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Intro
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“What do Dr. Dre and poop have in common? They both rhyme with Snoop.” Bea Villa, Food Editor Issue 75.11 Molly Shannon, Editor-in-Chief editorinchief@lbunion.com Alfred Pallarca, Managing Editor alfredp.union@gmail.com 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 Rose Feduk, Illustration Editor rosef.union@gmail.com Abdallah Seoud, Assistant Art Director abdallah.seoud@gmail.com Michael Tewasart, Assistant Art Director tewasartm@live.com Truc Nguyen, Web Manager web@lbunion.com
EDITORIAL Heather Sandburg, Opinions Editor opinions@lbunion.com Veronica Craft, Community Editor community@lbunion.com Jacky Linares, Athletics Editor Elizabeth Nguyen, Athletics Editor athletics@lbunion.com Renee Schmiedeberg, Arts Editor arts@lbunion.com Katie Cortez, Entertainment Editor entertainment@lbunion.com
By Molly Shannon Welcome back to reality, ’49ers. Oh, there goes gravity, ’49ers. I hope you all enjoyed your brief, drunken release this weekend because you can kiss all that partying, YOLOing, and donkness goodbye (at least until Winter Break)! My apologies, but the truth hurts. We are now entering that hellish time of year when it feels as if the weight of the world is on our shoulders. Well, it feels like the weight of the world is on our shoulders, but what we are actually experiencing is the heavy stress from knowing the end of the semester is approaching at a menacing speed. Also, textbooks. I’ve found myself bringing all of my textbooks to school every day—and those puppies are not light. Alas, we’ve made it through midterms (barely), but now, it’s time to pour everything probably should have been planning for all semester. I’m talking about research papers, group assignments, presentations—you know
Illustration by Rose Feduk the type. Just don’t forget about those dreaded
others choose to substitute the exam altogether with some sort of project. I’m at the point in my academic career when each of my professors has chosen “all of the above”—I’m up to my eyelashes in tests, papers, scripts, projects (both solo and group), and their deadlines await me at the end of the month! I’m sure this is nothing new to many of you, so I’ll sweep this stress under the carpet again with a topic that’ll put anyone at ease: food! This week’s feature story is about the best food trucks around, and I just have to say that it is delicious. One of my personal favorites has always been Tacos El Chavitos in Huntington Beach. As a matter of fact, I have the fabulous privilege of living in close proximity to this Heaven-sent Mexican food truck. My friends and I would often hang out around there while
we were in high school. After class, we’d go and order platters of tacos al pastor, asada, and chicharron, and then we’d head home to chow down and gulp pineapple juice. We’d proceed to plop down on the couch,watch TV, and eat like little piggies. My advice for you all this week is: let experiences like these be your temporary replacements for all the crazy parties and donkness you’ll be missing during the rush for semester’s end. Rather than tear your hair out in frustration from studying, relax and go grab a snack from your local food truck. Chat deserve it.
Molls
Sam Winchester, Music Editor music@lbunion.com Camille Hove, Lifestyle Editor lifestyle@lbunion.com Chrissy Bastian, Literature Editor literature@lbunion.com Alfred Pallarca, Travel Editor alfredp.union@gmail.com
Burnt Toast
By Connor O’Brien
Check out these grilled cheeses that didn’t meet “cover standards”
Beatriz Villa, Food Editor food@lbunion.com Gumby, Grunion Editor grunion@lbunion.com Michael Wood, Senior Editor mwood.union@gmail.com
COPY & ASSISTANT EDITORS Jonathan Gutierrez, Joel Martinez, Eric Reid Hamilton ADVERTISING SALES INTERN Jacqueline Simon STAFFERS & CONTRIBUTORS Laurel Skinner, Oscar Bautista, Nick Ferro, Amanda Dominguez-Chio, Bronson Farr, Adriana Gonzalez, Janna Jesson, Cole Hughey, Alex Berman, Eric Garcia, Alexandra Dempsey, Claire DeWilde, Bob Minkin, Christopher Orozco, Jeff Kuo CONTACT US Long Beach, CA 90815 E-mail: info@lbunion.com
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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 claims of its advertisers. Grievance procedures are available
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Opinions
Education Over Crime Prop 47 saves money for education and cuts down criminal penalties By Michael Wood
Illustration by Rose Feduk
The situation in the California justice system is frightening, to say the least. Prisons and
small-scale thefts, fraud, and a myriad of non
many of them arrested for non-violent crimes
system that seeks high incarceration rates
as democratic citizens must tell the justice
saved from reduced sentencing into schools
education to their heart’s desire, crime
from the current felony status, meaning that
social justice and economic security do.
and conscious citizenry. The last 30 years or democratic ideals such as justice and equality.
health treatment and education.
Opinions
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Be All Inclusive A response to points brought up in “Not Joking Around” You may have read or heard the criticisms about the Queers and Allies Coming Out Board. If you missed it, there was an article titled “Not Joking Around” in a previous issue by Hanna Suarez explaining her frustration with the inclusion of allies and the frivolity of the identities being posted on the board. Suarez makes some excellent points, and Queers and Allies certainly took notice. Personally, I’m not sure where I stand. See, the thing about that all-inclusive attitude? I really liked it. I am a bisexual woman, and this article is the furthest I’ve ever strayed from the closet. I don’t always feel “queer enough” to be welcome in the queer community, but the joviality surrounding the Coming Out Board eased the pressure to justify my identity. The silliness normalized it. I believe I came out as a bisexual woman and a witch, and for me, it was a comforting experience.
In addition to the Board, Queers and Allies also hosted an event more tailored to the Marginalized Orientations, Gender Identities, and Intersex (MOGAI)
burned the slurs and hateful things that have been said to them. The event was publicized at club meetings, Coming Out events, and on social media. It was well attended, and by all accounts, quite an emotional
even a new facet of Coming Out events; the Gay-Straight Alliance hosted it both last year and the year before. An executive board member commented, “Coming Out Week is to support not just the people who are out, but the people who are not. The Coming Out Board gave those people an outlook to come out as whatever they wanted to, this way they did not have to feel bound to an identity that they may not even be sure of. We also did not want to police what people wrote on the board because we did not want to limit how people wanted to express themselves. “Queers and Allies’ current leadership is working hard to build a supportive
“...support not just the people who are out, but the people who are not...”
Feedback for the week was initially favorable. I think some of Queers and Allies were honestly surprised at the criticisms being leveled. The Coming Out Board isn’t
By Alexandra Dempsey community. They want it known that “The QnA board takes what our members and the public say seriously, and we will be taking the right actions to make sure this does not happen again.” If the light-hearted use of the Coming Out Board impedes the visibility of marginalized identities, then its purpose is defeated. I thought it made coming out seem more approachable. Suarez thought it trivialized it. Considering what it means to come out, and how, for some, this option is dangerous or impossible, I have to concede that she may have a point. So I’ll let go of the Coming Out Board, and instead lend my support to Queers and Allies’ many other enterprises.
No, It’s Not Appropriate A reaction to “If it’s not you, why are you offended” The fact that I, as a woman of color, have to accommodate ignorance is infuriating. I didn’t want to write this in the first place, but yet here I am accommodating to white people. To those confused, I am addressing the issues in “If it’s not you, why are you offended?” article from last week’s issue. Women of color are constantly being sexualized and eroticized much more than white women. For example, Native women have been portrayed as immoral, promiscuous women since the time of Columbus’ conquest of the Americas simply because they didn’t follow European dress codes. This is because that’s not in their culture. The “sexy Indian princess” costumes are the result of years of systematic rape and genocide. Dressing up as one is just playing into the violence that has plagued these women for centuries. Straight from the Huffington
Post, who got their source from the US Department of Justice, Huffington states, “Indigenous women in the US experience some of the highest rates of sexual assault in the country. According to the US Department of Justice, nearly half of all Native American women have been raped, beaten, or stalked by an intimate partner; one in three will be raped in their lifetime; and on some reservations, women are murdered at a rate 10 times higher than the national average.” These are the lives of women you are reducing into a joke. Often you hear people say “I’m celebrating a culture” but people fail to remember that it’s not their culture to celebrate. Then those same people will tell you that you’re against exchanges of culture; however, exchanges of culture are MUTUAL, not one-sided. Dressing up as a Mexican by wearing a mustache and
a sombrero is not celebrating a culture; you’re playing up a stereotype used to reduce that group. This dehumanizes them so that they are easier to alienate. And this whole “celebrating a culture” thing is purely a white, Western idea. White people have conquered about 99.9 percent of all cultures, and they have passed down generation to generation a need to celebrate that, trying to pass off mockery as appreciation. Part of the problem is that people are trying to victimize themselves and blame a minority for being “melodramatic” about something they have never felt in their life. The other part is ignorance. Cultural appropriation has become so normalized that people don’t know to be indigent. For example, I’ve dressed up as a witch for Halloween. Did I know I was appropriating Wiccan culture? No, I was eight years old.
By Jacky Linares Am I ever going to dress up as a witch, knowing what I know now? No, because I know better. We’ve all done problematic things but the important thing is to put forth the effort to know better. Getting offended does not make you automatically correct, but realize that the author is getting offended about being called offensive. And it is only subjective to the author because the author probably has had the privilege of not belonging to a culture where they are often ridiculed. This has caused a narrow-minded view. You are not being asked to accommodate to anyone; you are being asked to be respectful. Editor Note: To read “If it’s not you, why are you
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Community
A Fright to Remember Making spooky memories at Knott’s Scary Farm By Sam Winchester
Illustration by Claire DeWilde
Last Wednesday, October 29, some of the Union Beetlejuice
Union Weekly
Final Destination 3
at the Union
Community
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Displaying pictures of deceased loved ones on an altar is a typical tradition during the event (left); along with the pictures, people typically post calaveritas, the occasion (center); reminiscing the day also involves showcasing the deceased person’s favorite items when they were living (right)
Celebrating Life and Death La Raza Student Association observes Dia de los Muertos By Amanda Dominguez-Chio Last year a few days before Halloween, I received a picture message from my mom and aunt posing in front of the camera. To my surprise, my aunt had painted her face to celebrate Dia de los Muertos at an event near
schedule—with no luck—until I saw a poster by the University Student Union announcing a Dia de los Muertos event hosted by La Raza Student Association. Imagine my excitement and elation! On the day of the event, I arrived to a bustling room, where members of La Raza
touches on the event. The night began with a procession to Puvungna, and each participant was given a marigold and asked to leave a trail way back home. From the USU Ballrooms, we walked, releasing petals along the way, to Puvungna, learning about the Indian village sacred to the Gabrielano and other tribes. Puvungna remained a spiritual place governed by Chungichnish. Over the years, we learned that Puvungna has faced plans for development, but, as far as I know, the site remains preserved. On the burial grounds, our group leaders performed chants, and we gradually made our way back to the celebration.
I showed the artist the design I had in with people decorating sugar skulls, taking pictures at the “Day of the Dead” photo booth, buying items from vendors, and getting their face painted. I decided to take a stroll around the room and observe. There were several altars, honoring deceased loved ones. There was one altar in particular that Tan. Each altar was decorated in papel picado, colorful tissue paper cut in elaborate designs, such as grinning skulls and skeletons. After walking around, I made my way to the face painting station, while music played in front of the audience. When my turn arrived,
result. Unfortunately, to my great and utter disappointment, while my face was getting painted, I missed the Group Folkorico Mexica performance. Alas, my face was painted, and the guests were served tamales and Jarritos. My experience at the Dia de los Muertos celebration was amazing, and I learned so much about the culture, origins, and beliefs. This is my last semester at Cal State Long Beach, so I want to make every moment count. I’m delighted that I attended such a festive event.
Running to Get Involved Upcoming 5K aims to bring students and veterans together By Bronson Farr The first ever CSULB Runs with Veterans 5K will be held Sunday, November 9 on campus. This 5K will be hosted by ASI, the CSULB Veterans Network (VetNet), and is sponsored by Veterans Services and Trader Joes of Long Beach. “The idea began as an effort to link veterans and their non-military peers via health and fitness,” said event organizer Wendy Lewis, who is also the ASI secretary of Veterans Affairs, and VetNet’s vice president. “I felt that there was a disconnect within these two populations; however, we share [health and fitness] as common ground.”
The race will start at the CBA building and consists of three laps, running or walking. Participants will first make their way towards the Pyramid, through the backside of the rugby field, toward the SSPA building, and through the Friendship Walk. There will be a 30 minute stretch session before the race starts at 10am. Lewis stresses the key takeaway from the event is that CSULB supports veteran students well as make veterans feel welcomed. “CSULB has once again made the Military Friendly School list ... being a part of the Veterans Day 5K shows that we as a
university and community are grateful to those who served and protect our great country,” Lewis said. Along with the 5K, the Veterans Network will be hosting a Luau-themed winter social. Students can find out more about their upcoming events on the CSULB Veterans Network Facebook page. CSULB also has a VetNet Ally Awareness Program, an educational program dedicated to creating a welcoming and supportive environment for service members or veterans studying at CSULB. Students and faculty can become VetNet Allies by attending a half-day seminar
that focuses on the needs and concerns of veterans. The next seminar will be on Friday, November 14. The Veterans Day 5K will be from 10am to 1:30pm. You can register on EventBrite through this link: https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/csulb-runs-withveterans-tickets-13579842675. Once you have registered, you will be sent more information regarding the run. If you are interested in volunteering at the event, email Wendy Lewis at wendy.lewis@ student.csulb.edu.
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Students performing downward dog
Students are relaxed while doing upward extended feet pose with support
Posing for Fitness The Yoga and Wellness Club provides a place for students to decompress By Laurel Skinner
Photos by Oscar Bautista
The main purpose of yoga is for union of the body, spirit, and mind. Yoga uses the structures of awareness in breath, exercises
CSULB students, as well as faculty, alumni, and community members. All skill levels are welcome, and a majority of club members are actually beginners who are completely new to yoga. There are currently 20 active members. To greet new members, icebreakers are incorporated along with introductions around the room before an hour-long yoga session begins, making sure there’s a social aspect to the club. The origin of the yoga club on campus started from the front seat of founder Ashley’s car as she was driving back from Squaw Valley. She was unwinding after a yoga high created by one of the most wonderful yoga festivals known as Wanderlust.
to achieve its purpose. Contrary to popular belief, yoga can provide overall physical people. The physical activity focuses on the importance of balance and using your head. It doesn’t focus on being physically strong to balance on your head, but rather being able to balance physical awareness with mental awareness. The Yoga and Wellness Club is dedicated to spreading the joys and wonders of yoga to the CSULB community. It is open to all
Students doing low lunge with upward stretch, left leg forward with instructor
Ashley admits she owes credit to her ex-boyfriend for the idea. Ashley had been attending a yoga studio in Long Beach at that time called Purple Yoga, and she requested help from a teacher named Cidney to start up the club. With help from Cidney and her friends, The Yoga and Wellness Club was established late in the fall semester of 2013. In the beginning, it was a stretch to have even Yoga and Wellness Club has expanded into something the founder could only imagine with about 30 people that come regularly. The yoga sessions are regularly taught by Treasurer and Head Coach Linda Meng, and Vice President Laurel Skinner and with
volunteer guest coaches. Currently, the Yoga and Wellness Club focuses on a Hatha
Ashtanga, Bikram, and Iyengar styles of yoga. practice in nature than many other styles. Meetings for the Fall 2014 semester are held on Wednesdays at 8pm to 9:30pm and Thursdays at 8:30pm to 9:30pm. The club fee is 10 dollars per semester.
A trio of students about to transition into another pose
Curbside
spreading across the United States and continues
Union Weekly
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A taste of food truck culture
Cuisine
FEATURE
Intro by Beatriz Villa
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FEATURE
Kogi
by Beatriz Villa
Lobos
Grilled Cheese
by Molly Shannon
by Alfred Pallarca
FEATURE
Afters
by Jeff Kuo
Need a late night snack but can’t decide between donuts or ice cream? Afters’ Ice Cream food truck in Santa Ana has got your back. With their Milky Bun, Afters signature confection, your boutique ice cream, and eat it, too. Afters peek through its creamy, luscious textures, the Milky Bun is basically a one way, non refundable ticket to Sweetieland. This is more than some upscale ice cream version of those fairs every summer. What that food truck gal, smiling so knowingly, just handed you in a brown paper wrapper bursting cholesterol grenade of deep fried dairy decadence The back story is this: local fashion entrepreneurs Andy Nguyen and Scott Nghiem made something of a splash among the local gastronomic cognoscenti when they opened Afters in Fountain Valley earlier this year. In
order to extend their hours past the 9pm closing of their brick-n-mortar storefront, Afters sends its late nite crowd to their truck only a few minutes away at the corner of S. Croddy and Talbert. Parked on a dark but safe street in a commercial park, the location means that the ice cream must stand alone in the visit. Actually, it’s the customers who stand since the location has no seating, though Afters and pop music from a portable sound station. Afters truck even refrains from the fanciful logos and eye catching graphics of most gourmet trucks, though there is no night of my visit, the line of the mostly Asian and friendly twenty somethings in couples varied from no line to almost twenty. The night time mise en scene of the black truck perched on a lonely side street suggested something of the furtive as if attracting dessert addicts in small groups, scoring a quick ice cream hit before disappearing into the surrounding darkness. PRICE
Schmuck
PRICE
QUALITY
AMBIENCE
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I feasted on the indulgence of heartwarming street food as the sin of gluttony whispered to our ears. My friends and I journeyed to the belly of the streets of Torrance. The demons and angels of food trucks opened their gates to a hellish and heavenly galore of tasteful treats. I ventured to The Schmuck Truck: A New York Delicatessan on Wheels. I ordered the pastrami grilled cheese sandwich with a side of garlic ranch fries. The sandwich was packed with several layers of pastrami, covered in swiss cheese. I could taste the divine fatty oils and regretted nothing, a huge bang of bites for my bucks. As for the garlic ranch fries, they were mostly sprinkled in garlic parmesan bits and partly dressed in ranch. The fries’ texture were averagely fried like the ones from In-N-Out. In terms of quantities, the amount of fries can be shared among three people, unless you are feeling gluttonous. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the all quality of my meal. I could feel the bread crumbs against my throat. A literal “sand”wich. In the judgment of the fries,
QUALITY
AMBIENCE
by Christopher Orozco
they were heavily salted and parmesan cheese only made it worse. Luckily, the milky coolness of the ranch helped lower the saltiness. I give the Schmuck Truck’s pastrami sandwich and is reasonable for the amount of food I received, but I was not impressed with the quality. The sandwich size took those red and white checked snack holders. If you visit the Schmuck Truck and order the pastrami sandwich as it comes, everything I described, the good and bad qualities, will be what you will taste. I recommend the truck if you want quantity, but I do not recommend the sandwich, unless the bread is moist. Who knows, my experience unlucky with the dry bread and the overly salty fries. Overall, I would recommend the Schmuck Truck, just not the pastrami sandwich.
Conclusion The food truck gathering in Torrance was a fun trip to drive to with a small group of Union Weekly editors. It took us about
party, such as the one we visited. We noticed that all the trucks we visited had Twitter accounts and other social media pages for customers to like, rate, and review. Because of social media and the ability to roam around LA, the concept of a kitchen on wheels has sparked a food truck revolution. Many chefs, who specialize in an array of foods—Vietnamese, Thai, Mexican, sandwiches, fusion foods, and sweet desserts—are revving up their own kitchens on wheels, and heading out to the streets of LA county. The concept of a food truck has been around for a couple of centuries, but the success www. foodtruckmaps.com/la to locate food trucks near you. You’ll be surprised at what some of these trucks specialize in; I’m planning on visiting The Lobster Truck myself.
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Arts
Nailed It By Adriana Gonzalez My journey with nail art started back in high school when, ironically, I absolutely hated painting my nails. A couple of years later, during my first years of college, I discovered my passion for nail art through the use of YouTube. When I first began to watch these videos, I went from despising it to loving it. I roamed the depths of this video-sharing site for ideas and tutorials on how to create these amazing designs. Soon enough, I was practicing all day, everyday. They expanded my knowledge of all the possibilities I could explore with nail art. I realized that it was much more than just painting your nails. These tutorials allowed me to have a reference point on how to create these beautiful designs. When I finally got around to practicing and enjoying nail art, my results showed a lack of skill; it was as if I had just dunked my hand into a nail polish bottle and everything ended up smudged. The horror! Creating nail art takes a lot of patience and time. Early on in my journey with this art, I realized that the act of painting my nails made me very calm. Even though it was frustrating at times, I enjoyed it because it was a challenge and it soon became my little escape. Now, my process for designing nail art is rather complex; however, the actual painting is fairly easy. My goal is to create nail art that incorporates intricate elements while remaining appealing and wearable for the average person. First,
I think of the colors or specific theme— depending on the month, upcoming holidays, or inspiration from pictures I find online. Then, depending on the complexity of the design, I practice the designs on a piece of paper. After that, I gather all of the necessary tools and escape into my little nail art world. My inner diva comes out, wanting to incorporate glitter and rhinestones into every design, if I can. When I first started, I fell in love with my creations and would not be able to stop staring at my nails. After a while, my designs became more detailed. I would want to change the design more often, in order to be able to create other more challenging designs. Every now and then I like to change my style and go for a subtle and simple look—sometimes, a nice polish and some glitter is the only thing a woman needs on her nails. After I graduate college, I plan on getting my manicurist/nail tech license to start my own nail art business. Additionally, I’d love to start creating nail art video tutorials in order to show others how to “do it yourself ” and hopefully inspire others. When I start my own business I would like to donate organizations in need, such as the American Cancer Society or the Woman’s Shelter. You can find Adriana’s nail art on Instragram: @indieenailart.
Arts
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Recycled Taxidermy Finding alternative decor in cardboard art
By Renee Schmiedeberg
A handmade cardboard reindeer sets a cozy mood for a dreary living room (left); the craftmansship of the mounted deer head is noticable upon closer inspection (right)
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Music
To the Moon and Back Long Beach dances to the beats of psychedelic roots-rock music Interview by Sam Winchester
Photo by Bob Minkin
This past Friday, the Union staff was honored to attend a live show at the Golden Sails Hotel in Long Beach featuring Moonalice. The ambience of psychedelic was in the air, and people in elaborate and creative costumes were dancing to sounds of the early 1970s music. We got a chance to talk to Roger McNamee, guitar and vocalist of Moonalice.
Union Weekly: What type of band are you? What genre does Moonalice play? Roger McNamee: We call it psychedelic also songs from the era that we grew up in, when the music business was not a business. The Moonalice theme is more about the vibe. With the Moonalice tour, there’s an element in the show that is part carnival. The light show really matters, the poster really matters, as does the humor before every show. There are all of these elements to our performance that are not conventional but are highly reminiscent of a time where we were growing up: when everything was a lot less normal. In an era where there is a ton of tribute bands going around, our thought is,
something that is about a philosophy rather than a band.” We think that’s enough to have fun. Because when people ask “What’s the goal?” we’re in a really lucky position: we get to do this for love. Most people our age don’t get to do that, so in that sense, we’re in the front of the line. UW: How and when was your band founded?
RM: medical marijuana center in front of City Hall in San Francisco. That set a lot of things in motion. We were actually put together six months before that [show] by T Bone Burnett. He envisioned having a psychedelic roots album as part of his series of American blues albums. T Bone has done all these movies and incredible albums of American music so he came to us and said, “Look, I need to have—I wanna do an installment that is the San Francisco psychedelic sound, so i want you guys to form a new band, new music, new light show, and all that.” Which is consistent to all the other roots things that he’s done. So, as we embraced that motion—the thing of having a poster as part [Moonalice] name was actually picked—the Moonalice because he said, “Look, it’s just gonna be really better for making poster art.” We didn’t think about the implications of playing a hundred shows a year, which is to say we’re now seven and a half years in so that’s seven hundred—I think tonight’s our seven hundred and sixty seventh poster. We better have a name that has a lot of meaning, otherwise it gets old. The name [Moonalice] comes from The Honeymooners, from Jackie Gleason. In the
show they would say “to the moon, Alice! To the moon, Alice!” when Ralph got mad at Alice—he said he would throw her to the moon. UW: RM: We all spent a lot of time in the Grateful Dead world. Pete, Barry, and I were in a probably did 25 shows total, so we also come
Airplane, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd—I mean there are a ton! We all grew up listening to them, so that was the focus. ’60s and early ’70s. Today, if you go to a venue at the Staples center for a show, the concert people will make you stand in line and go through metal detectors and get searched. Unlike before, when there was none of this nonsense. We’re just trying to bring back that philosophy. UW: What will happen next for Moonalice? RM: Well, we’ve been recording a new album, for which we’re very excited about. We’ve also been upgrading our light show.
Basically, when we play on stage, we do it on a LED light wall which is visually compelling. Everyone on stage uses lasers, right? We use video clips that are essentially posters. We all design for each song; each song has its own video thing. Which is something we learned from Pink Floyd. To me, all this is just part of the show and we’re having fun. Think of it as one of those things where you really don’t quite know what you’re doing: you’re never quite sure whether everybody is gonna care. And we’ve been blessed with all these people helping us and we want all the people to feel like it’s a good investment. For every show we play, we want to give our best and just do it for love. It truly is a privilege to have this as our day job. To be able to play music at all is truly a privilege. To be able to do it as a means to determine our own faith: that’s really uncommon. And that’s why the fun is genuine: because no matter how good the situation you’re in is, most musicians don’t get to play the material they wrote in the past. In 20 years, if we somehow survive 20 years, we will be in that position. But until then, it’s all fun—like being a kid again, and that’s good.
Entertainment
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Horror Films: Take Two An Evil End to Your Halloween Why Evil Dead is the perfect way to scare yourself silly
Out of the multitude of scary movies that have reeked havoc on the public lately, none have been more chilling than the 2013 remake of the classic Evil Dead cake as far as main stream horror goes. The plot remains relatively parallel with its precursor, but the added back-story and detail does wonders to help catapult the viewers mind into disbelief. The movie friends around their early 20s driving out to a cabin in the middle of the woods. This time though, they go to help their friend detox from heroin instead of the typical “party weekend” routine. This helps to set up the
until the closing credits roll down the screen, the shock and suspense doesn’t let up. As each character falls, the situation becomes increasingly more dire for the survivors, ultimately ending with the true climax of the This is one movie where each death is more terrifying than the last. Not only is each individual death basically a small chapter in the movie, but the way that they are killed can meet the expectations of even the most seasoned scary movie lovers. Each death manages to stand out in its own creative, abhorrent way, and the build-up of tension
or hiding behind a pillow.
By Alex Berman
After a quick recap of the previous history of witchcraft and exorcism that surrounds the cabin and a short character introduction, the pace of the movie springs to life. From the moment the spirit is accidentally summoned
momentum almost seamlessly. There are also very few questionable or unbelievable scenes and scenarios that the characters face (as opposed to most movies in this genre),
Freddy’s in Your Dreams Again
and the acting for the most part is dead-on believable (pun intended). Like the 1981 original Evil Dead, this movie features loads of gore and disturbing images. What the remake holds above the original is that the quality of the visual and convincing level, making what happens in the movie seem all too real. Anyone with a queasy stomach might not sit well watching
made to bring this gruesome tale to life. After watching this movie, I tried to watch some similar movies that were made in the same year, such as The Conjuring, Insidious, and Sinister, but none really came close. Each movie watched, in the order that they were listed, seemed to be increasingly more mild than the last. After all things considered, Evil Dead is
By Katie Cortez
Nightmare on Elm Street reboot is just as great as Wes Craven’s 1984 classic
down upon as inferior to their originals (Friday the 13th, anyone?). The scares seem outdated and amping up the level of gore rarely does the original any justice (I’m talking to you, Rob Zombie). But in 2010, could possibly live up to it’s original. masterpiece, A Nightmare on Elm Street was being remade by a documentary and music video director, Samuel Bayer, I decided to give up on the horror genre. But then, I saw Rorschach from Watchmen, was in line to be Nightmare
opportunity to go a little deeper into Freddy’s back-story while using modern elements to learn more than “We thought he was raping kids so we burned him in the boiler room” excuse from the main character’s parents.
Quentin, played by Kyle Gallner, and Nancy, played by then-unknown actress Rooney Mara, take energy pills and drink an unholy away from Freddy. Keeping iconic scenes like Freddy’s clawed hand coming out of the bath water near Nancy’s nether regions as she sleeps, Bayer was able to keep the same vibe of the original as well as bring new ideas to the together even though they seem like two Staying away from the super-gore element that directors seem to use in remakes, viewers remain in complete terror and suspense from the cut-throat opening
pleasantly surprised at the fresh take on the storyline and will leave the room shaking with fear, unable to sleep for the night.
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Literature
Calculating the Poetry A collection of poems from anonymous writers
Graphics by Abdallah Seoud
A Measure for You A quantitative degree, you have become I have yet to measure which you kept, Your scores They are all spread out, I prefer your scores to be clustered together I think of your scores…as a distribution for my measure Love, Vaira Bili T.Y.
How Well You’ve Become I see you are an individual, your scores are beginning to show The entire distribution… When you are down, your scores, so individual, become better They show your distribution But, as you become higher… Why are you better when down and worse when up? P.S. I worry for your variances in taste Love, Rang E.
The Faults in Limitation You are an err You know your real limits Yet, your limits are controlled by the extremes You are a disadvantage to my use You let yourself be manipulated by those in higher or lower beings You barely worry of the others ones, the common ones Your distribution is a disgust to my sight, An error to me than what you are meant Fool! Abhorred by, Stan D. Eviashun
Lifestyle
Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart Advice on how to properly cope with a break-up By Nick Ferro
Illustration by Rose Feduk
Fit Life By Cole Hughey
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Travel
Connecting Cultures One living room, countless stories
Around the world on people’s couches By Janna Jesson
By Eric Garcia
Hitchiking from Amsterdam to Berlin, Janna found the experience much easier doing it with a buddy she found through the couchsurfer’s website (top left); Hanging out in the streets of Berlin with her hosts, Janna was able to experience the local life much better (top right)
For several travelers, visiting the United States is always a party, and that’s just what Eric showed them (bottom left); from the array of bars on Downtown, Eric did not miss a chance showing his friends a good time (bottom right)
Food
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Graphic by Abdallah Seoud
Pho-avorite meal to sip and slurp
By Beatriz Villa
Ever since I got a car at age 18, I have been a frequent restaurant goer. Anyone who goes out to eat with me at one of my “spots” restaurant owners. I say this because I want
get over my obsession with the Vietnamese
I have to be honest though, I prefer to eat been in my possession over the years have
the can.
A fascination with avocado
By Alfred Pallarca
creaminess of the fruit.
“My attraction to avocado started
with the spiciness coming from the onions
Volume 75 Issue 11
Monday, November 3, 2014
LBUNION.COM
DISCLAIMER: Dewy Finn Here! You’ve gotta feel it in your blood and guts! If you wanna rock, you gotta break the rules. You gotta get mad at the man! And right now, I’m the man. That’s right, I’m the man, and who’s got the guts to tell me off? Huh? Who’s gonna tell me off? Certainly, not Grunion! This page is satire/parody and does not represent ASI nor the CSULB campus. Submit your ARCTICKLES via email to grunion@lbunion.com.
Tech Corner with Grandma Gertrude Yesterday, I came across a great app to connect with all the hip, young kids: Grindr! The app connects you with a bunch of cool people in your area. I logged in and instantly saw everyone around me! Curious enough, it was full of by G-Ma Gertrude men. Shirtless men, I might add. No one contacted me or messaged me so I decided to change my picture. I chose
a picture of me and my grandson at the beach. sign right behind him. After that, I got tons of messages! It was probably because I looked so hip. Many people asked me if I liked top or bottom. How thoughtful of them to ask, although I didn’t know what they were referring to. Others said: “PIC 4 PIC.” When I looked this up in my trusty Decoding Teen Lingo notebook, I noticed that it meant they wanted a picture. Strangely enough, I received lots of inappropriate photos. I immediately told these
men to stop. I’m a lady after all! I have morals! Also, the men didn’t like when I sent them pictures of my famous duck lips pose! Who wouldn’t love that? decided to bake my famous sugar cookies and offer them to my online pals. As soon as I mentioned that anyone could have my cookie,
like Starbucks or the local bowling alley, but he insisted on meeting at a motel. I wasn’t “down” for this (as the kids say these days). He messaged me to bring “lube.” Maybe his car needed the lubricant? In any case, when I told him I needed to pick up my friend, Doris, from Bible study, he said he wasn’t interested. Overall, I’d give this app three sugar cookie stars! It was fun, but there was something a
brought me back to my high school days at St Isabelle Catholic Prep High School! One young gentleman said he would love to meet me. I suggested a cool place
On the Way to the Swanson Pyramid of Greatness Several people have asked me what is my “motto.” As much as I abhor talking to people about my personal life, or just talking to people in general, I feel that it is my duty as an American citizen to help build a high functioning community. Therefore, I have by Ron Swanson decided to share with you the Swanson Pyramid of Greatness, SPoG. I made this pyramid based of my own principles, such as Capitalism: God’s way to determine who is smart, and who is poor. Or crying, which is only acceptable at funerals and the Grand Canyon. Honor is in the top of the pyramid because it’s what makes a person worthy. If you need me to define honor for you, it means you don’t have it. Following the pyramid is imperative if you wish to become the free citizen that the founding fathers wished we became. As a government worker I have learned many things. One of them is regarding curse
words. The only bad word that exists is: Taxes. Anything else is not considered a profanity. Also, be suspicious of everyone. There is not one person that you can trust but yourself. Something that I had to include in my Pyramid is definitely the avoidance of skim milk. I hate skim milk because it’s lying about being milk. This is why you can’t trust anyone. Frankness is essential, cut the B.S. This Pyramid is made only for the U.S. citizens because America is the land of the free and the only country that matters. If you want to see any other countries, get an atlas or a ham radio. You should only eat meat when following this pyramid. There is no room for vegetarians or the so-called vegans in the SPoG, since meat is the most important part of our daily diets. Except fish, which shall only be used as sport, because let’s be honest, they’re basically a vegetable. With this said, I leave you to reconsider your life. If you want to be great, you will follow this until the end, but if you dismiss it, it means you are a weakling and a failure to this nation.
INSIDE
LOCAL SNAKES ARRESTED FOR BEING “CRIMINALLY STYLISH”
COOL CAT SHOWS OFF NEW SUMMER BODY
CARNIVAL ANNOUNCES ALL-CANINE CRUISE LINE TO BERMUDA SUMMER 2015
DOWNTOWN MALL GARNERS MASS A-PEEL