C.O.R.N. Magazine

FIGHT FOR THE TOP - pg 3 BIT VS HACKAMORSE

- pgs 6 & 7

BJ'S BREWHOUSE IS NOT WORTH FIVE STARS - pgs 4 & 5

VOL 1

JUNE 2018

CORN Advisor | Charleen Earley

Staff

Advisor Charleen Eareley

Editor-In-Chief

Lead Photographer

Mariah

Diana

Managing Editors

Photographers

Sam

Emily

Sean

Rais

Reporters

Graphic Designers

Joey (Man-On-The-Street)

Sean

Tina

Opinion Writers

Isaiah

Sean, Mel, Jared, Mariah, Isaiah, Tina, Emily

Jared

Tina

2 Photo By Charleen Earley

Fight for the top Article by Isaiah Page design by Christina and Mariah Michael Jordan and LeBron James have made a mark on the NBA (National Basketball Association), however, only one can be the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) in my book.

Michael Jordan, a six-time NBA champion and hall of famer, played during the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, and was considered the greatest player of all time, but until now, LeBron James has quickly changed some NBA fan’s perspectives on who is the greatest player of all time.

James has appeared in the NBA finals 9 times and has been to the NBA finals 8 straight times from 2011-2019. He won three NBA championships in those years.

LeBron, or often referred to as LeGOAT, has played from 2003 to 2018, and is still an active player.

Some NBA fans think LeBron is the GOAT and some think Jordan is the GOAT. Jordan was an excellent scorer, averaging 30.1 points per game for his career. His offence was lethal. He could pull up from the midrange and knock it down and fly to the basket and dunk the ball in.

He also had really good perimeter defence, one of the greatest of all times. If you drove on him, he will either steal the ball or stay in front of you. With skillful offence and defence, he won five MPV (Most Valuable Player) awards in the 15 seasons he played.

LBJ also was a tremendous scorer, averaging 27.2 points per game in his career. James is a high skilled player, he can drive to the basket without hesitation and make three-pointers when his team needs it the most.

Defensively, LeBron could chase down players when they have a break away, and guard most players. With all of his skills, he has won four MVP awards.

At the end of both of their careers, they will be the top two players of all time.

Jordan was a better scorer and defender, and LeBron was better at driving to the baskets and had more energy and stamina than Jordan.

At the end of the day, I think Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time.

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BJ’s Brewhouse is not worth five stars Story and photo by Mariah It takes a lot for me to give restaurants a four star rating, but I'm doing this for the first time for BJ's Brewhouse.

There are a few things that I am suggesting BJ’s in Concord, CA to change, so their customers can have a more enjoyable experience.

BJ’s has an assortment of food choices for those who like burgers or pizza for lunch or dinner and for those who love warm cookies and ice cream, you will love this delicious dessert.

There are many flavors to choose from and on Tuesdays there are $3 pizookies, which gives you about a 50% or more discount.

Like me, maybe you can’t decide on just one pizookie, so you can split them in half. All for the exception of the S’mores pizookie. This is one of the only restaurants in the East Bay that offers pizookies.

Today I will be reviewing not just the pizookie, but also my favorite beverage.

I first ordered a vanilla cream soda in a plastic cup.One thing I like about this soda is that BJ’s makes their own original cream soda so you know it is not just any processed soda.

They give you the option of togo cups and I was planning to take the rest of my drink home.

This soda was not as strong as I thought it would be and it just tasted like carbonated water.

When I’ve gone in the past, it tasted more like vanilla than now.

I was slightly disappointed in the drink Since it was $3.00 pizookie day, I decided to order a regular S’mores Pizookie. As you can see in the picture above, the top layer is marshmallow.

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BJ’s Brewhouse S’mores pizookie costs $3 on Tuesday which is Pizookie Day.

When I took my first bite, all I could taste was the sugary marshmallow top and then I felt a kick of peanut butter. I saw the chocolate in the bite but couldn’t taste it because it was overpowered by the marshmallow.

I couldn’t eat a quarter of this pizookie, not because of the size of the pizookie, but because of the amount of sugar in a bite.

One thing I missed from this pizookie was the graham cracker- one of the main ingredients in a s’mores.

The peanut butter added a nice salty taste, but I missed the nice crunch of the graham cracker.

In my personal opinion, I would never replace a nice crunch with something smooth.

I would have added the graham cracker to the crust or just sprinkled them on top, mimicking bread crumbs. Either would suffice and they wouldn’t have to take out the peanut butter, just add the main crunch of a good s’mores.

There is a rewards system available at BJ’s, where you can gain many amazing benefits.

Going on the website you can find the perks.

All you have to do is enter your email, phone number, name, password, restaurant usually attended, and your date of birth, so they can give you a free pizookie on your birthday.

I only had to pay 53-cents for an entire meal and dessert!

Then you get a point system and for every 100 points, you get $10.00 off.

For every dollar you spend, that’s one point added to your total. I use this system and once I only had to pay 53cents for an entire meal and dessert!

There is still the question of why is it not worth five stars?

My restaurant experience was four stars because of the two reasons I stated above.

Like I said, the cream soda was flat and didn’t bring the usual vanilla taste.

Also, I would have liked the marshmallow in my pizookie to not be so overpowering and I would like BJ’s to add the crunch of the graham cracker either on top or as a crust.

The service is amazing and you will not have to wait long for a table.

Don’t have an appetite when you get there? If you are a shopper, you can go shopping in the Sunvalley Mall to work up an appetite and then go quench your thirst and hunger with a nice meal.

Even with some of my feedback, I will definitely be returning to this amazing restaurant even though it is not worth five stars.

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Bit vs hackamore

By Christina

A bit is a piece of metal that is attached to the bridal or the halter on a horse. It is put in the horses mouth for control while you are riding.

Some equestrians believe bits are abusive. They actually can be, depending on how hard you use it. But if you are gentle and use a soft bit, like a snafle bit, they are not abusive.

If you are using a hard bit like a This horse has a hackamore nutcracker bit, and you are pulling hard on that is attached to a lead rope. the reins, it is abusive. Do not use hard bits if you do not have to.  The hackamore is almost like a bridal or a halter. However there is a chain under there chin that gives more control to the rider.

Hackamores are more gentle than bits.

But don't let that fool you, some hackamores can block off the horse's airways.

However that is not always true. There are many different types of hackamores. Choose which ever one is best for your horse.

This bit is attached to the halter

Disclaimer: In the end, the only thing that matters is what is best for the horse and the rider.

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Virtual Self - a true musician

By Jared Perhaps you’ve heard of the artist Virtual Self, formally known as Porter Robinson. His music is the epitome of all amazing music.

Virtual Self is an EDM artist who focuses on making his music themed, usually to make people feel emotion.

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His studio debut album “Worlds” was produced in the year 2014, when EDM was more in its prime. It was a huge success. In FADER magazine it said that Porter Robinson conquered EDM, and now he wants more. And more he got. His most recent release wan an EP called “Virtual Self,” along with him stating that his new professional name is Virtual Self.

His original music was more based around hybrid bass and emotions, but virtual self has more of a j-pop alter ego feel to that sense.

Listening to this music is a totally soul touching experience. Sadly, in 2016 Porter Robinson publicly confronted his depression.

Him being depressed meant that his music production would be stopped for a while. But recently, he found his virtual self, driving him to make the music for his phenomenal EP. Although the lyrics are few and not too intense the music is still very emotionally charged. When you hear that, you may think that the music is sad or depressing, but most of it is very uplifting and motivating. Not only is the music beautiful, it’s rejuvenating to listen to after a long day. Sometimes all it takes is some good music to calm your nerves.

Although I know it all sounds weird and absurd for music to give you such a metaphysical experience, it’s all true. Once you’ve listened to it you will feel like you’ve visited another planet. To anybody who enjoys being in a fantastic mood, Virtual Self is for them. If, you don’t believe me, go see for yourself.

Very important campus construction

By Sean Many students on campus see the need for campus upgrades. In this mini section, we will show you some of the renovations happening around campus to improve the lives for students and administrators alike.

Diane Hardy, a project manager and Stephanie Rivas, a construction manager, explained how some of the upgrades are made on campus and its underlying construction.

Outside of the small jobs happening around campus, two larger projects are taking place.

Firstly, the library will be given a new room for students to quietly and comfortably work. This will cost around $7 to $8 million dollars!

Speaking of money, Hardy and Rivas must obtain the money from bonds, which are basically loans.

Also, Rivas and Hardy are working to repair and upgrade existing power equipment to allow the growing technological atmosphere to keep growing across the campus by repairing, replacing, and upgrading existing equipment.

These advancements, in turn, will lead to a better school life for all the students throughout Diablo Valley College.

Small jobs are underway, almost all the time around campus. These jobs might include the repair of water fountains, or the reconstruction of bathrooms to accommodate the needs of a disabled students.

In total, these jobs may add up to almost five million dollars!

According to Hardy, these small jobs are done to make students’ lives safer and more enjoyable on campus.

Photo by Diana The school campus has a lot of construction happening all year long, just to make the campus a safer place for students and staff.

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DVC in 1949, when it used to be a military base.

DVC's current transformer will be replaced with Switch Gear

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The lake after there was a new installed seat wall.

Construction in progress to put wires and conduit inside

By Rais

My favorite book series ever

By Mel

What if you are surrounded by zombies and monsters!!

What would you do?

Well you can find out one possible scenario in this great book entitled, The Last Kids On Earth and the ZOMBIE PARADE by Max Brallier.

This book is about four kids named Jack (the leader), Quint (the genius), Dirk (the muscle), and June (the everything and the only girl).

They are called kids, but I would call them teenagers and they live in a town named Wakefield.

For some reason zombies and monsters have taken over the town.

These kids have been left behind with the zombies and monsters to fend for themselves and work together to survive.

They have allies that are made of good monsters.

So in my opinion this is a Photo by Rais great summer read for all kids Mel (above) has read all three books in the series, and is waiting for the fourth book to come out. hear on earth.

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Let's solve immigration

By Emily Let's talk about immigration.

Ever since President Donald Trump got elected for president, things have changed.

For example, he wants to deport all the immigrants.

Those immigrants include Mexico, Cuba, El Salvador, Albain, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, China, Indian, Israel, Japan, Turkey, and more.

Here's what we know. More than 2,500 undocumented children have been separated from their parents in the two month's since President Donald Trump's zero tolerance policy took effect.

That policy meant any adult caught crossing the border illegally would have to face federal prosecution. And that led to children getting sent to a federal shelter across the country as their parents' criminal cases progressed.

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In my opinion, I think that everyone deserves to live in America.

I also think that no one should be discriminated by where they come from. Just because they weren't born here in America, doesn't mean that they are not like us.

Being an American is not about being born here, it's about everyone coming together and getting along.

With all that is happening right now, I think it's not fair for the kids to be separated from their parents.

Wildfire close to home BY

DIANA

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This photo shows us how Lake County is on fire and burning .

This fire is also harming earth's beautiful nature.

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Today, electronics is fully integrated into most of our lives. The technologies used in these devices are amazing, allowing us to do many things, especially in communication, that we couldn’t do not very long ago.

The complexity and integration of the electronics is outstanding for most consumers’ quality of life, except for hobby electronics.

Before we had computers, smartphones, and other intelligent devices, electronics was quite simple. Tiny components were not prevalent in the electronics industry, allowing Electronic Hobbyists to create many top of the line professional devices that are almost exactly the same as most consumer electronics of the day. Electronics could be easily learnt by anybody through a few days’ worth of tinkering with very tangible and easy to handle components. On a technological scope, hobbyists and professionals were very similar, often making almost exactly the same appliances, as the technology was very easy to use. This all changed when professional electronics invented the SMT or Surface Mount Technology component.

SMT components could be mounted directly onto the surface of a circuit board, while larger THT (through-hole technology) components had to be threaded through small holes in a circuit board, making it much easier for a robot to assemble SMT components This was, at a professional level, amazing, as it allowed mass manufacturing of appliances extremely quickly, without much labour. On the other hand, hobbyists could not handle the microscopic components that were used normally in the electronics industry. Now, most electronics were mostly assembled by robots, because of the lack of wire leads on SMT components. This caused many hobbyists and hobbyist suppliers to give up, and leave to other hobbies, like programming and music.

This may have future consequences in the electronic industry, such as specialization, where personnel is so well taught in one subject, but so little in many others. Our children, may be forced to take on other subjects, such as computer programming. This may lead to a major decline in the electronics industry. So, what can we do to combat this consequence? As many electrical hobbyist's may have thought, nothing. Progress is inevitable. Hobby electronics will never shut down, but in the oncoming future, will most likely decline.

An example of a tangible throughhole component.

The new, microscopic, SMT component. This image is magnified.

By Sean

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Campus dining- an outrage

By Jared

The food on campus needs an upgrade.

If you are a student at DVC, you know exactly what I mean. The main restaurant has great food, best food I've ever tasted, but the options are very limited. There is Peet’s Coffee, but nothing there is that good or substantial. That’s why we need a food court or just more variety.

I know that there wouldn’t be room to build a new food court, but there are plenty of spaces on lawns for stands and food trucks. Also, with a food court or multiple food stands/trucks there are many options for food, so there’s always something good to try. Also, we can’t forget about people with special diets, like vegans.

The food already available on campus has some vegan options, but not enough to satisfy vegan eaters. With increased food options, it could increase the variety of foods for vegans to eat as well.

The last time I tried to get something to eat on campus, I walked to the Peet’s Coffee by the Book Center. When I walked inside, I immediately began to sigh. I didn’t have time to sit down and dine at the campus restaurant but Although this all sounds great, it would come with a price. How would this all be funded? the quick snacks I could buy at the cafe were of no substance whatsoever. I thought, if only there Well, with all of the new food options added, it was a food court with multiple restaurants that would fund itself with more people buying food.

In fact, this would be an extreme financial could serve quickly, like fast food. That way bonus for the school. If you agree with this nobody would have to go hungry and students article, then please contact a DVC official and would get to class on time. let them know how you feel.

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By Sean

At C.O.R.N, we must complete a lengthy process to ensure the quality of our articles, features and other content. In this section, we show you the process in which we create our content.

Reporters interview people relevant to our articles.

Writers, ask people questions and write down their respective answers

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Our Graphic designers hard at work designing pages of their magazine

Our writers work together to find interesting ideas for articles.

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JOURNALISM ROCKS!

How would you like to learn how to create your very own magazine? The class is taught by an amazing teacher called Charleen Earley. She is a freelance writer, author and magazine publisher. She will teach you how to create your very own magazine. Do you like to do photography, writing, or graphic designing? Email CommunityEd@dvc.edc for more information!

Photo by Charleen Earley