• 1 harbor seal
• 1 Coca-Cola bottle
• 1 pair of sunglasses
• 8 parots
• 6 baseballs
• 14 flags
• 7 fireworks
• 1 baseball glove
• 5 balloons
Devin Dean Div Lukic
Caps and Gowns
By Div LukicAlthough the world of college and academia can sometimes be thought of as strict and official, nobody can say they don’t know how to dress. The different colors, hoods, hats, and tassels that you see everyone wearing today actually mean very specific things.
The flat cap you see students wearing is called a mortarboard hat, and it’s common to place the tassel on the right side of the hat until a certain portion of the graduation ceremony. Those who hold doctorate or masters degrees often wear the puffier cap with a bit more shape to it, a graduation tam, or Tudor bonnet.
Here are some common gowns you might see today, try to spot these in the crowd!
Color Me!
Fireworks
By Div LukicGraduations, New Year’s, Fourth of July’s. We’ve all been dazzled by the magic of a big fireworks show. The aroma of gunpowder fills your nose, the bangs and booms rush into your ears, and the swirling and sizzling explosions keep your eyes glued to the sky. If you were alive three thousand years ago, you might think that what you’re seeing is magic. However, as magical as they may be, there is in fact a science to these marvelous colors and shapes.
The first fireworks were actually much closer to firecrackers, with evidence from as early as the second century B.C. of people from Liuyang, China throwing hollow bamboo sticks into a fire and waiting for the heat to cause them to explode. Around a thousand years later, Chinese alchemists figured out that stuffing a mixture of potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal into the bamboo before throwing it in the fire resulted in an even more satisfying pop.
Although China technically invented fireworks, it was Italy that pioneered what we know as fireworks today. Until the 1830s, all fireworks only produced an orange color. Italian firework families combined different metals to the gunpowder to create colors. If you add barium, you’ll get a bright vibrant green. Copper creates shades of blue, and adding sodium will make yellow fireworks.
Pets at School
By Div Lukic
AGE: 45 in Dog years
BREED: SPCA Special (mixed)
FAVORITE FOOD: Dehydrated liver
FAVORITE TOY: Her owner
GUILTY PLEASURE: Chewing furniture
PASSION: Meeting new people
AGE: 35 in Dog years
BREED: Pomeranian Mix
FAVORITE FOOD: Leafy greens
FAVORITE TOY: Any ball that bounces
GUILTY PLEASURE: McDonald’s fries
PASSION: Giving kisses
FAVORITE FOOD: Tuna Treats
FAVORITE TOY: Balls with bells inside
BREED:
GUILTY PLEASURE: Biting hands
@Pearl
@Mithai
@Duplo AGE:
in Dog years BREED: Welsh
FOOD: Chicken FAVORITE TOY: Tug-of-war GUILTY PLEASURE: Stealing food PASSION: Eating and playing Red Red Yellow Yellow Yellow Ye ow Red Red Red R e d P u r p le Purple Purple Purple Purpl e Purpl e Purpe P u r p e u r p e u r p e Purple Pu rple Yel ow Tip: Try mixing blu and d to mak purple Blue Blue Blue B u e Blue Blue Red Red Red Red Red Red Sr 38 Strontium Sr 38 Strontium Ca 20 Calcium Na 11 Sodium Br 56 Bariam Cu 29 Copper Cu 29 Copper Al 13 Aluminum Mg 12 Magnesium Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Purple Silver Arts Fine Arts Music Business Journalism Nursing Economics Environmental Philosophy Education Law Science Engineering Medicine Social Work
40
Corgi FAVORITE
in CAT years
AGE: 15
GREY
/ UNKNOWN
@Willow
What's blue like red paint? Answer: Blue paint
Got Jokes?
Our Urban Animals
These animal residents are part of the fabric of this magical city
By Amy BurkeBellatrix, Buttercup, Bambi, Bailey, Betsy: the Bison of Golden Gate Park
These ladies are the bison who live in Golden Gate Park. These large animals are an unexpected sight in the city. In 1899, American Bison were placed in Golden Gate Park as part of a nationwide effort to preserve the species, which were estimated to be as low as 400 in North America at the time. The commitment of the early designers of the park have upheld their promise to maintain this species for over 130 years.
blue and smells paint?
The Parrots of Telegraph Hill
San Francisco has some feathered celebrities: the colorful and loud par rots of Telegraph Hill. Wild parrots originally came to the city as exotic pets decades ago, and one bird who still flies free reportedly escaped from the San Francisco Zoo. Today, there are estimated to be between 200 and 300 wild parrots flying around San Francisco. At any time of the day, locals can see the notable birds flying throughout town. These fly-bys are special and even though parrots are not native to Northern California, San Franciscans have embraced the birds as their own.
Harbor Seals—among San Francisco’s most noisy residents
On any given day, people in the city can see seals basking in the sun on the piers on the city’s coast. Pacific harbor seals are the only marine mammals in the San Francisco Bay year-round.
Harbor seals are the smallest, earless seals living off our coast. Adults weigh on average 100-300 pounds and grow five to six feet in length. There are nearly 50,000 harbor seals living along the coast. These seals eat whatever is seasonally abundant, including small fish, squid and crustaceans. The gray and reddish seals are one of San Francisco’s friendly furry friends and they make their presence known with their enthusiastic welcoming barks.
Is it Magic?
By Div LukicBritish
writer Arthur C. Clarke wrote,“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” If we follow that train of thought, then a city as technologically advanced as San Francisco must be the most magical place on Earth. It would be more fun if these cars ran on magic, but engineers have spent decades figuring out how to make self-driving cars without casting spells on them.
Companies like Cruise, Waymo and Zoox have been testing driverless cars on San Francisco streets since 2022, and have since provided plenty of double-takes to tourists and locals alike when they see the ghostriders for the first time. When you see a car going 30 miles per hour down the street with absolutely nobody inside, it’s human instinct to feel a pinch
of concern even if you know it’s loaded with sensors and safety features. This is where the magic happens: sensors are installed on all sides of the cars, scanning everything on the road in every direction with Radar and Lidar technology. The car then creates a digital map of itself and its surroundings and makes decisions on where to go based on the information from the sensors and cameras, often with the help of AI.
Although these companies may have created what looks like magic, it’s still a work in progress. Last October, Cruise was banned in California after a collision with a pedestrian on Market Street. It might not be perfect yet, but eventually, there might come a day when San Francisco will really be the most magical place on Earth.
Got
Jokes?
HOW TO: Take a Good Photo
By Div LukicLOOK FOR A MOMENT
HOW TO: Clean your Room
By Sydney WilliamsCleaning your room might feel like a daunting task, especially if you haven’t done it in a while and the mess has been piling up for a few weeks. Finding where to start might be overwhelming, but take the process step by step and take your time. Eventually, the mess will disappear, leaving you with a clean room and happy parents.
STEP 1. Set the mood
Take it slow and try to get into the right cleaning mindset. Grab a speaker and your favorite playlist and play some music! Don’t forget to take some dance breaks.
STEP 2. Throw away trash
Grab a trash bag from under the kitchen sink and throw away garbage, old food and items you don’t need anymore. Starting here will clear up your space and get you ready for the next steps of cleaning your room.
STEP 3. Organize items into piles
Miscellaneous items are scattered on the floor of your room. Sort and put together items that belong in the same place like clothes, toys and items that don’t belong in your room. Once everything is put together, pick which pile to put away first, then move on to the next.
STEP 4. Vacuum the floors
Once your floor is clean, you can now get into the fine details of cleaning your room. Take the time to get crumbs and dirt off the floor. The room will feel much cleaner when you don’t have to step on dirty floors.
Cleaning your room doesn’t need to be seen as a chore and could actually be a fun way to spend your day. It’s time to show off your newly cleaned room to your parents.
Whether you’re using an iPhone, an Android, or a thousand dollar camera, there are some basic rules to keep in mind when you’re trying to take a good photo.
If you’re taking pictures of nature, wait for that animal to walk past your camera. If you’re taking pictures of your cat, wait for them to stretch out or yawn.
MOVE AROUND
Bend those knees and get low, get up on that table, move around! If you think something’s worth photographing, get plenty of angles to show it off from different, interesting perspectives.
USE THE RULE OF THIRDS
The Rule of Thirds is a basic guideline in photography that divides the picture into a grid made of nine boxes. In general, you want the subjects in your image to appear on one of these lines.
THINK ABOUT LIGHT
Different kinds of light can effect how your photos come out, like harsh light from the sunshine on a bright day. The angle of the light also affects your photos, so look out for distracting shadows.
PHOTOGRAPH EVERYTHING
If you want to get better at something, you have to keep on doing it. By taking pictures of your daily life, you’ll likely make some happy accidents and come out with interesting pictures. 1 2 3 4 5
HOW TO: Make a Paper Hat
Check out what the Xpress team was listening to when they were kids! 1. 2. 3. Folded side up, bring the top corners together to make a triangle shape Fold the bottom flaps up on each side to make a brim for your hat Ta-da! You have a paper hat! Open the bottom and wear it on your head! Music to Our Ears Time for a Game! That's Hot! That's Cold! DRAW SOMETHING: Tic-tac-toe is a 2 player game—best 2 out of 3 is the winner!