T-Minus How Many Days?

by Kate Monko

T-minus thirty days until we all know when: the day of fresh beginnings or the start of something new, as some like to call it. It’s the renowned day of adopting a new mindset because, well, it’ll be 2017. New year, new you? But in all honesty, are New Year’s Resolutions a thing of the past, or are there still people out there that reflect and reevaluate their lives and carve out goals? Here’s the catch…sticking to them.
I am confident in saying this: many people can sail through January, or halfway through, without a problem, but as the next weeks pass by, the burning desire to crush an end goal can surely fade. It’s unfortunate when July rolls around and people have already bailed on their plans.
Although I have only surfaced this earth for a few months shy of 18 years, I’ve made a list of observations when it comes to the traditional “new year, new you” mindset. First off, I think that many people take the wrong approach to New Year’s plans. Let’s take the classic new year fitness campaign which solicits, “A year from now you will wish you started today,” or something to that effect. Just because it’s January 1st, people shouldn’t go head first into the New Year thinking they’re an entirely new person. Understand that you are one day older, and not much has changed. Think about it this way: unless you came up with a goal on the spot, why did it take you until the first of January to actually begin? Is this a desire that you really want or is it just expected? There’s the first sign of procrastination. Start today, now.
For most, willpower is usually the main factor in driving their desired goal; “be religious to the gym to get healthy and fit” is a common dialogue many people recite. But unfortunately, willpower will not be the power alone. At the end of the day, you have to take a deep breath and honestly, assess the “why?” part of your goal. Why are you working towards this destination? What is the purpose? Think like this: you don’t have to achieve your resolution; you get to achieve your resolution–so if you really want to make it happen, the choice is in your hands, and you get the opportunity to do so. There does, though, have to be a strong underlying meaning and justification if you want to craft goals that will stick with you in the long run.
I do not mean to be a downer on the idea of New Year’s resolutions; it is just shameful to see so many people throw the towel in too early. If you know exactly why you are doing something, without a doubt, you will be grounded to these goals as if you said a vow. To keep you from following the course that so many people chose to take (aka quit), stay tuned for this little list to keep you centered and with laser vision towards the objective.
Stick with ONE single goal at a time. Avoid making this goal too generalized; aim to be specific. Set small weekly goals that will eventually feed into accomplishing the end-all.
Precommit. Make plans; then stick to them. Sometimes writing down or even telling someone helps with the accountability part. For the days that you feel like giving up, if you ever get to that point, it will help to have that person to remind you the “why?” of your goal, and it may just be enough to remind you exactly why it is you are doing this.
And lastly, remember, tomorrow is a new day. I get it; we’re all human. We all slip-up and fail to do every single thing on our to-do lists every single day of the week. Grace people, it’s a word we need to hear often. Just understand that tomorrow is a fresh start essentially, and you can hop back on the wagon towards achieving.
Here’s to a New Year that’s approaching us in exactly one month. Take the rest of this month, if you desire, to plan your goals strategically, and then do something that no one else usually does: start crushing those goals before January 1st rolls around.

The Party’s Too Lit

by Daniel Chekal

The warehouse on 1305 31st Avenue in Oakland, California, known as the “Ghost Ship” to artists who use it as a haven to escape the insane rent prices, was set ablaze last Friday, December 2, and is recorded as one of Oakland’s the most devastating fires in recent memory. As the death toll continues to rise, we can’t help but ask questions such as what happened, how could’ve it been prevented, and so forth.
The owner, a 46-year-old artist named Derick Ion Almena, was reportedly not at the location after renting it out for a dance party. With multiple records of citations of hazardous trash and debris surrounding the property as well as complaints of illegal construction, he is one to be not only familiar with the local law enforcement but also the community. Typical among life-work warehouses that house many people, they are frequently able to bend the law without getting caught because people tend to be afraid of making a starving artist lose their home or their own house may be in jeopardy. Like the saying goes, “Snitches get stitches”, many were afraid of not only making others’ lives harder but also about what they would do to them if they were exposed. Therefore, since Almena was able to manipulate what he did with the warehouse as long as he provided housing and work space for artists, conditions were ripe for a problem to increase tenfold something were to happen.
The devastation caused by the fire could have been largely dwarfed if Almena stuck to the law. With the building being last permitted as only a warehouse, people shouldn’t have been able to live there in the first place. Furthermore, he took advantage of that fact and only provided two exits with no evidence of a sprinkler system, further worsening the situation. This may have kept the rent down but at what cost? With the increasing death toll currently at 33, officers are unable to enter to check for more due to the precarious location but are certain the number will climb significantly higher.
With a vigil that was attended by more than 40 people, many mourned the passing of many artists and innocent people. Due to its novelty and the tight-knit community of the arts in Oakland, everyone in the area apparently seemed to know someone at the party or who has been there for a different occasion. However, the saddest part about the whole situation seemed to be Almena’s reaction to the horror. Instead of mourning the loss of 30+ lives, he mourned, in a Facebook post on Saturday, for all of his belongings that were destroyed and didn’t mention the people. He was thankful his family wasn’t hurt but was lamenting over how he was now “… standing in poverty of self-worth.”
Currently, there are no criminal charges against Almena but who know what the future holds and how people will cope with the devastation that could’ve been prevented by investing more in the livability of his property. This goes to show that cutting corners will ultimately magnify the slight mistakes to become disasters.

*Disclaimer: This title isn’t meant to offend anyone. Our hearts go out to the people affected by this tragedy.

Take a Hike

by Peter Saltamachio

Studies by the Council for research Excellence(CRE) and Ball State University have determined that the average American spends over eight hours a day on screens. Additionally, research conducted by the National Library of Medicine(NLM) has determined that Americans spend an average of between one and two hours per day outdoors, not including holidays. How did the situation get to this?

Our rampant consumerism has caused high demand for new, more advanced technology. We continue to buy, buy, buy. Does anyone remember when the iPhone was a new device, heavy in metal and light in usability? Of course, but we don’t think about that. All we think about is the terrible injustice of the headphone jack-less iPhone 7 and exploding Note 7 batteries. Nobody cares about the Old when New has come along and done Old’s job better than Old ever could.

The media has been very helpful in turning our attention to the screen as well. As far as I know, the media’s goal is to cause consumers to devote more time to it. And guess where you can’t reliably access the media? Outdoors! It’s no wonder we don’t see many big-name celebrities plugging trips to the lands of our recently 100-year-old National Park System. They get more money from things that people want to watch on TV. The media and celebrities would probably be happy if we spent outdoors half of the time we spend now.

The outdoors is a unique place, full of no TVs, jam-packed with no Instagram, and always comes with a heaping eyeful of non-Internet-video content. Best of all, the WiFi is always free(it doesn’t work like you think it does) and its data capacity is greater than that of the strongest lithium-ion battery that outsourced labor can produce.

The miracle of nature requires no Terms of Service or Network Password, but it does require a commitment:ditch your phone and just appreciate!

It’s not necessary to share your every experience with 200-plus friends, most of which you don’t actually know…you know, those ones you friended or allowed to follow you because you had a “Friend in Common” or [insert random electronic connection here]…yeah. That one.

Right here in San Diego, you can follow a wildly zigzagging trail down into a canyon toward an eighty-foot waterfall, and walk on uninterrupted beach from Swami’s in Encinitas to the mouth of the San Dieguito Lagoon at Del Mar, and past there to La Jolla Shores, about ten miles of beautiful sand and sea.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Other outdoor adventures include hang gliding at the Torrey Pines Gliderport, the countless animals of the San Diego Zoo, or disc golfing at the fantastic Morley Field course(on Pershing Drive in Balboa Park).

San Diegans have an abundance of all the fun natural resources: water, sun(not too much), sand, animals and our favorite: Money! Just kidding. Other than money, we seem reluctant to take advantage of these precious resources(Money isn’t precious. It’s only worth anything if everyone is in on the joke.)

If you’re like me, you might be getting ready to fly the coop, heading off to college next year with sand still lingering in the threads of your pockets and purses. Well, I’ve got some advice for you. You can relive the stress of your final push toward university with an excursion down the crazy gullies of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, or spend your afternoon swimming with leopard sharks at La Jolla Shores. If you leave for another state, city or country, make your last experiences here of things your phone can’t measure: fun, smiles, bliss, thrills. Because what you don’t want to pop into your mind when you think of home is something you saw on TV yesterday. If you even have one anymore.

If you go online you may find a daunting list of questions to ask while on tours, but truthfully there is really no chance to ask all those questions. The first and most important question you should ask yourself is: can I imagine spending four years of my life here? Sometimes the answer will be “ehh”, sometimes a definite “nope”, and sometimes you will have this heart-pounding feeling and you will know the answer is “hell yes”. Having toured 20 schools, I can assure you that tours are a) exhausting b) overwhelming, and c) repetitive. So here are some ways to keep the energy alive after visiting several colleges, and how to even begin deciding where to tour and how to tour.

• Try visiting schools after you have more personal data such as your standardized test scores, junior-year curriculum, and a more clear view on who you are as a person.
  • Making sure you have enough data to know whether you even have a shot of getting into a certain school is critical or you may end up wasting your time on four schools that are pretty much no’s. (I had those overly eager parents who dragged me around nine colleges during my sophomore year. I will ended up only applying to one of them).

• Once you know you want to start visiting schools (most likely the middle of your junior year to the summer before senior year), you have to plan the actual road trip.
  • Pick schools in a certain area. They don’t have to be perfectly close together, but convenience can be a lifesaver. If you are going out of state, it’s best to pick a certain region and maybe a certain state. You can base this area on a specific school you know you want to visit and then visit other schools in that area or base the area on your preference of placement.
  • Try not overdoing the amount of schools you visit in one trip because you could become overwhelmed and tired, which will inhibit your ability to immerse yourself in the school.
  • Use Google Maps when choosing schools, especially if you are doing two schools in one day. It’s not fun awkwardly slipping into an information session because you didn’t realize the second school wasn’t that close to the first one.
  • Find hotels near the schools. This becomes utterly important especially if your plane gets in late and you have a tour at nine in the morning and don’t really know where to go.
  • Sometimes the obvious isn’t always the best match. Some schools may shock you, and you may fall in love with a school you never even knew existed because it wasn’t Stanford, NYU, or UCLA.

• Once you know the schools, decide if you want to do both the information session and the campus tour. The information session gives information about the school and the admission process, and the campus tour gives you the chance to see if you can imagine yourself walking down the halls to your Middle Eastern Studies class.

• While at the school:
  • Bring a notepad and pen because typing information on your phone may look bad for obvious reasons.
    • This is important because a lot of the times you will find out things about the school you may not easily find on the internet such as fun events they have, what they like to see on applications, and the overall atmosphere of the school.
  • Take pictures.
    • Sounds lame, but after visiting so many schools, they may start to blend and having pictures can help conjure feelings you had while walking around. Sure there are pictures online, but usually of just the prettiest building on campus and the campus from up above. Taking pictures of the cafes, classes, and surrounding areas ensures you won’t forget anything when application time comes around.
  • Wear comfortable shoes
    • My sandals broke while walking around Tulane. Talk about college visit horror stories. I had to walk barefoot to the nearest shop on the campus. Yes, humiliating. And I will never let that happen again. So I have given fair warning. Bring shoes that won’t break.
  • Write down certain things that a student or admissions officer said that stuck out, or write down an interesting story or situation which occurred during your visit.
    • This will become helpful when it comes time to write college essays. Many colleges have the “Why ___” essay, and having some memory to write down about your experience will make you stick out.

Everything is a Gender Thing

by Max Greenhalgh

Gender and sexual equality are two of the most important and divisive issues in today’s society. However, as a bystander with no investment in the movements for equality, I often stand and wonder how any of the controversies brought up are about gender at all.

For example, the supposed pink tax scandal. Activists to this day still protest supposed differences between prices of male and female goods that are exactly the same, as the women’s products are, at first glance, unreasonably expensive. However, from all of the evidence I’ve seen, the issue doesn’t seem to be based on gender. Groundswell.org reported four major examples of the pink tax, and all four seem to have logical bases in consumerism. For example, the site reports the discrimination within the dry-cleaning industry, despite saying within their own information section that machines often cannot press women’s clothing due to the differences in the female frame, requiring manual pressing and a higher price as a result. Deodorants have been another item of controversy, as women often pay more for the same product, but with a different scent. However, whose choice is that? Women aren’t forced to buy the scented version of deodorant, but it smells better, so many choose to purchase it.

There are numerous other examples of the anti-pink tax movement’s fraudulent claims of sexism and misogyny, but I’m not here to debunk or ‘rek’ one side of the table. Many men’s rights activists claim that this is undeniably a gender issue, because the causation just must relate to the correlation of the data in this example. “You can’t be a guy and talk about needing help,” says CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) director Jane Powell. “This is why [suicide is] really a gender issue. There is no ducking this.” However, there seems to be plenty of ‘ducking this.’ Claiming that guys are completely incapable of seeking help for their problems and can never seem to get a handle on their emotions seems pretty misandristic for a charity that claims to be “Challenging a culture that prevents men seeking help when they need it” according to their website.

My point in all of this conjecture is that in today’s society, there seems to be an increasing sentiment of gender imbalance. However, unless real evidence is proposed for supposed components of modern gender imbalance, there will continue to be more and more sexism in the world as one gender’s image of the other is negatively impacted by all of these fringe movements that seem to defend their chosen side without evidence with ecclesiastical fervency. I think girls are pretty cool, and I promise, us guys have our positives, too. Let’s stop this separation of society based solely on gender before it is too late. Let’s go back to separating society’s haves and have nots in the way that is most effective – those who have money, and those who have not.

What’s up with the College Football Playoff?

With the third installment of the College Football Playoff and with the national championship, featuring a rematch of last year’s national championship between Nick Saban’s Alabama and Dabo Swinney’s Clemson, approaching, it’s clear that there are still plaguing issues that are occurring within this relatively new system. Due to the fact that there are still only 4 spots available for the power five conferences, there continues to be a conference that is left out.

This year’s major loser was the Big 12 conference, failing to provide an outright champion that could contend for a playoff seed. The University of Oklahoma began the year at 1-2, with non-conference losses to Ohio State and Houston. They would finish the year at 11-2, on a roaring winning streak, proving to be one of the hottest teams in the country. In all likelihood, if they had decided to reschedule those games against other lowly programs, Oklahoma would potentially have gone undefeated and would have clinched a playoff spot.
Other schools like USC and Penn State, after a major Rose Bowl Classic, represented the hot finishes towards the end of the season. Given that each team respectively had 8 game winning streaks and Penn State had won the Big 10 conference, it’s evident that these teams were deserving for some type of playoff bid. USC had beaten the fourth-seeded Washington Huskies and a potential rematch against the Crimson Tide would have brought an abundance of viewers.
It took years for the College Football world to be able to evolve from a BCS system to a playoff system and as we know, there really aren’t that many changes that are ever made. However, there are a few solutions that could solve a lot of the drama that will surely exist for the next few seasons. The number one and two seeds could each have first-round byes, similar to the current NFL system for the AFC and NFC. This would enable a fifth and sixth seed to emerge, and potentially rid the issue of leaving out a power five conference representative. It would only add another game to the schedule, the only issue would be determining if these mini “wild-card like” matchups were considered as bowl games or not.
Another potential solution would be instilling an 8 team playoff. The reason why people are in love with March Madness, the college basketball tournament in March, is because of the complete unexpectedness of the tournament. There are matchups between lowly 15 seeds who somehow upset a number 3 Duke. This could be translated to the College Football world and these matchups could occur. Who knows, maybe a team like Western Michigan, given the right opportunity, could upset a team like Alabama.

The only disadvantages of expanding the playoff is an extension of the schedule, which could prove to be exhausting. However, by adding one week, players are able to get a taste of the grueling 17 that they will face in the NFL. The current four-team fiasco is desperately calling for a revision and it is yet to be seen in the coming years to witness and sort of changes.

Silent March at CCA

by Libby Edwards

Canyon Crest Academy is widely known for its progressive style and inclusive culture. Recently on the CCA campus, a silent march was organized regarding Trump’s new immigration ban. Safi Jafri, a junior at CCA organized this march with only 2 days of preparation. Jafri used social media and word of mouth to inform his peers to meet at lunch and prepare to march around the school. It was explicitly stated in the description of the event that it would be silent with absolutely no talking or chanting, this was so all political opinions would be respected.

Around 150 students participated in the march. There were 4 news stations covering the march including: Carmel Valley News, ABC10, FOX5, and NBC7. There were several police officers on campus to make sure there was no violence involved in the protest. The marchers made several laps around the campus before speaking to the press. The march was approximately 30 minutes. The marchers brought signs and wore shirts saying “1984=2017.”

Jafri stated “Civilized discourse is the foundation of this country. Our intent was to demonstrate that, and while I respect the differing views of Trump supporters, some of their methods of voicing their perspective were unfortunate and regrettable. Overall, we believe that this was a successful event that exemplified the accepting and inclusive values and culture of CCA.”

As Jafri previously mentioned, there were several Trump supporters surrounding the marchers. Some remained calm, while several chose to shout pro-Trump phrases. One boy in particular decided to shout “Build the wall!” When asked what his opinion on the march was, he said “It’s free speech they have every right to do it, I don’t agree with their message, but I support their right to free speech.”

When asked about the march, Principal Killeen said “I appreciate that from the outset, they really wanted this to be peaceful.” Members of the administration stood close by the marchers to make sure everything remained peaceful. There are certain laws to be followed when an event like this happens and the administration worked from those.

As for the after effect of the march, there were talks of a pro-Trump rally occurring the day after. The participants of the march reminded each other via facebook to be civil toward the Trump supporters. As of now, there has been no rally.

To Boldly Go

by Audrey Hsu

1969 was a significant year in history. What first and foremost springs to my mind is an old ballad by Bryan Adams, rusted old Gap jeans, and the year my parents were born. But older readers might remember the year as the Beatles’ last performance, the United States withdrawal from the Vietnam war, and “…one small step for man, one giant step for mankind.” Despite monumental advancements in humankind such as sequencing the human genome and the creation of the internet, such a technological advancement has never rocked the world harder than the landing of the first man on the moon. Granted, the latter two events proved much more useful in the progression towards the future than the superficial show of American power the first man of the moon wrought. All over the world, dreams were inspired, little boys and girls in every nation imagined lands unexplored, and Richard Nixon was congratulated for reestablishing America’s dominance in the world.

What comes next? From what the world can see at this point, the next big technological advance is yet to happen. Problems such as disease, poverty, civil war, overpopulation etc. still plague the surfaces of every country. So, are scientists currently counting their fingers? Are there any current inventions teeming below the radar? To my knowledge, there are quite a few. In a rare lawsuit between colleges, Berkeley and MIT are going at it with no small amount of zest, zeal, and accusations over a billion dollar new technique called CRISPR. What does CRISPR stand for? Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. Translating this into understandable English, it would be simply put, a gene-editing tool. The implications of a gene-editing tool and what it could be put into use for is one for the philosophers. Suddenly the world seems conquerable by mankind…the universe could be! In a refined state, gene-editing could progress to eliminate the woes that humans regularly face, food shortages, diseases, aging, even bring back certain extinct species such as the wooly mammoth, easily. Cancer, HIV, Malaria, all of the towering undefeatables would be obsolete.

As with any decision, creation, invention, there never fails to appear another side to the issue. As shown in the 1997 thrilling science fiction movie GATTACA featuring Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, the disastrous side effects to gene-editing become evident. Editing genes to prevent sicknesses avoidable at birth is one thing, but selecting desirable superior traits in a human (not just babies), is another. Besides editing humans, the CRISPR gene editing technique has already been tested on dogs and goats in China to create enhanced muscles and on mice to remove HIV virus cells, both cases being successful. While gene-editing is currently being used for the good, other possibilities such as enhancement of intelligence are controversies soon to be brought up when the technology is commonly used in the future. The term, “sounds like a science fiction movie”, could be scarily close to becoming a reality in the near future. The possibilities are truly frighteningly endless, and from a dramatic perspective, there would be nothing to stop human expansion into space and true domination. Gene-editing will truly remake the world.

Yet beyond all this, other problems may arise. Looking short term wise, in the words of oncologist Lu You, gene editing may “trigger a Sputnik 2.0”. With all the advancement that only gene-editing can bring, we may ask, is there more beyond gene-editing? We may question what even the next step would be in the history of mankind. Traveling beyond the speed of light? Skyscrapers built and deconstructed with the push of a button? In these situations, we can only look to the future and quote Star Trek, “To boldly go where no man has before.”

Sweet and Bitter Goodbyes

I am nearing the end of the line. It is my senior year, and as made evident from movies like The Cinderella Story or Footloose, it is supposed to be brimming with in-the-books kind of memory making. Most expectations set by movies are often disillusioned. But a senior year has been more than I could imagine. It’s involved the greatest and the most tragic moments in my life so far. Inching towards the end, I can’t help but feel sad. High school has been hard, but it’s also made me who I am. I just want to say thank you to these four years. I have never shed so many tears, nor have I laughed so hard.
I often pause while walking, tiny freshmen swarming about me. I realize this is it. A couple more months and Canyon Crest Academy will no longer be my home. Soon I will no longer complain about the stone-hard seats, the dirty stairs, and the lack of paper towels in the bathroom. Soon I will no longer walk onto a campus and see CCA kids with their colorful hair and individualistic styles. Soon I will no longer walk up the rainbow stairs to Mr. Black’s room. Soon I will no longer be in a place I know and call home. It’s a strange to think all that I once called comfort and home will probably be replaced with a new home: college.
I am grateful to Canyon Crest Academy because though I only got two years as a transfer, the two years have shaped me into a confident, strong, happy person that just did not exist freshman and sophomore year. CCA has given me a chance to, well, be me. It has given me the time and opportunity to mold myself, make mistakes, learn, and thrive. I owe who I am to CCA. So thank you. Thank you for giving me this time to grow. Thank you for teaching me what it means to push the boundaries and dream big. Looking back, I can’t help but feel extremely nostalgic. I am grateful for the ups and downs of the past four years. Each challenge and triumph have shaped the person I am today.
So yeah, it’s bitter-sweet. I am facing the future, the unknown completely shook and trembling, but I know that what I have learned the past four years has prepared me for college. I know I have the courage to brave whatever comes with courage and adaptability. Thank you, CCA.

Welcome to Adulthood

by Kate Monko

In the eyes of the law, you are now considered an adult for most things. Everybody knows that once you’ve reached the eighteen-year mark, the 26th amendment pertains to you, that is being able to vote. Many young adults, however, may not know the other legal implications that follow you to this age. Arriving at this milestone provides you with the opportunity to now complete any of the following legally: get a tattoo, go skydiving, purchase fireworks, sue someone, join the military, book a cruise, lease an apartment or a house, book a hotel room, serve on jury duty, buy a car, buy a lottery ticket, or change your name, just to name a few.
While there is a laundry list of things you can accomplish when you reach eighteen, sometimes it’s important to hear pieces of life advice that can be so easily overlooked. For instance, as you enter the early years of adulthood, try not to be so hard on yourself. Accept the fact that you have and will make mistakes; from there, move on and learn from them. Don’t let anyone discredit your dreams or life goals because every human is looking at life through a unique and personal lense. As you being in the “adulting” phase of life, don’t forget to carve out time for family and friends.  Another gem to carry with you is the idea that there is never a “right time,” which is another way to say just go for it. Be proud to be different; don’t spend all your time trying to fit the mold that society forms. Although it’s hard, try to not spend too much time worrying what someone thinks about you. I know it’s not the easiest thing, but turning into a people pleaser only leaves you with disappointment in the end and a sense of never feeling like what you are is enough. Treat yourself with kindness, and then flood the world around you with that same kindness and gratitude.
The preceding lengthy list may have seemed like words of wisdom your parents would sit down to tell you or be written in “life quote” form. Maybe try to focus on two of pieces of wisdom and really try to live them out in your life. This latter list leaves you with more abstract goals that you can try to implement into your life; whereas, the first list outlines some of the privileges that come with achieving circling the sun for eighteen years. While you can’t legally do everything under the sun at eighteen years of age, you are now viewed (and can be charged in crime) as an adult would be. No more juvy because now you’re adult material.
Sixteen was the milestone for the beloved driver’s license and twenty-one comes with its own privileges where you are fully classified as an adult and are endowed with more liberties than you are at eighteen. Seventeen was the bridge, the gap year from the driver’s license year to the voting rights year. Nonetheless, if you’re ready or not, eighteen will come and go by in the blink of an eye, and with it comes both freedom and responsibility.

Really Free?

by Annie Lu

Not many of us ever give thought to what it means to live in a country that champions freedom of expression; we take for granted the ability to vent on social media, to vocally follow the presidential elections with mounting disbelief (and other stronger feelings), to say whatever you want about whomever you want, whenever you want. But this is becoming increasingly untrue.

In an age where “political correctness” trumps some of our first amendment rights, the question arises: is our speech really free? Constitutionally, of course, we still have the ability to express whatever opinions strike our fancy. The government of the United States cannot rightly persecute you for speaking out against them–though this may not be true of all countries. North Korea is a prime example, where the government maintains an information blockade restricting citizens’ rights to an almost inconceivable level to those of us who are accustomed to the loose-lipped culture of our country. Less extreme censorship practices occur even in modern China, where innumerable media sources are curtailed.

This is in no way to claim that free speech is and always will be purely virtuous right. More and more often, the words that come out of our mouth and through our keyboards are contested in their legitimacy. What once might have been the pride of a nation has become a hotbed of controversy.

To hit the nail on the head, in early 2017, protests erupted with an incandescent fervor at UC Berkeley–not too far from us–regarding the planned appearance of renowned public speaker Milo Yiannopoulos. Yiannopoulos, a self-proclaimed cultural libertarian with barrages of criticism regarding political correctness and social justice, incited outrage from those opposing his views. The riot involved no shortage of violence, with pepper spray and arson and rock-throwing at the police. There are two ways to consider this event: did Milos Yiannopoulos have the right to speak out at a public college, regardless of the unpleasantness of his words? His rights to free expression are well-protected under our Constitution, but in an educational environment, perhaps that speech ought to be limited to his own private conversations. On the other hand, do student protestors have the right to act out when they feel aggravated? Protests are certainly a form of expression–and a powerful one, at that–but violence is hardly the way to go about exciting change.

It is only human nature to detest limits–hardly anyone would admit to enjoying being told what or what not to do. Thus we relish the freedom to express our beliefs in whatever ways are at hand. But there are reasons to shorten that leash. Oftentimes, people are lashed out at for saying things that may be construed as not “politically correct”. While the term political correctness itself does not denote a negative meaning, it is commonly used as a pejorative–our liberal society scorns the excessive care with which we address modern issues. But we do recoil at terms that seem derogatory towards a certain population or provide the spark to a torrent of internet-insult-exchanging. People in our society should never feel ostracized for what they are or what they choose to be.

Maybe there is a need to tiptoe around topics that could seriously hurt some parties, and maybe we should engage in discourse about those issues instead. What truly is the best way to address the most contentious matters in the modern world remains under discussion, for now.

Sucks To Be Sick

by Amy Cheng

It is the same as any other illness. You feel sick, maybe you experience strange symptoms. You go to a doctor and they diagnose you and prescribe you suitable medicine. You get better. It is the same as any other illness, but mental illness keeps you from being able to seek help.

Oftentimes it is just too intimidating to go to a doctor to talk about such an intangible problem, so you don’t go and the problem festers and gets worse. And the worse it gets, the worse it gets, until you question how much longer you can bear the pain, whether you can bear it any longer. But you still don’t seek help.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that 20% of adolescents ages 13-18 live with a mental health condition, 11% with a mood disorder, 10% have a behavioral disorder, and 8% have anxiety disorder. They go on to list common symptoms that parents and friends should use for identifying mental illness, but usually, the patients themselves will hide the symptoms. We are lucky to live in a world where mental illness and the discussion of mental illness is more open than ever, but it is still hard to talk about such an overwhelmingly personal problem.

Still, humans are social creatures. We crave communication and reassurance and company. Teenagers, in particular, have close relationships with the internet and social media, and so many people ask for help online, under pseudonyms, because the internet gives a sense of anonymity. Maybe they can’t confess how they feel in real life, so they resort to typing on the internet because it is all they can do. Just the act of translating feelings to thoughts to words can be cathartic, and acknowledgment is the first step towards recovery.

But on social media, the public becomes a mass of judges. Whether they like your posts or not is quantified with likes and reposts, so you arrange your confessions on beautiful backdrops with pretty fonts.

This romanticization of mental illness everywhere, these posts are shared and liked and glanced at or ignored, and maybe it’s reassuring to see the massive followings that these posts gather, as proof that you don’t suffer along. But it’s terrifying to see the massive followings that these posts gather. Posts that normalize the pain of mental illness are so commonplace online, that it becomes habit to relate to the otherwise harmful mental disorders. And if those feelings are normal, then the urge to ignore symptoms becomes even stronger, develops into ignorance and a refusal to recognize it as for as an illness.

If you find yourself relating to quotes that, in hindsight, signify unhealthy mindsets, be aware that mental illness is significant. However comforting anonymity and company are, though, professional treatment is more reliable. If you can’t face the bright white lights of a doctor’s office, and the calculated questions, talk to a friend. Text them if you can’t face them, and work your way up to a professional diagnosis. Try to heal yourself, because you can.

Trivialization of Language

by Max Greenhalgh

George Orwell’s 1984 hit the top of the Amazon bestsellers list not too long ago, as a result of Kellyanne Conway’s now infamous “alternative facts” gaffe. While 1984 is absolutely a book that should be taken seriously, I wonder why it took this particular example of counter definitional word use to make America fear Big Brother again. There are many words today whose definitions have been manipulated to make cheap political points. Here are some examples of a few of them.

Fascist – (n) New Definition: Conservative person who I do not like

The word fascist has served an important purpose over the history of our country. It has described numerous foreign tyrants, like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. However, today it often finds itself describing our newest president, Donald Trump. This conflation of the word dulls its impact when an actual fascist comes to power somewhere in the world by diluting the words meaning through overuse. Enforcing a nation’s sovereign border (while potentially economic suicide) isn’t fascism. Tax cuts for the rich don’t signify fascism’s rise in America. Let’s use the word fascist to describe the leaders that will kill and imprison people due to their identities and silence all dissenters with totalitarianism, like Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin.

Social Justice Warrior – (n) New Definition: Liberal person who I do not like

On the other side of things, a more recently cropped up mocking word’s usage has spiraled out of control. Just like fascist, the term social justice warrior serves the purpose of pointing out a bigoted ideology but points out those who elevate minorities above the majority instead of vice versa. However, just because a liberal president like Barack Obama supports universal healthcare (another crippling economic policy) don’t make him a social justice warrior, nor is it true that those who marched to ensure the rights of women were protected after Donald Trump’s election are all just a bunch of social justice warriors.

Fake News – (n) New Definition: News that doesn’t back up my pre-established worldview

Once again, fake news is a phrase that is essential to describe the news that is ostensibly and obviously untrue with any amount of investigation. However, it has been reduced to a political punchline in today’s hyper-polarized climate. Tell a Republican that there is a problem with most of Donald Trump’s cabinet being private business leaders stemming from potential conflicts of interest, and you may hear “fake news” as a response. Tell a Democrat that their Congressional representatives have made more news sitting in and filibustering over the last few weeks than they did actually writing legislation over the past eight years, and the same “fake news” reply might make an appearance. Please, use the phrase to describe factually inaccurate or made up reporting. This isn’t hard.

La LOL Land
by Amanda Arnett
The Oscars. It is arguably the biggest night in the entertainment world, and on this, the 89th year of the ceremony, it was also the biggest flop of the entertainment world.

As a beautiful night of glittering gowns, Jimmy Kimmel roasting Matt Damon, and everyone pretending to be shocked when La La Land won basically every award, wound down, it was time for the award everyone had been waiting for, Best Picture. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of beloved TV show Bonnie and Clyde, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences asked Faye Dunaway (Bonnie) and Warren Beatty (Clyde) to present the most prestigious award of the night. The stars sauntered onto the stage with bright smiles, but after Beatty opened the red envelope, he seemed confused. He paused, looked at the audience, then back down at the card. He then showed it to Dunaway, who only glanced at it and announced La La Land had won best picture. Now pause here: remember the Miss Universe 2015 pageant when Steve Harvey mistakenly announced the runner up as the winner? Yeah so that’s what I’m getting at here because no, the Best Picture winner was not La La Land, it was actually the film Moonlight. Just in case you happened to miss it.

The La La Land crew had already begun giving their acceptance speeches, tears of joy were being shed, and little statuettes of golden men had been given to the cast. Chaos then erupted on stage as officials emerged from backstage and spread the news that Moonlight had won, and La La Land had been announced mistakenly. The frenzy of confusion evoked diverse reactions, including some small giggles from Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling and an “I blame Steve Harvey” joke by host Jimmy Kimmel.

How could a mistake of this magnitude happen on one of the most watched shows on the planet? What happened was that Beatty had been given the backup envelope for Best Actress, which said Emma Stone, La La Land as the winner, instead of the Best Picture envelope. After the mistake had been corrected, Beatty explained that he was not trying to be funny but that he was utterly confused when he read the envelope and knew something was awry.

Two accountants from PricewaterhouseCoopers accounting firm were at the heart of the fiasco, as they were directly responsible for handing the result envelopes to the presenters. The two accountants, Martha Ruiz and Brian Cullinan, also manually count the votes made by members of the Academy and are the only people who had prior knowledge of the winners. Ironically, just days before the event, the pair told the Huffington Post that they were unsure of the exact procedure if the wrong winner was announced.

According to PwC United States Chairman Tim Ryan, Mr. Cullinan was the one responsible for handing Warren Beatty the wrong envelope. What may have caused Cullinan to make this drastic mistake is unknown, but just minutes before the incident he posted a photo to twitter of Emma Stone backstage after her Best Actress Win. It is speculated that his posting and gawking over the celebrity may have distracted him and contributed to his mishap.

PwC has since issued a formal apology and it is unknown at the moment if the company’s contract with the Oscars is in jeopardy or not. Academy president Cheryl Boone, however, announced Wednesday that both Ruiz and Cullinan have been fired from working any future telecasts

The 2017 Oscars will go down in the books as one of the most intriguing ceremonies in Oscar history, and as one of the biggest fails in the entertainment industry.

Kookoo Colorado and Crowns

by Ali Youel

The news has been full of many things, politics, war, memes, and riots, but now a possible change of power could face England. Yes, The Queen, Her majesty, might be overthrown. By who? President Trump? He’s too busy banning citizens of a different religion and trying to get “bad dudes” out of our country. Kanye West? Nope. Josh Golden? Definitely not, he’s too busy writing his articles for Pulse Magazine. A man from Colorado? Yep, he claims he is the rightful king of England.
Daily Mail wrote an article on March 1st, about this man. Scrolling through the news and seeing this, sandwiched between stories of corruption and war, made me laugh. Only then did I read the article, written by Simon Holmes, and find out that this man from Colorado, named Allan Evans, genuinely believes he is the rightful King Of England.
Evans placed an ad in the London Times saying, “…Allan V. Evans shall apply to claim his said royal estate at the Government Legal Office and 1 Kemble street in London. Anyone wishing to contact said claimant must do so by and through the said Government Legal Office for security reasons”. Evans has a long list of demands for the change of power, but he will allow Her Majesty, The Queen, to stay in power until she dies.
The advert begins by talking about Evans’ right to the crown through his relations to royalty. Evans claims to be the direct descendant of the founder of Wales, Cunedda Wledig. The ad states, “Allan V. Evans… is a direct descendant of an unbroken primogeniture line legally documented since the third century in Great Britain…”
After doing more research on this strangely interesting story, I found something written by Louis Doré. He wrote, “In 2012, according to 13WMAZ, a man called Allan V. Evans from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, attempted to claim 400 acres of land in Twiggs county.” According to Evans himself, he had ancestors who owned the land, so it was rightfully his, but his evidence was destroyed. In the article, Louis Doré mentions, they wrote: “Allan V. Evans of Wheat Ridge, Colorado is claiming that his Evans family ancestry entitles him to claim 400 acres of land in Twiggs County, which would force 35 homes, a church, and a shooting range to be under his control.” Evans seems to want as much land, power, and control as possible which apparently his ancestors have happily stored away for him. But this raises accusations, concerns, and questions such as, is Evans doing this as a way to own more land, have more power, or is he actually a descendant of people who owned a lot of lands?
So basically, a man from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, claims to be the rightful ruler of England through descendency from royals. This article makes me wonder, am I the rightful queen to any countries? Am I a direct descendant of the founder of Wales? Am I somehow the princess of New Zealand? Okay, I’m getting sidetracked but still, an article about a man from Colorado claiming to be the King of England is enough to make anyone’s mind go crazy.

How Movies Have Ruined My Life

It was at the age of four that I saw my first R-rated movie, Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Ever since then I have been completely obsessed with films. I currently own over 200 dvds and have watched almost any movie you can imagine. I am still traumatized from watching “Juno” when I was 7, a film about a pregnant teenager who has an unhealthy obsession with Sunny-D (Trust me when I say that watching “Juno” with your parents is not a good idea). It’s through these movies that I have gained so much knowledge and perspective on the world itself.

As much as I love these movies, the truth is, movies have ruined my life!!! It’s true, movies have given me such high expectations for my life. When I was little, I would watch “Halloweentown” every year and recite all of the spells that I heard. I was just waiting for the day that I turned 13 and became a witch, little did I know, that day would never come. I soon moved from kid movies to Rom-Coms. I started watching all the John Hughes movies and Molly Ringwald became my inspiration. I watched “Sixteen Candles” when I was 13 and I was so looking forward to my 16th birthday, where I would meet my own “Jake Ryan” and end the night blowing out the candles of my birthday cake in a bridesmaids dress. That day was a real bummer.

I have now moved on to the classics, my current favorite being “Good Will Hunting,” a movie that combines math, boston accents, and Robin Williams’s unlimited sweater collection, what’s not to like? This movie brings me to a whole new level of sadness. While it is much more realistic than most of the movies I have watched, it’s so close to being real that I can’t use the excuse “that only happens in the movies.” Yes, a secret math genius living in Boston may not be that realistic, but the relationships between the characters is what makes it so realistic and makes me so sad. The relationship between Matt Damon and Robin William’s characters alone is a bond strong enough to make anyone jealous.

I guess I’ve learned that our lives will never be like the movies, I mean how could the be? Movies are perfectly scripted, the people make perfect speeches and no matter what mistake they made, they are always forgiven. The thing that’s so different about life and movies is that movies end, yes so does life, but they end when everything is going great, when the couple ends up together and is unbelievably and disgustingly happy. They never show you what happens ten years later when the couple could be divorced or just plain miserable. “La La Land” got it right. (SPOILER ALERT) Mia and Sebastian didn’t end up together because they knew that if they did, their dreams wouldn’t come true. That’s real life, making tough decisions and not marrying Ryan Gosling (unfortunately). Every now and then though, try and live like you’re in a movie. Go do something crazy and adventurous, make your boyfriend/girlfriend put a boombox on their shoulder outside your window or sing a high school musical song to you. If your life isn’t as exciting as a movie, make it be. “It’s funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you watch them on a screen.” -Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange

Below is my list of 150 movies that I recommend you see (in no specific order):

•      The Godfather (film series)
•       Scarface
•       Top Gun
•       Goodfellas
•       Kill Bill
•       Roman Holiday
•       Breakfast at Tiffany’s
•       Casablanca
•       Cast Away
•       Whiplash
•       Big
•       The Da Vinci Code
•       Philadelphia
•       Jaws
•       Catch Me if You Can
•       Django Unchained
•       Good Will Hunting
•       Dead Poet’s Society
•       Taxi Driver
•       The Graduate
•       It’s a Wonderful Life
•       Singin’ in the Rain
•       The Shining
•       Almost Famous
•       Chinatown
•       Lawrence of Arabia
•       Some Like it Hot
•       Apollo 13
•       Spotlight
•       Psycho
•       American Psycho
•       The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
•       The Birds
•       Rear Window
•       Misery
•       Malcolm X
•       Groundhog Day
•       Schindler’s List
•       The Shawshank Redemption
•       Sense and Sensibility
•       Pulp Fiction
•       The Usual Suspects
•       Fargo
•       Saving Private Ryan
•       American Beauty
•       Fight Club
•       The Matrix
•       The Sixth Sense
•       Brokeback Mountain
•       The Hurt Locker
•       The Exorcist
•       Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original)
•       Dawn of the Dead (original)
•       American Hustle
•       A Nightmare on Elm Street (original)
•        Halloween
•        E.T.
•        The Goonies
•       Wolf of Wallstreet
•        Die Hard
•        Beverly Hills Cop
•        Airplane!
•        Caddyshack
•        Boyz n the Hood
•        Annie Hall
•        American Graffiti
•        Rocky
•        12 Years a Slave
•        The Rocky Horror Picture Show
•        Strangers on a Train
•        The Pursuit of Happiness
•        The Dark Knight
•        Inglorious Bastards
•        The Silence of the Lambs
•        Room
•        No Country for Old Men
•        Million Dollar Baby
•        Prisoners
•        Memento
•        Boyhood
•        Sunset Boulevard
•        Frankenstein (original)
•        Zero Dark Thirty
•        Moneyball
•        Slumdog Millionaire
•         Boys Don’t Cry
•         The Breakfast Club
•         Beetlejuice
•         Seven
•         Sound of Music
•         Forrest Gump
•         Footloose
•         Grease
•         Titanic
•         Pretty Woman
•         Poltergeist (original)
•         Back to the Future (film series)
•         Argo
•         Ghostbusters (original)
•        The Grand Budapest Hotel
•        The Wizard of Oz
•        Raging Bull
•        Inside Out
•        12 Angry Men
•        The Lion King
•        Star Wars (original trilogy)
•        Bridesmaids
•        Rain Man
•         The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
•         Stand by me
•         The Green Mile
•         Terminator 1 & 2
•         The Departed
•         Gladiator
•         Apocalypse Now
•         Alien
•         Reservoir dogs
•         Braveheart
•         A Clockwork Orange
•         To Kill a Mockingbird  
•         Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
•        Jerry Maguire
•        Risky Business
•        Gone with the Wind
•        Mary Poppins
•        Shrek
•        Birdman
•        Planet of the Apes(film series)
•        Star Trek(film series)
•        Dirty Harry  
•        The Professional
•        Moulin Rouge!
•        All About Eve
•        Die Hard(film series)
•        A Few Good Men
•        As Good as  It Gets
•        Avatar
•        Gone with the Wind
•        The Sandlot
•        Rocky
•   Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
•        Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
•        The Color Purple
•        A Christmas Story
•        Gladiator
•        West Side Story
•        The Artist
•        Rebel Without a Cause
•        Mr. Holland’s Opus
•        The Social Network

NCAA Tournament Preview

by Josh Golden

Every time of year has a certain event that makes it loved. November has Thanksgiving, December has the holiday season, June has the end of school, October has Halloween, and the month of March has the NCAA Tournament. Last year’s tournament was filled with bracket busters, buzzer beaters, half court shots, and last second comebacks. For this year, we’ll get to watch a tournament stacked with ACC teams, talented freshmen stars, and thousands of questions needing answers.

One question many people are asking is what team is going to win it all. This year, there is no clear favorite like there has been in recent years. ESPN’s expert on tournament seeding Joe Lunardi currently has Kansas, Gonzaga, Villanova, and North Carolina as the top seeds in the tournament. According to mathematical algorithms put together by teamrankings.com based on Lunardi’s bracket, Gonzaga has the largest chance to emerge victorious at 12.8%. However, the possibility of getting a perfect bracket is 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 (yes, that’s a real number), so numbers are never on your side when it comes to filling out your bracket. Additionally, even though they won their first 29 games of the season, Gonzaga has very little experience playing against top ranked teams this season, only playing two teams that Lunardi currently has as a four seed or higher (and winning both). I recommend selecting a team with more wins against quality opponents such as Kansas and North Carolina, who both have multiple wins against teams in the top 10 in rankings at the time of the game. If you’re interested in selecting a team to win the tournament who isn’t a top seed, look to UCLA, who is currently listed as a three seed by Lunardi. They have as many wins against top 10 teams as they do losses, and star freshmen Lonzo Ball has won everywhere he’s been and doesn’t expect that to end this year.

Another question that is constantly being asked is what team will fill the role that Middle Tennessee State did last year in ruining many brackets across the nation by upsetting Michigan State in the round of 64 as a 15 seed. An easy answer to that question would be Middle Tennessee State since they went 27-4 this regular season with only one conference loss. However, Lunardi currently has them at an 11 seed, so that wouldn’t be a major upset if they advance. I would keep an eye on two different 14 seeds to advance right now: Florida Gulf Coast and Winthrop. The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles surprised basketball fans everywhere in 2013 by becoming the first 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16 with their emphatic dunks and upsets over Georgetown and San Diego State. This year, they have a very similar style of play to the team they had in 2013 and expect to make a mark on this year’s bracket. Also, the Winthrop Eagles, who played the role of spoiler in 2007 against Notre Dame, have the potential to bust some brackets.

Hopefully, March Madness this year will be filled with shocking twists and turns just like it is every year. I think there will be many interesting changes and there’s a strong chance I believe for another year with a double-digit seed in the Sweet 16, but once the confetti is falling on April 3, I expect the North Carolina Tar Heels to cut down the nets as champions.

San Diego: The Soccer City?

by Derek Li

With the Chargers abruptly leaving the city it has called home since 1961, San Diego, with a population more than 1.3 million people, is only left with a baseball team: the Padres. Even Green Bay, Wisconsin, with a population of a mere 100,000 people, has an NFL football team, the Packers. San Diegans have been desperately hoping for another sports team to call this Southern Californian coast city home.

So, what is the reason for the lack of major sports teams in San Diego?  Well, there isn’t a clear explanation, except for the fact that sports just isn’t as big as a thing in San Diego than it is in other cities, such as Los Angeles. In other words, it’s just not a huge part of the city’s culture. This could be proven by the fact that the proposal for a new Chargers stadium in San Diego was downvoted, which is partially why it later moved to Los Angeles.

The good news is, San Diego is making progress. The city has recently shown strong interest in an MLS soccer team. In fact, a detailed proposal for this new team has already been released. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the new development, which is called “Soccer City”, calls for a complete remaking of the Qualcomm Stadium area for a new stadium with a capacity of up to 40,000 people that can host both MLS soccer and San Diego State University football games. In addition to plans for the stadium itself, “Soccer City” also shows proposals for “nearly 1,300 student and low-income housing units, public soccer fields, three residential high-rises up to 26 stories, two hotels with a total of 450 rooms and reserved space for a second trolley line and station.” If the plan goes through, the total construction cost is projected to be over one billion dollars.

However, there are other markets that may have priority over San Diego when it comes to a new MLS team. This includes St. Louis, Tampa, and Sacramento. The NFL can only choose two cities to expand to that would join the league in 2020. But, it seems like San Diego is one of the frontrunners of this race. According to Vox Media, Don Garber, the commissioner of the MLS, recently stated that “San Diego’s looking good” when answering the question of whether or not San Diego will be one of the two teams that will be selected to join the MLS at the end of this year.

Whether or not an MLS team comes to San Diego, the city is at least taking the initiative to bring a professional sports team to town, hopefully giving life to the currently lackluster sports scene. And, if the proposal does get approved, let’s just all hope that it won’t eventually relocate to Los Angeles.

The New Lullaby of Broadway

by Hunter Katz

After the smashing success of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton which offered an innovative groundbreaking approach to the trials and tribulations of America’s First Secretary of The Treasury Alexander Hamilton which the incorporation of Rap and Hip-hop giving the musical a 21st Century appealed to a wide variety of people young and old alike. Like Hamilton, the 2016 Broadway seasons offered an artistic whirlwind with new innovative musicals such as Waitress, School of Rock, Shuffle Along and Bright Star along with classic revivals such asFiddler on the Roof, The Color Purple, Spring Awakening and She Loves Me. The 2017 season of Broadway proves to be just as exciting and innovative with many new musicals and great revivals sure to be hitting the Big Apple really soon.

New Musicals:

Dear Evan Hansen: The composing team of La La Land Benj Pasek and Justin Paul come to hit the Broadway stage with the new musical Dear Evan Hansen. Dear Evan Hansen centers around the high school senior Evan Hansen who suffers from social anxiety disorder looking to find his place in high school. He writes letters to himself on to tell him how it’s “going to be a good day”, he later meets with Connor Murphy another social outcast like Evan. Connor who ends up committing suicide with one of Evan’s deeply personal letters in his pocket. This journey follows Evan’s way to find himself and to hide the truth about the letter and his friendship with Connor Murphy. This musical has gone on to receive the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical and Outstanding Book of a Musical. Many Musical Theatre fans view the Pasek and Paul musical to be the favorite for the Tony Award for Best Musical.

Anastasia: The classic Fox animation film comes to the Broadway stage during the 2017 season. Anastasia is a story of a Russian woman with amnesia in the 1920’s who tries to discover the mystery of her past life by traveling to Paris. The musical contains the iconic songs from the animated feature film such as Journey to the Past and Across My Memory and new material from the composing duo Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty behind the musical Ragtime. This Broadway musical is set to open on March 28, 2017.

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory: The popular Roald Dahl book and 1971 film starring the late Gene Wilder is set to upon up on Broadway on April 23rd, 2017 after a successful West End run over in London. The new production stars Broadway Veteran Christian Borle as Willy Wonka. Borle has starred in many successful Broadway productions such as Something Rotten! The new adaptation includes the classic song Pure Imagination from the 1971 movie as well as brand new songs written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman but still staying close the material many know and love across the globe.

Broadway Revivals:

Cats: The popular Andrew Lloyd Weber musical returns back on the Broadway stage at the Neil Simon Theater after closing in 2000 after running just over 18 years on Broadway. It is one of the most popular and successful musicals in Broadway history. The new production features the iconic costumes, sets, and story just like the old but refreshes the production by adding new choreography and special effects to enhance the show. Cats is most known for its iconic song Memory as it is considered by many theater enthusiasts to be one of the greatest songs in Musical Theater history. The new Broadway revival has already received critical acclaim and is likely to be in serious contention for the Tony award for Best Revival Of A Musical.

Miss Saigon: The composing team of Alain Boublil and Claude Michel-Schonberg behind one of the most popular musicals in Broadway history Les Miserables returns to a limited Broadway revival of Miss Saigon. Miss Saigon follows the story of 17-year-old Vietnamese girl Kim after she struggles with her affair with an American G.I. named Chris at the end of the Vietnam War. Miss Saigon was famed by its ground-breaking performances such as Lea Salonga as Kim and Jonathon Pryce as The Engineer and its heart-breaking songs and score, the new production features an ethnically diverse and up and coming but talented cast such as Eva Noblezada as Kim and Jon Jon Briones as The Engineer. This production is set to open on March 23 rd 2017 and expected to close on January 13th, 2018.

Hello, Dolly!: The classic Broadway production is about to return to the Broadway stage after a long absence starring Bette Midler as the title role. Hello, Dolly! is known for its “golden-era charm” and it is the only golden-age musical to be returning to the Broadway stage this year. The musical originally opened on Broadway in 1964 before being made into a movie in 1969 starring Barbara Streisand, Walter Matthau, and Michael Crawford. The new production also features other talented performers such as Gavin Creel (Thoroughly Modern Millie, She Loves Me) and Daniel Hyde Pierce (Curtains, Spamalot) The new production is set to open April 20th, 2017.

With the paramount of new and returning shows coming back to Broadway, it is sure to be one great season. Whether you’re dying to see the new Dear Evan Hansen or can’t wait to see the new production of Miss Saigon there’s something new for everyone.

Chance Allows For More Chances

by Libby Edwards

Chance the rapper is a relatively new artist in the music industry. Although he has been around for a while, it is his new album, “Coloring Book”, that has earned him the attention of millions and even 3 Grammys, including one for best new artist. Recently the Chicago based rapper donated $1 million to Chicago’s Public School System in hopes of giving Chicago’s children “quality learning experiences that include the arts.” His donation impressed many people, including former first lady, Michelle Obama. She responded to the donation on twitter saying, “Thanks @chancetherapper for giving back to the Chicago community, which gave us so much. You are an example of the power of arts education.”  In addition to his generous donation, Chance also announced that for every $100,000 dollars raised for Socialworks, a non-profit organization that he co-founded in 2015, $10,000 would be donated to Chicago’s school system.

Chance will be kicking off his “Coloring Book” Tour right in San Diego on April 24th at the Valley View Casino Center. With tickets ranging from $29.95 to $69.95, tickets were pretty affordable, it was very important to Chance that his tickets weren’t too expensive as he tweeted “We worked hard to make sure everyone could afford a ticket to the show.” However, most tickets were sold out before anyone had the chance to purchase them. The rapper has been warning fans of scalpers who purchase the tickets and resell them at higher prices, he has even been adding more tickets to his website after shows have been sold out.

There are two VIP packages available for all of the concerts. Number one is the “Rock, Paper, Scissors Package” which entails three rounds of rock, paper, scissors with chance, a signed 3 hat, and a first look at merchandise, this runs for $75. Package number two costs $250 and is titled the “Tweeted by Chance Package.” This package includes a selfie with Chance that will be posted on his twitter and a first look at merchandise. All tickets and VIP packages can be purchased on chanceraps.com.