Vol111 issue06

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APRIL 27, 2016 | VOLUME 111 ISSUE 06 | SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

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CONTENT

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 27, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

EDITORIAL S,TAFF nik lucaj

.................................... Editor-in-Chief

corsair.editorinchief@gmail.com

bailey peraita.......................... Managing Editor

corsair.managing@gmail.com adam robert thomas

corsair.news@gmail.com alissa nardo

.................... News Editor

........................ Health & Lifestyle

corsair.lifestylepage@gmail.com grace gardner

...........................Opinion Editor

corsair.opinionpage@gmail.com

..................................... Sports Editor

josh shure

corsair.sportspage@gmail.com

......... Arts & Entertainment Editor corsair.calendarpage@gmail.com jacob hirsohn

............ Multimedia Editor corsair.multimediadept@gmail.com alexander melendez

jose lopez

....................................... Photo Editor

corsairphotoeditor@gmail.com

................ Assistant Photo Editor corsairphotoeditor@gmail.com josue martinez

ramses lemus

..................... Social Media Editor

socialmedia.corsair@gmail.com

alissa nardo................................ Design Editor

Ecosexual club members build an altar installation for their upcoming "Ecosextravaganza" eco-art event by turning trash into art and fashion in Santa Monica on Friday. The event will be held on Friday, May 13th. (Adriana Delgado)

corsair.designteam@gmail.com

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR NIK LUCAJ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Spring Break has ended and The Corsair returns from its two week break, forcing us to get back in the newsroom and produce an issue. The break couldn’t have come at a better time either as election coverage, along with the Corsair-­ hosted debate, had us running out of gas quick.

But now we’re back, refreshed and having forgotten the animosity towards one another that can only come from spending far too much time together. We’re back and just in time for Earth Week.

One whole week was dedicated to honoring our home and protector from the uninhabitable conditions of outer space and promoting sustainability and clean living. Tons of booths and activities were set up giving students plenty to do while being green. Our staff swarmed the festivities to pick out the most interesting parts, and our staff writers Sebastian Mayorga and Ashleen Knutsen reported back with an overall look at the whole event. Condensing five days down into one article can be difficult, but luckily both Ashleen and Sebastian used their lessons about reducing waste to cut down the piece to a reasonable size.

Our photostory takes us to parts of the country that probably feel less inclined to honor the planet considering it constantly attempts to kill them with violent storms. Staff

Photographer Kyle Toelken takes us on a journey through the midwest as he attempts to chase down what most would try to escape — supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes.

This is why we like them crazy here at The Corsair, because his dismissal of the self-­preservation instinct yielded some wonderful shots.

Continuing with the earth theme, the SMC Alumni Association brought us an SMC Alumni who is a head of state for a country halfway around the world. Inonge Wina, vice president of Zambia, was honored last Monday with the Distinguished Alumni Award, bringing an international perspective to the kinds of success stories that SMC breeds.

Wina returned to the school after being away for over 40 years to create quite a buzz on campus as her and her large security detail took a tour that was hard to miss if you were on the quad.

One of the attendees of the luncheon was Zambian runner and former Olympian Prince Mumba. He’s the subject of another piece this week where our Sports Editor Josh Shure details his current attempt to return to the Olympics with the help and coaching of Santa Monica Track Club coach and founder Joe Douglas. Douglas is attempting to use his insane amount of experience, including being the coach of track legend Carl Lewis, to set Mumba up with the tools he needs to get there.

Rounding out our earth-­themed content (totally uninten-

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tional, we’re just lucky), the weekly Op­-Ed Duel returns with the battle of vegans versus meat­-eaters. Reigning champion and Opinion Editor Grace Gardner – who has the blood of challengers perpetually dripping from her fangs – takes on our resident vegan and Managing Editor Bailey Peraita. Their discussion revolves around the environmental impact of eating meat versus worldwide veganism, as they attempt to make mincemeat out of each other's arguments.

Our A&E Editor Jake Hirsohn doesn’t mention the planet once (I promise) as he delivers his much-­sought-­after opinion on the success of this summer’s biggest films. He uses his usual acerbic, clever prose to elevate and dash the dreams of six upcoming releases. Also, I lied. He does mention the planet when he refers to the first “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” reboot and writes, “E​veryone on Planet Earth hated it.”

They say if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. That’s hogwash. We love this job, but it’s work and we miss Spring Break. But even though it’s over, we’re going to keep the party coming every Wednesday with the hottest themed content.

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NEWS

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 27, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

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ZAMBIAN VICE PRESIDENT IS HONORED AS A DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI NIK LUCAJ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The SMC Alumni Association honored Zambian vice president Inonge Wina as a Distinguished Alumni on Monday, April 18 during a luncheon at the SMC Office of Campus and Alumni Relations. She is the second to receive the award this year after Anita Sarkeesian was honored in early March.

Wina, who graduated from SMC in 1962 after studying social work and has been a constant activist for women’s rights throughout her life, is the highest ranking female official in Zambian history. She was appointed vice president in January 2016 by Zambian president Edgar Lungu.

The invitation-only event had over 50 in attendance including SMC president Kathryn Jeffery, VP of Student Affairs Mike Tuitasi, AS Director of Community Relations Aicha Conde, members of the Board of Trustees and members of the SMC President’s Ambassadors.

Wina was introduced by president of the Black Collegians Club Precious Onuohah who recounted Wina’s journey through life and thanked her for her example.

Onuohah said, “Thank you for never giving up. Thank you for not allowing your gender to discourage you from chasing your dreams… Thank for proving to me that while going to a community college like Santa Monica College, I can make a difference in this world if I stand my ground and focus on the goals I want to achieve.”

Wina then went up to give her speech. She spoke about the nostalgia of walking through a campus she hasn’t seen in decades — a very different campus from the one she remembered.

She said, “It has taken me over 40 years to reconnect with my alma mater. I am happy to come back and say thank you for the seeds of achievement that Santa Monica planted in me so many years ago. I consider it a great honor and a privilege to be receiving the award.”

When she finished, she presented President Jeffery with a gift in the form of a copper relief clock shaped like Zambia.

After the event, attendees had a chance to mingle with SMC alumni, students and administration.

Jeffery spoke about the event and the benefits it has for students. She said, “It brings back to us one of our former students and gives her an opportunity to see how the college is a very different place, how it has evolved over the years…

It’s also really fantastic for our current students to see that a community college education can really take you very far… I think this was a score on many levels.”

Deirdre Weaver, Director of Student and Alumni Rela-

in brief Nutcracker Follow-up: PPI President Attempts to Make Amends with Tickets Just before the Monday, April 18, Associated Students (AS) board meeting, the head of SMC’s Public Policy Institute (PPI) Dr. Richard TahvildaranJesswein delivered a letter and 250 Tickets to AS President Jesse Randel’s office. The tickets were for a performance of the Westside Ballet’s Spring Symposium on Friday, May 6 at 7 p.m. at the Broad Stage. The letter, which was signed by TahvildaranJesswein and was read to the AS board, apologized for the incident that occurred between TahvildaranJesswein and Randel at the end of the fall semester regarding an agreement they had for AS to receive tickets for a performance of The Nutcracker that were never delivered.

Above: Cynthia Kraus, an SMC student, greets the vice president of Zambia Inonge Wina and gives her a tour around SMC's community garden during Earth Week on April 18. (September Bottoms)

tions, wrote through email, “When someone of such high stature takes the time to come back, they reaffirm how valuable the student experience is at SMC.” According to Weaver, the award, which started being given out in 2007, is presented to “those that have truly distinguished themselves through their outstanding professional achievement, leadership and/or community service.”

There is no set schedule for when the award is given out and suggestions for alumni that should be spotlighted can be submitted at the SMC Alumni Association website.

gesture to show how much PPI cares about

of land that are technically off campus in order to

Starting on Sunday, May 1, there will be a com-

the AS."

revamp them for campus smokers in an initiative

munity Bike Swap at McKinley Elementary from 11

originally started by Sgt. Jere Romano.

a.m. to 2 p.m. Then on Thursday, May 5, there will

When asked if this resolved the issue of AS funding PPI events in the future, Randel said, “No,

Adams came to the board to propose that AS

be an “Inter-Club Council (ICC) All Club Beach

it’s a totally different issue. It is definitely a sign of

work on a solution to add furniture and weather

Ride” meeting at the Pearl Street Bike lot at 9 a.m.

good faith and I appreciate that, but no this is a

coverings to these sections in order to make them

where those attending will fix their bikes before

totally separate thing. It is what it is, and [the events

more appealing for smokers. The hope of the

riding as a group to the beach. On Tuesday, May

last fall] may still impact funding of PPI next year,

SMCPD is that smokers will then congregate in

10, there will be a helmet giveaway at the Pearl

but I can’t say. It’s not my board [next year], and

these revamped locations rather than smoking

Street Bike Lot from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on

it’s not my issue.”

further into the interior of the campus where they

Thursday, May 19, there will be another group bike

can be ticketed, as the campus is officially smoke-

ride as a part of the National Bike to Work Day

free.

meeting at the Pearl Street Lot from 8 to 10 a.m.

Science Student Attacked by Gravity, Ceiling On Friday a ceiling tile fell on a student’s head

During the April 25 AS Meeting, Vice President

on the third floor of the Science Building. The

Steve Maldonado updated the AS board about

SMCPD responded to the injury report and the

the progress of the project between AS, campus

The last event will be on Tuesday, May 24,

ceiling tile was later replaced by SMC facilities

Facilities and the SMCPD including potential tile

where the Bike Club will host a pair of workshops

staff.

coverings for the sections that are currently patches

on bicycle maintenance and safety.

of dirt. At the meeting Maldonado said, “We’re

President Jeffery to Snack it Up at Study Break

SMCPD Scares Away Harasser into Capture At 9:52 p.m. on Thursday, a pedestrian flagged

After the meeting, Randel said that he ap-

down a patrolling SMCPD officer to report that a

preciated the letter and the effort taken by Tah-

male suspect was following and harassing her.

vildaran-Jesswein, although there was some lament

The officer approached the suspect, who pro-

about distributing the tickets to students at such

ceeded to flee from the scene and was later caught

a late date before the performance.

by the Santa Monica Police Department near the

Speaking to the Corsair, Tahvildaran-Jesswein

3rd Street Promenade.

fusion and disappointment over the incident that

Smoker’s Section to be Overhauled after City Grants Approval

happened between PPI and AS in the fall and

At the Associated Students (AS) meeting on

hoped that these tickets would improve the rela-

Monday, April 18, SMC Police Chief Johnnie Adams

tionship between them in the future. Said Tah-

announced that the SMCPD had received ap-

vildaran-Jesswein, "I'm hoping that this is a small

proval from the city to use the small outcroppings

said that he recognized that there had been con-

Wina (left) and SMC President Dr. Kathryn Jeffery (right), have a discussion at the Distinguished Alumni luncheon. (Christian Monterrosa)

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just trying to find the best solution so that smokers are helped, and also so non-smokers are ac-

with snacks and coffee provided to those who participate.

At the end of the AS Board Meeting on April

counted for.”

25, Interim Associated Dean Of Student Life Dr.

Bike Month Begins

Nancy Grass announced that SMC's President Dr.

Also at the AS board meeting on April 25, the

Kathryn Jeffery will be at the Cayton Center on

board approved funding to sponsor various ac-

Monday, June 6 from 4 to 6 p.m. during an orga-

tivities throughout May for a “Bike Month” put on

nized study break. The study break will have coffee,

by AS, the SMC Bike Club, and the Center for

cookies, and milk available for any student who

Environmental and Urban Studies (CEUS) to the

wants to come and prepare for finals, in addition

tune of $4,560. Ferris Kawar, who heads the CEUS

to the chance to meet the school's president.

For more stories go to thecorsaironline.com

spoke about the events planned throughout the month at the meeting.

According to Kawar, there are five events.

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NEWS

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 27, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

EARTH WEEK ROCKS SMC TO ITS CORE

Students learn to make seed bombs from Natalie "Sunshine" Flores, president of Sunshine Partnerships during Earth Week on April 18 at SMC. (Josue Martinez)

ASHLEEN KNUTSEN & SEBASTIAN MAYORGA STAFF WRITERS For the past several years, Santa Monica College has been nurturing a tradition of being environmentally savvy and sustainable through it's Center for Environmental & Urban Studies (CEUS), alternative transportation initiatives, and various outreach from many of the clubs on campus.

Having organized 11 events already last year, the environmental groups within the college aimed to further spread their message this past week at the annual Earth Week.

A collaborative effort between Associated Students, the CEUS, the Eco-Action Club and many other groups on campus, Earth Week aimed to raise awareness on ecological and environmental issues while promoting sustainability to the student body.

Starting with a Students Feeding Students (SFS) event held at the Organic Learning Garden on Monday, April 18, the week's schedule was packed and there was an event almost every day. The Zero Waste Festival followed on Tuesday, held on the quad and Do It Yourself (DIY) workshop sessions took place on Wednesday. After a guest speaker panel and a movie night on Thursday, the series culminated with an Ecofeminism conference held Saturday.

Some of the events were interactive while others were lectures that highlighted the benefits of a strong ecology and the importance of environmental awareness.

The objective behind Students Feeding Students was to connect students with local farmer's markets, ask for donations of unsold produce to distribute amongst other students, and minimize the food waste within the community. "[Food Waste] is an ongoing issue that is happening every week," said Ferris Kawar, Sustainability Project Manager at the CEUS. "Students feeding students is the one event we try to do consistently. With about 200 students present last year, this year was fairly comparable in terms of student turnout, especially with the vice president of Zambia visiting that same day... We're trying to connect the students with fresh, locally grown, healthy, seasonal foods that people don't normally get to eat... Food is expensive and you don't want to waste that."

The Zero Waste Festival attracted crowds of students to tents, kiosks, food stops, and a makeshift thrift store laid out on the quad.

“Earth Week is every week to us,” said Natalie "Sunshine" Flores, president of Sunshine Partnerships, a co-op originating in Venice that works in conjunction with the campus organic learning garden to convert vacant lots into gardens throughout the community. “We’re looking forward to [using] Assembly Bill 551, which would see owners of vacant lots getting a tax break for having their land used

for gardens or urban agriculture." Flores also highlighted an upcoming "farm-to-table" dinner hosted by the co-op on May 1 at their flagship garden in Venice.

Some of the other displays at the Zero Waste festival included sourdough bread baking lessons, demonstrations on how to use clay in gardening, and a Backwards Beekeeping tent complete with an observation hive of live bees.

Susan Rudnicki, who works with Backwards Beekeeping, was educating passersby on the importance of honey bees to promoting a strong ecology and helping plant life grow in the environment.

“All of our fruits and vegetables come from pollinators like bees,” said Rudnicki, who described the goal behind Backwards Beekeeping as to rescue and relocate honey bees in place of extermination by pest or vector control companies.

Wednesday's Workshop and DIY Day took place outside of the Organic Learning Garden. Throughout the event, a steady stream of students worked their way through the row of educational and entertaining booths, drawn in by a giant inflatable squid set up in front of the entrance to the garden.

“Rather than just having informational booths or lectures, when it’s a DIY and more interactive, you get more people in and you get them doing something,” said Eco Action Club president, Kira Oikawa-Clark. “Then while they’re doing it, you’re telling them what the purpose is and the information.”

DIY projects showcased included homemade face washes and scrubs made out of oils, honey and sugar, as well as natural clothing dyes made out of onions, avocados and turmeric. They also demonstrated how to turn an old t-shirt into a reusable bag.

“We’re mainly just trying to help people avoid these toxic chemicals, teach people how to recycle properly and just be more conscious of what they’re putting on their bodies,” said Ashley Morales-Retana. Their main purpose was to educate attendees on “how their actions can affect the environment and how they can improve it.”

Lina Lopez, a member of the Corsairs for Animal Rights & Ethics (CARE) Club, was providing information on animal agriculture by making a guessing game to learn just how much land and water is used by the industry.

“A plant based diet is really sustainable compared to a very heavy carnivorous diet,” said Lopez. “It’s good for your health, good for the animals, and it’s good for the environment.”

Attendee Rachelle Bieser’s favorite exhibit was the trash sorting game and compost education booth. “All this information — if you don’t specifically take an environmental studies class, then you’re not going to learn it and it’s not going to come across you in your day-to-day life,” said

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Bieser. “So it’s great that they bring it here to where it’s completely accessible to students.”

Thursday's Earth Week events included a panel of environmental activists during the day, and a movie screening in the evening. The panel was made up of producer and filmmaker Todd Darling discussing his film "Occupy the Farm," Lauren Trucker, co-executive director of Kiss the Ground, an organization whose mission is to inspire and advocate for the restoration of soil worldwide, and Ryland Englehart, co-founder of Kiss the Ground.

"Urban farming today provides 15% of the world's food supply," said Darling who showed excerpts from his film arguing his case for constructive agricultural uses of public land and the importance of conserving water.

The speakers used their time to advocate responsible consumption of resources and bring an awareness to the struggle of building a "regenerative agriculture," that both provides us with and sustains our ecology.

The movie screening took place later that evening in the Cayton Center, where around 30 students gathered to watch “Blue Gold: World Water Wars,” a 2008 documentary by director Sam Bozzo based on the book by Muade Barlow and Tony Clark, about the privatization of water. Prior to the main film, several short films were aired about the agricultural system, relating to the panel held earlier that day.

Kawar said, “When you’re able to reach 30 students and have them learn about issues you normally never hear about, I think it was really great to see them stay on campus late and put in the time to learn about it."

The final event for Earth Week took place on Saturday, where over 100 students filled a lecture hall for the third annual SMC Global Eco-Feminism Conference sponsored by the SMC Global Citizenship Initiative and the Associated Students. There were nine speakers from various backgrounds and organizations, as well as the keynote speaker, Rebecca Walker, the co-founder of Third Wave Foundation, an activist philanthropic organization. Each speaker discussed their contributions and work with environmental issues and how women played a key role.

Walker spoke on combining her own philosophies within ecofeminism saying, “I have always wanted to break down this notion that we are somehow discrete beings and try to put forth the notion that we really are all one body.”

Everything from information on how to properly recycle to delicious organic recipes and tastings to a bearded dragon were present at Earth Week. Abderezak Azib, vice president of the Eco-Action club, best described the overall goal of Earth Week when he said, “Our goal is to educate students.

We organize [Earth Week] to spread awareness, and you can tell that anyone who comes down and has a smile on their face at least got something out of it.” /THECORSAIRNEWS •

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NEWS

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 27, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

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INTERACTION DESIGN BACHELOR'S DEGREE ARRIVES AT SMC ASHLEEN KNUTSEN STAFF WRITER This fall, Santa Monica College will see its first cohort of students in the new Interaction Design Bachelor’s Degree program as part of new legislation from the California Senate.

Senate Bill 850, sponsored by Senator Marty Block and approved by Governor Jerry Brown, gave community colleges the opportunity to offer a bachelor’s degree program. In January 2015, out of the 34 applicants from the 112 community colleges in the system, SMC was one of 15 community colleges selected.

“It’s within Career Technology Education and they were looking specifically for disciplines and programs where students couldn’t find those degrees or programs elsewhere,” said Jamie Cavanaugh, Associate Professor of Interaction Design at SMC and faculty leader for the Interaction Design Bachelor’s Degree.

Working with an advisory board made up of industry professionals, Cavanaugh and her colleagues sought to develop an appropriate program.

“One of the things that has been apparent over the last several years is that it really would benefit our students to go more in depth into uX [user experience] and interaction design,” said Cavanaugh.

With the field growing so quickly over the last several years, the board saw a large need within the industry.

The Westside region of Los Angeles is home to over 500 tech startup companies.

Major companies such as Google, Yahoo!, YouTube and BuzzFeed have all opened offices in the area.

“We’re located here in Silicon Beach — there’s just a lot of opportunity for our students,” said Cavanaugh. “So to prepare them for that opportunity, we felt really strongly that we wanted to develop a curriculum that really gave them the skill sets

that they needed.”

Interaction designers work to create appealing, effective and intuitive interfaces for smart objects, mobile devices and websites.

“One of the things that is unique about out program is, other than some expensive art schools, you can’t really find interaction design degrees,” said Cavanaugh. “This has actually been true for quite a while. For our students who are interested in web and mobile, uX, interaction design — any combination of those — there really were no other programs for them to go into.”

In California, there are only two private colleges that offer Jamie Cavanaugh, associate professor of interaction design at SMC, poses next to a sign advertising SMC's new bachelor's a bachelor’s degree in interaction degree program during a college fair on campus on Tuesday. SMC is now one of 14 community colleges in the state that offer a design, including Arts Center bachelor's degree. (Kyle Toelken) College of Design and the California College of the Arts.

While the costs of these probefore it existed, I was trying to find some- trations, one in print and illustration and the grams total around $160,000, the same degree at SMC will cost around thing like that,” said Jetviroj. “I knew I didn’t other in user experience design. The bachwant to just get an associate’s, I wanted to elor’s degree will build on the required courses $10,000. for the user experience concentration.

When putting together the proposal, they get a higher education.”

Unhappy with her options, she was planThe second two years of the degree include reached out to students and industry professionals for support and received over 100 ning on settling for the Graphics Design 13 upper division courses, 11 of which are interaction design courses, one an english letters that affirmed the need for the degree, program at CSU Long Beach.

“I love graphics design, but my main course and one a psychology course. including those by local tech companies like focus is more digital stuff,” said Jetviroj.

“We needed something that developed Microsoft, Warner Brothers and Disney.

“I think our students were aware that in “And then this popped up and it’s kind of our students’ skill set in writing,” said Caorder to really secure the position that they perfectly filling in what was needed in LA.” vanaugh. “[And] cognitive psychology is a This past fall Cavanaugh held information really important skill set for being a successwould like to have in the industry, they needed to actually go deeper into uX and interaction sessions about the new program open to ful interaction designer.”

As with the current Graphics Design design. So this degree really does that,” said anyone interested, even those outside of Cavanaugh. “Even for those who are working SMC. Jetviroj, one of the attendants, said, program, some of the instructors for the within the industry, they realized that it’s “She [Cavanaugh] was explaining the whole upper division interaction design courses very desirable to have that bachelor’s degree program, so I got a full understanding of will be coming from the industry. what the program was.”

Currently, they expect to have between and to have more experience.”

“The bachelor’s degree builds on the 20 and 30 students in the first cohort starting Kaitlin Jetviroj, a graphics design major, was one of the many students to send in a existing Associate of Science degree in graph- this fall. While applications were due in ics design,” said Cavanaugh. The A.S. degree January for priority consideration, rolling letter.

“Before I even knew about the program, was revised to include two different concen- admissions will continue until May 13.

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PHOTOSTORY

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 27, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Lightning bursts through the clouds as night falls over Tyler, Texas on Monday, April 11.

A rainbow is seen both above and below as a supercell thunderstorm swept through the town of Plano, Texas on Monday, April 11. The updraft winds from these powerful storms can be so severe that they blow precipitation out of the top of the storms. These are generally the conditions large hail is formed by.

Storm

Chasing

PHOTOS AND STORY BY KYLE TOELKEN

T

here is this real sense of loneliness. It must be the combination of the endless, flat landscape and the equally infinite sky. All you can hear is the wind and the occasional thumping of your racing heart.

Storm chasing is as exciting as it is frightening. Living in Southern California, it’s easy to forget what bad weather is like. During the spring months in the American Midwest, bad weather takes on a whole new meaning. From March to June, the central plains of the United States consistently provide the perfect conditions to breed supercell thunderstorms.

A thunderstorm is considered to be a supercell when the entire center of the storm begins to rotate. This rotation column of upward flowing winds is called a mesocyclone and is commonly associated with the formation of tornados and large hail. It is these rare displays that storm chasers are after.

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The sheer size of these thunderstorms is incredible, climbing over 50,000 feet in the air. When storms get to that size, the updraft in the center becomes so strong that any precipitation falling stays in the air until it is so large that it has fall. In fact, the largest hailstone ever found in one piece was 7.9 inches across, discovered in Vivien, South Dakota in 2010. These often solid pieces of ice can fall out of the sky at over 100 mph and have been known to cause fatalities.

And hailstones aren't the only danger as almost every aspect of these massive storms is dangerous or deadly.

That being said, it is important that we understand as much as we can about these storms to further help protect the people that live in these areas. Thankfully, here in Santa Monica, the most frequent thing that comes out of our sky is sunshine.

Yeah, we got it pretty good.

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VOLUME 111 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 27, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

PHOTOSTORY

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The rotating bottom of a supercell thunderstorm passes behind an electricity generating wind farm outside Amarillo, Texas on Sunday, April 10. During the spring months, these giant thunderstorms dominate the Midwest region, giving it the ominous nickname “Tornado Alley.”

Wind turbines stand tall in front of a supercell thunderstorm outside Amarillo, Texas on April 10.

A hailstone the size of a golf ball is illuminated by the sky after a severe thunderstorm swept through Plano, Texas on April 11. When hailstones get this big, they fall out of the sky at over 100 mph and are capable of causing major damage to whatever is below.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 27, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

SUMMER MOVIE SEASON BEGINS: SIX BOX OFFICE PREDICTIONS JACOB HIRSOHN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

2016 has quietly broken the rule that movies aren’t supposed to get interesting until the first big tentpole movie release in May. But even though we’re still a week out from the official start of the summer cinema with the release of that one big superhero movie people seem to be buzzing about, Hollywood has already started to give us the goods.

We’ve had a superhero movie that a lot of people seemed to love for some reason in “Deadpool;” the real best superhero movie

of the year in “Midnight Special;” a critically adored horror movie in “The Witch;” a much better horror movie in “Green Room;” a Terrence Malick movie that sucked in “Knight of Cups;” and a Coen Brothers movie that didn’t in “Hail Caesar.”

Throw in the unsurprising excellence of Richard Linklater’s “Everybody Wants Some,” and the box office success and critical acclaim of both “Zootopia” and “The Jungle Book,” and it’s clear that 2016

has packed some serious punch so far.

What does this mean for cinema’s premiere season then? Has 2016 blown its load early, or does the summer still have more to offer?

Let’s find out by projecting how a few key summer releases are going to affect both our wallets and our hearts.

Captain America: Civil War Is it going to be good? Almost definitely How much money is it going to make? An obscene amount With “Civil War,” we find the most anticipated film in a long time for the artistically sputtering biggest movie franchise in the business.

Since Marvel entered Phase 2, as they call it, they’ve failed to bring the same consistency to their quality as they have to their bank statements. Despite the surprise success of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” releases like “Thor: The Dark World,” Iron Man 3,” and even “Avengers: Age of Ultron” have failed to garner the same enthusiasm as many of their pre-”Avengers” releases.

The reason for this is clear. Every movie that came before “The Avengers” had a clear-cut purpose. To introduce every character and prepare to bring them together

in what Robert Downey Jr. absurdly referred to as the most ambitious movie of all time.

After the payoff, the movies stagnated. There was an overwhelming sense of “what’s the point?” to all of them.

Now that the Marvel buddies had all gotten together to save the world, it was taxing to watch them do it again on their own.

But with “Civil War,” they’ve found a new source of conflict by turning them against each other. It’s based on one of the most acclaimed comic book series of all time, and the early buzz seems to suggest it does it justice. Let’s hope so.

Poster: Marvel Studios

Ghostbusters Is it going to be good? Almost definitely not How much money is it going to make? More than you want it to

cracks. Reboots are losing steam fast, and the movie audience can’t care about “Ghostbusters” that much in 2016.

But through all of the outrage, it has now become a political cause to support what looks like a pretty lazy rehash of a 30 year old Dan Aykroyd movie.

Now, I’m not mad about this remake, so I don’t really care. I can’t get with the “don’t ruin my childhood” crowd.

It’s a remake of a movie you saw in a theater when you were a kid. That movie still exists, and this one will give you a chance to show your kids the original.

People are really mad about this movie. They’ve been mad since the day it was announced, and unfortunately, Paul Feig and crew gave them a juicy chance to continue being mad by releasing a very, very bad trailer for it (though, to be fair, they would have kept being mad either way).

The sad truth for people fuming online about an allfemale “Ghostbusters” remake: you’re probably the ones propping this thing up to be a hit.

Let’s face it. If it weren’t for the hoards of complaints raining down with the release of every poster, clip, or trailer, a lot of that stuff might have fallen through the

Poster: Columbia Pictures

THE HITS The Purge: Election Year Is it going to be good? Almost probably How much money is it going to make? A lot more than it cost to make You’re probably having one of two reactions right now: “I can’t believe they’re making another one of those Purge movies” or “That’s so annoying that they’re making another one of those Purge movies.”

Well, get used to saying that to yourself once every year for the rest of your life because the purge is coming this year, and it’s going to keep coming for a long time.

Even though “The Purge” and “The Purge: Anarchy” failed to fully maximize their potential as movies, they both made a lot of money on super small budgets. While the first film really stunk up the place — wasting Ethan Hawke, a

crime punishable by death — “The Purge: Anarchy” was secretly kind of good. The concept of the purge is still too expansive and complicated and, let’s face it, convoluted to make a compelling 2 hours about it, but “Anarchy” had some transcendent moments.

Now, “Election Year” doesn’t have the luxury of featuring Michael K. Williams, who seems to carry transcendence around with him in a knapsack, but it does sport a premise that blends the politics of “Anarchy” with the focus of “The Purge.” It could be good, but either way, it will be a hit.

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Poster: Universal Pictures

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 27, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

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Jason Bourne

Is it going to be good? Almost probably not How much money is it going to make? Closer to “Green Zone” than “The Martian”

every action movie is a Bourne movie now. “Skyfall” was the dopest Bourne movie to ever star a guy named James Bond.

You see the trailer for the fifth installment is the real deal, and it just looks like another imitation, because that’s what people are used to seeing. The things that made Bourne unique are now the norm.

The unfortunate consequence of massively changing the action movie genre is that if you choose to take a break, others will fill your shoes.

Everyone is giving this movie the benefit of the doubt due to the success of the original trilogy, as well as the reunion of the series’ main talent in Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass.

That’s a nice way to look at the world, and I won’t be surprised if the movie satisfies passionate fans of the Bourne movies. I will be pretty surprised if it does much for anyone else though.

I’m just not sure people care anymore. And it’s not just that audiences have pulled a Jason Bourne and forgotten who he is. It’s that I don’t see a reason people would be starved for a new Bourne movie because, really, they’ve been getting them regularly even in the true Bourne’s absence. And I’m not talking “The Bourne Legacy” here:

Poster: Universal Pictures

THE FLOPS The Angry Birds Movie Is it going to be good? It’s a movie based on an iPhone app How much money is it going to make? Maybe 1% of what the app made Google it for yourself, because I don’t want you to go through this whole section thinking I’m pranking you.

There is really going to be an official movie adaptation of the iPhone app Angry Birds in the year of our lord 2016.

The first line of the description of this movie is “Find out why the birds are so angry.” I would love to tell you more about why the birds are angry, or what this movie is about, but I watched the trailer on repeat until my eyes bled and I still have no idea.

It seems as though this isn’t a tangential story taking place within the Angry Birds universe, but the story of why birds are being launched at pigs’ houses, or whatever it is that happens in Angry Birds.

That’s exactly the problem right there. I don’t remember what happened in Angry Birds, because no one has played Angry Birds in five years.

There’s no audience for an Angry Birds movie, except for me, because oh my god I have to see how they make 90 minutes worth of a movie about the worst iPhone game of all time.

Poster: Sony Pictures

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Is it going to be good? Haha How much money is it going to make? Maybe none I urge you to take this prediction with a grain of salt, because I was so confident that the first in this series would be a flop. I was wrong, and it made about $500 million.

But, everyone on Planet Earth hated it. Its Cinemascore — a poll of viewer satisfaction taken immediately after seeing a movie — came in at a B. While that doesn’t sound too bad, it’s the same score that “Man of Steel 2: Batman v.

Superman: Dawn of Justice: Part 1: Attack of the Clones” got, as well as the most recent Divergent movie, which you didn’t even know was released yet.

All of that is to say that people aren’t interested in a second tango with the ninja turtles. Even kids who were too young

to realize that the movie just wasn’t good must have been terrified by those godforsaken turtles. They were massive, hulking, CGI atrocities, and no child craves another year of sewer and pizza filled nightmares.

In 2014, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” earnings at the box office dropped a whopping 56.5 percent between its first two weekends. Word of mouth couldn’t kill the first movie, but the 2 years since hopefully gave it time to kill this one.

Poster: Paramount Pictures

THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE

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SPORTS

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 27, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

RUNNING TO RIO Olympian trains at Corsair Field

JOSH SHURE SPORTS EDITOR As the late April morning sun hid behind the gloomy, grey clouds that filled the sky, Prince Mumba lightly strolled onto the Santa Monica College Track with only a small bag in his hands. For a man just shy of 6-feet tall, Mumba doesn't draw much attention when he arrives for his morning ritual. Hidden behind his humble demeanor, Prince takes the track every Tuesday and Thursday morning and looks to turn his dreams into reality.

For the past 15 years, the 31 year old Prince Mumba has represented his home country of Zambia as an 800-meter runner in five World Championships (2001, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013) as well as two Olympics (the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics).

"It’s something that I had dreamt when I was young kid," said Prince about his Olympic experience. "I was only eight years old and I was like, 'One day I want to be in the Olympics.' When I went there [the 2004 Olympics] for the opening ceremony, I just looked at the people and started crying."

Prince was born in Kitwe, Zambia, the second largest city in the southeastern African nation. At a young age he moved to the Zambian capital city, Lusaka. By the age of 16, Prince was the fastest man in Zambia and earned the chance to represent his nation at the 2001 IAAF World Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

At the World Championships, a 16-yearold Mumba impressed several coaches from American universities. By 2002, he was on his way to the states to run for Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma and by 2004, Prince was one of the top college runners in the entire nation and was able to qualify for the Olympics.

"I was 19 turning 20," said Prince about when he found out he qualified for the 2004 Olympics in Athens. "It was something you can’t describe, this awesomeness. I felt like I was on the top of the world."

After competing in his first Olympics and finishing his collegiate running career as a three-time NCAA All-American, Mumba continued competing and in 2008 crossed paths with famous track coach Joe Douglas, founder of one of the most accomplished track clubs ever, the Santa Monica Track Club.

"I was in Arkansas competing in indoors, so Joe Douglas got his athlete, one of his good athletes, and I beat him. So Joe approached me and said, ‘You want to come train with me?’ I was like, ‘Oh, of course.'”

Mumba could not pass up the opportunity to be coached by Douglas and moved out to Santa Monica in 2008.

“He has trained athletes that have been Olympic medalists, world champions, world record holders and American record holders," said Mumba.

Douglas knows his fair share about training the best of the best in track and field.

The sharp-minded 79 year old only stands five feet four inches, full of memories and stories from when he founded the Santa Monica Track Club in 1972 to coaching Carl Lewis — arguably the greatest Olympian ever — and the 27 Olympic medals his athletes have collected.

The energetic Douglas hasn't missed a beat over the years.

Since 1974, he has meticulously kept records of every race of every athlete he has trained. His database numbers 8,227 entries to date and includes 66 American records and 34 world records.

“Joe’s workouts are high quality," said Mumba. “His training is amazing. It has made me stronger and faster. I’ve grown so much.”

Mumba's improvements under the coaching of Douglas were evident just by looking at the numbers. Over the course of just a few years, Mumba trimmed several seconds off of his best personal time leading up to the 2012 Olympics.

Both Douglas and Mumba agreed that the runner was in the best shape of his life for the 2012 Olympics. This fact was not just acknowledged by Mumba's camp though: his home country of Zambia took notice of the runner's excellent shape and rewarded him with the opportunity to carry his country's flag at the opening ceremony.

"So I thought my dream was just to go to the Olympics and just compete, make the finals, get the medal," said Mumba, wiping away joyous tears. "I never thought one day I would carry the flag.”

Since moving to the US in 2002, Prince has visited Zambia every other year. Most people probably don't know his face, but on many occasions, once hearing his name, Zambians become awestruck of how their country's best athlete is a humble, down to earth individual.

Aiming to get back to the world's largest stage for track and field by qualifying for this year's Olympics in Rio, Mumba faces several obstacles.

“The hurdle that Prince has to go over is that he doesn’t have enough money to support himself," said Douglas. "He has to work full time, then he has to workout.

That makes it very, very difficult.”

Even with the challenge of balancing training and work, Mumba's motivation for making the Olympics is not just for himself.

Mumba strives to give back to the impoverished children of his home nation, despite his own financial difficulties.

"Doing this Olympics, I’m doing it for the kids," said Mumba. "They will look at what I’ve been through, what I’ve accomplished, they will see that it is possible.”

Following the Rio Olympics, Prince will continue his work on the track club he has

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Prince Mumba at the Corsair Field. (Josue Martinez)

founded himself, the Prince Mumba Track Club. He looks to use the PMTC as a stepping stone to creating his own charitable foundation to fund the education of impoverished children in developing countries, while also providing running classes to show how physical training sharpens the mind.

Every time Mumba rounds the northern curve of the SMC track, he flies by a plaque beside the field's entrance that reads, "For a lifelong commitment to excellence in track @THE_CORSAIR •

and field and for helping to make the Santa Monica College Track a premier facility for everyone from students to world class athletes."

Mumba embodies the world class athlete that the sign mentions. He's led a life full of success that he achieved with a strong work ethic. He has a tough road ahead, but with the help of Douglas, he will look to continue that trend as he sprints down the road to Rio.

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OPINION

VOLUME 111 ISSUE 06 • APRIL 27, 2016 • SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

OP-ED DUEL

VEGANISM CREATES A SOLUTION BAILEY PERAITA MANAGING EDITOR People perceive vegans as radical, selfcongratulatory, and cult-ish. They think being a vegan means announcing it upon walking into every party, crying each time you pass a farm, and throwing pig's blood on celebrities who wear fur. There's a whole lot of unnecessary context added to what is, for many, just a dietary preference.

My digestive system sees nothing but plants, beans, nuts, legumes and grains with the exception of the fermented sugars called champagne. My feet are a different story.

[Pan down to my leather shoes.]

Now pan out and take a look at global veganism. Many vegans want the world to be vegan, which would ultimately tear apart the economic infrastructure of the food industry by eliminating the demand of an integral trading system. That's a sure way to make a key portion of the economy take a dump. Even if you don't think animals should be used for food products, we still rely heavily on animals for non-food products. These products include insulin, violin strings, glycerin, antifreeze and yes, my leather shoes.

Global veganism is a far-fetched goal but individual veganism is a rather common habit, gaining widespread popularity.

Three years ago, I cut meat and dairy out of my diet as a dare. I continued the diet when I realized carbon emissions are at an all-time high — I prefer the general climate remain as is. What do carbon emissions have to do with veganism? Cows raised for dairy and beef production release a greenhouse gas called methane that accounts for more carbon emissions yearly than all the cars in the world combined. Earth is heating up and, as a result, other animals have their environment threatened because the demand of your bacon and steak is so high. So high in fact that animals are forced to reproduce (a.k.a. rape) to constantly be pregnant and therefore be able to produce milk and offspring for

future meals.

By not eating these products, I'm not participating in the demand. Yes, the meat is still on the shelves at Trader Joe's. However, when enough people make the change to veganism, the grocery stores will be forced to reevaluate their inventory, and how much meat they will carry which leads to revising orders from farms.

A great example of this exists in West LA. It's crawling with vegan-friendly options, full-blown vegan restaurants, and grocery stores with vegan products like Chikin. This is a beautiful example of supply and demand.

Westsiders demand vegan options. As a result, the supply of stores who want to profit provide those options for that specific market, decreasing the amount of meat being produced.

Now that we've gone over economic implications for those concerned with the cash money from the meat industry, let's move on to the dietary implications.

If you start your vegan counterargument off by saying vegans can't get enough protein, I am going to laugh at your lack of nutritional education. Protein exists elsewhere besides meat and animal by-products — the only difference is the volume of protein per ounce.

A 6-8 oz. chicken breast typically has 22-27 grams of protein whereas 10 oz. of peanuts have about 56 grams of protein. If you know which foods to eat, your protein consumption should be just fine.

When done right, going vegan — or simply implementing vegan meals into your daily life — will improve your diet radically. It is easy to be a dietary vegan and consume the proper amounts of vitamins,

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minerals, and nutrients, with the exception of iron and vitamin B (both of which there are supplements for). You only need to know what and how much you should be eating based on your lifestyle and nutritional needs.

In fact, many beauty companies and celebrities endorse specific products that are vegetarian or vegan, claiming that these products contribute to outer beauty. While this may be a stretch, consuming the proper amount of vitamin D and C, keratin, and calcium will improve the health of your hair, nails, skin, and teeth.

The change to a vegan diet is radical, frightening, and interesting. In America, foods containing meat and other animal by-products are the most commonly advertised and consumed. Just take one

look at any fast food menu, and you'll see meat in just about every dish. We romanticize and idealize our relationship with meat and animal by-products rather than think critically of the impact it has on our bodies and the environment at large with the horrid amounts of methane produced from a forced, man-made industry. I know that every day I make the choice to be sustainable by eating vegan and I hope the idea of correcting human-induced climate change through veganism deters you from supporting a violent industry that is destroying the world it needs to thrive.

Illustration by Aj Parry

VEGANISM CREATES A PROBLEM GRACE GARDNER OPINION EDITOR The extent of the conversation surrounding veganism tends to wallow around the shallow pools of animal cruelty.

Sometimes the strength of the present intellect will allow the dialogue to venture into sustainability territory — which is a good start. However, we as a society almost always fail to recognize what the larger implications and long term effects would be if we stopped eating animal products altogether.

It's important to call to attention to the fact that people are a part of this thing called an ecosystem. Believe it or not, we're still a part of it. When we get our food at the supermarket and enjoy the comfort of air-conditioned, insulated buildings, we tend to forget that, despite our cognitive distance from the environment, we are not in fact separate from it. Our buildings, although technically unnatural, create a new landscape for the planet. Our new methods of subsistence are not separate from the greater food chain, but an integral part of it. Whether we like it or not, we participate in this cycle.

People eat animals. They have for as long as people have been people, and probably even before people were people.

If we're not eating animals, we're eating animal products.

To ask people to suddenly give up animal products would be like asking trees to stop preforming photosynthesis. The amount of carbon dioxide left in the environment would be unreal. And if we stopped relying on animals for calories, local animal populations would be out of control.

Take the wolves in Yellowstone National Park, for example.

They were famous for preying on livestock and were hunted until practically ceasing to exist in the park by the 1920s.

What followed, of course, was an explosion of the antelope population due to the fact that there were a lack of predators to regulate it. As the antelope began to dominate the area, they began to eat a considerably larger amount of brush than they had before. They also began devouring willows

located close to streams that are integral to the streams structure and water flow. Apparently, the slow current the willows provided was a crucial factor of a beaver's ability to create dams. The beavers also used willow as material for building the dams and in some cases for food. Without adequate resources, beaver populations declined. At the end of the day, the massive increase in grazers caused so much damage that rangers began killing them or capturing them themselves to deal with the problem.

Like antelope, cows are grazers. They’re also one of the main animals the vegan community is adamantly against farming for food.

According to PETA, 29 million cows a year are used for food production. Lets say we decide tomorrow that we as a nation want to go vegan and halt any and all efforts to use these animals for food. The U.S. would immediately be faced with the task of what to do with 29 million large animals. Right now, they're contained in designated spaces that prevent them from reaching the greater extent of the environment. If we let them go, the situation would be similar to that of the explosive antelope population upon removing the wolves from Yellowstone. They would consume an unreal amount of resources, taking disproportionately from the rest of the already existing and established ecosystem, which has evolved without the large population of cows. A rise in prey population would probably also lead

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to a rise in the population of predators like mountain lions and coyotes, because they would have the resources to maintain a larger population.

And that's just cows. According to Food Equality, 56 billion animals are killed on farms every year. Consider how we as a country and an ecosystem could handle 56 billion animals released into the wild. That's over 1 billion animals per state. There is no way that we as a society and a natural world could seamlessly manage the integration of these animals into our environment.

Granted, there are issues with the current system of food production including, but not limited to, factory farming. There are serious environmental repercussions such as the intense release of methane that cows produce being put in the atmosphere. The answer to this is not an extreme solution like veganism, but moderation. By reducing the amount of animal products we eat, rather than cutting them out all together, we can maintain the delicate, natural balance of the ecosystem while also reducing these carbon emissions.

What vegans propose to do, behind a curtain of morality, is ask us to go to extreme lengths like removing ourselves from the food chain in order to accomplish a goal that can be achieved in a much more palatable fashion. As well intentioned as the movement is, I hope the prospect of really screwing things up for the natural world might deter you from the utopian vision of global veganism.

"WHAT VEGANS PROPOSE TO DO... IS ASK US TO GO TO EXTREME LENGTHS LIKE REMOVING OURSELVES FROM THE FOOD CHAIN IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH A GOAL THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED IN A MUCH MORE PALATABLE FASHION."

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