Museum Matters by Union Weekly

Issue 74.3

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 the Union Weekly, not ASI or CSULB. All students Union Weekly be edited for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and length. The Union Weekly letters, articles, editorials, and illustration, but must have your name and information attached for our Union Weekly assumes no responsibility, nor is it liable, for claims of its advertisers. Grievance procedures are available in the

“It’s funny, ’cause art.” Shereen Lisa Dudar, Opinions Editor

Rose Feduk, Editor-in-Chief

editorinchief@lbunion.com

Marco Beltran, Managing Editor

marco.union@gmail.com

Connor O’Brien, Managing Editor

connor.union@gmail.com

Eric Garcia, Advertising Exec

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Shereen Lisa Dudar, Opinions Editor opinons@lbunioncom

Alfred Pallarca, Culture Editor culture@lbunioncom

Sierra Patheal, Campus Editor campus@lbunion.com

Molly Shannon, Food Editor food@lbunion.com

Michael Wood, Music Editor music@lbunion.com

Connor O’Brien, Art Director connor.union@gmail.com

Roque Renteria, Entertainment Editor entertainment@lbunion.com

Truc Nguyen, Web Manager

Alyssa Keyne, Literature Editor literature@lbunion.com

God Warrior, Grunion Editor grunion@lbunion.com

UnionWeekly

Assistant Editor: Sam Winchester Contributors: Kevin Tran, Bianca Lemus, Stephanie Reynoso, Joseph Philips, David Ornelas, Foster James, Chrissy Bastian, Nicolaus Coleman, Claire DeWilde, Paloma Rubio, Lauren MacIntyre, Donald Souza, Robert Turner, James Goldmann, Sophia Zarders, David Hayter.

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Questions? Comments? Corns? Long Beach, CA 90815. E-mail: info@lbunion.com

Rose and the Awful Flu Bug Marco Beltran Managing Editor Hello. I am not Rose. I’m a dude. Sorry to all those Rose Feduk fans out there, which I’m assuming call themselves Fedukers or Feduksters, hoping to get some inspiring words from the Editor-in-Chief, but she’s IN A COMA. Or sick. Something has incapacitated Rose enough to where she can’t write, so I have taken advantage of her moment of weakness to usurp her power. I’m planning on undermining all the good things she did this semester by flippin’ the switch. No more newspaper! Print is dead! Only photos! Trending! Buzz words! Exclamations! I’m not really doing anything to change the paper. It takes a lot of time and I’m too lazy. I have to slither out of my blankets every morning. To be honest, and I know this is going to sound like I’m being a kiss- up and everyone just going to roll their eyes when they read this, but she’s done a good job. She spends hours in the office illustrating, emailing, cleaning, and stressing over this paper so that she can put out an issue that’s more or less up to the sometimes crazy high standards she sets for herself. Sometimes she’s disappointed that she couldn’t do more or that we didn’t spend that extra hour checking for the small errors we notice the Monday after we send the issue to print. So to that and to her, I point in a random direction and make that clicking with my teeth. In sort of mundane Union news, last week, during Week of Welcome, we

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2/13 Lovely Jams Concert ||

gave away free Union Weekly t-shirts to everyone who filled out a five-question survey. Surprisingly, very few people filled it out. Thus, we learned a valuable lesson about people on this campus: free stuff + zero human interaction = popularity, but effort + free stuff = no interest. One day a great scientist will invent the perfect formula to decipher the complexities of the college student. Here’s a random thought someone out there might have considered that would make a great article if someone put the time to elaborate on it: Anonymous Confession pages, like “CSULB Confessions,” despite being presented as humorous, paint a sexist and racist picture of the student body. Maybe YOU should do it. (This only works if you look in a mirror and point at yourself while saying “me?” under your breath.) This week’s feature, which I had an almost insignificant hand by writing an email, is about the University Art Museum and their efforts to create a space for art and education to exist harmoniously. We’d like to thank all of the UAM staff for putting up with us while we gawked, mouth agape, over their beautiful installations. Make sure to give it a read and support the arts by visiting this semester’s exhibits, “Materials & Applications: Building Something (Beyond) Beautiful, Projects” and “Traditions Transfigured: The Noh Masks of Bidou Yamaguchi.”

4 Campus

Winter Warriors Special training with CSULB’s Shotokan Karate Club Words by David Hayter Staffer Illustration by Claire DeWilde Staffer

Usually, the weekend before the start of the spring semester is a time to savor the last few days of winter vacation and to get ready for classes. However, members of our Shotokan Karate Club—myself included— joined CSULB alumni and other karate practitioners from around the Southern California region this year to host a 48-hour special training session. Our head instructor, Tsutomu Ohshima, has said that everyone has a black belt in babying themselves. Our special training was meant to test our limits in order to prove that most people can do more than they ever thought possible. Many traditional Japanese martial arts conduct special training sessions twice a year in the summer and winter seasons. Ours is modeled after a special training from

a style of Japanese swordsmanship, where swords and no protective gear from 6am until 6pm. I’m sure they took breaks to get food and water, but that’s still a long time to set limit for how long the training would last, and it usually went on for as many days as the students could endure. With this in mind, we try to emulate the type of warrior spirit that others before us have passed on. In comparison, I’d say that we have it pretty easy, but it still takes a lot of courage to jump into something that you’ve never done up before sunrise and our last practice would go into the night, but we had an opportunity to rest between our three to four daily practices.

So I had to ask myself, why would I want

The reason is that I wanted to see what I was capable of and that I also wanted to take part in a tradition that we have been carrying on build physical stamina and strength in addition to mental toughness and alertness. They also make our regular practices seem like a warm up. There is a certain bond that develops between like-minded people who put all their energy into a focused, intense activity and attempt to elevate the skill of everyone else around them. This is one of the signature traits of the Shotokan Karate Club and one

that we hope to pass on for years to come. By facing great challenges in a controlled environment, we prepare ourselves for the challenges that come in everyday life. So now, when I think of how hard my classes will be this semester, I know I’ll make it through as long as I put all my energy into completing the task at hand. Come check out our practices, which are starting this week. Our first meeting and orientation will be Monday from 12 to 1pm in KIN-60, and the first practice will be on Wednesday at the same time and place. Look up CSULB Shotokan online for more information.

Off to the Azores Come learn about a summer health internship in Europe Nicolaus Coleman Contributor Do you want to spend your summer vacation in southern Europe learning about the name is Nicolaus Coleman, and I’m a thirdyear Biology major here at CSULB, and my friend Bess Biscocho and I will be holding an informational session on Wednesday about a great way to do just that: the Atlantis Project. The Atlantis Project is a crossdisciplinary internship abroad to either the Azores in Portugal or the Canary Islands in Spain. It takes place during the summer, where both 5-week and 10-week stays are is for those considering joining the medical a day shadowing medical professionals of various specialties in the local, fullservice hospital. This type of exposure for

prospective undergraduates is unheard of in often limits volunteer and shadowing hours to 2-6 hours per week. Although the health internship is the primary focus of this opportunity, the Atlantis Project interns are also given the chance to teach English to the local community youth, and interns may also attend language courses (Portuguese or Spanish) during their stay. This is one of the many things that makes this program so indispensible for a student desiring clinical experience: the internship facilitates a level of involvement very impressive to schools searching for a well-rounded immersion makes the experience all the more enjoyable.

The locales of the Azores and Canary Islands make for an unforgettable travel to the beachfront sands to the exotic the student and adventurer in you all. Please consider attending the presentation to learn more or sending me questions at nicoraguacoleman@gmail.com.

The informational meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 5th at 4:00pm in room 301 of the library (the Thomas E. Miller President’s Scholar Center. If you are unable to attend, you can also visit www.atlantis-project.org for more information. Applications are due March 2nd.

“Interns spend

5 Campus

Flowers, Fashion, Fun!

Shereen Lisa Dudar Opinions Editor

The Union presents... a preview of CSULB’s V-Day festivities air! Pink and red balloons, bears, and heartCal State Long Beach is participating in the

This staple of Valentine’s Day is the perfect to check out all three! Beth’s Beauty Bus is essentially a spa on

other that you’re thinking of them. The best part is that the trucks will be here before

which could be the perfect gift for someone Mobile Retail Association is setting up a popup shop in front of the bookstore from 9am Three of the trucks—Selvedge Dry Thriftique—sell vintage clothing and jewelry. Monique Cruz, owner of Selvedge Dry Goods and AMRA SoCal Chapter Delegate, says that even though they each do vintage,

The Union sit down with the owner and operator of Selvedge Dry Goods, a fashion truck that focuses on eco-friendly, reconstructed, and locally made vintage clothing and jewelry.

mobile skin care boutique and is actually run by a licensed aesthetician, which means she’s an expert in keeping skin healthy. The selection of beauty supplies is organic and skin analysis.

I’ll set it out in the truck for somebody to buy it. I try to pick up pieces that are really

UW MC: I have interns that help me, and we’ll shop everything from thrift shops to estate

and the environment, she set out to supply men and woman with one-of-a-kind pieces for their wardrobes. Monique is celebrating the one-year anniversary of having her truck

MC: Yes. Texas is like the goldmine of anything leather and Western wear. I was in heaven—it was like a candy store. All over Texas there are mom and pop thrift stores. I found a leather Coach bag from the ’60s for

UW I felt like that would be appropriate. And I added the dry goods because in the early 19th century, dry goods stores were clothing stores. Later it referred to dried food, so that’s why people get confused.

don’t know what to do with, from collectibles to clothing.

Union Weekly

it’s handmade. I get a lot of my leather wallets and handbags from Mexico. I also get some jewelry—turquoise and silver are pretty big down there. UW

I was always a big vintage collector and I MC: A lot of people think “dry goods” has

There are 19 members in the Los Angeles area and many more all over the United States, as well as a couple in Canada.

to do with food. Selvedge is the edge of a

removing rust from trucks. It’s been crazy. I’ve been really hands on. I just patched up some holes I had on the roof of my truck!

CSULB and the AMRA, but two more pop-up shop events are already planned for April 7th and 14th. These two days have been dubbed Springchella, in honor of the Coachella festival that will be going on at this time. The trucks are coming from all over Los

gotten approached by many people—

on her journey.

it was previously used as a mobile mechanic truck. Since I was on a budget, I couldn’t pay for any renovations, but Youtube was my friend. I learned to do everything on

is a random, kind gesture as opposed to a Hallmark holiday-enforced behavior.

Angeles County, as well as from the Inland Empire and San Diego. The goal of the trucks is to bring a variety of shops to campus. Currently, the trucks are only being given half of the space in front of the bookstore— the other half remains occupied by the usual tent vendors—but they hope that the event can evolve into something a lot larger, both on this campus and at other universities. The AMRA was founded in 2012 by the

MC: More fabulousness, of course! We do waisted shorts. This year I’m rolling out a ton

like head chains and hand chains, and more vintage must-haves, like rompers, sun dresses, and cowgirl boots. UW

vintage though, I kind of have an item for everyone—you know, young, older or male, female. UW

MC: On your campus, I sell quite a bit of high-waisted shorts at the moment, due to the festival and summer season. The second would be accessories, like head chains. Leather shoes have been pretty popular on your campus—a lot of cowgirl boots and leather wedges. On any college campus, the high-waisted shorts are probably number one. Where the clientele changes dramatically is when I go to women’s clubs or museums; that’s when I leave the highwaisted shorts at home and bring out vintage lace dresses for weddings and fur coats.

MC: Advice for aspiring “garmentos” … You must start from the bottom to be the best at the top. Be your own person and don’t forget where you came from. Learn to take criticism... and always expect the unexpected. As my mentor used to tell me, “Do all things with passion. Since you’re only

To learn more, visit www.selvedgedrygoods.com or stop by on campus on February 11th.

6 Opinions

Disagreevances Students stand by their unpopular opinions Reality television is amazing and life changing

Bianca Lemus Contributor

I just have one thing to say: stop hating on reality TV. Start embracing reality television, because there are one or two things you might learn if you took the time to stop criticizing the craziness of it all. So many critics and people in general love to downgrade reality television—that much is obvious—but let me speak for the other millions who actually not only watch reality TV but gain valuable knowledge from tuning in to these D-rated shows. Reality TV is the greatest invention by man since sliced bread. Okay, maybe that’s a bit too far, but seriously it is up there, so let me explain. Plenty of the reality shows are scripted, but although these people are “actors,” they are not precisely skilled at transforming into

I am essentially learning from the mistakes these reality TV stars are sharing with us as an audience. I cannot tell you how much more normal I feel after watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I come from a woman- orientated family—we barely have any boys in our family— and before the series aired, I used to think my family was so bizzare, but now I completely understand why we are how we are. Reality TV takes us through journeys based on real life situations. It creates a sense of community and understanding of who

characters who do not somehow represent who they are in real life. Reality stars bring their life experiences, struggles, and knowledge to television. Why does watching someone’s life captivate our attention? I would say the answer is because human beings desire to relate to people; we aspire to have certain lives, and we like to evolve and learn from others. Learn, yes that was not a typo—I really believe we learn a lot from reality TV. What we learn from reality TV might not always be life-changing, but at times it can be. For example, in E!’s new reality show Rich Kids of Beverly Hills, one of the main cast members, Dorothy Wang, has a Chinese heritage and explains during an episode that many Asian people get an “Asian glow” when they drink.

Disneyland is outdated and overpriced Kevin Tran Staffer I am a local, which means I have visited Disneyland innumerable times. I’ve been there so many times, I can pretty much give a tour of the place blindfolded. Yes, I grew up with Disney, and yes, there was a time when I was quite fond of Disneyland. Now, however, I feel that Disneyland is trapped in the ’50s, leaving me feeling as though I’m on a sterile trip to an outdated wax museum rather than a childhood nostalgia fantasy. This is my breakup letter to Disneyland. It’s been years since I’ve been there, but staleness and arbitrary rides that don’t mean shit, and it’s way too expensive. The theme park uses its mainstream trump card to its advantage by over-pricing the crap out of everything. Seriously? $92 for admission? $8 for a bottle of fucking water? Not to mention that it’s extremely overcrowded when waiting in the neverending lines for a lame, outdated ride—most of which don’t even have anything to do with Disney. Rides like Matterhorn, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Space Mountain have no association with a Disney character, movie, cartoon, or anything, really. And what the fuck is up with the Tiki room? A bunch of animatronic birds singing songs you’ll forget in T-minus one minute? What about the Jungle Cruise, where you go on a wilderness tour to see fake animals? And don’t get me started with the “It’s a Small World” ride.

Seriously, animatronics are as dead as VCR. Then half the time, the movie connections don’t even help. One of the most popular rides, Splash Mountain, was inspired by the old, Song of the South. The ride repeatedly plays the famous song “Zip a dee doo dah,” which, in the movie, is sung by a racist southern African-American caricature. Once I saw that clip on YouTube, that ride was never the same ever again. have workers who only care about their paychecks rather than your comfort and well-being, ride operators who don’t really give a shit about your belongings—just telling you to hold on to your things while on the ride—and ushers who are absolutely rude. The food sucks pretty much anywhere (except Pizza Port or anything in New Orleans Square), and you have to smuggle in your own snacks. with a hollow vacuum of disappointment. Now, you might think I’m a fucking idiot for hating your holy church of nostalgia, and you’d probably argue that Disneyland is more about the experience than the lackluster rides, but simply longing for the past will never propel me towards the future, or solve my problems in the present. I’ve simply moved on. I don’t need Disneyland anymore.

If you have no idea what an “Asian glow” is, it is just a term used to describe when the face turns bright red due to alcohol. Dorothy goes on to demonstrate that she takes Pepsid AC everytime she has alcohol because it stops her face from turning red. I myself had never heard that there was anything that could take away an “Asian glow.” I have so many friends who are Asian who just deal with that trait, but now, because of the simple fact she mentioned about how she deals with it, many people have found a solution to something they were uncomfortable with. Personally, something I think that I have gained from reality TV is the ability to see how

unites us as a society by showcasing various lives and giving us insight we never could have had otherwise. So stop criticizing and start watching and learning.

Few people outside of the art community have a good understanding of the modern ideology behind art museums. Ask an average Joe what ideas come to mind when he think of a museum, and he’ll tell you about rooms and rooms of old paintings sitting in stale air gathering dust while the world pushes on outside. Even more frightening are the responses you get when you ask people when the last time they went to a museum was. To an art student, the need for art museums makes sense, and there are numerous reasons for it. They foster communities of artists, they preserve a physical history of the house is a source of inspiration for broadened techniques and possibilities in the artists’ own work. You come back from your visit having learned a few things and taken in a couple of new visual experiences that apply directly to your own life and career. But to someone who doesn’t have a background in the arts, there’s less of an immediate connection. Sure, anyone would say that it’s important to preserve exemplary and innovative works of art, but it’s not as clear that it’s important you actually go to the museum. With a little over 8% of undergraduate students at CSULB enrolled in the arts, CSULB’s University Art Museum also has the other 92% of the student population to consider.

Story by Rose Feduk Editor-in-Cheif

Cover & Feature Photos by Sam Winchester Assistant Editor

Feature

MUSEUM MATTERS

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visual arts and share principles of aesthetics with the more traditional visual arts. But what’s interesting is

Luckily, the University Art Museum (UAM), which was founded in understands the need for a new approach and also the museum’s position as a member of the greater Los Angeles art scene. With more and more artists emigrating from traditional art centers, like New York, to attend prestigious graduate schools on the west coast, and LA’s cultural as well as industrial diversity (remember, Los Angeles is also a center of it’s the perfect venue for crossing boundaries and intermixing ideas. Keen to these circumstances, the UAM has built its program under a “I’m particularly interested in a broad engagement of the arts,” says Christopher Scoates, Director of the UAM. “I wouldn’t say that I have a special interest in one particular area like a lot of people do—but I’m interested in looking at music, sound, and the convergence of all of those things, as a way of looking at a program that would be a model for the future.” work as Curatorial Director at UCSB, he decided to come to work at CSULB’s University Art Museum as its director. He saw this as an opportunity to create a new program, one that would be more inclusive than a traditional university art museum program. In many ways, the UAM has achieved that, particularly in the variety of exhibits it has showcased in the past and present. Past exhibits include

Brian Eno: 77 Million Paintings (2009), in which a series of computers and monitors generated and projected a series of constantly changing images and sounds; (2008), an installation that followed the work of three performance artists as they challenged the limits of the human body; and, more recently, Gabe Bartalos: Abhorrence and Obsession (2013), which looked at the prosthetics work of Bartalos on, Scoates’ goal becomes clear: “I’m interested in blurring the boundaries between disciplines, between what people think art really is.” Another problem Scoates explains stems from how our culture is inundated with images, mostly perpetuated by technology: television, computers, phones, iPads, and the like. We’re bombarded by a ridiculous amount of visual stimuli that is constantly changing and moving. As our generation gets older, Scoates claims, “people are going to be less likely to go to a museum and look at a static painting.” That problem is one that has yet to be solved. Curators have begun to way we perceive the visual arts as less of a hindrance and as more of a collision that should be played and experimented with. In working with this approach, to work with other departments on campus. The Design, Film, and Theater departments are obvious links, since they take from the

to cross further boundaries that aren’t as intuitive. Brian Trimble, Curator of Education at the UAM, organizes discussions and lectures in conjunction with exhibits that the UAM features, while also managing community outreach programs and programs involving Long Beach’s K-12 youth. Part of his job is to work closely with other departments on campus to broaden the discussions presented by exhibitions. “A few years ago, we had a couple of exhibitions of artists who were abstract painters,” Trimble says. “They were both considered ‘colorists,’ so they used a lot brought in a mathematician, a philosopher, a scientist, and an artist to have a discussion of color and cognition—how our brain sees color, philosophically what color

means to us, all those types of things. We make a point of really looking at what we do in the museum as a catalyst to connect across different disciplines.” Thus Trimble speaks to an idea that art is important for everyone, and in following that idea, it’s important to make it accessible to everyone. In his words, “It inundates our culture.” Kristina Newhouse, Curator of Exhibitions, who also works closely with Trimble to develop programming,appliesthesamecrossdisciplinary approach when curating. She mentions the tensions that have traditionally existed between curating and education in the art scene. On the art education side, they frequently criticize museums for being “too ivory tower” and “too insular,” while museums will criticize art education curriculums for being “too dumbed down” and “too decontextualized.” Trimble and Newhouse work to combat tensions by not forgetting who their

9 Feature

important time for someone to be exposed to the arts. As a young person, you begin to sift through everything you know and have that resonate with you. “In particular, I feel like an undergraduate situation is one of those key moments in any person’s life,” Newhouse begins. “You’ve left home, you’ve left everything that you know and are familiar you run into people who have very

target audience is: the CSULB students and the Long Beach community at large. Newhouse mentions that because there are fewer and fewer opportunities in K-12 education for children and teens to get involved in the arts, they grow up knowing less about the arts, of course, a multitude of areas: concerts, the theater, galleries, and museums. Newhouse remarks that the average opera attendee is 65 years old—to which I say, “I can believe that.” While she laughs, it’s important to realize how much it matters. If we don’t address the fact that we need to get people in the door of museums, these places of culture will literally die out. So the question becomes: How do we make museums—particularly the UAM—a place where students actually know it is there. Brian

Trimble discussed a time when he and faculty members involved in other departments around campus surveyed thousands of students attendance to the University Art Museum. He explained that their assumption was that, because of the strange location of the UAM, the majority of students didn’t know that it existed. However, the results showed that over 65% of students said that they knew about the University Art Museum. “Well, that’s good,” I remarked. “It is good—but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they were coming,” Brian began to explain. “Remember, we’re a university that serves a lot families to go to college. Twenty percent of the students that responded to the survey had never been in museum of any kind. So we know that there’s a population on this campus that we can serve.” Arguably, college is the most

it’s a place where everything you know about the world kind of gets broken open…and in this moment, you have an opportunity to, before it all locks down again, to say, ‘These things are important...these are things you should be excited about,’ and you hope that people go, ‘Yeah, you’re right about that, that is exciting, I do want to have that in my life, I do want the arts to be part of who I am as an adult moving forward in the world.” Hopefully the students of CSULB will see the UAM as a platform to realize the importance of the arts in their own lives.

creativity, and art in the broadest

challenge your beliefs about the world and to appreciate the astronomical are displayed within. Take a moment to stop by; after all, if you don’t do it now, when will you ever?

10 Culture

CrossContinental Lovers The hardships of a long-distance relationship

Bianca Lemus Contributor Illustration by Rose Feduk Editor-in-Chief

Go Out and Love Someone Learning to reopen your heart after having a child

Joseph Philips Staffer

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, let me tell you, that is completely true for a cross-continental relationship. Why is it that your heart would grow fonder when distance is at an all-time-high? Well, think about it, the same equation applies to why you feel overjoyed from New York once a year on Christmas. You have spent countless hours and months thinking about the fun adventures you would experience once you were reunited, and you create memorable moments that you wouldn’t have made with the cousin in California that you see every week . During my education here at CSULB, I’ve had various friends who have attempted and succeeded at having extremely long-distance relationships. The amount of obsession that goes into this type of relationship is not nearly close to normal. For example, the average couple communicates primarily through text messaging, calling, and maybe some Facebooking throughout the day—if they are utterly attached at the hip, that is. Let’s be honest, even that is a bit borderline obsessive.

I am a young father, and I am happy. I am 22 years old, and I can still live my life the way I want to, as well as any other person; the only Fate is weird. I never expected to have a child, especially in my 20s. You hear all those talking heads all your life telling you to wait until you are all grown up—whatever that means—and ready. I laugh when I hear that now. People are never ready, because life happens. Curve balls are thrown, and you either swing with the pitches or you strike out. I took that swing and I would never take it back. My relationship with the mother has been over for a long time now, and I am thankful for that. What I remember mostly from that time in my life was the incredible loneliness I felt because of the way in which I was treated—and how I never want to be treated again. We are okay now, probably because we don’t talk, except when my Needless to say, it took me a long time to start dating again. Andrea. God, I had the hots for her since

Now, the cross-continental couple uses all those forms of communication plus applications like Viber and WhatsApp, which are text messaging programs that eliminate pesky surcharges on international texting. While some of us might not need a smartphone to communicate with our partners, a cross-continental couple does. Smart phones are a must because they run applications like Skype and/or Facetime that replace physical connection in these relationships with a virtual connection. Another quality of this unique type of relationship is that it tends to require sympathetic to each other’s schedules and time zones.

will be up from midnight to 4am on their

maintaining a long-distance love. of staying connected and waiting an insane amount of time to hug, kiss, love, and of course do the hanky panky, you better believe you are not simply taking your time with where your relationship is going. A lot of the cross-continental couples I know already decided that within four months that they were going to move across the world to be with each other. And, within eight months, they knew that they wanted to marry. How could anyone expect otherwise from this type of relationship? After all the

the one you’re in love with, you are literally of ten hours or possibly more. That means if your schedules do not match up, you sometimes go for a week or more with only seeing your boyfriend or girlfriend through a video camera. Some of my friends who are persistent in keeping constant contact

ago. She was very beautiful and laughed at my stupid, improvised ghost stories. It was too soon then. I wanted to put time in between my last relationship and any new one that might develop. During those months I didn’t date anyone. Instead, I wanted to make sure the next person I was with would be, to be she would also be a good role-model to have in my daughter’s life. As time passed, I began realizing that Andrea was the person I wanted to be with. I began helping her out with her job at our company. In turn, Andrea began asking about my daughter and showing genuine into Disneyland. It was when I went to Greece to study abroad that I kicked myself for being such an idiot. What the hell was I waiting for? She liked me, but I was so distant from everyone. My last relationship had made me so cold people into my life. It was time to change that. She liked me and I knew she would accept not only me, but my daughter as well.

and relationship alive, there is clearly a point when you start to reason that this person must be the one, because, obviously, you are moving mountains for this love, which you most likely haven’t done in a relationship here in Cali.

Then I messaged her, and we agreed to hang out when I got back from the trip. A year has passed since I returned from Greece and began dating Andrea. introduced her to Emily and she has helped me accept and love my daughter more than I thought possible. Not only that, but I feel alive again. When you are a single parent,

to share the struggles and the awesome experiences of life that makes living worth it. I am so incredibly thankful that I met Andrea and that she is so enthusiastic about being with me and being a good motherTo all those other young parents out there, keep reaching for those dreams; they haven’t gone anywhere. If you cannot find anyone worth having in your life or your child’s life, just hold on. That person is out there. You won’t find them in bars, clubs or whatever. Sometimes they are right in front of you.

11 Culture

Young Love— Perhaps Too Young That one time I dated somebody six years older than me Sam Winchester Assistant Editor

There are lot of people who believe that love doesn’t have an age, and it might be true, but c’mon! Doesn’t it make you weird and uncomfortable to see a high school freshman dating a college student? Maybe you don’t care, but we’ve all stared in our lives. That high school freshman

moment, but he probably should have. At age 14, I knew very little about relationships and boys—more like people in general—but my better half. We’d run away to Barcelona where he’d play acoustic guitar while I painted. God, was I cheesy!

seemed right. I used to go to a music school in front of my mother’s job for piano lessons, and little did I know what awaited me. It was the most random thing that ever happened to me; I was practicing the piano when this guy, let’s call him Daniel,

I didn’t think he was talking to me, so it took me a second to realize he was there. He was one of the teachers at the school; a 20-year-old dropout who had a band (I moved on. I was not the prettiest rose in the garden, so being in this guy’s radar was not something I had anticipated. As time passed by, those short interactions became actual conversations; then he asked for my e-mail so we could chat on MSN messenger, and that was when we started going out in a way. Back then, I was not necessarily allowed to go out plenty of times, but he still begged me to go to his band’s concerts or just talk. Still, I didn’t get the chance to hang out with him, so most of our relationship was through instant messaging. It was really exciting at stomach when a new message would pop up on my screen. The messages were quite romantic at more intimate—to the point of sexting. It

made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t have the courage to tell him to stop. I thought that I was truly in love with him, but it was only the idea of having a boyfriend that forced me to keep going. One day, he invited me to a concert at a new place they were opening. To my misfortune, when I got there he was a little drunk. He tried to kiss me and started being because I thought he’d rape me, but I glanced at a friend who was there that night and he helped me out. After that night I decided that our relationship was just wrong and stopped seeing him. I’m really glad nothing serious happened because I would have most certainly regretted it right now. I did not see how much damage Daniel had done to me until I stepped out and saw it from another perspective. It could have gone really badly if it weren’t for the little common sense I had back then. I wish I hadn’t done any of this, but I learned a lot from this experience. It’s so much better to stay single than to date a total creeper—simple as that.

Same Love, Just More People A different

perspective on modern relationships Stephanie Reynoso Contributor Illustration by Rose Feduk Editor-in-Chief

for some time before meeting my current boyfriend, although I wasn’t exactly sure how it worked or what rules to follow. I had been dating multiple people, and they were well aware of me dating others simultaneously. I had heard about shows like Polyamory on HBO, but I’d never had any functional real-world relationships like the ones portrayed occur to me. As a life enthusiast, I want to explore, learn, and take in as much as I can take. (In more holes than just my eyes and ears, if you catch my drift.) With all jokes aside, I see relationships as serious moments in our lives in which, ideally, you and your partner

share passions together and learn from each other to grow and become better people. Sharing intimate thoughts and communicating ideas with multiple people gives you a beautiful opportunity to learn from people. This wouldn’t signify that you love one lover more than another; it’s merely a different type of love, which is satisfied by only that person. Samantha, from the movie Her, spoke a brief yet really profound and beautiful quote

the knowledge you gain from one partner to another, and love each one individually for

being their own person. Being able to express these thoughts with my boyfriend, openly and without the fear of being faulted, has provided me with an outlet. Actual relationships like this DO exist. Don’t zebras. How would a relationship with more than two people work out? How wouldn’t one person feel left out? Of course they will at times. Jealousy is a universal trait that human-beings and other primates share. Still, polyamory has its

12 Entertainment

Ha-Ha, Guffaw, Tra-La-La! The Laugh Factory has great production value Roque Renteria Entertainment Editor

The Laugh Factory in Long Beach is a great place to visit if you are in the mood for some laughter. As the name suggests, this place manufactures laughs. I have visited the original Laugh Factory in Hollywood, and the additional venue in Long Beach is as good as the original. One thing that makes the Long Beach joint a great place to spend an evening is the menu. Since the club is located at The Pike, many of the surrounding restaurants cater. That means you can enjoy the comedy club experience with a blooming onion and cheeseburger. There is also a two drink minimum, which is kind of lame, but on the bright side, being drunk makes things better. Not that you need to be inebriated to enjoy the comedy; the alcohol just enhances the environment. Also, no need to worry if you are not 21; the club is 18 and older. Just purchase two sodas instead of two beers. As for the comedians themselves, those featured onstage are seasoned professionals,

Amazing Acrobats

many of whom have had regular appearances on late night talk shows or their own standup specials. Weekends (this includes Friday) feature the more well-known performers. For example, I saw Neal Brennan (cocreator of Chappelle’s Show) performing a few months ago. The Long Beach location has also hosted many of the regulars that frequent the Hollywood spot. The last time I saw a show was a few Fridays ago, and like always, I had a blast. None of the comedians were household names, but that does not mean that they could not keep the audience howling madly with laughter. The host for the evening was named Ruben Paul. The dude was quickwitted and had exceptional improvisational skills. Like a hawk that preys, Paul did a quick survey of the audience and easily made humorous observations. This is a warning to all potential visitors: if you do not want to be noticed or made fun of then do not sit in the

front rows. During my last visit, some guy

with original material. The show had a lot of jokes on relationships, political humor and blue humor, which means that several something for almost everyone. I strongly recommend that you visit The Laugh Factory. The club is open on Tuesday eight and lasts two hours, while the second show starts at 10 and ends at midnight. Tickets only cover one show.

Camille Hove Staffer

A Totem pole of talent It’s the old fashioned aroma of popcorn saluting your nostrils. It’s the hotdogs grilling. It’s the ache in your neck as you look up at the blue and yellow striped tent before you. It’s Cirque du Soleil, and the magic is only inches away on the Santa Monica Pier. Set in a prime location, the pier draws you in with its lure of ocean and boardwalk. Add a circus tent the size of a parking lot and you’re in for a splendid night. The show Totem is based on the themes of evolution. Writer and creator Robert Lepage has astounded us with the story of human life told by gymnasts, clowns, and acrobats. A sparkling man comes twirling down from the top of the tent and sets the show to life, and then the acrobatic frogs begin the first act. As the show goes on, it flips around between time periods. Native Americans show up at the beginning and near the end, our future is on display near the middle, and the ever-romantic mating rituals are thrown in at various times. A stunning act is the Lovebirds, where the audience watches a courtship bloom twenty feet above the stage on a swing.

Roller skating is also present on a notso-large tribal drum in a display of love between two Native Americans. The music is played by a live band behind the reeds of the stage, blending in nicely but also creating the beautiful soundtrack to the show. Several members of the circus are there solely to sing during an act. They move among the crowd until they climb the steps to the stage and blend their voice into the mix of the orchestra. Each act is unique, and the 46 amazing gymnasts-turned-circus performers are at the top of their game. The show continues its story with the business man followed by several apes in the various stages of human development. It is here that director Lepage pokes fun at human evolution, as the hassled man in his expensive suit soon turns into an the end of the show, the audience returns to the amphibious era with black lights and The ending act is the entire troupe together They show us our own evolution and in the end display a message of unity.

13 Music

This One Time on Bandcamp (Part 2) Two more free albums for your earholes James Goldmann Contributor Michael Wood is an awesome guy. As the Union’s music editor, he wrote an excellent piece highlighting local bands whose works are free on Bandcamp, including my own band, Struckout. Ah, nepotism! Anyway, I enjoyed the concept so much that I produced Part 2. Here’s a band from each coast for your consideration.

Vivid Illusion – The Cyclical Nature Okay, I must admit to a bit of my own the brainchild behind Vivid Illusion, has been one of my best friends for several years. We have similar musical ambitions and tastes, and we’ve done quite a bit of work together on various projects (see: weird isn’t going to hold me back from giving my honest opinion on his debut record, The Cyclical Nature. Don’t get me wrong, this album is really, really good, but it has a lot of unfulfilled potential and glaring flaws that he’ll hopefully iron out by his next

chord progressions and atmospheric

A Bridge Too Far

minute production, yet the songwriting is so phenomenal that it feels almost timeless. If there were a soundtrack to the apocalypse, this would be it. The biggest issue is the drums, because, to be blunt, they sound like ass. They’re very fake, very mechanical and hold back the organic quality of the rest of the music. Given a live set or better samples, I could see

This is not a record for anyone who you feel your taste is eccentric enough to tackle something like this, I strongly urge you to check it out. It’s very experimental and very well done, but the percussion keeps it from being a real hit. Still, it’s a strong start for a budding solo artist and I can’t wait to

India House – Party Wave EP I delved into this release completely blind. I heard a lot about India House, since all their members attend our campus, but I never actually listened to them or even knew what Party Wave What stood out to me were their lyrics: they aren’t subtle and aren’t trying to be. They don’t play around much with metaphor songs about making it in a band or getting drunk with their friends. It’s kind of ironic that they talk some shit about college in

Alter Bridge’s craftsmanship suffers from lack of creativity

daunting to rock bands because they know they have to be the best at something no one else does. Alter Bridge is one of those bands you want to like, but just can’t listen to more than a couple songs. Despite the

Robert Turner Contributor

my eye and earned my respect with Fortress. Taking notes from the leaders, the members of Alter Bridge are masters of their trade, with tight intricate passages at impressive speeds and complex rhythms.

how to make memorable, though simplistic, beats and melodies, and have polished songs bows at each end. Their production could use some work, but hey, they recorded in a basement. I have to hand it to them for creating something so consistent in such a DIY environment. Props. This record’s seriously tight. It’s catchy as hell, grooves madly, and leaves you feeling excited to see what these guys put out in the future, because I’d put down money that a Favorite Moment: Chorus of “Drunk”

know, here, but I guess you have to separate

Favorite Moment: Finale of “Tonight The Hills Cry For You”

With the ridiculous amount of musical acts competing for our attention, it’s hard to stand out from the rest. I think it rings the loudest for rock bands. When bands like Muse, Rage Against the Machine, Judas Priest, Tool, and Guns N’ Roses, are

the art from the artist. Musically speaking,

indiahouselb.bandcamp.com/ vividillusion.bandcamp.com/

eerie harmonies, Lamb of God’s heavy groove, and Tool’s progressive structures.

the same song. Or at least I thought I was going to, hoping it wasn’t true. I wanted to praise the band so I pushed on. I was half right. The only other memorable track

few tracks greatly pleased my inner music nerd. Many metal bands rely on screams and breakdowns too heavily, but Alter Bridge breaks the mold with it’s melodic nature and heavy use of dynamics.

I can’t judge every song for I did not

perfect choices to reel in interested ears. However, it was around the 4th track did not venture much outside their comfort

Had it been a Bad Religion album, I believe I could have made it through the whole thing. But the lack of diversity in song types makes the music almost unbearable. The epic bubble. Throw in a handful of quicker 3 minute runs, and it could been a better ride. Otherwise, this album falls short of

averaged around 5 minutes, and that I was out if you’re into heavy music.

Revolutionary Writing

14 Literature

African American writers you must read Illustrations by Sophia Zarders Contributor

Frederick Douglass

There is something to be said about the words of a man that live on hundreds of years virtue in a time that spat upon those who to be an inspiration to students looking to

Donald Souza Contributor

Richard Pryor

entitled Richard Pryor and the World to

Roque Renteria Entertainment Editor Richard Pryor and the World

Janelle Hobson

Venus in the Dark: Blackness and Beauty in Popular Culture Body as Evidence : Mediating Race, Globalizing Gender

Lauren MacIntyre Contributor only helps to break down the myths that these narratives imply and reveal about representations and positions of women of

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Zora Neale Hurston

sympathizing and relating to Janie and the women were supposed to be like and how Their Eyes

Paloma Rubio Contributor

Were Watching God Their Eyes Were Watching God may seem just a simple story about a also tons of metaphors and symbols about

Driving north on Brookhurst Street in Orange County, you will encounter what is known as the “Boba Belt.” Starting in Fountain Valley and extending north, this strip is decorated with boba shops in OC’s Little Saigon, ending just at the Korean district. As the unique beverages are becoming increasingly popular in our culture, we decided to take a look at some of the more independently-owned shops along this street (and Long Beach) that are deserving of recognition.

Craved Tea House

places provided over-cooked boba and caramel, and boba in a traditional black milk

Garden Grove David Ornelas Contributor

Almond Haus Cafe Garden Grove

With big names like Tastea, Lollicup, and Tebo Tebo right across the street, life on the but Almond Haus is strong enough to hold

Another interesting aspect of Almond Haus since standing out against the surrounding simple milk teas and espresso beverages

Molly Shannon Food Editor

Fusion Tea Lounge Fountain Valley Foster James Contributor

China Star Express Long Beach Chrissy Bastian Contributor

original Coconut Thai tea or Jasmine sea-

Food

Boba on Brookhurst

Volume 74 Issue 3

Monday, February 3, 2014

LBUNION.COM

DISCLAIMER: Hey, God Warrior Here. I love you like a big schlong, baby. I love you like a ding dong, baby. I love you like Cheech and Chong, baby. I love you like King Kong’s tong. Send more to 1212 Bellflower Blvd Suite 239, Long Beach, CA 90815. This page is satire/parody and does not represent ASI nor the CSULB campus. In Donkey’s name, I pray. Submit it via email to grunion@lbunion.com.

News of Today in Brief Segments JK Rowling Regrets not Using to Fill Space “Cocksocks” instead of “Muggles” (West Covina, CA) Teen declares Fight Club “Greatest movie of all time” A high school sophomore recently watched David by Gorbald Peele Fight Club on basic cable before making this declaration. Despite watching the edited version, local teen Tyler Schmitt, 15, was unfazed “Yeah, I hope my Mom watch the theatrical version.” Although he believes Fight Club to be the crowning achievement of the western cinematic tradition, he still believes Tarantino to be the ultimate auteur of all time. (Newport Beach, CA) Residents suspicious of mid ’90s Camry on street Citing the length of the Camry’s stay and its dilapidated condition, area man John of the suspicious vehicle. “I just wanted “I saw the poor condition of the bumper and some fast food wrappers on the

members of my congregation and advised them to go out and buy more money but the effort was largely futile and to no avail.” A poor person could not be reached for comment, as they were unable to pay their telephone bill. (West Covina, CA) Local mom surprised

West Covina resident Andrea Schmitt, 42, was shocked to discover her son’s masturbation habits. “All this time I thought he was watching that Fight Club DVD; I feel betrayed,” said Smith, visibly tearing up. “To think he has desecrated the sacred temple of Christ within him, it’s absolutely disgusting. You know what I found on his computer? Photos of naked ladies! That laptop was a gift from his grandmother. If they could defrost her cryogenically frozen body, she’d burn with anger.” Although the relationship between mother and son has become slightly strained, Mrs. Schmitt claims that she still loves her little man. Her son Tyler Schmitt could not be reached for comment. His father claimed he was watching Fight Club.’ That was the news.

was the Nine Inch Nails decal in the back window.” Police later found that the Camry belonged to an aspiring DJ in the upscale neighborhood. (Watts, CA) Community leader claims poor people don’t have enough money

62, raised concerns today that poor people have little accumulated wealth. “I see it every day, poor people in my parish come noticeably more than rich people do,” said Anderson. “I’ve sat down with the poorer

In a recent interview done by a magazine for a magazine, JK Rowling, the acclaimed author of the Harry Potter series, voiced her about creating by Jemima Puddleduck regret Ron and Hermione as love interests, she later took to social media to list even more regrets she had after writing the series and producing the movies, as well as in life. We ranked her regrets by most juiciest: 1. Not giving Voldemort a nose 2. she’s not taken seriously 3. Naming Cho Chang, Cho Chang 4. Not pulling through with Dobby spin-off 5. or giving him pants 6. Pharrell ghost writing the 7th book (he wasn’t doing anything, so that makes sense) 7. Not giving Malfoy the line, “Hermione? More like MY HIENEY” 8. Not revealing Ron’s past career as a comedian that tells dog jokes 9. Not enough sex 10. Not writing Pokemon crossover book 11. Not naming Snape, Drake 12. Not casting Drake as Snape 13. Not revealing Hagrid was straight 14. Not revealing “Mom’s

15. Not featuring more of that 16. Not doing anything with goblins gobbling knobs 17. Not enough dogs 18. Making wands break too much 19. or vibrating wands 20. Not making Hedwig the hero of all the books 21. Not explaining that Mad Eye’s eye was actually a sex accident 22. Wasting so much food 23. The shrunken head on that bus creeping her out 24. Not making Harry have sex with ghosts 25. Not adding a dragon named “Mandingus” 26. Not having sex with Daniel Radcliffe that one time 27. and that other time 28. Not making Dumbledore a wisecracking cactus from Mars, so he wouldn’t have died in the second one 29. 30. Not having more product placement 31. Not naming Diagon Alley, Kirstie Alley 32. Hippogriffs. 33. Giant Chess board 34. Writing more songs/dancing 35. 36. No post on Sundays 37. Not using “Cocksocks” instead of “Muggles” 38. Moaning Myrtle as a character

INSIDE

HARRY

POTTER

DITCHES