El Paisano Newspaper Vol. 61 Issue 3

Trump V. Biden “An Organized Cat Fight”

Vol. 61 Issue 3

Wednesday September 30, 2020

‘‘Will you shut up, man?’’

“This is a president who has used everything as a dog whistle to try to generate racist hatred, racist division.”

“Under this president, we’ve become weaker, sicker, more divided and more violent.”

“There’s nothing smart about you, Joe.”

“...But I tell you, Joe, you could never have done the job we’ve done. You don’t have it in your blood.”

“I wear a mask when needed… I don’t wear masks like him. Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”

Illustration by Raymond Luna for El Paisano Media

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Crowds Bombard Trump at RBG’s Memorial Juan Huerta News Editor

juan.huerta7050@my.riohondo.edu

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n Wednesday September 23, Trump was bombarded with chants regarding his presidency at the steps of the Supreme Court where late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s casket was displayed for people to visit and pay their respects.

Crowds chanted multiple phrases such as booing, “vote him out” and the most powerful “Honor her wish”. As we’ve seen in the past President Trump has disregarded the wear a mask rule around the country but this time around was actually seen wearing a mask alongside First Lady Melania. They stood by the steps of the Supreme Court and a few minutes later they returned back to the White House where he described the chants as “we could hardly hear them” and later in the South Lawn as he departed the White House he said

Photo Courtesy of CBS News

Melania and Trump seen wearing masks at the steps of the Supreme Court.

“Somebody said there was some chanting. But were right next to the media. But we could hardly hear too much.

We heard a sound, but it wasn’t very strong.”

President Trump earlier this week mentioned how important it was to honor Justice Ginsburg’s life but quickly disregarded her last wish which was for them to wait until after the 2020 election to appoint a new

Supreme Court Justice.

It’s no secret that late Justice Ginsburg wasn’t fond of President Trump’s presidency especially after she called him a “faker” back in 2016. Supporters of Justice Ginsburg are making it known that they’re there to make a change as they lined up outside of the Supreme Court to honor Justice Ginsburg. Through the past week supporters of RBG have explained the importance of voting and have donated money in support of the democratic party.

The country’s political climate is at its all-time peak now that the 2020 election is only 39 days away. Trump’s actions regarding how he deals with the new Supreme Court nominee will only create more tension for both parties and may be found disrespectful by many as a new Supreme Court Justice will only benefit the Republican party.

The 2020 election is around the corner remember to register to vote! Online and by mail deadline is October 19.

Trick Or Treating This Year? ticularly when part of Halloween events, since it is difficult to avoid crowding and sharing food.

Raymond Luna Editor-in-Chief

ramon.luna5365@my.riohondo.edu

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ith Halloween just around the corner many questions are left unanswered on whether celebrating is allowed during the pandemic or not. Recently the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health put out some strict guidelines for this holiday season. They first made the announcement stating that trick-or-treating is prohibited, but had since revised it,

"Door to door trick or treating is not recommended because it can be very difficult to maintain proper social distancing on porches and at front doors, ensure that everyone answering or coming to the door is appropriately masked to prevent disease spread, and because sharing food is risky," Guideline provided by (http:// publichealth.lacounty.gov) Halloween Activities: Not Permitted: (gatherings and events are not currently allowed under the Health Officer

Permitted and Recommended

Halloween decor is now available at all Michaels Crafts stores.

Order) • Halloween gatherings, events or parties with non-household members are not permitted even if they are conducted outdoors.

• Carnivals, festivals, live entertainment, and haunted house

attractions are not allowed.

Not Recommended: • Door to door trick or treating is not recommended because it can be very difficult to maintain proper social distancing on porches and at front doors, ensure that everyone answer-

Raymond Luna For El Paisano Media

ing or coming to the door is appropriately masked to prevent disease spread, and because sharing food is risky.

• “Trunk or treating” where children go from car to car instead of door to door to receive treats is also not recommended, par-

• Online parties/contests (e.g. costume or pumpkin carving) • Car parades that comply with public health guidance for vehicle based parades including: • Drive by events or contests where individuals dress up or decorate their vehicles and drive by“judges” that are appropriately physically distanced.

• Drive through events where individuals remain in their vehicles and drive through an area with Halloween displays.

• Drive in events where individuals can receive a treat bag (limited to commercially packaged non-perishable treats) or take away items from an organizer while the participants remain in their vehicle.

• Halloween movie nights at drive in theaters (must comply with the public health drive in movie theater guidance).

• Halloween themed meals at outdoor restaurants (must comply with the restaurant protocol).

• Halloween themed art installations at an outdoor museum (must comply with the public health museum guidance.)

• Dressing up homes and yards with Halloween themed decorations.

The county is advising and encouraging everyone to look for other options to celebrate the evening this year to ensure a safe Halloween.

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Governor Newsom’s Executive Order to Phase Out Gasoline Powered Automobiles in the Near Future Lorenzo Arce Reporter

lorenzo.arce1393@my.riohondo.edu

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his week Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-79-20 which will ban the sale of new gasoline powered cars in California by 2035. It will still be legal to use and resell used gas powered cars in the State. The bill also stops the issuing of fracking permits by 2025 and orders transit officials to draft a plan for a statewide rail system.

Newsom said the California Air Resources Board will be in charge of enforcing the bill and drafting an order that will limit the use of gasoline in larger vehicles such as heavy-duty vehicles and buses. He expects the order will lower greenhouse gas emission by 35%.

The passing of the bill has not come without criticism.

The price of electric powered

cars is still higher than gasoline powered ones but the prices are declining yearly.

The California New Car Dealers Association’s response to the order was,

"Bypassing the elected legislature and directing the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to adopt rules to prohibit the sale of non-ZEV vehicles to enact this significant transportation policy change is deeply troubling and deprives Californians of a direct voice in this important issue."

Lorenzo Arce For El Paisano Media

Gas powered vehicles such as the 2021 Mazda CX 9 may soon be rarities at car dealerships across California. Used car lots may be the only place cars such as this will be sold in abundance in the coming years.

According to ABC 7, Newsom and 10 other Governor’s are scheduled to meet virtually to

discuss keeping carbon monoxide emissions at levels acceptable according to the Paris

Agreement, even though the United States as a whole has pulled out of the deal.

TikTok’s Dangerous Medication Challenge Alyson Gonzalez Editor-in-Chief

alyson.gonzalez0312@my.riohondo.edu

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new dangerous social media challenge has emerged. The US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning on Thursday, Sept.

24, about teenagers taking high doses of an over-the-counter allergy medication called Benadryl.

Diphenhydramine, also known as Benadryl, is an antihistamine, used to relieve allergy and cold symptoms inlcuding runny noses and sneezing.

It blocks the histamine, which causes allergy symptoms, inside the body. The FDA warned that consuming high doses of diphenhydramine (Benadryl), can lead to health probelms such as seizures, coma, heart problems, and death.

Teenagers are intentionally taking high doses of Benadryl to cause hallucinations. There are videos being created of young teens overdosing on the medication and posting it on the social media platform, TikTok. Also known as the “Benadryl Challenge,” there have been teenagers dying or in the hospital for engaging in the dangerous social media antics.

A month ago, a 15-year old from Oklahoma City died from an overdose of Benadryl as well as three teens in Texas were sent to the hospital in May. On Thursday, the FDA noted, “We are aware of news reports of teenagers ending up in emergency rooms or dying after participating in the ‘Benadryl Challenge’ encouraged in videos posted on the social media

Photo Courtesy of Lorenzo Arce

Some teenagers have taken up to 10 or more Benadryl pills to feel a similar affect as the drug LSD. Consuming lots of medication pills is being used a way of entertainment for the social media platform, TikTok. application TikTok.” The FDA are investigating teen injuries and deaths that have a connection to the “Benadryl Challenge.” They will update the public once they have a detailed review. As for now, TikTok has been contacted and prompted to remove the “Benadryl Challenge” videos and other future videos that are dangerous, from the platform.

tion.” If there is a TikTok video that violates their community guidelines, it will be removed from the platform. “As we make clear in our Community Guidelines, we do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous challenges that might lead to injury.”

Johnson & Johnson, the creator of Benadryl, made a statement that people should

Although it is a challenge, the act hasn’t spread to other users. Therefore, there aren’t many users doing this serious action.

TikTok made a statment, “Though we have not seen this content trend on our platform, we actively remove content that violates our guidelines and block related hashtags to further discourage participa-

only use the product as directed in the label. As well as to keep medications away from the reach of children. In order to prevent incidents, Benadryl and other medications should be stored away from children to avoid misuse and accidents. It is best to lock up medications in your homes because of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

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2020 Presidential Debate

Samuel Garcia for El Paisano Media

There was no clear winner of the first presidential debate of 2020 between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Neither candidate gained or lost any new supporters, and neither one clearly outlined their policies moving forward.

Samuel Garcia Reporter

samuel.garcia8465@my.riohondo.edu

Lorenzo Arce Reporter

lorenzo.arce1393@my.riohondo.edu

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ast night, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden engaged in a heated debate in their first presidential debate.

Much of the 95 minute discussion, mediated by Chris Wallace, was filled with fiery exchanges between the two presidential candidates.

The heated evening in Cleveland, Ohio began with the issue of Trump’s attempt to hastily replace recently deceased Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bater Ginsberg with Amy Coney Barrett. Biden said Barrett will attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and the seat should be left open until after the election. Trump rebutted, saying the Democratic Party would do the same thing if the situation was reversed. He then accused Biden of running in favor of the radical left.

When the discussion shifted to handling of the COVID-19 epidemic, Biden blamed Trump for America's massive infection and death rate. He claimed this was caused by him downplaying the seriousness of the situation. The president responded by criticizing Biden’s response to the H1N1 virus a decade ago, saying the death toll would have been a lot worse if he were in office. He then called out Biden’s apparent lower than

average grades from college in an out-of-left-field rant, one of many that took place tonight.

Trump refused to admit he only paid $750 in federal taxes in the past few years but instead blamed Biden for creating the loopholes he and other billionaires use. Trump then accused Biden’s son, Hunter, of accepting money from Russia; Biden responded and said that rumor had been debunked as a Right Wing conspiracy.

Trump also disregarded Biden’s deceased son, Beau, and called out Hunter, his other son, for his dishonorable discharge from the Navy from testing positive for cocaine.

The topic of racial division was touched upon in the next issue. After Biden called out Trump's failure to respond to white supremacy in Charlottesville in August 2017 and for calling people on both sides “fine people”. Trump then blasted Biden for calling African Americans “super predators,” and claimed he had more support from the police, military, and Black community than any other Republican president.

Trump also criticized race related law enforcement training because he believes it is racist, radical, and “teaches people to hate their country”.

Trump argued that Biden wants to defund the police and he has no support from them or their unions. Biden insisted he wants to fund the police and restructure Law Enforcement by including psychologists in 911 calls.

Biden claimed that Kellyane Conway told him riots and heated protests, like in Portland and Seattle, only work in Trump’s favor. He claimed that she believes it makes Democratic cities look weak and under the influence of Left Wing radicals.

At one point, Chris Wallace asked Trump to condemn white supremacist and right wing militias. At first, Trump is hesitant to call out a specific group and said all the chaos is caused by the “radical Left’ and “Antifa.” ”Proud Boys, stand back and stand by, but I’ll tell you what. I’ll tell you what, somebody’s gotta do something about Antifa and The Left,” responded Trump.

On the issue of healthcare, Biden was criticized by Trump, who said that Biden and the Democrats wanted to “go socialist medicine and healthcare.” Trump also claimed that he and his administration were “cutting down drug prices 80 or 90 percent.” Most of the talk on healthcare centered around Obamacare.

“I got rid of the individual mandate which was a big chunk. That was absolutely the worst part of Obamacare and we will protect people with preexisting conditions,” he said on reforming Obamacare.

In regards to “socializing medicine,” Biden claimed that his plan was to increase Obamacare. His plan called for adding a public option, where people who qualify for Medicaid would automatically be

enrolled in this option. Trump retorted, arguing that this would pose a threat to private insurance and create a government takeover of healthcare.

Biden fired back by pointing out that the Trump administration has failed to present its own comprehensive healthcare plan.

“He is not for any help for people needing healthcare...He has no plan for healthcare. He sends out wishful thinking. He has executive orders that have no power,” argued Biden.

When asked about the fires that recently ravaged California, Trump traced the issue to improper care of forests. He pointed out that “forest cities” in Europe don’t have the same issues with fires as California because they take care of their forests.

“You need forest management, in addition to everything else. The forest floors are loaded up with trees - dead trees - that are years old, and they’re like tinder. And leaves and everything else,’ he stated.

Afterwards, Trump was asked his views on the science behind climate change and if he believed that humans contributed to it. He responded by saying that “a lot of things” contribute to climate change, but that to “an extent, yes.”

It was noted that Trump had pulled back on certain green policies, such as Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which limited carbon emissions from power plants. His reasoning was that it was too expensive and “driving

energy prices through the roof.”

He also pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord, which he described as a “disaster” for America.

Part of Biden’s plan for combating climate change involves rejoining the Paris Climate Accord. He also talked about moving the U.S. toward renewable energy sources and cutting out fossil fuels by 2035.

Cost-wise, Biden claimed that he would be able to bring down costs of renewable energy and create new jobs by “making sure the environment is clean.”

“We can get to net zero in terms of energy production by 2035. Not only not costing people jobs, creating jobs: creating millions of good paying jobs,” he said.

To close out the evening, both candidates were asked about vote integrity, and whether they would urge their supporters to stay calm. Trump claimed that there is an issue of fraud with mail-in ballots. He argued that mail carriers were selling ballots and that these ballots were being trashed, especially ballots with his name.

“I hope it’s going to be a fair election,” he stated.

Biden, meanwhile, argued that people have been voting by mail since the Civil War, calling it “the same process” as now.

“No one has established at all that there is fraud related to mail-in ballots,” he argued.

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Review: 43rd Anniversary of Titicut Follies

Samuel Garcia For El Paisano Media

Upon its release in 1967, "Titicut Follies" was criticized by the government of Massachusetts. They claimed that the film violated the rights and dignity of the patients.

Samuel Garcia Reporter

samuel.garcia8465@my.riohondo.edu

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eleased in 1967, “Titicut Follies� gave audiences a look at the mistreatment of patients at Bridgewater Hospital for the criminally insane.

With the film’s 43rd anniversary coming up this Saturday, Sam Garcia takes a look back and reviews the film that was banned from general distribution for over 20 years.

What do you get when you combine Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" with a documentary crew? You get Frederick Wiseman's "Titicut Follies." Unlike Kesey's novel from 1962 (or the 1975 film), there is no Randle McMurphy to start an uproar and fight back against "the man." Jack Nicholson (who played McMurphy in the film) doesn't show up to shake up the system. What we're left with is a raw look at the mistreatment of patient-inmates at the Bridgewater State

Hospital for the criminally insane.

One of the inmates we meet, Vladimir, is diagnosed with schizophrenia paranoia.

During a conversation with one of the doctors, he tells him that he does not need to be kept at Bridgewater anymore and should be sent back to prison.

The doctor brushes him off, saying that if they were to send him back to prison, he would be back the same day, maybe the following morning. Vladimir criticizes the psychological test he was given; the test asked questions about how many times he "went to the toilet" and whether he believed in God and loved his mom and dad.

Of course, the doctor laughs it off and tells him that he needs to stay. In a later scene, Vladimir has a group meeting with another doctor and some other workers. Again, he pleads his case, but this doctor's takeaway is that he's having an "episode" and that they need to prescribe

him more tranquilizers. Antidepressants - like the ones Vlad is taking - take away depression but also uncover paranoia.

Sure, doc.

Aside from being brushed like Vlad, the patients are not well taken care of. We rarely see them bathed, and most of them are locked in their rooms, naked. Every morning, they are let out to dump their little metal containers (I am assuming the containers are their bathrooms). When one of the patients refuses to eat his food (three days without eating), they shove a tube down his nose and feed him like that. The problem is, they have run out of vaseline and mineral oils to put the tube into his nose. What do they do? Well, the doctor asks if they have butter, which they have plenty of.

The cinematography made me feel like I was there, walking around and observing everything. What put me off was how casual the workers were, like

they were not doing anything wrong. Just another day at the office, I guess. The editing, especially with the musical shows, was very jarring - in a good way! The first few minutes, where we watch one of the musicals, make you think that this will be a fun-fun happy documentary about how great these institutions are. Spoiler alert, they are not. It creates this nice (would you call it nice?) juxtaposition between the horrors of the institution and the musical performances.

My favorite use of this splicing is the last scene of the movie.

After we see a patient get laid to rest in a cemetery, we cut to one final musical show, where the performers thank the audience and hope they enjoyed the "entertainment." Very nicely done, Wiseman.

America during the 60s was a trip. The Civil Rights movement was taking off; the government was testing a "mind control drug," LSD, on its

citizens (Ken Kesey took part in these experiments). People were starting to question America's involvement in Vietnam, so people were adopting this "man vs 'the system'" attitude.

Like one of the patients said, when America doesn't like someone, they slap 'em with the "commie" label. That more than likely played a role in some of these patients, like Vladimir, being institutionalized. While he certainly did have a mental illness, the psychological tests being given were just ridiculous. How does believing in God or loving your mother and father have to do with mental illness? It is no wonder patients' conditions worsened: the only medical help they received was being doped up on tranquilizers and antidepressants. If I was locked in my room over a year, naked with just a container to pee/poop in, I'd go crazy too.

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Paramount Network Cancels Ink Master After 13 Seasons Leslie Lopez A&E Editor

leslie.lopez339@my.riohondo.edu

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hroughtout the year 2020, many shows or films have been canceled, postponed, or released early.

Are there any specific shows or movies you wished to not canceled? I know I do! For me, that would be a show called Ink Master. Some of you may be familiar with this show. One may ask, “Why is the show Ink Master getting canceled after 13 seasons? Was the show canceled because of the Coronavirus, or must there be another reason?” Well, you are about to find out why.

For those who are not familiar with the show, Ink Master is an American reality show,

which is presented by Dave Navarro, airs on the Paramount Network. The show premiered on January 17, 2012, when the channel was called Spike at one point. This show features different tattoo artists from around the world that compete in various challenges. These challenges would test their creativity, cleanliness, tattooing skills, and other related artistic skills.

Once the tattoo artists show their work on the canvas (people), the judges need to make a choice. They must decide who created the worst tattoo.

One or more contestants are eliminated in each episode. The contestant who makes it until the very end in each season receives a $100,000 prize, a feature in Inked Magazine, and

earns the title of Ink Master.

Exciting right? Who would not want to win that much money and have big opportunities?

Now that everyone is caught up about Ink Master let get to the bottom of this. Some may wonder why the show is getting canceled after being aired for years? On Sept. 22nd, 2020, Paramount Network decided and announced its network’s programming shift. The network is going to be focused more on movies and mini-series. That means that Inked Master will not be returning for the fourteenth season. Other shows on Paramount Network, such as Wife Swap, and Battle of the Fittest Couples, have been canceled. Before Ink Master got canceled, the show was plagued by problems

beforehand. I know, how can a show based on tattoos have issues? You will be surprised why, because I was.

Before the premiere of the season, old pictures of one of the judges from Ink Master resurfaced, and not many people are happy about it. On Jan. 9th, 2020, multiple photos from MySpace brought up people’s attention because they were blackfaced pictures. The judge, Oliver Peck, was dressed in blackface and with a large “N” across his chest. For this reason, Peck got forced out of his spot. Keep in mind; season thirteen was already filmed in advance.

Even though Peck had to part ways as a longtime judge, he would still appear in season thirteen episodes. Those

blackface pictures seem like it happened over a decade prior.

That most likely happened when Peck was married to Kat Von D. At this point, would you cancel the show because of the chaos that was going to occur, or would you kick out Peck and replace him?

Season thirteen is the only season where there was no winner because of COVID-19.

There were rumors based on how Ink Master would handle Peck's situation during the live finale, but season thirteen was not filmed until the ending. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the finale never took place. Season thirteen is the only final season without a winner. Hopefully, Ink Master gets relocated somewhere else and continues where they left off.

Photo courtesy of 2018 Getty Images

From left to right: Judges Oliver Peck, Dave Navarro, and Chris Nunez.

For the grand finale, the judges are finally deciding as to which contestant will be the Master Ink winner and earn the prizes after the contestant's last challenge.

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Illustration by Enrique Medina for El Paisano Media

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Finals Bound!

Enrique Medina Sports Editor

enrique.medina4922@my.riohondo.edu

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he Los Angeles Lakers advanced to their first NBA Finals since 2010 on Saturday night after they defeated the Denver Nuggets 117-107 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. The win officially marked the tenth time LeBron James will have played in the NBA Finals, more than every NBA team except the Lakers, Celtics, and Warriors.

In the victory, James had 38 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, marking his 27th playoff triple-double of his career. That now only puts him three behind Magic Johnson for the most playoff career triple-doubles.

LeBron and company put out a very steady performance throughout the first three quarters. The Lakers went up by 61-51 by halftime and continued that steady pace until the midst of the third quarter. Denver as they have done all playoffs, showed resilience, ending up outscoring the Lakers 33-26 by the end of the third. Denver wound up cutting into the lead, tying the Lakers at third quarters end, until Anthony Davis hit a three pointer to put the Lakersd up three entering the fourth.

Down the stretch, it was LeBron who took over the fourth quarter, scoring nine of the last eleven Laker points on the night. James scored jumpshot after jumpshot during this run, capped off by a clutch three pointer at the 1:57 mark in the fourth quarter, putting the Lakers up 12. The Lakers ended up winning by 10 on the night to officially make their

first finals appearance since 2010 with the 117-107 victory.

On the night, Anthony Davis also came up huge yet again with 27 points and 5 rebounds, meanwhile Dwight Howard took charge on the boards as well, grabbing 9 rebounds to go along with 9 points on the night. The Lakers as a team shot 54.5 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three, scoring 9 of the 24 three pointers they shot on the night.

The victory was extremely special for all of Lakers nation, as it marks the first time the Lakers have made a finals appearance back since the late Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to a championship back in 2010.

That season the Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns in the Conference Finals before going on to beat the Boston Celtics in the Finals.

Despite the victory, it is known that there is still more to come for the Lakers, as now they will officially be playing the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals after they defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals Sunday night.

After the series clinching Game 5 win, James stated:

Photo Courtesy of Los Angeles Lakers/ Twitter.com

With the Lakers advancing to their first NBA Finals since the 2010 season, it means the storied franchise will have a chance to tie the Boston Celtics for the most NBA Championships by any team (17). For the Miami Heat, it would be their fourth NBA Championship in franchise history if they are to win. As for LeBron James, he will be playing against the Miami Heat, his former team, in the NBA Finals for the first time in his career.

“We got bigger fish to fry. We understand there’s a bigger goal.”

The Lakers will start their last step in their quest for a ring Wednesday night as they will face the Miami Heat at 6 pm PT, with all Finals games being televised on ABC 7.

Photo Cutout by Stephinie Phan for El Paisano Media

Rams Fall 35-32 to Bills, Drop to 2-1 on the Season Samuel Garcia Reporter

samuel.garcia8465@my.riohondo.edu

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he visiting Los Angeles Rams couldn’t pull off their comeback bid, falling to the Buffalo Bills 35-32.

Here’s what we learned: Down 28-3 halfway through the third quarter, it seemed liked the Rams were on a one-way trip to Blow Out City.

Following a Jared Goff sneak for a touchdown, the Rams snagged an interception off a Josh Allen pass. A questionable call, the interception helped spark a Rams comeback bid, with LA scoring on their next three drives to take a 32-28 lead. With 25 seconds left and facing fourth down, the Bills got the first down thanks to a pass interference call on Rams defensive back Darious Williams.

A touchdown pass from Bills quarterback Josh Allen to tight end Tyler Kroft sealed the win for Buffalo.

Last week against Philadel-

Photo Courtesy of Adrian Kraus/Associated Press via Yahoo Sports

Bills tight end Tyler Kroft (81) beats Rams linebacker Micah Kiser to catch the game winning touchdown. They defeated Los Angeles 35-32. phia, Rams running back Darrell Henderson set a career-high 81 yards in rushing. This week, he had another career game, with 100 yards rushing and a touchdown. He keeps this up, and he

may just become the RB1 in this Rams backfield.

When you look up “oneman wrecking crew” in the dictionary, you will more than likely see Aaron Donald’s

picture. Sure, it was the offense scoring touchdowns, but the Rams defender was key in spurring their comeback attempt, racking up a pair of sacks and forcing a Josh Allen fumble. The

Rams offense took advantage of the turnover, scoring a Darrell Henderson touchdown to go up 32-28. While Donald can do it all, he can only do so much.

On Buffalo’s final drive, they faced third and long twice (3rd & 22 and 3rd & 25, respectively), and picked up the first down both times. The Rams defense couldn’t get the job done, despite Donald’s heroics.

Here’s an interesting tidbit: since 2002, the Rams are now 3-14 against AFC East foes.

In those four seasons, they reached eight wins only once.

That was the 2004 season, when the then St. Louis Rams finished 8-8 but still made the playoffs. They would go on to lose in a Divisional Round matchup against the Atlanta Falcons 47-17.

Next week should be an easier assignment for the Rams, who play at home against the 0-3 New York Giants. Kickoff will take place at SoFi Stadium at 1:05 PST.

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THE REMATCH

(The Dodgers and Brewers Face Off in the Playoffs for the Second Time in Three Years) Photo Cutout by Stephinie Phan

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Dodgers vs Brewers Wild Card Series Playoff Preview

Photo Courtesy of KLA4067/FLKR.com

The Dodgers will be playing in their eighth straight playoffs, this time hoping to end their World Series drought which dates back to 1988. The Dodgers Wild Card Series will be first to two victories with Game 1 to be played on Wednesday at 7 pm PT on ESPN, Game 2 to be played on Thursday (time TBD), and a potential winner take all Game 3 to be played Friday (time TBD). The winner of the Dodgers/Brewers series will go onto play the winner of the San Diego Padres/St.Louis Cardinal series.

Enrique Medina Sports Editor

enrique.medina4922@my.riohondo.edu

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fter a season like no other, the Los Angeles Dodgers are back in the MLB Playoffs once again. After a long weekend with huge playoff implications in the bottom half in the National League, the Dodgers will face a familiar foe in their first-round matchup, getting ready to face the Milwaukee Brewers, the team they beat in the 2018 National League Championship Series in seven games to advance to the World Series.

The Dodgers ended their season sweeping the Angels during the weekend, capping off the season by finishing with the best record in baseball (43-17). The Brewers, meanwhile, lost their final game of the season 5-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals but were able to get into the playoffs due to both losses from the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies, securing the 8th seed and final playoff spot.

In this wild, shortened 60 game season, it is important to note the playoff format will be different this time around.

First, all teams from the AL and NL will play three-game series (named Wild Card Series) start-

ing Tuesday in the first round with all three games being played in the higher seeds ballpark. The team who wins two games first in the series will advance. From their on, all rounds will be the same as in the past with a Division Series, Championship Series, and of course the World Series. With COVID-19 potentially being an issue though, from the Division Series on, the AL will be playing their games in San Diego (Petco Park) and Los Angeles (Dodger Stadium) and the NL will be playing in Houston (Minute Maid Park) and Arlington, Texas (Globe Life Field) with the pennant winners clashing off in the Rangers new ballpark (Globe Life Field) for the World Series title.

With the Wild Card Series, the Dodgers will be playing all games at Dodger Stadium starting Wednesday Night. Despite the home-field advantage, the quick three-game series can truly be won by any team and has real possibilities for upsets across the MLB playoff landscape.

For the Dodgers, they will be facing a Brewers team that is undoubtedly with fewer pieces than they had back in their 2018 run. The main producers that remain from that run include 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich, pitchers Brandon Woodruff,

Josh Hader, and Corbin Burnes among others. The Dodgers will be facing a Brewers team that ranked offensively 26th in Runs (247), 2nd in strikeouts (582), and 24th in OPS (.702). Much of that is in result due to subpar regular season by Yelich and Keston Huira, arguably the two most complete hitters on the ballclub.

On the pitching side, the Brewers were a lot more well balanced with being ranked 11th in ERA (4.16), 11th in least runs allowed (242), 9th in WHIP (1.23), and 2nd in K/9 (10.68). A lot of that is contributed to the excellence of the back end of the bullpen with relievers Josh Hader and breakout reliever Devin Williams, not to mention the excellence of the front end of the starting rotation with pitchers Brandon Woodruff and NL Cy Young Award candidate Corbin Burnes. To go along with that the Brewers have gotten key contributions from pitchers Freddie Peralta, Josh Lindblom, Brent Suter, among others.

Despite the balance from the pitching staff, the Brewers will be without ace Corbin Burnes and potentially starter Brett Anderson as Burnes was put on the 10-day injured list and Anderson had to leave the season finale early with blister problems.

On the Dodgers side of things, they are without question the favorites to win the series, but with the shortened Wild Card series, anything can happen, and the Brewers should not be taken lightly.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has already stated that Walker Buehler will take the mound for Game 1, meanwhile, long-time veteran pitcher Clayton Kershaw will take the hill for Game 2. A potential Game 3 starter is still not known at the moment but the most likely

scenarios are Dustin May, Julio Urias, or Tony Gonsolin to take the mound in a potential win or go home game for the Dodgers.

Game 1 is set for Wednesday evening at 7 pm PT on ESPN live from Dodger Stadium. The winner of the series will end up facing the winner of the St.Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres series in Texas, both familiar foes to both teams. The quest for the Dodgers’ first World Series title since 1988 offcially begins now.

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

In a format similar to the NBA's Playoff Bubble Method in Orlando, the National League playoff teams will play both the Division Series and Championship Series from Arlington's Globe Life Field and Houston's Minute Maid Park. The Texas Rangers new ballpark (Globe Life Park) will play home to this years World Series.

www.elpaisanoonline.com

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Now is the Best Time to Read J.K Rowling Stephinie Phan Opinion Editor

stephinie.phan4180@my.riohondo.edu

I

t's 2020, the era of TikTok and influencers, where the LGBTQ+ community has been more openly accepted, and you can be whatever you want. Granted, there are still Karens in the world and old fashion boomers here and there, but all in all, it's not as bad as it was back then.

Recently a new trend started to gain traction. Even if you're not a TikTok user, everyone has at least heard of Harry Potter, the little boy of misfortune who ran away to the wizarding world of magic and fantasy.

Unfortunately, the reality isn't so fun; the author of this beloved series J.K Rowling has gained even more negative views than before. With the help of TikTok, they have resurfaced the British writer's controversial beliefs on transgender people and gender identity, leaving even more fans in a state of limbo of their once-favorite childhood series.

This book burning trend has spread like California wildfires, and stores are even taking advantage by putting old merch upfront to increase sales. Not everyone is on this bandwagon, but quite a few have voiced their distaste. Rowling also took a very ambitious project writing a new thriller with a transphobic outlook. It's on the hot seat for worldwide criticism.

According to The Guardian, the book sold about 65,000 copies in the first five days.

Rowling decided to add a twist and have a serial killer who dressed in women's clothing.

The Guardian couldn't get a comment from her about the controversy of this character besides the fact that he's loosely modeled after two real-life murderers. The Telegraph gave a review and called this Dennis Creed's a "transvestite serial killer" and asked, "what critics of Rowling's stance on trans issues will make of a book whose moral seems to be: never trust a man in a dress."

Unlike the first time people disagree with her views, this time easily could be even worse than the first. These ideas turn fans into a frenzy; the hate is growing even more than just twitter and the News. TikTok joined the party spreading even farther to the audience, having many past fans upset or unsure whether they can continue to like her work anymore.

Now her haters are rapidly growing, and who knows, maybe she'll shed more light on this topic, but for now, it's merely #RIPJKROWLING for days. Don't you think this years' fall reads are a little bit more exciting than before? Honestly, there's never been a better time to pick up a J.K Rowling book than now. So will you burn it or read it?

Justin Fuentes for El Paisano Media

A Harry Potter fan himself, Our illustrator showed his creativity and love for the series through the best way he knew how.

An Abandoned Zoo Inside Griffith Park

Alyson Gonzalez for El Paisano Media

A staircase with graffiti art on the walls inside a cage in the Old Los Angeles Zoo. At the bottom of the staircase, there is a small gate.

Alyson Gonzalez Editor-in-Chief

alyson.gonzalez0312@my.riohondo.edu

T

he City of Angels, Los Angeles, is filled with wonderful and amusing places to visit. Locations all over the LA city comes with an exciting story to tell. There is always something to do in Los Angeles, especially during quarantine times, from haunted and abandoned buildings to entertaining attractions. One of the few places to visit is the Old LA Zoo at Griffith Park.

The Old LA Zoo is an abandoned zoo inside Griffith Park.

Although it does not house animals anymore, it once did back in the day. The zoo first opened in 1912 with 15 animals.

Millions of people visited the park. Although the zoo had many visitors, it was considered a poor and ugly zoo because it was designed and its cages. As a result, it closed in 1966, and a new zoo was created the same year. The new zoo is the zoo we know today, Los Angeles Zoo. When the zoo closed, animals were transferred over to the new zoo, and the bars from the animal enclosures were removed. The cages and animal housing were left behind and turned into a picnic area, with benches and picnic tables installed and a hiking trail. The

abandoned zoo was also used as a shooting location for the film industry.

When I visited the Old LA Zoo at Griffith Park, I reached it because I walked to the merrygo-around. After, I walked right from the merry-go-around to the end of the parking lot. Then, I turned left towards a path that led straight to the animal housings with picnic tables.

People were trying to find a way through the front, but park rangers stopped some. They had warned a couple inside the animal cages banging on something and making loud noises, that they were trespassing. I went through the back where there was a fence cut open. It led to a staircase with a cage beside it where animals were kept. The park rangers saw me go through the wall, but they didn’t say anything. Therefore, I kept going. There was a smelly odor near the cages, but not near the stairs. I had to be careful going down the stairs as they were very steep. Overall, it was an exciting adventure to see the original location of the LA Zoo. As of today, the Old Los Angeles Zoo is open for the public as a hiking trail and a picnic area, where one can enjoy the sight of a zoo that once operated.

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