clothes, a camera, and my best friend; we were ready to give the 24 hour challenge a shot.

ve Co we a l l o hile . s aJ - L rise w a lion g n i n e inn e su he s beged th ith t e w Th ch .m: e wat swam a 5 6:1 ere w d and wh rkele sno

WA K ear E UP ly t Goo ime CALL d th was ! Get tin ing a we chillin g in t he had g wet exper wate ra ie suit s an nce to t suc ha d ra s sh g ay the n l aur ds! east.

o the used t g in t t ge ed up, e were f, pack ion. f w o s a d t ie r us at destin o, we d EXT! J THE N e to leave. S for the next O T N O tim dy it was car rea LL water, back in the ONNE E MCC t D o A g J Y and APH B GR

PHOTO

the sand e arrived at W sng e ri p S alm efinite climat 10:55 a.m: P d a half. A d an y g ur ug ho b e an e dun dunes after zing water. Th ee fr r e fo th t m ea o tr change fr hot, but a , smelly and n the park was loud up and dow g After goin . us nation. f ti o es o d tw xt the for our ne y ad re e er dunes we w

Bear, we ek to Big tr r u o p ake it up way u ouldn’t m to realize ES! Half w L B d U n a O s R a only CAR T low on g our bags allet! we were through d have a w e realized n fl e ri v e e ’t W n . in id d ta re s efo the moun ash and one of u e story: B oc oral of th u need.

M o . y M G T A we had n IN RYTH und an E V fo E e e w v , a y you h Luckil make sure you leave

DETOUR: While on our way to th e mountains to pl ay in the snow, we saw a huge dinosaur on the side of th e road. We pulled over because w ho can pass up a life-siz e dinosaur? No t us!

2:16 p.m: Big Bear- We got up the mountain with no sign of snow yet, bu t we were not worrie d because the town was so be autiful. Crisp air and trees with shades of fall. Some thing you don’t see very often in Southern California.

It turned out to be a detour as we ran around crunc hing the leaves unde r our feet.

pt as ove and one sle ar Lake- One dr Be th g Bi bo : e m W p. n.

3:30 ountai the top of the m on g in en ist gl we ascended to ow e sight of sn th at up and d, ed rk sle , got our quickly pe ntain. We parked ou m e e w e th nc of O e the sid e five again. ow like we wer ad. played in the sn e, we hit the ro or ym r fingers an couldn’t feel ou

reet w st e ate a s and es! W a pier w gam ed for e h t x fe wn rela me. da d do n playe od and ack ho e k l b fo ve g wa We s and e eeded headin n t e s r i h t o uc s bef ar em t som omen m few

6:15 p.m :S Santa M anta Monica- W onica P e reach ier and kiss the watched ed the ocean r the ight befo hid beh re it com sun ind the endless pletely waves.

8:39 p a co .m: The uple Endo laug hs. T f tired fr The car r his c iend ide h this s fi ha st o are i ate is an llenge s lled wit me was h me how n ou quie d we e t, r m ’re g d us car, a b ratef how ories an nd g ackyard ul all d . Gra beau o on th b ti your own your frie ese adve ful nds, 24 h ntur es our c p halle ack the nge!

MEET THE IMPACT STAFF MARLENE ESTRADA

Marls totes enjoys prime abbrev. words so tht she has xtra time for thoughts & conjunctions. (#Whatsyourfunction?)

BRIAN KOREC

Brian is a photographer with the heart of a lion and hundreds of 3 State awards in badassery journalism. When his nose isn’t in a book he is secretly Batman.

SCOTT MORTON

Scott’s favorite thing to do is wall rides, slappies, and no-complies. He is going to school for journalism and he wants to ride an endless wave of good times.

BRANDY SEBASTIAN

Ahemmmmmmm, the amazing, the talented, photographer extraordinaire.

Wait, wait, wait.... no, thank you, I don’t want my lip waxed I like my mustache.

DAPHNE DELGADO

Daphne’s favorite thing is tumblr.

She likes glitter and glow sticks and knows how to screen print.

NICHOLE GRAY

Nichole wants to become a master of communications. She wants to replace Howard Stern and she volunteers with rescued kittens and cats.

JADE MCCONNELL

Jade wants to be happy in life. She is going to school for art and makes amazing snickerdoodles.

COTTON PETTINGELL

Cotton is a writer who likes practicing his snapping skills while white water river rafting on his pet Orca named Frankenslaus.

ALEX SEMEL

Alex’s favorite thing to do is travel and do adrenaline sports. She is at palomar to take her photography to the next level.

DANIELLE DELUCA

Danielle wants to travel the world with her dog. She enjoys driving around and wants to become a famous radio personality.

PAIGE HARVEY

Paige enjoys wasting money on dirty chai lattes every morning. She wants to work in the surf industry and has never had a cavity.

MERCEDEZ MCNABB

Mercedez is a feisty character who hates chocolate and cake but enjoys designing magazines.

HANNAH RYANEN

Hannah likes to make people smile.

She wants to figure out what to do with her life and she likes sloths.

GARY WEST

Gary likes to invest heavily in failing stocks and petting puppies. He wants to become a professional door to door pet rock salesman and has never slept.

IMPACT MAGAZINE

ONLINE AT WWW2.PALOMAR.EDU/IMPACTMAGAZINE/