Corsair fall volume 114 issue 07

THE

CORSAIR DECEMBER 13, 2017 | VOLUME 114 ISSUE 07 | SANTA MONICA COLLEGE FIRST COPY OF THE CORSAIR IS FREE, EACH COPY AFTER IS 25

SKIRBALL FIRE HITS CLOSE TO HOME

REPERCUSSIONS OF LOSING NET NEUTRALITY (P. 3) LA WEEKLY FUNERAL (P. 6) LGBT UNDER TRUMP (P. 6)

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NEWS CONTENT

VOLUME 114 ISSUE 07 •DECEMBER 13,, 2017 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

EDITORIAL STAFF MARISA VASQUEZ........................... Editor-in-Chief

corsair.editorinchief@gmail.com

RYANNE MENA............................. Managing Editor

corsair.managing@gmail.com

DANIEL BOWYER.......................... Managing Editor

corsair.managing@gmail.com

ROSANGELICA VIZCARRA............. Co-Photo Editor

corsairphotoeditor@gmail.com

JAZZ SHADEMAN.......................... Co-Photo Editor

corsairphotoeditor@gmail.com

ZANE MEYER-THORNTON........ Social Media Editor

thecorsair.socialnetwork@gmail.com

EMELINE MOQUILLON...................... Digital Editor

corsair.designteam@gmail.com

MICHELLE AYALA....................... Multimedia Editor

multimedia.corsair@gmail.com

LAUREN LABEL................................ Design Editor

corsair.designteam@gmail.com

EDWARD LEE...................................... News Editor

corsair.newspage@gmail.com

TREVOR SCHOCK..................... A&E/Culture Editor

corsair.culture@gmail.com

DANIEL FARR.................................... Sports Editor

corsair.sportsppage@gmail.com

Jayrol San Jose / Corsair Staff

View from the windows of one of the houses lost during the Thomas Fire. Over 1,000 structures have been lost due to the wildfire in Ventura, CALIF on December 9, 2017.

OSKAR ZINNEMAN...........................Opinion Editor

corsair.opinionpage@gmail.com

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

CORSAIR STAFF Brian Quiroz, Catherine Lima, Christopher Floyd, Clyde Bates Jr, Damian-Michael Williams, Diana Parra Garcia, Ethan Lauren, Harry Phillips, Ingrid Martinez, Jayrol Sanjose, Jessica Uhler, Jessica Zermeno, Jose Lopez, Julia Connolly, Justin Han, Kimberly Estrada, Madison Makely, Nick Johnson, Rosario Lopez, Roy Garza, Ryan McGowan, Thane Fernandes, Willow Sando-McCall, Yuki Iwamura, Sid Sidibe, Earl Agustines

FACULTY ADVISORS ASHANTI BLAIZE-HOPKINS

...... Journalism Advisor

gerard burkhart.........................Photo Advisor

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Marisa Vasquez Dear Readers, Today has been the last day of the Fall 2017 semester for the Corsair and I have already said goodbye to multiple Corsair staff members. Next semester I will not be attending Santa Monica College as I will be attending a city college much closer to my neighborhood before transferring to Cal State LA. Writing this final letter brings back memories to my first days here at the Corsair.

I have seen the Corsair at its worst and helped work it back

Edward Lee

FRONT COVER A Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter drops water on a building on a vineyard estate owned by Rupert Murdoch. The Skirball Center Fire shut down the 405 north and burned 450 acres of land on December 6, 2017 in west Los Angeles, Calif.

Photo by: Daniel Bowyer

Marisa Vasquez is a remarkable individual. I happened to be fortunate enough to work with her as my Editor-in-Chief this semester. Although I shared some responsibilities with her as the News Editor, the sheer amount of work that she took on this semester just in my section has been incredible, not to mention that she had to handle five other sections as well. Seeing how much passion and effort she put into this newspaper makes me feel truly honored to know that I was deemed qualified to fill her shoes next semes-

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to a functional team of Journalism students. This program allows students to collaborate and function in a mock professional setting, an experience that I have not yet found in any other educational setting.

Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins and Gerard Burkhart, The Corsair’s advisors, guide their students to successfully hone in on their journalism and leadership skills that contribute to their current and future successes. These two professors are part of the reason why The Corsair is home to me and many of my friends and colleagues.

My goal for this program

was to give it a future, allowing The Corsair to be the voice and source of information for SMC’s student body. This was my only goal and intention, instead, I gained a family of hard working eclectic friends.

For now, the future of The Corsair looks a lot like an individual named Edward Lee, a bright, well read, colleague who will bring a fresh look to The Corsair, and I could not be more excited for him and the Spring 2018 Editorial team, and to all of our readers, I hope your finals go smoothly and that you all have a happy and well rested holiday season.

ter.

What is the purpose of a newspaper? The question becomes ever more pertinent in an age where public figures dismiss fact-checked news as fake simply because the facts are inconvenient.

But at the Santa Monica Corsair, I believe our purpose is to provide information useful to our audience, Santa Monica College students. Whether it includes news on potentially saving money on fees or on significant developments like the raising of the minimum wage for school workers, the Corsair will continue to prioritize providing truthful, relevant news.

Becoming closely connected to the community is the best way for the Corsair to provide that relevant information. I want everyone in SMC and the Santa Monica community to know that their voices can be heard through reaching out to us.

For the Spring 2018 semester, you can reach us by visiting CMD 180 or calling us at (310)434-4340 during our official hours, 8:00 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Whether you have concerns you want people to know about or have an event you want coverage of, know that we are always here for you.

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NEWS

VOLUME 114 ISSUE ISSUE 07 • DECEMBER 13, 2017 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

SMC Raises Minimum Wage

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Board of Trustees Approves Pay Raise for Student Workers ROY GARZA

Santa Monica College student workers should look forward to next year, as the school's board of trustees approved a recommendation to increase the minimum wage from $10.50 to $12 an hour starting Jan. 1, 2018.

A.S. Vice President Edgar Gonzalez was present at the board meeting with members of the Fight for $15, a group that advocates for a $15 minimum wage.

A member from the group made a public comment asking the board to approve the wage increase.

The idea had been brought up by Student Trustee Chase Matthews at the October board meeting as an information item, and although there was positive feedback from the board, they requested further study into the budget implications of a minimum wage increase.

Marcia Wade, Vice President of Human Resources, put together a report at the October meeting, but Matthews said she really dove deep the second time around.

"From October to December, she really put together an outstanding report that included demographics of student workers, the grade distribution of student workers, the student success correlation with hours worked on campus... it was just an amazing report," Matthews said.

"Through her research, the Department of Human Resources recommended that the district does in fact align their pay schedule with that of the city of Santa Monica."

The board was receptive to the facts presented in the report and voted to approve the increase in minimum wage to $12 an hour; wages were originally supposed to rise from $10.50 to $11 an hour under the California state schedule, but now the college will follow the City schedule set forth by a January city ordinance.

Members of the board had previously questioned the implications of such a raise, and the district will decide whether or not they plan to decrease the hours

Ethan Lauren / Corsair Staff

Student Trustee Chase Matthews (left) discusses with the Vice President of Human Resources, Marcia Wade (right) on raising the minimum wage for student workers at Santa Monica College during a Board of Trustee Meeting on the Santa Monica College Main Campus in Santa Monica, Calif. on October 3rd, 2017.

worked per student or reduce the number of workers to balance out the increased cost of the higher wage.

"There is a potential that the effect could result in a decrease in the number of student workers naturally because there's a limited amount of money, so that is a consequence of doing this," Matthews said. But I do believe that regardless of how many student workers

AS Fee Can Now Be Opted Out Online

we have, we do owe them the proper living wage. I do believe also that the college is aware of this and that, hopefully they will figure out a way to ensure that no student workers lose their job."

SMC President Kathryn Jeffery was happy to see the vote pass, and commended Matthews during the meeting for bringing the issue to the attention of the board.

Matthews spoke highly about his experience working on this issue, and how it felt to have his idea pass through the board and be approved.

"It makes me feel that all the time and effort I spend to further the equity and success of students is worth it," Matthews said. "And I'm happy that I've been able to assist students in getting not only what they deserve, but what is best for them."

The Danger of Losing Net Neutrality The Open Internet Is In Danger

HARRY PHILLIPS STAFF WRITER

An edited screenshot of the fees assessment shown to every Santa Monica College student when accessing the Corsair Connect online portal. Students next semester will be able to remove the $19.50 “ASB Member, limtd” and $13.00 “Stu ID card fee” online from this page, instead of having to fill out paperwork in the admissions office. The circled text is the small print at the bottom of the page that explains that the two fees are optional.

ETHAN LAUREN Staff Writer Santa Monica College is working to make opting out of fees for Associated Students membership and ID easier and more transparent, through regulations by the school’s Student Affairs committee.

The two fees, $19.50 for the A.S. membership and $13 for the ID ‘stickers’, have always been optional for students to pay.

However, the process to get the fees waived involves having to go to the admissions office on campus and filling out paperwork.

The proposed change will now mark the two fees as optional when paying online and will allow any student to simply check it off if they’d prefer not to pay it.

This proposal was made in the Spring 2017 semester before being finalized on Sept. 20. The change is planned to immediately be active, which means that students should be able to decide whether they would like to pay the fees through

SMC's online portal, Corsair Connect.

The A.S. membership currently provides free rides through the Big Blue Bus, $15 worth of printing in the Cayton Center, free admission to A.S.-sponsored events and other benefits to students at SMC. Students frequently use the membership to get free blue books and Scantrons from the Office of Student Life. Students such as Kristen Diep, a Biology major at SMC, uses the benefits but did not realize it was optional, saying she didn’t know she could waive them.

I didn’t really know I had the option until I was actually going to purchase it and then I learned I had already purchased it,” Diep said. “I don’t think it was clarified. I’m going to still pay it, but I wish they advertise what the benefits of it are as I didn’t really know until halfway through school.”

[For the full story, please visit thecorsaironline.com]

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Full of funny memes, professional and amateur writers, social media, video streaming services, news, entertainment, and video games, the internet is a place with limitless potential where anyone can become famous. The ability for people to create creative content has been largely attributed to net neutrality, a principle that aims to keep the internet free and open. However, net neutrality, which allows unlimited access to the internet, is currently in danger of being repealed.

As a part of the net neutrality rules set up in 2015, the internet became a public utility under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 and Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. A simple way of putting it is if net neutrality is repealed, the Internet could possibly be no longer considered a public utility.

"I think whoever uses the Internet will be at a great disadvantage because you won't be able to access websites you usually go to," said Stephany Dlgadillo, a Woman Studies major at SMC. "If it does occur, it would not be good because people would have to pay in order to visit other websites they usually go to find information, so I think that it would not be okay."

Net neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs), like Verizon, AT&T and Time Warner Cable, should grant equal access to online content and apps regardless of the source without favoring particular websites. In other words, smaller websites would get the same amount of access to internet users as Netflix or Facebook.

In Feb. 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted in favor of strong net neutrality rules to keep the Internet open. These rules prevent companies from charging extra fees for high-quality streaming and other services. In other words, ISP's can’t charge extra to use Netflix or YouTube. In June 2016, the U.S. Court of @THE_CORSAIR •

Creative Commans Image

Appeals for the District of Columbia fully upheld the FCC’s net neutrality rules.

On Nov. 21, the FCC chairman Ajit Pai, made a proposal to repeal the current net neutrality rules. The FCC intends to go ahead with the planned vote on Thursday, Dec. 14 to repeal the net neutrality rules, despite outcries from Democrats and advocacy groups.

The Chief Technology Officer of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Raffi Krikorian, made an official statement, saying that "a free and open internet is critical to our democracy... we will keep fighting to make sure everyone can benefit from the power and potential of our nation’s technology."

If the vote to repeal net neutrality passes, ISPs could charge extra to use certain websites and could set up a pay-for-play system.

In other words, ISPs can potentially slow down internet speeds for certain content if customers don't pay extra, or because the content may be competition to the ISP. For many Santa Monica College students, the internet has become a necessity for everyday life. "I do consider the Internet a public good because some people do not have a phone and they cannot communicate, so the only thing they rely on is the Internet," said Edwin Barrera, a Graphic Design major at SMC. "Probably the reason why people rely on the Internet is because some people can not even afford a phone line."

If net neutrality is repealed on Thursday, Dec. 14, the open Internet will no longer be a public utility. This vote does not just impact a few individuals, but rather everyone who uses the Internet.

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NEWS PHOTOSTORY

VOLUME 114 ISSUE 07 •DECEMBER 13, 2017 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Zane Meyer-Thornton / Corsair Staff

Dacid Valdez puts on his fire suit before battling the Skirball Center fire. the Skirball Center Fire shut down the 405 and burned 450 acres of land on December 6, 2017 in west Los Angeles, Calif.

Daniel Bowyer / Corsair Staff

Los Angeles Fire Department engine company 71 firefighter David Valadez readies a hose to put out the flames of a burning house at The Skirball Center Fire which shut down the 405 north and burned 450 acres of land on December 6, 2017 in west Los Angeles, Calif.

Jayrol San Jose / Corsair Staff

A garage collapsed on top of a Bentley caused by the Skirball fire in Los Angeles, CALIF on December 6, 2017.

Yuki Iwamura / Corsair Staff

David Valadez, Los Angeles Fire Department, Class 1, Station 71 lean against their fire trucks. Firefighters arrived there at 4am, and they fights for straight over 10 hours. On Wednesday, December 6th, 2017.

Zane Meyer-Thornton / Corsair Staff

Scott Kwasigroch prepares his hose to battle one of the ma

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PHOTOSTORY NEWS

VOLUME 114 ISSUE ISSUE 07 • DECEMBER 13, 2017 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

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Skirball Fire Scorches The City of Angels Daniel Bowyer MANAGING EDITOR

Fires are raging across Southern California this week and have ripped through a Bel-Air canyon community in the hills above UCLA. Due to the Skirball Fire on both Wednesday, Dec. 6, and Thursday, Dec. 7, Santa Monica College canceled and closed all classes and campuses. Freeway closures and safety concerns prompted, SMC released an official statement sent out by the SMC Admissions office on Wednesday and Thursday morning. In a recent statement, SMC's campuses resumed to normal business hours and classes on Friday, Dec. 8.

The Skirball Fire is still smoldering. It has scorched over 400 acres, destroyed six homes and damaged 12 others in the Bel-Air community.

As of Tuesday, Dec. 12, the fire was 85% contained with 69 fire personnel still working on scene to achieve 100% containment.

More than 350 firefighters, 52 engines, and six fixed-wing aircraft were originally fighting to keep the fire in the heart of the canyon, away from homes.

Officials closed the 405 north freeway through Sepulveda Canyon, directly west of Hoag Canyon,

Zane Meyer-Thornton / Corsair Staff

An evacuee of the Skirball Center fire records footage of a house burning on his iPhone while a member of the Los Angeles Fire Department readies a hose to put out the flame. The Skirball Center Fire which shut down the 405 and burned 450 acres of land on December 6, 2017 in west Los Angeles, Calif.

just after 5 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. With the heart of our transit system closed off and streets throughout the city clogged, traffic was a nightmare.

In addition to Bel-Air's upscale community where backyard tennis courts are the norm, a $30-million vineyard estate owned by Rupert Murdoch, was one of the fire's victims.

When winds picked back up during the fire, Murdoch's vineyard — covering an area from the canyon floor

to the eastern ridge — was a big target. Although wine vines in October’s fires in Northern California’s wine country mostly survived, winery buildings did not fare as well.

Three helicopters dropped water on the hot spot of the winery building, as smoke continued to spiral into the air. The building was eventually lost.

Murdoch released a statement Wednesday saying, “television footage showed there may be damage to some buildings in the upper vineyard area, but the house and the win-

ery appeared to be intact.”

Fires after the 1961 Bel-Air fire have not affected this area as it has this past week. In 1961, movie stars from the area including Maureen O’Hara and Fred MacMurray fought to save their homes — a very parallel event from this past weeks Skirball Fire that fed apocalyptic visions of Los Angeles will linger for decades to come.

George Iracheta a firefighter from fire station 99 on Mulholland Drive talked with The Corsair about several reasons why the Skirball Fire was a high priority area to protect.

He stated that “This is all big money here. My districts on the other side of the canyon and we have Denzel Washington, Mark Wahleburg, Charlie Sheen... They don’t move us because you’re looking at a house that's 20-40 million dollars easy.”

Fire officials released a statement on Tuesday, December 12, saying investigators have determined that the blaze was caused by an illegal cooking fire at an encampment in a brush area adjacent to where Sepulveda Boulevard crosses under the 405 Freeway.

Approximately 90% of wildfires nationwide are human-caused, according to the National Park Service.

any house fires that occurred because of the Skirball Center fire. The fire burned 450 acres and shut down the 405 freeway on December 6, 2017 in west Los Angeles Calif.

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NEWS CULTURE/OPINION

VOLUME 114 ISSUE 07 •DECEMBER 13, 2017 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Mourning LA Weekly’s Layoffs

WILLIAM DEZA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Nicolas Johnson Staff Writer Since 1978, LA Weekly, a Los Angeles based news media outlet, has been one of the city's premier news outlets. In October, LA Weekly was sold by its owner Voice Media Group to Semanal Media, an anonymous group of investors that did not reveal its owners until last week. This new group of owners have laid off all of their editors, publishers, and their writers - with the exception of one.

As a result of these layoffs, on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, former employees and spectators participated in what was stated to be a mock funeral of LA Weekly in front of its headquarters in Culver City, California. Orchestrated by Jeff Weiss, former writer and columnist of LA Weekly, the event's goal was to protest the decisions that were made

by Semanal Media.

The protest started at 12:00 PM, as the crowd held signs with various slogans, including the message "Sell the Paper", which they chanted throughout the event, along with passing drivers honking their horns in support.

The protest also featured an open casket that held every single print edition the paper had distributed. Weiss, Max Bell, and various people who worked for the paper spoke against the recent transactions made by their new owners.

When asked about his initial thoughts on this transaction, Weiss said, "This was no one with newspaper experience, no one legitimately like an editor. Then they came in, they didn't give anyone a day of notice, when the publisher gets an email the night before everyone was gone. Every editor was gone, half of the advertising staff gone, publisher gone, just like decapitated."

Weiss continues to discuss his lack of confidence in the new owners of LA Weekly.

"They didn't have the decency to be in the building, I mean they didn't have the intelligence to do an exit interview. That's like ultimately how you know they're incompetent."

Fellow writer, Max Bell, who had been a freelancer in the music department for LA Weekly since 2012, broke down the process

Willow Sando-McCall / Corsair Staff

Fo r m er L A Week l y w r i t er, Jeff Wei ss s p e a k s a t t h e L A Week l y f u n er al / p r o t est i n f r o n t o f L A Week l y i n C u l v er C i t y, C al i f . o n D ec. 8 t h , 2 0 1 7 .

of putting the event together.

"The boycott LA Weekly campaign was largely organized by Katie Bain, Jeff Weiss, and Rebecca Haithcoat, and myself," Bell said. "Katie Bain was responsible for putting the GoFundMe page together that people generously donated to, so we were able to pay for the casket, for renting the casket."

One spectator, Mike Wellman, had the opportunity to speak out at the event. Wellman is the co-owner of the Comic Bug store in Culver City, and told us about his ties with LA Weekly.

"The reason I put my advertising dollars into the Weekly is because I read it every week, and the things it brought attention to both culturally and human interest, and you know some of the corruption that happens in the city."

Wellman added on about his thoughts on the protest. "I wish it was bigger, but this is a core group of people who care. The writers are here banding together, I'm here with them in solidarity."

When asked if this was the first step in returning LA Weekly to it's former glory, Weiss said, "We're going to boycott every one of their advertisers until there's no paper, until they sell it back with the community interest at heart, or the interest of journalism at heart, hopefully both. That's what matters."

LGBT Under The Trump Administration

Harry Phillips Staff Writer

Being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender is not a choice, despite what Vice President Mike Pence believes, and he is not alone.

President Trump and his cabinet are notoriously anti-LGBT. Not even a day after President Trump and Vice President Pence were sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2017, all information on LGBT+ community was erased from the White House, Department of State and Department of Labor websites. About a month later, the Trump Administration rescinded Title IX protections for transgender students.

Finally, we get to Mike Pence. As the governor of Indiana, he signed a so-called “religious freedom” bill that allowed business owners the right to refuse service to LGBT customers on March 26, 2015.

After outcry and boycotts, however, Pence was forced to sign an amended version that made it clear that the law could not be used to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Also, when Pence first ran for Congress, he wanted to take money from programs that helped people sick with HIV virus and use the federal dollars to institutions who practiced conversion therapy, according to GLAAD's profile on Pence. (WHAT IS GLAAD) Conversion therapy is the inhumane practices to force people in the LGBT community to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. According to GoodTherpay. org conversion therapy, "typically encourages people to change or conceal who they are, convincing them that their sexual orientation or gender expression is a source of shame and danger." The American Association of Pediatrics states some of the negative impacts of conversion therapy include: depression, thoughts of suicide, substance abuse, social anxiety, altered body image, and other mental health issues. Given that conversion therapy promotes shame, it is important to have safe places away from such barbaric practices.

The Santa Monica College community takes pride in being a safe and accepting environment. “The college will continue to provide a safe environment for all students and personnel, including safe zone trainings for staff and faculty,” said President Kathryn Jeffery. “SMC is working to implement a Gender Equity and Social Justice Resource Center to provide support on issues that cover a range of social and political areas from gender equity issues, racism, housing and food insecurities, and more. This effort

3 Billboards: Reviewed

has the support of the SMC Associated Students and the SMC District Planning and Advisory Council.”

Although SMC is a safe space for LGBT individuals, the road forward will not be an easy one. In the following years individuals in the LGBT community must remain vigilant so that their rights are not infringed upon, nor taken away. Although remaining vigilant is important, individuals must remain to have faith in the judicial branch of US Government because the courts will help protect individual’s rights from being infringed upon. Justice will be served, no matter what.

The people in charge do not speak for the country as a whole. President Trump and Vice President Pence are only the people in power. Unfortunately, with their actions it has given more evidence in the LGBT community that people will hate us for just existing. Progress is never a straight line and the LGBT community should and will never be silenced for being who they are.

[For the full story, please visit thecorsaironline.com]

Illustration By: Daniel Martinez

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In the age of cold studio-filmmaking, focused almost entirely on franchise rehashes, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (November 10, 2017; Fox Searchlight) stands out as a bold, poignant, unique vision. he story centers on Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand), whose daughter was brutally murdered several months prior to the start of the film. The Ebbing, Missouri police department has made no arrests, and seemingly no progress on the case whatsoever. Enraged and heartbroken, Mildred hatches the idea to rent three billboards; directly calling out the local Sheriff, Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), in an attempt to pressure law enforcement into further investigation. The townspeople have dramatically varying reactions, and Mildred is left to explain herself to not only the local police, but also her own family. The film is directed by Martin McDonagh (“In Bruges, “Seven Psychopaths”), and is easily one of the most unpredictable, emotionally-charged narratives of the entire year.

It is difficult to classify “Three Billboards” as one single genre due to its complete tonal and moral ambiguity. Similar to McDonagh’s previous work, the film has elements of a comedy, but at its core, it is a drama. We as an audience are often confronted with a situation where there is no easy solution. In this world, there is no perfect superhero with a “specific set of skills” who has all the answers. What we are presented with is a flawed situation, through the eyes of many flawed characters, and the film never forgets it.

The story never attempts to force you into feeling one way or another about the situation. It is not afraid to have a protagonist whose morality is constantly up for debate. Do you agree with her no-nonsense approach, or has she crossed the line? The film presents opposing perspectives with equal consideration, and respects its audience enough to decide which side of the argument they believe holds more validity. This is very rare in modern American cinema.

Complex motivations are brought to life magnificently by the extremely talented cast.

While nearly every performance is a powerhouse, two major standouts are Frances McDormand,

P r es s Releas e

and Sam Rockwell; both appearing very likely to receive Oscar nominations, at least. While in many ways, Sam Rockwell’s Officer Dixon is the antagonist of the film, he and Mildred Hayes share a striking amount of similarities. Both are under heavy public scrutiny within the film, and both make decisions that negatively impact innocent people. Yet, their causes are so comprehensible that you always understand their reasoning, even when you strongly disagree.

Meanwhile, both characters have starkly contrasting, morally opposing arcs, which constantly force you to reevaluate your own personal feelings and opinions.

Not only does the film juggle numerous subplots, and a large, diverse assortment of characters, but it manages to convey drastically different emotions, quite often at the same time. These cycles of familial abuse, and tragedy are so fully realized that the film is frequently enabled to play intensely dark situations for comedy.

Additionally, the myriad of social issues that would naturally arise in this type of situation are commented on with respect, class and intelligence.

While sustaining a beautifully heartbreaking narrative and a fascinating character study, it somehow finds time to comment on issues like police brutality, discrimination, corruption, and the lack of responsive action against sexual abuse.

It would be accurate to call this an “important” film, for many reasons.

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is one of the most complicated, emotional, and well-balanced films of the year.

It is also this writer’s personal opinion that it has a solid chance of taking home best picture in 2018.

Socializing For The Anti-Social

Illustration By: Andrew Khanian

LAUREN LABEL DESIGN EDITOR Massively successful social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat each have millions upon millions of users from all walks of life, constantly sharing their personal lives and other thoughts online.

As users are able to upload content on these sites, their followers are also able to react to posts by liking, sharing, or commenting. This makes getting information and personal gravitation instant at their fingertips. With reactions that fast, how can one not want to check up on their social media every once in a while? The real question is, how often is every once in a while?

A recent Santa Monica College poll said that 15 out of 32 students check social media every hour of the day. SMC Film major Sigrun Mathiesen said, “it’s harder to talk to people in person because it’s more personal. On social media if you’re rejected you don’t get awkward like you would in person.” Sigrun is from Iceland and thinks social media is @THE_CORSAIR •

a good way to stay in touch with family and friends, but she would much rather talk to them in person. She believes one does not get the best interactions with people on social media and anyone can pretend to be someone else behind the screen.

When in a crowded room, restaurant, or event, how many people can be counted on their phone? As a society, it seems that we spend more time refreshing our screens, rather than taking a moment and having a rewarding or informative conversation with someone who is right in front of us. SMC Philosophy major Herbert Reyes said, “When I’m out with family or friends and I see everyone on their phones and I don’t have mine, it makes me wonder why I’m still going out with these people. It’s just a matter of respect.” Herbert states that social media does not affect his everyday life, and that he can go weeks without a phone.

In Peru, where Herbert Reyes grew up, he would play outside until night time, but today there are more kids playing inside than out. “Parents here, as far as I can tell, 80% of them don’t have time to spend with their kids so they try to compensate in some other way that actually makes them very antisocial. It keeps getting worse with age. As a culture it has to start from home at an early age, you can’t just change at any age. Once you grow up it sticks with you” said Reyes.

Social media can be used as a beneficial tool, for example getting quick answers, talking to a friend or family member you do not get to see on a daily basis, or getting information. However, it can also blind us from what is going on outside of the digital world. It is important to remind ourselves, there is a time and a place to browse through our feeds. Do not let that take away from the moments spent with others.

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SPORTS NEWS

VOLUME 114 ISSUE ISSUE 07 • DECEMBER 13, 2017 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Clipper Check-In

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An Overall Look of the Clippers’ Season.

Brian Quiroz Staff Writer

The 2016-17 season ended successfully for the Los Angeles Clippers, finishing fourth in the NBA Western Conference with a 51-31 record. Most of the success has been attributed to the trio of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Paul led the team in both assists and steals, Griffin led the team in points, and Jordan had the most rebounds and blocks.

With Griffin taking on the main role for the Clippers this season and the team getting players like Lou Williams, Patrick Beverly, and Sam Dekker in the offseason, many had high hopes with the talented new cast of players. But this 2017-18 season so far has underperformed many analysts' expectations.

Although ESPN projected the Clippers to win about 49 games this season, similarly to last season, the L.A. Clippers are currently sitting at 10th in the Western Conference with a 10-15 record. This came after star player Chris Paul moved to the Houston Rockets, the team currently first in the Western Conference with a 21-4 record.

Griffin played in 19 out of the 25 games so far before he received a toe injury, causing him to be out for six games and possibly the rest of 2017.

His injury comes at a great cost to the

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Clippers, as he was leading the team in both points and assists.

Williams is leading the team in scoring with Griffin's absence, and Jordan is leading the team rebounds and blocks. The Clippers are showing some progress after winning their last two games against the Washington Wizards (14-12) and Toronto Raptors (17-8), who are respectively sitting at 6th and 3rd in the Eastern Conference.

Hoping not to lose any more players due to injuries, they will look to build on their previous wins and look forward to Griffin returning, who signed a $173 million dollar contract last summer.

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Chargers Appear Electric

The L.A. Chargers and the postseason DANIEL FARR SPORTS EDITOR After starting the season 0-4, the Los Angeles Chargers are back on track and playing playoff-caliber football. The team has won four straight games and has a record of 7-6, now tied in first place with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

The Chargers have not made the playoffs since 2013, but this team appears to be wellrounded and possibly playoff-bound. Led by 36-year-old quarterback Phillip Rivers, who has 23 touchdown passes, only seven interceptions, and almost 4,000 passing yards, the offense has been firing on all cylinders.

Both their offense and defense have shown improvements. The Chargers' defense currently has a total of 37 sacks and 17 points allowed per game this year, while the offense scores an average of 23 points per game and 30 minutes of possession per game.

Their offense has been led by second-year running back Melvin Gordon, who ran for six touchdowns and almost 1,000 yards on 229 carries. Wide receiver Keenan Allen has also been putting on a performance, accounting for 83 catches, nearly 1,200 receiving yards, and five touchdowns.

On defense, the Chargers have arguably some of the best duo of pass rushers in the NFL in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. Bosa, a sophomore defensive end, has raked in 11.5 sacks and 45 tackles through 13 games.

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Ingram, who is in the midst of his sixth season, has nine sacks, 37 tackles, and two fumble recoveries.

Despite the team's great post-game stats, Rivers told ESPN's Eric Williams after the Chargers' latest win, "You've got to be careful not to relax. There's that fine line of, Shoot, it's going good, you come on in there and I'm letting it rip to making sure you don't cross the line of, ok, I'm getting carried away."

With three games left in the NFL season, the Chargers play the New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, and Kansas City Chiefs. The game against the Chiefs is on Dec. 16, and it will decide the outcome of the AFC West. The winner of the game will reach the playoffs, while the other will most likely miss the postseason.

The regular season is winding down, and every game counts for the Chargers. They will need Rivers and their offense to continue their stellar play - while their defense remains stout and gets pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

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NEWS SPORTS/ADS

VOLUME 114 ISSUE 07 •DECEMBER 13, 2017 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Corsairs Sunk By Raidars Nicolas Johnson Staff Writer After impressive showings in their first two home games of the season, the Santa Monica Corsairs Women's Basketball team couldn't replicate that success against the Moorpark Raiders at the SMC Pavilion on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017 in Santa Monica, California. This was the Corsairs first home game in a month after participating in seven consecutive tournaments at various locations.

The game did not start off well for the Corsairs, as the Raiders jumped in front with a 19-6 first quarter lead. After SMC scored on their opening possession, the Raiders scored 19 unanswered points, before Santa Monica responded with Jessica Melamed's three-pointer and converted free-throw attempt by the end of the quarter.

When asked about the way her team came out in the opening quarter, Head Coach Lydia Strong said, "I think initially they came out flat... and then you know we figured it out in the second quarter but you can't play that way per quarter, you got to play that way the whole time. So I think we'll watch some film and figure it out."

The Corsairs improved dramatically in the second quarter, opening with another pair of Melamed's three pointers outscoring the Raiders 23-20, which was enough to cut the deficit by ten at the half.

The Corsairs continued the momentum in the second half as they cut the deficit to two points to begin the third quarter, but the Raiders kept the pressure on. It was a back and forth action between the two teams as they traded blows one after the other.

The quarter ended with the Corsairs trailing 56-47.

By the fourth quarter however, the Corsairs were simply outmatched as they mus-

tered only five points while the Raiders scored 13 points, in a 69-52 final score for Moorpark. This was the Corsairs first loss at home this season, which resulted to a 4-6 record overall.

When asked to reflect on this loss, Coach Strong said, "We have a lot of work to do defensively and some communication issues.

They had a lot of open shots, we don't know who we were guarding, and you can't win like that. I don't think we played as well as we could have for the whole game." Coach Strong added about the process of a long preseason before the real action begins.

"Preseason goes until mid-January almost, so will get better. We've gotten better, but we got to get 'better' better against teams like this with size and other things like that, so we'll work on it and get better."

Melamed led the way with 20 points after going 8 for 13 on field goals and 4 for 9 on three-pointers attempted, along with four rebounds, a steal, two assists, and a block. Rejinae Crandell finished second in scoring with 11 points, and Jazzmin Oddie led the team with nine rebounds.

So far in this preseason, the Corsairs have produced some results that helps prepare them for the upcoming season in January. Melamed is leading the team in points, averaging 16.7 points per game.

Jazzmin Oddie is averaging 6.7 rebounds per game to lead the team in that category.

The Corsairs will play seven more tournaments throughout the entire month of December, starting at the College of San Mateo, before returning home to host Rio Hondo at the Pavilion on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018, to open the New Year. The remaining tournaments would help the Corsairs prepare for what comes ahead of them when they begin to repeat as Conference champions.

Justin Han / Corsair Staff

Forward Jazzmin Oddie (12,Right) of Santa Monica College attempts to shoot a contested shot by the basket but is blocked by center Barbara Rangel (42,Left) of Moorpark College. The Santa Monica College Corsairs lose the game 52-69 to the Moorpark College Raiders. The game was held at the SMC Pavilion at the Santa Monica College Main Campus in Santa Monica, Calif.. December 9, 2017.

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