volume six | issue three | march 2011
Credits LAYOUT DESIGNER
Teresa Castillo
EA
ILLUSTRATOR
Paola Constante
DMDT
DESIGNER
Patr ick Rodriguez
CSMT
WRITER
Leslie Nelson
DMDT
Technically Green by: Patrick Rodriguez, CSMT
EDITORS
Melani Zuniga
Coordinator of Publications
Ker i Gutierrez
Director of Marketing
Want to be a part of this publication? For more info: 956.364.4260 phdclub@gmail.com
Send us your creative work!
STAFF WRITER
Dave Ralph
Communications Writer
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Credited
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Credited
A PRODUCTION OF THE
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phdclub@gmail.com 956.364.4260
Mustang Magazine | March 2011
Connect with us!
Read the magazine online at: www.harlingen.tstc.edu/mustang
1902 N. Loop 499 Harlingen, TX 78550 1.800.852.8784 www.harlingen.tstc.edu
TSTC Harlingen is a two-year higher education institution emphasizing courses of study in technical education for which there is a demand within the state of Texas.
Contents ON CAMPUS 04 Campus Event Calendar 05 SGA President: Sarah Zamarripas 10 Student Club Feature: RPGS COLLEGE RESOURCES 07 Mustang (re)Minders
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SPECIAL FEATURES 12 DC Universe Online ENTERTAINMENT 14 March Releases in Film and Gaming 15 Book Review: Odd Thomas 16 The Guild 18 Doctor Who 19 Photoshop Tutorial: Removing Blemishes 20 Hand Drawn: Paola Constante 21 Community Events
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Mustang Magazine | March 2011
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M a r c h 2011 C AMPUS EV ENTS
Spring Break Hook Up Basketball Roster
SGA Club Olympics
01 - 03 04 04 07 08 09
04
SGA Club Olympics
High School Senior s Scholar ship Deadline Basketball Roster
14 - 18 22 - 24
SGA Game Show
Wellness Walk/Mile Run Spr ing Break Hook Up
Mustang Magazine | March 2011
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Spr ing Break
SGA Elections
Movie on the Lawn
Basketball Shooting Contest
Summer & Fall Registr ation Begins
Hey there, Mustangs! A L ETTER FRO M YO U R S G A PR E S I D E N T
Hope you all have been having a blast at TSTC so far. Can you believe it? We are already halfway through the semester.
Hope you all have enjoyed the events we had in February. We had so many people attend our 4th Annual Valentine’s Las Vegas Bash. Having the chance to get married by Elvis and divorced in one night: What more could you ask for? We also had many casino inspired games, an awesome photo booth, and an outstanding auction. I would also like to congratulate our 2011 King and Queen of Hearts, Martin Leal and Monic Gonzalez from RPGS!
Here is what to look forward to March. We will have Club Olympics March 1-3, where clubs challenge each other to see which club takes first place and an awesome trophy. These days will consist of activities, a quiz bowl, and a scavenger hunt. On March 7, be sure to come out to our Game Show at the Student Center. Mark your calendars on March 9 for the 4th annual
Spring Break Hook Up where you play games, enter a raffle for cool prizes, and get “hooked up” while on Spring Break. FREE BEADS! March 8 and 22 are our SGA meetings from 12– 1PM in the LRC Orientation Room. Don’t forget to bring a friend. As always, we provide free lunch. March 22 - 24 we will have our SGA elections so don’t forget to vote for your 2011-2012 SGA! On March 29, we will have our semesterly Open Mic Night where you can sing, tell jokes, read a poem, or just sit back and enjoy the many performances and the FREE STARBUCKS Coffee!
Remember, if you have any questions or concerns, please stop by the SGA Office in the Student Center Room 122 or contact us at 956.364.4343. Our door is always open and we love to hear from you!
Connect with us!
Sarah Zamarripas
Get to know your officers! Check out event photos! Find out about upcoming events! And much more! Mustang Magazine | March 2011
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Mr. & Ms. TSTC 2011 Mustang Magazine | March 2011
Mustang (re)Minders RA ND OM INFO FOR TS TC S TUDENTS
POLL
We asked you:
RESULTS
What would you like to see more of in the magazine? Veterans Support Group Offers support with veteran concerns and issues. Meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month at 12PM in the LRC. Led by Anna Castillo, LPC from Tropical Texas Behavioral Center in Edinburg. For more information call 956.364.4310. Veteran Student Alliance Club Provides outreach and assistance for the needs and goals of our veterans while providing service to our college and community. Meets on Thursdays at 12PM in Student Center Room 127. Contact Advisor Josh Hernandez at 956.364.4142.
You said:
• Reviews (Movies, Books, Games, etc) • Games (Word Search, Sudoku, etc) • How-to’s (Recipes, Tutorials, Crafts) • Articles (News, Topics, etc) • TSTC Info
33 30 29 15 11
Thank you to poll participants!
Support Services OFFICE
Find us on Facebook and stay up to date with all the services and events Support Services has to offer. For more information, contact the Support Services Office at 364.4520.
Daylight Savings Ends
DON’T FORGET! March 14th
(Move clocks ahead)
Mustang Magazine | March 2011
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Big Freeze of 2011
Photo Credits: Martin Leal Justin Zuniga Paul Villarreal
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Mustang Magazine | March 2011
Mustang Magazine | March 2011
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STUDENT CLUB
features
Role Play Gamer Society “We are RPGS... Role Play Gamer Society. We are Gamers at heart”
The purpose of RPGS (Role Play Gamer Society) is to promote and play role playing games (RPG’s) and all other games of similar nature. Along with RPG’s, RPGS promotes online RPG games and other video game types of all nature all in a friendly environment in which members can meet new friends and learn new possibilities in gaming.
Every Friday 12:15pm G135 or G149 (depending on availability)
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For more information: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tstcrpgs1 E-mail: tstc.rpgs@gmail.com
want to have
your club featured?
Mustang Magazine | March 2011
Contact us to set up an interview! e-mail: phdclub@gmail.com phone: 956.364.4260
want to join a
Check out these clubs!
student club?
For more information visit: www.harlingen.tstc.edu/studentlife
Agriculture Technology Club
Intramurals Sports Club
Autobody Club
Medical Assistant II
A.C.R Club
Aviation Technology Club
Medical Assistant I Prime Timers
Billiards Club
Photojournalism and Design Club
Catholic Campus Ministry
Role Play Gamer Society
Chemical Env. Technology
SADHA II
Biomedical Club
Christian Bible Study Fellowship Club Computer Drafting and Design
Precision Machining Club
SADHA I
The Sportmans Club
Computer Networking and Security
Science Engineering Math Majors
Technology
Students Promoting Anime & Manga
Computer System Management Cultural Destination Club
Dental Explorers
El Club de Español
Environmental Club
Gay Straight Alliance Pride
Humanities and Arts Society
Sigma Kappa Delta
Surgical Technology Club T ET
Veteran Student Alliance Club Vocational Nursing Club Welding Skills Club
Club Fundraisers and Events Hot Dog Sale/Aviation club
Sat. March 12, 11am – 5pm | Brownsville Airport
The aviation club will be selling hot dog combos for $3. For further information, please contact: Connie Vasquez 956.364.4756
want to advertise
your club event here?
Send us your club’s information! e-mail: phdclub@gmail.com phone: 956.364.4260
Mustang Magazine | March 2011
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DC Universe Online by: Armando Garcia
» » » » » »
Name DC Universe Online Platform PC
Number of Players 1 Player
Developer Sony Online Entertainment Publisher Sony Online Entertainment Genre Action
Have you ever wanted to soar above Metropolis, prowl the streets of Gotham, journey through the Hall of Door or explore the Justice League Watchtower? If so, then you're likely to be more than interested in battling villains and heroes with other players in DC Universe Online. Sound like a guaranteed success right? Unfortunately, that's not the case. With so much going for DCUO, it falls short on a number of key elements.
DCUO is a massively multiplayer online game, but also feels like an action game. Players start off by creating their hero or villain, choosing a DC Character as a mentor and go on to complete missions along with others playing the game. Combat is fairly easy to learn and is fun in the player versus player levels of the game. It also motivates you to unlock better armor, powers and skills so you can battle more powerful opponents. The game’s amazing graphics and cutscenes are based on the artwork of the comic book artist and creator Jim Lee.
Many of DCUO's faults also present themselves when you begin the game. The reason for thousands of super humans now appearing in the DC Universe is difficult to take seriously when you consider how much more harm than good it would actually do. It does serve the purpose of setting an MMO game in the DC Universe though. Character creation is very limited and disappointing with both the power and costume selection. Fortunately, you can unlock new abilities and gear as you progress. Being able to keep the stats of an item and not the look also makes the lack of selection at the beginning tolerable. The major problem with DCUO would have to be the missions. Whether you're a hero or villain the tutorial mission is always the same. It also doesn't really matter what mentor you choose. The missions you get are essentially the same. You beat up this many bad guys and destroy so much of these things.The only thing that changes is the theme of the missions. Player versus is still fun, but because of the repetitiveness you may lose interest in DCUO and decide not to invest in it after the free month it gives you. DCUO has some good things going for it. The graphics and combat are awesome. Its lack of options and mostly its formulaic missions are what hold it back. With games like City of Heroes and City of Villains that came out years before, it's a wonder why DCUO isn't better than it is. Hopefully downloadable content will be released to make the game interesting and worth paying to play every month.
What’s New? TH IS MO N T H I N F I L M A N D G A M IN G Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Pokemon Black Version
Dragon Age II
Paul
Red Riding Hood 6
NINTENDO DS Rated: E for Ever yone Have you already collected them all? Well then, grab up your pokeball because a fifth generation of Pokémon creatures comes your way from Nintendo! This introduces a generation of never-before-seen Pokémon characters featured in a thrilling new storyline set in a brand new region.
Pokemon Black Version
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4
Rango
8
4
Take Me Home Tonight
FILM Rated: PG A chameleon that aspires to be a swashbuckling hero finds himself in a Western town plagued by bandits and is forced to literally play the role in order to protect it. FILM Rated: R An aimless college grad pursues his dream girl at a wild weekend party.
Dragon Age II
PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | PC Rated: M Dragon Age II thrusts players into the role of Hawke, a penniless refugee who rises to power to become the single most important character in the world of Dragon Age. Known to be a survivor of the Blight and the Champion of Kirkwall, the legend around Hawke's rise to power is shrouded in myth and rumor.
Gods Eater Burst
PSP Rated: T The earth has been plagued by terrifying mutant beasts known as the Aragami and man’s only hope against them is the God Arc weapons and the God Eaters who wield them. Create your own hero and battle against many different types of these enemies, picking up items along the way to customize your weapons, guns, bullets and shields, boosting your strength and stamina in the massive scale fights.
11 Mars Needs Moms
FILM Rated: PG A tech-savvy Earthman and a rebel Martian join a boy's quest to rescue his kidnapped mother.
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Mustang Magazine | March 2011
Take Me Home Tonight 11 Red Riding Hood
FILM Rated: PG A woman (Amanda Seyfried) learns that she has a connection to the werewolf tormenting her village.
15 Homefront
PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | PC Rated: T+ The year is 2027. The world has suffered a decade-long energy crisis, and economies have crumbled. Reduced to a mere shadow of the super power it once was, the United States becomes the target of a North Korean takeover. American malls, suburbs and city streets are now battlegrounds as the civilian resistance fights for freedom.
18 Paul
FILM Rated: R Two British comic geeks encounter an alien outside Area 51.
22 Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
PSP Rated: T Square Enix’s newest action game in which players compete in one-on-one battles with characters from the Final Fantasy universe
book review
Odd Thomas
“...delightful read, infused with mystery, suspense and horror”
by Leslie Nelson
Not your typical American teenager, Odd Thomas has his life all planned out. A short order cook who lives in the made up town of Pico Mundo, California, Odd has a certain element of eccentricity about him. He has special abilities that allow him to see the dead and premonitions of things to come. Odd’s abilities are only known to his beautiful girlfriend, Stormy, and the chief of police.
» Author Dean Koontz » Publisher Bantam; First Edition » Release Date December 09, 2003 » Genre Mystery/Thriller
This is no “ I see dead people” kind of read. Odd’s visions go above and beyond, twisting a tale of mystery and suspenseful action. Odd sees spirits he calls “Bodachs,” which are not just any typical spirits. They are evil creatures that seem to manifest and feed off of violence. A new man has moved into Pico Mundo and has brought a group of friends with him.
The Fungus man, what Odd has named the newcomer, is accompanied by a large gathering of these “bodachs.” Odd knows something is about to happen, and now it’s up to Odd and his special powers to solve this mystery and stop the Fungus man.
Odd Thomas is a delightful read, infused with mystery, suspense and horror. Koontz is a talented and fantastic writer, and this book is sure not to disappoint.
Got a
Review? Mustang Magazine | March 2011
Send it to us! phdclub@gmail.com
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the
Guild by Gwendolyn McCormack
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Mustang Magazine | March 2011
The Guild is an unconventional show for an unconventional viewer base. Considered a sitcom, it won’t be shown on any television or cable channel. The Guild is a Web series, created independently by Felicia Day, and, for the first season, funded solely by donations. Since its first season it has gained much recognition and spread in popularity. The Guild is about a group of online gamers and their daily lives. Despite being made for gamers and addressing the trials, tribulations, work, social relationships and general social awkwardness of gamers, the shows expose the humor of these situations. There is something for any body - and everybody - to relate to.
Who doesn’t love
Wil Wheaton in a kilt?
With short episodes abundant in humor, it’s very easy to get sucked into the show and not stop watching until you’ve seen all the episodes. The main characters have very deep backgrounds and personalities, from Codex, the main character, played by Felicia Day, who is insecure in almost every situation, to Zaboo, who is overly clingy with mommy problems. Every episode will have you laughing till you cry. And, as for the Axis of Anarchy...who doesn’t love Wil Wheaton in a kilt? The Axis of Anarchy becomes the group’s rivals, both in-game and in Their leader, Fawkes, who is played by Wil Wheaton (in a kilt!), also becomes Codex’s love interest for a short time. And, really, who can blame her?
So, what are you waiting for?
Head over to WatchTheGuild.com and, well, watch The Guild! You’ll fall in love after the first episode, I promise.
Mustang Magazine | March 2011
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who
Doctor by Leslie Nelson
Seeing how the latest “Doctor Who” series is set to start this spring (end of March / April), it is only fitting to introduce Mustang Magazine readers to the show.
Doctor Who is a whimsical science fiction television series that started in Britain in 1963. It originally was written for a young British generation. However, the show captured the attention of young and old viewers since its second debut in the United States in 2005. My 7-year-old son and my mother-in-law are captured by the series! The Doctor, as played by Matt Smith, is a mysterious, quirky time lord who travels through time and space in a police box he calls “the Tardis”
The Doctor along with his companion, Amy Pond as played by Karen Gillan, go on adventures that take them to distant times to help resolve conflicts and right wrongdoings. The episode “Vincent and the Doctor” is a perfect example because the Doctor and Amy go to the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, which is home to the impressionist and post-impressionist artist such as Monet and Van Gogh. While admiring the painting “The Church at Auvers” the Doctor discovers something out of place. So, the duo travels to 1888 to help Van Gogh conquer his fears and join his fight against a dangerous alien...which only Van Gogh can see. Those Whovians who closely follow the series will see River Song as a child, the return of the Cybermen, and the Weeping Angels.
I hope you get a chance to experience The Doctor and his fantastic adventures! Season six is scheduled to premiere on BBC America in April. With newly composed theatrical music and innovative writers such as Steve Moffet and Piers Wegner this season promises to be worthwhile and exciting!
“Doctor Who” also has spin-off shows on BBC America like “The Sarah Jane Adventures,” “Torchwood” and “K9,” which airs on Disney XD. Also avaliable are the Doctor Who book series with its latest edition, The King’s Dragon, and a comic book series. So, check at the local comic shops for the latest!
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New LRC Releases CHE CK T HEM O UT TODAY
Rat Catcher by Andy Diggle
New York Times bestselling-author Andy Diggle creates a tale of the FBI’s manhunt for a peerless assassin who specializes in silencing mob informants hidden deep within the Witness Protection Program.
But the Rat Catcher has finally slipped up — and one washed-up FBI agent has one last chance to hunt him down before he disappears forever. As the two men spiral toward each other in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that plays out across the badlands of West Texas, each of them hides a deadly secret from the other — a secret that could destroy them both.
Tough Without A Gun by Stefan Kanfer
Humphrey Bogart: it’s hard to think of anyone who’s had the same lasting impact on the culture of movies.Though he died at the young age of 57 more than half a century ago, his influence among actors and filmmakers, and his enduring appeal for film lovers around the world, remains as strong as ever.
What is it about Bogart, with his unconventional looks and noticeable speech impediment, that has captured our collective imagination for so long? In this definitive biography, Stefan Kanfer answers that question, along the way illuminating the private man Bogart was and shining the spotlight on some of the greatest performances ever captured on celluloid.
While Mortals Sleep by Kurt Vonnegut
Here are stories of men and machines, art and artifice, and how ideals of fortune, fame, and love take curious twists in ordinary lives. An ambitious builder of roads, commanding an army of bulldozers, graders, and asphalt spreaders, fritters away his free time with miniature trains—until the women in his life crash his fantasy land. Trapped in a stenography pool, a young dreamer receives a call from a robber on the run, who presents her with a strange proposition.
A crusty newspaperman is forced onto a committee to judge Christmas displays—a job that leads him to a suspiciously ostentatious ex-con and then a miracle. A hog farmer’s widow receives cryptic, unsolicited letters from a man in Schenectady about “the indefinable sweet aches of the spirit.” But what will she find when she goes to meet him in the flesh?
Learning Resource Center Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 7:30AM - 8PM Friday: 7:30AM - 5PM
Saturday: 10AM - 4PM Sunday: 1PM - 4PM
All you need at the LRC to borrow a book is a valid TSTC student ID. For more information, visit www.harlingen.tstc.edu/library. 20
Mustang Magazine | March 2011
M a r c h 2011
CO MMUNIT Y C ALENDAR
Janet Jackson
Juanes
Killer Bees
HPAT Presents: "Greater Tuna" 3/4 - 3/6 Harlingen Performing Arts Theatre
Jackson Street Market Days 3/5 Saturday | 9:00AM Downtown Jackson Street | Harlingen
Center for Creative Retirement Trip to SPI Birding and Nature Center 3/15 Tuesday | 8:30AM Harlingen Sears Automotive Center South Texas Chorale Master Works Concert 3/27 Sunday | 3:00PM UTB Campus
RGV Killer Bees Hockey 03/11 vs. Arizona 7:30PM 03/17 vs. Odessa 7:00PM 03/25 vs. Missouri 7:30PM
Music/Art
Family Fun
Dance Gavin Dance
Janet Jackson 2011 World Tour 3/3 Thursday | 7:00PM State Farm Arena | Hidalgo
Borderfest 2011: Selena Gomez 3/5 Saturday | 7:30PM State Farm Arena | Hidalgo
Downtown Battle Mountain 2 Tour: Dance Gavin Dance 3/15 Tuesday | Mission
Juanes in Concert 3/31 Thursday | 8:00PM State Farm Arena | Hidalgo
Mustang Magazine | March 2011
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Hand Drawn ARTWORKS AND DRAWINGS BY TSTC STUDENTS
by Paola Constante, DMDT
Send us your artwork! phdclub@gmail.com 22
Mustang Magazine | March 2011
Mustang Magazine | March 2011
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