Imprinting Awareness by Union Weekly

Intro

Issue 76.5

Molly Shannon, Editor-in-Chief editorinchief@lbunion.com

By Molly Shannon

Alfred Pallarca, Managing Editor alfredp.union@gmail.com

Hello again, my children. Before I do anything,

Illustration by Rose Feduk Makin’ Moll Talk,

Connor O’Brien, Art Director connor.union@gmail.com Trevor Desrosiers, Advertisting Executive advertising@lbunion.com Eduardo Vargas, Distribution Manager distribution@lbunion.com

ART & DESIGN John Calhoun, Illustration Editor johnc.union@gmail.com Michael Tewasart, Assistant to Art Director tewasartm@live.com Truc Nguyen, Web Manager web@lbunion.com

EDITORIAL Jacky Linares, Opinions Editor opinions@lbunion.com Veronica Craft, Community Editor community@lbunion.com Joel Martinez, Athletics Editor athletics@lbunion.com

ACROSS

by the idealizing of love or one’s beloved

1. Greek dish of meat roasted on a vertical spit, usually served in a pita bread with tzatziki sauce. 2. Composition in verse characterized by a highly developed artistic form and by the use of heightened language and rhythm to express an intensely imaginative interpretation of the subject. 3. Vegetable category, which includes lettuce, spinach and kale

35. Female sovereign

her wedding day 5. Easily controlled or handled (ADJ.)

Sam Winchester, Music Editor music@lbunion.com

from danger, risk, or uncertainty. 15. Widely recognized third-century Roman saint

Zach Phelps, Lifestyle Editor lifestyle@lbunion.com

in earnest

Alfred Pallarca, Travel Editor alfredp.union@gmail.com Beatriz Villa, Food Editor food@lbunion.com Gumby, Grunion Editor grunion@lbunion.com

COPY & ASSISTANT EDITORS

species of which yield a juice used as an emollient ingredient of skin lotions and for treating burns. 18. The ancient Roman god of love, commonly represented as a winged, naked, infant boy with a bow and arrows. principal vascular system of human beings 20. To be obliged or bound to by an imperative requirement: 21. High explosive unaffected by ordinary friction explosive devices 22. Independent, non-governmental membership organization and the world’s largest developer of voluntary International Standards. (Abbreviation) 23. Freebie: ixi

Elliott Gatica, Eric Reid Hamilton, Kaila-Marie Hardaway

25. the colder half of the year

ADVERTISING INTERNS

problems of the diversion of controlled pharmaceuticals and the diversion of controlled chemicals

Jacqueline Simon, Joel Kuehn STAFFERS & CONTRIBUTORS Christopher Orozco, Lilly Nguyen, Eva Grello, Michael Honey, Abigail Mulebag, Rose Feduk, Claudia Squillace, Karen Wells, Tom Kendall Hughes, Karrie Comfort, Camille Hove, Alex Ramos, Miguel AngelGarcia, Bronson Farr, Vanessa Mendoza, Andrew Linde

25. Buddhist temple or monastery in Thailand or Cambodia New Day at Midnight” content for couples who are planning weddings, and

8. Pronoun, Nominative 9. Abbreviation for elevation

Katie Cortez, Entertainment Editor entertainment@lbunion.com

Elizabeth Nguyen, Literature Editor literature@lbunion.com

when players of a poker tournament decide to exclude one of their fellow player”

normal skin after injury

noun) 11. Powerful or compelling amorous emotion or feeling, usually experienced during love making. 12. Opposite of from 13. To become active, as from some rousing or quickening impulse.

Renee Schmiedeberg, Arts Editor arts@lbunion.com

38. The ancient Roman goddess of the hearth

20. Royal prince in Persia or Iran 21. U.S. two-stage, solid-propellant rocket used to boost a relatively heavy spacecraft from a low earth orbit into a planetary trajectory or an elliptical transfer orbit (abbreviation) 22. To fasten, join, or attach 23. The act of taking someone’s tweet and posting it as your own (abbreviation)

around an axis 28. Group of persons with common political opinions and purposes organized for gaining for directing government policy 29. Term of endearment 30. Kiss and Hug 31. Term used to describe someone who is silly and scatterbrained 32. Abbreviation for an institution where instruction is given, consisting of grades 9 or 10 through 12 33. Characterized by a preoccupation with love or

50. Past participle of to pull apart or into pieces by force

28. Self-stylized stage name of Alecia Beth Moore 29. To praise in a strongly positive boastfully bragging way 30. Figure it out yourself 31. Used in the salutation of a letter as an expression of affection or respect 32. Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. Nasdaq symbol 33. Similar to gentleness and kindness

DOWN

35. Non-empty computer program which takes no input and produces a copy of its own source code as its only output

1. Expression of friendly or respectful regard at the beginning of a letter 2. Being, existing, or occurring at this time 3. Nickname for U.S. Army soldiers

by masses

5. Used to denote oneself and another or others

result of a blocked gland the virtue or power inherent in a person or thing existing in harmony with the Tao 39. To rise to one’s feet

sound; shout 8. Word Santa Clause says three times

a purplish red, pinkish red, or light crimson

Bobby Shriver to get businesses and people

company headquartered in Peoria, Illinois

10. Variety of chalcedony having straight parallel bands of alternating colors. 11. Large class of substances typically unctuous, viscous, combustible, liquid at ordinary temperatures, and soluble in ether or alcohol but not in water 12. First name of Van Wilder’s personal assistant at Coolidge College 13. certain person of exceptional holiness of life David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants Incorporated

in the ancient Egyptian language place, or limits drawn tight for fastening or binding Waking Up, released in 2009 on the CW in 2012, and was based on the DC Comics character

15. This Nordic bard is also a warrior of great strength, skill, and virtue 50. Nickname for the Oakland Athletics 51. Verb meaning to irritate, annoy, or exasperate 52. Interjection implying revelation 53. Hungarian word for Successes 18. Period in a couple’s relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage, where the establishment of an agreed relationship of a more enduring kind exist 19. to keep from contact with others

passed through one summer melt season but is not yet glacial ice 55. Solemn promise made to a deity or saint committing oneself to an act, service, or condition

Disclaimer and Publication Information: The Union Weekly is published using ad money and partial funding provided by the Associated Students, Inc. All Editorials are the opinions of their individual authors, not the Union Weekly, ASI nor CSULB. All students are welcome and encouraged to be a part of the Union Weekly staff. All letters to the editor will be considered for publication. However, CSULB students will have precedence. Please include name and major for all submissions. They are subject to editing and will not be returned. Letters may or may not be edited for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and length. The Union Weekly will publish anonymous letters, articles, editorials, and illustration, but must have your name and information attached for our records. Letters to the editor should be no longer than 500 words. The Union Weekly assumes no responsibility, nor is it liable, for

Opinions

Apples to Allegory The tall tale of an ancient land called “Larga Playa” Once upon a time, in a kingdom not actually that far away, there was once a king named Asi. King Asi ran a kindgom called Playa Larga. He was appointed by the gods, though, and he was constantly reminded that it was anything. The people of the land were for the most part happy and productive. It had an abundance of gold, food, and a blue pyramid where they celebrated with games with people from other lands. King Asi lived in a brick palace, where it almost touched the sun. People were welcomed in his palace, but he constantly reminded the people who’s palace it really was. One day, he decided he wanted a new bed. His bed was made out of cotton-balls and wool, but he wanted one made out of down and silk. He was a king after all. He asked his advisor Seef what to do in order to acquire the silk and feathers he wanted. Asi and Seef were very good friends who often worked in running Playa Larga,

although the people didn’t really like Seef, and were tired of his presence in the land. Seef had an abundance of silk and feathers, so Asi asked him what he would like in exchange. Seef asked for apples. Apples were very hard to come by in Playa Larga. Asi explained that this was a steep price and Seef told him, “What else are your people good for?” Asi liked this idea: he would simply ask more of his people. The people of Playa Larga of each week, in order to allow Asi to keep the peace, and allow the citizens to remain happy. Asking them to each give two apples every week was a fair request, Asi thought. Besides, didn’t they want their king to be well rested? How was he to run the kingdom if here were fatigued from his shitty bed all day? Rest was essential to run the kingdom. He needed that bed. The next morning, determined to get his bed, Asi sent out the new decree to the people,

Imma Let You Finish, But... Stop defending Kanye for pulling a Kanye at the Grammys By Katie Cortez Illustration by John Calhoun

not a fan of Beck or Beyoncé. When I usually write about Kanye West, it’s in his defense. But in light of what happened at the Grammy’s last week, I need to be clear—he is an asshole. I may think that he is a musical genius, but that does not deter from the fact that he is an attention-whore. Unlike the Taylor Swift Grammy’s incident of 2009, I’ve heard people actually defend what he said about Beck and his newest album. They say that because Beyoncé’s album broke the Internet, she deserved to win album of the year. But, I disagree. Her secret album release wasn’t about trying to make music for music’s sake. It was a brilliant business move. She knew that she was going to make a ton of money on that album. People bought the album online and a month or so later when it went to CD, they bought the hard-copy too. As a businesswoman and singer, Beyoncé is queen. As an artist, not so much. Kanye’s comments on artistry can maybe be argued for his music because he knows how to produce and change the game, but Beyoncé—not so much. At least not with a slew of writers and producers doing 95 percent of the work for her.

The “Album of the Year” award and the Grammy’s aren’t about breaking records or crashing iTunes. They’re about musical talent. If the award would’ve been “Best Performer” and Beck had won, that would be Sure, Beyoncé can sing—there’s no doubt about that—but Beck wrote all of his songs on his album and played 15 instruments for it. Beyoncé “collaborated” with writing the songs on her album, meaning that she probably just sat in a room with a bunch of songwriters while they wrote and she would maybe chime in on a few verses here and there. Beck doesn’t make albums for the money, he makes them because he’s passionate about them. The award is about talented musicians, not about record sales. Why did Beyoncé’s losing to Taylor Swift he produced some of her record-breaking

to throw himself in the public eye again. The Grammy’s seem to be the Kanye show—at least he seems to think so. There’s no one in the world who loves Kanye more than Kanye.

his need for a bed. He pleaded his case to the nobles, a few who he hoped would spread his message throughout his land. They saw the importance of the king’s sleep, so they followed his orders. His servants met opposition from the people traveled throughout Playa Larga. “Five avocados are already enough! I could be using those apples for my children!” The nobles weren’t that stupid and they had a clever solution to their problem. “If the season for apples is a bad one, then your children can pay the apples for you, as there will be better seasons up ahead.” This angered the people of Playa Larga

consquences of our decisions! We don’t know if there will be a good apple season in the future!” His noble servants gathered after the

By Evelyn Castellanos people gave their reasons as to why they refused to give up their apples. They were worried. How would the kingdom go on without their king being properly rested? And they couldn’t go back to the king’s palace without any apples. They came up with a plan to deceive the people and steal their apples. The next day, they went to the people, carrying a sign that said, “Bet you can’t throw apples and hit the X!” There was a giant X marked on the sign, they were supposed to throw apples at. The people did not like to be under estimated, but some saw their trick, and decided not to play. So the servants left the sign over a basket, and they were determined to wait to see if anyone would throw them an apple. The people hesitated, as they didn’t want to be seen as incompetent, but they did not want to loose their apples. The servants waited. The people, indecisive.

Opinions

Rest in Power Remembering the victims of the Chapel Hill shooting By Jacky Linares Some Americans seem to think that Muslims have to apologize for 9/11, but if we call white folks out on their privilege, you’ll hear “It’s not my fault.” If someone of the Islamic faith executed three white college students, American media would be in a complete outrage and they would have been labeled those Muslims as “terrorists.” Muslims have to constantly defend the practicing of their faith or chance Islamophobic society. Parents should never have to bury their children. People should not be executed and then have their murderers hide under

the guise of a “parking dispute.” I am angry, folks fucking be. Islam is a religion, not a race to be labeled as “terrorist.” We should be more afraid of a white person exercising their “gun rights” than a man in a turban or a woman in a hijab excercising their faith. Deah Shaddy Barakat was 23. Yusor Mohammad was 21. Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha was 19. They were our age. They were kids. May they rest in power.

Deah Barakat (left), Yusor Mohammad (center), and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha (right)

Community

Muslim Lives Matter CSULB students gather to speak out against injustice By Yasmeen Azam and Zaha Gheryania-Shtewi

Tuesday evening, three innocents were shot in the head in an act of cold-blooded murder—a newlywed couple, Deah Barakat, 23, and Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and the wife’s sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19. All three were American-Muslims. While the real motives remain “unknown”—ironically enough, the very characteristics of a hate crime are splayed out in this event—the great measures the media has done to avoid such necessary discussions of Islamophobia and disproportionate coverage of Muslims in general has provoked controversies around the world. Despite the glaringly obvious indications of anti-Muslim bigotry, the media’s meticulous and almost obsessive search for evidence supporting the “parking dispute” narrative, dramatically contrasts the way acts of terror and hate are covered when the roles are reversed, and when the perpetrator happens to be Muslim. The fundamental problem here is not just that innocent lives were lost, but

Beach Team encourages students to get involved By Bronson Farr

with determined messages such as, “three Muslims Killed” and “Where’s the Media.” As the attendees each held candles and crowded

hosted vigils to denounce the act. CSULB was fortunately part of this community. The Muslim Student Association on campus held a community candlelight vigil Thursday evening by Brotman Hall. Several

kindling admiration for those three brave souls burned bright. In light of recent global catastrophes it is important to remember that as a collective student body, the Long Beach 49ers must show support for their fellow students in times of dire need. Creating unity not only

came together to remember and honor the three victims whom they proudly called, “Our three winners.” Students displayed banners to the public

Individuals meet at Brotman Hall for the candlelight vigil(top right); students create small shrines in rememberance of the Chapel Hill shooting victims(bottom left)

Go Beach or Go Home

that mainstream media has proven in this instance, with unyielding clarity, that Muslims are being subjugated to dehumanization, misunderstanding, and disrespect resulting in yet again, another minority feeling marginalized in the United States. But as always, human hearts have superseded politics and injustice. All around the world, thousands of people have tweeted, spoken out, and congregated for the means of honoring the three Muslim individuals. Several community organizations, student

The phrase “there is something for everyone” definitely rings true throughout the CSULB campus. Students have the choice of joining a variety of organizations based on their interests. But if you don’t know where to start, here’s something that can point you in the right direction. Beach Team is an introduction to ASI and student government and is dedicated to providing freshmen and transfer students with volunteer, leadership, and campus involvement opportunities. “I like to think of [it] as a personal guided tour of ASI,” said ASI secretary of government recruitment Quenna Harvey, who is also in charge of Beach Team. This group was created mainly for freshmen and transfer students who are looking to get involved on campus, which is great because Beach Team supports all ASI organizations such as KBeach Radio, College Beat Productions, and the new Grow Beach University Garden (better known as Grow Beach). But for Beach Teamers, students

who are a part of Beach Team, campus involvement is not just limited to ASI. Harvey notes that Beach Team is also a great way for students to see what other organizations are available on campus. Some of the activities that Beach Teamers can be a part of throughout the school year are 49er for a Day, Fall/Spring Mixer, and the Government Mentor Program. 49er for a Day is a high school outreach event that Beach Team organizes and coordinates with local high schools in the area. High school students who attend can participate in various workshops that focus on college applications as well as development of leadership skills. The mixer events, on the other hand, are more laid back and allow Beach Teamers to meet and socialize with members of Associated Student government. This also allows Beach branches of ASI and student government. With the Government Mentor Program, Beach Teamers get to pair up with a current student government member to learn more

the slain victims, students and faculty alike gave their condolences and spoke words of support for the Muslim community on campus. Afterwards, an Islamic prayer, or duaa, was recited, followed by a moment of contemplating silence to commemorate the victims’ lives. The solemn vigil soon came to an end, and although participants may have

cultures or religions but it also makes our school a haven for tolerance and diversity.

about each position. This program focuses on preparing students for leadership roles within ASI. “The idea [of the mentor program] is to ensure students know there is a place for them within ASI where they can make a real impact on the way things are handled on campus,” Harvey said. Harvey also noted that she and Beach Team will be focusing more on listening to the needs of students this semester. She understands that there are different needs for freshmen and transfer, and that she will be asking Beach Teamers questions to adjust accordingly. If you are interested in becoming a Beach Teamer, you can attend the Beach Team meetings held every first and third Wednesday of each month at 5pm in USU 305. Should you have any questions regarding Beach Team, Harvey encourages students to contact her in USU 311.

Community

Above and Beyond A spotlight on KBeach’s own DJ Charley Sharp

Thank You for the Music A recap of this year’s Lovely Jams Lovely Jams 2015 began the way most babies begin: with a “Love Story.” Taylor Swift’s strangely hopeful song was sung by a beloved and frequent Union writer, Karrie Comfort. She sang a few more early T-Swift tunes before erupting into an Elvis explosion. The lady walked away that night with fame and an Almond Joy. Athletics Editor, Joel Martinez and Advertising Executive, Trevor Desrosiers were the Emcees and joke-bringers of the night. Delicious candies and Union lanyards were thrown at audience members who answered questions completely unrelated to anything. First was Karrie Comfort, a sweet songstress who crooned tunes by Taylor Swift, Adele, and more. Next up were our very own Editor-in-Chief, Molly Shannon and her band mate, Karen Wells, who go by the name “Jason Seagull”—with Shannon behind the keyboard and Wells strumming a guitar, Jason Seagull was probably my favorite act of the night. Audiences will usually do this thing

where they’ll get super quiet once something really captures their attention. I noticed just this reaction from the audience when Jason Seagull started playing. Though little is known about the duo, we could ascertain them to be a cover band, playing songs like “Anna Sun” and other similar tunes. Despite knowing half of the band for nearly a year now, I had no idea Molly was involved in such musical activities. You think you really know

State of the Beach

Long Beach Downtown Farmer’s Market Do you have trouble making the “new year, new me” stick? One of the hardest resolutions to keep is being healthy. By the end of the week, we can feel drained and it is so simple to reach for comfort food packed with preservatives, which can only grant us the smallest of happy sighs before we are back to feeling drained. One of the biggest solutions to keeping that resolution and staying on track is the Farmer’s Market. The Farmer’s Market in downtown Long Beach on Fridays between 10am and 3pm is packed with booths that supply everything from fresh cheeses and organic vegetables to bee products and sugar scrubs. The abundance of fresh and healthy food at incredible prices is always available for the community and can

Events going down and around Long Beach By Vanessa Moore

band with a name like Jason Seagull. Coming at a close second in my heart was Lifestyle Editor, Zach Phelps, who strutted onto the stage in Doc Martens, donned an acoustic six-string, and sang his little punk heart out. “I’m a scumbag!” he sang into the audience, “Yes we know!” someone in the audience shouted back. I felt that his punk ambience brought something of a “piratey Lovely Jam needs. Claudia Squillace of KBeach performed

track. If you are concerned about parking,

By Tracy Wash

By Renee Schmiedeberg a brief ditty before giving a quick plug for her radio show. In the last half-hour, a young woman by the name of Nahil ran up to the stage, announcing that she would be singing “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon and asking the audience to sing with her. Nahil’s voice was quite pleasant, actually. “Are you guys gonna sing or what?” She cried out to the audience at one point, to which one lone man threw up his arms and shouted, “I am singing!” With only six minutes left to the night and everyone seeming depleted, Rose Feduk charged onto the stage and declared herself

remembered song by the unforgettable 90s band N’ Sync. Noticing the song dwindling rapidly, Marco Beltran bolted onto the stage to join Rose Feduk, and they cha-cha-ed together into the moonlight. Feelin’ jealous? Make sure to check out next February’s Lovely Jams in 2016, ya lubbers!

Charley Sharp, a volunteer student mentor and DJ at KBeach radio, has been impacting students at KBeach for students from KBeach with his outside companies by providing them with work experience and job opportunities. Sharp has some great advice for students with an interest in KBeach you saying, “Just come in and get involved.”Sharp’s company is called, “DJCharleySharp.com,” which is a DJ and event production company that has types of events. One of his biggest clients is called, “Musclescontest.com” and his company produced all 32 bodybuilding and bikini shows in Southern California.

Let’s Get Pumped Heart Run, Walk & Roll On Feb. 21, from 8am-1pm, the Shoreline Aquatic Park in Long Beach will be the venue

Syndrome. It will take place on a beautiful path that provides glimpses of the Pike, Shoreline Marina and Village, and the Queen Mary. It is a race that is great for all athletic levels and ages. If you rather not take part in the athletic aspect, but still want to come out and show your support, then please join the event and others in rooting for the races, viewing the live entertainment, experiencing the booths and beautiful weather. For more information on the Noonan Syndrome or the race and registration prices, visit teamnoonan.org.

of his big clients that helps produce a dance event that takes place in San Diego this year. They also produce a show on MTV called, America’s Best Dance Crew. Sharp says, “The show will actually be coming back this summer and it will be the all-stars of the all-stars going head-to-head.” Sharp shared one of his funniest stories at KBeach during a live show called, “Mornings on the Beach.” “The computer goes down, and I’m in the middle of a show and we have no music so he said, I had to plug in my iPhone and do the show from my iPhone nobody knew it’s radio no one can see us”. Charley Sharp has that volunteer at KBeach. In today’s job climate, landing a secure job is not easy and work experience is a vital part

available. So bring your bags and take a little time out of your Friday to visit the farmers have provided a great way for students a great addition to Cal State Long Beach and also KBeach.

Athletics

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work It’s about the squad, not the superstars

By Alex Ramos Just as the changes between seasons bring struggling to keep up with younger teams

winter to summer. enough to carry the burden on their own.

we will be seeing these two teams go at it in what this would be like last Friday when they these teams would certainly be a sight to see. the bench is going to bleed points.

All-Right All-Stars It’s offense versus offense and that’s A-OK By Miguel-Angel Garcia You can look at any sport nowadays and complain. Whether it may be players in the

a three-point shot with 1.7 seconds to win. always had that issue. are being played today with the way they used to be played. You would wish we had that

a game-winning strikeout.

maybe some players only make the game

seeing someone manhandle another person only thing that changed was that now the is at.

FEATURE

Imprinting Awareness Stepping toward the prevention of human By Molly Shannon

According to the Sowers Education Group, there are an estimated 27 million human trafficking victims worldwide, with one million in the United States alone. Moreover, 300,000 of these one million victims in the US have been identified as child sex trafficking victims. Immediately, this might break any preconceived notion one might have that says trafficking and child sex trafficking only take place abroad or in thirdworld countries. However, human labor and sex trafficking occur closer to home than many of us realize. The fact of the matter is, this takes place as local as Los Angeles and Orange counties— the city of Long Beach included. Another widely misconceived notion is that we do not possess the power to do something about the issue. Although this issue might seem out of reach to several members of the community, this could not be further from the truth.

On Wednesday, Feb. 18, the CSULB Women’s Resource Center, in collaboration with the Political Science Department and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Department, will host the event “Human Sex Trafficking: What Should We Know?” which will provide information and bring discussion about trafficking on a local and national level. The event is spearheaded by Dr. Jeane Caveness, Assistant Dean of Students, and sponsored by Project SAFE, American Association of University Women (AAUW), USU Program Council, and the CSULB President’s Commission on the Status of Women. Dr. Shira Tarrant, Associate Professor in the WGSS department, will emcee and facilitate a panel of guest speakers. The featured panelists include: Dr. Barbara Hernandez, Vice President of Community Services at Crittenton Services for Children and Families; Lieutenant Dan Pratt of the Long Beach Police Department Vice Investigations; and Rachel Thomas, M.Ed., Co-founder of the Sowers Education Group and a trafficking survivor. Each speaker will bring unique insight to shed light on this relatively hidden issue.

FEATURE

What Do We Know? What Should We Know? Who is Affected?

Panelist Preview

FEATURE

The Next Step and How to Help: Education and Outreach

Arts

The Last Palace Former homes of Hawaiian royalty make an intriguing museum

Guess where the only palace is in the United States? Yup, Oahu. It’s just another reason to go to Hawaii and enjoy the culture and learn about the history of the monarchy. The Iolani Palace is a restoration project as well as a museum. It is a “living museum” which means the actual artifacts that the royal Hawaiians used while they lived there during the 1800s are on display in their original places. The king and queen’s beds, for example, are refurbished and in their original places in the bedrooms. Many of the furniture had to be restored with new fabric, which exactly matched the original. A chair in the music room has blue fabric over it, and having been used and stained, ripped and molded from time, was completely refurbished to its original look. tour that leads you from room to room, starting in the great hall. The only original

staircase. It was fascinating to know that the wood had been touched by royal Hawaiian feet. Visitors are not allowed to walk upon the stairs; however, there is an elevator The attic is where the museum caretaker’s servants worked in the large kitchen that was the center of the room. Other rooms and the royal jewels. The audio tour was very informative with personal accounts from the royal family on the annexation, about the artifacts that are still in the palace, and tales from historians about the tragic events that happened when the queen was imprisoned in her sitting room for eight months. The quilt the queen and her lady-in-waiting made is under glass in the room, with dark glass to protect it

from the sun. The quilt was my favorite piece in the palace because it was the size of two king beds and covered in the queen’s own stitching and creativity. She created it in the eight months she was imprisoned, after refusing to accept the annexation from the US government. Two guards stood outside her door every day and brought her meals. Her only company was her lady in waiting. They quilted, played music, and wrote in their journals. The windows were covered to block the view and yet, the queen prevailed in her imprisonment. Listening to the history of the Hawaiian people was very educational and I now can appreciate my visits to the islands more than ever. The long battles King Kamehameha fought in to unite the islands, the trials the people underwent during the annexation, and the history of the palace was amazing. After it was the residence of the royal family,

Words and Photos By Camille Hove

it was used as a government building. It was here that many of the artifacts grew old and used. It wasn’t until 70 years later that the building was restored. If you have a chance to visit the Hawaiian Islands, learn about the rich culture and the history of the or go shopping in Waikiki. There is more to Hawaii than the westernized state it has become today.

The Iolani throne room sits empty and waiting for inquiring minds (top left); the royal mattress of an actual Hawaiian sovereign remains without its queen (bottom left); the front of the Iolani Palace looms over all who bask in its enormous presence (right)

Entertainment

“Subtle” Superbowl Ad Nationwide shocks audiences with ‘dead kid’ commercial By Karrie Comfort

Although the outcome of this year’s Superbowl has faded from the beer-addled minds of most fans, a particularly disturbing commercial has not. Of course I’m talking about the horrendous Nationwide Commercial; the one where a little boy with wavy brown hair and haunting blue eyes tells us that he couldn’t experience a lot of things because he “died from an accident.” This is the point of when the chip fell out of my mouth and I was stunned. The commercial started out nice enough, a little boy telling us all about how he won’t get cooties or get married, and I’m thinking it will be a commercial about how you evolve into an adult and how you eventually do those things you never would have as a child.

quiet the room down. In fact, just the words “I died in an accident” was enough to make relatives everywhere put down all seven layers of the bean dip and listen harder. The commercial ended with, what I presume, was supposed to be a reassuring voice telling us that “Nationwide is here to help protect what matters most. Your kids.” Unfortunately, I fail to see how insurance correlates to helping save children from accidents. I suppose compensation for death, but I have the feeling that most parents don’t want that. In theory, insurance might help pay for medical bills, but if the little boy died,

then what does it really matter? From a purely objective standpoint, I feel as though the commercial might emphasize the limitations of insurance. One thing is for sure: people didn’t like it, and Twitter blew up with tons of shocked viewers, making their opinions known. “The #weightwatchers commercial reminded me not to shove my feelings from the #Nationwide down with #nachos,” Twitter user @AnaGasteyer said. Even People Magazine wasn’t feeling it, “Wow, #Nationwide. That was heavy. #Superbowl.” And the sad thing is that Nationwide stood by their commercial saying that: “The sole purpose of this message was to start a conversation, not sell insurance... While some did not care for the ad, we hope it served to begin a dialogue to make safe happen for children everywhere.” After reading their full statement, it is nice to know that this wasn’t a ploy to sell insurance because this one sure won’t be selling anything. Nationwide goes on to say that their purposes were accomplished because a lot of people visited the new Make Safe Happen Website, so their commercial “started a conversation.” However, I think there are better ways to make ‘conversations’ and I found their commercial simply distasteful, and quite frankly, the phrase “Nationwide is on Your Side” might ring hollow for a while.

The Darker Side of Music

By Andrew Linde

Whiplash shows jazz fans a new side to jazz drumming

Illustration by John Calhoun

You probably never had a teacher as mean as Whiplash, J.K. Simmons plays Fletcher as a man possessed with producing the best band possible. Conservatory, Fletcher has total control over his students. He does not worry if they like him, all he wants is their best performance at any cost. This relationship between teacher and student may seem unrealistic, but writer and director Damien Chazelle based the experience on his time in a competitive jazz band during high school. Whiplash raises the question of how far a mentor is expected to push his or her mentee. Fletcher goes as far as physical abuse to push his star drummer, Andrew Neiman, played by Miles Teller, to the best of his ability. Fletcher wishes to emulate the relationship between Jo Jones and Charlie Parker. Somewhat notoriously, Jones threw a cymbal at Parker’s head when he played a solo wrong which led to Parker training even harder to become the icon of drumming he is now. Most audiences know J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson from the Sam Raimi SpiderMan agent). As Jameson, Simmons was certainly an angry fellow. Now imagine that times ten

for his portrayal of Fletcher. Simmons has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the upcoming Academy Awards. Miles Teller is still a young actor but he put in amazing performances in The Spectacular Now and the Footloose remake. He’s also set to be Mr. Fantastic in the new Fantastic Four. J.K. Simmons should win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He pushes himself to the limits of humanity, but the audience is still able to see that he believes he is doing the right thing. He is playing a vindictive, but righteous man. This kind of character can be an easy villain, but near the end viewers can almost feel sorry for him. Although I am no jazz historian, the Whiplash refers to a song by Hank Levy played at an important drumbeat, which makes sense given the focus on drumming. It’s actually quite fascinating that both Whiplash and Birdman feature jazz drumming as a large part of their soundtrack.

Editor’s Note: To hear more of Andrew’s thoughts on movies, listen to his podcast Nerd’s Eye View on iTunes or at www.nevpodcast.com.

Music

Heart Beats Original love songs written for the Union’s third annual Lovely Jams contest Illustration by Rose Feduk

Aurora Look at me, closely dear. I won’t be around What we have is not real, I was numb, I was blind, I could not feel a thing. Ain’t no future, in the past Go away, our love, it will not last at all. Better things to focus on, that’s the reason why I wrote this song, Here’s my goodbye letter, for you.

By Tom Kendall Hughes Don’t you open in til I’m gone, Don’t want to see you cry once more, Here’s my goodbye letter for you. Limitations for the human race to be Walls confine the space in which we’re free Mirrors show reflection of perception Reality blinded by deception. Alluding to infinity, Trinity. Subliminally. Light splits into many shades, Escaping from the prismic blades. Magenta. Dementia. Yellow. Hello. Cyan. Mayan.

Come Find Me

Ice Cream

By Karen Wells

By Claudia Squillace

Sunday blues when I think of you I rest assured that you’d come back to me Eventually You ended us so tragically But I still want you endlessly You remind me of what part of this world inspires me Someone who doesn’t give a damn about how we’ll end Just live for you ’cause no one else can

You’re like Rite-Aid ice cream Cheap and delicious

I still love your Sinatra blue eyes and and how your stories tell truth like Johnny Cash The softness in your stare making damn sure I knew you cared When you’re sad I’m sad When you’re mad I’m mad When you’re glad I’m glad to show you That my heart still beats with yours

But I just couldn’t wait to song in the afternoon

Can’t control myself You are far from nutritious Found my love on second street Sun-kissed shoulders, sandy feet I could saunter on repeat Empty bottles spilled back seat

Blonde hair falling down with a breeze that smells like ocean Looking back I see that I long for this emotion

You always know the right words to say I can’t believe I let that get away

Down the old bike path we rode All the lamps and lights they glowed Looking up I realize Longest beach and sun arise

Emotions that would have convinced you to stay

But I just couldn’t wait to song in the afternoon

what I could I have done right But I sit around listening to our favorite songs My tears accompany the storm inside me Waves pushing me away, I want you to

Come with me let’s take out blades Go about our promenades Forget about your lousy grades

You can never be sad Best weekend I’ve ever had What I learned from all of this Heal the wound before it scars I’m just afraid that when you start anew You’ll forget how much I believe in you is lucky to have you I’ll have to pretend that I am happy when I’m in dismay But don’t you worry I’ll be okay I’ll be okay Just don’t lose me Sometimes i’ll be okay

You’re like Rite-Aid ice cream Cheap and delicious

Music

Started From The Bottom YouTube gives talented musicians the recognition they deserve

By Karrie Comfort

YouTube has gained considerable momentum in the last decade, growing from a sort of hipster enclave of misunderstood

choice of what music they want to hear, and Youtube is proving to be a powerful tool. In fact, in this year’s Grammy Awards, Pentatonix, an all-acapella group with millions of views on Youtube, won Best Arrangement, instrumental, or acapella piece. In their acceptance speech, Scott Hoying, one of the lead members of the group, joked about how they had recorded the song in a closet and filmed it in their kitchen. Truly talented musicians have made their fame on YouTube, and hopefully this platform will provide a voice to musicians who, signed or not, have a passion for music.

into a full-blown company, now owned by Google and generating some serious revenue. Between cat videos and comedy pieces, YouTube has become a legitimate media platform and home to quite a few up and coming musicians. Madilyn Bailey, an acoustic pop singer-songwriter, began writing original songs and posting covers on YouTube, before being discovered by John Shanks, a producer, at the Guitar Center Singer/ SongWriter Competition in 2012 and 2013. Some of her most well-known covers

like “Titanium” have more than 50 million views and continue to climb as she gains more notoriety. Bailey usually plays guitar, but she also plays keyboard and drums. It’s this kind of talent that flourishes on YouTube, and since there is no publicist arm for new content creators, you must either build your own fame or rely on promotion from other artists. Dodie Clark, a ukelele cover artist,

won a competition hosted by Internet comedians, Rhett and Link, and was able to build her own fan base through their fans. Not only does YouTube give musicians a platform but also encourages creativity. Both of the cover artists mentioned also write original music, largely bypassing the middle men of record labels. Music is increasingly being handed to the listeners, giving them the

“Not only does YouTube give musicians a platform, but also encourages creativity.”

Lifestyle

The College Connection Re-evaluating friendships in school There’s this strange sense of alienation that time. Your mind suddenly reverts to the primal mentality of an infant. You become a strange combination of a toddler, walking with a sense of curiosity and a teenager, humiliated for not knowing anything. One can sense the mixed emotions of fascination and isolation in the university. The wide age gap, the unique styles of your college peers, and the presence of business in education. All these things soon make you wonder a number of things: How do

school had groups of individuals who were permanently there and the repetition of their faces were met each day. The usual hang out spots at the exact time and date. All sharing a lunch time and snack time. In college, this is quite the opposite. To meet a familiar face is spontaneous and mostly arbitrary. The sharing of genuine time is gone. Even if you create a friend, there is this unassurance in having a long-term friendship. Am I being friends with a person because the

Which ideologies and behaviors and words

Or should I let others be interested me than I

to navigate successfully through my new After a full college year, I hit a gray people here expect me to research the school

Expect the Unexpected How reality interfered with my college fantasies By Zach Phelps As painful as it is to admit now, before arriving at school, I had a grand vision of

frontier before entering the soul-crushing world of adulthood. I had a pretty solid plan about how I was going to conduct myself during my college career, while simultaneously preparing myself for the outside world. To justify the amount of money my parents were funneling into my bank account for me to attend school, I would meander through a handful of mediocre classes, attending most sessions unless a more enticing opportunity arose. I might even attend a couple archaic science or art lectures, some to think of it, I’m pretty sure there was a What I imagined would be the core of my college existence, however, would have nothing to do with actual institutionalized schooling. In fact, the set schedule I had in mind would revolve almost solely on the incredible amount of free time I planned on having. I would wake up early every morning and doing something productive, like drink I assumed that I would spend most of the day doing some combination of all three. At some point, I would wander over to campus,

sit through a class or two and magically meet some truly interesting people. Musicians, artists, poets, Marxists, hippies, and punks would appear out of the woodwork and immediately befriend me. And women, oh beautiful women! They would be plentiful and falling at my feet. My life would be sweet, exciting and overtly hedonistic. Of course, it didn’t take me all that long to realize that all my preconceived notions of what college entailed were completely skewed. First of all, class and schoolwork took imagined it would. The stress of midterms and quickly gained a consuming precedence. Instead of staying up all night listening to obscure garage bands, eating pizza, and laughing with newfound friends, I found myself pulling all-nighters in a vain attempt to memorize chemical formulas and the lineage of the emperors of Rome. Not that the time constraints really crowd, my people, were nowhere to be found. All I could see was kids pining after fraternities salaries. Inherently, there really isn’t anything wrong with that. It just wasn’t what I was really looking for.

By Christopher Orozco continue to stay friends based on kindness and unchanging intentions and tolerance or do I remove myself for fear of distracting from myself to re-evaluate my relationships with all my friends. The two things I truly value in life are making friends and honesty. Whether they are intimate, best friends, new buddies, or old buddies, I slowly distance myself from them. This action of distancing is partly my choice while the other half is inconveniences due to It’s not that I want to drop them out of my life. I care about my friends’ lives as they mature by my side. I will abhor myself if I wasted their time or distracted them if I am not in their best interest. I would prefer for my current college friends to invest in other

friends who strongly share their beliefs than for a guy like me who tolerates, understands, and cares about them and their development. I have faith in their beliefs, but I lack the same passion that they exhibit towards their focused goals. In the end, I am attempting to do what few humans have the courage to do; to have faith in my friends in whatever choices they make. This is coming from a logical dude without religion to guide him if any assumption of religious remarks are to be made on me. I am trying to become the typical mother who unconditionally loves. I have been the father who expects and praises his friends, his children and who pleases him because they take an interest in his likings for too long. College life is going to be weird from here on and out. I love you, all my life companions.

Literature

Ambivalence

By Lilly Nguyen Illustration by John Calhoun

Violet. Violet is the color of spirituality and the color of imagination. It is the color of our understanding—the color that draws one into an all too comforting lull of fantasy. It is magic, it is mystery, and both artist and poet know all too well the strength of this color. It is the color of the book she holds in her hands. The pages are carefully straightened out—not a single crease in the corner or a tear on any page. She looks from behind her thick, black frames that she fears makes her face look too small. Her free hand twirls to remind herself not to bring the ringlets any closer to her face because she can’t chew on her hair like she does at home. She sits, carefully poised and leaning

back against her chair. Legs are carefully folded over one another, a foot dangling a lavender heel. He’s seen her here many times before. that she is usually wearing has been replaced with a cardigan. Her sweatpants exchanged wonders what inspired the change. “Maybe she It is February, after all. remove her glasses. Wide, cocoa brown eyes now narrow at the pages, her glasses folded and hidden away in their case. It looks unfamiliar, the way that she presents herself now and he’s curious if she is comfortable this way. His gaze returns to the books piled up on his desk, ready to be scanned back into the

database. He is not her friend and she is not his. It is none of his business. Before he knows it, it is closing time and as he shuts down his computer, he turns and looks to the table where she had been sitting before. She doesn’t even look like she’s moved. Her hair, so neatly curled, now lies limp. Her cardigan is abandoned in favor of a sweatshirt—he imagines that she had been hiding it in her bag—and her glasses returned to the bridge of her nose. Her make-up, he realizes, is smeared. It doesn’t take a genius He makes his way over to the lonely table, his hand, an introduction, and then a smile. She looks up, confused as to why he is talking to her. He’s never spoken to her before.

seem to ask why she’s crying, and she’s more than relieved. The last thing she needs is for someone to laugh at her for getting stood up. She pauses in their quiet conversation to look at her phone once; the device without a single signs of a text or call in apology or explanation. When she looks back up again, she notices that he does not smile this time. Instead, his lips contort into something more akin to a grimmace and so she laughs. She lifts her arms to wipe away her remaining tears and apologizes for the way she looks. He again in invitation. She takes it. Violet.

Into the Night We Fall By K. J. C.

Illustration by John Calhoun

I heard your song and looked into your eyes. It took me so long to notice straight through the light and through you.

savor my love.

Then, you became the dance of my mind, you’re the brain behind my love’s creation. Please take me with you... Alone yet strong are my dreams of when you grace my eyesight. Please take me with you... Take me to a place where you can

Into the night we fall. Take me to a place where you can hear my lust Into the night we fall. I took a step and now we’re conjoined. I am in your world. located in the depths of my mind has become a formation of love And now you shine through me... Take me to a place where you can savor my love. Into the night we fall. Take me to a place where you can hear my lust Into the night we fall.

Travel

A Weekend in the Woods Getting lost in nature while working as a camp counselor By Michael Honey Illustration by John Calhoun

Over the winter break, I took a much welcome hiatus from Dragon Age Inquisition and my crippling Trivia Crack addiction to work at a winter camp in the San Bernardino Mountains. Having worked at this camp during the summer, I was happy to get the opportunity to return once again. About an hour and a half from Long Beach,

with forests, creeks, lakes, and limited cellphone reception, these mountains do what the city simply cannot: the ability to create an overall feeling of peace from being in an area almost completely untouched by human development. As I made the winding drive up the mountain road, I rolled down the windows and felt the previously dry inland air give way to a colder, crisper, and cleaner version that blew in my face and set me free. The job that my team and I had at camp was to run meals, organize activities, and make sure everything was running smoothly, dealing with any issues along the way. While our camp had two zip lines, a full game room complete with a pool and ping pong tables, as well as a plethora of organized activities throughout the camp, I truly believe that the best part of camp is the ability to simply explore nature. I could tell children were having the best tiime when I led a small group of junior high schoolers on a hike to a local creek. I watched as these children marveled at the intricate colors and patterns on the rocks they found, looking for their favorite ones, even having competitions over which rock could make the biggest splash in the creek. We walked across fallen trees, seeing who could balance from one side to the other, made bridges using logs and rocks to cross parts of the water, and even ended the afternoon by seeing a family of deer feeding in the woods. For a short couple hours, these children forgot about social groups and the children united in a common experience, which was to simply see the world, to work together and to explore beautiful details we so often pass up. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I believe getaways like this is important to all, and especially to children ,who are growing up fast and entering weird new stages in their lives. I believe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good for our well-being to unplug, to make new friends together, and to explore the wild.

Food

Eating on the Road Less Traveled The reward of exploring alternative dining options By Camille Hove Illustration by Eva Grello

When I visited the island of Maui, I had the pleasure of dining in someone’s house. It was a sushi restaurant, which the owner had torn down the wall of his living room, added long, family style tables, and a sushi bar too. I was staying in Paia with a friend and we had Google searched for sushi places, and this one popped up on the map. The dark, dead end streets. There were no lights around, no people, and few cat eyes glowing at us from the bushes. We shrugged and went someplace else. At the end of our stay, we ventured back to the abandoned road and found lights at the end of a run down, small house with a porch. It was the address of the sushi restaurant, so we parked and walked in. Many regulars were laughing on the porch outside, and groups of strangers huddled together conversing at the long picnic tables.

We chose a seat at the bar with another couple and the owner of the restaurant announced, “No more customers!” I soon saw why he made his announcement, it was due to closing time in an hour and a half. He was making every piece by hand himself, with his wife waitressing. We ordered two hand rolls and two cut rolls. They were all delivered within 20 minutes of each other. It was the perfect amount of time to talk, digest, and then try another piece. And it was delicious! I’ve never had such fresh, delicious tuna, eel, and salmon. It was so interesting to know we were sitting in his living room enjoying his home-made food with dozens of other strangers. It was a comfortable and lively atmosphere, and I wish places like these existed in Long Beach.

Volume 76 Issue 5

Monday, February 16, 2015

LBUNION.COM

DISCLAIMER: SQUIRT, SQUIRT, SQUIRT! I should’ve worked at KFC. Rap game Mona Lisa masterpiece. Before you plant the seed, you got to test the soil. Now I’m on your roof gargoyle GRRRRRRRR. Squirt. Squirt. Squirt. Squirt. Squirt. Squirt. I can make it squrit. This page is satire/parody and does not represent ASI nor the CSULB campus. Submit articlez to grunion@lbunion.com.

Reduce, Reuse, Dispose Let me begin by stating clearly that no one could possibly be a greater proponent of technology in school’s than I. Why? Because I hate slowpokes. And so do you. There’s a reason we by Sheiße Minnelli drink coffee to start our day off and rush to meetings with the fervor of a manic preacher, as well as why we seek out sleek cars and rollercoasters for entertainment. Call it efficiency or an adrenaline rush, humans like to go fast. And more so, we hate when those slower than us get in our way. Which probably explains why we love technology, whose sole purpose is to shorten the route from point A to B. More so, it is why we find so much about children off-putting, whose (true) sole purpose is to cling on to us and add deadweight to our otherwise streamlined lives. So, with this in mind, why not find a way to utilize the brilliance of recent technological advancements to help cure us of this problem by injecting speed into our children’s lives? Better yet, instead of wasting even more time and money trying to find a way to introduce such acceleration, why not just start where your meager tax dollars are already traveling to: their school’s? Here’s the proposal: start them young, and start them fast. For that in there lies the key virtue that propels technology forward. Technology, as any tried and true cyber-patriot should know, is not just a series of modifications and inventions. It is not just a description for how many cupholders your Smart-Car (doesn’t) have. It’s not even just a blanket term for a handful of computer chips wired to perform the same meaningless task over and over. No, my friends, technology, in its purest form, is an art. More precisely stated, technology

is the art of speed. Create, over-use and immediately dispose. Now what could define a well-crafted piece of art better than that? Now, as bright and beautiful as this whole technology fad might be, the sorry truth is that we still need some sad-sack grunts to properly run it. Let’s face it, the kind of artificial-intelligence capable of running such a wide-array of tasks just hasn’t been created yet. Maybe technology isn’t as far along as we like to think, maybe those re-runs of “I, Robot” on FX are starting to get to us. Either way, it would appear that we are going to still need human’s to actually work for quite some time. And that, friends, is where we can make technology’s arch-nemisis, that devil otherwise referred to as nature, work in our favor. Kids are the future, are they not? Indeed they are, for in the bizarre realm of nature, it seems the younger something is, the longer they usually have to live. With this principle in mind, we must confess that these children will probably be around for a while, and while we could just sit around and complain about their ignorant, snot-nosed ways, I for one recommend a different course of action entirely. Keep in mind that, for years, we humans have been trying to figure out what to do with our offspring. This is a problem that preceded the advent of technology by countless millennia. Our children always want more from us. Not only do they want to be fed and clothed, but they want our attention, our interaction, even our love, all of which drain parents ceaselessly. Then they grow-up to be not-so-cute teenagers and go on to reward all the money, time and love you nurtured them with just to show you their hate and spite. No matter how you look at it, there really is no logic to having children. Which is why nature blessed us with hormones (don’t worry, there’s probably some piece of technology

that will eradicate those soon enough). The kids keep coming though, and they don’t show any sign of stopping their infestation. So, until we come up with a moral way to physically dispose of them, why not just make them as harmless as possible? Better yet, why not also make them a bit useful as well? Enter technology. The first step is to hook-up our kids to as many blinding interfaces and gadgets as possible. Bombard them with as much useless information as possible. Make binary code their first language. Make new operating systems more entertaining than hitting your friend in the face with a baseball bat. Make

keeping your virginity seem really cool. Once they’ve been systematically force-fed all this computer nonsense over a couple years, they will have no choice but to crave doing your tax-returns and evaluating sales figures, if just for the chance to crunch more numbers and delve deeper into their technological pits. Before you know it, they’ll be too consumed doing your work and making you wealthier to cry and fuss over “normal” kid issues. If this all seems a touch inhumane, don’t worry yourself too much, for it’s all in the name of progress. And isn’t that what we created technology for in the first place?

INSIDE

NEW STUDY CONFIRMS: REAGAN IS INDEED ‘MARLBORO MAN’

REPORTS OF GROWING SEXUAL TENSION BETWEEN CHIANG AND MAO

DESPITE CLAIMS TO THE CONTRARY, CROOKING CONTINUES TO INCREASE

KIM JONG UN TO EAT HIS HEART OUT AFTER WATCHING 50 SHADES OF GRAVY