NBA Playoff Predictions

by Derek Li

As this year’s exciting and dramatic NBA regular season comes to a close, basketball fans all around the world are anticipating arguably the most exciting time period for the sport: the intense, spirited, and exhilarating NBA playoffs. With the league’s new fast-paced, run-and-gun play style characterized by many fast break opportunities and transition three-pointers, the traditional defense-based NBA playoffs may see a significant change in the way teams approach the game. The regular season has already presented fans with countless unexpected occurrences, from the outstanding team performance by the Houston Rockets (and the MVP numbers that James Harden is putting up for them) to the rise of the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that went from a laughing stock, number one lottery pick team just last year to a legitimate playoff contender this year in the east. Here are the most anticipated teams in the 2017-18 NBA playoffs.

Golden State Warriors:

With the Warriors’ big three (Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant) all being injured recently, their chance for another championship may be in jeopardy, which every other playoff team this year is hoping to take advantage of. Although the Warriors are still the favorites, if its players can’t come back healthy once they go deep into the playoffs, other offensively talented teams in the west have a legitimate shot of making it to the finals. Nevertheless, the Warriors have shown countless times this season that they are just too good. The team is putting up a league best 115.3 points per game while still remaining an excellent defensive team (especially with Kevin Durant averaging nearly two blocks per game). Additionally, the Warriors’ bench is still by far the best in the NBA, primarily due to its completeness on both ends of the floor. Even with Curry’s recent ankle problems, the Warriors have proved that they can adapt quickly to lineup changes and utilize other prolific three-point shooters such as Nick Young or Omri Casspi to make up for it. Thus, as long as most of the Warriors’ key players can stay healthy during the playoffs, they are still the predicted champions.

Houston Rockets:

After Chris Paul came joined the Rockets last offseason, the team has seemingly been unstoppable on offense at times, even beating the Warriors once and losing by only one point another time. Although Paul and James Harden are both ball-dominant players, they have complemented each other well, especially when one of them is not on the floor. In regards to Harden, he is having yet another unbelievable season; he possesses so many tricks in his bag and is so skillful at drawing fouls that no one has been able to consistently stop him. Add in sharpshooter Eric Gordon and rapidly improving center Clint Capela, and the Rockets have a great chance of advancing to the finals. If the Rockets can improve their on-ball and perimeter defense when the playoffs come around, they are no doubt a championship type team.

Portland Trail Blazers:

The Blazers have been very hot recently, winning 11 games in a row. Both Damian Lillard (5th in the NBA in scoring with 26 points per game) and CJ McCollum (21 points per game) are having great seasons, yet both are still being overlooked by many fans and analysts. However, the backcourt duo of Lillard and McCollum is one of the best in the league. Plus, center Jusuf Nurkic has also been outstanding this season on both ends of the floor, and he always brings in extra energy into the game. This is the Blazers’ best team they have had in years, and if they can continue with the momentum they gained during the regular season through the playoffs, they are also a possible title contender.

Cleveland Cavaliers:

At 33 years old, LeBron James has not even started to slow down. Sure, he may have lost a bit of his athleticism, but he has also improved his jump shot and remains the most complete player in the NBA. A once in a generation talent, James is still the backbone of the underperforming Cavs team so far this regular season. However, as the Cavs showed us when the came back from 3-1 down to the Warriors to win the championship back in 2016, they have the potential to outperform and outhustle any other team in the NBA if they just turn on their “playoff switch”. Most of the Cavs’ struggles so far this year can be attributed to the team’s lack of cohesiveness and determination. If they can get everything together and adopt the correct mindset by the time April comes around, the Cavs are still the favorites of the Eastern Conference.

Boston Celtics:

The trades the Celtics made last offseason - in which they acquired Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward - immediately put them under the spotlight in the East. Even though Hayward suffered a horrific ankle injury at the beginning of the season (it’s still unclear whether he can return before the end of this season), Irving has really stepped up his game to lead the team. Additionally, the Celtics’ youngsters such as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Terry Rozier have all improved drastically over the course of the season and all-star center Al Horford remains a dominant force, providing the Celtics an incredibly stable roster. The main concern going into the playoffs for this young celtics team is whether they have enough experience; the average age of the squad is slightly under 25 years old. Thus, all eyes are on the young, 41 year old Celtics coach Brad Stevens to see how he can manage his team entering this tough stretch.

image: https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2017/12/20/16800268/nba-playoff-projections-2018-cavaliers-warriors

Senior Year by the Month

by Gabriella Patino

Senior year is, in my opinion, the most interesting year of high school. There’s no real way to prepare for the rollercoaster of emotions that comes along with this year, but I’ve put together this month-by-month guide to prepare you juniors and eager underclassmen for all that senior year has to offer.

The year begins with a high. Late August after returning from a busy summer of college essay writing and stressing is somewhat paused during the first week of school. The feeling kicks in that you are now the top dogs on campus, and there’s some comfort in that: watching the sea of freshmen scramble to find their new classes, giant backpacks in full swing, is nostalgic. As you carry around your binder, keys, and hydro, you walk to class slowly with your friends, not at all in a rush to end the conversations and head to first period.

Then comes September. This is when the FAFSA, FERPA, Brag Packet, and supplemental essays all come back to haunt you when you go to the senior presentation. Hopefully, you spent your summer preparing your common app and thinking about teachers to write your letters of rec, because if not, this will be a very pressing month. The deadlines that once felt so far away are suddenly right in front of you and the final crunch to apply for those early action schools is real. And as if the college application process wasn’t hard enough, all the fall APs you’re regretting signing up for are getting to be quite annoying…

October flies by with the last minute standardized testing and prep for midterms. Halloween is nearing now, and that senior year mentality kicks in, convincing you that it’s O.K. to blow off studying to hang out with your friends. Surprisingly, this accumulation of exhaustion and stress makes for a quick month.

November means the start of the holidays, which means no school, which means more time for college apps. Though Thanksgiving is meant for stuffing yourself and watching football, it ends up being one of those meals where your extended family won’t stop talking about where you’re applying to college. The list of your schools becomes a bit of a monologue that you’ve rehearsed a million times with your parents, counselors, or nosy strangers that see all your college pamphlets…

December comes around, and the only thing on your wish list for the holidays is an acceptance. For those early action/decision students, December is a rough month filled with anxiety and absolutely brutal breath-holding. I’d rather take fifty ACTs than go through that waiting again. As soon as mid-December rolls around, you better bring a portable charger with you to school because you’ll be refreshing your email about twenty times per minute. Then when that status update finally comes, a wave of relief flows over you and all that waiting was worth it. Even if it wasn’t the outcome you were hoping for, it’s much better to know than to wonder. And of course New Year’s Eve comes and goes and you’ll probably be finishing your apps for that famous January 1st deadline.

January is an exciting month because most of the college deadlines have passed. This also means, however, that senioritis starts taking over. Suddenly, the smallest homework assignment seems like it’ll take all your energy.

February continues the bitter sweetness of senioritis. Of course the free time to hang out with your friends and relax a little is much deserved, but you wonder how you’ll ever find your motivation again in college…

March is when the anxiety of college creeps back again. Of course senior’d out is a nice distraction but also pins friends against each other. Once colleges start responding, we start celebrating and spending all our money on college gear...

Which brings us to the present. I can’t wait for what the rest of senior year has to offer. These last months with all the amazing Ravens I’ve met are going to be some of the best. No matter what grade you’re in, treat each year like it’s your last. High school flies by, so take advantage of all the amazing opportunities while you can!

image: http://www.ans.edu.ni/newspaper/2017/02/06/getting-ready-for-senior-year/

The Quarterbacks

by Josh Golden

When discussing drafts with a great quarterback class, people always talk about the 1983 Draft. Hall of Fame quarterbacks John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino were all drafted in the first round. Also, many people discuss the 2004 Draft, with Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger all being selected on day one. With this year’s draft just nine days away, the class is getting more and more attention, sparking discussions on how this year’s quarterback class could one day be discussed as one of the greatest ever. With prospects such as Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, and Mason Rudolph, many experts are expecting all six signal-callers to be selected on April 26th, but where will they all go?

There are only four teams who are almost guaranteed to address their need at quarterback in the first round: the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, and Arizona Cardinals. However, more than half a dozen teams could potentially turn to the draft to either upgrade at quarterback or find a potential replacement for an aging veteran. With Cleveland expected to draft a quarterback first overall, the pick with the largest effect on the draft is likely the second overall pick, currently held by the New York Giants. The Giants have three options with the pick: select the eventual successor to 37-year-old Eli Manning with their best draft position since 1981, draft the best player available and get another great player to try to put together one more Super Bowl run before Manning retires, or trade the pick and gain draft capital to help build for the future. Teams that could be interested in trading for the pick are the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots, who both hold multiple picks in the first round, and the Denver Broncos, who would only need to move up three spots for the pick, meaning they wouldn’t need to give up too many picks to find their franchise quarterback.

The trade option for the Giants that makes the most sense is with the Buffalo Bills. The Bills, who have already moved up nine spots in the first round by trading Cordy Glenn to Cincinnati, hold two picks in each of the first three rounds. Being that they traded former starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor last month for a third round pick, the team is desperate for his replacement, and many expect them to move up and grab the quarterback the organization has been needing since Jim Kelly retired in 1996. A trade with the Giants makes sense for the Bills for many reasons, being that they’d be able to take the player they want before the Jets, their division rival, can select him third overall. Additionally, Bills general manager Brandon Beane worked as assistant general manager to Giants general manager Dave Gettleman for two years, so the close relationship between the two would likely be helpful in a potential trade talk.

This draft contains many great quarterbacks who will likely one day be on the same level as the historic draft classes of 1983 and 2004, but where will the quarterbacks end up? Personally, I expect Sam Darnold to be taken first by Cleveland, followed by Josh Rosen to the Bills second overall after an expensive trade with the Giants, and the Jets to select Baker Mayfield third overall. Josh Allen will then be selected fifth by the Broncos, Lamar Jackson will go fifteenth to Arizona, and the Patriots will select Tom Brady’s future replacement in Mason Rudolph twenty-third overall. Although my prediction could easily be incorrect, if I’m right, all of the top six quarterbacks will be going to a team where they fit the system well and can be successful quarterbacks for many years, potentially making this quarterback class even better than the classes of 1983 and 2004.

image: http://www.sportingnews.com

Lose Your Extra Weight in a Healthy Way

by Hannah Musgrave

Post-spring break with summer around the corner, a lot of people are aiming to look their healthiest. Words like "dieting," "juicing," and "cleansing" may come to mind, but how do you do this effectively—and, more importantly, healthily? Quickly losing weight the wrong way can be detrimental to your body and mind, not to mention ineffective. To lose weight, one must consume fewer calories and get into the routine of exercising, but it is important to consider a balance doing these things. Both your exercise routine and diet should be adjusted if you want to see a difference.

It is common for people to focus more on the caloric aspect, leading them to consume much fewer calories per day than they should. This is ineffective and unhealthy. Consuming fewer calories than your body requires to function not only results in poor physical and mental health, but it also drops your metabolism rate. Your metabolism rate is how fast your body can process and store fat; the faster it is, the faster you lose weight. But when you consume far fewer calories than you need, your body goes into "starvation mode," a natural instinct that humans have to store more fat than usual. In "starvation mode," your body is malnourished, and, in a panic, your digestive system holds onto more fats when fed because it subconsciously feels like any meal could be the last. So although you are eating less, your body is retaining more fat than it did before when you consumed a normal diet.

Conversely, people may choose to only work out and ignore the dietary aspect entirely. But you can never out-train a bad diet. It is important to keep in mind when losing weight that it is “80% diet and 20% exercise,” according to www.womenshealthmag.com. Although working out is crucial to staying healthy and fit, it is not the only important thing. One must keep notice of what types of foods they are consuming and how much. Depending on your weight, age, gender, and level of activity, different amounts of calories are needed. Websites that calculate a healthy calorie intake based on your physical attributes are helpful in planning out your goal day by day: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/weight-loss-calculator is a good example. But remember to set realistic and healthy goals and not aim to lose weight so rapidly that starvation becomes a problem. Specifics in intake and what types of foods will differ for each person, yet a rule that can be applied to anyone is to decrease the amount of processed foods, sugars, and starches that you ingest (carbs). Replace the unhealthy fats, such as fast food, breads, and sugary desserts, with healthy fats that can be found in vegetables, nuts, and avocados.

Just getting rid of processed foods, sugars, and starches, you may see results instantly. These foods retain more water and take up more space in your body, so avoiding them will let you instantly see a difference. The journey to weight loss can be pursued many different ways, but it is vital to stay healthy while on the path and to balance an exercise routine with a monitored diet.

image: https://www.cnn.com

How Many Lives Will Be Taken Before Enough is Enough?  

by Lily Lin

As many of you are aware, today is April 20th, National Weed Day. However, today is not just a celebration of the legalization of marijuana, but also the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. The Columbine High School massacre occurred on April 20, 1999 in Jefferson County, Colorado. During the shooting, 12 students and one teacher were killed while an additional 21 people were injured. The two perpetrators were 17-year-old high school senior Dylan Klebold and 18-year-old high school senior Eric Harris, who were both attending the school at that time.

Like other mass shootings in the United States, the massacre at Columbine sparked controversy over gun control and the ease with which individuals can obtain automated weapons in this nation. In 2000, state and federal legislation was passed that required safety locks on firearms and banned the importation of high-capacity ammunition. Additional laws were put in place that made it illegal to sell firearms to criminals and minors, but there was immense backlash against perceived restrictions on the Second Amendment, which guarantees Americans the right to bear arms.

While the media has more widely publicized the school shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, there have been an abhorrent amount of additional shootings that have taken place. School shootings in the United States go as far back as 1764 when one teacher and nine students were killed, with another two injured, in Greencastle, Pennsylvania; this school shooting is more formally known as the “Enoch Brown school massacre.” There have been more than 290 school shootings since the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which took place December 14, 2012, and at least 18 school shootings just since the beginning of 2018.

Students across the United States are encouraged to walk out of class and protest for better gun control in reaction to the culmination of mass school shootings in the United States. Those who choose to participate in the walkout will leave class at 10:00 am and will not return to school afterwards. At the beginning of the walkout, a moment of silence for 1 minute and 13 seconds will be held in memory of the victims from the Columbine massacre. Whether you choose to be involved in this walkout to celebrate National Weed Day or to take a stand against political ineptitude over civilian safety, you will be marked as truant by the school.

National walkouts like the one today or the walkout hosted on March 24, 2018 to commemorate the victims of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas showcase the reach and power that ordinary students hold. Anyone, including you, can stand up and advocate for change. As the “mass shooting generation”, it is up to the youth of today to stand up for the future of gun control—our future.

image: Lorie Shaull

Fresno State Professor and Freedom of Expression

by Max Greenhalgh

Freedom of expression is the main sociopolitical subject of numerous issues and debates in today’s America. Many claim that the single most important amendment on the Bill of Rights (and maybe even the whole Constitution) is under attack, pointing to recent developments at California State University, Fresno as evidence.

Former first lady Barbara Bush passed away on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. This was sad news for many Americans, who not only remembered her as wife to former president George H. W. Bush and mother to George W. Bush, but additionally as an advocate for youth literacy and someone who stood up for her beliefs even when she disagreed with those in power or her own family. However, other Americans did not seem to be all that disturbed by Bush’s passing. Randa Jarrar, a tenured professor at CSU Fresno, said that while Bush was smart and generous, she was also a racist, and that those mourning her passing should “[get the] (expletive) with your nice words.” In another inflammatory tweet, she wrote that “I’m happy the witch is dead,” and stated that she wants the rest of the Bush family to die as well.

In response to these remarks, an interesting split among conservatives and conservative groups has formed. In one camp, more libertarian-minded conservatives believe that a professor should not be fired for making statements that are offensive, as this would violate free speech rights. Individual rights advocacy groups such as the ACLU and FIRE agree with this position, as do most liberals. However, another group of conservatives believes that if conservative professors can be fired for blogging about their beliefs (like former Marquette professor John McAdams, who publicly derided an instructor for not allowing discussion against same sex marriage in class) or not participating in an activity they consider against their individual principles (like former Evergreen College professor Bret Weinstein, who refused to walk out in an event originally intended to emphasize the importance of colored communities), that Jarrar should be fired as well.

The freedom of expression debate will doubtless rage on throughout campuses in America, and this story is yet another example of the discussions it can spark. At the time of publication, an internal investigation is ongoing. The existence of this investigation is causing controversy in and of itself, and the decision will surely bring about even more.

image: https://www.chronicle.com/article/Does-Disruption-Violate-Free/241470

Don't Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch

by Annie Lu

Taking a look at the global news of late yields a rollercoaster of ups and downs that may be difficult to decipher without some long-range context. It is fairly common knowledge that North Korea has been a belligerent on the international stage for some time now, dropping a missile here and a nuclear threat there, and engaging world leaders in verbal warfare. The thaw between North and South Korean relations that came during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics seemed to indicate progress ahead. More recently, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced that they would stop nuclear tests and some missile tests, now that they have finished their nuclear ICBM program. This seem like an olive branch offered by North Korea just before scheduled visits between Kim and the leaders of the United States and South Korea—North Korea even announced they would shut down their nuclear testing site.

President Donald Trump has already proclaimed the development a triumph, tweeting “This is very good news for North Korea and the World—big progress!” However, the reason Kim has stated for pausing tests is a lot more ominous when dissected thoroughly. North Korean media quoted him as saying such: “No nuclear test and intermediate-range and inter-continental ballistic rocket test-fire are necessary for the DPRK now, given that the work for mounting nuclear warheads on ballistic rockets was finished… the development of delivery and strike means was also made.” As Lockie from Business Insider put it, “Basically, Kim says North Korea has stopped testing because it’s done testing.” Testing is no longer necessary… because they already have the technology and capabilities to fire their missiles, complete with nuclear warheads. Now that sounds more like a threat. This action was not necessarily taken as an act of goodwill towards other nations; it simply happens to have fallen at a convenient time where it may also be construed as an effort towards diplomacy.

An expert on North Korea at the Atlantic Council, Robert Manning, has revealed that evidence supports that another nuclear device test by North Korea could destroy an entire test site. They might be capable of bringing down mountains. Trump’s unfounded claim that North Korea has “agreed to nuclearization” is dangerously misleading in that North Korea’s definition of “denuclearization” is vastly different from what Trump is suggesting. The North has made no indication that they are willing to dispose of their current nuclear arsenal. Most experts agree that it is naive to assume any world leader can convince Kim Jong Un to abandon his nuclear weapons. It can be concluded that the announcement Kim made last Friday is somewhat better than continued testing, but far short of a definitive success. North Korea has a history of reneging on their agreements: the Bush Administration in 2002 revealed North Korea had been operating a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of their 1994 agreement; North Korea withdrew from the 1985 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003; North Korea missed the deadline to disable its weapons facilities as promised earlier in 2007. The list goes on. All that most people can do now is watch, wait, and hope for the best.

Sources:

• Colvin, Jill. “President Trump Says North Korea Agreed to Denuclearize. It Hasn’t.” Time. 22 April 2018.
• Lockie, Alex. “Kim Jong Un’s latest play for peace was actually a declaration that it’s ready for nuclear war—and it just might get it.” Business Insider. 23 April 2018.
• “North Korea Nuclear Timeline Fast Facts.” CNN Library, CNN. 3 April 2018.

image: https://www.rferl.org/a/korea-us-pence-visit-south-after-north-missile-test/28433278.html

The Padres' Plan

by Josh Golden

Josh Golden sits down with pitching coach Darren Balsley to discuss the future of the organization and why a potentially rough 2018 season shouldn’t make fans lose hope

112. That’s the number of seasons played by a professional sports team that has called San Diego home since the Chargers won the AFL Championship in 1963, the longest current championship drought in sports. With a new season underway, will the Padres finally be the team to bring a championship to San Diego? It’s unlikely, but they’re getting closer, according to pitching coach Darren Balsley. Balsley stated that the organization is “aiming towards 2019 or 2020” to truly emerge as one of the best teams in baseball. This ambitious aim is made possible due to the organization’s continued emphasis on their minor league system and trading for prospects in the past few seasons. Balsley’s “goal for the Padres is to win a World Series” and he intends to stay “until we win a world championship. That’s always been my goal and I think that’ll eventually happen.” However, there are still plenty of important factors to look for in this year’s installment of Padres baseball.

The Padres made a huge move late in the offseason by signing four-time Gold Glove Award winner and 2017 Silver Slugger winning first baseman Eric Hosmer. The Padres signed Hosmer to an eight-year deal worth $144 million, which is the largest contract in Padres history. With Hosmer’s World Series win in 2015 with the Kansas City Royals, he gained a lot of playoff experience that will be beneficial as the organization shifts to a “win now” mode. The signing provides a veteran presence in the locker room that younger players will be able to look up to. Along with Hosmer, the Padres received third baseman and former Padre Chase Headley and starting pitcher Bryan Mitchell in a deal with the Yankees that sent outfielder Jabari Blash to the Bronx. In yet another trade, the Padres acquired Freddy Galvis, a defensive standout at shortstop from Philadelphia in exchange for a mid-level prospect. They also signed Japanese relief pitcher Kazuhisa Makita and sent Yangervis Solarte to the Blue Jays for outfield prospect Edward Olivares. Although San Diego only made a few notable acquisitions this offseason, these moves will help the organization win now and in the future.

Although these changes are impactful, the current roster isn’t necessarily as important as you would think. The organization has one of the best minor league systems in baseball. When asked about whom to watch out for of the prospects, Balsley said if he “were to name ten guys I’d be missing the 11th” to watch out for in the farm system, or group of prospects, and he’s “seen a lot of All Stars and Cy Young winners.” He believes that the current state of the minor league system should give Padres fans an incredible amount of hope for the future. With seven prospects in this year’s MLB top 100 list and being ranked the best farm system of 2018, the future is bright.

According to MLB Pipeline, a group who ranks each team’s prospects from MLB.com, the Padres have the top farm system in baseball. This group is lead by Fernando Tatis, a shortstop who joined the organization via the James Shields deal back in 2016. Tatis was recently ranked the seventh best prospect by Pipeline and is expected to make his way to San Diego next season. Another player receiving a lot of hype is the third overall pick in the 2017 draft, Mackenzie Gore. Described as “special” by Balsley, Gore is the 19th ranked prospect in the league and second in the Padres organization. Currently only nineteen years old, Gore is expected to break into the Padres starting rotation in 2020. This year, the Padres are hoping to see their third ranked prospect, middle infielder Luis Urias, make his way into the major leagues, along with starting pitcher Eric Lauer, allowing fans to take a look at a few of the top prospects. The organization’s farm system is so talented that Eric Hosmer’s agent, Scott Boras, referred to the organization as a “hot talent lava,” an expression now being embraced by the organization and its fans. Along with star prospects, the Padres also have some under the radar players. According to Balsley, “we have minor league guys who aren’t top prospects who could break their way through the cracks and become major league players, giving the organization even more hope to find new role players to help make a run.”

Although the Padres are more focused on the future, this year doesn’t look like it will be too rough of a ride. Expected to return to the lineup is Austin Hedges at catcher, Manuel Margot at center field, Hunter Renfroe at right field, and Carlos Asuaje at second base, along with Wil Myers, who will be moving from first base to left field after the addition of Hosmer. Joining Hosmer as new additions to the lineup are Galvis at shortstop and Headley at third base. After the Padres belted a franchise record 189 home runs last year, adding Galvis, Headley, and especially Hosmer as power hitters could lead to the Padres breaking the record again.

Although the Padres lineup has improved, the rotation and bullpen aren’t quite as enticing, despite the presence of legendary pitching coach Darren Balsley. Once again, the starting rotation will consist of Clayton Richard, Joey Lucchesi, Luis Perdomo, and Tyson Ross, along with the addition of Bryan Mitchell. Dinelson Lamet, who emerged last year as a starter and was expected to improve this year, will miss the entire season due to Tommy John surgery. The team has many young pitchers who have shown signs of potential, yet have struggled with consistency. However, with the threat Eric Lauer entering the rotation and possibly the early arrival of star prospect Cal Quantrill at some point in the 2018 campaign, the pitchers will be motivated to be at the top of their game in order to avoid losing a spot in the rotation. Coming out of the bullpen, All-Star closer Brad Hand will likely be the best pitcher in the clubhouse once again. As Balsley put it, Hand has had “two really good years in a row with us,” and there’s no reason to expect his standout overall performance to change this year. Hopefully, newly signed Japanese pitcher Makita will not be too far behind Hand, along with Carter Capps, the 27-year-old who had a 1.16 ERA with the Marlins in 2015 prior to Tommy John Surgery. If the bullpen reaches its full potential and the starters develop some consistency, the Padres pitching staff could become dangerous.

If the 2018 pitching staff is successful, it would likely be due to Balsley, who has been with the organization since 2003. Although the Padres as a whole haven’t had much success during Balsley’s tenure, the strength of the team has nearly always been the pitching staff. The coach himself believes his success stems from his availability to his pitchers and that he has “never gone to work unprepared.” As someone who will always consider San Diego his hometown, Balsley has a special love for the city and its baseball team, making him believe he has “more motivation [given] that I grew up here,” forcing him to work even harder on his craft to bring his city a championship.

In Balsley’s long career with the Padres, he had the opportunity to coach the greatest pitcher in the organization’s history: Trevor Hoffman. This summer, the legendary pitcher will finally be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. When asked about Hoffman, Balsley said he’s the “hardest worker I’ve ever seen and best teammate I’ve ever been around” and that Balsley has “introduced him as a future Hall of Famer for the past ten years.” Hoffman will join fellow Padres Tony Gwynn and Dave Winfield in the Hall.

Although the Padres made a few signings to improve the team’s 2018 campaign, the organization and its fans should be more focused on the near future of the ballclub. However, this season will be an important building block for the franchise. Hosmer will have time to adjust to San Diego before the World Series push begins, along with giving him the opportunity to prepare the young players for the big stage. Perhaps, with many home runs and some great starts from unpredictable pitchers, the Padres can become a contender this year. Even without a great team, the Padres are “on the cusp of something special” according to Balsley; perhaps they will soon give the city the championship it deserves.

Trying to Keep Up

by Sydney Sherman

What started as what some might call a “trashy” reality TV show on October 14, 2007 has become one of the biggest empires dominating makeup, social media, and retail lines. The Kardashian/Jenners have come a long way from the background of a certain murder trial and clinging to the sides of popular 2000’s celebrities such as Paris Hilton. With the help of their mom/manager, Kris Jenner, each of the girls have been able to create a brand for themselves widely known around the nation and the world.

In 2006, the three Kardashian girls Khloe, Kourtney, and Kim, opened their first retail store, Dash. This was their first step into the retail world, and they have since come a long way. Khloe Kardashian has recently dropped a clothing line, Good American, which she intends to create clothing for women of all shapes and sizes. “That's what I think Good American is. It's about women of individuality and diversity, but also about being comfortable in yourself,” Khloe says in an interview concerning her new line. The Kardashians have been a key part of the movement away from the attraction of a slim body towards a more curvy and full one. Although they are criticized for their “fake” bodies, lips, and hair, they are also strong advocates for the empowerment of all women, providing sizes and cosmetics that work for not one body, but for all.

The youngest of the bunch, Kylie Jenner, has caused waves in the cosmetics realm with the drop of her famous lip kits and Kylie Cosmetics. Each new product sells out within seconds. Kim has also jumped into the field of cosmetics with her KKW Beauty and KKW X MARIO Beauty line. As much negative criticism as these women may receive, they make millions off their fans everyday. But how do they do it?

Social media is their biggest tool in marketing their products and lifestyle. Today’s young teens and adults don’t pick up magazines anymore; they pick up their phones. The Kardashian/Jenners were quick to get on social media and take over. Everyday, they flood their Instagram Stories with pictures, videos, and overviews of their products. They try to maintain a consistent theme, color scheme, or number of posts each day. Most importantly, they attempt to make their lives appear accessible, relatable, and close to you: the audience. “You can be just like me. You can be my best friend,” is what they are saying to you while you watch their lives through your phone.

Many people criticize the family for having no real talent, however, the family does seem to be at the peak of American society, alongside Beyonce, Rihanna, and other incredibly talented individuals. They must be doing something right. They also have immense power over the trends of young people and have changed the way beauty is viewed. They are not your average apple pie, blonde hair, blue-eyed girls. They are able to open up to an entire new population of people who can look at them and think “I kinda look like that!”

The Kardashian/Jenner family has taken over, and they don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.

Sources:

Zemler, Emily. "Khloe Kardashian Thanks Jennifer Lopez for Making Her Feel Comfortable With Her Curves." Elle. 19 October 2016. https://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a40122/khloe-kardashian-good-american-denim-interview/.

image: http://www.justjared.com/2015/10/05/kardashian-jenners-deemed-americas-first-family-by-cosmo/

How to Widen Your Music Tastes

by Alyssa Cho

With repetitive electronic pop music dominating the Top 50 charts, I can understand why you might be craving some new and original beats. Okay, who am I kidding? We all love a good pop song. But even if you are obsessed with the easy-to-listen-to pop sounds of Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift, diversifying your music knowledge is always a great way to expose yourself to different styles, grow more open-minded, and strike up interesting conversations with more people, who also share a love for music. Here are a few suggestions to help you broaden your musical horizons:

Music Apps: Pretty much every music app out there has something akin to a Browse feature. As a loyal fan of Spotify, I can say that the app has helped me discover so many of my favorite songs through their multitude of playlists based on moods and genres. If you’re feeling a little less adventurous, you can always rely on the Daily Mixes, Recommended Songs, and other features that utilize algorithms to find new music similar to what you already listen to.

Learn About Different Genres and Artists: Treat Google like it’s your best friend. Sites like Reddit and Quora can be infinitely useful in finding music genres explained in lay terms. Eventually, you’ll find that the lines between genres are very blurry, but learning about them can be fun and help you discover new music while defining your own tastes. If you watch a movie and like the unique soundtrack, Google it. If you’re captivated by a certain song you heard once at a local coffee shop, Google it. You might end up liking the stuff made by the producer or composer of that movie soundtrack, or you might find that the coffee shop song is the only song you like by that artist. But either way, you can take satisfaction in the fact that you’ve tried something new in music.

YouTube: There are a lot of brilliant content creators out there who also happen to love music. YouTubers who upload non-pop song covers often have very distinct or diverse tastes, so subscribing to them is a great way to pick up on a few new favorite artists. There are also channels dedicated solely to showcasing certain styles or sounds in order to give artists and producers more exposure (think MrSuicideSheep or Majestic Casual). Try checking them out!

image: http://balkanrock.com/vinil-nas-nasusni-mitovi-i-zablude-u-vezi-gramofonskih-ploca/ 

Weighing Your Options

by Amber Chang

A group of girls click on Instagram and comes across a beauty-based account that features makeup tutorials as well as fashion hauls. As they are looking through the account pictures, they tap on a model with a skinny figure, then look down at their own bodies and start to pick out their supposed defects through each reflection in the mirror. Their physical flaws start becoming their worst nightmare. Frantically, they search tips on how to lose weight and stumble across the many diet fads posted on the internet. Before you know it, there could be a room of skeletons behind that door.

Anorexia means consuming little to no food but exercising at an extreme amount. Binging and purging are when one binges on food that they would usually restrict themselves to and then forces themselves to throw up the food right afterwards in order to sustain a “healthy” weight. These are just a few of the many horrifying types of eating disorders. Anorexia in specific (though not alone) can often lead to a decrease in blood pressure, heart failure, brittle bones, low energy levels, frequent coldness, fatigue, and overall weakness.

This disorder not only deteriorates people’s bodies, but it can also affects their psychological state. Those who suffer may lose their ability to enjoy the food in front of them. They may start to plan out all of their meals and calculate, obsessively, all the calories they have consumed or will consume that day. This disorder can eventually turn into the controller of this situation.

With technology on the rise, even children as young as eight will be seen carrying the newest smartphones on the market. With the internet at their fingertips or waiting for the command of their voices, it’s a no-brainer that the use of media has increased in recent years. The media has always been an expert on targeting sexuality and the beauty aspect of women. From Barbie to the newest Victoria's Secret model, the appeal being made is a long-term trend that has always been advertised towards adolescent girls and how they must look in order to live up to societal standards and their media stars’ standards. The internet can become a danger even after just a few clicks. It can send someone into a whirlpool of different facts that seem true but may not be. They see the models strutting runways with their long, skinny legs and toned abs and then turn to their own bodies with hatred, despite in many cases already being in good health. They start dieting as young as six years old. And it doesn’t just stop there; those six-year-old girls may have to continue carrying that burden of having to live up to society’s standards until they reach the day when too much becomes too much and their lives are on the line. What’s terrifying about that is that girls as young as that are already expected by media to look a certain way and they are pressured to show off their bodies instead of maintaining their innocence. It can be difficult to pull oneself out of the hole.

Although the male population is also often targeted by advertisers and, as a result, may feel pressured to look like a Calvin Klein model, women often feel more pressured by not only media but from the comments on their Facebook posts or from the general population. According to NEDA, or the National Eating Disorder Association, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from this distorted thinking to look better for others. An approximately every hour or so in the United States, someone dies from circumstances stemming from an eating disorder. Anorexia is considered to be the highest ranking in danger out of all eating disorders in the United States.

Eating disorders seem to have taken over all the dieting trends. It has become so bad that sometimes even friends can encourage other friends to become anorexic. They might force themselves to work out far more than the meager number of calories they consume can sustain, or decide to go vomit in the bathroom together. The smaller the better. The snugger the better. Peers can be a huge factor in the development of this disorder. A person can easily be convinced to follow a certain type of trend when convinced that they’ll only feel accepted and content with themselves when others say so. And when they finally achieve their unrealistic goals, they might then go on their social media web pages and post pictures that showcase their new weight loss. The deeper that someone falls into the rabbit hole of media influence, the worse that person’s condition becomes, and the psychological component becomes even more twisted.

image: https://www.moneycrashers.com/snap-food-stamp-challenge/

Almost

by Ali Youel

Ahhhh, at last, summer is just around the corner. You can feel the rays hit your skin and salt water splash on your face. You can practically hear the last bell ringing in freedom for ten whole weeks. No homework, no responsibilities. Pure fun. Right? WRONG. Sorry to rain on your parade or summer plans, but there is a lot to get through before you can tan on the sand. There are the dreaded AP tests, finals, and standardized testing. So put your sunblock away and unpack your beach bag. We have a long way to go.

Summer is a season where time flies, you can finally relax, and maybe, just maybe, take a day to not think about college. It’s approaching: fast. And I’m not so sure that it is all skipping and ice cream sundaes. Over summer, you may be bombarded with ACT and SAT prep, college essays, jobs, internships, and other classes. And before we can even get to that, there are AP tests, projects, and finals.

AP tests. Yikes. Preparing for them can be stressful, to say the least. Classes you took in the fall that you finally felt free from are catching up. Now we have less than a week, and you have to relearn the entire history of the world. Alas I have some good(ish) news. There are good options to help the cramming.

• Teacher review sessions: Most teachers who teach AP courses offer some type of review lesson after school or on weekends. They may be practice tests, or simply review of material, and teachers will do their best to prepare you right before the fact.
• Online resources: College Board has posted some old AP test questions for many subjects. If you go onto their website, you can have practice FRQs and prompts ready for your tears. Videos are also a reliable means of reviewing. For math classes, there are many videos at your disposal that can help you refresh on material you had hoped to never see again. Videos aren’t limited to math, as many teachers/educators have posted videos on how to write a perfect essay, review of chapters, and more.
• Review books: Test prep companies make many books to help one prepare for hours of mental torture vis a vis AP tests. Barron's and The Princeton Review, to name a few, have many available test prep materials at local bookstores or via online stores, such as Amazon.com.

Standardized testing isn’t the most fun way to spend your free time, especially in your sacred summer. But getting ahead can be important, as long as you feel ready to start. Many tutoring places offer summer courses/ programs to help one prepare. Again, there are also books and online courses that can help brace you for the ACT or SAT. Remember, this is a tedious process, so it is important to remain positive.

And finals. We are so close. We have completed 75% of our grade-ruining exams for the 2017-2018 school year. One round left. I’m sure you are tired of hearing speeches from teachers and family members about studying and preparing, so I leave you with only this: take a deep breath, eat, get decent sleep, and do your best. I promise that no matter how life-ending this one test seems, it will all be okay.

And now I leave you, and I apologize for the dread and havoc I have unleashed on your mirage of summer dreams. With all the chaos, remember to take care of yourself. Take a bath, read a book, watch a movie. Summer is so close, and while it may not all be fun-in-the-sun, I promise you will have some enjoyment in the hot months.

image: https://www.gladhouse.org/single-post/2017/06/21/Summer-is-Here

Scammed

by Alyssa Cho

You’ve just received a new email notification. Open it—mail from the prince/princess/some other high-ranking figure from a so-and-so far away country. Congratulations, you’ve won $50 million dollars! Your social security number and bank account information will be needed so the money can be transferred to your bank account.

Sound familiar? It might seem ludicrous, but people still fall for many types of scams. In 2015, 27 million Americans were victimized by phone scams alone, culminating in a loss of $7.4 billion that year—and the number of victims has continued to rise since. Here are some common scams you should know to avoid so you don’t become a victim, too.

The Double-Edged Question

This very simple scam involves tricking you into giving away your answers to account security questions. One common way of doing this is posting a cute picture on Facebook and captioning it with a seemingly innocent question: “My first car, what was yours?” The question varies, but the idea remains the same—a huge amount of people comment the make and model of their first car using their Facebook name. These questions are often the types of identity verification questions that banks use to verify your credit cards and accounts. This scam may only attack the first layer of security, but stay cautious. After all, the scammer’s journey to a thousand dollars begins with one step.

The One-Ring Scam

If your phone only rings once before disconnecting and you don’t recognize the number, think twice before calling back. Scammers might be tricking you into making a premium international line call, one your future self will regret once the phone bill arrives. If you think you should make the call, check through online directories to see where the phone number is registered. If you’ve already fallen for this scam and suffered the consequences, there is still hope. Try resolving the bill with your phone service provider, and if that fails, consider filing a complaint with either the Federal Trade Commission or the Federal Communications Commission on their official websites.

The Pyramid Scheme

The temptation of making heaps of money in a short amount of time is sometimes too great for people to see beyond the glorious but empty promise of the pyramid scheme. In essence, the pyramid scheme is an illegal investment scam disguised as a legitimate business model. The initial recruiter at the top of the pyramid recruits a few salespeople who pay a predetermined sum for a starter kit of products to sell. Each new person pays an investment to the recruiter, and in order to make a profit, these newly recruited people must recruit others to work under them. The pyramid topples when there are not enough people to recruit to pay off the previous layer of distributors. Remember, pyramid schemes are financial frauds, because no matter how many people join the scheme, 88% of the participants will be on the bottom level—and lose money.

The Quick Change Operation

If you work as a cashier, beware of the quick change operation. This short con involves confusing the cashier into handing over more change than they should. The criminal usually achieves this by paying for small priced items with a large bill and requesting a series of money exchanges rapidly, telling the cashier exactly how much money to give back. To avoid falling victim to this scam, close the cash register directly after completing the transaction for the purchase. If the customer is asking to exchange bills and you’re suspicious of a scam, contact your manager before following through with the request. Don’t be the person who takes a twenty and gives back two fives, a ten, and five ones.

Hopefully, you now have a better idea of how scams work and how to avoid them. But if you’re still scared you might fall for one, here’s a general piece of advice: The best way to protect yourself against scams is to use your mind. There is no dependable way to “get rich quick,” and some things are absolutely “too good to be true.” If a product, service, or idea is repeatedly pitched as “legit” or “authentic,” it most likely isn’t. Good luck!

image: Flight Park

10 Rules for the Daily Life of a CCA Student

by Amanda Arnett

There is no denying the simple fact that high school can be overwhelming, awkward, and physically as well as mentally exhausting. For all you genius freaks of nature out there that easily stroll through high school like you're frolicking in a flowery field, I know you may have a contrary opinion, but please don’t go writing me a letter of your disapproval and disagreement against my claim. I am only speaking for the majority, and it’s highly probable (as in a 100% chance) that I won’t read it.  

Taking into consideration the highly competitive bubble we CCA students live in, high school can bury you under mountains of homework, and your social life may crumble like the cookie you probably wish you were eating right now. To help you handle the madness and avoid the way the cookie crumbles, here a few rules, tips, tricks, do’s, and don't's for surviving and thriving in the daily life of the average CCA student.

1. Write down all of your homework and activities for the day. People tend to rely on teachers' websites, but when the power goes out due to San Diego’s extreme hurricanes, you will be screwed because I can guarantee you nobody else wrote it down either. You know those little books you get at the beginning of the year with all the blank spots under the days of the week? Those are called planners, and despite the totally contradicting name, they are surprisingly useful at planning things.
2. Have a daily routine. It’s important to balance the almost nonexistent free time you have after school due to things like baseball practice, band rehearsals, and whatever else overachieving CCA students do to assure that you have adequate time for homework, the traditional hour+ of procrastination, and Netflix time.
3. SLEEP. Your lives are busy, yes, but any time can be nap time. I recommend not in AP Calculus though; you might miss something extraordinarily fascinating. But trust me when I tell you that a little nap now and then will not directly result in a rejection letter from Stanford.
4. Be conscientious about where, when, and how you take a nibble of your bananas. Somebody is always watching... @ccabanananibblers
5. Don’t complain about not having a “normal” high school experience. Ok, so we don’t have a football team, but where do you end up if you drive five minutes down the road? Oh yeah… there’s that thing called Torrey Pines. And not to brag, but our football team is undefeated...
6. When in doubt, find Hector: our silent hero, injured bird rescuer, and probably more of our mascot than Rupert the Raven, Hector is the real legend. Every day is made better with a ride from Hector.
7. Don’t attempt to develop cliques, popularity, or social standards. It doesn’t exist here, it never has, it never will. Don’t go breaking our school—not that you could even if you tried.
8. Study. I hope you don’t need one of my philosophical explanations for this one.  
9. Wear and do whatever you want. As long as you don’t insult anyone, who truly cares? If you want to wear footie pajamas every day go for it, personally I would love to join you; as I mentioned, any time is nap time.
10. Do try to participate in school activities. I understand going to events like prom, attending (or participating in) CIF championship games, or dressing up for spirit week can seem silly or like a waste of time. But you will never get another chance to do these things!  

Affirmative Action

by Gabriella Patino

When asked what the college admissions process looks like, a typical high school senior would give one of many different answers. For example, they may picture a group of robots sitting around a table, reading stacks of papers, judging people by numbers and facts. All of our hard work over four years shows up in one tab on our computers before we drag our finger to the dreaded submit button. There is no doubt that this process is nerve-racking. After that, the waiting begins, and we pray that we said just the right thing to get us into that one school. When results start rolling in, so does the blame game. As a student body, we credit each other’s successes to a short list of things, among which are perfect test scores, the number of clubs they started, or, my personal least favorite, affirmative action.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the national graduation rates by ethnicity in the year 2014-15 were as follows: American Indians—72%, African Americans—75%, Hispanic—78%, White—88%, Asian/Pacific Islander—90%. These percentages suggest that certain groups groups are at somewhat of a disadvantage compared to others in our country. The National Conference of State Legislatures states that it’s important to remember “affirmative action is more of a process than just an admissions policy.” This means affirmative action also puts outreach programs in place to encourage those graduating minority percentages to apply to college. Then, once the students attend college, they receive financial benefits and support programs on campus, encouraging them to succeed.

Affirmative action was originally meant to compensate for years of racial oppression that led to social and economic inequalities. In 1965, when only a small percentage of graduating students from undergraduate universities, law schools, and medical schools were from a minority group, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an executive order that required race to be taken into account when employing those minorities. Soon, colleges and universities adopted the concept as well and started looking at race when considering admission. It brought more diversity to campuses across the country, and colleges thought students had better opportunity for social development.

Those without the economic disadvantage are still receiving the benefits of affirmative action. David Sacks and Peter Thiel, famous entrepreneurs and writers on the Stanford Alumni online magazine, point out, “If ‘diversity’ were really the goal, then preferences would be given on the basis of unusual characteristics, not on the basis of race.” This points out the fact that skin tone doesn’t define who we are as people. Economic, geographic, and social differences in each individual’s life are what make them diverse and shine through in their application to really show colleges what students are going to bring to the campus.

In 1998, when California abolished affirmative action, minority representation fell 61% at UC Berkeley and 36% at UCLA. Statistically, affirmative action has helped minority groups. This drop in representation was under circumstances in which admission was solely based on academic achievement. These numbers confirm that with affirmative action in place, race is a big factor in the college admissions process. 19 years later, affirmative action is still in the headlines as the Trump administration takes a closer look at cases against Harvard University. A group of anti-affirmative action Asian-Americans feels like they are being unjustly held to higher standards compared to other minority groups. Research from the National Association for College Admission Counseling has shown that Asian-Americans score higher on standardized tests than other races. The students have the scores, so counselors focus on making the applications as unique as possible in other regards. One college counselor as even gone so far as to say he’s encouraging kids to “appear less [Asian].” Brian Taylor, the director of a college counseling company by the name of Ivy Coach, explains this phenomenon. “While it is controversial, this is what we do,’’ he says. “We will make them appear less Asian when they apply.” This mindset is a result of the competition for a spot with a disproportionate amount of applicants compared to other groups.

The case against affirmative action is a strong one. Perhaps with the progressive culture and opportunity in this country, a new system is turning the corner. As people continue to speak their minds on the subject, friction is created and change can’t be long to follow.

image: http://nique.net/life/2016/02/12/affirmative-action-history-and-perception/

California Separatist Movement

by Derek Li

As Americans watched Donald Trump edge closer and closer to a presidential victory in 2016, many started to fear the worst. For example, the Canadian immigration website crashed on the day of Trump’s election due to the unprecedented amount of activity. Yet, perhaps more significantly for us locally, the term “Calexit” started taking over social media and even trended on Twitter for some time. Although the movement has slowed down since, the seemingly outlandish idea associated with it remains a vague hope for some Californians.

As many of us have learned in our U.S history classes, California was an independent republic in 1846 for 26 days. This short-lasting independent “nation” was created after the Bear Flag Revolt, which was led by William Ide. The U.S. military quickly learned of the situation in California and easily took over the Republic, but the legacy of this temporary state lives on in California to this day, from the continued use of the bear on the state flag to great regional pride among Californians.

The Yes California Movement, more commonly known as Calexit, draws inspiration from what the short-lived California Republic stood for: independence from the rest of the United States. Headed by Louis J. Marinelli (who, ironically enough, lives in Russia), this campaign seeks secession from the Union because being a U.S. state “no longer [serves] California’s best interests,” according to the Yes California website. Proponents of the movement believe that the state of California is being neglected and treated unfairly by the federal government. Some complaints include restrictive trade laws that limit economic growth, being forced to compensate for other states’ economic troubles, outdated immigration policies, and much more. However, our very own Mr. Stiven feels that “[Yes California] is a way... for people who feel that because they lose elections, the best way for them to solve that is to break away...which is not really how democracy works.” The majority of citizens evidently don’t find this movement to be plausible, either. In a poll conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, in 2017, 68% were opposed to a statewide ballot calling for California to secede from the US. Put simply, the logistical and political difficulties of leaving America are just too much to make independence worthwhile. Add the fact that a new amendment would need to be created in the U.S constitution (which requires 75% of national support), and Yes California seems like a distant reality. Currently, although the movement has lost much of its initial momentum, it’s still hoping to make some noise in the 2018 midterm elections.

Yes California is not the only major campaign in support for major political change in California. In the past few months, a movement called New California has also gained awareness. It calls for a split of California, creating one region that would be extremely liberal (including the Bay Area and Los Angeles) and another that would be conservative (including San Diego and most of inland California). The conservative area would belong to New California and the rest would be left alone to self-govern. This campaign believes, “The nature of the State becoming ungovernable has caused a decline in essential basic services,” and that carving up California into two different geographical areas would be the most beneficial to everyone. But, the obvious underlying goal is to create a conservative state that would be able to make a difference in regards to national politics and elections. In order to create this theoretical 51st state, New California looks to follow the footprints of how West Virginia gained its independence from Virginia during the Civil War, which was by congressional approval. However, just like Yes California, New California’s success is extremely improbable, and even more difficult would be it gaining widespread approval.

Although both independence movements are still a long way from becoming reality, they reflect a growing divide in American political thought and ideologies. Instead of trying to bringing closer the opposing sides, some people are now hoping to leave the union altogether. Yet, looking back at some of the recent political events that have taken the nation by complete surprise, it wouldn’t be completely shocking if major political modifications and rearrangements took place in California in the distant future.

Michelangelo and the Meme

by Jules Travis

The debate of what does or does not qualify as art has been disputed for millennia, and most youth might not consider it relevant to them at all, save for those few actively pursuing visual art. Art, in the simplest terms, is “the expression or application of human skills and imagination, typically in a visual form… producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” The most prevalent form of art consumed at large comes at us through all types of media, attacking from every side to infiltrate the psyche and ultimately affect mainstream culture as a whole. The type of media I’m referring to is the meme.

Richard Dawkins, noted ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and public intellectual, originally defined a meme as “an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by non-genetic means, especially imitation.” The term “meme” had a life before becoming popularized as slang in the 2000s with the rise of the internet. Memes are, in their modern forms, usually funny pictures, captions of 280 characters or less, or internet trends. They have become a cultural phenomenon that encapsulates masses under a doctrine of relatable or subjective comedy and have become a major part of millennial humor.

With this, and by the definitions addressed earlier, memes serve as art. They are often based in aesthetic and act as a visual supplement to imagination, creativity, or something as simple as conveying an idea. These ideas can range from a pivotal, hard-hitting political statement to a relatable experience that people can identify with. However, it’s possible to dig deeper. By rights, by basic meaning, maybe it’s art. Beyond that, memes seem to have developed in waves, trends, and individual movements that reflect a number of prevalent nineteenth and twentieth century fine art movements. It’s possible that memes could even be considered a culmination of those past trends, another extension of postmodernism, or an entirely new movement within itself.

To be clear, I’m discussing specific categories of memes: not every trend makes the cut as anything that might be dubbed “deep.” Some things should be left in their proper place on the fourth page of a Google search. More notable memes, though, (while still sporting a shelf life in a meme’s truest form) are worth digging through in order to identify their places in a movement.

 The philosophical concept of Absurdism revolves around the fact that while humans frequently seek meaning in life, they rarely (if ever) find it. The Absurdism in art and literature surfaced under the ideas of Kierkegaard and Camus. The widespread use of such concepts asserted to a larger population that “the confrontation between man’s desire for significance, meaning and clarity … and the silent, cold universe” creates only two choices for the self-aware: suicide or recognition of the deep meaninglessness of their own life.

In contemporary culture, Absurdism exists outside of morbid, pessimistic thought— it collides most often with Nihilism, a consolidated (and generally depressing) form of the Absurd. Think the “I want to die,” “lol, nothing matters” attitude conveyed through a huge number of memes, tweets, and captions. It collides with Surrealism, another art movement of the twentieth century, as well. Surrealist humor is rooted in the Absurd in that there truly is no meaning to be found in related content. This type of humor is most popularly expressed through memes, like in mock news sites like Clickhole and The Onion. The range of acknowledged Surrealist humor spans from classic Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland to adult cartoons like Ren & Stimpy, basically exhibiting content with no inherent meaning. They are comprised of nonsense, juxtaposition and illogical unpredictability. Simply stated, it makes no sense—and that is fundamentally funny.

Surrealism thrived in the arts and became a foundation to an array of movements that followed. Dadaism, among them, sparked up in Switzerland during World War I as people began concentrating their anti-war agenda into artful expression. They did this through a rejection of the prevailing standards in art that were largely unchallenged for centuries, and in doing so creating: “anti-art” art. Essentially, people were motivated by poor economic and political conditions to react artistically and to create cheeky, anti-establishment works. These works unified those around them in their dissatisfaction in the conditions around them. Can’t the same be said for today’s meme culture?

Memes are capable of moving beyond a simple distraction from what seems to be looming existential dread in those who create them. They act as a form of communication to express pain, as referenced in their connection to Surrealism, Nihilism, Dadaism and general Existentialist themes, but also serve (in a more optimistic perspective) as simple facts of life and even positivity or joy. The infamous @justgirlythings Instagram account is proof of this. It existed solely to communicate sentiments familiar to many women and girls as if to say “this is part of my life, and I like it.” It was soon corrupted by internet “trolls” in the earliest stages of modern online culture, but it had a profound impact on the esteem of many girls that followed it. Memes can employ surrealist principles to engage the imagination and channel deep-rooted memories (i.e. “Only 90s kids remember!”) while still remaining capable of exhibiting Romantic ideals on glorifying and raising aspects of everyday life to the extraordinary.

Maybe that’s not enough incentive to give memes a title as high as “art.” One major deterrent is a meme’s unavoidable expiration date: pictures, references and slang that flow through the web go out of style before you can say “on fleek.” The trends that catch on with a larger population, those that ebb out to the capitalist market (I’m talking about those sassy tank tops that Wine Moms wear that reference 2013 memes and mainstream Vines) lose whatever charm they might’ve had—and God forbid it’s featured on Ellen. Consider how many memes from that past ten years you can remember that are now . Rage comics. Bad luck Brian. Grumpy cat. Kanye tweets. Any Vine reference. No matter how much you remember, there are almost certainly more memes that have obtained dreaded mainstream appeal.

An unfortunate contrast is the average teenager’s recognition of the most popular memes in popular culture compared to the most highly regarded fine arts, those hung in museums and stared at by old men holding wine glasses and tiny hor d'oeuvres. This isn’t to argue which art form is more equipped to be hung in a museum, as we all know the answer. Instead, it points out the major differences in consumption and with it, accessibility and impact. Not everyone can visit their local art museum for every new installation, and not everyone can comprehend what an art piece tries to communicate. Most people, however, have access to the internet. With the domination of social media in popular culture, memes are simply more capable to gain mass exposure, ultimately affecting more people, and are accumulating a wider culture as a whole.

Of course, most of the time, memes are entirely meaningless. Something void of meaning opposes art. However, that same meaninglessness reflects recognized art movements of the past two hundred years, illustrating that truly, they’ve “unwittingly been adopted by our nation’s youth,” perhaps evoking a more positive perspective on the seemingly time-wasting medium enveloping the internet.

The Death of the Album

by Jules Travis

“What’s your favorite album?”

Bet you’ve never heard that one before. Sure, people will ask you the kind of artist you listen to regularly, your favorite song, genre. They’ll look at you funny if you say “German death metal!” or name Katy Perry’s 2008 bop “I Kissed a Girl” as your top choice, but it’s become rarer than ever to favor a whole album—or if you do, it’s unlikely anyone will recognize it by name if it’s not the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” or attached to a pop artist in the top 40. Today’s consumption of music contrasts dramatically with how it’s been used ever before, and the extreme accessibility of every genre imaginable by way of the internet has changed the game and essentially killed the album—and with it, music in its most conventional form.

No, I’m not quite writing to advocate for indies’ ruthless consumption of the now-outdated record. They’re expensive, inaccessible to many, and though the majority or record users claim that “it just sounds better, man,” that’s arguable and ultimately lies in personal preference. The resurgence of the record and physical music within a certain demographic is an interesting twist in the story of the death of the record. The record can hold only albums in its traditional side A, side B form, and rarely even contains music from more than one artist, all of which is so foreign to modern avid music listeners with Spotify or Apple Music subscriptions.

With the rise of the cassette came the fall of the record, taking with it the longest-lived analog musical platform. The record dates back to 1877, which is basically when groovy tunes became accessible to common people who didn’t carry around a piccolo or guitar or piano in their back pocket. The cassette was revolutionary, despite its neglected status today. The root of the term “mixtape,” used so widely now in reference to a musical mix featuring various artists, lies with the cassette, the first device that the user could manipulate to play all of his or her favorite songs all in a row, assuming that, like a normal person, those favorite songs aren’t all produced by the same band.

Then came, as natural selection intended, the death of the cassette. The infamous compact disc was introduced and dominated for a solid, respectable two decades: introduced in the 1990s, the CD did exactly what the cassette did, but better, and more condensed. Truly, it resembles a more advanced record while the cassette is more similar to a VHS (you know, those plastic boxes that hold all of your family’s Disney movies from the early 2000s). The CD could and still can be “burned” like the cassette to hold music of choice, but still, like the cassette and record before it, was sold in albums and designated, mass-produced collections.

I don’t have to work hard to convince you of the impact of the iPod, iPhone and Apple products at large. The iPod was put forth in 2001, at what would be the CD’s peak, never to be climbed again. Suddenly you had 500 plus songs in a matchbox sized scrap of metal to be manipulated with downloaded CDs you already own and an online store where you could buy albums and (here’s the big thing you were waiting for!) individual songs. No way.

The mixtape culture was changed. You could just buy one song and scrap the rest of the album! Instead of an album reaching the charts with its popularity, singles gained traction and albums began to fall tragically behind. The final twist of the knife, though, came from streaming services. When the smartphone industry began thriving the way it does today and users became increasingly reliant and demanding for their lives to be simplified further, Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Soundcloud, and Youtube were developed over time to make music stupid easy to come by: all kinds of it, every genre, individual songs, playlists, whenever you want it. So as playlists and song radios and Discover Weeklys became prevalent, the album was brutally murdered. You didn’t need to listen to an album, at all, ever. The best songs from any album were delivered to you with a tap with no need to sort through an artist’s discography for your own favorites: it was done for you. And with the ease of consumption, the album died.

Something might be lost with the absence of album recognition: music tastes might be warped by what’s most popular and therefore most accessible, whereas sorting through an album forces one to forge a more original taste. Albums are assorted the way they are to constitute a theme or flavor. Listening to playlists removes the flow of certain songs as they were meant to be listened and kills interludes’ purpose as buffers between songs or establishers of the album’s intended essence. An album listened to in full might offer a deeper meaning and can give the listener a greater understanding of the artist, ultimately making the listener more capable of creating their own themes within their music taste.

All that said, it doesn’t have to be so tragic. With its demise came a greater emphasis on the artist and the genre. People will ask you, as they always have, “who do you listen to?” perhaps, in some way, returning some due credit to those who produce the albums rather than simply the title of the work, like famous books with forgotten authors. Streaming services give the power to any listener to assort their own preference, and return some of the essence of unique music taste that’s taken with whole albums: songs from all over the musical map are suggested to users based on what they’ve proven to be their preference and can establish a deeply specific taste that belongs to only them, whereas in the past, someone somewhere might have the exact same record collection. Albums are still available in full on all of these streaming services and are experiencing a resurgence in some crowds with the recognition of the value in an album. Change isn’t a bad thing, and after centuries of one way of listening to music, maybe it’s been overdue for longer than we ever thought.

image: reference.com

Cavaliers and Warriors

by Josh Golden

As we approach the summer, the end of the NBA season is near, and two teams are about to battle for the championship. This year, the Golden State Warriors, led by Steph Curry, look for the franchise’s first title in 40 years while Lebron, in his first year back in Cleveland after a four year stint in Miami, looks to deliver on his promise and deliver the first title to the city of Cleveland since 1964. Oh wait... that was in 2015. It’s 2018 now, and the league has changed drastically. Kevin Durant has gone to the Warriors, Kyrie Irving demanded a trade from the Cavaliers, landing him in Boston, and multiple teams have taken huge steps forward. However, here we stand, three years later, about to witness round four of the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors. However, both teams took paths to get here that they’ve never taken before.

This season, the Warriors finished with a 58-24 record. Although second best in the league, it was seven wins less than the Houston Rockets, who ended up with home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. This was the first time in the Warriors' four-year run that they didn’t have home-court advantage leading up to the Finals, and it almost caused them to miss the championship round. The Warriors were down three games to two against the Rockets, yet on the brink of elimination, they managed to pull off two huge wins, one at home and one in Houston. However, many, including Rockets forward Eric Gordon and ESPN analyst Max Kellerman, believe the Rockets would be competing in the finals if Chris Paul hadn’t injured his hamstring in game five. The skepticism surrounding the Warriors’ finals birth along with lowest win total in their four-year run makes them vulnerable for defeat.

Although the Warriors had a shaky season by their standards, their road to the finals was a piece of cake compared to that of the Cavs. Cleveland entered the season with a huge storyline: the departure of Kyrie Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas and other assets. However, Cleveland waited the first few months of the season for Thomas to play after he injured himself in last year’s playoffs. Once healthy, he made a very minimal impact, averaging just below 15 points and five assists in 15 games in Cleveland. Just prior to the trade deadline, Cleveland completely reshaped their team, parting ways with Thomas, Dwayne Wade, and four others in exchange for Rodney Hood, George Hill, Larry Nance Jr., and Jordan Clarkson in a series of three trades at the deadline. Prior to the trades, Cleveland sat at 31-22, yet won 19 of the 29 games after making the trades, earning them the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Despite arguably the best postseason of Lebron’s career, due to a weak supporting cast, the Cavs are considered lucky to have made it this far by many people. However, here they are, just four wins away from a title.

To the disappointment of many, we’ll be seeing this finals matchup for the fourth consecutive year. However, this one is different. Both of these teams are vulnerable. Both teams faced a three to two deficit in the conference finals. Both teams are awaiting the return of key players from injury, with Kevin Love and Andre Iguodala both sidelined. Both teams’ conference titles are questioned due to injury on other teams, with Chris Paul missing time for the Rockets and both Irving and Gordon Hayward missing time for the Celtics.

America will have to sit through the matchup of the two evil empires again, but due to the emergence of new strong teams in both conferences, this could be the last time the Cavs and Warriors face off for the title.

image: http://www.latimes.com/sports/nba/la-sp-cavaliers-warriors-preview-20180530-story.html

Under No Roof

by Max Greenhalgh

Take the I-805 to the 94 freeway to downtown San Diego and just look around. It is almost impossible to miss the rows and rows of tents strewn across the sidewalks, full of people just like us that simply can’t afford housing. According to a 2017 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Planning (HUD) report on homelessness in America, San Diego county has a total homeless population of 9,160—the fourth highest in the country. In this same report, it was determined that four of the ten areas with the largest homeless populations were in California, so this problem isn’t exclusive to our community. Why is homelessness in San Diego—and California as a whole—such a large problem? What can we do about it?

As more Californians realize the seriousness of our homelessness problem, individuals and groups have begun to attach band-aid solutions to this massive gash, with predictably limited success. The San Francisco branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) employed a robotic security guard for approximately a month to remove homeless people from nearby sidewalks. Some have criticized the group for their less than humane treatment of the homeless, as simply bumping them with a robot isn’t exactly the most diplomatic way to push them away. The practice of pushing the homeless off of one’s property and onto another’s is also worthy of scrutiny, as this does nothing to solve the problem of rampant homelessness within the city. After a threat of a $1,000 per day fine by the city of San Francisco for operating on a public sidewalk without a permit, the SPCA “fired” their robot. However, the fact that an organization focused on benevolence towards all creatures felt the need to hire a glorified bumper car at all speaks to the gravity of the issue of homelessness in San Francisco.

Mass homelessness is a problem that is not easily fixed without heavy government intervention. And while intervention has been attempted in many forms in the past few years, it will take a long time to see any results. In the face of affordable housing legislation, many Californian homeowners feel that average quality of life will be negatively impacted far too much by low-income housing developments in their areas. Colloquially known as a Not In My Backyard (NIMBY) mentality, those with this mindset believe the values of their properties are decreasing due to the increased prevalence of low-income housing and businesses targeting people with lower incomes. These people are thrilled with the booming economy in California, and wish to see it continue booming at all costs, and believe that limiting low-income housing and businesses in the area will serve to slow or halt this growth.

As the number of homeless people in America has grown naturally with population over the last several years, it is arguable that the Department of Housing and Urban Development has been underfunded in recent years. Accordingly, the recently-proposed decrease in funding for the HUD is absolutely a net negative for the homeless of America. The department’s funding hasn’t been slashed since 2012, a year in which the dollar declined and uncertain economies slowed previously positive economic movements. However, the White House’s proposed HUD budget for the fiscal year of 2019 (which starts in October of this year) cuts its budget by $8.8 billion dollars, bringing the total discretionary funding down to $39.2 billion from its previous $48 billion. Among other things, this program eliminates the Community Development Block Grant program, which larger cities of California such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego benefit from. This grant gives local governments more latitude to push towards funding they see as important. Given the homelessness issues California is having, many cities that currently receive funding from this grant focus on improving living conditions for low-income and homeless residents.

Direct HUD funding isn’t the only way that the current administration’s policies have hurt the homeless. Compared to the tax policies of previous administrations, the Trump administration doesn’t seem to be much help to the nonprofits that help the homeless the most. Jeffrey Sitcov, President and Founder of local homeless youth charity Doors of Change, explains these changes. “Before people would be able to make [tax] write-offs because they are making a thousand-dollar donation to us. We don’t get that donation anymore [because] they don’t get that write-off. A lot of people now are disincentivized from giving to nonprofits.”

Besides the political barriers that make it difficult for the homeless to advance in society, socio-cultural issues also stand in their way. The homeless are often stereotyped to be chronic substance abusers, too lazy or unwilling to break these harmful habits. However, the experience of Michael Johnson, founding member of the Burrito Boyz homeless charity, begs to differ. Given his years working with the homeless of San Diego, he states that the biggest misconception about the homeless is that “they’re all druggies and alcohol abusers.” The National Coalition for the Homeless found that in 2009, only 26% of the homeless population abused drugs, and a largely overlapping 38% were dependent on alcohol. Johnson believes that the far more serious issue is mental illness, saying that people just “look at the couple of bad seeds that are alcoholics and are drug abusers” and extrapolate this onto the rest of the population. Another significant misconception about the homeless is the general age of our homeless communities. As Sitcov points out, “Federally, there is so little money allocated to the 18-24’s, or the transitional age kids.” According to the 2014 Point-In-Time Estimates on Homelessness report, on a single January night over 40,000 youths in this age range were found homeless and alone. When society thinks of the stereotypical homeless person as nearing the end of the line of life, a massive part of our homeless are missed, and are made even more invisible as a result.