FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
Highlander University
Volume 62
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C a l i f o r n i a , R ive r s i d e
Issue 31
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UCR stands in solidarity with UCSB
ESTEFANIA ZAVALA Senior Staff Writer
Members of the UCR community attended a candlelight vigil last Wednesday to pay their respects to the lives lost near UCSB on Friday, May 23. Vigils at UC’s in LA, Davis, San Diego, Santa Cruz and Berkeley all took place in the same week as acts of solidarity within the UC system. For UCR, there was an extraordinarily high turnout with over 2,000 people pledging to attend on the event’s Facebook page. “(The external affairs officers) were all on Facebook Instant Messenger after the news of the shooting when (ASUCR Vice President of External Affairs) Kareem Aref had this idea. We were asking (ourselves) what we could do. We decided to do a vigil,” said Francis Castaneda, an officer in the ASUCR external affairs office. Campus administrators provided over 1,000 candles to ASUCR, which were later handed out to the public during the vigil. In a march of unity, people wrapped around the Bell Tower, through the Rivera Library arches and all the way around Sproul Hall. The vigil was highly organized with ASUCR volunteers stationed at regular intervals to prevent students from going into the streets. Recounting his day spent with the campus of UCR, Chancellor Kim Wilcox lamented that the community had to endure this loss. “Another aspect of tonight, however, reminds us that communities have different sizes and shapes,” said Wilcox. “We are part of a bigger community in the University of California. (The departed) are no longer part of our community in body but will be part of it in spirit forever.” The sentiment of connectedness echoed throughout the evening with students huddling close together to keep their candles from blowing out. Despite the shooting occurring hundreds of miles away, the use of social
UCR lays groundwork for double bike lane, Lot 32 ANTHONY VICTORIA Staff Writer SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer
Students will ride safer with the upcoming installation of a double bike lane near campus, which aims to reduce bicycling accidents and alleviate traffic caused by bicyclists riding in the wrong direction. Spearheaded by members of ASUCR, Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) and city officials, the construction project is pending design approval before its overall implementation. TAPS Alternative Transportation Manager Irma Henderson said the lane, starting from the side of the Amy S. Harrison softball field to the turnout on Canyon Crest Drive and University Avenue, seeks to ensure students are cycling with the flow of traffic and riding in their respective lanes. “As bicyclists are coming down Canyon Crest (toward campus), the tendency is to ride on the wrong side of traffic,” she said. “With the creation of the lanes, it will give cyclists a safer path of travel. They won’t be cutting that corner where (the streets) meet.” In most instances, Henderson explained, students cut across all four street lanes to enter campus, possibly veering into the way of traffic. “Crossing in that manner is not riding correctly,” Henderson said. “Bicycles, according to the California Vehicle Code, should be following the same rules of the road as cars do. By crossing four lanes of traffic like that, not only is it precarious, but also against the vehicle code.” At the beginning of every fall quarter, TAPS, in conjunction
AARON LAI / HIGHLANDER Members of ASUCR organized a candlelight vigil to mourn for the victims of a mass shooting near UC Santa Barbara.
media brought UCR students — both those connected and disconnected from the tragedy — together to mourn the tragedy. Amanda Apelian, a UCR undergraduate, spoke of sweet memories of her childhood friend and one of the victims, Veronika Weiss, as she wiped a tear away from her face. “Weiss was one of my closest friends … I just want to
tell everyone what she was like,” said Apelian. “Veronika
“We were asking (ourselves) what we could do. We decided to do a vigil,” - Francis Castaneda was a diehard athlete … with an infectious laugh … Here at UCR, we all keep you and your
family in our prayers.” “We are one UC … We all feel this as a family,” concluded Aref. The vigil ended with a reminder to everyone affected to utilize the UCR Counseling Services. Students can call 951-827-5531 to make a counseling appointment or visit the Counseling Center in person in the North Wing of the ■H Veitch Student Center.
2013-2014 year in review
► SEE BIKE LANE, PAGE 7
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8-page insert
8-page insert
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NEWS
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
HIGHLANDER
BY AARON GRECH, STAFF WRITER
UCR launches largest renewable energy project in California
One of the most visible partners of the Bourns College of Engineering (BCOE) is the Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT), which has begun a project to create a renewable energy research center that will study the integration of renewable energy sources such as an electrical smart grid that can help with charging electric cars and storing energy. The project, called the Sustainable Integrated Grid Initiative, will be the largest of its kind in California. “The project has implications for the nation and the world,” stated BCOE Dean Dr. Reza Abbaschian. If successful, this research aims to develop cleaner and more efficient ways to produce electricity and may eventually lead to other similar projects in the U.S. Smart grids are modernized electrical grids which use digital communications
to detect and react to changes in their usage. Instead of having electric utilities simply supply electricity, the grids are able to exchange energy and information between utilities and customers. Most energy supplied through current grids operates on a one-way interaction that distributes electricity from the grid to other structures such as buildings and houses. This makes it difficult to keep up with changing energy demands, and does not run on as many renewable energy sources. Smart grids, on the other hand, can integrate technologies such as wind turbines and solar panels to provide cleaner energy sources, and also create energy storage because of their unique feedback system. As a result, grids can easily adapt to changing demands and cut electricity costs through storing surplus energy. In addition, the grids can also
Photo of the Week
be used to supply energy to electric vehicles through charging stations that are connected to them. According to Dr. Matthew Barth, the lead investigator of the initiative and director of CE-CERT, “The project puts UC Riverside at the forefront of smart grid and electric vehicle research, providing a unique platform for engineers and utilities to identify and solve potential problems.” The $12 million sustainability project and facility will have four megawatts of solar photovoltaic panels, two megawatts of battery storage and 27 electric vehicle charging stations, including one for a trolley car that was converted to run on an electric battery instead of diesel fuel. Of the total funds, $2 million from the South Coast Air Quality Management District will support the first two years
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UCR students from all across campus came together at the Bell Tower to remember the lives lost from the recent tragedy at UC Santa Barbara.
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of the project. Money saved on energy will make the program cost-efficient in the long run. Brandon Prell, a second-year cellular and molecular biology major, believes that research on renewable energy is needed, in order for “the planet to continue developing.” He said that a smart grid will bring a change to that by modernizing outdated methods that may cause even further harm to the environment. “I will like to see in what direction this project takes us,” stated Pranav Pattabiraman, a second-year computer engineering major. ”I know companies such as Tesla are making new strides in producing electric vehicles and sustainable energy sources, so it’s exciting to see the campus take part in a project that will lead us into a cleaner, more efficient future.” ■H
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TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
NEWS
HIGHLANDER
2013-14 ASUCR senate give their goodbyes SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer
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MEETINGS ON MONDAYS 5:15PM @ HUB 101
VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER Senators shared their nostalgia as each and every one of them said their final goodbyes and made their final motions on the senate horseshoe.
WRITE FOR THE HIGHLANDER NEWSPAPER
t was the last senate meeting of the academic year as members of ASUCR tied up last-minute reports before a trickle of audience members in the galley. Vice President of Internal Affairs Johnny Ta delivered his last remarks about the Green Campus Action Plan Committee and Vice President of External Affairs Kareem Aref spoke of a candlelight vigil at UCR to mourn for victims of the mass shooting near UC Santa Barbara. To top the night off, Senator Sean Fahmian assisted a member of the audience by taking a group selfie along with the rest of senate. As a new cohort of faces and nameplates appear in the Senate Chambers’ horseshoe, this year’s senate will leave behind campuswide projects such as the installation of solar panels and the food truck initiative (now into its second year) for its student body. The 2014-15 ASUCR H senate was sworn in on Saturday, May 31. ■
NEWS
HIGHLANDER
NEWS IN BRIEF
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COMPILED BY ESTEFANIA ZAVALA, SENIOR STAFF WRITER
CITY OF RIVERSIDE DISCONTINUES FREE WI-FI On May 6, the Riverside city council voted to end the 7-year-old citywide wireless network called SmartRiverside. One goal of the free Wi-Fi program was to benefit 3600 families in the local community — numbers the program failed to meet. “The Wi-Fi system the city used was old and slow,” said city council member Mike Gardner. “It did not work well with mobile devices.” The network costs about $800,000 annually to operate and maintain and it only covers 66 percent of Riverside, falling short of the city’s initial goals of 95 percent. Gardner further suggested that when the Wi-Fi network was used at all, the majority of users who signed on were not repeat users. Gardner also admits that there are some local residents who currently use SmartRiverside for their desktop computers because they are unable to afford commercial Internet. However, he maintained that canceling the
TUESDAY JUNE 3, 2014
wireless network will lessen the city’s financial burden as the program costs a lot of money to maintain but only $200,000 to dismantle. Nevertheless, Riverside plans to keep some methods of affordable Internet connections for its residents. “The city will be installing a series of hot spots at libraries, community centers and government buildings,” Gardner assured. These hotspots will be found around Main Street and the downtown Riverside mall.
COURTESY OF THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE
UC STUDENT WORKERS UNION TO STRIKE The United Auto Worker’s union (UAW 2865) is gearing up for a strike on June 7, which will include teaching assistants, tutors and readers throughout the UC. This strike is in response to the union’s claim that management enacted unfair labor practices on its employees. “When management abuses our rights and expects us to work, they make it clear that they take our labor for granted. Our work is important, our lives are important, and our rights are important,” said the UAW 2865 Joint Council in a press release. Specifically, union activists are looking to raise wages for UC student workers, which they say is $2,697 per year lower than other higher-level universities. They are also looking to increase rights for undocumented student workers and bolster support for student workers who have families. On May 20, the union met with the UC in an informal hearing held by the California Public Employee Relations
Board aimed at resolving the disputed unfair labor practice charges. The charges have yet to be resolved, but discussions are underway. The union is hopeful that negotiations will prevent the need for a strike but is still preparing for one. In response to the upcoming strike, UC Media Specialist Brooke Converse said that it will impact undergraduate education by taking place during finals week. “Students and faculty want to complete the school year on the best possible note, and it is unfair to thrust them into the middle of these contract negotiations,” Converse said. “However, UC is taking steps to minimize disruption to instructional activities as much as possible, by working closely with faculty and (studentworkers) who choose not to strike.” UAW members also met with UC President Janet Napolitano on Tuesday, May 27, to discuss their demands. ■H
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TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
NEWS
HIGHLANDER
UC-Mexico initiative strengthens ties between border countries JOSEPH AVILA Staff Writer
Meetings held in Mexico City involving University of California President Janet Napolitano, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, UC Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox, UC officials and high-ranking officials from the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) were conducted last week to deepen cultural, academic and collaborative ties between the UC system and Mexican universities. Their plans, still in their developing stages, have been branded the UC-Mexico Initiative. These educational ties have existed between the U.S. and Mexico since the establishment of the University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS) since 1980. The institute applies to all UC campuses and has been housed at UC Riverside since 1984. The UC-Mexico Initiative looks to replicate and reinforce what UC MEXUS currently dedicates its resources toward, which involves securing and supporting binational research on Mexican art and history. The first meeting between UC and Mexican officials resulted in a signing of a “memorandum of understanding” between the Napolitano and CONACYT Director General Enrique Cabrero Mendoza. The memorandum aims to create a committee composed of three representatives from CONACYT and three representatives from the UC system, including the director of UC MEXUS, Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra. The committee will create a report that will critique current collaborative practices between the two education systems and
explore new possible practices that will benefit both the U.S. and Mexico. Napolitano stressed the importance of cultural ties with Mexico during a meeting with Rafael Tovar y de Teresa, director of Mexico’s National Council for Culture and Arts (CONACULTA). The director plans to send a delegation of high-ranking CONACULTA representatives to UC campuses to identify goals for 2015 that will improve cultural relations between the two countries. Not only is the initiative encouraging cultural and art exchanges, but it is also encouraging reciprocity of student exchanges between the two countries as well. The National Autonomous University of Mexico has agreed to promote undergraduate and graduate student exchanges in the coming years as part of a pact signed last year by President Barack Obama and Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto known as the Bilateral Forum for Higher Education, Research and Innovation. Currently 40 UC students study abroad at universities in Mexico and 1,900 Mexican students study in the U.S. The pact looks to send 100,000 U.S. undergraduate students to study in Latin America by 2018, with 50,000 studying in Mexico. As per a meeting between Napolitano, Wilcox and Mexican officials, the first 1,000 students are expected to be selected from UC campuses. When asked about the low exchange rate of students, Napolitano told News America Media, “U.S. students are deterred by the perception that all of Mexico is violent. Mexican students are deterred because of the view that the United States is hostile.
COURTESY OF UCR TODAY Chancellor Kim Wilcox and UC President Janet Napolitano met to discuss academic ties with Mexico officials.
Perceptions are difficult to change, but one of the ways you change them is through actual experience.” Ezcurra recounts a comment by the president of the University of Veracruz, Dr. Sara Ladron de Guevara when she said, “Are you aware that … we almost never ever get together in these large numbers? We are here because you called us and this shows the moral authority that the University of California has on the Mexican university system. It also shows the responsibility that you have.” Ezcurra sees this as recognition by the universities
of Mexico to work together with the UC system to accomplish the tasks that have been set forth in the meetings, saying, “We need to meet this concrete reality of the existence of our border, of migration, of a shared past with concrete actions in and by the university.” “There are strong economic reasons why we shouldn’t ignore Mexico … there are also very strong cultural reasons that for many of us are as important as the economic reasons,” said Ezcurra. “It will take a while to consolidate but it’s moving forward and I think that in itself is very hopeful.” ■H
NEWS
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
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Iris Jiang tapped as 2014-15 vice president of finance AARON GRECH Staff Writer
The ASUCR senate of 201415 has selected Iris Jiang as the new vice president of finance to oversee the senate’s budget allocations and delegation of student funds for the upcoming academic year. Despite initial concerns about her experience on the Judicial Branch, the third-year business major with a concentration in finance was approved through a secret ballot vote of 7-5-1. Jiang’s nomination, according to ASUCR President Nafi Karim, was considered due to her high GPA and prior leadership experience through her sorority and off-campus work. “Based on my visions for ASUCR, I thought she was the best fit,” Karim explained. Her prior appointment to a UCR office in the Judicial Branch caused some doubts about her leadership, as it appeared that she had not served enough throughout her appointment. “As I understand it, you were appointed for a one-year position (as a justice), but the one year wasn’t fully met,” Executive Vice President Michael Ervin clarified. As the ASUCR Constitution states that the vice president of finance must have one year of experience in ASUCR as a senator, executive cabinet member, or justice, this experience was integral in
choosing the best candidate. Jiang said that she was “unsure” of how long she was a justice for, as she did not play an active role in judicial deliberations. According to Vice President of External Affairs Abraham Galvan, the Judicial Branch was relatively disorganized and their duties were not clearly defined at the time of her nomination. “She did serve one year, regardless of how much she was involved in (the Judicial Branch),” Galvan attested. With uncertainty lingering around the candidate’s past experience, Senator Akeem Brown made a motion to suspend the decision of Jiang’s appointment. The motion was denied by Ervin, who stated that only the Judicial Branch wields the power to suspend a candidate’s nomination. However, as none of the other candidates were present at the meeting, the one-year requirement was ultimately waived in accordance with the Elections Code. Past senate meeting minutes reveal that Jiang was nominated as a justice back in 2012. Karim, Ervin and Galvan all ran under the same political party, [YOUR]SIDE, as Jiang identified with for the 2014-15 elections season. Approved by the senate, Jiang will succeed Janice Tang as vice president ■H of finance.
VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER Business major Iris Jiang was voted in as ASUCR’s new vice president of finance for the upcoming 2014-15 academic year.
► BIKE LANE FROM PAGE 1
COURTESY OF UCR TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING SERVICES UCR TAPS hopes to implement a double bike lane beside the Amy S. Harrison softball field to the University Avenue and Canyon Crest Drive turnout.
with the Riverside and UC Police Departments, provides booths for bike registration, hands out information on bike safety practices and teaches students how to safely ride a bike. In addition, TAPS officials are also working to construct Lot 32, which will include a parking structure on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Canyon Crest Drive, across from Lot 30. The new lot aims to alleviate the overcrowding of vehicles during peak times and will be completed for fall 2014. With the expected increase of students for the 2014-15 academic year, ASUCR CHASS Senator and member of the TAPS advisory committee Sandy Saly said the parking accommodations may not benefit every student on campus but will provide available parking to those individuals who need it. “This was one of my many projects I had this year with TAPS,” Saly said. “Personally, I believe it will benefit students … It will definitely contribute to additional parking availability.” Riverside city officials are also looking to fix the sidewalk alongside University Avenue (on the side across from the Arts Building), which is interrupted by two freeway ramps and a dirt walkway near the 215 freeway overpass, leaving it an inconvenient path for students to trek.
“Basically there is only one sidewalk that is accessible to pedestrians, bicyclists (and) skateboarders. What the city wants to implement is a sidewalk on the opposite side that is also accessible,” said Saly. “For instance, if students have classes at the UV theatre, they can remain on the north side and continue on that sidewalk instead of crossing the streets.” Saly, working closely with TAPS Interim Director Greg Artman, also helped push forward a project to ensure the maintenance of lights in Lot 26, in addition to Rustin Avenue and Linden Avenue. At the same time, more blue emergency call boxes were placed around various locations around campus, adding to those already available in parking lots. The fourth-year sociology law and society student expressed that her biggest accomplishment was the implementation of directional signage on campus, which currently costs an estimated $69,000 for its overall completion. “Although the proposal for the project was addressed in 2008, I was a part of discussion in furthering the project and executing the final project,” explained Saly. “We currently have 39 directory signs on campus. The project is 90 percent completed and is expected to be H fully completed this summer.” ■
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. OPINIONS .
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
HIGHLANDER
HIGHLANDER HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL EDITORIAL
UC STUDENTS SHOW STRENGTH WHILE FACING ENDINGS
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I
t was a moving sight to see. Over a thousand students, stretched from the Bell Tower to nearly Olmsted Hall, all holding candles, gathered to celebrate the lives prematurely taken from our sister school at UC Santa Barbara. With so many flickering candles lighting a crowd of solemn faces, hardly a dry eye could be seen as the UCR community gathered to show unity among themselves and among the UCs. Endings are difficult to deal with. Whatever form they come in, the closure of a significant period of one’s life is rarely easy to deal with. The precious security blanket that has been snuggled tight against us, that we’ve come to rely on — is suddenly gone. A sheer drop with no easy way out or around remains in front of us, and it’s sink or swim to survive. It is in times like these, however, that we show what we’re really made of. We are forced to deal with the realities of life and its expected and unexpected turns. In forming the memorial for their fellow fallen classmates at UCSB nearly overnight, we got a glimpse of how quickly and passionately Highlanders were able to come together in the wake of such a tragedy. Still, with endings such as these, there is a looming sense of “what now?” In the case of lives being taken from us, we have to learn to celebrate their lives with our own, while not getting bogged down in the dampness of the deep melancholy that such a horrific event can leave in the air. We must never forget the loss we experienced on May 23, or the feeling of despair it leaves deep down in the pit of the stomach. Nor can we keep feeling that despair for all eternity. Some things, even the pain of tragedies, really only do get better with time, and this in all likelihood is one of those situations.
AARON LAI / HIGHLANDER
To quote from the song “Every Tear Disappears,” by St. Vincent, “Oh and what about the pain? / Don’t ask me how, I just know that it fades.” To live out the rest of our lives in sulky gloom does not honor the legacy of the fallen. We must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and keep the flame of a better future moving ever forward. As we come to terms with tragedy, we must remember that endings are also new beginnings. Although true for the sadness of UCSB, this is the case for the end of every chapter of our lives. Graduation, in this sense, is also a cliff that we can choose to parachute or dive off of. People you have spent the last two or four years with will suddenly be nearly out of reach, whether they only depart from UCR or venture beyond Riverside itself. Effort will have to be put in to keep friendships and acquaintanceships alive, and it’s up to each individual to decide which people they want to occasionally stalk on Facebook, or who they still regularly want to hang out with. Yet the truth is inescapable: Some of your best friends, partners and buddies will not be as immediately and constantly available as they once were. Not all goodbyes are the same, and not all losses are equal. For those saying goodbye to a graduating friend, remember that others this week had to give their final farewell. Still the question remains unanswered: what now? Now is the time for reflection. What have you accomplished? What did this person’s life mean to you? What can we learn from the living, the dead and those far away from us? What should I do to cope with entering this new era of my life? Take time to slow down for a second and evaluate where you are and what you want — and what the potential consequences, good or bad, of your future actions might be. Life
is a generally hectic and high-speed adventure, but sometimes it helps to slow down and see where you’re going before taking off at light speed in the wrong direction. Now is the time to make future plans. Take the time you need to reflect, but don’t hold yourself back from moving forward and making something great with your life. Whether that’s going to graduate school, starting your career, traveling or doing anything else, make sure to make a plan and act on it, before life passes you by. Now is the time to prove to yourself what you’re capable of. Let your experience in dealing with letting things go help forge your path. Your experiences help define you, but don’t control your future — there is no reason that something that happened in your past should not allow you to accomplish something in the future. Regretting and demonizing your past realistically cannot serve any purpose but allow you to wallow in bad thoughts. Don’t let bad happenings of the past permanently affect your quality of life today. A lot of this advice may seem cliche. Some of it may just be meaningless words to those coping with loss. For those affected, there may be no words that can give you comfort. But sometimes we still need a reminder when life gets us down. So to fellow Highlanders, and to any Gauchos and fellow UC family reading this: Celebrate the past by making your future even brighter. Show that you are strong enough to say goodbye to whatever is thrown at you — and celebrate what was, by showing what can be. ■H Highlander editorials reflect the majority view of the Highlander Editorial Board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Associated Students of UCR or the University of California system.
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OPINIONS
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
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COURTESY OF HIDDEN CASH’S TWITTER Hidden cash has managed to pit human against human, in a rapidly growing and quickly popularizing scavenger hunt for the one thing that drives people the most: money.
Hidden cash scavenger hunts: More than meets the eye COLIN MARKOVICH Senior Staff Writer
As the old saying goes, money makes the world go ‘round. Ever since human society first engaged in barter, minted the first coin, or printed the first piece of paper money, we as humans have long labored to earn it. Whether for sustenance or enjoyment, we use money for so many things. And it is a powerful motivator — we work upward of 40 hours a week to earn more of it. This desire is so strong that the cynics among us assert that it may even be our primary motivation: that our actions are driven by greed and a single-minded, cold-hearted desire for cash. If that’s the case, the entirety of human existence seems woefully depressing. Through this lens, the society of ancient Rome, which contains the basis for our democratic system of government, was self-interested and indulgent. The construction of ships to traverse oceans and caravans to cross continents was motivated not by a sense of exploration, but by avarice. The success of companies like Google comes just as much from a desire to better society as a desire to better the pocketbook. Into this equation we can consider an additional set of data points. In late May, an anonymous person using the Twitter handle @ HiddenCash began tweeting hints to locations where envelopes of cash were hidden around San Francisco. Following the cryptic clues would net the finders of the envelope with around $100 in paper bills — a happy find for any person. What’s more, discovering the money comes with a catch. The man behind the gigantic scavenger hunt asks that the finders post a photo of
the discovery on Twitter — and that they pay it forward. “I’m in that 1 percent that some people loathe,” the anonymous person explained to a San Francisco news station. “But rather than hating people who are successful, my point would be to encourage people who have been successful to give back a little bit more.” Indeed many people have. One planned to buy books to donate to the local library. Another donated the money he found to a church in the neighborhood. Others gave it away to local families vacationing at the beach. Some people lucky enough to stumble across more than one envelope didn’t indulge, but left them there for another person to take. “I felt like I’d been blessed enough that day,” one said. The story’s gained a lot of traction recently, and small wonder. The person responsible took the hunt to Burbank in the past few days to spread the charm of the scavenger hunt. People gravitate toward it because it’s an inspiring and heartwarming story people can feel good about as political gridlock worsens, chaos continues to engulf the Middle East and the economy attempts to sputter to life. But is it really? As larger and larger hordes of people churn out of their homes, hoping to be one of the lucky few to find the greenbacks, we should ask ourselves: Have we lost sight of what the social experiment was intended to do in the first place? The scavenger hunt was so inspiring because it made people happy. Random people, just living
their normal lives, perhaps facing a bad day at work, stumbled across a few bucks and were able to experience a ray of sunshine. It’s that unexpected discovery of something pleasant that inspired that happiness. Even if people planned the searches, there was a spirit of camaraderie in the search, with people standing shoulder-to-shoulder and celebrating each others’ successes. But it was probably inevitable that as the trend gained traction, more people began actively seeking out the envelopes, turning the search into a competition. One person detailed his escapades scrambling up a set of construction — equipment to find his set of greenbacks. In Burbank’s Griffith Park, the first tweets of hidden envelopes were met with a flurry of activity, causing minor damage to the landscape. The search may still be fun for some, but it doesn’t feel like an uplifting sense of contentment. Instead, participants in the searches seem to be careening dangerously close to wanting to experience the thrill of the hunt and the euphoria of victory. It is true that joy is still joy, and those who find the envelopes are nonetheless happier for it. But what is this joy derived from? Is it still from a peaceful sense of bliss? Or is it from the knowledge that you’ve dominated what you’ve set out to conquer? That you’ve emerged victorious where others have not? That you’ve successfully planted your flag in the scramble for cash? Joy at the expense of others isn’t true happiness — it’s just another form of sorrow.
Joy at the expense of others isn’t true happiness it’s just another form of sorrow.
True happiness isn’t unbridled victory. It’s spending quality time with your friends or building relationships through shared experience with strangers. It’s selflessly giving something from yourself to help others. Participants once saw the hunt as an opportunity to do these things — the stuff true happiness is made of. Now, the scavenger hunt for cash is a game. Happiness is defined by who’s winning and losing. It’s a game where achieving happiness is mutually exclusive; one person’s victory is another person’s loss. It’s a game the people participating may not realize they’re playing. And it’s a game in which the donor may not even realize he’s stacking the deck. The anonymous donor says he doesn’t plan on ending the money scavenger hunts soon, saying that it’s a “wonderful feeling” seeing so many people experiencing joy as they search for the envelopes. Maybe it is. But maybe it should be a little disconcerting that we consider heartwarming a story where people compete like dogs over the last scrap of food. So far, it’s gratifying to hear that there hasn’t been any violence or physical harm done to anyone during the searches. Yet violence or no, the underlying premise of competition remains. The same incentives lie in wait, a bear trap waiting for someone to wander in. Perhaps this is cynical. Perhaps we aren’t truly driven by greed, and maybe people are still participating for the friendships and the simple bliss receiving an unexpected gift can bring. Or perhaps we should give a second glance to the way we think about this phenomenon. Are we still becoming happy through this scavenger hunt? It’s worth it to ask. ■H
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OPINIONS
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
HIGHLANDER
Opinion Poll What are your plans for the summer? C ompiled
by
J aspery G oh
Eduardo Argumendo Applied Mathematics Fifth-year
Kristina Moisa Political Science Second-year
Enrique Roman Biological Engineering Second-year
Lawrence Pointer Neuroscience Second-year
Marc Andrada Biology Second-year
Carolyn Nguyen Biology Second-year
“Find a job. I would like to find a job in the engineering field.”
“I was thinking of volunteering at the Riverside Rape Crisis Center. That would help with my senior thesis on rape culture and how that affects our campus.”
“My plan for summer is to start a ministry at my church to help high schoolers go to college.”
“I’m going to UCLA for the summer. I also bought a new surfboard so Malibu is going to be my beach.”
“I’m just going to be back home. I’m excited for colder weather and the beach.”
“I’m going to be volunteering at a clinic and hanging out with friends.”
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: In response to the May 27 article entitled, “Comedy Apocalypse XI offers few cringes, plenty of laughs”
F rom KUCR G eneral M anager L ouis V andenberg Some comments on the Comedy Apocalypse 11 Highlander (May 27, 2014) review: First, the author states, “Last quarter’s Comedy Apocalypse X proved that the Barn wasn’t about to follow up on bad comedic night with another.” Later, the author informs us, “As a newcomer to both UCR’s Comedy Apocalypse series and the Barn in general, I attended the night’s event wide-eyed and easier to see what my first visit would hold.” So, on what authority or experience does the author’s perfunctory dismissal of CA10 derive? At best hearsay, adrift from the moorings of even casual opinion. The response to CA10 we received was that show was the best ever. You could make a legitimate case against some of the acts in previous shows. It happens. Other than that, we (the people who put on the Comedy Apocalypse series) agree generally with the reviewer’s sense of what performances worked best. Obviously, we don’t know how good a performance is going to be in advance, because a live performance is an organic thing, influenced by many factors. Therefore the notion of an “uneven structure,” which implies foreknowledge, doesn’t apply. Billing of performers, i.e., the “structure” or order in which they appear is, basically, about who is the most famous, with that person going last. Roberts is on a hit TV show, so he’s the most famous. It just turns out that secondbilled Emily Heller was amazing. (Some preferred Bowers, and some Roberts, it should be noted, but the consensus was for Heller.) Second, it needs to be understood that comedy proceeds from a personal
perspective, which may or may not be shared broadly. A comic “voice” emerges from that perspective, a voice which may or may not be understood by a general audience. Many comedians, including black comedians, talk about race. Have you ever heard of Dave Chappelle? In this case, when Mr. Bowers speaks about slavery in a way which is outrageous, it might be helpful to understand his perspective. He is an African-American who was born and raised in the South, where racism and slavery are not subtle or veiled. It’s a confederate flag-flying reality. Bowers, a deeply intelligent man, came up as a comedic professional playing to black audiences in this context. His sarcastic statement re “slavery” and “hair” is patently and plainly absurd. In making it, it is more than likely that Bowers is mocking some nonsense he heard and which would be understood by the audiences he came up playing to. This is a comic’s version of harsh criticism. It is an impossibility that Mr. Bowers would become the increasingly celebrated comedian he has become, playing on Black Entertainment Television and similar venues, if these were views that he actually held. Regardless, although we don’t like to second-guess comics and their jokes are not submitted in advance, it was probably a misjudgment to use this humor on a college audience in Southern California. There’s no way it would be understood and couldn’t possibly work. Although I think Bowers is smart and funny, I certainly didn’t laugh at that riff. And you’re right: nobody did. Awkward moment. Is that what he intended? Something that stark? Sometimes comedians deliberately make the audience uncomfortable to generate tension, which
is released by a punchline. Given his perceptivity and control as a performer, it could be so. What he succeeded at was getting us all talking about his set, parsing the jokes this way and that. Third, we have no disagreements on Heller. She’s so brilliant. Heller’s a real stand-up pro who is original and funny, with great energy and feel for the audience. Fourth, John Roberts, our first LGBT Comedy Apocalypse headliner, is a great talent, but his acting skill, which was apparent, didn’t connect to the audience like the straight-ahead stand-ups did. So, some agreement there. Still, very entertaining, with all the characters, wigs and such. Comedy Apocalypse began as a KUCR/ Highlander Newspaper/Barn collaboration, which had the goal of bringing professional level comedy-club shows to campus at the end of the quarter. The show is supposed to be a diversion from studies, to give students something to laugh about and, because this is a university, something to think and talk about. There was a lot of laughing, and we’ve heard a lot of people talking about it in the aftermath. That’s OK. Oh, and best wishes to all the grads. The Highlander accepts letters from the campus community. They must be 600-800 words at length and include the author’s name and contact information. Topics should be UCRcentric and/or pertain to our generation of students. Contact Opinions Editor Jake Rich at opinions@highlandernews.org by Wednesday if interested in writing a letter and submit completed letter by Saturday at noon. Letter can and will be rejected if it does not meet requirements.
The opinions expressed in the Opinions section belong solely to their authors and do not represent the Highlander Editorial Board or the University of California, Riverside.
. FEATURES . FEATURES
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Spike Lee’s talk centered around education, drive and fulfillment. He told students that success isn’t handed down by God, but rather, it can only be earned through years of dedication.
Turning Negativity into Positivity with Spike Lee
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Christal Mims, Senior Staff Writer // Photos by Tim Baca
pike Lee is a force to be reckoned with. The outspoken film director came to UCR to shed some light on his struggles and successes in the fast-paced entertainment industry. The Student Recreation Center was full of students and other individuals on Thursday night hoping to be inspired by the man behind masterpieces such as Academy Award-nominated film “Do the Right Thing” and the thoughtprovoking movie “Bamboozled.” Lee’s unique style of creating stories and his ability to fearlessly tackle controversial subjects has allowed him to become a trailblazer for many upcoming filmmakers, especially AfricanAmericans. Well-versed in Lee’s movies, I couldn’t deny my excitement and looked forward to an evening that would be nothing but memorable. Doors opened at 6 p.m. and guests made their way to their seats. We were entertained by old-school hits blaring from the speakers near the stage while we waited for the speaking engagement to begin. The event began an hour later and Lee was met with a standing ovation as he made his way to the stage. The rows of seats set up in front of the stage were filled with onlookers, with some attendees having to be seated in the bleachers of the basketball court. “Y’all are on the quarter system, huh? That sucks,” Lee joked before he began his speech. The crowd laughed while settling in to hear about Lee’s beginnings. “How many of you know exactly what you want
to do?” he asked. A few audience members raised their hands and Lee went on to explain that he had no idea what he wanted to do when he started college. Without a clear vision, he had little drive and ended up doing poorly in school. “It wasn’t that I wasn’t smart, I just wasn’t motivated,” Lee explained. One summer, he received a camera as a gift from a friend and everything changed. It became a hobby out of boredom and by the summer’s end, he realized he had an entire documentary. When he returned to school, a teacher went above and beyond to help him realize his untapped potential. “This man had a family but he would stay after school just to help me,” Lee said. He went on to explain the importance of a strong support system. “I’m going to say something twice: Parents kill more dreams than anyone,” Lee emphasized. He explained that parents often want the best for their children. Unfortunately, they consequently tend to overlook their child’s talents to persuade them to pursue a career that will guarantee a substantial amount of money. The audience chuckled and nodded their heads in agreement while Lee went on to explain how thankful he was
for his aforementioned teacher, as well as his grandmother, who had nothing but faith in him throughout his entire career. As college students, it’s often a struggle to follow your dreams when you’re worried about your financial stability in the future. But according to Lee, the worst thing you can do is pick a college major simply because you feel it will earn you a big paycheck. “People with hella money in the bank kill themselves all the time,” Lee said. “That should tell you something.” The arts can be number one on the “Things You Don’t Want to Tell Your Parents You Want to Pursue” list. Recognizing this, Lee encouraged students to follow their passions nonetheless. In addition, he reiterated that students need to be steadfast in their pursuits. “Nothing is going to be handed to you,” Lee said. He admitted that he believes our generation wants results quick and easy, without putting in the necessary work to achieve them. “You’re not going to be standing somewhere and just get discovered, that stuff doesn’t happen,” Lee said. Lee made it clear: Don’t let anyone rain on your parade. This saying may be corny but it’s
Recognizing this, Lee encouraged students to follow their passions nonetheless. In addition, he reiterated that students need to be steadfast in their pursuits.
a universal truth and Lee seemed to agree. He encouraged the audience to drop anyone in their lives who reeks of negativity and make the most out of negative situations. “You must turn negativity into positivity,” Lee stated. It’s hard to succeed when those around you convince you to stop trying before you even start. Getting rid of poisonous people in your life may be hard but according to Lee, it’s something that must be done. Lee made a few closing remarks and then asked for the house lights to be turned on to get a Q-and-A going. Fans jumped out of their seats and made their way to a microphone in front of the stage to get personal advice from the renowned storyteller. Inquisitors ranged from aspiring filmmakers to pharmaceutical majors. When someone asked why he’d let people like Tyler Perry become the frontrunner in black film, Lee met the question with humor, exclaiming, “What do you mean ‘let’? I’m not the all-powerful Oz.” He recounted his experiences working with actor Denzel Washington as well as commenting on everything from recent events in sports to his opinion on USC’s film program. The night was filled with laughs and valuable life lessons. Follow your dreams. Turn negative energy into fuel; use it to propel yourself further, and never let the opinions of others deter you from your path. Lee’s message rang loud and clear, leaving students with hope and excitement for the future as we end this school year. ■H
Spike Lee answered questions from attendees about various topics, ranging from Lee’s creative processes, to his many films and to who would take the position of Knicks head coach.
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FEATURES
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
HIGHLANDER
The Power of Historical Fantasy:
Tim Powers Speaks to UCR By Stasean Washington, Staff Writer // Photos by Laura Nguyen
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Tim Powers describes the basis for how he goes about writing his novels.
n the Bible, God created the world in seven days. For science fiction and fantasy writers, this can take an entire lifetime. The most important thing to remember in these genres is that there are no such things as limits: writers have complete control over the story they want to create. They can take readers to the vast lands of Middle Earth, or send them up into space to a galaxy far, far away. But as the writer, you are responsible for building the world your reader will reside in, and this can take a lot of time and energy, if not more than the actual story. This past Friday, the Science Fiction Collective Mellon Group hosted, “History and the Fantastic: A talk by Tim Powers.” Anyone who was interested in writing in fantasy and science fiction got a crash course on how to make their world-building more potent. Powers discussed the relationship between history and fiction in his works and explored how and why real historical periods and characters are an important foundation for effective fantastic fiction. Powers is a multiple awardwinning author who has written such influential novels as, “The Anubis Gates,” “The Stress of Her Regard,” “Last Call” and “Declare,” receiving some of the highest awards in field. Powers is best known for his use of “secret histories” — revisionist interpretation of either fictional or real (known) history. He weaves supernatural and science fiction elements into the gaps of documented historical events featuring famous people. On the second floor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building, Powers stood in front of a group of no more than 30 individuals, which transpired as an intimate discussion among writers. “I had discovered that there are a
lot of advantages to writing a book set in a historical period,” Powers started. Powers explained that historical resources are readily available to help writers fully immerse readers. Powers explained why the method of using the “here and now” is a better setting than building a world from scratch. One of the advantages to writing fantasy is the ability to staple it onto reality. According to Powers, “The problem with writing fantasy is that if you give the reader a moment to reflect, the reader will remember that — ghosts, ancient gods, vampires is all this nonsense … I try to make the reader think it’s happening in the same world they live in.”
Anyone who was interested in writing in fantasy and science fiction got a crash course on how to make their world-building more potent. He went on to discuss his method of operation when writing one of his novels. “What I am looking for usually is an interesting, colorful situation, but also, I’m looking for historical characters whose actions are irrational and counterproductive,” Powers explained, “and in what supernatural context would this not be irrational behavior.” The conversation took a comedic turn as Powers explained how he began to wear his “paranoid goggles” sarcastically as he begged the question: “What were
they really up to?” Powers talked about meshing timelines with natural disasters, political movements and even assassinations, filling in the blanks with his own events. “It begins to fit together really smoothly and if it’s very late at night, I’ll find something that confirms it,” Powers joked. He continued to joke about the NSA being aware of his “research” and how indiscreet he had been with his emails. The conversation continued on its comedic roll, as Powers talked about how the supernatural can still affect even the most logical nonbeliever. “Even the most rational, sensible, adult readers have a capacity to be pulled in by supernatural events of a story because we’re wired that way.” He described that if anyone heard a knock on their door at three in the morning and a dragging on the floor, there would be a thought something supernatural was going on in the back of a person’s mind. “You only have to give them a little bit of a nudge,” he said. Powers then opened the floor to questions for those sitting in the audience. At this point Powers took the time to explain that it is easier to tell a person’s story if their lives are not completely chronicled — but if every second of that person’s life is written, then it becomes difficult to fill in your own blanks. Powers compared his work to doing “brilliant card tricks in a perfectly dark room” and in this case that rang true. When talking about “secret histories” and alternate universes, Powers explained that it’s all about the interpretation. Doing the research inevitably told the story, and the fact that it was real instead of being completely made-up is what made it so effective. ■H
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COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS LDRs, or long-distance relationships, can be extremely tricky to keep up, but it’s definitely not impossible to maintain a healthy relationship from miles apart.
To LDR or Not To LDR?
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Brenna Dilger, Staff Writer
s the spring quarter comes to a close, many couples are forced to separate — some are going back to different hometowns for the summer and others are being separated by after-graduation plans. And the big question for most of these couples is: Are we going to try a long-distance relationship (LDR)? I have had this conversation myself when I moved to California, leaving my boyfriend behind in the humidity of South Florida. Unable to break up, we had a long talk about how dedicated we were going to be to each other and how we were going to beat the odds and reunite one day. And now look at us — we haven’t spoken to each other in three years. That’s right, we failed miserably and broke up about four months into our LDR. But before you get discouraged, I should admit that I didn’t know what to expect from an LDR. I also made a lot of mistakes in handling that kind of a relationship. To make a long-distance relationship work, you need to know what you’re in for. If you take the time to consider the nature of a long-distance relationship and come to terms with the sacrifices you will have to make, then maybe you can overcome the odds — or at least handle it better than I did. First, you have to really think about your specific situation — what do you really want, what can you handle and how dedicated are you? Consider how long you will be apart, how far you will be apart and how strong your relationship is. If you’re only separating for the summer, you have a clear view of reuniting physically in three months, and that should be completely doable if you’ve been exclusive and in love for a while. But if your beloved is graduating and moving to a different state and you have no idea when or if he or she will ever be back, then that is a whole different story. Can you live off of Skype calls for an undefined amount of time? Also consider how much you trust your partner. Trust is key. End of discussion. If your trust in them is running low, then there is no way a long-distance relationship will work. If you try to engage in an LDR
without a healthy amount of trust, you will live out the last days of your relationship in complete paranoia and stress before the whole thing explodes so fiercely that you won’t talk to each other ever again. But even if you have achieved a maximum level of trust, you have to recognize that any long-distance relationship will be strained. Consider what you should expect once you’ve entered into the sexually frustrated and cyber-fueled world of LDR. Expect to not be able to touch your partner, hug your partner, kiss your partner or have sex with your partner for very long periods of time. It’s even harder than you think and it’s going to suck. The only way to remedy this situation is to take advantage of technology. Skype, Facetime, Snapchat … Do it all! Attempt anything to simulate real conversation and to create a feeling of closeness. And if you want to use these mediums to get out your sexual frustrations, it could probably be beneficial. Phone sex (or Skype sex) is a real thing, and it’s as close as you’re going to get to physical intimacy. However, be careful about images you share over social mediums or through the Internet, and make sure you really trust whoever you are being cyber sexy with. Also expect your partner to spend time with other people. Yes, they will probably go to parties without you. Yes, they will be in contact with attractive people. I know it is unsettling to know your partner is suddenly in a different social sphere without you, but you need to be able to react to their social life rationally. If you’re the type to fly off the handle if your partner doesn’t answer your text right away, then a long-distance relationship is going to be very hard on you. Expect to feel a disconnect from them every once in a while, especially if you two are fighting. It’s really hard to reconcile with each other when you can’t hug or cuddle. Consoling words only do so much. Consider using social mediums to be creatively sweet and to keep your partner feeling loved. Maybe make videos for them, send them cutesy emails, or leave
To make a long-distance relationship work, you need to know what you’re in for.
them sweet phone messages. The little things will help you maintain a strong bond, even when you feel distant. With graduation and the end of yet another academic year, some relationships may be tested with an LDR. If you are considering entering into a long-distance
relationship, I wish you luck. It isn’t impossible, but it is hard, and hopefully you will know what to expect and be prepared for the struggle. But even though it will be hard, if you and your partner really want to make things work and are ready to make sacrifices, then it’s worth trying. ■H
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Anchos Southwest Grill Maxine Arellano, Senior Staff Writer Photos by Vincent Ta Rating: ★★★☆☆
Anchos Southwest Grill offered hefty portions of Tex-Mex favorites.
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hen there are more energy drinks than actual food scattered across the dining table, it may be a sign to peel away from the computer and venture out for some real sustenance other than Girl Scout cookies. But when it comes to dining options around UCR, it’s either a meatball sub from Subway for the fifth time this week or load up the car and prepare for an adventure. I did just that and traveled to what seemed like East Jesus Nowhere. After we finished eating at Anchos Southwest Grill, however, I questioned if the expedition itself was really worth it. Now I knew that picking Anchos Southwest Grill, located at 10773 Hole Avenue and past Tyler Galleria, it wouldn’t just be a hop, skip and a jump. I don’t know if it was the sun that peaked perfectly through the clouds, or if my hunger had turned into delusion, but when we arrived, the pueblo-style restaurant had a glow around it. Closer to the entrance, I noticed bundles of ancho chiles hanging from the wooden spokes that stuck out from the roof while paper lanterns lined the patio seating. The outside transported us to Albuquerque, N.M. The aroma of fresh flour tortillas seeped through the open door. We ► SEE ANCHOS, PAGE 16
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► ANCHOS FROM PAGE 15
made our way through the large room, filled with tables and chatter that surrounded the tortilla machine. A woman in a folklorico dress patted masa (tortilla dough) and worked the machine for every guest to salivate over as they waited for their chips and salsa. Once I realized that each table also got complimentary tortillas, straight from the fire — with butter — I cracked my knuckles and prepared to dive in. Nothing can compare to homemade tortillas. I ripped it from my teeth and the flour brushed against my lips. The butter glided across the warm and thick texture and added to the richness. By the time I was four tortillas in, I finally took a glimpse at the menu. While munching and searching, I tried the salsa … which was somewhat peculiar. Instead of tomatoes, it used roasted tomatillos and chiles. At times, I found it quite bland, as it lacked spice and other flavors other than tomatillos. I also appreciate a strong kick in my salsa, while Anchos’ salsa was barely a flick. I asked the waitress what was more popular on the menu, to which she answered the carne asada. Being the frugal — some say cheap — person I am, I glanced at the price to find the uncut skirt steak priced at $22.50. I wondered how many other customers the restaurant suckered into spending that much on the “popular item.” A friend of mine happened to be one of the suckered customers, ordering the steak at medium rare. I ordered the chicken enchiladas “Christmas style,” which is half red and green sauce. Photo Editor Vincent Ta then ordered the “number three”: a beef taco, beef enchilada and tamale. By the time the second tortilla warmer reached the table, we questioned if the smorgasbord we just ordered was too much. Keeping the bar as high as the homemade tortillas had set it at, I dug into one of the three enchiladas. The green sauce was made of tomatillos with subtle jalapeno: pretty standard. The red sauce completely outdid the other, as the ancho chilies used were prominent throughout. Juicy, shredded chicken was wrapped in a soft, corn tortilla and topped with sour cream and tomatoes. But by the time I was halfway through the second enchilada, I found the plate quite tired. The entree came with a side of Spanish rice and a cup of beans. With one bite of the rice, I heard a “crunch” — rice is not supposed to be crunchy. Wilted parsley was woven through the rice and prepared with chicken bullion, which was completely bland. Needless to say, I didn’t touch the rice after that. The beans were interesting as they had a barbecue bean taste with hickory and a sweet quality. I was not sure if this style of beans tied together well with the dish. “This is the first time I have had a real tamale!” Vincent said, as he pulled off the corn husks that wrapped around the tamale.
I took a bite of the masa, which tasted as if canned creamed corn was the foundation of the dough. In the center, a sliver of a piquillo pepper rested on top of melted monterrey jack cheese. It was too overly sweet to be considered a cheese tamale. I responded to Vincent’s astonishment, “You still haven’t.” Poking the carne asada in the pool of its blood, it was clear that the steak was very rare. It had a great smoky flavor, but was way too rare for my taste, and way too rare to pass as medium rare. Even though the main course was subpar, we still shifted in our seat and contemplated the meaning of life as we stared into space in a food coma from trying everything on the table. The trip back to campus seemed a little shorter and with many more burps. My to-go box consisted a bible-sized stack of tortillas and the one sad enchilada. The tortillas may have set the bar a little too high for Anchos Southwest Grill, but at least I got one good thing out of it. ■H
FEATURES
With a vibrant bar for those looking for a drink, Anchos offers a full-bodied Tex-Mex restaurant experience.
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@highlanderradar
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Events this week Tuesday | 6/3
Wednesday | 6/4
Thursday | 6/5
Friday | 6/6
UCR Orchestra: Open House Concert @ Arts Building, 5 p.m. UCR Concert Band @ Arts Building, 7:30 p.m.
Concert of Mexican Music and Dance @ University Theatre, 8 p.m.
PLAYWORKS by UCR Undergraduate Playwrights @ Humanities Bulding, 8 p.m.
Cody C and TOKiMONSTA talk about their humble beginnings as DJs and how they created a name for themslves in the music industry.
CAMERON YONG / HIGHLANDER
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TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER
MOVIE REVIEWS COMING OUT SOON:
EDGE OF TOMORROW
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2
22 JUMP STREET
THE ROVER
A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST
RATING: ★☆☆☆☆
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BY: KELLY DUARTE, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
eth MacFarlane is in the saddle as lead actor, director, co-writer and even producer for “A Million Ways to Die in the West.” And that’s where the problem starts. MacFarlane’s style of comedy is so heavily immersed throughout the film that it feels like there was no one else involved to speak up to him and say, “This isn’t funny.” “A Million Ways to Die in the West” falls flat and brings little laughter. MacFarlane stars as Albert Stark, a sheep farmer who is seen by the town as a loser and a coward — so much that he is dumped by his girlfriend Louise (Amanda Seyfried) in the first 10 minutes. Stark is a fast-talking, bumbling guy who hates the West and everything about it and just wants out. Things change when Anna (Charlize Theron) rolls into town and makes it her mission to help Albert get Louise back and (surprise, surprise) falls for him instead. Things get complicated, however, when known outlaw Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson) arrives and turns out to be Anna’s husband, much to Stark’s surprise. Now, the movie gets some points for trying to follow the genre of satire, but it fails at doing so. Because it just comes down to this: Seth MacFarlane is not funny. Sure, he might have some good setups, but the payoffs are usually disappointing or nonexistent. In this movie, MacFarlane follows the same comedic routine of telling a joke and then having three minutes of awkward dialogue explaining exactly why the joke is funny and why you should laugh. It’s pointless and often kills the joke that would have been fine on its own. This might be a tolerable movie if he was not cast in the lead — it might have even been funny if a well-seasoned comedian who understood satire and timing would have been cast instead. But unfortunately, MacFarlane decided to star himself, and that man cannot act to save his life. He’s awkward during the funny scenes and lifeless when there’s drama. The other problem with the movie is that most of the jokes are hitor-miss, with most of them falling flat. The majority of this movie depends on shock value and slapstick humor, and it just doesn’t work. Just because someone falls off a horse or gets punched in the face doesn’t mean it’s automatically funny. The same goes for poop jokes. Do we really need three minutes of
Neil Patrick Harris taking a dump into a hat? Much of the movie is really dull, with a weak plot, an unfunny lead and just no situational humor to accompany the movie, mostly relying on predictable, cliched dialogue. The few funny scenes might not be over-the-top hilarious, but they will give you a slight chuckle. These are rare, and none involve MacFarlane. The supporting cast, which
. . . this movie depends on shock value and slapstick humor, and it just doesn’t work. includes Harris, Sarah Silverman and Giovanni Ribisi are pretty good, and carry most of the movie and comedy that MacFarlane fails to deliver. There are also a couple of good cameos that were enjoyable, with Christopher Lloyd, Gilbert Gottfried and Ryan Reynolds being among the stars that occupy this movie. The odd aspect of the movie is that it surprisingly looks really good. If you muted the movie and cut all the scenes with MacFarlane, this would
be a different movie, one that looks and feels like an homage to a classic Western. There are countless beautiful pans and helicopter shots of beautiful views and landscapes around New Mexico and Utah. Another thing that doesn’t fit into the same pattern as the movie are all the scenes involving Liam Neeson with Charlize Theron or the outlaws. These scenes are really grim and dark compared to the rest of the movie, as if it was interrupted by a serious Western that follows along the lines of “True Grit” or “Tombstone.” It’s weird, and another unnecessary element that doesn’t work for the movie. It just muddles the plot, and makes the movie feel like it’s constantly changing tones. If you’ve seen the trailer to “A Million Ways To Die In The West,” then that’s all you really need, because almost every scene that’s shown in the trailer is all the humor you are going to get. There is one unexpected cameo at the very end that was surprising and pretty funny, but it’s not worth the 116 minutes that you have to endure. Overall, this movie is pointless, bland, riddled with cliches and just downright bad. The movie may have shown countless ways to get killed in the West, but by the end of the movie, you’ll be the one who will be dead with ■H boredom.
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
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MALEFICENT
RATING: ★★☆☆☆
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BY: JAMESON ADAME, STAFF WRITER
ollywood has been on a kick lately with films like “Jack the Giant Slayer” and “Snow White and the Huntsman” — and television as well with “Once Upon a Time” — trying to breathe new life into, and cash in on, fables that were dominated decades ago by Disney. Not one to be left out of a trend however, Walt Disney Studios has released “Maleficent” from director Robert Stromberg, who attempts to give audiences the “real story” of Maleficent’s relationship with Sleeping Beauty. “Maleficent” focuses on the eponymous fairy from the Disney film “Sleeping B e a u t y, ” attempting to recast the villain as an antihero bent on righting the injustice caused by the folly of man. From the start, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) is revealed to have been an honorable, winged fairy-protector of the Moors, a land where magic thrives. When tricked and robbed of her wings by King Stefan (Sharlto Copley), she decides to take vengeance on his daughter Aurora (Elle Fanning). Following the basic set-up of the original “Sleeping Beauty,” the king entrusts his daughter to the three fairies, renamed Knotgrass, Flittle and Thistletwit (Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville and Juno Temple respectively) to keep her safe from the curse that is set to occur on her sixteenth birthday. After this point the film deviates, retelling the original story in a way that Maleficent becomes
the character the audience is intended to sympathize with. It’s unfortunate that the first problem the movie encounters comes at the expense of its potentially interesting plot. While it’s fine to rewrite a character like Maleficent to be the protagonist of her own film, the way this particular story goes about it is to kneecap the rest of the plot, making her into what is commonly called a “Mary Sue” (a character so perfect to the point of annoyance). As opposed to the original tale of a fairy so powerful that she became capricious and cursed a baby to die because she didn’t receive an invitation to a party, this version of the character is a fallen hero, driven to vengeful scorn by the acts of everyone around her. Think about the original “Sleeping Beauty” for a moment. Maleficent is probably what you remember best: a fairy who is crazy and powerful, has the coolest villain design ever and teleports in green explosions of fire that make Michael Bay feel tingly all over before finally turning into an awesome black dragon! The only times the movie was even worth watching was when she was on screen. With the new changes to her character however, Maleficent loses all of the wicked edginess that made her so unbelievably memorable in a movie so poorly received that it was Disney’s first loss in the fiscal year. Secondary characters aren’t exempt from screenwriter Linda Woolverton’s poor writing either.
Maleficent loses all of the wicked edginess that made her so unbelievably memorable . . .
Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios
The most poignant victims of this lack of imagination are King Stefan — Aurora’s father — and the three fairies to whom Aurora is entrusted. The King in this film is no longer the honorable and loving father who sacrificed a life with his daughter for her benefit, but now a man who becomes so consumed by ambition that he poisons everybody around him and eventually falls into a spiral of self-destructive suspicion. Though this is interesting in theory, the execution fails to live up to its potential, and the character comes off as a villain so cartoony he belongs in the original film. The fairies are changed in a similar manner. No longer the loveably inept surrogate mothers with the best intentions and hearts of gold, now they are parents so poor
that it’s surprising there wasn’t a plot point in the film where Child Protective Services tried to take the princess away. The computer effects in the film were also quite hit and miss. Sometimes, creatures of the Moors would look to have been crafted with painstaking effort, only for the film to cut to a green-screened shot of Maleficent flying, so poorly rendered that it’s easy to imagine the fan blowing her hair just offscreen. Even so, some of the computer-generated creatures of the film fail to compare to the others, and leaves one to wonder if this movie wouldn’t have been better served with practical effects. In spite of these issues, the film has its high points. By far, the single best actor in the film is Angelina Jolie as Maleficent,
acting out subtle moments of quiet rage to a tee and overacting just enough that she captures the bombast of the original villain we all know and love. The makeup and wardrobe she is given throughout the film are also splendid, and when taken all together, she looks and acts just as well as even the staunchest critic could have hoped for. “Maleficent” isn’t exactly a bad movie, but fails when compared to its source material, and it’s unfortunate that a film attempting to parody the oldschool plot conventions of traditional Disney came so close after “Frozen,” which did it far better. Angelina Jolie as Maleficent is the best reason to see this movie, but if she doesn’t personally interest you, this is a movie better off avoided in favor of the original film. ■H
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TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER
MUSIC REVIEWS IN CONFLICT // OWEN PALLETT
RATING: ★★★★☆ BY: JAKE RICH, SENIOR STAFF WRITER
O
wen Pallett is known as somewhat of a musical academic, penning numerous essays deconstructing elements of different popular songs to explain why they work and don’t work. And in his spare time, he is a frequent collaborator with Arcade Fire, arranging strings on all of their albums while also being nominated with band member Will Butler for best original score for the movie “Her.” Though I had listened to little of Pallett’s solo material (some of which was previously done under the moniker Final Fantasy — not to be confused with the video game), I had high expectations because of his established pedigree and by the fact that I always thought the strings in Arcade Fire songs were particularly strong. On “In Conflict,” his second solo album under his own name, Pallett provides a challenging soundscape to listeners that encompasses conflicts within one’s mind by throwing contrasting musical viewpoints together. The result is an honest look into the clashing thoughts that are tossed about in our own heads every day. Pallett finds the sweet spot on songs like the album opener, “I Am Not Afraid.” Discordant repetitive strings hang a constant worry in the background, while swirling synths come and go. Pallett’s boyish voice croons about overcoming fears of mortality and growing older as he sings, “And I’m not at all
afraid of changing / but I don’t know what good it would do me.” The conflicting lyrics, along with a sweeter-sounding orchestration that penetrates the discordance, make this song an encapsulation of why this album was titled, “In Conflict.” Pallett knows that his emotions can pull him in multiple directions at the same time, and rather than hiding from either set of them, puts them both on display at once — and shows us how difficult it can be to deal with them. Other songs, however, such as the bloated “Chorale,” are weighed down by Pallett’s struggle between his classical training and pop intuitions. While containing very expressive and honest personal lyrics, the song is scattered with watery synths and electronic drumbeats, and strings that continually threaten to reach a climax but never really take off. Pallett is at his best on this record when his surreal lyrics and soundscapes are able to surround and immerse us, rather than drown us. Tracks such as “The Passions,” wallow in more dissonance and melancholy vocals and lyrics, but at least to my ear are more stylistically modeled with classical elements. The dreariness seems to be intentional, and trying to prove that, like life, something can be harsh and sad, yet intricate and beautiful at the same time. In “The Riverbed,” Pallett at least comes to some kind of ease with his insecurities, as he sings
Courtesy of Domino Records
over triumphant yet anxious horns, “Out of thought, out of house, out of your mind / Lay your head, lay your heart next to mine / And try to admit that you might have it wrong.” The ease still comes with apprehension of future failings, as admitting we have a fault could leave room for future faults.
This is an album that is certainly a challenging listen, but gives more and more reward on repeated listens. Pallett’s straddling of pop and classical motifs keeps the album’s theme of having conflicts within one’s self represented by conflicts between the album’s music, and takes the listener along on
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its turbulent emotional journey. Pallett’s continual confrontation of styles ultimately makes for a work of great achievement and attention to detail — even if it’s occasionally bogged down by over-instrumentation. “In Conflict” is certainly one of the best records of the year, and the ■H most honest.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
HIGHLANDER
Staff Picks: How to beat the heat As we officially start June and summer comes ever closer, there’s no doubt that the near future will have crazy weather patterns, such as El Nino happening this summer or the recent Antarctic ice sheet melting. With that happy future in mind, here’s how the Highlander Staff plans to stay cool this summer:
Cameron Yong, Asst. Photo Editor
Nathan Swift, A&E Editor
Brandy Coats, Prod. Manager
Christal Mims, Asst. A&E Editor
Jake Rich, Managing Editor
If a tauntaun’s gut can save me from the cold I’m sure it can save me from the heat. So that’s my summer.
Construct cryogenic suit for permanent residence, adopt heavy Austrian accent, attempt terrible one-line puns.
Going home to lovely San Diego.
Sticking my head in the freezer every five minutes.
Sitting in an air-conditioned house with a blanket and going through an unhealthy amount of TV shows on Netflix.
Vincent Ta, Photo Editor
Cody Nguyen, Asst. Sports Editor
By listening to “Summer” by Calvin Harris and dealing with it.
Not being in Riverside.
Sandy Van, News Editor
Maxine Arellano, Features Editor
By cruising around in my boat ... and working to afford said boat ...
Sizzle under the sun and get as dark as Wesley Snipes, like every other “Lifeguard Summer.”
SPORTS
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
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SPORTS POLL What would you like to see UCR sports improve upon for next year?
Maritza Cuateco History Fourth-year “If they had more equally gendered teams; just to have the same ratio, like boys’ volleyball and girls’ volleyball.”
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Campus 12-step meetings Tuesday – Step Study Wednesday – Meditation Thursday – Discussion St. Andrew Newman Center 105 W Big Springs Rd, 92507 Noon-1 p.m. -------Good luck on finals Sireena Sy!
Mahesh Neupane Electrical Engineering Ph.D. Fifth-year “We’d like our UCR basketball team to improve. They’ve been losing so much in the past years.”
Nikhel Patel Biology First-year “I feel like as a school we need to be more engaged and involved in our athletics. Little things like a tailgate bring people together.”
China Yin Electrical Engineering Ph.D. Fourth-year “I heard that we have a Chinese student on the basketball team. Some of my friends are really excited to see him. It’ll definitely attract more people.”
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Eric Johnson Mechanical Engineering First-year “I feel like at the sporting events they should have special nights for the students. Like a student appreciation night.”
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TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
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HIGHLANDER
Highlanders earn conference recognition in baseball, track ALEXANDER MANZO Contributing Writer
On Tuesday, May 27, the Big West announced that eight members of the UC Riverside baseball team have been named to All-Conference teams. Leftfielder Thomas Walker and pitcher Dylan Stuart were named to the First-Team AllBig West team. Both players had an excellent season. Walker took charge and led the Highlanders with a conference batting average of .348 and a .472 slug percentage. He also had the second-best on base percentage in the Big West with .404. Walker’s 18 RBIs also tied him at fifth place in the conference. Stuart ended conference play with an outstanding ERA of 0.00 after his 34.0 innings this season. He also went 3-0 through the season and racked up four saves. Almost never starting a game, Stuart still finished third for the Highlanders with 68.2 innings pitched. Outfielder Devyn Bolasky was named to the All-Big West Second Team and sported an impressive .336 overall batting average. First baseman Francisco Tellez, second baseman Joe Chavez, shortstop Nick Vilter,
rightfielder David Andriese and starting pitcher Jake Smigelski were All-Big West Honorable Mentions. Chavez took the lead in the Big West with 22 stolen bases and was second in runs scored with 45. Vilter held a conference lead with 10 home runs this year, and earned the lead in the Big West with a .550 slugging percentage. Tellez tied for third in the league with his 45 RBIs. Andriese also made top 10, placing sixth in the league with 38 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. Smigelski started every Friday night game, finished in 10th in innings pitched with 91.1 and managed to tie for fourth in the Big West with eight victories. The five conference wins he threw were also good for third place in the league. Off the baseball field, UCR track and field alumna Brenda Martinez made waves as the anchor for the U.S. Women’s 4x800-meter relay team this past Sunday. At the inaugural International Association of Athletics Federations World Relays, the team not only brought home the gold medal but also set a new American record. The time of 8:01:58 beat the previous record by three seconds. ■H
JASPERY GOH / HIGHLANDER Eight members of the UC Riverside baseball team earned the honor of being in the All-Big West teams.
Track and field sends Ted Hooper to NCAA championship CODY NGUYEN Senior Staff Writer
Of the seven UCR athletes competing in the NCAA West Regional Championship in Fayetteville, Ark., last weekend, Ted Hooper was the sole Highlander who earned the privilege of being able to compete at the National Championship to take place in two weeks. UCR’s long jump legend Ted Hooper p u n c h e d his ticket to Oregon with his impressive performance on Thursday. H o o p e r ’ s 25.75-foot leap was good enough for second place in the event, as well as a trip to Eugene, Ore. next Thursday. With nearly two weeks to prepare for one of the biggest stages of his life, Ted Hooper looks to end his junior year with a bang. Of the other athletes on the men’s side, Michael Koger competed in the 400m hurdles, finishing in 39th place with a time of 52.87 seconds. Caleb Stuart and Carl Nahigan competed in the shot put, with the former finishing in 41st place and the latter fouling out on all three of his attempts. Chima Ikeme competed in the men’s discus
for the Highlanders and finished in 42nd place with a toss of 166 feet and seven inches. On the women’s side, Danielle Littleton’s time of 13.84 seconds in the 100m hurdles earned her a spot in the quarterfinals by the slimmest of margins. Of the 46 competitors in the preliminaries, the top 24 were set to advance. Littleton earned the 24th and final spot with the next competitor clocking in at 13.842 seconds (a difference of two thousandths of a second). In the quarterfinals, Littleton finished in 22nd place with a time of 13.73 seconds, a mark that was shy of the cutoff (top 12) for a spot in the NCAA championship. Littleton also competed in the long jump, finishing with a leap of 19 feet and nine inches, tying her for 15th place with four other athletes, with the top 16 set to advance. With a tiebreaker that judges athletes on their second-best jump, Littleton barely missed the cut and found herself on the outside looking in. Phoenisha Schuhmeier also competed in the long jump for UCR, and finished in 38th place with a leap of 18 feet and five ■H inches.
With nearly two weeks to prepare for one of the biggest stages of his life, Ted Hooper looks to end his junior year with a bang.
ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER
UCR’s long jump star Ted Hooper will be representing the Highlanders in Eugene, Ore. in two weeks.