Vol 108 issue 06

CORSAIR

volume 108 issue 6 • October 15, 2014 • santa monica college

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Midterm Crunch: SMC Students Prepare for exams PG. 7

Club Awareness takes Quad pg. 4

Aids Walk marches in West Hollywood pg. 6

Indiecade springs geek nirvana pg. 9

Football Refocuses after upset pg. 12

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volume 108 issue 6 • October 15, 2014 • santa monica college

E D I T O R I A L S TA F F Alci Rengifo············ Editor-in-Chief c o rs a i r. e d i t o r i n c h i e f @ g m a i l . c o m Rachel Gianuario····Managing Editor ········· News Editor c o rs a i r. n e w s p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Paulian Eriksson·····Health & Lifestyle c o rs a i r. l i f e s t y l e p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Jonathan Ramos········ Opinion Editor c o rs a i r. o p i n i o n p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m James Powel··············· Sports Editor c o rs a i r. s p o r t s p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Ronja Jansz ........ Multimedia Director c o rs a i r. m u l t i m e d i a d e p t @ g m a i l . c o m Mia Duncans ············· Photo Editor c o rs a i r p h o t o e d i t o r @ g m a i l . c o m Ju a n L o p e z . . . . . . . D i g i t a l E d i t o r c o rs a i r. w e b e d i t o r @ g m a i l . c o m Jhosef Hern····················Illustrator c o rs a i r c a r t o o n @ g m a i l . c o m c o r s a i r s ta f f Zafer Acar, Brandon Barsugli, Scott Bixler, Carlos Espinosa, Jazmine B. Heard, Adrien Piteux, Luis Salvador, Raven Newaly, Brenda Cruz, Matthew Toss, Stacy Ellen, Jeffrey Chacon, Stella Ngigi, Carlos Espinosa, Alfredo Gutierrez, Zoila Campos, Jillisa Jenkins, Yasha Hawkins, Branisolv Jovanovio, Jose Gutierrez,, Julianne Oseberg, Nour Kabbani, Farhanah Ali, Devin Page, Jason Biney, Jose Lopez, Sherrie Dickinson, Patricia Stallone, Ava Gandy, Nicholas Cardona, Nick Carrion, Veronika Kacha, Hans Saudestroem, Adriane Hale, Tiffany Hernandez, Mary Leipziger, Claudius West, Deni Rodriguez, Richard Lewis, Brandon Wong,, Maddy Weber, Lorena Garcia.

FA C U LT Y A D V I S O R S Saul Rubin & Gerard Burkhart AD INQUIRIES: Sa r it Ka s h a n i a n corsai r. admana g er@g m ai l . co m (3 1 0 ) 4 3 4 - 4 0 3 3

Jose Lopez Corsair The Santa Monica Daily Press hosts its annual Squirm Night candidates forum with a panel of prospective Santa Monica College Board of Trustrees candidates speaking to a community audience on Monday night at the Broad Stage. The candidates present at the forum (pictutred left to right) include: Barry Snell, Maria L. Loya, Louise Jaffe, Nancy Greenstein, Andrew Waler, and Dennis Frisch.

On The Cover: Santa Monica College Student Ye Wei Weng takes a break from his full course load of 16 units at the Santa Monica College Library on Tuesday. He studies approximately 20 hours per week aside from his classes and finds naps helpful to regain his focus. Photo by Ronja Janz

Letter From the Editor Alci rengifo Editor In Chief

This letter will begin in tribute to a revolutionary icon who died this past May but who’s death was not reported until this week. I am referring to Loukanikos, the legendary riot dog of Athens. When a mass

uprising broke out in Greece in December 2008 following the police murder of an unarmed Athens youth, Loukanikos, an oak-colored mutt (I use the word proudly being one myself ), first appeared at the

Rachel Gianuario, The Corsair

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barricades barking at security forces. But it was during the 2010-2011 riots, when the Greek economy collapsed and the International Monetary Fund imposed “austerity measures” which provoked mass unemployment, and even spiked suicide rates, that Loukanikos became an icon.

Like a four-legged Marat, Loukanikos, who belonged to a local homeless man, ran through clouds of tear gas, even carried tear gas canisters in his mighty jaws, and snarled at police, sometimes sinking his teeth into them. So iconic did Loukanikos become that he made Time Magazine’s 2011 Personalities Of The Year list. Now he has passed, a victim of the physical toll the tear gas had on his lungs, according to vets quoted by Greek media. Like any true revolutionary, Loukanikos gave himself for the cause, But why mourn this rebel canine?

Because Loukanikos deserves our respects as an internationalist symbol, because his underground fame shows us just how small the world is becoming. Not to mention the fact that Loukanikos displayed more bravery in the face of the oppressive state than most two-legged humans.

I might be biased because I like dogs. I have a little poodle mutt who was raised amongst a pack of pitt bulls before he was given to me, and shows it when a stranger or possible intruder is nearby. His heart is greater than his size. But Loukanikos’s passing takes me back to 2010-2011, when Greece did seem as if it was about to erupt in a social revolution that would shake all of Europe, and indeed it almost did. In a time when public education suffers slashes, and finding a stable job is still difficult, especially for students, the Greek fight was a reminder of how international these issues are. Loukanikos showed how even a dog can be swept by the tides of history. Sometimes it takes crisis or disease to remind us we’re not so isolated.

In this week’s issue we look at topics such as @t h e _ c o r s a i r •

the Ebola virus which has crossed over from Africa onto U.S. shores. A recent death in Texas and near scare at LAX is a reminder that even in our modern, industrialized age, disease is still a human reality that dismisses international borders. There is a palpable fear in the air, impulsed by the media, over the Ebola situation.

In our Photo Story we report on this past Sunday’s AIDS Walk in downtown Los Angeles. The shadow of the AIDS epidemic is still with us, and while it has been somewhat controlled, the virus is still a part of our world. It is another case of disease that forces us to consider the wider world to which continent is immune.

As Ebola, economic crisis and war force us to pay attention to the world beyond our borders, a canine like Loukanikos should also make us reevaluate our cultural heroes.

Where are our bold thinkers? Where are the manifesto writers? Even the Hong Kong protests are dying down, watered down by the claims of its “leaders” that they seek a “polite revolution.” Devoid of any strong political ideas, they recede when the state imposes its power. This is the time of celebrities, when sociopath CEOs are icons and when relationships are measured by the terrifying fantasies of Nicholas Sparks.

In news we take a look at the new law which will ban plastic bags all over the state of California. Santa Monica’s example of ecofriendly legislation has now spread statewide and Jose Gutierrez reports on the latest.

But now that Loukanikos has passed, we can only hope there will be more like him, in the form of two-legged visionaries determined to at least make the world a little better, wherever they may be possible. As the great 19th century revolutionary Bakunin once wrote, “there should be no other frontiers but those that respond simultaneously to nature and to justice.”

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volume 108 issue 6 • October 15, 2014 • santa monica college

Brown goes green: calif. bans plastic bags Jose Guitierrez Staff Wrtier The green movement in the United States continues to make waves in California legislation. Statewide, cities are becoming more bike-friendly and power is being harnessed more efficiently though solar energy. Recently, California made a big step in the green direction by becoming the first state to ban all single-use plastic bags statewide.

On September 30, Governor Jerry Brown signed the nation’s first statewide bill banning the use of all single-use plastic bags.

The bill itself, SB 270, was joint authored

by Senators Alex Padilla, Ricardo Lara, and Kevin de Leon.

The plastic bag ban was not alone, as environmentalists were among the biggest winners of the 2014 legislation. Many environmentalist bills died amid industry opposition in 2013, including an attempt to ban the use of orca whales in entertainment shows, as well as a bill that would have temporarily prohibited an oil extraction technique known as ‘fracking’.

The statewide bag ban did not appear out of nowhere, as over 120 local governments, including areas like San Francisco, Long Beach, and even Santa Monica, had already passed ordinances banning single-use plastic bags before the bill, due to support from community and environmental groups.

The new law is going to prohibit grocery stores and pharmacies from having plastic bags available starting July 1, 2015. Similarly, the law will also ban plastic bags from convenience and liquor stores beginning on July 1, 2016.

The bill seems inherently aware that this may cause some financial trouble for manufacturers, so it’s also providing $2.00 million dollars in loans and grants to California manufacturer companies so they are better able to retain workers and eventually adapt to developing reusable bags.

SB 270 does not remain without opposition.

The American Progressive Bag Alliance, a Washington, D.C. based advocacy group plans to gather enough signatures to repeal the law and possibly place a referendum on the November 2016 ballot.

The APBA defends plastic bags with the reasoning that over 90 percent of Americans already reuse their plastic bags for trash disposal among other uses. They also argue that plastic bags generate less waste than paper bags, being that, according to their website, “Plastic bags are fully recyclable and the number of recycling programs is increasing daily.”

Juan Lopez Corsair Local retailers in Santa Monica, such as A&E Liquor on Pico Boulevard and 21st Street, have already been required to remove all plastic bags, and now state law requires that the ban be applied statewide.

Supporters of the referendum would need 504,760 signatures from registered voters in order to make it onto the statewide ballot.

The statewide ban won’t make much of a splash in Santa Monica, considering that the city is among the many areas that already had a ban on plastic bags in enforcement, specifically since September 1, 2011.

Santa Monica College followed suit, with the main campus bookstore ending its plastic bag availability at that time, and sold paper and nylon bags for under one dollar as alternatives.

Though they are effective substitutions, the paper and nylon bags are still unpopular to some.

The bags available at the main campus are not entirely free of their own environmental faults, according to Andrea Gonzalez, Associated Students Director of Sustainability at SMC. “[The nylon bags] are not that great honestly. The thing about the nylon bags is that a lot of them enable some chemicals and are still plastic,” she says. “Currently I’m working on a proposal to get reusable bags that have no aluminum, no lead, made in the US, printed in the US, so we stop our carbon footprint.”

For Gonzalez, SMC’s eco-problems do not begin and end with plastic bags, next she plans to tackle the plastic bottle problem on campus. “I feel like just taking them out of our vending machines once and for all will be great,” she said. Gonzalez suggests having reusable bottles be accessible to students as

well as informing students of water stations on campus.

“Plastic bottles can be in the ocean forever.

No one really pays attention to them. It causes a lot of health issues, so it would be great to implement some sort of ban on bottles of water,” she said.

Gonzalez also notices an entirely different obstacle in the path of the school’s green

movement: lack of awareness, which is the first step to promoting a healthier environment. “[We have to] communicate with students, host workshops, host big events where people actually see flyers that the bottles and bags are banned,” Gonzalez added. “Informing and educating students should be the first step.”

Rachel Gianuario Managing Editor Looking in on and average Santa Monica College woman’s bathroom, florescent lights highlight dirt on the walls and floor, toilette paper and seat covers are strewn on the ground, all of which are accompanied by enclosed spaces and small stalls. Women’s bathrooms on the SMC Airport satellite campus are no exception to these conditions.

Recently, however, an unidentified peeping tom interrupted the quiet of these stalls.

The Santa Monica College community may have what appears to be a bathroom intruder at large. On October 3, around 10:30 P.M., SMC Police responded to a call from the Santa Monica College Airport campus about an intruder in the building’s bathroom.

According to SMC Police Sergeant Jere Romano, a female student was using the handicapped stall in the building bathroom,

when she saw a pair of burgundy “Vans” shoes enter the stall next to hers. She recalls the shoes in the stall facing an odd direction, with one shoe possibly on the bathroom seat.

Then, the female student told police she saw a head begin to peek at her from under the bathroom stall wall. She immediately called out, “Can I help you?!”

Startled, the individual began to flee the bathroom, but not before the student could get a glimpse at the intruder. She described the person as a thin, African American male in his 20’s with “afro-style” hair with gel in it.

Santa Monica College, as well as the city police, arrived on the scene and searched for the suspect described, but were unable to find him.

Leads on the identity of the suspect or news of further bathroom intrusions are currently unknown.

Brief: Airport Campus Peeping tom At Large

in the time of the plague: ebola stirs nerves Alci rengifo Editor In Chief The recent outbreak of the Ebola continues to grab headlines around the world. According to the World Health Organization, 4,000 people have already died in West Africa because of the disease.

In the United States, Texas has become ground zero for the virus’s arrival in our corner of the globe. Nina Pham, tested positive for Ebola after treating Thomas Eric Duncan, the patient who carried the virus with him on a flight from Liberia, is the most recent, high profile U.S. case of someone contracting the virus.

Unlike Duncan, who died as a result of the virus on October 8, Pham is apparently recovering and has been treated with blood given by Dr. Kent Brantly. He contracted

Ebola in Liberia but was treated with an experimental drug treatment known as Zmapp which has not been made widely available. So far, of the two people in Spain who were diagnosed after coming in contact with a person from Africa have tried the drug. One died, the other is recovering.

Pablo Gomez, a molecular biologist, explained how Ebola works. “With Ebola you’re going through extreme dehydration and everything that works in the body to keep fluids such as blood inside the body, stops working, so your body starts to expunge,” he explained.

There is something to be said about the differences between the outbreak in West Africa and the infected cases in the U.S., where the sole fatality was a carrier flying in from Liberia. “In a wealthy country you

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have the resources and sanitation conditions to keep it under control. In a much poorer country populations don’t have access to healthcare or the kind of treatment a patient can get here,” said Gomez.

“With viruses you mostly have to live them out. It’s not like bacteria where you can fight back with antibiotics,” he said. “Viruses do something called reverse transcription,” explained Gomez, describing how it works just like a computer virus. The virus infects the victim’s system, his or her DNA, and then replicates itself. “It’s essentially all over and you have to live it out, find treatment, or suffer the consequences as we have seen with Ebola.”

At the moment the outbreak has not reached California. A recent scare at LAX, however, involving a passenger arriving from @t h e _ c o r s a i r •

Liberia resulted in the screened passenger testing negative for the virus. Even the L.A. Metro has not been immune to the fear in the air as a passenger on Monday decided to scream “I have Ebola!” prompting the bus to be stopped and hosed down by the Los Angeles County Of Public Health. The passenger involved did not carry the virus.

For those on the look out however, the Center For Disease Control reports that symptoms of Ebola include fever (greater than 38.6°C or 101.5°F), severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal (stomach) pain and unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising).

The Vice President of Student Affairs, Mike Tuitasi, will reveal details as to what the college campus will do in the even that Ebola reaches Los Angeles and SMC.

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volume 108 issue 6 • October 15, 2014 • santa monica college

Club awareness day brings campus groups to the Quad

Club Awareness Day took place on Thursday in the main quad on the SMC campus.

Clubs such as this one, Creative Collaborations, started by Osiris Booque (left), informed potential new members on the make up of each club. Kenneth Nicholson, (right) shows interest in the club by signing a contact sheet.

Lorena Garcia, Juan Lopez Staff Writer, Web Editor Flyers were abound on the SMC quad, on Thursday. They were being passed around like currency, collected in stacks by passersby, and sometimes, ending up as litter on the floor.

Students gathering around club oriented booths with club members and leaders were being handed out the sheets. Students were getting the chance to join clubs and become informed about the many, diverse options that shape the SMC community with Club Awareness Day. Some of the clubs present were the Early Childhood Development Club, Poetry Club,

Soccer Club, Student Veteran Association, Gender Sexuality Alliance, Aqua Surf Club, Creative Writing Club, Plastic-Free SMC, Pan-African Student Union, Marine Bio Club, Film Club, and many more.

The Inter-Club Council put the event together in an effort to boost club membership and increase awareness of campus involvement. As opposed to the upcoming Club Row, this event did not encourage any fundraising by clubs, leaving them to rely on their handouts for attention.

Members of the Aqua Surf Club were dressed in their bodysuits and swimwear, handing out brochures offering surf lessons.

Club member Bryson Negri, showing off

his surfboard, mentions the club is mainly involved in beach clean ups and offers a focus on environmental awareness.

The Creative Collaboration Club’s members walked around promoting the idea of collaboration between students and the clubs themselves to develop new projects.

SMC’s Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) offers discussions about LGBT issues in society and they also provide team-building exercises. “We also focus on bonding, so that our community can bond and get closer,” said club president Axel Rowe.

The GSA offered out a small booklet sized zine entitled “Parrotfish” referring to a species of fish that changes genders in their lifetime.

The Student Veteran Association (SVA) was looking to welcome not only all vets, but also non-veterans to join their club.

Club president Jennifer Garcia became the long-running club’s first civilian president by winning over the other members’ confidence and respect through her understanding of their expectations and needs; needs she came to know from her fiancé Brandon Michael Beckman who passed shortly afer returning from serving in Fallujah, Iraq in the Marines.

Garcia, at a recent SMC SVA barbeque hosted by the American Legion Post 283, accentuated the group’s family atmosphere.

Claudia Acosta, the club’s vice-president and former Army staff sergeant, rebuffed the misconception that vets dwell in solitude after they re-join civilian life.

“It’s not like that,” said Acosta. “I think having [civilians] take that step to get involved with us or vice versa would help to fill the gap and work together.” Acosta went on to highlight some of their activities which range from hiking to doing charity work for

shelters and non-profits.

However, not all of the SMC clubs are as large as the ones mentioned. The PlasticFree SMC club is trying to expand itself and has had some success. “We raise awareness about plastic consumption on campus.

We teach students about why it’s bad for the environment to use plastic,” says club president Noelle B. Miller.

Miller sees the recent California plastic bag ban as a stepping-stone that will “light a bulb in a lot of peoples’ minds that the environment has problems and the choices we make everyday affect it.” According to her, Plastic Free SMC believes that all plastic bags should be banned, and not just singleuse plastic shopping bags, and she thinks it unfortunate that more people are not aware of their impact on the environment.

According to some students, the club sign up day was effective. “A friend referred me to the Pan-African student union. I look forward to learning about different cultures and meeting new people,” says Political Science major, Kenneth Wheeler.

“It looks like today was a success. I think it’s beneficial to be a part of a club, because you get volunteer opportunities and it looks good on your transcripts,” says African American studies major, Lefifia Lewis.

ICC Vice Chair Courtney King, who spearheaded the event along with ICC Communications Officer Rizwan Rashid, said “The participation was delightfully bountiful and it was a great precursor to Club Row.” Club Row will take place at the same time and the same place as Club Awareness on the day before Halloween. The theme of the event will of course be designed to fit the season.

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Health & lifestyle 5

volume 108 issue 6 • October 15, 2014 • santa monica college

D e b u n k i n g t h e C h e m t r a i l Pa r a n o i a Yawsha Hawkins Staff Writer

To most, orgonite and gemstones cast in resin sound like the components of a keychain or piece of jewelry. Apparently, the combination is worn or carried around to protect oneself from chemtrails.

Yes, chemtrails, the trails, supposedly of poison, left in the sky by planes as they fly overhead as a part of a secret government operation to poison the masses or control the weather.

This is the conspiracy that professional debunker Mick West of Metabunk.org and Contrailscience.com spoke about in a Skeptics Club-sponsored talk last Thursday.

In a presentation titled, “How to Debunk Chemtrails,” West discussed the history of the theory, from Art Bell’s talk radio shows to theorists involvement in the 2014 Climate Engineering Conference, as well as the reasons behind people’s claims of their existence.

The presentation focused more on debunking than on the theory itself.

Debunking, West explained, is simply, “replacing bunk with facts,” something very different from skepticism or argumentation.

It depends, he says on “a shared understanding of basic scientific knowledge.”

“Really old books,” help establish a basic scientific understanding without the cost and commitment of a series of science classes.

Such books, “the foundation of modern science” according to West, are consistent with contrail science.

West presented the theory as a piece of bunk, or nonscience, that needed to be replaced with tangible facts. For instance,

the persistence of a contrail depends on the humidity of a given altitude, not on the chemicals sprayed from a plane. Contrails have also been sighted as early as 1921, not 1997 as the theory suggests. Planes have been tracked down before to verify the contents of the trails, but West said “you find that they’re regular planes.”

On why people believe such theories, West said “I think you’ll find that anyone who believes in chemtrails is a conspiracy theorist who already believes in things like 9/11 being an inside job, so it fits in with their existing worldview.”

Skeptics Club moderator Professor Nate Brown did not find it surprising that people who should have a basic understanding of science believe these types of theories, as a worldview, developed over years and years, is hard to dispel. “I realize that the reasons why people believe unbelievable things are complex and not easily separated from their culture, their family upbringing, their emotions, and their beliefs about other things. The skills of critical thinking and skepticism are easy to learn, but the changing years or decades of personal belief is not easy,” Brown said.

While the theory may not be, “hugely popular,” here in Santa Monica because of our warm weather, “a significant number of people believe in it.” The theory’s prevalence takes shape in the form of picketing, petitions, and a “very small minority” of believers who say we “should shoot down planes because they’re poisoning us,” said West.

Even if, hypothetically, 1% of America’s population believed in such a theory, that would mean that 300 million people

believed in it, which is certainly enough to create some harm.

This is one of the reasons skepticism and generally examining outrageous claims is important. “Skepticism is important because too often, extraordinary claims sound believable because they tap into our emotions, because they are promoted by people we love or respect, and because they may appeal to our other beliefs about people, the universe, the government, etc.

Sometimes there may not be any harm when

a person believes something that he or she shouldn’t,” says Brown.

Harm or no harm, the theory’s prevalence among younger people is a positive to West, as youth permits changes in worldview.

Younger people, “are not engrained in it.

They’re discovering things for the first time and go through a bunch of theories and phases and things and when you settle down and get older. Older people get stuck,” West said.

Kira VandenBrande Corsair Activist Sharon Schloss, CEO of the geoengineering news website The Chembow, holds up a sample of organite, an “energy devise” said to absorb harmful EMF and cellphone radiation, at a protest against global weather modification in Santa Monica on Sept. 27.

“The way it works is the crystal contains scalar energy, and the scalar energy, when pressed in resin, is amplified and then it’s basically broadcast through using the metal shavings and coil,” says Schloss, “It sounds a little out there, but this is not new age stuff, it’s based in science.

love in the time of multiples: cracking modern dating code MAddy Weber Staff Writer When it comes to relationships, determining a mutual understanding can be difficult, whether it’s platonic, casual, or romantically exclusive.

Knowing when to appropriately cross the bridge of labeling and having “the talk” doesn’t go over smoothly.

According to SMC student Linnea Svensson, dating today is beyond confusing.

“There are like a million kinds of relationships now compared to back when you were either together or you weren’t,” Svensson said.

She referred to this dynamic as being, “Full of irrational mind-games and unnecessary expectations.”

Svensson believes that real relationships are hard to come by, especially because of all the game playing involved. The power in relationships lies with the person who cares the least.

According to SMC student Kelly Isle, a clear cut understanding of what the relationship is from its genesis is necessary to have.

“Of course it’s important to address a relationship with some kind of label.

Otherwise I’ll be over here making a fool out of myself being exclusive and he’ll be out with some other girl every other week,” Isle said.

Isle regards the timing of constituting a label a bit less definitive. “[Labeling] is different for every relationship,” she said. However, knowing the reality of the relationship you’re in through open lines of communication is important. “So at least you know where you stand,” she said.

SMC student Victor Falk considers labels to be overrated, which he believes, coincides with the nature of modern dating.

In his opinion, “Labels only serve the purpose of letting everyone else know your

Adam Pineda Corsair An anonymous couple who met, and attend classes on Santa Monica College Main Campus, know that they are in a rare exclusive relationship. “We are definitely together and only for each other”

business when it’s not their business at all.”

Falk feels that frequently dating is fine, so long as you are honest about it with your partners.

Adding to the uncertainty of initiating a relationship, labels also tend to carry more than one meaning.

In Isle’s opinion, dating means exclusivity some people, and then it means casually hanging out from time to time for others.

The stigma attached to labeling often makes for an uncomfortable conversation between two partners because it reveals the reality of the situation. In certain circumstances, this conversation shatters the illusions about how

for extended coverage visit us at thecorsaironline.com •

great a relationship had been by deciding what it will be.

But how do you know when it’s appropriate to bring it up and how do you know what to say without saying too much?

“It rarely seems to come naturally,” Falk said. “But it’s better to say something rather than keep quiet, even if it doesn’t go the way you want,” he added.

Svensson relies on good old texting to talk about uncomfortable subjects, admitting that she probably wouldn’t have had the majority of tough conversations she’s had if it required physically talking to their face.

According to Isle, the acceptance of casual @t h e _ c o r s a i r •

dating is more common in today’s hook-up culture.

“That’s how it is now,” she said. Adding that, “It’s much more common for people to be seeing multiple people at once than to be committed to one person.”

Having the talk, determining labels, and all of the above are inevitable at some point or another in whichever category of relationships you find yourself.

When it comes to relationships, there’s no definitive guide book or timeline that lend us a helping hand, but as many have said, you’ll never know unless you try.

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& lifestyle 6 Health

volume 108 issue 6 • October 15, 2014 • santa monica college

HIV/AIDS research supporters took to the streets of West Hollywood for the 30th annual AIDS walk.

AIDS Walk 2014

Stella Ngigi Corsair

SMC GSA Club marches through West Hollywod

Nick Carrion Staff Writer

surprise that this community is particularly passionate about finding a cure. In fact, homosexuality and AIDS are so closely There was a festive feeling in the air as nearly entwined in American history that when 25,000 people gathered at West Hollywood it was recognized in the 1980’s, AIDS was park. Music boomed over loudspeakers originally called GRID, or Gay-related as groups in matching t-shirts held up Immunodeficiency Disease. It was once signs, waved banners, and chanted slogans. thought to be an exclusively homosexual Volunteers in bright vests and hats handed disease, according to an article in the out water and snacks to the walking masses October 1993 issue of The American Journal passing under a giant inflatable archway at of Public Health, and it was only when more the entrance to the event. research was done on the subject that this Volunteers seemed dedicated solely to was proven to be false. It is stigma-breaking keeping up enthusiasm, thanking those research like this that the AIDS Walk Los who had showed up and shouting words of Angeles funds. encouragement. The crowd began singing “We typically do it, almost every year,” said along as live performances started in the Co-President of SMC’s GSA, Andy Cabrera, park, audible to everyone for miles around. and they are never alone. “There’s GSA’s here But it was not some Coachella-esque music from all other high schools, universities, and festival or early West Hollywood Halloween colleges.” celebration that brought such numbers out Cabrera explained some of the reasons with such enthusiasm. No, this time 25,000 why his club braved the crowds, heat, and people showed up with the singular goal long trek to show their solidarity. “The main of raising money and awareness to fight an reason is for support, because of the LGBT epidemic that has taken quite a toll on the community. Because AIDS is a big issue in community. the LGBT community. So we need to be out On Sunday, the 30th annual Aids Walk here for the cause, you know, to promote Los Angeles took place in West Hollywood. awareness, and also to help reduce the stigma Walkers who of people with marched the HIV and AIDS,” six mile trail he says. He adds down San that the money Vicente Blvd., from this event La Cienega is used for AIDS Blvd., Melrose research, and Ave., La Brea medication for Ave. and people who are back down to Henry Vivar, volunteer diagnosed with Beverly Blvd., HIV. dedicated C a b r e r a , their foot steps passionate for to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Many raised this cause, believes that by coming out and money, and many more simply came out to participating in the walk, he and his club show their support. truly made a difference.

Among the indiviudals and teams that While Cabrera understands the importance participated was Santa Monica College’s of fundraising, he expresses the importance Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA). AIDS and of participation. “Even if you can’t donate the LGBT community have a well known, yourself or can’t fundraise, just show up. tragic history together, so it comes as no It’s for the cause. I think as long as we show

“It makes me happy to see so many people supporting people who have AIDS,”

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Stella Ngigi Corsair Volunteers at the 2014 AIDS Walk tWhrow around inflatable beach balls on Sunday, in West Hollywood, California. They spent the morning preparing for thousands of participants to cross the finish line.

some unity by coming out and having our presence, they’ll [the LGBT community] know that Santa Monica College GSA club actually does care about the cause.”

The long march began down San Vicente Blvd. and turned right to follow Santa Monica Blvd. Even the few, scattered protesters, holding up signs with slogans such as “Homo sex is sin” and “Stop AIDS? Stop sin” could do little to affect the atmosphere of the event. In fact, as the crowd passed these dissenters, they cheered even louder, their collective resolve strengthened by their commitment to this cause. And as the walk progressed, these anti-gay protesters grew fewer and farther between, eventually disappearing altogether.

The marchers of the AIDS Walk Los Angeles looked like a mobile carnival as they continued up Santa Monica towards La Cienega Blvd., with radio and DJ booths placed to keep the party going the entire way.

Henry Vivar, a second year volunteer, handed out water and encouragement on one of the street corners.

“It makes me happy to see so many people supporting people who have AIDS,” he said, remarking that the aura surroundng this event is one of the things that carried over from last year. “The route is different, but the enthusiasm is still there.” @t h e _ c o r s a i r •

Volunteers such as Vivar threw more of their energy into keeping the crowd pumped as they continued their trek down streets and across intersections under the hot sun.

Eight year veteran volunteer Blake Manship described some of the planning that went into the event. “I’m a Conehead,” he said, “I shut down the street. I caution tape the lines where the walkers stay, and then I monitor the race.”

While this may seem like a tedious volunteer position to some, Manship comes back year after year in solidarity of the people in his life who are HIV positive or have died from AIDS. “It’s to help eliminate that disease,” he says.

Stories like Manship’s are common at an event like this, and evidence that underneath the joyful feeling of the walk is a deeper issue.

AIDS is an often fatal disease that affects over 1 million people in the United States, with one in six of those not even knowing they have the disease, according to the CDC website’s page on HIV/AIDS. This event is designed to raise awareness of the tragedy that is the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and many, such as 16th year walker Bill Colgan, dream of a day when AIDS Walk Los Angeles is no longer necessary.

“One year it’s going to stop, and that’s what I’m hoping for,” says Colgan.

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volume 108 issue 6 • October 15, 2014 • santa monica college

Health & lifestyle 7

Tobias Sandstrom Corsair Santa Monica College students (left) Kevin Filgueras and Pablo Velasquez preparing for upcoming midterms. “I just finished my first midterm for this week” says Velasquez as he studies for his next exam. It was difficult for students to find a free space in the Santa Monica college library on Monday so the pair sat down on the floor to work.

midterm crunch Tiffany Hernandez Staff Writer If receiving an ‘A’ on every test was as easy as memorizing all the lines to your favorite movie, students would not have to experience anxiety, stress or unease.

The news of upcoming midterms has reached the ears of many students at SMC, one of them being Beatrice Gutierrez.

“I hate midterms. I have to cram everything in,” she said. “I begin to try and study before the test but I procrastinate, even if I try and study I forget everything I learned the day of the test, it’s horrible!” she said.

For many students, midterms can be a stressful time. It involves a lot of memorizing, skimming, repeating and cramming in pages of information.

For others, midterms may not seem like a big deal and feel comfortable waiting until the day before the exam to review course material.

Regardless of which route a student may take to achieve the best grade possible, one might still find himself or herself with a low C, D, or even an F. According to psychology professor of 25 years, David Phillips, students do not see improvements in their test results because of an issue called metacognition.

“That is your personal assessment of how much you think you know,” Phillips said.

Students will study the material for a couple of hours or a couple of days and believe they have learned the material and in result stop studying.

“I am a product of a community college and at first I was a very poor student, and I had this professor who made it really clear to me about what I needed to do,” said Phillips.

“After that it motivated me to put in more time to hard work,” he added.

Phillips explains that students will overestimate how much they know rather than dedicate time and hard work to learning the subject.

That is what happened to SMC student Angel Cabrera.

“When I first started coming to college, I would read a paragraph and would not fully understand it, but I kept reading,” Cabrera said. “Or I’d memorize the material from the study guides, but by the time I had the test in front of me, I only knew some of the answers and the results were embarrassing,” he added.

Metacognition is not the only reason why students are struggling during exams.

Some students get very anxious prior to tests, which undermines their performance as well.

“My hands get really sweaty and I get real nauseous too! It’s a horrible feeling,” said Michelle Lopez. “I have never been good at taking tests; which sucks because you need to take tests to pass the class,” she said.

Fortunately, Santa Monica College has psychology workshops in the Liberal Arts building, Room 110, to help students overcome test anxiety.

Phillips also said that another way to remove less anxiety is to prepare. “[Students] fail the test because they feel the need to master the material. It may be that right now you aren’t good at a subject but that doesn’t mean you don’t have the potential to be good at it,” he said.

He believes that hard work is what will drive students to be good at a subject. There are no students who were born smart or dumb, but hard work connects with performance.

Mastering a subject requires hard work and seeking help for test anxiety could result in students receiving more A’s and B’s throughout their semesters.

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Tobias Sandstrom Corsair All floors of the SMC Library were crammed with students preparing for this semester’s midterms that began Monday.

@t h e _ c o r s a i r •

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8 Opinion

volume 108 issue 6 • October 15, 2014 • santa monica college

Trapped in the matrix of Nicholas Sparks

Alci rengifo Editor In Chief

This week, the most terrifying film of the year will premiere in movie theaters across America. It is more disturbing than “Annabelle” and even darker than “Dracula Untold,” it is the latest Nicholas Sparks adaptation, grossly titled “The Best Of Me.” Like gang-green spreading over the mangled feet of World War I troops in the trenches, Sparks’ mush opus will rampage across theaters and hearts, taking no prisoners and emotionally executing any resistance. Already Sparks’ films have looted $429 million from your girlfriend-pressured wallets.

“The Best Of Me” is vintage Sparks crapology. It pairs up Ken doll hybrid James Marsden with the vapidly cute Michelle Monaghan as, a typically nauseous high school couple. High school: the age when most people are full blown idiots when choosing partners and attempting what could pass for a relationship (then again this habit might last, if you’re lucky, until around the age of 25).

According to today’s love prophet, the best relationships are ones that stem from opposing social classes, the guy being a lowincome troublemaker, the girl being a flower of wealth with disapproving parents. And unless you’re an adonis, the average female will care less if you share common interests because they have to answer to hormonal wants.

He emphasizes coincidental conveniences and the positive outcomes of irrational unlikely reunions.

Nothing else needs to be written because anyone who has followed Sparks’ routine hack jobs knows what follows. Sparks is the romantic prophet of our delusional, jaded age. His so-called novels will be studied by future scholars with awe at how the concept of

(gag) love was downgraded to such laughable fantasies. Man has already attached excessive meaning to biological mating purposes, but Sparks has found a way to turn that into a consumerist product.

In a recent article for GQ titled “Nicholas Sparks Has Been To Bed With 97 Million Women,” the staff writer Andrew Corsella heralds the “author” as “A figure of almost superheroic potency whose nonliterary triumphs match his book sales in their power to astonish.”

For worse, Sparks is the trickster who pumps out today’s modern definition of love and ourselves. While his books sell by the bucket loads, let’s focus on the film adaptations. In a time when audio/visual art forms dominate the world, and a movie can have far greater impact than a book, the film adaptations of his novels are just as impacting. Viewers of the epic war movie “Braveheart,” while masterful, is largely speculation.

Why do the masses flock to Sparks’s cinematic witch sabbaths?

Why is “The Notebook” the cult love story of our time? Especially since “Best of Me” is for all intensive purposes a total remake. Why are none of these stories rooted in any sort of reality? For instance, there is no such thing as the climactic, game-changing kiss. Not on a ferry boat dock (“Safe Haven”), not on a dock by a marina (“A Walk to Remember”), not on a dock in the rain (“The Notebook”), not in front of a car (“Lucky One”), not in an unconstructed house (“Dear John”).

The answer probably lies in the superficial vortex we’re living in. Trends, supposed fashion, and TV are defining more and more what’s beautiful, acceptable or popular.

Sparks’ films are like a pill for viewers who want their hearts tugged amid our cruel, vapid times. It’s the emotional equivalent of people who know something is “wrong” with

“the system” and instead of doing anything concrete, would rather dabble in government conspiracies such as the 9/11 Truth movement .

In the case of Sparks, viewers want their cake and eat it Courtesy New Line Cinema too. They want Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in a scene from “The Notebook” to believe in something meaningful, but defined by very Sparks stories are presented as empty vessels. dry cringe-inducing, superficial storytelling They cannot decide anything for themselves accompanied by men who look as if they without being hassled or pushed by some walked out of the Getty’s collection of shiny-teethed deuche speaking in cryptic, Grecian statues. nearly abusive language (“well what do you Two people, most likely from the south want?! just tell me now!”). As someone or living by the beach, fall in love and who knows he would collapse into a coma can’t be together for whatever reason. They without the female staff who help keep this either overcome their obstacles quickly or paper going, it’s ridiculously laughable. are separated for decades and brought back Sparks films are a depressing downgrade together by “fate”. from better, smarter movies that were around Most of these films are made with skill before his bile contaminated the land. In because the studios can hire top notch films such as Cameron Crowe’s 1989 “Say talent to make trash (“Message In A Bottle” Anything,” the characters were actually director Luis Mandoki’s “Innocent Voices” normal intelligent people who talked about is a strong film about the Salvadoran Civil real things, and seemed to develop genuine War). But the stories and characters are an connections. empty, disturbing collection of nothingness.

This weekend, do not let Nicholas Sparks Consider the conversations Nicholas Sparks lure you into his latest money-grubbing, characters have. Their conversations in depression-inducer. If you must, watch a private consist of “why are you looking at bootleg with a friend so you can poke fun me like that?” “How?” “Differently” (Dear at the hilarity. The best way to fight back John). No one seems to have any interests against Nicholas Sparks is by defying what other than practical chores or their loneliness. he stands for, exploiting and manipulating Notice too that the women in Nicholas young love at the expense of your money

The undertone of stress: acknowledge what is there Johnathan Ramos Opinion Editor It eats away at us, taking the form of a disease in which a cure is seemingly impossible to find. It forces us to believe that the pressures of school, work, relationships, finances, and our own insecurities are banding together to form a twisted wolf pack meant to dig us deeper into rock bottom than we can possibly dig ourselves. And while joyously picking away at whatever morale and sanity we may have left, it leaves us to choose whether we will choose to control or be controlled. Stress, whatever the source may be, is truly the driving force of our lives.

With Santa Monica College closing in on midterms, students might find themselves succumbing to all of the obstacles that their world of frustration releases. Studying may begin to seem impossible let alone trying to gather the will to actually attend class.

And while students may be quick to blame the heavy load of classes or the crowded schedule of their tests, it can be valuable to acknowledge other factors in their lives that may be distracting them from academia.

With this, I’ve begun to observe my own recent turn towards bitterness and cynicism.

Never one to fully falter under my stress, or even acknowledge it, I am currently caught in a rare phase of my life where I can’t seem to muster up the slightest bit of passion to do anything other than binge watch seasons of Friday Night Lights on Netflix and play sappy songs on guitar.

Things I never minded doing before--going to work taking care of kids at an after-school program or volunteering at a church I’ve done so for almost seven years--now seem more like chores than pleasures.

Even writing--especially alarming since it

is my current major in school--has not been able to remove me from my current state of limbo.

To put the stamp on this sudden twist of attitude, I have begun to question what I’m actually doing at SMC, feeling more confused than I ever have before.

My closest friends have been able to see through my recent facade of happiness and care-free living. I say recent because it is normally genuine. I’ve always been able to hide vulnerability, but not now.

I find myself cynically commenting on relationships in ways I’ve always joked, but now I find myself slightly believing the unfiltered words that escape me. As long as I’ve worked at my current job, I’ve taken pride in being one of the only employees that enjoyed his time there. Now, I wait for clock-out as patiently as an athletic runner

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on the starting line. Whoever I was before still resides in me, though is temporarily being muted.

This neglect towards the world around me isn’t something I’m enjoying, but something I’ve accepted--for now.

The aforementioned causes of stress all have their part in this dance. And while people continue to tell me not to let it consume me, I believe that for at least a moment in our lives, its okay to just lay down and take the beating as long as we get up eventually.

This is not an article meant to attract sympathy; it is meant to sympathize with anyone who might be dealing with similar frustration.

Students--and faculty--each have their own set of problems that affect them differently than they would others so to say someone easily has heavier issues than another would

Juan Lopez, The Corsair

@t h e _ c o r s a i r •

be premature. Some students will be affected deeper by the same issue another easily brushes off.

I am no psychologist (though my recent self-evaluation has steered me towards believing that’s what I might want to be), but I recognize that my phase of turmoil is just that: a phase. Make no mistake about it, I will snap out this sooner or later, but I know it will take some time and patience.

Its not a matter of finding myself again, as this distorted side of me is still me. It is only a matter of finding direction again and regaining a passion for the things I love to do: write, work, help others in need, fantasize about a perfect romance, and just being my happy self.

For students coping with a heavy schedule, try to give up some responsibility even if it might be minimal. Don’t be too proud to let go of some of the load in order to help yourself as I did by giving up prior commitments I could not fully commit myself to without going mad.

For those dealing with an ailing relationship, try and find ways to address the issues even if it means just leaving it alone until something happens. To students like myself feeling lost in the mix of ambitious, goal-oriented gogetters, settle down and evaluate what might be causing your hesitation. Understand that it’s okay to be down; just make sure to recognize that you’re down, so you can start climbing up.

Sometimes coming to the realization that you’re crazy makes it easier to be sane again.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

Just try hard not to fool yourself.

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volume 108 issue 6 • October 15, 2014 • santa monica college

Arts & Entertainment 9

Independent game developers show off their latest games on at Indicade in Culver City. IndieCade promotes hundreds of new games each year.

Kira VandenBrande Corsair

gamers geek out with Indiecade Tech

Kira Vandenbrande Contributing Writer Displaying an astounding array of virtual and interactive games, IndieCade shatters any illusions of what it truly means to be a “gamer.” Video game developers and artists from across the globe gathered this past weekend to showcase their creations ranging from tabletop games and sports like Tumball- a competition in which players must use leafblowers to blow a tumbleweed through a small goal- to complex and meaningful games integrated with virtual reality platforms.

The international event held in Culver City gives independent (“indie”) video game developers the chance to showcase their new projects and technologies for professionals and game-enthusiasts alike.

While some projects are primarily designed for entertainment, some serve as eye-opening socio-political commentary.

Winner of the 2014 IndieCade Impact Award, “Use of Force,” is a virtual reality immersive journalism game that uses real audio and computer generated recreations of a clash between US border patrol and Anastasio Hernandez Rojas as he was tased and beaten to death. Participants were given the opportunity to “record” their experience with an in-game cell phone as they roamed the scene through a modified Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset designed to immerse a user in a 3D world. “It’s not watching, it’s experience,” said Naoki Yoshimura of the gaming magazine Famitsu. “I almost cried,” she said.

With the rise of accessible virtual reality platforms, more companies are integrating bodily motions with visual experience.

Headed by designer Tristan Dai, team Perception Neuron presented its professional motion capture system which allowed players to wear specialized gloves to control their hand motions in-game. Similarly, Leap Motion displayed a tiny 3D controller that sensed hand movements and translated them into animated versions on-screen, ranging from robotic style to a realistic rendering of an elderly man’s hands.

These companies all predict the rising popularity of Virtual Reality, marking it as

Community,” deviated from the general upbeat tone of the conference, focussing on the negative aspects of online and offline gaming communities.

Toni Rocca, president of the LGBTQgeared gaming convention GaymerzX, spoke of difficulties both women and those in the LGBTQ community experience online. According to Rocca, gamers who use anonymous identities are more likely to say hurtful and rash things to other in the community, unaware of how their actions affect others. In turn, peoples’ response to these harmful comments can be violent and equally hurtful. Rocca claimed this “callout culture” only adds to segregation in the community.

For the most part, speakers emphasized an increased need for communication in the gaming community. Archie Prakash, a computer scientist and 3D artist, argued that online forums have become a “sound war”, with both sides arguing and neither listening. As some indie games grow bigger audiences, they can no longer function as they did with smaller communities attached.

Late Saturday marked the beginning of the Kira VandenBrande Corsair infamous Night Games. After sunset, the Oculus Rift employees Laura Bush (left) and David Namminga (right) show off the outdoor IndieCade village was converted company’s latest innovation, Samsung Gear VR at IndieCade in Culver City. into an ethereal festival of light, sound, the upcoming innovation to change the face allowing him to translate his anxiety into art. animation, and music. Using the darkness of gaming.

The festival also presented a large variety of to their full advantage, developers set out Unlike larger gaming festivals, IndieCade non-virtual games, including Henka Twist couches and consoles while projecting their is designed to give smaller developers a Caper. This party game requires players games onto massive screens. chance to find success. Game designers are to turn different colored controllers until Some of the more creative exhibits included given the chance to reach a wider audience, they flashed and buzzed when at the right a camping tent with pressure-controlled finding support for their projects through orientation. The twist, however, is that lights projected onto the top. Using electrical volunteer-funded Kickstarters. “Here at players are confined to small space and currents, one participant held an electrode IndieCade, you don’t know which game’s permitted to interfere with their opponents and formed a human chain with the others, gonna be famous,” said SMC student Jassi as much as possible. Perhaps one of the most allowing them to control the lights by Patayon and member of My Geek Review, entertaining games was the Muppets-inspired tapping different parts of the specialized “The next big thing could be right in front of party game “Hoot Patooter”. Four teams blanket underneath them. The result was a you already and you don’t realize it.” used aprons to launch various vegetables at beautiful array of lights, music, and animated The gaming company Ouya welcomed each other in an attempt to make a pot of dinosaurs flying over a projected starry sky. attendees to play new Indie games on its soup without dropping any ingredients. The This year’s IndieCade served as a small peek console of the same name. “Neverending head chef shouts the instructions in faux into the ever-growing future of gaming.

Nightmares”, a psychological horror game Swedish, mimicking the popular character “There’s so much greatness, you have to sift based off designer Matt Gilgenbach’s from the Muppets. through it to find the greatest of the great…” experiences with OCD and depression, Along with interactive events, the festival said SMC student Sam “Knash” Green. “I proved to be a popular pick among guests. also showcased a series of speakers focusing can’t wait to find my personal favorites for Released on Ouya and Steam on September on certain aspects of the gaming industry. the new games that I’m going to be playing 26, the games served as an outlet for One presentation called “Let’s not Make a nonstop and making my tendonitis worse!”

Gilgenbach’s intrusive thoughts of self-harm, Scene: The Ups and Downs of Independent she said.

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& Entertainment 10 Arts

volume 108 issue 6 • October 15, 2014 • santa monica college

Iron Man goes to Court In "The Judge"

Courtesy Vega Films A beauty pageant contestant in the documentary “La Corona” about life in a Colombian women’s prison which was screened at SMC.

La Corona: Finding beauty behind bars Sherrie Dickenson Staff Writer The crowd explodes to a boisterous roar as they cheer for triumph. With a victorious smile plastered across her face, she stands in confidence as the gleaming crown is placed upon her dark, long auburn hair.

Meanwhile, the striking raven-haired lady standing next to her forces a dry smile in an attempt to suppress her tears. A sense of loss, now completely discernible on her fully made up face, has washed over her.

It’s just like any other beauty pageant.

Preparations have been put into action weeks before the event. Contestants work tirelessly to achieve perfection. Judges are chosen to provide fair assessments of each competitor.

Immaculate Hair, make-up, costumes, flawless smiles, and long gowns are central to the end result of collaborative hard work.

Though, if you look closely, you will soon realize that it is not, in fact, just like any other beauty pageant. For this particular spectacle occurs in what might be the most unusual place one may imagine: in prison.

“La Corona,” the poignant documentary co-directed by Isabel Vega and Amanda Micheli, offers the viewers a window into the heavily fortified walls of Colombia’s National Women’s Penitentiary in Bogota as prisoners, guards, and the warden prepare for the anticipated and extremely competitive event.

Last Thursday, October 9th, SMC students had the privilege of attend a private screening of the previous 2008 Oscar nominated short film in the Art Complex. A total of over 50 students and faculty staff members came to see the film as part of the Latino Heritage Event made possible by SMC professors David Burak, Sharon Bell, and Maria Martinez of the English and Counseling departments respectively.

The 40-minute documentary puts a spotlight on four different inmates, ages ranging from 21 to 24, from four different cellblocks as they fight for the title of prison beauty queen. The competitors consist of a former assassin, a guerrilla who has already served six years in jail, a professional thief and hustler, an accomplice to a gang-related robbery.

In the film, we see the lives of these four women within the fences of confinement, and witness as they immerse themselves in

pageantry as a form of escapism from the sadness of isolation and monotony of prison life. We hear each of their own stories through their own words, which quickly remind us that despite whatever reason they may have for their imprisonment, they are indeed people still capable of having emotions.

In other words, “La Corona” commendably reminds us of humanity.

SMC English professor Wilfred Doucet perfectly summed up the significance of this provocative film minutes before the screening. “I think in a country that actually imprisons more people than any other country in the world, the United States, we forget the humanity of the people behind bars. They become invisible,” he said. “And I think a film like this gives that visibility back.”

With the visibility of the incarcerated women displayed throughout the film, we also see a form of normalcy most may deem uncommon in a place like a prison. Such normalcy is demonstrated with the women not actually mandated to wear prison uniforms. These women are allowed to dress however they want to; wear heels, and get their nails or hair done as they please.

But what sets these women apart from others is the camaraderie they are able to uphold especially during the pageant. The support each cellblock has for each of their representative is quite remarkable. Professor Bell - who initially shared the idea of bringing the film to SMC to Professor Burak, after her delightful experience of seeing it for the very first time at the Garifuna Film Festival earlier this year - describes it as simply having “life.”

“You’d think you’re at some sporting event, like a soccer game or something. They really came together,” she said.

Of course, in a country where beauty pageants are so embedded within the culture, so much so that even televised ones occasionally garner higher ratings than the World Cup, it comes as no surprise for this type of pageantry in Colombia to gain an enormous attention and support from the masses.

At the screening, the Colombian born filmmaker Isabel Vega bluntly tells SMC students that “there’s an obsession with beauty in [her mother-country].” She recalls the remarks her parents would make about her appearance when she made visits her home country, “The first thing they would

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do is say ‘oh, you gained some weight’ or ‘oh, you lost some weight’. That’s the first thing they say to you.”

The importance of physical beauty is weaved into the minds of little girls at a very young age in her culture, that it is with this reason Vega decided to choose a beauty pageant as the subject of her first documentary.

Professor Burak, who is instrumental in organizing screening events of compelling films here at SMC such as “Brooklyn Castle” (2012), “Blackfish” (2013), and “Code Black” (2014), describes Vega as “A very intelligent individual who strives to use her abilities to make a positive impact on the world.”

Also regarded as someone who knows a powerful story when she sees one by Professor Burak, Vega explores the freedom facet this prison beauty pageant entails.

“These women just speak their mind. And I love that. It’s that freedom to say what they want, and they take risks. One of the things I love about it is that they find freedom in the most unusual place you can think of.

Because they show you, it doesn’t matter where you are,” she says.

As she puts it simply, “Freedom is in your mind.”

In a way, these women are truly as free as they can possibly be. Ironically enough, to some of them, the prison gives them a security blanket with which they feel safe the most in massive contrast with the harsh and dangerous environment women normally have to face out in the streets.

Through the beauty pageant, they are able to live normally and momentarily forget about the dejected isolation they are in.

There is a sense of unification from every person, whether from prisoner to prisoner or warden to prisoner and vice versa. This allows us, the viewers, to see humanity in the form of compassion in a place where we supposedly condemn the most inhumane.

An undoubtedly captivating film, “La Corona” sheds a new light on prisons and prisoners alike in which we see them as they truly are – a reflection of us and our society.

As Professor Doucet so eloquently describes, “Even the most monstrous of us is human. A film like this reminds us of the humanity of people, the way in which prisons are mirrors of the society outside. Those prisons are the countries [and] communities in miniature.”

He adds, “What’s true there is true here.” @t h e _ c o r s a i r •

Jasmine B. Heard Staff Writer Heartwarming and comical this weekend’s new release “The Judge” did not disappoint just before awards season. Robert Downey Jr. (“Iron Man 3”, “Due Date”) plays Hank Palmer, a conflicted Chicago lawyer who only cares about himself and his stable resentment towards his father, played by Robert Duvall (“The Godfather”, “Apocalypse Now”).

The six-time Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Robert Duvall plays his part as the usual grumpy old man character and portrays a dignified judge who truly believes in the scales of justice.

Hank visits his hometown in Carlinville, Indiana after the news of his mother’s recent death; the father and son duo are constantly arguing about their past throughout the entire film and both are quite reluctant to apologetic notions.

The constant nostalgia in every scene reiterates the importance of his father in Hanks childhood. They are accompanied

by Hank’s two brothers, the oldest obedient Glen Palmer played by Vincent D’Onofrio (“Chained”, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”) and the youngest, mentally challenged Dale Palmer, who is performed by small actor Jeremy Strong (“Zero Dark Thirty”, “Lincoln”). Hank shows the true distance between him and his father by addressing to him as “Judge” instead of “Dad” as his other siblings do.

Things get more intense once Hank’s dad partakes in what seems to be a car ‘accident’ and that leads Hank to representing his dad in court, which ultimately rekindles their once out-of-touch relationship.

Hank meets his match when Billy Bob Thornton’s (“Fargo”, “Bad Santa”) character, the hard-ironed opposing lawyer trying to lock Hank’s dad up for the possible murder case, brings solid evidence into the trial and justice for the law.

Director David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers, Change-Up) does a great job by distributing laughter in such a serious situation. It’s condescending, but by playing up the frail ignorance of their little brother Dale it eludes laughter and he makes it work.

The film is filled with its grit for manhood and occasional female fatales to give the men a few subplots to ponder on.

Robert Downey Jr. definitely was Iron Man in a different suit; snarky, witty and arrogant.

His portrayal of Hank the egotistical lawyer wasn’t that surprising and it certainly not an Oscar worthy performance. However, the convincing remorse he has for his father towards the end of the film almost brings him down to “Average Joe” status as he becomes one with his family again.

This one is an inevitable tear jerker so be prepared to weep--in joy that is. ‘The Judge’ is an uplifting journey through the battles of a divided father and son in the good old state of Indiana. Another corn-fed themed film right next to ‘Gone Girl’ it seems that recently the Midwest is the place to be for filmmakers. Even though the acting is somewhat repetitive, the cinematography is astounding and the use of the great plains landscape could help the film win something this season.

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volume 108 issue 6 • October 15, 2014 • santa monica college

Poetry and Fiction 11

Letting Go I know it’s hard to face the truth, And both our lives are moving fast; The birth of age away from youth, And the dawn of change away from past.

And yes, it may seem better so To gaze upon the stars afar; To save the heart from near sorrow, And let them settle as they are.

I’ve felt the world with burning tears, And I’ve learned it’s better not to cry For happy times in bygone years Or loving souls that start to die.

Avow me to cherish each second of zest, And grant me the wisdom to worship my best.

Chase Maser SMC Student

NEVER LESS I’m a haunted genius in a black cat town Bells goin’ off in the Baltimore Sound My tell-tale heart knew she was diddling around There are lots of things hidden in the ground And her purloined letter is pendulum bound Gather everybody ‘round the graveyard mound There are lots of things that I have sown now Lots of things that I will woe Like Annabel Lee and an undertow Ravens and the murders in the olde rue morgue Green fairy absinthe and escargot Maelstroms and casks of amontillado Give my love to Helen and don’t you know Never less Edgar Allan Poe now Never less Edgar Allan Poe Ivan Smason Local Poet

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“Phillip” by Rachel Gianuario

CONTRIBUTE YOUR ART, POEMS, AND FICTION! Submit your work to corsair.calendarpage@gmail.com

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12 sports

volume 108 issue 6 • October 15, 2014 • santa monica college

Harbor Loss refocuses Corsairs

Weekend Scores

Home team in bold

10/10 Mens Soccer SMC SBCC Womens Soccer SMC WLAC

3 3 5 1

Women’s Volleyball

SMC 3 WLAC 0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-22)

Scott Bixler Corsair Santa Monica Corsair head football coach Gifford Lindheim looks at the clock during the 33-27 loss to the Los Angeles Harbor College Seahawks on Saturday night in Long Beach, Calif.

trev Angone Sports Editor

10/11 Women’s Water Polo Ventura 19 SMC 3 10/14 Mens Soccer SMC 2 Citrus 2

The Santa Monica College Corsair football team is coming off of one of their toughest losses of the season this past Saturday, losing a thriller in the waning moments of the fourth quarter to LA Harbor College 33-27.

Though SMC’s conference win streak is still intact at 23, the loss dropped their overall record to 2-3.

If the Corsairs are going to capture their fourth straight conference championship, they’re going to have to get back on the right track and fast.

This week SMC will battle it out against cross-town rival West LA College who are also currently 2-3, but 1-1 in conference, while the Corsairs are sitting at 2-0.

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Although it may seem like a good time to draw a middle of the pack team within the conference, West LA has been known to be a handful for SMC. Just last year, the West LA Cougars were yards away from spoiling SMC’s perfect conference run.

“We respect West LA, they’re talented, they have good players, they score a lot of points, and they always seem to rise to the occasion against us,” said head coach Gifford Lindheim.

The reason for the loss against LA Harbor was turnovers. But, just as surprising was the lack of big plays from the Corsairs defense that has become a sort of calling card for the three-time champs.

“I think our team is refocused, our coaching staff is refocused. We took a break from conference, and now we’re headed back into

our conference schedule. I think that the [LA] Harbor loss was very humbling. We had opportunities to win the game, and we didn’t,” Lindheim said.

If SMC is going to continue their dominance against West LA, they’re going to need their trademark smash mouth defense to put their stamp on Saturday’s matchup.

“We’re going to get back to the basics. We’re going to work fundamentals, work the game plan. Play with speed, play with precision, be opportunistic, physical, and play with our hearts,” Lindheim said.

This Saturday the Corsairs are going to be tasked with stopping sophomore West LA quarterback Dallas Lopez. He’s completed 61 percent of his passes this season with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

If one thing is evident, it’s that Lopez is comfortable airing it out, which should bode well for the ball-hawking SMC defensive backfield, but he has no problem using his legs to get out of the pocket; totaling 272 rushing yards on the season with nine touchdowns.

But Lopez isn’t the only rushing threat for West LA. Running back Treviel Boone has totaled 517 rushing yards on the season with five touchdowns.

Although the SMC defensive backs might be licking their chops, the defensive line, and linebacking core are going to have their hands full trying to contain the Cougars rushing attack.

“West LA has some very good athletes, they score points in bunches, so we obviously can’t turn the ball over, and give them five extra chances like we did against [LA] Harbor,” said Lindheim. “We’re very prideful, and we don’t take losing lightly, so we can’t wait to get back out there on Saturday.”

The Corsairs will host the West LA Cougars this Saturday at 1p.m., here at SMC.

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www.msmconline.la.edu :: 310.728.2099 MSMC_Santa Monica College.indd 1 9/12/14 10:52 AM for extended coverage visit us at thecorsaironline.com •

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With a dedicated International Student Services office, convenient on-campus housing and a small, inviting campus, CSUDH will help you reach your goals. And make the most of your LA learning experience.

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