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Red Light Robbery

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photo by flickr user Wyrmworld

By Griffin Laymon

The controversial issue of red light cameras in San Diego may soon come to a stop, or at least change course. Mayor Bob Filner recently promised to scale down the program that over the past year earned San Diego over $200,000. With reports of these cameras going off randomly, and actually adding to the amount of rear end collisions at intersections, many are excited about the disposal of these cameras. Also, with the penalty for being caught by these cameras in the $450 – $550 range, it is impossible to see why someone would not welcome the idea of the doing away with of these cameras.

It turns out that many of the tickets that result from red light cameras don’t hold up in court. In fact, many are thrown out before they’re even reviewed because of questions about accuracy. With this in mind one must wonder: “what is the purpose of these cameras if they are not even effective?” With half of the cases being thrown out and half being sent to the courts, citizens are beginning to realize that there is some unfairness to the process. This is leading to many lawsuits against the county concerning these cameras. With over 11,000 of these cases in Los Angeles, the courts’ budgets are dwindling, as these lawsuits take up 30 percent of all traffic cases on the calendar. Los Angeles is expected to take out all red light cameras by July 31st.

Red light cameras have actually been proven to cause more accidents, as “the number of rear end collisions has increased by almost 15 percent,” stated the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The cause of this increase is drivers who would usually coast through a yellow light instead slam on their brakes in fear of being ticketed. This then causes the driver behind to jam on their brakes; with all the chaos of trying to slow down, the chances of a rear end collision are much larger. The Harbor and Grape intersection near Lindbergh Field has one of the most infamous red light cameras, spotting 389 violations in the past month. Due to this intersection’s extremely active cameras, the staggering amounts of fender benders that take place at it are no surprise.

With California counties slowing down the use of red light cameras, driver’s safety and time will be conserved. Despite the fact that some cities say that the cameras are helpful, the time and money of the courts and police can be used in much more productive ways than monitoring these cameras.

 


Fishing

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photo by flickr user NOAA Photo Library

By Zach Kucinski

With Spring just around the corner, fishermen have high expectations for a the upcoming fishing season! Last year, Southern  California’s offshore seasons was one of the best in years;  yellowtail, dorado, yellowfin tuna fish and bluefin tuna fish were all fairly abundant within a 40 mile radius of San Diego, and sometimes more abundant further south. The summer also produced a decent  inshore season that seemed to provide quality over quantity.

As the winter waters remain cold all eyes are on the inshore scene.  Rockfish season is closed each year from January 1st through the end of February, and generally the cold water does not provide anglers with a good opportunity to catch bass, barracuda, and yellowtail which are more aggressive in warm summer waters. When the water is cold in the winter, rockfish tend to be the only fish who don’t suffer from lockjaw. When rockfish season closes, it’s hard to get anything to bite. Some hardcore anglers will fish halibut with some success, others fish tight to structure for bass, but the cold water keeps the bite from being wide open.  Homeguard yellowtail, yellowtail that live locally year-round and plump up on squid and mackerel, have put on a few showings off La Jolla. Anglers who are able to make squid have been productive and the heavy sinking jigs have been working, if you are willing to put in the effort. Rockfish are in season in Mexican waters and ¾ day boats have been putting a ‘reel’ hurting on the bottom dwellers as well as occasional the yellowtail. On March 1st rockfish season opened, and fisherman all across Southern California raced to the water to get a chance at rockfish, sheephead, whitefish, and lingcod.

This new season has also brought new regulations aimed at conserving and managing current fisheries. Among them is a new size and bag limit for all bass. The new minimum size is 14 inches and only 5 of any combination of spotted bay, sand, and calico basses may be kept. But this attempt at conservation has raised some controversy. The new minimum length of 14 inches, compared to its previous minimum length of 12 inches, may encourage the keeping of larger fish. These large bass are sometimes called “big breeders” because the fish can produce much more eggs than a smaller fish. Although unlikely, this could prove detrimental, but only time will tell. Other new regulations include a shallower minimum fishing depth, from 60 fathoms to 50 fathoms, and an increase in bocaccio bag limit to three fish per angler.

With the season now it’s time to get out there and catch some fish! Good luck to all fishing the season!

Inocente

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photo by flickr user cliff1066™

By Daria Kochevaia

Last Sunday, a proud surprise for San Diegans unraveled itself at the Academy Awards. The short film documentary, Inocente, directed by local Andrea Nix Fine and her husband, Sean Fine, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. “Last night still sinking in” the couple’s company’s Twitter updated on the Monday morning after.  Indeed, the couple have a lot to be shocked about. They owe the release of their documentary to the online funding company Kickstarter. It’s a website that people can use to set a goal fundraising total for their project of interest, and collect donations from others on the website to get to their set objective. The couple raised over $52,000 for their film through the website, which provided  the major funding behind the film. Inocente is the first Kickstarert funded film to even get nominated for an Academy Award.

The couple met during their years at Colby College after having taken the school’s first video production class. Their first documentary together was called “War/Dance” and they’ve worked together since then. They’re said to be the first Colby graduates to receive an Oscar nomination, according to their former professor Phyllis Mannochi.

Innocente follows a 15 year old homeless girl from San Diego of the same name, who realizes her passion for art and follows it to create a career for herself. She faces problems at home, including her siblings entering foster care during her introspective journey. Her passion for color is reflected in her often eccentric choice in makeup, which she draws around her eyes with paint in vibrant hues.  The story is told entirely from her point of view as she goes on a life changing journey that ends with her being able to open her own art exhibition. Her work is displayed and eventually helps her jumpstart her career in the art world, helping her poor family get out of poverty and settle down with a roof over their head. Inocente is a compelling journey that keeps you watching until the end, like a brilliantly portrayed page turner. Today, Inocente herself is living with her family in a shelter, however the demand for her artwork is very high as she’s selling pieces of work by the thousands of dollars. Inocente hopes to continue her schooling and her art career to one day own a place of her own for her and her family.

Full episodes of the documentary Inocente can be viewed on MTV’s online website.

Hanging out with Hanggie

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Welcome to the world of one of the newest AP Language teachers: brightly colored poster boards, a twitter wall, and several movie posters hanging from the walls, including one from her favorite movie, Midnight in Paris.

​Ms. Hanggie, a native of Encinitas, says that becoming a teacher was always a childhood “dream” for her. However, it wasn’t until her AP Language class at La Costa Canyon High School that she decided teaching would be her future. Although Ms. Hanggie always regarded English as her best subject, herown AP Language teacher “really pushed [her] and showed[her] that even though you’re good at it, you still have things to learn even in the subject that you’re the best at.” This sense of self-determination and motivation carried Ms. Hanggie through her English Literature major and Integrated Education program at Chapman University to receive her teaching credentials. After graduating, there was never a question of what she would choose to do for the rest of her life. “English is what I loved so I figured, what better career to choose?”

​Hanggie decided to teach high school as opposed to middle or elementary school because she “wanted to have an intellectual conversation with [her] students.” She also decided that her self-described “sarcastic” personality would match up better with an older age group.

​After securing a job teaching AP Language and English 12at Canyon Crest Academy, Hanggie describes “the first time when I came here and met you guys the first week, I thought that I would’ve died to come here in high school. I think it’s a really accepting campus.” Although Hanggie loves teaching AP 11, she insists that literature is her favorite part of English and states that she “enjoys talking to students about what they see in literature – themes, motifs, connects they make to their own lives – that’s what I enjoy the most.”

​Although teaching is her passion, Hanggie recognizes that there have been a few obstacles to overcome in her first year of teaching. “ You have this preconceived notion of what you think teaching is going to be. Once I got here, yes, it is different than student teaching, but it’s a lot of tough work.” After pausing for a second, she comically asserts that “I’m tired a lot, but every teacher will tell you that their first year was the hardest.”However, perhaps one of the biggest surprises is the atmosphere of Canyon Crest itself. It’s no surprise that many people on campus would describe out students, faculty, and atmosphere as “weird.” However, Hanggie takes a different approach when describing Canyon Crest Academy in one word, stating that we are “progressive. We’re always trying to think of new ways to make the classroom fun and innovative. The students are a progressive group of kids, not a lot of teenagers are all about being themselves and accepting others for who they are.”

​Outside of school, Hanggie coaches cheer along with her sister and appreciates taking a break from the stressful events a school day can bring. It also gives her a chance to do another activity that she loves – dance. When Ms. Hanggie isn’t coaching or teaching, she adores novels such as The Kite Runner and The Other Boleyn Girl, and listening to songs from her favorite band, Maroon 5.

​Walking through the hallways, many may believe that Ms.Hanggie is a student with her youthful appearance and modern ensembles. Through her first year as a teacher here at Canyon Crest Academy, Ms. Hanggie hopes to prove that she is more than qualified to become an inspirational instructor, much like her own AP Language teacher.

 

Science Fair

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photo by flickr user RichardBowen

By Rithika Verma

Amid approaching events like Challenge Day and finals “The Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair” is coming up, giving viewers the opportunity to see all the science projects from participators across the San Diego County. The 59th Annual Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair takes place on March 20th at the Balboa Park Activity Center and projects will be made open to the public the three days following.

Approximately a month ago projects from numerous students from grades 7-12 entered for approval in the “screening fair” process. This process involves checking for any use of hazardous materials and making changes in order to move on to actual science fair. Numerous students from our own Canyon Crest Academy are participating in this year’s science fair and their original projects range from working with cancer cells to observing different processes of life.

Many students work in a laboratory or work in our school facilities in the “Quest” room.  After taking Research Methods (Quest I), a student can take Applied Sciences (Quest II) to have ample time to undergo the process of creating a science fair experiment. Applied Sciences takes all the techniques learned from Research Methods and allows one to apply it to an independent science experiment/project that can be entered in the science fair. Applied Sciences is offered only in the fall semester to prepare for the Science Fair, which takes place in March.

Senior and four-time participant, Nikita Akkala still gets nervous for science fair and is attempting to get her research published. She has previously won categories of Behavioral Sciences and Medicine in Health and multiple professional science awards from companies and foundations. Akkala is president of the student advisor board for The Greater Science and Engineering Fair, which is a committee of ten to fifteen students around San Diego. They hold workshops teaching students how to put together a science fair project and how to get in touch with laboratories. The committee also visits schools around the area to introduce students to the opportunities of science fair and what they can gain from such an experience.

Akkala conducted her research at a lab in the UCSD Moores cancer center. She has expanded and furthered her project from the previous year. She tested the effects of immunosuppressant drugs on proliferation and differentiation on glioblastoma stem cells (the most aggressive brain tumor cells in humans), and normal neurostem cells. In essence, she attempted to see how these drugs typically used for transplants and their suppressive properties affects brain tumor cells and regular brain cells. Gaining favorable results, her goal was accomplished as she observed that the drugs aided in suppressing the brain tumor cells while leaving the regular brain cells intact.

Quest I taught Akkala research methods that she uses at her lab and exposed her to the use of stem cells which initially inspired her to work with them. Quest II gave a lot of time to work and focus in on her project and taught her how to get in contact with labs around the area for help. Interest in Science Fair has gained momentum at Canyon Crest Academy over the years as many of the students have become involved, especially with the unique opportunity of taking Quest, which encourages kids to take their passion for science further.

Too many options!

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By Brian Chekal

The rolling murmur of the crowd eased into silence as the presentation began. The counselors began their talk with the routine, students already accustomed to the act began to quietly doze off as the all-knowing counselors outlined course selection. It was only until the words “what’s going to be different next year” came up that they began to actually pay attention. Students began to quietly murmur amongst themselves when the new changes were announced, already curious to see if their friends were willing to go out on a limb and take some of the new classes with them. With upcoming rule changes as well as a whole host of new courses, next year promises to be one in sync with the CCA code of creativity and uniqueness.

So what exactly can you expect these changes to do? What are they and how do they affect me? According to the counseling department, it all boils down to this, all students, regardless of class and schedules will not be able to switch their electives. In essence, this literally means, you get what you signed up for, nothing more and nothing (well maybe…) less. However, under certain conditions,  such level changes or period conflicts, students may be allowed, even forced, to alter their schedules, if a class lacks enough members to be effective it may not be offered, or a level change to and from an honors class may be permitted.  As many upperclassmen can attest to, schedule changes are already near impossible, as it not only places considerable burdens on the student with the addition of missed homework assignments/lessons, but also in havoc. A student change out or in might make a class’s population too high or too low and counselors are hesitant to say the least, knowing that any change made on a whim results in millions of headaches for both them and the student. In short, these changes to the elective system go beyond the current restrictions, placing a rule to be cited in defense of the status quo. Though one of the bigger changes, electives are not alone, a variety of new courses will be offered this following year.

Of the new courses being offered next year, a large portion will be in the math department. Mr.Shay, a well-known and popular figure on campus has championed a new class called Discrete Mathematics, a course that is designed to apply some of the higher principles of math taught in schools to situations one might face in life, dabbling in statistics as well. However, many of the academic electives students seek after here at CCA are in need of early applicants. Discrete Mathematics will be a part of a certain group of classes that require a predetermined amount of students to even exist, a collection that also includes Surf PE and AP Art History. It has always been recommended to turn in course selections early, in order to avoid missing any deadlines or missing documents, but it becomes essential for classes like these. If you’re interested in a class, put it down, because you might want to take it later in your high school career and find out that the classes did not meet their student quotas and will not be offered that year.

It is always a hectic and mad rush to fill out all required forms on paper and on Aeries when it comes to course selections. However, it’s always underlined with a sense of accomplishment and excitement, choosing classes with friends and family, knowing that the next year is already so close. This year’s course selection promises to be even more so, with its new offerings in place. Remember, choose wisely!

Moby-Dick Marathon

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photo by flickr user Luke Pearson

 

By Delaney Roth

Spending 24 hours reading the classic novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, cover to cover, may not sound like something most people would want to do, especially when you have sleep as an alternative. However, athough this may not sound like the most enthralling way to pull an all-nighter, the CCA performance of the work will absolutely be a must see.

At least once in your lives you have all at least heard the name of “Moby-Dick” mentioned, but for those of you who have no clue what this novel is or why anyone would want to spend an entire day reading it straight through, Moby-Dick tells the story of a sailor, Ishmael, on a voyage commanded by Captain Ahab whose mission is to seek out the cruel white sperm whale, Moby Dick, who snatched his leg in a previous encounter. The Moby-Dick Marathon has occurred annually all over the country, and with each year becomes a more well-known event appearing in new communities every time.

Organizations that put on one of these marathons usually will host it in celebration of an important date; as in the publication date (November 14, 1851), Herman Melville’s birthday (August 1, 1819), or even the anniversary of Melville’s departure from the port of New Bedford aboard the whale ship Acushnet in January of 1841.

Canyon Crest’s twist on the Moby-Dick Marathon will include a lot more excitement than just sitting and listening to people read on a stage. Canyon Crest’s students are working together with English teacher, Mr. Leal, and many other staff members, to pull off a moving production for everyone that will be sure to keep you awake and excited from start to finish. It will include various performances from the dance department, the art department, the music department, and of course the students volunteering in the reading portion of the marathon. Griffin Carlborg and Jack Conway are working on the music section which will include pieces from Canyon Crest’s wind ensemble, choir, and jazz band. Students in the dance department have been practicing with conservatory and working individually to create choreographed dances to perform during different scenes in the tale, and the art department has been working to craft a picture book that you can turn to follow along as you listen to the story.

Canyon Crest students have been working to construct this project since the beginning of the school year, devoting their time and energy to ensure this creation is a masterpiece. The Moby-Dick Marathon will be hosted in the Proscenium Theatre on Friday the 24 to the 25 of May. If you want to join in on the fun but want to take it a step further than just going to watch and enjoy, reading auditions are being held during 4th period and after school. Anyone can sign up and everyone is welcome. You can try out for an opportunity to read at the marathon by making an appointment with Noah Wells by emailing him at ncwells@me.com.

The Moby-Dick Marathon promises to be a great event, and one that you should attend, to enjoy and support all the effort that our fellow Canyon Crest students and staff put into it.

Dennis Rodman-America’s Greatest Asset?

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photo by flickr user OPEN Sports

By Kyle Grozen

Last week, retired American basketball player and cultural phenomenon Dennis Rodman visited North Korea and met with leader Kim Jong-Un, whom he praised for his hospitality, kindness, and generosity.

Yes, you read that right: he praised Kim Jong-Un for his hospitality, kindness, and generosity.

Just when you thought Rodman couldn’t get any crazier, he spent his time in the People’s Republic attending basketball games with the Harlem Globetrotters and serving as Kim Jong-Un’s personal guest, attending many a lavish feast with the leader. The two men developed a fast friendship in a way that only two completely insane people can, and Rodman was fast to justify Kim’s personality upon returning to the United States. “He’s an awesome guy,” said Rodman last week on ABC’s “This Week.” Rodman elaborated by saying that Kim’s ruling tactics are not nearly as bad as his ancestors, stating that “He’s not his father. He’s not his grandfather.” Though the testimony of Dennis Rodman will do little to assuage the anxieties of numerous Americans, his pseudo-diplomatic trip could legitimately help improve relations between the two countries.

Tensions between the United States and the communist People’s Republic of Korea have been high since the Cold War, as the U.S. has worked to eliminate communist dictators from the planet but has failed to eradicate the Kim dynasty in North Korea. Recent nuclear testing conflicts have only added to these anxieties, and North Korea’s progress in weapons of mass destruction is one of the largest legitimate threats to United States security in today’s world. In terms of foreign policy, North Korea is arguably the United States’ biggest monster to tackle; this is why Rodman should be used to the greatest possible extent in establishing better relations with Kim Jong-Un, who took power in December 2011 following the death of his father.

Rodman has been a cultural confusion for years since his retirement from the NBA; his antics have brought him fame among social psychologists, reality TV junkies, and rebellious college students. For all his issues, however, Rodman is clearly capable of interacting with Kim Jong-Un on a personal level, something no American up to this point has been able to do. Though his experience and knowledge of international diplomacy is highly limited, being diplomatic just comes down to getting along with people, and if Rodman is able to get along with Kim Jong-Un, he could prove to be America’s most valuable asset in its largest contemporary foreign policy battle. He discovered Kim’s passion for basketball and pointed out that “Obama loves basketball. Let’s start there.” In doing this, Rodman found what no American has yet found in terms of interacting with North Korea- a starting point. Regardless of how the issue is approached, America has a long way to go in diplomacy with the People’s Republic, and if Rodman already has an in with the North Korean dictator, that should be used to the greatest possible extent. With Rodman’s help, we could be able to develop cordial relations with a previously hostile nation over a personal relationship between one country’s largest leader and another’s largest personality.

So Obama: get Kim Jong-Un’s number from Rodman and shoot him a text. Maybe he has some insight as to whether the Lakers will make the playoffs or when Derrick Rose will return.


New TSA Regulations

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photo by flickr user OnTask

By Lauren Uchiyama

Beginning April 25, 2013, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will allow passengers to carry-on planes certain objects including types of knives, some sporting equipment, and “novelty bats.”  What has ignited this sudden change in TSA approved objects?  Well, a number of things have; primarily the increasing technological advances for airport security.

The TSA has reported that this sudden change of carry-on policy is fueled by the constant technological advancements of both potential terrorist threats and the security of the airport.  Since there are an increasing amount of substances (i.e. explosives) that can now be used against innocent passengers, the constant search for the current prohibited items is slowing security, and by allowing some of these items aboard the plane, security will move quicker and hypothetically allow TSA to scrutinize passengers’ belongings closer because they do not have to worry about small two foot long bats and 2 in. x 0.5 in. knives.

Knives pending legality include non-fixed blades with no molded grip that are no longer than 2.36 inches long and no wider than 0.5 inches; nonetheless, box cutters are still prohibited even though they are smaller than pending legal knives in lieu of the infamous September 11th box cutter theory.  Stacy Martin, president of the Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant Union, expressed in a CBS interview her apprehension about this new regulation, stating that “all it took was box cutters coming through,” thus supporting the idea that any sharp object can intimidate passengers and ultimately cause huge devastation to the country.

However, some of the new regulations are reasonable in that they allow sports teams to travel without having to check $50 bags to transport their hockey or lacrosse stick from city to city.  This could be especially helpful for high school, college, or even professional sports teams to travel without checking a small stick that will obviously not be used to intentionally harm someone.  These new guidelines also allow ski poles for the Lindsey Vonn’s, up to two golf clubs for the Tiger Woods’, pool sticks, lacrosse sticks (including the men’s long-stick defense poles) and hockey sticks aboard the plane.  This may make team travel significantly easier and much cheaper for travel

Unfortunately, the TSA left out one sport with a potentially hazardous stick: baseball.  Though bats will be permitted on planes, they have to be less than 24 inches long and weigh less than 24 ounces.  Ironically, the longest men’s defensive lacrosse shaft and head is typically around 60 inches long.  And although the density of a baseball bat greatly differs from that of a lacrosse stick, it is still approximately 2.5 times as long.

Will these new items aboard planes cause any impending post- 9/11 attack?  It is definitely possible, but in the world of explosives, we are always more concerned about 3-ounce liquids than a six foot tall man with a large stick in his hand and a two-inch blade in his pocket.

Spring Sports

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photo by flickr user slapstix55

By Griffin Laymon

Spring sports have finally arrived!  As the season starts, the anticipation for this year’s spring athletics is evident at CCA.

Let’s start off with swim, one of the most physically demanding sports our school offers. Last year, the swim team won the Valley league and is looking to repeat this year. “We have a strong group of underclassmen and great leaders that we’re hoping guide us to another league championship, even in the more competitive Palomar League,” said standout junior Kyle Grozen, a 3-year varsity member.  With a challenging schedule ahead, the swim team has their work cut out for them.

Girls and Boys Lacrosse have both made drastic improvements over the last few years. On the boys’ side, the team has gone from being 2-16 four years ago to winning their first 5 games this season, and looking like a definite playoff contender. Girls’ lacrosse has had the same trend as the boys, going 2-11 in 2007; they strongly believe they will bring home the CIF title this year.

Baseball has started slowly with a 1-2 record coming off a tough season last year. On the softball field the girls are preparing to face Bishop’s for their first game on March 21st.  With a young yet passionate team, softball hopes to make a playoff run this year.

On the volleyball court, the boys expect to win their next game against SDA. After losing to San Pasqual 3 sets to 1, they are fired up and ready to go. “After a disappointing  first game, we figured out what we need to do to be successful this year,” says junior Zack Simon. After losing in the CIF semi-finals to La Jolla last year, boys’ volleyball is looking for revenge and a shot at the title.

After an outstanding season last year, the Canyon Crest track team is looking to repeat their success this year. By sending three athletes to the state competition in 2012, Canyon Crest received much recognition and respect from other schools. Also, the team earned themselves the label of one of the best up and coming track groups in the county. With their first win in the bag, the team is looking forward to their meet against Mt. Carmel on the 23rd.

Despite a disappointing season last year, Canyon Crest boys’ golf is on a blank slate. After closely defeating Santa Fe Christian last week, they will have a rematch on Friday at the Lomas Santa Fe Country Club. With the development of last season’s young team, this year could prove to be a mirror opposite of the last.

Canyon Crest’s men’s tennis team was celebrated last year after winning the first boys CIF title in our school’s history, and after beating Fallbrook on Tuesday they are looking like they will have a chance to repeat. Despite the tough schedule ahead, they believe that they can win CIF two years in a row.

As our school ramps up its Spring Sport programs it will be interesting to see the progression of teams from last year. Hopefully by the end of the season, the gym will have a few more banners and CCA’s will be  seen as a school of athletic prowess as well as academic achievement.

San Diego’s New Mayor

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By Samantha Ho

On Monday, March 3, 47 year old Kevin Faulconer was sworn in as San Diego’s 36th mayor. Faulconer, a Republican, previously served the city as a Councilman. He defeated fellow Councilman David Alvarez, a Democrat, in the February 11 election, winning over a city known for a strong Democratic representation. He led by a wide margin, with 55.24 percent of the votes to Alvarez’s 44.76 percent. Faulconer will replace interim mayor Todd Gloria, the Council President, who stepped in after former mayor Bob Filner left office just nine months in to his four year term in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal. Faulconer will serve the city as mayor for the remaining 33 months of Filner’s term.

“You sent a very clear message. You want a government that works for you. You want a City Hall that will continue the reforms that you voted for, reforms that will help create the city that we all deserve,” he said in his inauguration speech, addressing a packed room (standing room only) at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, located in southeastern San Diego, an area characterized by a relatively low socioeconomic status.

One of the major topics emphasized in the speech was the city’s police department

Just last week, Faulconer appointed the very first female police chief of the San Diego Police Department, Assistant Chief Shelley Zimmerman. Of the decision, Faulconer said “Shelley is the right woman at the right time. Not only will she become the first female police chief (in San Diego) but she will be one of the finest police chiefs this city has ever seen — there is no doubt in my mind.” Zimmerman is to take over the force after current Chief William Lansdowne ends his 10 year turn as SDPD chief next Monday. The department is still clouded with controversy after the conviction of officer Anthony Arevalos on several counts of sexual assault while on duty, as well as the arrest of officer Christopher Hays, who is on administrative leave after being accused by several women of sexual misconduct, including improper pat downs. However, Faulconer expressed support of the department, saying, “Together, we will revitalize the department from the ground up. We will ensure the highest standards so we are keeping and attracting the best and brightest officers who will proudly and honorably serve the residents of our great city.”

Mayor Faulconer also touched upon his plan to to add 500 miles to San Diego’s roads and 900 million dollars worth of infrastructure to various neighborhoods over the course of five years. He also mentioned a meeting with Jorge Astiazarán, the mayor of Tijuana, to discuss “trade opportunities on both sides of the border.”

Expressing his dedication to ending homelessness in the city, Faulconer said, “Our work won’t be done until every San Diego man, woman and every family has a roof over their heads.”

Faulconer was accompanied by his wife and kids. He thanked his parents and Gloria at the beginning of his speech.

Kickstart This!

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By Joshua Dillen

Our generation’s lexicon is full of words that confuse our parents, let alone our grandparents. Among such words is crowdsourcing, a fastly growing and increasingly popular word and practice. Officially, crowdsourcing is the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from an online community. In common terms, a crowdsourced project is one that is funded from online campaigns or worked on by masses of “common” people. In a tech savvy generation with unprecedented access to the internet, crowdsourcing is becoming an increasingly powerful tool to accomplish just about anything imaginable.

    Crowdsourcing is lauded for its ability to enable the seemingly impossible. Reminiscent of the Pixar film Up, a group of scientists from Norway are working on a wearable device called No More Woof. It is a dog collar that can translate their thoughts for just sixty-five dollars. The scientists are currently running an Indiegogo campaign in an attempt to raise ten thousand dollars for the project. Having identified patterns of canine technology, the scientists plan to use EEG recordings that hook up to a computer speaker to give our furry friends a human voice. The device will not be able to translate whatever is on your dog’s mind, but it will be able to convey a small amount of basic thoughts. While No More Woof will not enable a full on conversation, it is a step in that direction.

    Crowdsourcing does not only utilize the funds of large crowds, but it can also use their minds. A game called EteRNA set out on a mission to crack the secrets of RNA folding, a question that has long puzzled scientists. Players would attempt to build an RNA molecule in the game, and the developers of the game would test their results in real life, giving real data back to the player. At first, the game seemed as though it would not be able to live up to its grand expectations. However, the players began to work smarter. They dug deep into their data to try and find its meaning and communicated with other players from around the world. With time, the humans became better at this process than complex folding programs on computers. While the individual mind of a “normal” person may not be able to make scientific breakthroughs, a collaboration of minds can accomplish amazing things.

    On the popular crowdfunding website, Kickstarter, projects anywhere in the spectrum from practical to bizarre are funded by internet goers who deem the project worthy or not. The strength of Kickstarter is its ability to draw microtransactions. While a dollar seems inconsequential on its own, when ten thousand people part with their spare change, some truly incredible projects can be accomplished. Instead of seeking out one or two investors to drop a large amount of cash on a project and expect a return, companies can be funded by massive groups of people who expect nothing to come of their five dollar donation.

The Filed Blues and Opening Ceremonies

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By Avery Naughton

The newest addition to the CCA athletic facilities, the turf field, has benefited nearly all teams throughout the course of the new year. Field sports, including lacrosse, soccer, and field hockey, to name a few, now call the high-quality turf field home while track and field has ample space to practice.

Unfortunately, the new field is only part of the renovations to Canyon Crest’s athletic facilities stipulated by the bond measure. The bond measure calls for brand new junior varsity and varsity baseball and softball fields to be constructed. Although the demolition of the existing varsity fields were completed at the beginning of the year, there is little left but rubble where the fields once stood. Now, both the baseball and softball teams are forced to practice and at the Torrey Pines fields. Subsequently, baseball must play every game away while softball has a handful of games on their “home” turf.

Now of course, the notion of teams practicing and competing off-campus is not a new idea. Sports such as water polo, swimming, and golf practice and play at different locations every year. But for sports such as baseball and softball who have had facilities at home for the past ten years, the change can come as a disappointment, especially for the graduating seniors. On the other hand, the under-classmen appears to be more optimistic about the field change. Vanessa Ruiz, a freshman, comments that “it would be nice to have our own fields, especially for some of the seniors not having somewhere to practice in their last year of softball, but I don’t mind that much… but then I realize that at least we have something because there are a ton of girls that want to try softball but don’t even get the privilege to play at all.” Morgan McIntyre, also a freshman, adds that despite the disadvantage of not having a field located on campus, “nothing can bring us down, and this shows how committed we are to our sport.”

Despite the setback with the fields, however, both softball and baseball are off to successful starts. Baseball played their opening game against Mission Vista on Saturday the 8th and reached an overwhelming victory with a score of 10-2. Josh Dillen, a CCA Junior, attributes the win to good pitching that allowed “the bat to get back in [the team’s] hands.”

Softball also won their opening game against La Jolla Country Day with a score of 13-7. Natalie Kahn, a senior, exclaims that the victory was “awesome because everyone had each other’s backs the entire game, and we stayed focused the whole way through.”

Unfortunately, baseball lost their second game on Tuesday, March 11th with a nail-biting score of 6-5. The ending result came down to the bottom of the seventh inning, with San Pasqual narrowly taking the victory. Josh Dillen comments that the key to victory in baseball, and perhaps the reason the team came up short was that “It comes down to execution and taking care of the baseball. We had four errors and they had three.” In an upwards turn of events, baseball earned their second victory against Oceanside with a score 5-4. It is important to note that both of these games were not for league play, which begins in April. However, the games are important factors in qualifying for CIF’s.

Despite the disadvantages of not having a field of their own, both baseball and softball have had successful starts to the season.

Battle of the Bands Winner: Lobster Party

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By Laura Fouquette

Battle of the Bands is one of the most anticipated events all year for Canyon Crest students. Many bands audition to showcase their talent, yet only eight bands make the cut to compete for the prize, a couple of hours of free studio recording time. Hundreds of students gather at the lower amphitheater to watch their peers’ bands play and vote for their favorite by texting a number. Various performers opened the performance each day, such as Mr. Quinn who rocked out on an electric guitar on Monday. On Tuesday, Mr. Unwin and Mr. Spilkin sang a romantic duet to open the show. Experienced rap duo Haley Schroeder and Zoe Kennedy took the stage on Friday to open the finale!

The eight bands were narrowed down to four for the quarterfinals on Wednesday, including Soy Division, Ginger Mafia & The Cheetahs, Lobster Party, and Unsung Legacy. The crowd particularly enjoyed the performance of Unsung Legacy, an all freshmen rock band, because of their very enthusiastic electric guitar player. Ginger Mafia & The Cheetahs sang an entertaining rendition of the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe,” and Soy Division, all dressed in colorful robes, sang Safety Dance and threw packages of soy into the audience. Lobster Party, however, got a different reaction from the crowd; many students ran to dance in front of the stage and everyone clapped along with the band. Only two bands, Lobster Party and Ginger Mafia, made it to the semifinals on Thursday, but Lobster Party, the crowd favorite, prevailed and won the grand prize

Lobster Party began their time on the Battle of the Bands stage with their first single, Party of One, and immediately got the crowd grooving. The band of four, including guitarists Matthew Fildey and Connor Gilmore, keyboardist Levi Nattrass, and drummer Grant Gilbreth, is an instrumental indie rock group. Drummer Grant Gilbreth says the band is “all about just having a good time and making good music that people like to dance to.” Many students have compared Lobster Party to bands such as Vampire Weekend, except there is one difference: Lobster Party is entirely instrumental. When asked why the band doesn’t have a singer, Gilbreth says “A lot of the focus we have is on the instrumental and technicality of the music. We think we’re really solid as a group of just instrumentalists, and people seem to like that. A singer could definitely add to our sound, and that’s something we have definitely been thinking about.”

After their win at Battle of the Bands, Lobster Party plans on staying together. They already have four tracks finished and hope to have “a set of eight or nine songs that we can play at different shows at local venues.” More than anything, however, Lobster Party just likes to have a good time. Gilbreth says “I’m really happy I found a good group of guy friends like these. Even if we don’t always have the band, I know that we will still be friends.”

If you would like to download Lobster Party’s first single Party of One for free, it is available here.

Putin Gets What Putin Wants: Highlights of Russian Geopolitics.

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By Val Poiset

According to Professor Angela Stent, who is Director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies at Georgetown University and has been following Russian affairs for three decades, there is no chance of the U.S. going to war with Russia over the recent invasion of the Ukraine. As of this morning, there has been an overwhelming majority in the vote of the annexation of Crimea from Russia. At a whopping 96% the people of Crimea have spoken in favor of freedom for their people.

Current acting President is the current Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament Oleksandr Turchynoy after the Ukrainian Parliament ousted Viktor Yanukoyych from this office on 21 February 2014. The current president has mobilized troops and is ready to act, as of this morning. Putin knew that the U.S. would not go to war over Crimea and regarded Crimea as part of Russia. With this mindset of Putin, the US has very little leverage in the dispute.  Stent said that to suggest that a perceived weakness on the part of US President Barack Obama caused Putin to move into Crimea was a complete misreading of the situation.

Stent said that all the former Soviet republics are corrupt, are ruled by a strongman, and so are very susceptible to Russian influence. “We want the West to influence what will happen to the post-Soviet space, but there is a limit to our scope of influence” Stent in her recent speech at the World Affairs council in Los Angeles highlighted Putin’s background to understand his motives behind the invasion of Crimea. His missed the relative political openness of the perestroika period under Gorbachev in Russia while working under the KGB. With a strong foundation in martial arts and law he became a KGb lieutenant colonel to East Germany, for 5 years from 1985-1990.

Putin’s long term plan economically speaking is heavily reliant on exports or raw materials such as oil, gas, and timber. When Medyedev tried to modernize Russia’s economy, but Putin resisted any changes that would greatly impact the overall economy. According to Stent, Russia has a decaying infrastructure and on top of everything Russia has declining population and an average male expectancy of around 60. Male mortality rates between ages 18-30 are relatively similar to those in the sub-Saharan Africa region. Although Russia’s population is relatively large compared to the rest of the world, 40% of the young men applying to be in the army are not physically fit enough or healthy enough to be drafted into the aarmy. This puts a huge limit on what Russia can do to remain a dominant force in the east. At the moment Russia solves its declining labor force problem by importing laborers – most of the construction workers on buildings in Moscow are from Central Asia.   But, Stent said with a cautionary note, despite incredible hardships, “the historic story of Russia is that it will always survive”.


Finding Your College Path

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By Zach Kucinski

There are countless tools here at Canyon Crest Academy that are useful and available when you need them, but when college application time rolls around, there is one particularly beneficial resource offered here on campus that all students should take full advantage of.

The large room located on your left when you walk inside the Student Services building is the College and Career Center. This resource offers a broad spectrum of utilities for the entire student body. In fact, “All things college related”, says Mrs. Burton who runs the College and Career Center.

There are many college related things that need to be worked on as students progress through high school. Good news, that is what the College and Career Center is designed to help with. The center offer students (and parents) a place to prepare for, and explore, universities, entrance tests, scholarships and an array of other potential paths for the high school graduate to follow.

The college process, for many, can be overwhelming, so it is important that you familiarize yourself with it as soon as possible to prepare for the road ahead.

And so where should you be on that winding road? Mrs. Burton recommends that freshmen begin to acquaint themselves with Naviance, by using its resume, journal, and personality assessment sections. Freshmen students should also become aware of what courses they need to complete in order to meet graduation requirements. Sophomores should start thinking about the college process and asking questions like: “What do I want to do after I graduate?”, “What should I major in?”, “Do I want to go far away for college, or do I want to stay close to home?”. Once sophomores have answers to these questions, they should start researching universities that align with you aspirations. Juniors, should have a list of colleges underway. Your “list can be broad…but come fall [you are] going to be applying so that [list] needs to be narrowed down.” recommends Mrs. Burton. “Two to three reach schools, four to five fit, [and] two to three safeties”. Juniors should also start visiting the college campuses to get a better feel of what they can expect their college experience to be.

During peak college application season, overwhelmed students can find refuge in the College and Career Center. With access to everything from books to Mrs. Burton, even the most obscure questions can be answered! This is exactly what the center strives to do for Canyon Crest students, relive the stresses related to college.

The College and Career Center offers more than just college help. It’s place students can come to do homework and access computers and textbooks. “The College and Career Center is…always quite which means I can get my work done faster.” Says CCA junior Tracey Sher.

After school, the college and career center also offers a study hall until 5:00pm Monday though Thursday, where students have access to computers and textbooks.

CCA’s Superheros

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By Stephanie Guo

This spring, CCA students scrolling through course profiles on the school website found a brand new elective in the Social Science Department: Social Justice. What is Social Justice? The name evokes images of starving children, oppressed minorities, and polluted skies. There are, without a doubt, hundreds of thousands of social issues that need to be addressed not only in the world, but also in our own nation, state, and town. Look hard enough, and you’ll find individuals that need help extricating themselves out of tough situations everywhere. The question, then, is how to quickly and effectively help them. Social Justice seeks to answer this question.

According to Mr. Gilbert, one of the teachers in CCA’s Social Science department who helped make the elective a reality, Social Justice began as an elective at our neighboring La Costa Canyon High School and was eventually adopted by nearby San Dieguito Academy. It was first taught by Christopher Greenslate, an LCC teacher now at High Tech High, and resulted in a successful project that educated La Costa Canyon students on the hazards of plastic water bottles and sold reusable water bottles. To legitimize the course, Mr. Greenslate managed to have Social Justice cleared as an elective for the University of California and California State University systems. The Social Science department at CCA hopes that the Social Justice elective here will be just as successful.

According to Mr. Gilbert, Social Justice at Canyon Crest Academy will incorporate three units: human rights, animal protection, and environmental ethics. Students will study complex local and societal problems. Mr. Gilbert and other Social Science department teachers hope to have students try and solve these issues, or, at the very least, become more aware of them. The objective is to have students link classroom learning to the real world during the school day, not just at clubs or other extracurricular activities. Initiatives students will hopefully undertake include collaborations with international organizations, marketing, and, of course, research projects. However, Social Justice will not all be community service; community service is just one facet of the larger whole. Mr. Gilbert hopes students will explore things they’re interested in if given the freedom to do so.

Even so, the class is obviously still quite structured; for example, the Social Justice elective aligns closely with Common Core research and writing standards. Mr. Gilbert believes that the class will complement existing on-campus initiatives like TedX, Interact, and Key Club that have an activism component, but doesn’t want Social Justice students to be limited to collaborations with these groups. He wants them to be inspired and encouraged by these efforts but for students to develop and submit their own projects. Hopefully, he says, Social Justice students will explore working at or even founding their own nonprofits after high school, too.

What does a typical day in class look like? The Social Science department teachers aren’t too sure, but Mr. Gilbert thinks that it may include exploring organizations on your own free time, presentations by guest speakers, and various forms of activism. Whatever it is, it’s going to be exciting.

The Social Justice elective is not restricted to underclassmen. It seeks active, energetic, and enthusiastic trailblazers that are willing to take a risk in their own community and beyond. If you’re interested, consider taking Social Justice.

March Madness Kicks Off

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By Elliot Cohen

The brackets have been chosen and the “madness” in March Madness is underway. Every year towards the end of March comes NCAA men’s basketball playoffs. The winner of March Madness determines the champions of college basket ball. For college basketball fans, this two week period is there Super Bowl.

The most exciting thing about the tournament is that anyone can win. Seeding is based upon the season of results. If a particular team did better than a different team than they are seeded higher in the rankings. This is how upsets begin. Since there are so many teams playing against each other in single elimination games many top ranked teams get knocked out pretty early.

For some, upsets are tough to handle, especially if it is early on. For others, upsets are what make the tournament truly magical. There is no telling how an underdog might feel against a heavy favorite, or how a heavy favorite might feel against the weaker underdog. This is a prime example of the classic David vs. Goliath scenario.

The tournament is broken down into a bracket. The highest seeds are placed against the lowest seeds of each side. The bracket is broken down into four sections (Midwest, East, South and West) containing sixteen teams each section. Two of the four sections (South/East and Midwest/West) merge. The brackets progress from the First round, to the Second round, to Regionals, to Semi-finals, and finally to the National Championship.

Every year, as the tournament progresses, sports analysts talk about the Cinderella story. Basically, the Cinderella story is about how an extremely underrated, or under ranked, team makes it far in the tournament by beating many top seeded teams. This causes dramatic chaos for the sports world. It can also allow previously unnoted players be able to show what they got to the big time NBA scouts. Players on teams that would have never been considered as a threat play substantial roles in the tournament.

Usually as a team builds momentum throughout a tournament they build confidence that they had never had. For example, last year highly ranked Louisville was very talented and seemed to be a threat. Louisville memorable had a close late game with Duke. Louisville player, Kevin Ware broke his leg late in the game in a very dramatic manner. The team rallied behind the loss of one of their key players to win. This spark lead Louisville to winning a national championship and was the extra push of confidence that they needed.

Since each game is single elimination there is a lot of hype and pressure around each and every game for every single team. Last minute buzzer beaters are one of the great parts of this historic tournament. A buzzer beater is a last minute shot to win the game. If it goes in the history of that school may change forever, but if it misses then the hopeful team is sadly eliminates. After all every game must have a winner and a loser.

2048

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By Brian Chekal

 At first glance, it’s easy to mistake the furious keyboard mashing and colorful tiles of 2048 as some new form of measuring typing skills. The game, which took off earlier this month, has seen its amount of daily users skyrocket, challenging students, parents, and teachers alike. So what exactly is it, and where did it suddenly spring from?

2048 is a simple game that is based on the HTML5 computing language. At the start, the player is met with a randomly generated pair of 2′s, 4′s, 2′s and 4′s on any two of the 16 possible tiles. Using the three arrow keys, the players try to combine like terms until they reach their final target, the number 2048. The twist, however, is that only two of the same values can be combined. For example, a 4 and another 4 tile can combine to create a single 8 tile but that same 8 tile cannot combine with anything other than another 8 tile; here, 2′s and 4′s don’t meet up to create 6′s. What’s more, every movement from the arrow keys moves the entire board in the said direction, the player can’t choose a single row or column to be moved without all its neighbors doing the same. Combined with random 2 and 4 tiles being generated with every movement, the game grows incredibly hard incredibly fast.

Earlier this month, a 19 year old Italian programmer by the name of Gabriele Cirulli published his new game on the online programming site GitHub. He claimed to have gotten the idea for his game from the once popular iPhone game 1024, which in turn, claims to be a different version of a game called Three’s. Though each game has a slightly different set of rules and objectives, they all share a key factor. They’re easy enough for the common player to quickly understand but difficult enough for the avid gamer to still find them challenging. Because of this, the rare “you win!” screen one meets after attaining that elusive 2048 tile has become a sort of social trophy, challenging others to try their best and beat it too.

Though it has only been a few weeks since it was released, 2048 has already attracted much attention in the media and online. This meteoric rise, however, is not isolated to this simple number game. Popular iOS and Android games like Flappy Bird and QuizUp have already proven that modern audiences can quickly take strong likings to simple yet competitive games. The question now is, how far will it last before it gets stuck?

The Rise of Electronic Sports

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By Josh Bi

Katowice, Poland: March 16th 2014. The crowd erupts in cheers as the two finalist teams emerge on stage, ready to do battle for $250,000 in prize money. The two teams, one European and one Korean, are comprised of several of the most elite athletes of a sport enjoyed by more than 30 million people. However, rather than competing with balls or hoops or goals; these athletes used mice and keyboards to compete on a virtual field.

E-sports is a broad term used to define competitions between professional video game players. Critics of e-sports often argue that e-sports should not be considered a sport; that title of ‘sport’ should be reserved for events that require intensive player dedication and hard work to improve at rather than a title shamelessly tagged onto video games so couch potatoes can feel good about remaining comatose and playing video games all day. While it is hard to argue that playing video games will improve anyone’s physical health, the other aspects of e-sports have evolved to a point where they are almost identical to those of traditional sports. To understand that, it is imperative to first be familiar with the history of e-sports.

Most agree that the e-sports revolution began on October 19th, 1972 at Stanford University when students were drafted by the video-game developer Atari and pitted against each other in the game Spacewar, one of the first digital multiplayer games in existence. The grand prize? A year’s subscription of Rolling Stone magazine. While the contest was relatively limited in size (as it was only available to Stanford students at the time) and the prize was relatively small, it got the ball rolling and in 1983, Walter Day, a video game developer founded the U.S. National Video Game Team. Later on in 1985, the Guinness Book of World Records also aided the development of primitive e-sports when its popular records books began to hold records for higher scores in early arcade games such as Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. As more and more Americans began to connect to the internet in the 1990s, so did more and more video games, allowing more and more people to connect and play video games with others without having to physically be near their opponents. Nintendo also encouraged competitive e-sports tournaments by creating the 1990 Nintendo World Championships which toured America and showed many the more competitive side of an activity designed for fun.

By 2000, the games and organizations that would dominate e-sports as we know it today began to take shape. Games like Blizzard Entertainment’s Starcraft, Valve Corporation’s Counter-Strike first-person shooter series, and Activision’s Call of Duty series took off with the help of the internet revolution. Meanwhile a small team of dedicated gamers designed and programmed modification to the popular game to Blizzard Entertainment’s popular game Warcraft 3 planted the seeds to what would eventually become the “multiplayer online battle arena” genre, spawning games such as Dota 2 (Valve Corporation) and League of Legends (Riot Games Inc.) Major League Gaming was also founded in 2002 and gave many players a more organized way to participate in competitive gaming.

By the end of the decade, four games dominated the e-sports scene. Riot Games Inc.’s League of Legends became the most played online video game in the world while Valve Corporation’s sequel to the original Warcraft 3 “multiplayer online battle arena” modification, Dota 2 followed a close second. Valve Corporation’s popular first-person shooter series, Counter-Strike, was revitalized by the release of the series’ latest installment, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft II continued to be a popular choice to both competitive and casual gamers. By 2014, the landscape of professional video-gaming had completely changed. Sweaty, stuffy halls where bored university students played for magazine subscriptions had all but vanished. In its place, professional full-time players sponsored by giant corporations played in giant theaters and well-known venues such as the Staples center and competed for prize pools worth millions of dollars. Video streaming sites such as Twitch Interactive’s Twitch.tv also began to take off, allowing professional gamers to stream their games in real time to viewers across the world. In 2013, Danny ‘Shiphtur’ Le made headlines after becoming the first professional gamer to be granted a pro-athlete visa, furthering the movement to cement e-sports’ position as a professional sport.

The evolution of e-sports to its modern day incarnation has been an amazing one. A small event originally organized by one of the first gaming companies at a single university has become a behemoth worth millions of dollars. Large corporations now sponsor gaming teams as if they were any other traditional sports teams and like dedicated athletes of any other sport, pro-gamers have began to take training a lot more seriously, some practicing more than ten hours a day. 20 years ago, if you were to tell someone on the street that in 2014, millions would tune in to watch gamers play video games, they would have probably thought you were insane. Today, not only is that a reality but e-sports are only becoming more and more popular. Maybe one day popular pro-gamers will be household names, maybe the e-sports industry will become as popular as football or basketball in America—it might seem preposterous today but so did making millions off of playing video games to someone 20 years ago. Who knows? While it is still hard to make broad predictions about the future of e-sports, one thing seems clear: electronic sports are here to stay.

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