THE
BREEZE THE
VOLUME 26 ISSUE 6
THEBREEZEONLINE.COM ILLUSTRATION BY TRISTAN WALSH
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CHAFFEY BREEZE
NOVEMBER 6, 2015
Calendar Sunday, November 8
Monday, November 9
Saturday, November 14
Sunday Recital: Praised music professor Dr. Minji Lee will preform solo, duo and trio works with renowned guest musicians in the Chaffey theatre at 2:30 p.m. The free event is open to the public.
Write Great Cover Letters And Thank Yous: Impress employers by learning to write effective cover letters and thank yous in MAAC-208. For more information or to sign up call the Career Center at (909) 652-6511.
Last Home Football Game: The Panther football team will play their final regular season home game against L.A. Harbor College at 1 p.m. Students, faculty and staff get in free with with a Chaffey ID.
Monday, November 9 Historically Black Colleges Tranfer Fair: A Historically Black Colleges and Universities Regional Fair will be held at San Bernardino Valley College. On-site admission is garanteed and available with 30 or more tranferable units. Transportation is free. For more information or to sign up call the Transfer Center at (909)6526233
Editor-In-Chief Chris Salazar csalazar23@hotmail.com Managing Editor Sadie Gribbon Copy Editor Kristina Rocha Online Editor Erynn M. Affeldt Photo Editor Gina Duran Features Editor Jullian Aiden Bravo
Thursday, November 12 Safety Awareness And Assault Prevention: A Health Education event will discuss safety awarness and assault prevention at 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. in the Rancho quad. Meet nurse Aston from Health Education and learn statistics about safety awareness and assault prevention.
Wednesday, November 18, 19, 24 Food Pantry at All Three Campuses: Student Activities and ASCC will offer an expanded Food Pantry for current students at all three campuses. Distribution begins Nov. 18 at Chino, Nov. 19 at Rancho and Nov. 24 at Fontana. Students must bring their fall registration reciept as proof of enrollment. Student Activities is accepting donations. For more information call them at (909) 652-6591.
News Editor Roberto Hernandez
Baseline Editor Joshua Arnao
Sports Editor Cody Warner
Staff Writers and Photographers Students of Journalism 30 & 31
Reviews Editor Hanajun Chung
General Manager Janet Trenier
Opinion Editor Erick Valenciano
Lab Tech Roberto Hernandez
A & E Editor Kyle Smith
Faculty Adviser Michelle Dowd Journalism Coordinator Neil Watkins
The Breeze is published up to eight times a semester by the journalism students at Chaffey Community College, 5885 Haven Ave., Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737. Telephone: 652-6934/6936. Opinions expressed in this publication are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff and should not be interpreted as the position of the Chaffey College District, the college or any officer or employee thereof. Letters and guest columns for or against any position are welcome. Letters should be kept as brief as possible (fewer than 300 words) and are subject to non-substantive editing according to guidelines established by the Associated Press. The Chaffey Breeze is a member of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges and the California Newspaper Publishers Association.
NOVEMBER 6, 2015
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Contents News: 5. What you Need to Know
10. ESPN’s Shelly Smith Defeats Cancer
Campus News: 6. Rethinking Capital Punishment
Opinion: 12. Flagged Tweet 13. In Good Company
7. Infected
Reveiw: 14. ‘Truth’
Feature: 8. Another One Bites the Dust
15. Next-Gen Wrestling
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NEWS
What You Need to Know ROBERTO HERNANDEZ
1
President Obama plans to deploy roughly 50 Special Ops to combat ISIS in Syria, making it the first time U.S troops have been deployed in the region. White House officials claim the move is not intended to be a prolonged infantry-based campaign, but rather the troops are planned to “train, advise and assist” Kurdish and Syrian rebels in the region. Officials have clarified that this most recent action doesn’t signal a change in strategy, but an “intensification.” This decision has been met with criticism from both parties, who view it as withdrawing on the president’s previous statement that he will not place any more boots on the ground in Syria. Sources: CNN, BBC
2
A Russian charter plane mysteriousy crashed shortly after takeoff in Egypt on Oct. 31, killing all 224 passengers. The flight, which was ferrying passengers from the Sharm el-Sheikh resort in the Sinai Peninsula, went down approximately 23 minutes after takeoff. The airline was quick to rule out mechanical or pilot failure as a possible cause, while Russian officials have argued that no possibilities should be ruled out. A senior U.S defense official told NBC News that U.S satel-
4
lites detected a massive heat flash at the moment of the crash, leading some to the conclusion that the plane was brought down as the result of an explosion. Several U.S. and U.K. officials have speculated that the plane could have been brought down by an act of terrorism by ISIS, who have claimed to have caused the crash, but failed to provide any evidence.
New findings from NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission or “MAVEN”, have revealed that Mars’ delicate atmosphere is being stripped away by solar winds. These findings give an unprecedented insight into how Mars’ surface, which is theorized to have harbored water at one point, came to be in its present dry, cold state.
Sources: The New York Times, NBC News
3
Retired Neurosurgeon Ben Carson is now leading against former reality TV personality Donald Trump as the GOP’s top candidate in the latest national poll. The NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, which was conducted between Oct. 25-29, finds Carson’s support at 29 percent, with Trump trailing behind at 23 percent. This also makes him the highest-scoring GOP candidate for that survey. Carson, a newcomer to politics, has recently surged in the polls, after putting his campaign on hold for two weeks to promote his bestselling book “One Nation” Sources: NBC, Wall Street Journal, NPR News
Sources: The Verge
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CHAFFEY BREEZE
NOVEMBER 6, 2015
CAMPUS NEWS
Rethinking Capital Punishment JULLIAN AIDEN BRAVO
T
he Ethics Across er from moving any mathe Curriculum jor muscles in the body. Committee held “One of the muscles a panel discussion that is rendered unmovcomprised of four Chaffey able is the diaphragm; College professors on Nov. 4 that is used for breathing,” in CAA-218. MacDonald said. “The paThe panelists were busitient essentially suffocates.” ness law professor Abel Chen, The third and final injecphilosophy professor Will tion is a high dose of potasMittendorf, nursing professium chloride, which stops sor Heather MacDonald, the heart completely. Macand communications proDonald then emphasized the fessor Carmen Navarro. The inadequate procedures done panel moderator was philosby people with substandard ophy professor Barbara King. medical training. She proChen, who flexed his Abel Chen, business law professor, debates the vided instances where exeknowledge in business law, deconstitutionality of capital punishment cutions, which should have bated the constitutionality of Photo by Julian Thomas taken 10 to 12 minutes, recapital punishment through sulted in one to two hours. four different approaches. new University of California campus. Shifting from capital These approaches involve standards of “While we’re cutting money out punishment, Navarro introduced decency, proportionality, unnecessary of the education budget for pristhe topic of solitary confinement and wanton pain and arbitrariness. ons,” Mittendorf said, “it’s just reand the effect it has on prisoners. Taking a financial perspecsulting in worse education and more When a prisoner is placed in soltive, Mittendorf made use of his people ending up incarcerated.” itary confinement, they are left isophilosophy background when he MacDonald presented a brief hislated in a small and cold room with asked whether people deserve torical overview of America’s search minimal human contact and minito live in a death penalty state. for a humane method of capital punmal natural light. Solitary confineAccording to Mittendorf, the ishment from a medical perspective. ment is not limited to male prismoney used to subsidize the death From hanging and firing squads to oners; it is a punishment that both penalty comes from taxpayer funds, gas chambers and electric chairs, women and children can go through. state funds and education budgets. MacDonald explained how America’s Chaffey student Cessly Bart“Higher education spending evolution of capital punishment has lett believes higher education is going down,” Mittendorf said. led to the adoption of lethal injections. should be of greater importance “Adjusted for inflation, it’s actualThe procedure, according to Macthan the construction of prisons. ly gone down 13 percent over the Donald, involves three types of dos“I think it’s time for a new last 30 years. Correctional programs es. The first injection is a barbiturate, movement in America,” Bartlett have increased by 436 percent.” which renders the prisoner unconsaid. “It’s time for us to stop sitting According to Mittendorf, since scious. The dose is 14 times stronger down and rise up. Education is the 1978 a total of 13 prisoners have than that of a patient undergoing key not only educating students, been executed in the state of Calisurgery in a hospital would receive. but educating people as a whole.” fornia, costing the state $4 billion. In The second injection is a parthe past thirty years, California has alytic, which prevents the prisonbuilt 22 new prisons, but only one
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CHAFFEY BREEZE
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CAMPUS NEWS
Infected KRISTINA ROCHA
“
This was more than we expected, definitely a success” Arsalon Khan, Vice-President of ASCC and co-host of the Humans vs Zombies (HVZ) Scavenger Hunt held Oct. 29, said about the event. He and president of the ReActive club, Justin Blue, modeled Chaffey’s first collaborative Halloween effort between ReActive and ASCC after CAL Poly’s quarterly week-long tag event. “We’ve seen 5k zombie runs. We’ve seen people play Humans vs Zombies at CAL Poly. I just wanted to bring a tradition to Chaffey, something that we could do maybe every semester, just something that really gets everyone involved and everyone can just have a good time” Khan said. Unlike many other campuses, Chaffey’s play on HVZ is not entirely reliant on individual ability, but rather on team involvement and strategy. Students were designated roles of human or zombie. Those infected aimed to prevent humans, grouped in 5, from acquiring both defective and potentially effective antidotes planted around campus, specifically surrounding the SS, LA, BEB, and WM buildings. Zombies earned points based on how many identification slips they collected from humans they had turned. Humans, while attempting to collect the antidotes, were forced to protect themselves and each other from infection by guarding the football flags tied around their waists, finding safe haven only in the ASCC building. The game consisted of several rounds throughout the day, each encountering more and more partici-
pants. The last set at 8 p.m. included around 25 students, compared to the first at 2 p.m., which involved 12. Overall, ASCC and ReActive estimate a count of about 70 student players. Blue said, “The 4 p.m. game I saw everyone just scrambling after each other, people throwing projectiles, people ducking and rolling. In the 6 p.m. game we had one guy, the last person surviving, and there was everybody after him. The other exciting moment was seeing [a player] jump over the wall and do a perfect roll.” In order to partake in the scavenger hunt, students had to sign a waiver, but were then eligible to win prizes at the end of each round.
Arsalon Khan , ASCC Vice President, participates as a zombie in the HVZ at the Rancho Cucamonga campus Photo by Michael Ravenelle Zombies with the most identification slips and humans who successfully captured the accepted antidote, were rewarded with gift cards donated by Chick-fil-A, Dave & Buster’s, and the college bookstore.
The final round of the night ended in controversy. Former ReActive club member Alie Kanu, gained awe with his scale over the brick wall in the quad. “It was crazy. [Kanu] was the last guy, right. He was coming [to the wall] and I was like yeah, ‘I got him’. I thought maybe he didn’t see me, but he jumped over the wall,”ReActive member and zombie Londell Fletcher said, “I had him and I lost him.” This display, along with protests over the time limit afforded to [Kanu] in the final moments resulted in a doover. Zombie players contested his initial win, but appeared unsatisfied with the humans’ eventual loss in the last game. Despite the disagreement, players expressed their satisfaction with the event, stressing the uniqueness of the game and the benefits of incorporating fitness on campus. Participants, particularly ReActive club members who aim to physically challenge themselves, stressed the benefits of participating in an active event. “I thought it would be really fun. It was a good experience. It was really hyped up and exhilarating. I’m not always athletic and it teaches me that I need to practice more,” Fletcher said. Khan is currently working to host the event bi-annually during the spring and fall semesters. Initially, the event intended to incorporate a thematic element, specifically revolving Halloween, but is now neither committed to nor opposed to new ideas. Khan said, “People love zombies. People love running away. Just add a theme and people get hooked.”
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NOVEMBER 6, 2015
OPI
Another One
KRISTIN
A
nheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) and SAB Miller (SAB.L) add themselves to the growing list of beer
takeovers. Agreement of intent was announced Oct. 13, but their formal merger has been postponed, for a second time, to Nov. 11. The $104 billion union between BUD, itself a merged corporation, formally Anheuser Busch and InBev, with SAB.L, will be the biggest corporate beer acquisition. It will create a net-worth of about $245 billion, as reported by FOX Business. The Brewers Association ranks BUD first amongst its competitors in sales volume, and places SAB.L second. BUD currently controls 45 percent of the U.S. market, while SAB.L controls 25 percent. The merger will result in the corporation controlling more than two-thirds of the U.S. beer market at 70 percent and just under one-third of the global market at about 30 percent, as reported by CNN. It will possess 9 of the top 20 global beers, and, according to USA Today, will own the top 4 best-selling beers, for a total of 8 of the ten best-selling overall. The impact of the merger on craft breweries, significantly smaller and independently run businesses, is surrounded by hesitation and criticism. Although the Craft Brewing Industry has risen from 5 percent, with 2,000 breweries in 2011, to 11 percent, with 4,000 breweries in 2015 (a growth of 15 percent in the first half of the year compared to 2014, according to the Brewers Association), concerns about a potential monopoly, defined by the Federal Trade Center as “a single firm that unreasonably restrains competition,” amongst beer giants, has led to evaluation by the Anti-trust Committee and discussion
Dale Bros Brewery serves trademark beers including Oktober Fiesta, Winter Haze, The Dude of York, Pacific Daylight, and Shameless McDale. Photo by Kristina Rocha about releasing some of the corporation’s current assets, to maintain a level of fair competition. Ed Heethuis, Craft Import Specialist, explains that discussion is centered around distribution, as opposed to production. Although distributing factors may inhibit growth in independent breweries, the most significant impact may arise much sooner. “If they’re buying 65 to 70 percent of the business, that means they’re buying 65 or 70 percent of the raw materials and they already generally get first pick of everything. The smaller guys brew with what’s left over, so the worry from the craft brewer side is that there is going to be price fixing by them on raw ingredients,” Heethuis said. Essentially, a large corporation who produces significantly greater quantities of product can haggle on the price of production to something more convenient for their profits, obtaining a substantially lower price
point than smaller business who don’t produce, even remotely, the same amount of volume. In order for these companies to maintain similar profit margins, they must compensate for costs elsewhere. If it isn’t with the larger corporations, then it is with the smaller ones. The higher cost of production, the less a dollar produces, the less craft breweries may be able to produce. “If you’ve got 50 percent of the market, and you’re buying 50 percent of the beer bottles, you can negotiate a really good price on it, probably the best in the nation. If you go from 50 percent to 70 percent, you can go to that bottling company and go ‘if you don’t cut the price of these bottles by five cents a bottle, I’m going to buy them somewhere else.” In response, big corporations like BUD explain that the growing craft beer market requires them to lower prices of their product to remain
NOVEMBER 6, 2015
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CHAFFEY BREEZE
INION
Bites the Dust
NA ROCHA competitive, and although Heethuis concedes that from a pricing standpoint this is true, he argues that beer giants hold a significant impact over all other areas in the three-tier system (breweries, whole sale and retail). “The little guys, the little independent craft brewers, when someone owns 70 percent of the market place it’s very easy for them to get pushed out,” Heethuis said. “When you’re trying to get shelf space at the local Ralphs or Albertson’s or Bevmo, those big guys, when they’ve got 70 percent of the market they start to swing a pretty big bat.” It’s about cost. In order to combat the influence of larger corporations, craft breweries need to negotiate and lock in a price for materials’ produc-
tion now. However, with the merge comes a change in production companies. Currently BUD uses a red-house system, and SBM.L, along with Coors, uses a blue-house. Red-house is the bigger of the two, but is still not practically capable of handling the SBM.L shares in addition to BUD’s. A major inevitability with the merger may also involve a shortage of hops, a fundamental ingredient involved in the production of beer. Better and larger quantities of hops go to more expansive companies, leaving a second choice for smaller corporations, succeeded by larger craft breweries. Smaller breweries and home brewers encounter a higher price point for lower quality and less hops.
Heethius said, “Everyone on that chain of sales is worried about their cost going up because the upper tier can over buy and cause a shortage.” Overall, however, Heethius is adamant that craft breweries will continue growing despite obstacles presented by the merger. The impact is not necessarily local; the distribution factor, one involving a much larger scale, a non-local one, will become difficult, but the community attracted to craft brews will still be there. “I think craft breweries are going to do well, because more and more people are realizing that they like fresh, they like local,” Heethius said. “It’s not a faceless marketing entity; it’s faces of people I know and I trust, that I like.” Matthew Waller, the Tap Room Manager of Dale Bros Brewery in Upland, said, “I don’t see us really being affected, because we’re not a competitor to Bud and Miller; we’re a whole different operation.” “Craft is going to be just fine,” Heethius said.
The Dale Bros Brewery is located at 2120 Porterfield, Upland CA. Photo by Kristina Rocha
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NOVEMBER 06, 2015
FEATURE
Shelley Smith Defeats Cancer
“
Is there anybody here who doesn’t have a tie to cancer?” The Sports Center echoed with a piercing silence. Not a single hand was raised. ESPN’s Shelley Smith opened her speech with this question. Although her audience was silent, there was an underlying understanding that cancer had affected everyone in the room. Smith has been a correspondent for ESPN since 1997 and her fight against breast cancer began in 2014. Because her job requires her to constantly be in the public eye, Smith decided against keeping her battle with cancer private. In October 2014, Smith announced she was battling breast cancer. “I feel stronger. I feel like the story I have has more meaning to it because I have more meaning in my life and if that helped someone… that’s why I went public,” Smith said. Smith compared her journey to the late Stuart Scott’s battle with cancer. Scott, a former colleague at ESPN, was very private about his diagnosis until the very end. She believed that she was going to win her battle with breast cancer and she did exactly that. In one year, Shelley Smith beat cancer with the continued love and support of her family and friends, as well as with the encouragement of adoring fans who have followed her tough journey. Although Smith had to experience multiple series of radiation, chemotherapy, constant fatigue and continued bed rest, none of these was worse than the feeling of not knowing. “Waiting was my biggest struggle. Waiting for the results of my tests. Waiting for the doctor to tell me what I needed to do next,” Smith said.
LISA TRUONG
Emmy Award winning ESPN reporter, Shelly Smith particpates in a Breast Cancer Awareness Event on Oct. 23, 2015. Photo by Gina Duran
NOVEMBER 06, 2015
Smith believes that cancer patients should not have to wait to know the results of their tests. Patients wait idly by in a hospital far away from their homes, watching nurses and doctors flip through their charts; their emotions run high as they expect the worst, but hope for the best. “I really fear women who don’t want to know. They don’t want to get a mammogram because they don’t want to know if they have cancer. Well, you’re never going to not know; you’re either going to fall down and be terminal or you’re going to catch it early and fight it,” Smith said. She advises all women to get mammograms before the recommended age of 45. Smith said, “I get organized. I get a plan. No matter what it is that you have to do, if you get organized and you have a plan…you just take it one step at a time. But not knowing until I had a plan in place was terrifying.” Smith is one of ESPN’s senior reporters with an extensive resume ranging from sporting events to features and investigative stories. She has won four Emmys since joining the network and is widely respected in the journalism field. Smith says she was very fortunate to figure out what she wanted to do after her first year of college. Her successful journey in sports reporting began when she started to write for her school newspaper. “I encourage you to be curious. Yes, you may have to start at the bottom. Do the job that no one else wants to do and do something to make yourselves stand out. Do something that people will remember you for. Do something different. Don’t do what everyone else does,” Smith said. “As long as you are fair, honest, responsible, professional and accurate, then nobody can take a shot at you because that’s the standard you have to meet in everything that you do. Not just in journalism but in your entire life.” Smith went after what she wanted. Nothing was going to get in her way. She encourages everyone to go out
CHAFFEY BREEZE
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Candelight Ribbon, symbolic of all the donations during Breast Cancer Awareness Event on Oct. 23, 2015. Photo by Gina Duran
and meet people, to not hide behind emails. “Learn to do it all. Because there is no more ‘just writers.’ It’s really important that you show that you can do everything in this business. Not just the reporting business, but in any business. Just show that you can do someone else’s job too, which will make you more marketable and more
valuable.” While Smith doesn’t consider herself a motivational speaker, her journey through life speaks for itself. “Just have a path that you want to follow to get to where you are going. Find something that will make you happy to do every single day.”
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CHAFFEY BREEZE
NOVEMBER 06, 2015
OPINION
Flagged Tweet ERICK VALENCIANO
I
’d like to think that as a sports journalist, everyone in the field is just as passionate as I am. Whether it’s the sport itself, teams, players, or the games that allow me the opportunity to tell a story, my love is immeasurable. As a kid, I was surrounded by the sports industry and as an adult, I decided to pursue it as a profession. This is the reason why I’m incredibly disappointed with how the media handled Dez Bryant last Sunday. Following a major hit in a play that left Seahawks wide receiver Ricardo Lockette unconscious on the turf, cameras quickly shifted to record the typical shove match between opposing players at the end of the play. Enter Dez Bryant, who was seen mouthing off the words “That’s what you f---ing get” to a player on the Seahawks sideline. Mind you, the play had just ended and many players were unaware of the hit in real time. Bryant could have been talking to anyone about anything that had happened in the amount of time before, during or after the play, but in the most unfortunate sequence imaginable, media quickly began to speculate whether Bryant’s words were directed toward an injured Lockette, as he was placed on a stretcher. Marcus Sullivan, reporter for Fox
26 in Houston, tweeted out a video of Bryant mouthing the words, along with the caption: “#DezBryant after the #Seahawks #RicardoLockette was knocked out of the game ‘That’s what the F He gets.’ smh!” The implication was clear. A ridiculous accusation, but others still followed suit and these weren’t your typical bloggers, Reddit or Twitter users trolling on social media. These were professional journalists, people whose responsibility is to report based on context, who were retweeting and commenting on Sullivan’s tweet. This type of reaction, driven by controversy and competition is what has been ruining the legitimacy of sports journalism over the course of the last decade. Make no mistake, Bryant lashed out against the media when asked if he made the remarks because of Lockette’s injury. “I won’t ever, ever, ever, ever wish bad on a player that’s been knocked down. C’mon, man. Stop with the bulls---,” said Bryant. “Not once did I say that’s what you get. I got on one knee and prayed for that man. I got on one knee and prayed for him. C’mon, man. Don’t put clips together and do that.” There was a time where sports
journalists served not only as “inside” reporters, but P.R. for players. While I’ll admit, it was a conflict of interest, but it was also a reflection of the respect both athletes and reporters had for one another. Instances like Bryant’s are why that respect has diminished. In a country where frequenting controversy-driven outlets like TMZ and Perez Hilton have become a national pastime, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised at the way the media attempted to vilify Bryant, but the mere fact that he had to defend himself against the allegations, is disgusting and unfair. Every journalist who accused Bryant of mocking a player who lay motionless on the ground ought to be ashamed of themselves. They owe an apology not only to Bryant, but to every journalist who has passion, integrity and love for the craft. For more sports talk from Erick:
“The Drive” (AM 1630) ++Monday 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ++www.chaffey.edu/broadcast.
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CHAFFEY BREEZE
NOVEMBER 06, 2015
OPINION
In Good Company
KYLE SMITH
Sports Columnist
I
recently began working somewhere new. On our first day, the eight newest employees sat in silence inside of the orientation room, which I imagine is not uncommon. After the supervisor gave her presentation and said what was expected of us, we were left alone again. And again, the room was quiet. The silence wasn’t broken until the older man next to me asked in a raspy voice if anyone knew the score of the game. I spoke up. “10 to 6, Panthers up at the half,” I said. “Luck isn’t playing so well.” I could see he, like myself, was not happy about it. This was the beginning of a conversation that traveled from Monday Night Football to Kobe Bryant’s deterioration, and led eight strangers out of the silence I thought would never end. Sports break awkward silences. It is often a common ground and everybody has something to say. Even if an individual has a negative opinion about sports, it is a discussion. The conversation inside of that orientation room would have had the same effect if the girl in front of me had chimed in to say that professional sports contribute to violence in the real world. This valid opinion would have frustrated most of the men, but
as a result, we would have known each other even better. Sports bring people together in a way that nothing else does. If the city of Boston was physiological, Fenway would be the heart. And like most cities that have ownership of professional teams, the people who live there love nothing more than their teams.
Whether it be the Saints’ “Who Dat” chant or hockey fans in Detroit throwing octopuses onto the ice during the playoffs.
The shared love transfers into high-fiving strangers when the Sox score, and belting “Sweet Caroline” in the middle of the 8th, along with everybody else at Fenway Park. At a baseball game, you are with 40 thousand of your closest friends. This feeling is not exclusive to Red Sox fans or people who live in Boston, or even to baseball fans. It is a feeling
that sports fans understand everywhere. Any given team has their own traditions that turn individual fans into a fan base who stand together in support of that team. Whether it be the Saints’ “Who Dat” chant or hockey fans in Detroit throwing octopuses onto the ice during the playoffs. It is something special to be tied to people you don’t know in a positive way. From tailgating outside of the stadium, to screaming in joy as you and your family jump from the couch and onto your feet, being a fan gives you a community. 800,000 fans attended The Royals’ Championship Parade to congratulate the team and themselves on concluding the journey that they began last season. It is tradition for champions to sit in cars and floats as they make their way through their home town and home fans, but this parade was more than that. The turnout was nearly twice of Kansas City’s population. 800,000 people gathered in one place for the same reason. Through sports, people come together as a single community.
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CHAFFEY BREEZE
NOVEMBER 06, 2015
REVIEWS
‘Truth’ HANAJUN CHUNG
B
ased on Mary Mapes’ book — “Truth in Duty: The Press, The President, and the Privilege of Power” — “Truth” focuses on the controversy regarding the September 2004 broadcast of a “60 Minutes II” episode which questioned the legitimacy of then president George W. Bush’s service during Vietnam, followed by the subsequent backlash against the journalists behind the episode. Going into this film, it’s important to know that the story is largely from the perspective of producer Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett) and her team, so one shouldn’t expect an accurate representation of the events in 2004. Almost all films have a bias, but in one about journalists and their professional neutrality “Truth” isn’t shy of its stance. That said, it’s quite easy to get drawn into the plot when there’s excellent performances throughout. The cast is amazing. Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford, Dennis Quad, Topher Grace, Elizabeth Moss and Stacy Keach make great work with a notso-great script. Redford and Blanchett are the two main stars, easily the film’s standouts. Blanchett’s Oscar-worthy performance of Mapes takes the steely, uncompromising producer role and injects much personality and humanity. There’s hardly a scene in which Blanchett’s performance doesn’t hit. Mapes becomes a more revealing and
layered character as the story progresses. Although Redford looks nothing like Rather, his casting makes sense. At 79, Redford oozes a magnetism that’s all-American and righteous. It’s no wonder why the film always requests Rather’s presence during meetings and interviews. It’s almost obvious to cast the same man from “All the President’s Men” — one of the best narratives on journalism. Most films like these would opt to reuse actual footage from the broadcast*, but Redford is so good that his recreations are just as compelling as the real thing. James Vanderbilt’s directorial choices — such as remaking all those segments — are what make “Truth” interesting. However, he’s inconsistent with formal and stylistic touches. The first half of “Truth” is almost laughably dull outside the acting. The dialogue feels hammy and the early stages of the team’s investigation is lacking the style that would make the witty dialogue pop onscreen. The monologues are especially great, only gaining impact as things progress. Outside the core group of characters, Vanderbilt is quite inconsistent in how he wants the audience to feel about supporting characters. The CBS executives in the film are an example of this problem. Despite acting somewhat contemptible to the journalists throughout, the film tries and fails to garner some level of sympathy for the characters. It was tough seeing the
fate of the journalist, but when the same fate befalls on the execs? Nope. But when the backlash against Mapes and CBS starts, “Truth” gets interesting. When Mapes is down and humiliated, Vanderbilt is visually able to convey her frustration in clever ways, whether it’s Rather’s broadcasted apology blasting around her as she tries to go home, or how she pours a glass of chardonnay for herself during a profoundly low moment. He plays with the structure, incorporating an interview-style bookend that feels cliché, but Blanchett, Redford and Vanderbilt stick the landing through pacing, tension and subtle camerawork. “Truth” is half great in that way. When it’s going, it’s hard not to get swept up in the momentum of Blanchett’s Mapes and Redford’s Rather as they try to overcome their no-win situation with their careers and reputations intact. It just feels odd recommending a film in which the defense for journalism is more compelling than the actual journalism depicted. Grade: B*CBS has not supported “Truth” during release, so it makes sense if Vanderbilt was denied legal access to and use of actual segments. Overall, the recreations work.
15
CHAFFEY BREEZE
NOVEMBER 06, 2015
REVIEWS
Next-Gen Wrestling CASEY MEDINA
L
ast year the “WWE 2K” video game series’ journey into the next-gen console was a rough one. However, it appears that the developers learned from their mistakes and more than made up for it in “WWE 2K16.” This year’s 2K showcase follows the career of pro wrestling legend and WWE Hall-of-Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The grainy, TV filter gives the mode a sense of nostalgia as you play through the Texas Rattlesnake’s classic matches, ranging from his ECW days to his final match at WrestleMania XIX. Through this mode you unlock various playable wrestlers, arenas and attires by completing all of the match objectives. Playing through Stone Cold’s career is a fun trip down memory lane, especially if you grew up watching Steve Austin arrive, raise hell and leave. Last year’s game was pretty good, but this year it’s great. Small changes make the match flow smoothly, feeling more realistic. The new pinning system may take some getting used to, but once you do, you won’t miss the old way. Submissions have been fixed immensely. The flawed “Breaking-Point submission” from the last game is gone and now replaced with a new balanced minigame. This time, players now have a limited number of reversals, which isn’t
“WWE 2K16” is a major improvement over “WWE 2K15” in every aspect. as bad as it sounds, meaning you just can’t reverse every move your opponent does. This forces you to wrestle and play smarter, not harder. Last year’s installment had an unforgivable lack of match types to play in exhibition. This has been made right in “2K16” as some, if not all, have been added back in. Presentation this year is excellent. The graphics are slightly improved and the digital wrestlers look like the wrestlers they are representing*. Entrances look better than ever now with clothes that actually move and don’t look stiff like plastic attached to the wrestler’s bodies. This year there is no loading times between entrances. No momentum is lost. Speaking of entrances, a new feature allows players to run in and attack the opponent during their entrance. It’s a fun little feature that can get old if abused. Create-a-Diva and Stage Builder return. With the ability to upload custom logos and face photos, the possibilities are endless. The developers boast that “WWE
2K16” has the biggest roster in any WWE video game and they aren’t lying. Over 120 wrestlers are playable both online and in exhibition. You’ll have a hard time choosing who to play as when you scroll through all 120 choices. The roster however does have some doppelgängers that take up spots that other wrestlers could have had, such as The Four Horsewomen. Another thing to note is that the Divas roster once again seems to have gotten the shaft and is highly underrepresented. Despite some interesting choices, doppelgängers and the lack of Divas support, the roster is still pretty impressive. “WWE 2K16” is a major improvement over “WWE 2K15” in every aspect. The improved mechanics and animations simulate matches better than any WWE game before it. Despite a few hiccups and stumbles, this game still manages to raise some hell. And that’s the bottom line, cause Stone Cold said so. Grade: B *Based on the Xbox One console 2K Sports MSRP: $59.99 Consoles: Xbox One Xbox 360 Playstation 4 Playstation 3
16
CHAFFEY BREEZE
NOVEMBER 06, 2015
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