Inside Fullerton Fall 2021

FALL 2021

Soldier Granddaughter of WWII veteran shares how her grandfather’s journey led to her own self-discovery TAMBIÉN DISPONIBLE EN ESPAÑOL

ALSO INSIDE:

Plant Care is SelfCare Getting Harassed Online Finding Art During Adversity

TAMBIÉN DISPONIBLE EN ESPAÑOL

INSIDE FULLERTON STAFF LIST EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Salina A. Falcon

MANAGING EDITOR Alexcia E. Negrete

CULTURE EDITOR Jacob Romero

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Special thanks to journalism department coordinator Jay Seidel, former Inside Fullerton adviser Joanna Jacobo Rivera and graphic design professor Steve Klippenstein for their assistance.

Inside Fullerton is produced every semester by Fullerton College’s magazine production class, Journalism 132, under the guidance of student editors and advisement of Jessica Langlois. Editorial and advertising content herein, including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the students in the class. Information published herein does not represent the position of the North Orange County Community College District, Fullerton College or any other officer or employee within.

Angela González

INSIDE FULLERTON GRAPHIC DESIGNER Andrea Koehler

PHOTOGRAPHER Aprel Rose

ADVISER ASSISTANT Jessica Delgado

ADVISER Jessica Langlois

STAFF WRITERS Carl Akajiobi Daniel Arceo-Rodriguez Misael Cruz Chastain Flores Makenna Koblis Iyanna Warrick

321 E. Chapman Ave. Fullerton CA 92832

TWITTER / INSTAGRAM @insidefullerton INSIDEFULLERTON.FULLCOLL.EDU

CONTACT: For tips, pitches, corrections or other editorial queries: InsideFullertonMag@gmail.com For advertising, business or course enrollment questions: jlanglois@fullcoll.edu

Cover Photo Illustration: Andrea Koehler Cover Photography: Aprel Rose

EDITO NOTE

OR'S E DEAR INSIDE FULLERTON READERS,

Thank you for picking up our Fall 2021 Issue. This semester had its challenges; it seems the pandemic has definitely taken its toll on everyone. Zoom classes can only last for so long before we start longing to be in the newsroom with each other. Despite our difficulties, staffers and editors worked very hard this semester to make sure we upheld the sincerity of community and inclusiveness. That is why we wanted to continue and extend our reach to the Latinx community with a couple of stories in Spanish.

Our staffer Misael Cruz interviewed Alberto Lule in “Finding Art During Adversity,” who within his prison sentence found a new beginning through art. It is a remarkable story about overcoming adversity. During these unfortunate times, it is important to take a step back and do some self-care. Alexcia E. Negrete, Inside Fullerton’s managing editor, writes about how plants can be a form of comfort in “Plant Care Is Self-Care,” a place of peace for not only herself but for others as well, who enjoy the serenity of what plants have to offer.

I have had the pleasure throughout my time here at Inside Fullerton to assist in important topics. Right now in society, inclusiveness and the ability to be yourself regardless of gender is taking a stand. In the story “Getting Harassed Online,” staffer Chastain Flores writes about women and non-binary individuals that get harassed while playing video games online. They only hope for inclusion and the ability to be themselves within the gaming world.

This fall marks my fifth and final semester here at Inside Fullerton. I wrote a story called “Soldier,” about my grandfather who was in World War II. During my search for him through all the archives and stories, it was here that I rediscovered a little piece of me again. I can go on with the gratitude and honor I feel within this magazine as I think of my first semester. I started here at Inside Fullerton in the fall of 2019 as an introverted person, and here I am, presenting my last magazine with all of you as editor-in-chief. What a journey it has been!

SALINA A. FALCON

C O N T Features

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23 GETTING HARASSED ONLINE - 11 Chastain Flores FINDING ART DURING ADVERSITY - 15 SOBRESALIR LA ADVERSIDAD POR MEDIO DEL ARTE Misael Cruz SOLDIER- 23 SOLDADO Salina A. Falcon

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E N T S CHAOS DURING QUARANTINE - 1 Daniel Arceo-Rodriguez PLANT CARE IS SELF-CARE - 2 Alexcia E. Negrete ENVIRONMENTAL DISRUPTION - 7 Makenna Koblis

Culture

Trends 2 1

7 BEST FRIENDS FUR-EVER - 31 Alexcia E. Negrete & Daniel Arceo-Rodriguez CULTURAL CUISINES FOR MIND, BODY AND SOUL - 33 Iyanna Warrick & Aprel Rose

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CINEMATIC SIGHTS - 37 Carl Akajiobi FROM SUPERFANS TO SUPERSTANS - 41 Chastain Flores BRO-HOOD OF FANTASY FOOTBALL - 45 Misael Cruz SAY, “CHEESE!” - 49 Chastain Flores COOKING WITH EASE: THE COLLEGE WAY - 51 Iyanna Warrick

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CHAOS DURING QUARANTINE TikTok challenges that became controversial during lockdown Story by Daniel Arceo-Rodriguez © Photo illustrations by Andrea Koehler

With the introduction of the internet and social media into our daily lives, viral internet challenges have served as a source of entertainment. For the past year, the nation has been in lockdown and isolated from everyone.

The main way of staying connected with one another is through social media. Controversial and spontaneous challenges/trends have blossomed out of the sheer boredom that plagues many Americans.

Devon Fell a professor of psychology at Fullerton College, sees some connections between viral internet challenges and the pandemic. “The word quarantine refers to being isolated. Psychologists have known the detrimental effects of social isolation on mental health for a long time,” she says. Fell believes there may be a connection between people making poor decisions while isolated, like participating in some dangerous internet challenges, but says it’s likely a result of boredom, “After prolonged periods of low social stimulation, these dangerous trends provide some relief from boredom, and research shows that boredom increases risky behavior.” Inside Fullerton has cataloged the popular trends of the pandemic.

MILK CRATE One of the popular challenges in summer 2021 is the #MilkCrateChallenge which was one of the most ridiculous ones. For this challenge, participants walk up a pyramid of milk crates and try to get to the other side without falling. Gatherings across the nation have taken place in local parks and family backyards where individuals attempt to scale the hazardous pyramid. Many videos show participants climbing up the creates in a vain attempt to reach the other side where in most cases the participants fall to their demise. The Baltimore City Health Department tweeted on Aug. 23, 2021, “With COVID-19 hospitalizations rising around the country, please check with your local hospital to see if they have a bed available for you, before attempting the #milkcratechallenge.

DEVIOUS LICKS More recently, in September 2021, the #DeviousLickChallenge took people from climbing crates to criminal charges. This was a TikTok trend/challenge where high schoolers would steal an item from their school to a sped-up version of the song “Ski Ski Basedgod” by Lil B. These students started out by stealing or “licking” bathroom supplies, but as the challenge got more attention, they started stealing projectors, fire extinguishers, toilets, sinks and eventually even the keys to a school bus. This led to schools having to shut down bathrooms to prevent more “licks” and even some students getting arrested.

LEBRON JAMES The Devious Licks Challenge wasn’t the first law-breaking challenge of the pandemic. In August 2021, the LeBron James Space Jam Toy Trend showed up on Tiktok. In this challenge, people would steal the heads off LeBron figurines and cardboard cutouts associated with his movie "Space Jam 2." They’d then use creative ways to defile the NBA star’s products resulting in people posting videos to social media, or selling the dismembered head on eBay for up to $14,000. As a result, stores began locking up the toys. There is no known reason for the value or craze with the NBA star’s head. The trend is one big inside joke to users on TikTok and social media. 

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PLANT CARE IS SELF-CARE

The mental health benefits of taking care of plant babies Story by Alexcia E. Negrete

 Graptopetalum paraguayense, also known as the "ghost plant," is a type of succulent that only needs to be watered every three to four weeks.

Photo by Aprel Rose  Owner of Raising Plants OC located in Mission Viejo, Marishiel Dugan, showcases her favorite plant baby, a philodendron micans.

Photo courtesy of Raising Plants OC  Green and leafy plants are placed throughout Raising Plants OC, eagerly waiting to be adopted.

Photo courtesy of Raising Plants OC

When many people think of houseplants, the first thing that may come to mind is wilting or dying plants that collect dust in the corner of their house.

According to data from the 2020 U.S Census, plant parents spent 18.7% more on gardening supplies than they did in 2019. This totals to $8.5 billion more compared to the year prior. With many people joining the plant community, plant lovers are expressing to newbies that taking care of houseplants can be a way to improve their mood and feel a closer connection to nature which can provide many mental health benefits.

Due to the pandemic, many people have been working from home, causing people to bring the stress they experience at work into their households. Many studies have shown that a few houseplants can help with relaxation and alleviate the stress we get from working on computers all day. The National Center for Biotechnology Information showcased how taking care of plants reduced stress in subjects who just completed doing work on their computers. They concluded that, “...the subjects felt more comfortable, soothed, and natural after the transplanting task than after the computer task.”

Data that has been collected about the mental benefits of nature can be traced back to a theory called biophilia. This word was first used in 1973 by psychoanalyst, Erich Fromm, in “The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness.” The term was later used again by biologist and writer, Edward Osborne Wilson, in his book that was published in 1984 titled, “Biophilia.” Wilson’s version of the word is defined by the Natural Resources Defence Council, Inc. as, “...the innate human instinct to connect with nature and other living things.” By allowing plants to thrive within our homes and our indoor environments, we are able to feel the natural connection to nature. This is what provides us a feeling of relaxation and mental benefits.

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Katheryn McGurthy is a psychology professor at Fullerton College and owns and cares for a handful of orchids. She was even inspired to purchase her current house because of the trees and the space it had for gardening. She explains that changing your current environment with houseplants can be a method to reduce stress at home. “We can feel like we even have something, especially during this pandemic, in our space that is living and alive can maybe even decrease the sense of loneliness for some,” she says.

Being a plant parent isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. Plants require care, some more than others. When a plant is showing signs of problems such as turning brown and crunchy or yellow and squishy, it can cause owners to stress out and give up on the plant entirely, especially for first time plant owners. McGurthy explains, “People that are putting too much into the success of plants, meaning that they feel this great sense of failure when the plant gets hurt or when the plant is dying because of something they feel like they did wrong, can experience stress. Some plants are just bad choices.”

Kelly Salazar, Health Education Coordinator at the Fullerton College Health Center, is a houseplant lover herself. She was inspired to collect plants by a former coworker of hers. From then on, she continued to take care of house plants in her office and in her home. Despite not

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 Owner of Raising Plants OC, Marishiel Dugan, and new employee, Crystal Jessop, jump for joy in the shop located in Mission Viejo that is full of lively plants, plant pots and other plant care supplies.

Photo courtesy of Raising Plants OC  Echeveria affinis, also known as "black prince," has begun to branch out and grow its own plant baby.

Photo by Aprel Rose

considering herself to have a green thumb and not alway being successful with every plant, she keeps a few leafy plants in her home such as a money tree and a snake plant.

“It’s trial and error and I do my best to keep my plants alive and thriving,” she says.

Despite feeling a little stressed when Salazar first began learning about the watering practices and the care she needs to provide for her plants, she noticed a change in the overall feeling of her home when she began to purchase plants.

“I do feel like, from an aesthetic standpoint, that I love to see the plants in my spaces. I think it brings an element of nature inside and for me, nature is calming,” she says.

The belief of plants having the ability to change the feeling within an environment can be further explained in a study that was conducted in 2007 by the University of Twente, located in the Netherlands. The goal of this study was to prove that changing your environment by introducing natural elements can reduce stress and can change your overall mood. Within this study, researchers compared 77 different hospital patients who were in rooms with or without houseplants. They found that, “indoor plants in a hospital room reduce feelings of stress through the perceived attractiveness of the room.”

Owner of two plant stores called Latinx With Plants in Los Angeles, Andi Xoch, has found stress relieving qualities in taking care of plants. She was inspired to start her

pop-ups, which later led her to opening stores, by a friend who runs a store called Black People With Plants, also known as @blackwithplants on Instagram. She also turned to opening pop-up shops when her father was in the hospital and experiencing health issues. She explains being involved in the plant community has allowed her to bring more people together to share their experiences and relieve some stress. “When people started coming in…that allowed them to have access to the garden, to me, the plants and have a one-on-one conversation. It was almost like therapy.

Everyone would tell me, ‘This is really helping me out,’ or ‘This is helping my partner,’” she says.

Xoch explains that taking care of plants has even satisfied her need to nurture another being. When she started taking care of her plants, she felt happier from taking on a mother-like role. She, along with many other people, describe their plants as “plant babies.” They feed them, water them and even talk to them like they are humans.

On Xoch’s Latinx With Plants website, she has a section called, “plant parenthood,” where people can purchase gift cards for other people to use in her store, emphasizing that purchasing a plant is like adoption. “It was very special that it wasn’t just a buying opportunity for a plant, but an adoption opportunity,” she says.

Ashley Torres is the manager at the plant store Raising Plants OC and a grad student at UCI. Along with that,

I think with the stresses of grad school and COVID-19, it really brought people into the plant community.

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 On a balcony, located in Fullerton, a group of succulents and other leafy plants spend time together and enjoy the rainy weather.

Photo by Aprel Rose  A happy and healthy peperomia hope sits high up on a shelf for all to see in plant shop, Raising Plants OC. Photo courtesy of Raising Plants OC

Tips for taking care of your plant baby

By Alexcia E. Negrete

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PICK THE RIGHT SIZED POT

USE POTS WITH DRAINAGE HOLES

A plant pot that is too small can compact the roots of your plant, leading to it being root bound.

Having a pot too big can lead to the soil being wet for too long and causing root rot.

All plants need drainage holes to prevent the plant from getting root rot. Smaller plants need smaller drainage holes and bigger plants need bigger or multiple.

 Othonna capensis, also known as "string of pickles," requires an extremely well draining soil with perlite or gravel since it is susceptible to root rot.

Photo by Aprel Rose.

she considers herself to be quite the plant parent. She explained that she took care of about 250 plants before cutting down to 150 houseplants just a few months ago.

She owns plants ranging from philodendron plants to a variety of pothos plants. Torres has noticed more people coming into the store to purchase their first ever plant and has seen an increase of the community’s online presence a few months after the pandemic hit. She says, “I think with the stresses of grad school and COVID-19, it really brought people into the plant community.” She explains that taking care of plants can become like an addictive hobby. Seeing plants grow and thrive offers a sense of accomplishment for a lot of people, which encourages them to get more.

To avoid feeling overwhelmed with your first houseplant adoption, Torres recommends that beginners start off with small to medium sized hardy plants. She recommends leafy and green plants such as zeezee plants, snake plants, pothos plants and heart leaf philodendrons to start you off on your journey as a plant parent. 

PICK THE RIGHT SOIL

BOTTOM WATER YOUR PLANT

REMOVE DEAD LEAVES

Desert plants, such as succulents or cacti, require well draining soil with a lot of perlite or gravel. Other houseplants need houseplant soil, not dirt from outside.

Bottom watering is when you let your plant sit in a pool of water and let it “drink.” This helps prevent overwatering.

Cutting off dead, brown and crunchy leaves off of your houseplant can not only leave the plant looking prettier, but allows the plant to heal and to put its nutrients to the healthier part of the plant.

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ENVIRONMENTAL DISRUPTION

The fast fashion and thrifting trends on social media have led to negative environmental and ethical issues Story by Makenna Koblis © Photography by Misael Cruz

The peak of social media is now upon us. With apps like TikTok and Instagram, there are now hundreds of thousands of people telling you what the latest trends are. Two of the many trends are shopping from fast fashion websites and thrifting. These seem to be at odds ‒ but the two trends are more connected than we might think. Thrifting is being praised everywhere on the internet, but is this a good thing?

You might think, now I can shop affordably and ethically in peace, but that is not the case. Donating to thrift stores may be more detrimental than we think. With the rise of thrifting alongside the rise of fast fashion, Americans buy five times more clothing now than they did in 1980, according to The Atlantic. British charity Barnardos surveyed 1500 women and found that the majority of fashion purchases are only worn seven times. This is where thrift stores come into play.

Once you’ve donated your no longer useful clothing, where does it go? Less than 20% of clothing donations sent to charities are actually resold at said establishments, according to Nylon. About two-thirds of thrift store discards don’t make it to textile recycling and inevitably end up in the landfill. According to the United States environmental protection agency, landfills received 11.3 million tons of municipal solid waste textiles in 2018.

When it comes to fast fashion brands, it gives you that satisfaction of being trendy but for how long? Fast fashion can be defined as when a company takes a piece of clothing and mass produces it at incredible speed, manufacturing hundreds of new clothing items every day. The ideal goal for these companies is to get the pieces out as soon as possible to let shoppers buy them at the peak of popularity. Since it is made so quickly, the quality of the clothing decreases, leading to buyers discarding the items after a few wears. This plays a key part

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Fullerton local, Lizbeth Lopez, shops at her local thrift store that is full of donated and unwanted clothing.  Donations are sorted through daily and displayed on clothing racks for customers to look through.  Popular brands like Urban Outfitters are casually discarded and donated to thrift stores.

in overproduction and consumption that has made fast fashion one of the world’s largest polluters. According to the New York Times, about 85% of textile waste in the United States goes to landfills and will not decay, due to the clothes’ synthetic makeup. Synthetic microfibers end up in the sea, including the deepest parts of the oceans and on glacier peaks.

Some people turn to donating their fast fashion purchases under the assumption that someone out there will get more use out of that top. In some cases, someone will, but it may not be as often as you think. According to Nylon, 80% of clothing that’s not sold at the retail establishment where it’s donated is sent to textile recyclers who then sort through and determine the next life for these clothes.

Micheal Ramirez is an employee at Hope Thrift Store.

He explains this process and says, “When people donate clothing we dump everything onto a conveyor belt.

Then we separate it into three categories: sellable items, damaged linens and ragout. Ragout is all damaged clothing.

Ragout goes into a pallet box which is then dumped into a baler machine which condenses the clothing into 500 to 600 lb bales. We then sell 30 to 34 bales at a time to commodity brokers. These brokers take care of transportation and packaging and bales are then shipped overseas.”

Roughly 700,000 tons of clothing are sent to East African countries. In Kenya, the cost of a resold item of clothing is 5% the cost of a locally made item, according to Green America. This means they have grown to rely on other countries and it has caused harmful results on

 Price ranges vary depending on the quality and name of the clothing brand.

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About 85% of textile waste in the United States goes to landfills...

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their local economy. In 2016, the East African community agreed to ban imported clothing that would have gone fully in effect in 2019 but was blocked by former President Donald Trump’s administration. This forced Kenya’s small businesses to upscale to satisfy demand. Many could not afford to do so, resulting in many businesses closing.

There’s no easy solution on what to do with our used clothes and fast fashion purchases. There is always sustainably made clothing from ethically based brands, but those price points can be too high for the average consumer. This is not a route many can take, yet there is an alternative. Online markets such as Depop, Poshmark or ThredUP provide reasonable prices for used clothing and go straight from seller to buyer; there is no question of where your clothes are really going.

TikToker Grace Brinkly is a vintage reseller on Depop who promotes shopping ethically. She explains that a lot of work goes into her store to provide her customers high quality, vintage and ethically sourced clothes. “There is so much time that goes into actually curating a shop and an inventory. It takes me weeks of time and effort and it costs me money of my own,” she says. Brinkly mentions that reselling online is not a new concept. The secondhand apparel market was worth about $28 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach $64 billion in 2024, according to the 2020 resale report by ThredUp. The United States sends away over a billion pounds of used clothing a year. Taking the clothes you once loved and giving it to a new home or reselling it can help our environment. Watching TikToks for hours may be fun, but don’t let yourself get sucked into the never ending trend cycle. These trends turn into microtrends; one day it may be a trend but the next day, it’s not. Next time you see a booming trend on social media think, “Will I still love this in a year’s time?” 

 Lizbeth Lopez sorts through racks and racks of clothing at her local thrift store that has begun to fill up with clothing from past fashion trends.  Clothes, like in this thrift shop in Fullerton, don't always find a new home. To avoid adding to the environmental problems with fashion, purchase secondhand clothing from online websites.

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GETTING HARASSED ONLINE Hobbies should have no gender. Being a gamer is for all who want to pick up a controller.

Story by Chastain Flores

Photo Illustrations by Andrea Koehler Photography by Chastain Flores Aprel Rose

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The number of women who participate in online gaming has been on the rise within the past few years. Today, women account for 45% of gamers in the United States, an increase from 41% in 2020, according to a survey by the Entertainment Software Association.

With that comes harassment from other players in online chats or viewers who remain hidden behind their screens.

According to reports by Reach3, 77% of women have experienced gender-specific discrimination. Among those are inappropriate sexual messages, mansplaining and men leaving the game when they find out they are playing with a woman.

Lisa Valdez has been gaming since she was 4 years old, thanks to her dad.

“When I would log in to play games, I often found myself being harassed and being bullied,” says Valdez. “This doesn’t just happen to me, it would happen to other females as well, no matter how good or how professional they are.”

Valdez noted while at tournaments, people would say awful things to her.

When she talked to her guy friends about it they said, “Oh wow. That happens to you guys?” With that, she brought an idea to the table in 2019 at Cal State Fullerton, where she is a senior communications major. She wanted women joining the video game industry to become more acceptable in our society.

She reached out to the president and the board of the Gaming Club with her idea to start Women in Gaming. Everyone on the board agreed and told her: “Absolutely. One hundred percent.”

Despite everyone being on board with her idea, she came across an issue concerning the logo of Women in Gaming. The logo was a simple side profile of a woman wearing a headset. A male member questioned it and asked Valdez, “Why does it have to be a woman? Why can’t it be more gender-neutral?”

Valdez wanted women to feel welcomed. If things were more “gender-neutral,” women might still feel discouraged to game. She wanted a group where women can be themselves, and be able to game in a caring environment. Valdez asked him, “Why do I have to appeal to your tastes and make it neutral? Being a woman is something to be celebrated.”

Jade Beasley, a Fullerton College student and online gamer, is also contributing to that 45% of women gamers. Beasley was destined to be a gamer since their parents used to play online games with each other before they were born.

It started off at the age of 12 with them playing Team Fortress 2, and now they play games such as Paladins, World War Z and Apex Legends.

Beasley has never experienced harassment towards them in accordance with gender. Though, they have experienced some harassment of minor things.

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“Typically things like, “Why didn’t you back me up?” and “You’re trash!” because people can get upset when things in-game don’t go their way,” says Beasley. That is the only level of harassment they experience because they are part of the 59% who mask their gender online in order to avoid harassment due to their gender, reported by Reach3 Insights. The only information shared is their skill level, gamer tag, and other minor things you can only see in-game.

Fullerton local Emma Gutierrez has been a part of the female gaming community for many years She started gaming at 9 years old after being influenced by her three brothers. Her parents were fine with her gaming, but her grandmother had other thoughts. She didn’t like that at a young age Gutierrez was a tomboy and enjoyed video gaming. Now her opinion has changed. Her grandmother realized that it was better for Gutierrez to be inside playing games than going out and getting into trouble.

Gutierrez enjoys playing games on the Oculus, which is a virtual reality gaming headset. She also enjoys games such as Call of Duty and Fortnite. She admits that other gamers think she is faking her voice.

They assume she is a boy because her voice cracks, though her voice is just high-pitched. “That’s just how I talk,” she says. Despite these comments, Gutierrez never hides who she really is. “I’m always honest when it comes to who I am in-game. Hobbies have no gender. If you want to play video games, then play video games,” she says.

Professional gamer Ashley, who keeps her last name private for safety, but goes by @MsAshRocks on Twitch, Instagram and Twitter, has been gaming since 3 years old.

“It was already in my blood; I’ve been gaming ever since I was a little girl and never stopped,” says Ashley.

At 15, she began recording herself playing a game called Call of Duty and uploading those videos to YouTube.

At 19, she purchased her first-ever PC and started streaming in December 2016. Now, Ashley streams once a week and has 28,900 followers and 381 subscribers on Twitch.

As a young gamer, Ashley had family members who would shame her mom for allowing her to stay up all

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You’ll speak up in game chat and they’ll harass you and make fun of you because you’re a girl. Then apologize because you played better than them. night playing video games. As Ashley became more successful with gaming and streaming, they apologized and said it was a good decision. Ashley has not only experienced sexism but also racism as a Black woman in gaming.

“You’ll speak up in-game chat and they’ll harass you and make fun of you because you’re a girl. Then apologize because you played better than them,” says Ashley.

For Ashley, a moment she remembers most was her first time playing Grand Theft Auto Roleplay while streaming. She joined a server and was immediately targeted. “They knew I was streaming. They kept running me over and shooting at me,” she says. They started yelling slurs at her so she and her audience on the stream could hear it. “It was really discouraging to get back into Grand Theft Auto Roleplay... going through those experiences just makes you stronger and makes you want to keep pushing forward for Black women in this industry...letting people know we do exist, we deserve this space, we deserve this industry.”

Ashley’s Twitch chat is always active with viewers, but there are times when they don’t say nice things.

Recently, she says there are Twitch “hate raids” going on. This is when another streamer will come in after ending their stream and drop their viewers off to another streamer.

Until Twitch gets these accounts under control, streamers have to use moderation tools that are provided.

Currently, streamers are given the options of follower mode, subscriber mode and slow mode.

Even though Ashley has experienced so much harassment, she didn’t let that stop her from streaming and gaming. With that positive attitude and strength also came some big accomplishments. She raised over $100,000 for charities such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, To Write Love On Her Arms, Save the Children and Color of Change. She was also featured on a billboard in New York for Twitch. She has also been working with Doritos. She is currently the only gamer that is part of Doritos’ Solid Black Program, which helps in uplifting Black voices throughout different industries.

Valdez, who started the Women in Gaming group at CSUF, has experienced harassment herself during many years of being a female gamer, but now has the opportunity to encourage young female gamers to keep pushing through. She is helping women gain their rightful spot in the gaming industry. Her advice to women gamers is, “Just do it anyway. Even if you think people won’t like it or if you think no one will care, just do it. The best feeling of all in gaming is being in your own element."  FEATURES

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FINDING ART DURING While surviving a 14-year sentence, Alberto Lule found art as a way of getting a new chance at life Story and photography by Misael Cruz © Spanish translation by Angela González

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ADVERSITY

SOBRESALIR LA ADVERSIDAD POR MEDIO DEL ARTE

Mientras sobrevivía una condena de 14 años, Alberto Lule el arte le dio una nueva oportunidad en la vida Historia y fotografía por Misael Cruz © Traducido al español por Angela González FEATURES

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Alberto Lule was finishing a six-year sentence at Ironwood State Prison in Blythe, Calif. He was serving time after pleading ‘nolo contendre’ on drug possession, receiving stolen property, and conspiracy, when things took a turn for the worse. He got tangled up in a fight that left an inmate stabbed, which led to eight more years on his sentence, a second strike and time in solitary. It seemed like things couldn’t get any worse for the former graffiti artist whose gang affiliations led him to a life of incarceration. But while in the hole, he met an old man named Enano, which in Spanish translates to “short guy." Little did he know, Enano would be the catalyst to help him change his life.

“One day in the yard Enano tells me ‘Ey you’re the foo who helps people with their homework and stuff.

Eh, what are you doing here in the hole? You don’t belong here.’ I didn’t like that, I felt like he was telling me I was weak or something," Lule recalls.

He didn’t like it, but it got him thinking.

After spending 14 years incarcerated at several federal prisons, Lule was released in 2016. When he got out, he immediately pursued a higher education. In 2020, he graduated with a BA from UCLA’s School of Arts and

 Alberto Lule settles into his new art studio at UC Irvine with his dog, Luna.

He wears his Underground Scholars Club jacket, a group he co-chairs that helps formerly incarcerated men and women get their education.  One of Lule’s recent pieces, “Am i Truly Free? (New Forms of Identification)”, overlays his mugshot with binary, bar codes, and QR codes on a light box, as a criticism of how ex-incarcerated people are looked at differently in society.A version of this piece was shown in the Fullerton College Art Museum in 2020.

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Alberto Lule cumplía una condena de seis años en la prisión estatal de Ironwood en Blythe, California. Estaba cumpliendo su condena después de declararse sin objeción a cargos por posesión de drogas, recibir propiedad robada y conspiración, cuando las cosas empeoraron. Se involucró en una pelea que dejó a un hombre recluso apuñalado, lo cual le agregó ocho años más a su sentencia, una segunda ficha y tiempo en confinamiento solitario. Pareciera como si las cosas no podrían empeorar más para el exartista de graffiti, cuyas afiliaciones a las pandillas lo llevaron a una vida de encarcelamiento.

Mientras estaba tras las rejas, conoció a un anciano llamado Enano, quien se convertiría en el catalizador para ayudarlo a cambiar su vida.

“Un dia en el patio, Enano me dice ‘ey, eres el que ayudas a la gente con su tarea y todo eso. ¿Qué haces aquí en el agujero? Tú no perteneces aquí.’

No me gustó eso, sentí que me decía que era débil o algo”, cuenta Lule.

No le gusto, pero lo hizo pensar.

Después de pasar 14 años en varias prisiones federales, Lule fue liberado en 2016. Tras salir, inmediatamente continuó con sus estudios universitarios. En 2020, se graduó con una licenciatura de la Escuela de Arte y

Architecture. He is currently enrolled at the University of California, Irvine on a mission to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree. He is also an activist who through his art brings awareness to the prison industrial complex, mass incarceration and ICE camps. Last year he was invited to display some of his work at the Fullerton College Art Gallery’s online exhibition, Language Games.

In an effort to join many clubs, Lule joined the Underground Scholars club. He first joined at Santa Barbara and by the time he made it to UCLA he was co-chair of the club. They help formerly incarcerated men and women pursue their education. He is also active with XMAPS: In Plain Sight, which is a movement to bring awareness to ICE detention facilities. They spread awareness by writing messages with an airplane that leaves hashtags in the air above detention facilities.

A piece of work that encompasses Lule’s unorthodox style would be his mugshots with QR codes to his criminal record called “Am I Truly Free? (New Forms of Identification).”

It was displayed at Fullerton College’s online exhibition last year and brings insight to the negative stigma that an “ex-con” has to carry with them for the rest of their life. His most recent work of activism is his “Investigation

Arquitectura de la Universidad de California, Los Ángeles. Actualmente asiste a la Universidad de California, Irvine con la misión de obtener una Maestría en Bellas Artes. También es un activista que a través de su arte da a conocer la compleja industria penitenciaria, el encarcelamiento masivo, y los centros de detención migratorios. El año pasado, fue invitado a exhibir algunos de sus obras durante una exposición en línea de la galería de arte de Fullerton College llamada Language Games.

A pesar de ser un estudiante de tiempo completo, él se unió al club de Underground Scholars en su campus, un club dedicado a apoyar a personas previamente encarceladas a completar sus estudios universitarios. Se convirtió en miembro del club en Santa Barbara y cuando entró a UCLA, ya era copresidente del club. Él también participa activamente en XMAPS: In Plain Sight, un movimiento que llama la atención al tema de los centros de detención de los Servicios de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE por sus siglas en inglés). Ellos atraen la atención con un avión que deja mensajes en el aire sobre los centros de detención.

Un trabajo que demuestra el estilo poco convencional de Lule es

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Series,’’ which focuses on prison reform. Through this series, Lule presses his bare skin against large pieces of plexiglass and then spreads black powder, similar to what forensic teams use, over the oils that were left from his body in order to create foggy, ominous and expressive imagery. In a recording of this ritualistic process, he has a helper who manipulates his body like a correctional officer would an inmate.

“Making this type of art is like performance art. That’s why I started to record myself. It’s like the journey of making my art that I find spiritual,” Lule says.

Although he’s in graduate school now, Lule was not always the trained artist he is now. He got his start from writing in the streets. All art is important because it is a form of expression that has the ability to tell a story. Outsider art is a relatively new type of art when compared to the origins of art itself. The term self-taught artist has evolved since its inception. The beginnings of the term outsider art can be traced back to Robert Cardinal who was originally

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una serie de sus fotos policiales con códigos QR que dirigen al público al historial criminal de Lule, llamado “¿Soy realmente libre? (Nuevas Formas de Identificación)”. Fue exhibida durante la exposición de arte en línea de Fullerton College el año pasado, y brinda información sobre el estigma negativo que un “exconvicto” lleva consigo por el resto de su vida. Su trabajo de activismo más reciente es su “Serie de Investigaciones”, lo cual se enfoca en la reforma penitenciaria. A traves de esta serie, Lule presiona su piel desnuda contra piezas grandes de plexiglas y luego esparce polvo negro, similar al que usan los equipos forenses, sobre los aceites que quedaron de su cuerpo para formar imagenes nebulosas, ominosas y expresivas. En una grabación de este proceso, un ayudante manipula su cuerpo tal como lo haría un agentepenitenciario con un preso.

“Hacer este tipo de arte es como un arte interpretativo. Es por eso que comencé a grabar. Es el proceso con el que creo mi arte que esespiritual para mi”, dice Lule.

Aunque ahora está en la escuela

Making this type of art is like performance art.

That’s why I started to record myself.

It’s like the journey of making my art that I find spiritual.

 Alberto Lule wears a "schools not prisons" t-shirt to bring awareness to prison spending as he sits in between two of his art pieces. The left one depicts his earlier style of art where he draws people, freeways, train tracks and graffiti that are reminiscent to his childhood. The collage on the right are different ways that inmates are identified in prison.

Hacer este tipo de arte es como un arte interpretativo.

Es por eso que comencé a grabar.

Es el proceso con el que creo mi arte que es espiritual para mi.

writing a book on the term, art brut, which was initially narrowly defined as art that was made by children or patients of mental illness. The term art brut expanded to outsider art and in recent years has been best defined as self-taught art. The realm of outsider art enabled Lule to change his life for a better future.

Raised on the west side of Santa Barbara, Lule comes from a family of undocumented immigrants. His father, Luis, was a hardworking handyman and his mother, Adela, was a housekeeper. His father gave him his earliest memories of art, drawing doodles for him as a child, and Lule was always impressed. Lule was only a little boy when he began graffitiing walls in the early 1990s.

“I was 10 or 11 when I started tagging on walls with my friends,” he says. “We started doing stuff together and, eventually, it turned into a tagging crew. Looking back at it though, I realized I focused on everything that came with being a writer, which is what graffiti artists would call each other. Being a writer meant that you had to steal your own paint, you had to tag on freeways, like doing legal walls was wack.”

Lule began to enjoy the reputation that came with being a writer because it brought praise from the streets when his writings were noticed. After using spray paint to graffiti, Lule began to get more inspired by other artists such as Emory Douglas, who is known as the minister of propaganda for the Black Panthers. Douglas’ art is in the style of Russian constructivist propaganda. This type of art influenced Lule to begin wheat pasting, which is an inexpensive form of stencil art.

Lule mentions that his friends stopped calling him a writer when he began his wheatpasting stage, but that didn’t faze him. He noticed he started to fall in love with the journey of creating the art over the final product itself. From either making or stealing materials to plotting a spot to post his work for homies to see, it became more about the ‘process’ he says.

At 11 years old, writing introduced him to a life of small crimes such as stealing paint and vandalism, but that quickly spiraled into other things like grand theft auto and gang violence by the time he was in high school. This

de posgrado, Lule no siempre fue el artista capacitado que es ahora. Él comenzó escribiendo en las calles.

Todo tipo de arte es importante ya que es una forma de expresión que tiene la capacidad de contar una historia. El arte externo es una forma de arte relativamente nueva en comparación con los orígenes del arte en sí. El término “artista autodidacta” ha evolucionado desde sus orígenes.

Los inicios del término “arte externo” se remontan a Robert Cardinal, quien originalmente estaba escribiendo un libro sobre el término “art brut” que inicialmente se definió como arte hecho por niños o pacientes con enfermedades mentales. El término “art brut” se extendió al arte externo y en los últimos años se ha definido mejor como arte autodidacta. El área del arte externo le permite a Lule cambiar su vida por un mejor futuro.

Criado en el lado oeste de Santa Barbara, Lule proviene de una familia de inmigrantes indocumentados. Su padre, Luis, era albañil y su madre, Adela, era ama de casa. Su padre le dio sus primeros recuerdos de arte, haciendo dibujitos para él de niño, los cuales siempre impresionaban a Lule. Lule era apenas un niño cuando comenzó a dibujar graffiti en las paredes a principios de los años noventas.

“Tenía 10 u 11 años cuando comencé a marcar las paredes con mis amigos”, dijo. “Comenzamos a hacer cosas juntos y luego se convirtió en un equipo de “tagging”. Pensando en ello, me doy cuenta que yo me enfoco en todo lo que conlleva a ser escritor, que es como se dicen los artistas de graffiti entre sí. Ser escritor significaba que tenías que robarte tu propia pintura, tenías que marcar en las autopistas, ya que marcar las paredes legales no era suficiente”.

Lule comenzó a disfrutar de la reputación que le daba ser un escritor, ya que le traía elogios de las calles cuando la gente identificaba sus escrituras. Tras usar pintura de aerosol para dibujar graffiti, Lule comenzó a inspirarse en otros artistas como Emory Douglas, quien es conocido como el ministro de propaganda de las Panteras Negras. El estilo de arte de Douglas es similar al estilo de propaganda constructivista rusa.

Este tipo de arte influyó a Lule para comenzar a pegar trigo, que es una forma económica de arte de estarcido.

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slippery slope of a lifestyle got Lule introduced to “the system” at the age of 15.

“I had many slaps on the wrist,” he says. “But at 15 was when I first went to juvie for stolen property.”

He was constantly in and out of juvenile detention centers for small crimes. At 15 he was in a carjacking ring where he would steal cars with his friends and drive them down to Tijuana and sell them. This lifestyle ultimately got him indicted for murder at the age of 25. After two years of fighting his case, he took a plea bargain where the prosecutors dropped the murder charge if he plead guilty to other charges composed of recieving stolen property, possession of controlled substance(s), conspiracy, and he also got a gang enhancement. After two years in jail fighting his case, his sentence was reduced, leaving him to serve four more years.

“It began in Wasco, then Calipatria, then Ironwood, then Mississippi and then California City,” he says. “Part of prison overcrowding had California shipping inmates out to other states.”

Walking into prison, Lule felt that he was prepared for what was to come.

He had already been accustomed to being processed. He had friends who told him what he could expect, so when he went in he was there to prove he was not to be messed with.

Aside from exercising out in the yard and drawing, to stay busy Lule would occasionally dabble into some college courses that were offered at Ironwood.

That’s where he got caught in a fight that extended his sentence for another eight years. After his time in the hole, he couldn’t get Enano’s words out of his head: “You don’t belong here.” Lule had to find alternative ways to keep his mind busy.

He went back to his artistic roots and began drawing. Lule’s first style in prison was inspired by a lot of his Chicano background because, up until then, he didn’t have any formal training with art other than graffiti and wheatpasting background. His first drawings in prison would include clowns, women, smile-now-cry-later masks and a lot of institutional-type buildings. He mentioned that many of the other inmates would pay him with goods from the commissary for him to draw for them or decorate envelopes that they would send out. Some guys

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Lule menciona que sus amigos dejaron de llamarlo escritor cuando comenzó a trabajar pegando trigo, pero eso no lo molestó. Se dió cuenta que se comenzó a enamorar con el proceso de la creación de arte en vez del producto final en sí. Ya fuera hacer o robar los materiales necesarios o encontrar un lugar en donde podrá exhibir su arte, todo se volvió más sobre “el proceso”, dice Lule. A los 11 años, la escritura lo introdujo a una vida llena de crímenes pequeños, tal como el robo de pintura y el vandalismo. Eso rápidamente se convirtió en otras cosas como el robo de autos y la violencia en pandillas cuando él estaba en la preparatoria. Esta vida inestable introdujo a Lule al sistema carcelario a los 15 años.

“Me dieron palmadas en la muñeca”, dice, “pero a los 15 fue cuando entré por primera vez a la cárcel por propiedad robada”.

Constantemente estaba entrando y saliendo de cárcelespor delitos menores. A los 15 años, se involucró en una red de robo de autos en donde él y sus amigos llevaban los autos robados a Tijuana y los vendían. Este estilo de vida lo llevó a ser acusado por asesinato a los 25 años. Después de pelear su caso por dos años, llegó a un acuerdo con la fiscalía en donde le quitarían el cargo de asesinato si él se declaraba culpable a los cargos por haber aceptado propiedad robada, posesión de sustancias controladas, conspiración, y involucramiento con pandillas. Después de lucha en un tribunalrpor dos años, su sentencia fue reducida a cuatro años más.

“Comenzó en Wasco, luego en Calipatria, después en Ironwood, y Mississippi, y California City”, dice Lule. “Parte de la superpoblación dentro de las prisiones hizo que California mandara a los presos a otros estados”.

Al entrar a la prisión, Lule se sentía preparado ante lo que sucediera, ya que estaba acostumbrado a ser procesado. Tenía amigos que le contaban lo que debía esperarse para que cuando entrara, mostrara que no debían meterse con él. Aparte de hacer ejercicio en el patio y dibujar, Lule ocasionalmente tomó cursos universitarios que se ofrecían en Ironwood para mantenerse ocupado.

Fue ahí donde se involucró en una pelea que le extendió su sentencia

even began to volunteer themselves so that he could tattoo them. Through his passion for art, he developed a genuine curiosity for higher education.

He enrolled in more college classes through the prison and drowned in different kinds of literature. Some of his favorites include "The Count of Monte Cristo," "Les Miserables" and "The Autobiography of Malcom X." By the time Lule walked out of prison a free man and self-taught artist, he had college credits, informal tattoo experience and more than anything else he had will and determination.

“My main goal was to never go back to jail or prison,” he says. “When I told the homies I was never coming back they all laughed and said, ‘You’ll be back even if it’s just for a little.

Everyone comes back.’ But I didn’t like that. As a man, all I have is my word.

You carry that around everywhere.”

Even though Lule has always been a person who makes things, his satisfaction has always come from the actual making and not the end product. In an interview with Diversity in the Arts Today, Roger Cardinal, writer of "Outsider Art" says, “A lot of outsider art rotates around issues of personality, of asking who I am, which means going deep into the inner self of an individual.” Lule is the epitome of what Cardinal was referring to because of his ability to look within himself and express his struggles in a way that brings light to societal issues. 

 A variant of his “Am I Truly Free?

(New Forms of Identification),” taken at UC Irvine in his studio, where he shows how people are judged based on their look. He writes “killer eyebrows” and “gang member ears” over his old mugshots.

otros ocho años. Después de tanto tiempo en la cárcel, no lograba sacarse las palabras de Enano de la cabeza: “tu no perteneces aquí”. Lule tenía que encontrar maneras alternativas para distraerse. Regresó a sus raíces artísticas y comenzó a dibujar. El estilo principal de Lule fue inspirado por sus raíces chicanas porque, hasta entonces, no tenía conocimiento formal en las artes aparte del graffiti y el pegamento de trigo. Sus primeros dibujos dentro de la cárcel eran de payasos, mujeres, máscaras de “sonríe ahora, llora luego”, y muchos edificios de estilo institucional. Lule menciona que muchos presos le pagaban con bienes de la comisaría para que les hiciera un dibujo o para decorar sobres que ellos mandaban. Algunos de ellos comenzaron a ofrecerse como voluntarios para que les hiciera tatuajes. A través de su pasión por el arte, él se volvió interesado en una educación universitaria. Se inscribió en más cursos universitarios por medio de la prisión y se sumergió en diferentes tipos de literatura. Algunos de sus favoritos incluyen “El conde de Montecristo”, “Los miserables”, y “La autobiografía de Malcolm X”.

Cuando Lule salió libre de la cárcel ya era artista autodidacta, tenía créditos universitarios y experiencia informal en tatuajes. Más que nada, tenía voluntad y determinación.

“Mi meta mayor era nunca regresar a las cárceles”, dice Lule. “Cuando les dije a los compañeros que nunca iba a regresar, todos se rieron y dijeron ‘vas a regresar aunque sea por un rato. Todos regresan’. Pero a mi no me gusta eso.

Como hombre, todo lo que tengo es mi palabra. Esa la cargas por doquier”.

Aunque Lule siempre ha sido un creador, su satisfacción siempre ha venido del proceso que se requiere para la creación, no tanto el resultado final. En una entrevista con Diversity in the Arts Today, Roger Cardinal, escritor de ‘Outsider Art’ dice, “Mucha arte externa se centra alrededor de los asuntos de personalidad, de preguntarte quién eres, lo que significa profundizar con el yo interior de un individuo”.

Lule es el epítome de lo que habla Cardinal debido a su capacidad para mirar dentro de sí mismo y expresar sus luchas de una manera que atrae atención a los problemas sociales. 

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 Army Sgt. Maj. Henry C. Falcon in his uniform during the 1940s. He served with the Blue Devils Division, the first U.S. troops to march on Rome grounds in World War II.  Salina A. Falcon looks at her grandfather's honorable discharge paperwork. Her father has a collection of memorabilia from his time in World War II.

Photos and documents courtesy of Salina A. Falcon

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Through the stories, archives and bravery from her grandpa, a writer rediscovered her roots.

Story by Salina A. Falcon © Spanish Translation by Angela González

Sheer fear engulfed my grandfather as rain and machine gun fire tore through the air with endless rage. The mud was so tenacious it was difficult to maneuver through it as the enemy seized with intentions to open fire.

“See to the captain first!” my grandfather exclaimed, laying on the ground with a bullet wound in his knee.

His captain had been hit in the throat, shoulder and stomach. He knew he didn’t have much time. American medics saw to the captain while the Germans launched a counter attack. Three men were taken prisoner and one killed. There wasn’t much time. The medics had to leave my grandfather and the captain to get more help. Time passed as my grandfather laid there with a raincoat blanketed next to the body of his motionless captain. They had to remain perfectly still so Germans would believe they were dead.

My grandpa was a gentle man who loved the simple things. My memories of him are scattered but sharp.

I remember him drawing cartoon characters for his grandkids like Donald Duck and doing his impression to go with them, carrying chiles in his shirt pocket so he can have a little more spice with his food and whistling during any task. This was Grandpa.

But there are other memories too. The way he would jump whenever I shouted “Hi!” to him in my highpitched voice and the way he would jump with any kind of loud noise, July 4th would always startle grandpa.

That was the shell shock. It became a part of him he couldn’t shake. I would always say “Oops, sorry grandpa,” and we would share a giggle. I never asked grandpa why he would startle when I was young, not until I was older I understood. There is a main facet of my adolescence that I regret the most it was taking the time to talk to my grandpa. The eagerness to go and play could have waited. From the few times I did stop and listen, my grandfather had so much history embedded in him.

Years have passed, and life has not slowed down. Time, I am afraid, is limited. On my lap sits a box filled with documents that my grandpa passed to my father. Inside are scraps and images of all those stories. All I need to do is piece them together, to listen to him now.

A través de las historias, archivos y la valentía de su abuelo, una escritora se reconectó con sus raíces.

Historia por Salina A. Falcon © Traducido al español por Angela González

El miedo se apoderaba de mi abuelo mientras la lluvia y el fuego de las ametralladoras volaban por el aire con rabia infinita. El lodo era tan tenaz que era difícil maniobrar en medio de él mientras el enemigo se detenía con intenciones de abrir fuego. “¡Ve al capitán primero!” exclamó mi abuelo, tendido en el suelo con una herida de bala en la rodilla. Su capitán había recibido un disparo en la garganta, el hombro y el estómago. Sabía que no tenía mucho tiempo.

Los médicos estadounidenses atendieron al capitán mientras que los alemanes lanzaron un contraataque.

Tres hombres fueron tomados como prisioneros y uno fue asesinado. No había mucho tiempo. Los médicos tuvieron que dejar a mi abuelo y al capitán para obtener más ayuda. Pasó el tiempo mientras mi abuelo permanecía tendido ahí con una gabardina envuelta junto al cuerpo de su capitán inmovil. Tenían que permanecer perfectamente quietos para que los alemanes creyeran que estaban muertos.

Mi abuelo era un hombre amable que amaba las cosas sencillas. Los recuerdos que tengo de él son dispersos pero aun así permanecen. Lo recuerdo dibujando caricaturas como el pato Donald para sus nietos y haciendo la impresión correspondiente. Recuerdo que cargaba chiles en el bolsillo de la camisa para que su comida fuera más picante. Siempre silbaba cuando hacía algo. Este era mi abuelo.

Hay más recuerdos que tengo de él. La manera en la que saltaba cada vez que yo le gritaba “¡Hola!” con mi voz aguda. La manera en la que saltaba con cualquier tipo de sonido fuerte; el 4 de julio siempre le asustaba. Eso era la neurosis de la guerra. Se volvió una parte de él de la cual no podía deshacerse. Siempre le decía “uy, lo siento abuelo”, y compartíamos una risilla. Nunca le pregunté a mi abuelo porque se asustaba cuando era joven. No fue hasta que crecí que logré entender. Hay un aspecto de mi adolescencia del que me arrepiento, y eso es el no haber tomado más tiempo para hablar con mi abuelo. Las ganas de ir a jugar se pudieron haber esperado. De las pocas veces que hablé con él, aprendí que mi abuelo tenía tantas historias.

Han pasado los años y la vida no se ha ralentizado. Me temo que el tiempo es limitado. En mi regazo está una caja llena de documentos que mi abuelo le pasó a mi padre. Dentro hay recuerdos y imágenes de todas sus historias. Lo que necesito hacer yo es juntar todo y escucharlo ahora.

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I hesitate to open, my fingers are gently grasping the latch of the box. Acquiring the ability, I open the box and the smell reminds me of old books that have been neglected for quite some time. I look at the delicate, brown newspaper clippings and military documents, and I am afraid it will crumble in my hands. Emotions of regret and saudade intensify as I pick them up, one by one, to learn about the man who I called “Grandpa.” But before that was World War II Army Sgt. Maj. Henry Cervantes Falcon: Blue Devils, 88th Division of the 350th Infantry of the United States of America.

It was Dec. 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor. When my grandfather saw the news, he wanted to enlist the very next day in the army. However, the age limit was 21 to enter war. The next year, on Nov. 11, 1942, the United States reduced the draft age to 18. Shortly before, my grandpa received a draft letter from President Roosevelt and on Oct. 6, 1942, he was inducted into active service.

I read through an interview my aunt did with my grandpa in 2008. As I read, I can hear his voice coming from the page. This interview was for my grandfather’s Blue Devils-themed 88th birthday since he was in the 88th Division.

The Blue Devils 88th Division arrived overseas with roughly 14,000 troops on the ship Liberty on May 1, 1944, 17 days after sailing out from Camp Patrick Henry in West Virginia. They trained in Casablanca, Morocco and Oran, Africa before sailing for Italy’s Amalfi Coast.

In Naples, the division received guns, ammunition and British Helmets to fool the enemy.

My grandfather and his division were the first American soldiers to arrive and march through Rome on Jun. 4, 1944, 15 months before the end of the war in Europe.

Hidden within the bookshelf I rediscovered from my father a book called “Blue Devils,” by Renzo Grandi and Valerio Calderoni. I recognize those names ‒ old friends of the family. They

conducted interviews with remaining soldiers of the 88th Division in 2009, and my grandfather was among those men who got to tell his story.

My grandfather’s company captain had received an order to take on Mount Acuto in Italy on Sept. 25, 1944. It was pouring rain as it became anything but a friend to assist the American soldiers in battle.

Up the mountain, my grandfather went with his crew and captain. They saw a white garment in the distance that appeared to be German soldiers waving a motion of surrender, or so they thought.

The captain stepped out to see if it was clear to keep moving forward when machine-gun fire triggered. To the ground the captain went as bullets tore through the air. American soldiers fired back, leaving my grandfather to skid through the thick mud to get to his captain.

That’s when a bullet crossed and hit him in the right knee, close to his shin. With the adrenaline coursing through him, my grandfather clawed his way through the mud to reach his captain.

He laid there, disoriented, thinking only of saving the life of another. No blood yet was shown on my grandfather's ripped pant leg, just white bone. The medics gave my grandfather a morphine shot in his chest for the pain. He and the captain weighed too much for the medics to lift alone, so they left to seek further help.

My grandfather passed out, and when he woke up he felt his back was soaked, hazed by the situation thinking it could be blood. He took off his belt and strapped it around his upper thigh to stop the bleeding and laid back stone still until help finally arrived.

When help finally came, it wasn’t an easy escape. The men were carried away amidst counterattacks, and my grandfather fell off the stretcher multiple times because of the slick mud and rain. He was transported from hospital to hospital, and between morphine injections,  Henry C. Falcon (right) with Capt. Ned Maher, who were wounded together in Italy in 1944, reunited in 1980 at a Blue Devils 88th Division reunion. Later, Maher wrote this letter to Falcon, wishing they spent more time together at the reunion.  A wounded Henry C. Falcon in crutches. He was shot in the leg during battle on Sept. 25, 1944 on Mount Acuto Italy.

Photo Courtesy of Norma Falcon Corina

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 Henry C. Falcon (third from left) with a group of his buddies campaigning through Italy during World War II. t Sargent Henry C. Falcon reporting for duty.

Dudo al abrir, mientras que mis dedos pasan suavemente por la caja. Al recobrar fuerzas, abro la caja y me encuentro con un olor que me recuerda a los libros viejos que han sido descuidados por mucho tiempo. Miro los delicados recortes de periódicos marrones y los documentos militares, con miedo que se me vayan a desmoronar en las manos. El arrepentimiento y la saudade se intensifican mientras los recojo, uno por uno, para aprender sobre el hombre al quien yo llamaba “abuelo”, quien antes fue el sargento mayor de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, Henry Cervantes Falcon: Diablos azules, 88a división de la 350a Infantería de Estados Unidos.

El 7 de diciembre de 1941: Pearl Harbor.

Cuando mi abuelo miro la noticia, quiso enlistarse al ejercito el dia siguiente. Sin embargo, el límite de edad era 21 años. El siguiente año, el 11 de noviembre de 1942, Estados Unidos redujo la edad a 18 años. Un poco antes, mi abuelo recibió una carta del presidente Roosevelt, y el 6 de octubre de 1942 fue instalado en el servicio activo.

Leo una entrevista que mi tía le hizo a mi abuelo en 2008. Mientras leo, puedo escuchar su voz que proviene de la página. Esta entrevista era para el cumpleaños 88 de mi abuelo. El tema era de los Diablos Azules, ya que estuvo en la 88a división.

La 88a división de los Diablos Azules llegó al extranjero con aproximadamente 14,000 soldados en el barco Liberty el 1 de mayo de 1944, 17 días después de haber salido del campamento Patrick Henry en West Virginia. Entrenaron en Casablanca, Marruecos y Orán, África antes de navegar hacia la costa italiana de Amalfi.

En Nápoles, la división recibió armas, munición y cascos británicos para engañar al enemigo. Mi abuelo y su división fueron los primeros soldados estadounidenses en llegar y marchar por Roma el 4 de junio de 1944, 15 meses antes de finalizarse la guerra en Europa.

Escondido dentro del librero que redescubrí de mi padre hay un libro llamado “Diablos Azules” de Renzo Grandi y Valerio Calderoni. Yo reconozco esos nombres —son viejos amigos de la familia. Ellos realizaron entrevistas con los soldados restantes de la 88a división en el 2009, y mi abuelo fue uno de esos hombres que contó su historia.

El capitán de la compañía de mi abuelo había recibido una orden para enfrentarse al Monte Acuto en Italia el 25 de septiembre de 1944. Llovía a cántaros y no era fácil asistir a los soldados estadounidenses en la batalla.

Junto con su tripulación y su capitán, mi abuelo escaló la montaña. Miraron una prenda blanca a lo lejos que parecía ser una señal de los soldados alemanes indicando un movimiento de rendición. Al menos eso pensaron ellos.

El capitán salió para ver si estaba libre para avanzar cuando sonó la ametralladora. El capitán cayó al suelo mientras volaban las balas. Los soldados estadounidenses respondieron al ataque, lo cual llevó a mi abuelo a deslizarse a través del lodo hasta llegar con su capitán. Fue entonces que una bala le cruzó por la rodilla derecha, cerca del jarrete. Con la adrenalina que corría por su cuerpo, mi abuelo abrió camino por el lodo para poder alcanzar a su capitán.

Estaba ahí, desorientado, pensando solamente en salvarle la vida a otro. Aún no se veía sangre en la pierna del pantalón rasgado de mi abuelo, solo hueso blanco. Los médicos le dieron una inyección de morfina en el pecho a mi abuelo para reducir el dolor. Él y el capitán pesaban demasiado para que los médicos pudieran levantarlos solos, así que los dejaron allí mientras buscaban más ayuda.

Mi abuelo se desmayó, y al despertar sintió que su espalda estaba empapada. Confundido por la situación, pensó que podría ser sangre.

Se quitó el cinturón y se lo ató alrededor de la parte superior del muslo para detener la sangre y se recostó, permaneciendo inmovil como una Photos and documents courtesy of Salina A. Falcon

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he woke up in Florence and then in Naples.

Later, he passed through three different American hospitals.

He never learned what became of his captain.

My grandfather rarely spoke about that day. He refrained from talking about the war but would have conversations when approached about it.

But he never missed the reunions for the Blue Devils 88th Division. In 1980, he and my grandmother Helen were at one of those reunions when she called out, “Isn’t that Ed Maher?”

My grandfather looked up, and there was his captain. My grandpa thought his captain died that day considering his wounds. Maher had a slight head tilt due to being shot in the neck.

The two locked eyes, and without any hesitation made their way for each other, finally hugging for the first time since that pivotal day up on the hills of Mount Acuto.

After they reunited, my grandfather and Captain Maher would call each other every Sept. 25, the day they beat the odds and survived a battle that would taunt them evermore. They would always recall the events that happened including the fake German surrender of machine gunners.

I fiddle in my hand a belt buckle my grandfather wore frequently, “88th Infantry Division Association,” it says, with the Blue Devil logo, that looks like a blue four leaf clover. The gold is fading into gray due to wear and tear. Chips and cracks are embedded into the embroidery as I think of the stories of what my grandfather went through in the pouring rain.

My grandfather wasn’t the only Falcon serving in World War II. My grandfather was in the Army, my uncle Rudy was in the Marines and uncle Angel was in the Navy.

Rudy, my grandfather's little brother, Private Rudolph C. Falcon, was a Paratrooper for the 101st Airborne Division that was nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles.” The 101st Division was one of the first airborne divisions along with the 82nd. Both were treated as experiments since World War II was the first war paratroopers would enter.

A specific story my aunt shared with me that my grandfather told her, was about the time my uncle Rudy surprised my grandfather who was based in Italy at the time. It was Mother’s Day and they both had gone out to get a card for their mother, my great-grandmother Delfina.

They both playfully fought on who was going to be the one to sign it first until they both came to a conclusion. Right before departing from one another, my grandfather told my uncle who was already boarded on the bus back to his base, to

fix his tie as he motioned with the gesture.

Those were the last words my grandfather said to his little brother.

Uncle Rudy was killed in action on Oct. 7, 1944, in Holland. He died only a few days after my grandfather got wounded in Italy, so my grandfather didn’t get the news until a year later.

When my grandfather went on leave he found out the news of his brother and did not return to base when expected too he went AWOL for 22 days in search of his brother. This AWOL was dismissed since it was a personal matter.

These are the sentimental values, stories I hold close as I search my family history. I gain a little more knowledge into the life of my grandfather and what he endured during his war years. He was the only one to receive the body of his brother, but not until five years later, when my uncle was finally brought home since he had been buried in Holland.

I hold in my hand a tiny folded pouch of scuffed and torn black leather, with the fainted words “For God & Country” etched on it. In it, there are two saints, whose faces I cannot make out. I pull from the pouch a miniature bible no bigger than a half-dollar coin and open to the first morning prayer, “O My God, my only good, the Author of my being, and my last end; I give Thee my heart. Praise, honour, and glory be to Thee for ever and ever. Amen.”

This miniature Bible was recovered from my uncle Rudy. I cannot begin to grasp as I hold a little piece of him that his fingers once touched, what it witnessed. It dawns on me, I might have read the last prayer my Uncle Rudy recited the day he perished.

Family meant a lot to my grandfather. He loved his wife, my grandmother Helen. She was definitely a strong woman, very feisty with a heart of gold. I always think I would have grown to be a strong individual if she was alive during my adolescence.

My grandfather was dating my grandmother while he was at war and he wrote to her a lot while abroad. I came across an old picture of them sitting on a bench, my grandpa embracing my grandma, almost as if she is listening in on his heartbeat. He is in his Army attire and my grandma with her 40s hairstyle and a long coat over a dress; she was so elegant. She loved to dance, which is how she and my grandfather met. I grew up with stories of her feet hurting in her shoes, but she would continue to dance.

My grandfather's writing looks almost like scribbles on a letter dated July 27,1944, less than two months before that bullet struck him in the knee. It has an army examination stamp

I have seen the face of terror; felt the stinging cold of fear; and enjoyed the sweet taste of moment’s love.

-George L. Skypeck

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Photos and documents courtesy of Salina A. Falcon

 A half-dollar-sized Bible in its leather pouch that was recovered from Rudolph C. Falcon after he died in action in 1944.  Plaque photo of Pvt. Rudolph C. Falcon, Henry C. Falcon's brother, who was a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division known as the "Screaming Eagles." He was killed in action on Oct. 7, 1944, in Holland. t Henry C. Falcon with his wife Helen. They exchanged letters while he was at war and married in 1946.

piedra hasta que por fin llegó la ayuda.

Cuando llegó esa ayuda, no fue un escape fácil. Los hombres fueron trasladados mientras ocurrían los contraataques, y mi abuelo se cayó de la camilla varias veces a causa del lodo resbaladizo y la lluvia. Fue trasladado de hospital a hospital, y entre inyecciones de morfina se despertó en Florencia y luego en Nápoles. Más tarde, pasó por tres diferentes hospitales estadounidenses.

Nunca supo lo que fue de su capitán.

Mi abuelo rara vez hablaba de ese día. No hablaba de la guerra pero tendría conversaciones acerca del tema si alguien preguntaba. Nunca se perdía las reuniones de la 88a división de los Diablos Azules. En 1980, cuando él y mi abuela Helen estaban en una de esas reuniones, mi abuela gritó: “¿No es ese Ed Maher?" Mi abuelo se fijó, y ahí estaba su capitán. Mi abuelo había pensado que su capitán había muerto ese día por la severidad de sus heridas.

Maher tenía una ligera inclinación de la cabeza debido a haber recibido un disparo en el cuello.

Los dos se miraron a los ojos y sin titubear se abrazaron por primera vez desde aquel día en las colinas del Monte Acuto.

Después de esa reunión, mi abuelo y el capitán Maher se llamaban cada 25 de septiembre, el día que sobrevivieron aquella batalla que recordarían para siempre. Siempre recordaban los eventos que sucedieron ese día, incluyendo la falsa rendición de los alemanes con las ametralladoras.

Juego con la hebilla de un cinturón que mi abuelo solía usar frecuentemente. Dice “Asociación de la 88a división de infantería”, y tiene el logo del Diablo Azul que parece una trébol azul de cuatro hojas de primeros auxilios. El oro se está desvaneciendo debido al desgaste. Hay astillas y grietas incrustadas en el bordado, y me pongo a pensar en la historias que mi abuelo vivió bajo esas fuertes lluvias.

Mi abuelo no era el único de la familia Falcon que sirvió en la segunda guerra mundial.

Mi abuelo estaba en el ejército, mi tío Rudy estaba en la marina, y mi tío Ángel estaba en la fuerza naval.

Rudy, el hermano menor de mi abuelo, el soldado Rudolph C. Falcon, era un paracaidista de la 101a División Aerotransportada que fue dada el apodo “las águilas gritonas”. La 101a división fue una de las primeras divisiones aerotransportadas, junto con la 82a. Ambas fueron tratadas como experimentos ya que la Segunda Guerra Mundial fue la primera guerra en la que entraron los paracaidistas.

Una historia que mi tía compartió conmigo

y que mi abuelo le contó fue sobre la vez en la que mi tío Rudy sorprendió a mi abuelo, quien estaba viviendo en Italia. Era el día de la madres y ambos habían salido a comprarle una tarjeta para su madre, mi bisabuela Delfina. Ambos bromeaban y discutían sobre quién sería el primero para firmarla hasta que ambos llegaron a una conclusión. Justo antes de partir, mi abuelo le dijo a mi tío, quien ya se había subido al autobús rumbo a su base, que se arreglara la corbata.

Esas fueron las últimas palabras que mi abuelo le dijo a su hermano menor.

Mi tío Rudy murió durante un combate el 7 de octubre de 1944 en Holanda. Murió sólo unos días después de que mi abuelo fuera herido en Italia, y por lo tanto mi abuelo no recibió la noticia hasta un año después. Cuando mi abuelo se fue de licencia, se enteró de la noticia de su hermano y no regresó a la base cuando lo esperaban. Se ausentó sin permiso por 22 días en busca de su hermano. Esta ausencia no le afectó, ya que se trataba de un asunto personal.

Estos son los valores sentimentales, las historias que guardo cerca mientras investigo mi historia familiar. Voy ganando un poco más de conocimiento sobre la vida de mi abuelo y lo que vivió durante sus años de la guerra. Fue el único que recibió el cuerpo de su hermano, pero no hasta que habían pasado cinco años cuando finalmente llevaron a mi tío a casa, ya que había estado enterrado en Holanda.

En mi mano sostengo una pequena bolsa doblada de cuero negro rasgado, con la frase borrosas “por Dios y la patria” grabada en ella.

En ella, hay dos santos cuyos rostros no logro distinguir. Saco de la bolsa una biblia pequeña y la abro a la primera oración de la mañana: “oh Dios mío, mi único bien, el Autor de mi ser y mi último fin; Te entrego mi corazón. Alabado sea el honor y la gloria por Ti, por los siglos de los siglos. Amén”. Esta biblia fue recuperada de mi tío Rudy. No puedo empezar a comprender que sostengo un pedacito de él, algo que sus dedos tocaron alguna vez. Me doy cuenta que podría haber leído la última oración que recitó mi tío Rudy el día que murió.

La familia significaba mucho para mi abuelo.

Amaba a su esposa, mi abuela Helen. No cabe duda que era una mujer fuerte, una luchadora con corazón de oro. Siempre pienso que yo habría llegado a ser una persona fuerte si ella hubiera estado viva durante mi adolescencia.

Mi abuelo cortejaba a mi abuela mientras él estaba en guerra, y le escribía mucho mientras estaba en el extranjero. Me encontré una vieja fotografía en donde se miran los dos sentados

He visto el rostro del terror; sentido el frío punzante del miedo; y disfrutado el dulce sabor del amor del momento.

-George L. Skypeck

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on it. But the letter’s greeting “Hello Darling” and the farewell of “Loving you always” are clear as day. Staring at the letter, I think about the specific moment my grandmother received it in the mail. Was it a sign of relief for my grandmother, knowing he was still alive?

They married on Aug. 31, 1946, after the war in Europe and the Pacific had both ended, but a year before my grandfather was honorably discharged from the Army. My grandmother was two months pregnant at the time with their firstborn, my aunt Connie. My grandfather prayed for all girls, and that is what he received—four girls—until my uncle and father were born. He always said he prayed for this because he did not want his boys to be drafted.

I carefully hold in my hands my grandfather’s honorable discharge paperwork. The sheet of paper is so delicate I unfold it with care. Stains, rips and faint words make it hard to read the historical document, but it is manageable as I trace the footsteps of my grandfather.

He fought in the battle of Naples-Foggia, then Rome-Arno and another that’s illegible.It lists his medals: World War II Victory Medal, American Theater Ribbon, European, African, Middle Eastern Ribbon W/1 Bronze Star and Good Conduct Medal. And there, the last one: Purple Heart Medal. At the bottom of the document, it shows his thumbprint. I graze my hand over the

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print as I think of my grandpa. It was a seal of approval for his discharge on March 2, 1947.

My grandfather always said the one thing he wanted to do before his passing was to go back to Italy. It was in 2007 that he got his wish. He was 87 years old. My aunt Norma accompanied him on a trip to Italy, where she says my grandfather was treated like royalty. When people knew my grandfather was coming, reporters and others gathered on the streets in a parade line. It was there my grandfather met Valerio and Renzo, the authors of the book about his division, and they took him to the World War II museum in Imola and Monte Battaglia where his division fought.

Valerio and Ranzo showed my grandfather the exact spot he got wounded, where he laid for hours in the rain, wondering if that was his last moment. My aunt tells me he froze in silence staring at that spot for 10 minutes. I can only imagine what my grandfather was thinking about as the memories came flooding back.

There he was at 87 years old, seeing his life flash before his very eyes. What a life he has lived.

I started this search for my grandfather because of the fear I would one day forget my memories of him. But as I pieced together his life, I found more than just his story. I found myself.

My grandpa loved poetry. He loved listening to the band, The Doors, because of Jim Morrison’s lyricism.

I sit here on the living room floor, listening to the sweet sound of Glen Miller on vinyl. I can’t help but feel so close to my grandpa at these moments. I pull from the box one of my grandfather's favorite poems: “Soldier” by George L. Skypeck. One line in particular draws me in, “I have seen the face of terror; felt the stinging cold of fear; and enjoyed the sweet taste of moment’s love.” I think about what it means to me. My grandfather witnessed many deaths that were brutal in war. Many times he thought it would have been the end. However, through it and throughout his life he carried the love of the little things, “sweet moment’s love.” All these years, I see myself letting life go by quickly, and through it, I’ve lost who I am and the things that make me happy.

Writing has always been something that has come easy to me, whether it be storytelling or poetry. The family says I got it from him. He was a sweet man of few words, with a heart of gold. It has been a story I’ve been wanting to write for years, but I felt I couldn’t do it because I wouldn’t be able to bear the pain. I have never felt more like a writer than right now while writing his story.

It was here, searching and getting to know him, that I found a little piece of me, again: a girl who loves to write, read poetry, listen to big band, draw and most of all, family.

Just like her grandpa. 

 Henry and Helen Falcon posing for a picture in the 1940s. They had two sons and four daughters together. Henry said he initially prayed for all girls because he didn't want his sons to be drafted.  Henry C. Falcon in his famous World War II Veterans hat at the top of Mount Battaglia with "Blue Devil" book writers Renzo Grandi(left) and Valerio Calderoni(back row; third from right) for the first time since he fought back in 1944. Photo Courtesy of Norma Falcon Corina  Salina A. Falcon proudly holds the flag of her grandfather at the Whittier Police Department's memorial for soldiers. She looks up to the sky, smiles and says, "It was all for him." Photo by Aprel Rose

en una banca. Mi abuelo está abrazando a mi abuela, casi como si estuviera escuchando los latidos de su corazón. Él porta su atuendo militar y mi abuela está con su peinado de los años 40, luciendo un largo abrigo sobre un vestido. Ella era muy elegante. Le encantaba bailar, y fue así cómo se conocieron. Crecí escuchando las historias de cómo le dolían los pies, pero aún así seguía bailando.

La escritura de mi abuelo casi parece garabatos en una carta fechada el 27 de julio de 1944, menos de dos meses antes que la bala lo golpeara en la rodilla. La carta tiene un sello del ejército en ella. El saludo de la carta: “hola, querida” y la despedida: “amándote siempre” aún son legibles. Al mirar la carta, me pongo a pensar en el momento específico en que mi abuela la recibió por correo. ¿Sería una señal de alivio para mi abuela saber que todavía estaba vivo?

Se casaron el 31 de agosto de 1946, ya que las guerras en Europa y el pacifico habían terminado. Un año antes, mi abuelo había sido despedido honorablemente del ejército.

Mi abuela tenía dos meses de embarazo de su primogénita, mi tía Connie. Mi abuelo quería puras niñas y eso fue lo que recibió —cuatro niñas- hasta que nacieron mi tío y mi papá.

Siempre decía que quería eso porque no quería que sus muchachos fueran reclutados.

Sostengo cuidadosamente en mis manos el papeleo de despedida honorable de mi abuelo.

La hoja de papel es tan delicada que la desdoblo con mucho cuidado. Las manchas, rasgaduras y palabras borrosas dificultan la habilidad para leer este documento histórico, pero logró hacerlo.

Luchó en las batallas de Nápoles-Foggia, RomaArno y otra que es ilegible. Se enumeran sus medallas: medalla de la victoria en la Segunda Guerra Mundial; Cinta de teatro americano; Cinta Europea, Africana y del Medio Este con una estrella de bronce; Medalla de buena conducta; y la última, la medalla del corazón púrpura. Al final del documento se encuentra su huella digital.

Paso mi mano sobre la impresión mientras pienso en mi abuelo. Fue el sello de aprobación para su despedida el 2 de marzo de 1947.

Mi abuelo siempre decía que lo único que quería hacer antes de su muerte era volver a Italia. En 2007 cumplió ese deseo. Tenía 87

años. Mi tía Norma lo acompañó en el viaje, donde dice que trataban a mi abuelo como a la realeza. Cuando la gente se enteró que venía mi abuelo, los reporteros y muchas otras personas se reunieron en las calles en una línea tipo desfile. Fue ahí que mi abuelo conoció a Valerio y Renzo, los autores del libro acerca de su división. Lo llevaron al museo de la Segunda Guerra Mundial en Imola y al Monte Battaglia, donde luchó su división.

Valerio y Ranzo le mostraron a mi abuelo el lugar exacto en el que resultó herido, donde permaneció durante horas bajo la lluvia, preguntándose si ese era su último momento.

Mi tía me dice que se quedó paralizado en silencio mirando ese lugar por diez minutos.

Solo me puedo imaginar lo que mi abuelo estaría pensando mientras todos esos recuerdos le inundaban la mente. Ahí estaba, a sus 87 años de edad, viendo su vida pasar ante sus propios ojos. Qué vida ha vivido.

Comencé esta búsqueda por mi abuelo a causa del miedo que tengo de que algún día olvidaré los recuerdos que tengo de él. Pero mientras juntaba las piezas de su vida, encontré más que su historia. Me encontré a mí misma.

A mi abuelo le encantaba la poesía. Le encantaba escuchar la banda The Doors debido al lirismo de Jim Morrison. Me siento aquí en el piso de la sala escuchando el dulce sonido de Glen Miller en vinilo. No puedo evitar sentirme tan cerca de mi abuelo en estos momentos.

Saco de la caja uno de los poemas favoritos de mi abuelo: “Soldado” de George L. Skypeck.

Una línea en particular me atrae: “He visto el rostro del terror; sentido el frío punzante del miedo; y disfrutado el dulce sabor del amor del momento”. Pienso en lo que esa línea significa para mi. Mi abuelo presenció muchas muertes brutales en la guerra. Muchas veces pensó que podría haber sido el final. Sin embargo, a través de eso y durante toda su vida, llevaba consigo el amor por las cosas pequeñas: “el dulce sabor del amor del momento”. Todos estos años me he visto dejando que la vida se me pase rápidamente y a causa de esto, he perdido quién soy y las cosas que me hacen feliz.

La escritura siempre ha sido algo que me ha resultado fácil, ya sea la narración o la poesía. Mi familia dice que lo saque de él. Él era un dulce hombre de pocas palabras con un corazón de oro. Esta ha sido una historia que he querido escribir por años, pero sentía que no podía hacerlo porque no podía aguantar el dolor.

Nunca me he sentido más como una escritora que ahora mismo mientras cuento su historia.

Fue aquí, mientras buscaba y lo conocía a él que volví a encontrar una pieza de mi misma.

Una mujer que ama la escritura, leer poesía, escuchar a bandas famosas, dibujar —y más que nada, a su familia.

Igual que su abuelo.  FEATURES

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BEST FRIENDS FUR-EVER

This Fullerton College student's German Shepherd is more than just a service dog. She changed her life and ultimately became her best friend.

Story by Alexcia E. Negrete and Daniel Arceo-Rodriguez

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Loyalty comes in all shapes and sizes, and even species.

These two are not your typical pair of best friends who go to Disneyland, pick outfits or get their hair groomed.

Fullerton College student Charisma Rabbit, also known as CJ, owns a service dog named Ridley. She is a 2-year-old German Shepard mix and CJ’s best friend. They have an account on Instagram, @the.service.hyena, that showcases their fun adventures together and their trips to Disneyland.

CJ first adopted Ridley from Hope Ranch Animal Sanctuary located in the city of Anza. She says, “I adopted Ridley at three months in August of 2019. It took a long time of talking to my doctors and finding the dog with the perfect temperament for the job, but the wait was so worth it.”

Besides going to see Mickey Mouse together, they enjoy expressing themselves through fashion. CJ first began dying the fur on Ridley’s tail with pet-safe dye which later transformed into something they enjoy doing together for fun. Ridley can often be seen modeling a bright pink or purple tail on her Instagram.

“While the original purpose for it what’s to help keep people from stepping on it, it is now something that she has been known for and we continue to do it for fun! It doesn’t bother her at all and it’s no different than using shampoo during a bath,” she says.

Ridley loves to rock custom service dog gear and clothing as well. Gear like this can be made in bright and eye-catching colors. Not only is the custom gear helpful for CJ from a medical standpoint, having unique colors allows them to express their personalities in different ways. Ridley can also be often seen flaunting dazzling collars, colorful bandanas and even Mickey ears while they’re at Disneyland.

“While it does make her attract more attention at times, Ridley is a part of me and picking her outfit every day is much like picking my own,” she says.

CJ did not always need a service dog to assist her. She only required assistance from a service dog just a few years ago. She shares her story by saying, “Ridley has changed my life beyond words. My disabilities did not truly emerge until I was around 18 years old. I lost my 17-year career as a dancer, so much of my independence and even had to leave school for a while. I would not be where I am today without her.”

CJ goes on and explains that Ridley is not a typical service dog; she is a multipurpose service dog. Multipurpose service dogs help their owners with more than one thing. CJ explains how Ridley helps her overcome everyday challenges and says, “Ridley assists me in many ways, including medically and mobility wise. She can alert me to a medical episode ahead of time which can allow me to take medication, find a place to rest, which can potentially completely prevent an episode, or at least give me time to get in a safe space to have a medical episode.”

Before service dogs were trained to help people with a variety of different needs, they first began as guide dogs for the blind, according to New Life K9s. In World War I, when many men came home from the war blinded by mustard gas, it led to the use of guide dogs. The concept of modern service dogs was created in 1975 by canine researcher, Bonnie Bergin.

Some people who need service dogs decide to purchase them fully trained.

CJ took a different route and decided to train Ridley mainly by herself. This is not an uncommon method since fully-trained service dogs can cost up to $20,000 or more, according to Medical Mutts’ website. While this is the most cost-efficient method, it is not the easiest.

CJ explains that while she has trained Ridley for herself, there is still a standard of training that needs to be met, required by the Americans with Disabilities Act from 1990.

She explains, “...it’s our responsibility as handlers to make sure our dogs are up to legal training standards. They must be highly trained and ignore distractions of all kinds, and be able to handle lots of different environments.”

The ability to stay focused and assist their owners in distracting environments is important for service dogs like Ridley. When a service dog becomes distracted, it causes the risk of the dog not being alert when an emergency occurs with their handlers. This is something CJ hopes to see change in the future.

Although Ridley has only been helping CJ for about two years, it is safe to say she deserves all the treats in the world. Service dogs and best friends have been crucial and even life-changing for some with disabilities. CJ expresses, “She is a genuine lifesaver and best friend.” 

She is a genuine lifesaver and best friend.

 Fullerton College student Charisma Rabbit, who goes by CJ, picks out a pumpkin with approval of Ridley, her emotional support service dog.

Photo courtesy of Charisma Rabbit

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FOOD FOR MIND, BODY AND SOUL Exploring cultural cuisines from Africa, Asia and Europe that can be found in the OC Story by Iyanna Warrick and Aprel Rose © Photography by Aprel Rose

Beef sambusa, chicken lamprais and beef kabob entrees with hummus and garlic sauce are not dishes you would see in every restaurant. These dishes all come from different continents but you can find them all within Orange County.

ABYSSINIA

Abyssinia is an Ethiopian restaurant located in Anaheim. Mehari Woldeselassie is the current owner of this establishment after taking it over from his family members. Despite taking on a big role of owning the restaurant, he gets help sharing Ethiopian culture from his wife and two children.

In Ethiopia, they have multiple traditions when it comes to dining.

One tradition Woldeselassie highlights in his restaurant is the coffee ceramony, also known as Jebena Buna in the indigenous Amharic tongue. He brought this tradition into his restaurant with the goal of introducing it to new customers and bringing everyone together to enjoy the fresh coffee.

For this ceremony, employees roast coffee beans in front of the guests and serve them coffee in small cups.

Due to the pandemic, Woldeselassie has not been able to do the coffee ceremony. He says, “Sometimes I do the coffee [ceremony] by myself just to smell the essence of it. It makes me sad.” He hopes that since more places are opening up, more people will come visit his restaurant and he is able to do the ceremony with customers again.

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RICE N' SPICE

Rice N’ Spice is a restaurant located in Anaheim that specializes in cooking and serving Sri Lanken cuisine. It’s a home feeling restaurant and as soon as you walk in the door, you can tell they love what they do.

Sri Lankan food is made with a lot of spices. According to employee Charith, who provided his first name only due to safety reasons, “Sri Lankan food is based on rice and curry. We use cinnamon, coriander as well as every dish containing curry powder with different amounts.”

Cooking with these types of spices provides the cuisine with natural flavors and health benefits. The cultural belief of maintaining good energy while cooking is also an important benefit because as Charith says, they are not cooking with anger or rushing, so people can be healthy and happy while eating it. The chicken lamprais is one of the many dishes here at Rice N’ Spice. This dish contains chicken, rice, and various spices that are balanced out with pineapple. This is done to give the dish a sweet and spicy taste. So if you take interest in spicy cuisine, Rice N’ Spice is the place to visit.

 Sri Lankan restuarant, Rice N' Spice, is located in Anaheim, serves the create your own bowl. This dish includes chicken, rice and vegetables.  Anaheim restaurant, Abyssinia serves its customers Ethiopian dished. Their spiced black tea is one of their staples of cuisine.

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 D'Vine restaurant, located in Fullerton, serves a Mediteranean dish which includes salmon, rice, potato wedges, pita bread and garlic sauce.  D'Vine offers a beef kabob entree.

This includes beef, rice, pita bread, hummus and garlic sauce.

D’VINE

D’Vine is a restaurant that serves a mixture of Lebanese and Greek food owned by Walid Alarja, who got his passion for cooking from his mother.

While she had her own restaurant in their home country, Alarja has nearly eight restaurants throughtout Southern California, including this location in Fullerton.

While he maintains eight restaurants, his passion for food doesn’t end with just his business. He mentions that the dishes on the menu from the restaurant are the same foods that he would make at his house, such as the garlic bread with fresh fruits and vegetables. The food on the menu is made from natural ingredients and hardly any oils, providing customers with the simplicity of food that Alarja and his family enjoy. 

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NOW RECRUITING:

Student Journalists and Editors for The Hornet newspaper

Gain hands-on experience working for an established media outlet, engage with the greater Fullerton community and add published work to your portfolio.

All majors are welcome.

Register for JOUR 222 Intro to News Media Production

 CSU Transfer Course  ADT - Journalism The student voice of Fullerton College since 1922. We are The Hornet.

hornet.fullcoll.edu @FCHornet

CINEMATIC SIGHTS:

 Actor Bradley Cooper was filmed here, at Seal Beach Pier playing the role of Chris Kyle in the "American Sniper," walking along the pier holding onto the teddy bear he won for his daughter at the fair.

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AN INSIGHT INTO OC’S FAMOUS FILMING LOCATIONS Travel around Orange County and discover the locations where some of your favorite movies were filmed Story by Carl Akajiobi © Photography by Aprel Rose CULTURE

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You are taking a drive and come across some familiar

sights. A courthouse where Reese Witherspoon once heroically won her defendant’s case, a market that Vin Diesel once strolled the aisles of and a pier that became a flashback for Bradley Cooper. These are some filming locations in Orange County that have been used for some well-known movie productions.

These movies did outstanding in the box office by earning millions of dollars but still received low and mediocre scores on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer. Explore OC by visiting some locations where a few scenes of these popular movies were filmed.

 Reese Witherspoon, who played Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde," was filmed at the Old Orange County Courthouse rocking her iconic pink courtroom outfit.

LEGALLY BLONDE The film is about Elle Woods (Reese Weatherspoon) who is a fashionable sorority girl that was dumped by her boyfriend. She then decides to follow him to law school, and while there she realizes that there is way more to life than just her looks and goes on to pursue a career in law.

Legally Blonde had an overall score of 70% on the Tomatometer and a 72% audience score. It grossed over $141.8 million at the box office, according to Box Office Mojo by IMDb. In this movie, the courthouse scenes were filmed at the Old Orange County Courthouse located in Santa Ana.

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THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is a streetcar racer who seeks adrenaline in fast cars. He meets Brian (Paul Walker) and takes him under his wing. Little does he know Brian is an undercover cop who is seeking out Dom and Johnny Tran's (Rick Yune) money and rig hijacking case.

It made $207.3 million in the box office and received a 74% audience score and scored a 54% in the Tomatometer.

"The Fast And The Furious" movie had scenes filmed in the Little Saigon in the city of Westminster.

AMERICAN SNIPER

 T&K Food Market, located in Westminster, made a quick appearance in the "The Fast and the Furious," in the scene where Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian (Paul Walker) meet villain, Johnny Tran (Rick Yune).

U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) protects his comrades and becomes one of the most lethal snipers in American history. His sharpshooting skills have led to him saving many lives but have also made him a target of insurgents. Despite the hazard and the hardships faced trying to be a good husband and father back home in the U.S., Kyle serves four tours of duty in Iraq. Although when he does go back home, he realizes that he can't leave the war in the past.

This movie grossed a major $547.4 million according to Box Office Mojo and received a Rotten Tomatoes score of 72% Tomatometer and an 84% audience score.

A few scenes of this movie were shot in Orange County, located in the Seal Beach pier. 

 Actor Bradley Cooper was filmed here at Seal Beach Pier playing the role of Chris Kyle in the "American Sniper."

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FROM SUPERFANS TO SUPERSTANS Twenty years ago, stans relied on sending fan mail, but today, the internet and social media have given us much easier access to the celebrity of our choice.

Story by Chastain Flores

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It was October of 2014. My friend got a reply on Twitter from Luke Hemmings, the lead vocalist in the band 5 Seconds of Summer, our favorite band. She facetimed me and we both instantly started freaking out. My friend replied back to him, “follow my friend, she loves you so much.” Minutes later, another 5 Seconds of Summer stan replied to the both of us, “be grateful he replied to you.” We just ignored it, but then things got ugly. She began to tweet at us more, telling me to kill myself and that neither of us deserved a reply nor follow from Hemmings.

If you have ever been on social media, you’re likely to have come across one of these stan accounts. While they may look like they’re run by harmless fans, stan culture can be toxic and harmful to fans, as well as the celebrities.

The word “stan” originated from a song by American rapper Eminem called “Stan,” in 2000. The song was written about a man who would write and send fan mail to his idol. He never got a reply from said idol and with that, he was sent over the edge. While some stans are like that, the definition as given by the Oxford English Dictionary is, “an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity,” and was only recently added as an official word in 2017. Twenty years ago, stans relied on sending fan mail, but today, the internet and social media have given us much easier access to the celebrity of our choice.

With that access, it can sometimes bring toxicity and harassment from fan bases as a whole. This behavior is known as mob mentality or herd mentality, defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as, “the tendency of the people in a group to think and behave in ways that conform with others in the group rather than as individuals.”

Stan culture is something that I myself have been part of since the age of 13.

At that age, it was hard. It wasn’t easy for me to find happiness at the time until I found O2L and One Direction and whoever else I was starting to stan. Their music and videos were something that made me happy. It gave me that chance to escape my realities, even if only for three minutes while listening to a song or watching a Youtube video.

Though there are positive outcomes from stan culture, there also comes the negative outcomes which can at times outweigh the good.

Back in March 2020, singer Billie Eilish had liked a meme on Instagram of Louis Tomlinson, a member from One Direction. It was captioned, “When you move and the snapchat filter comes off,” with a picture of Zayn Malik, a former member of One Direction, presenting someone with a snapchat filter on, alongside a picture of Tomlinson, who was meant to be “filter comes off.”

Tomlinson’s fans did not like the meme, or that Eilish liked it so they decided to go after Eilish. One Direction stans came to Twitter and began tweeting the hashtag #BillieEilishIsOverParty, in an attempt to cancel her. They even took it as far as bullying her on her appearance.

Allie Bain is an avid Harry Styles and 5 Seconds of Summer stan. She has been a part of stan culture for the past 11 years of her life and has experienced bullying. She didn’t know much about K-Pop group BTS and would often tweet about not understanding things a BTS stan may know everything about. As a result, she would often get bullied and picked on for her looks. “I was always stressed out about what people were going to say about me. People would make comments about my dark circles, like yeah I know,” Bain says.

Illustration by Andrea Koehler

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Illustration by Andrea Koehler

Comments like this can take a toll on people’s mental health. Bain recently decided to resign from her stan Twitter days after getting a new phone and was unable to sign back into her account. She took this as a sign to leave Twitter. Still, she considers herself a stan from afar.

Celebrities also have to worry about their relationships with other celebrities when it comes to stans and the things they’ll do. In 2018, after Ariana Grande released her song “Thank u, next” fans took to her ex-fiance Pete Davidson’s Instagram comments. They urged him to kill himself after having spoken publicly about his borderline personality disorder.

People think because they have this “unlimited access” to celebrities and their lives, they are allowed to do what they want with this information.

Stans don’t realize that this can affect not only celebrities but the public and other stans who mean no harm. Due to the actions of overthe-top stans, Ashton Irwin, drummer of the band 5 seconds of Summer, stopped taking pictures with fans for a while, and when he did take pictures, he would just look unhappy.

While stans coming together to attack other stans or celebrities can be harmful, there comes times where stans will come together and hold celebrities accountable. Recently, singer Lizzo made a comment about singer Chris Brown being her favorite person. When taking a look back to 2009 when Brown assaulted singer and ex-girlfriend Rihanna, Lizzo’s stans weren’t too happy about the comment. One fan wrote under one of her recent TikToks, “Girl... Chris Brown? This is so disappointing.”

Lizzo making this comment seemed to

many that she is condoning his past behavior and may feel let down as one of her stans commented, “Listened to your music non-stop after I left a man who almost killed me. Feels like a real slap in the face to be honest.”

Some people went the other route and commented things like “Why are y’all dragging her? SHE was not the one abusing women,” and “I don’t see y’all hating on Nicki,” referring to Nicki Minaj who has a song with Brown. The fact of the matter is that Lizzo needs to be held accountable. As an artist with such a big platform, she should be more careful with things she says and who she supports.

Twigs.” This is where holding celebrities accountable comes in. With the situation not being talked about, it’s like everyone was ignoring the situation. If we hold Lizzo accountable for saying something as problematic as Chris Brown being her favorite person after assaulting Rihanna, we should definitely be talking more about LaBeouf and hold him accountable for his actions.

Doing what some Lizzo stans did and calling her out for her actions, can result in people telling you you’re not a true stan, which is far from the case.

Calling out a celebrity and telling them what they did wrong allows them to grow and learn, as humans do while we grow up. All that stans want sometimes is for their favorite artist to be given that second chance and to own up to what they did and make changes necessary in order to not make the same mistakes later on.

Stan culture has the potential to change and be a safer space for everyone who is a part of it. “I want it to be a more welcoming place for everyone,” says Mikayla Galaviz, who has been a part of stan culture since she was 7 years old.

Throughout her years of stanning One Direction and Love, Victor, she says she has felt nothing but welcomed.

“It should continue to be a place to meet other people around the world; to hear how being a fan of someone or something is important to someone,” says Galaviz.

It is important to remember that having an opinion and disliking what someone you look up to says doesn’t mean you don’t support them. Speak up when you have strong opinions.

Enjoy your time being part of stan culture as much as possible. 

THIS IS WHERE HOLDING CELEBRITIES ACCOUNTABLE COMES IN. WITH THE SITUATION NOT BEING TALKED ABOUT.

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In December of 2020, actor Shia LaBeouf was sued by singer FKA Twigs, accusing him of sexual assault and physical abuse. In situations like this, it’s always important to believe the victim until proven otherwise.

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, an estimated 63% of sexual assult victims never even report their assaults to the police. Not many people talked about it outside of the news, and people have noticed. As someone tweeted over a year after the assault happened, “Why haven’t I heard anyone talking about Shia LaBeouf abusing FKA

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BRO-HOOD FANTASY FOOTBALL  Barely Leaguel is in complete shock after Zane Gonzales, kicker for the Carolina Panthers, completes a 47-yard field goal attempt. James in the pink sweater pouts. Scott is holding his face in disbelief while Chris, Milton, and Jonathan Cheer.

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OF

A group of guys get together every Sunday during football season to compete in fantasy football.

Story and photography by Misael Cruz

Sunday mornings for some means going to church, sleeping in, or prepping for the week. But for a select few, it means football all day. On this particular dry and windy Sunday morning in October, some members of Barely Leaguel, a Fullerton-based fantasy football league, gather at an apartment for a day full of football excitement.

Four-time champion and last season’s winner, Jonathan Ramirez, carries a vanilla latte and a 5 pound bag of Trollie gummy worms as he opens the door. He is a digital marketer and general manager for Dick Slashers and the commissioner for Barely Leaguel. Christopher Dato, a partner marketer and GM of Datonation, is already sitting on the couch, modeling his league shirt reminiscent of a pink neon stripper sign. A few minutes later Scott Stone, an ex-marine and GM of “Don’t Care Anymore” walks in with Doritos and jalapeno Kettle chips wearing his Steelers gear. He’s off to a bumpy start this season, hence his current team name. By 10 a.m., Milton Fuentes, a mold technician and GM of “Way2Gisexy,” had just finished working a nine-hour graveyard shift when he skated in with a 12-pack of White Claws.

“Does anyone want a claw right now?” Fuentes asks.

Everyone unanimously declines.

“Amateurs,” Fuentes says.

Dato chuckles and Ramirez rebuttals with, “Bro, we’re 30,” and makes everyone laugh.

It’s the seventh week of season eight for Barely Leaguel and instead of watching one game, the league watches Redzone. Redzone rotates through all seven morning and afternoon games, displaying only teams that are close to scoring. Games were easily watched with a single screen.

The players of Barely League track their team scores through the fantasy sport app: “Sleeper.” They all watch football on the big screen and watch their scores update in real time.

“I guess another thing I really like about fantasy football is that I enjoy watching every game now instead of just the Steelers. I like being able to watch different players earn

points,” said Stone, GM for “Don’t Care Anymore.”

The ESPN documentary “30 for 30: Silly Little Game” pinpoints fantasy sports back to the 1980s to a group of baseball fanatics who formed a club called, “Rotisserie League Baseball,” which was named after La Rotisserie Francaise, a French restaurant where the group often met for lunch. Little did this league know that they would springboard a booming, billion-dollar industry that would change sports forever.

Dan Okrent, who was part of this group and a writer from New York, is credited with the idea of allowing ordinary baseball nerds to compete with one another by enabling them to be ‘general managers’ or GM-s of these imaginary teams they drafted through an auction system.

He also came up with a scoring system based on the player’s individual performance that would give team totals.

Back at Ramirez’s apartment, there is a firm but polite knock on the door. Joey Szilagyi is an employment law attorney and a fantasy basketball stud, playing his second season with Barely Leaguel trying to prove his fantasy skills are transferable to football. He is managing Team PJStickles, who placed 11 out of 12 last year but is off to a better start this year. Szilagyi showed up just in time to order pizza.

After ordering pizza, the dynamic in the room changed a little because the games were a little slow, meaning not many points were scored. Fuentes was playing against Ramirez. “Damn,” is all Ramirez uttered after Fuentes’ quarterback, Joe Burrows, kept moving the yard sticks up the field.

A fantasy week begins with Thursday Night Football and ends with Monday Night Football. Only one game is played on Thursday and Monday. The majority of the games are held on Sunday and start between the times of 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

There was another knock at the door around 11:30 a.m. It was James Gilbert, a videographer, producer, editor and GM for “Fuck Tens Roll Fatties.” He walked in and was quite stoic considering one of his best players, Nick Chubb, was out with a calf injury.

At this point in the gathering, even though some players were losing, the enthusiasm level was still high.

These guys were just enjoying one another’s company talking, drinking and smoking.

“Hey Chris, remember when you lost that bet and you had to wear that romper at the Ram’s game that either covered your nipples or your balls,” recalls Ramirez, as he CULTURE

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rips a bong. Half time was just ending so the timing couldn’t have been better. The pizza was delivered and then devoured within minutes.

Like any fantasy sport, Fantasy Football allows participants to draft an imaginary team before the real season starts and tally points based on the athlete’s weekly performance. There are different types of leagues which dictate how players are drafted. This league came to fruition by best friends Jonathan Ramirez and Chris Dato when they left another league from Pomona, California and started something of their own.

Starting this new league would be their third time ever playing fantasy football.

“The first couple years were rough because we had to almost motivate people to play. It’s hard to be enthused when you’re losing so we had to come up with a punishment for last place. People lose for different reasons but it always feels like it comes down to luck. Players can get injured at any moment, ruining anyone’s season,” said Ramirez.

Everyone who is in the league competes for the first palace trophy and a whole year of bragging rights. From lawyers to IT geniuses, their ages range from 24-31 years old. Last place is punished by having to dress up as a juggalo, which is a follower of the Insane Clown Posse whose face is then painted like a clown, and go to a public event such as a dinner or football game.

Last year, new guy Fil Dan, known as NGD, who isn’t new but has been called that for four years, had to dress like the clown. “I’m NGD until I take the ship home,” was his response when asked if he is bothered by the name.

He is a manager for “Just The Tip’’ and he is currently in third place with a 4-2 record. His matchup is with Rydawg, a fantasy football intellectual who has two Barely Leaguel titles. He watches most college football where he finds his prospects to draft for fantasy. He is also Ramirez’s nemesis; he has the second most titles won in the league.

“I just want Rydawg to lose,” Ramirez says.

They have had players come and go but the core group has always stayed. The whole league is made up of brothers such as Skimask and Jonathan Ramirez, Chris and Nick Dato, then Scott Stone, Milton Fuentes, Joey Szilagyi, James Gilbert, Rydawg, Austin Eychaner and NGD. They grew from an eight-man to a 12-man league in about four years. Barely Leaguel began to find its groove by finding out what rules work best for them such as having a smaller bench so GM’s don’t horde too many players. The infamous Veto Squad lets it be known that they will interfere by vetoing a trade

THE FIRST COUPLE YEARS WERE ROUGH, BECAUSE WE HAD TO ALMOST MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO PLAY.

 Milton Fuentes is wearing his Antonio Brown jersey covered with tape and 'Porter' written over while he and Scott Stone focus in on the Vikings vs Panthers kickoff. He is ashamed of the last name because Antonio Brown never played a game for the raiders.

IT'S HARD TO BE ENTHUSED WHEN YOU'RE LOSING, SO WE HAD TO COME UP WITH A PUNISHMENT FOR LAST PLACE.

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LEAGUE TYPES

By Misael Cruz

A standard fantasy football league can range anywhere from six to 12 players. Each player gets a 16-man roster. Some leagues can add an additional spot for injured players.

PRIVATE LEAGUE League that can only be joined by invitation.

PUBLIC LEAGUE A league that can be joined by anyone. If a person doesnt know enough people to play, they can join a public league.

RE-DRAFT LEAGUE when there is an obvious collusion. Collusion is when two or more conspire to cheat others by doing shady trades.

At the very least, the group gets together twice a year for a drafting order competition and a dinner or event to congratulate the winners and losers. This group of friends can be described as the epitome of true commitment to fantasy football Their season starts by having a small reunion prior to the start of the real football season. During this, members of the league compete in a unique, always evolving competition to decide the draft order. Their past competitions include a kayak race, mini golfing, paintballing, a SuperSmash Bros tournament, and even bowling. Members also vote on rules to change or add. For the past seven years, Barely Leaguel has been a redraft league, however just this year they voted to change their league to a keeper league which added another variant to their drafting strategies.

It was only 1 p.m. when the first round of yawns started to trickle in like a domino effect. It was now time for afternoon games but there was a noticeable drop of energy in the room. Not because of low spirits but because people were tired of all the pizza, sugar, seltzers and smoking.

By half time of the next round of games Szilagyi, Dato, and Stone had filtered out leaving only Skimask, Gilbert and the host, Ramirez. Gilbert accepted his defeat against Skimask, which put Gilbert in last place in the competition. It didn’t take long for the guys to call it a day. After the football week ended there were six victors: Skimask, Ramirez, Eychaner, New Guy Dan, Stone and Ryan. 

Drafting occurs every season. It's a good opportunity for beginners to try it out.

KEEPER LEAGUE Members of the league are allowed to keep two to three players for the following season. A “light” version of dynasty league.

DYNASTY LEAGUE Members of the league are allowed to keep up to all their players for the upcoming season. This is more for advanced players.

DEEP LEAGUE A deep league is any league that has more than 12 players. This is called a deep league because members of the league are forced to look deep for lesser-known players.

BEST BALL LEAGUE Members of the league don't compete headto-head. The player with the most points accumulated throughout the whole season wins.

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S A Y, “CHEESE!” We may remember taking a little Kodak or FujiFilm disposable camera with us to our field trip in the first grade. Like many things from the past, film cameras are making a comeback. YouTuber David Dobrik created his Instagram @davidsdisposable for his film photos in mid-2019 and since then, has influenced a lot of today's generation to purchase their own disposable film cameras.

If you want to expand your film collection and practice your film photography skills, here are five great cameras to start off with.

KODAK M35

If you’re looking for something on the simple side similar to the Kodak disposable cameras, the Kodak M35 film camera would work great. With the simple functions of flash and taking the picture that anyone can learn quickly, this camera can run from $20 to $40. For this camera, you can use any 35mm film from Kodak Gold to Fujifilm Fujicolor Superia 35mm film. In order to get the photos, you would have to go to either your local Walmart or find an online film developing company like Darkroom to get your film developed.

INSTAX MINI 11

Some people prefer the look of polaroid pictures. For a simple approach to this type of film, the Instax Mini 11 is great especially for more personal use and everyday memories. It’s a great camera for the younger crowd taking their first steps into photography and who are wanting to learn more about film cameras.

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Five easy-to-use film cameras for beginners Story by Chastain Flores © Photo Illustrations by Andrea Koehler

POLAROID SQUARE INSTANT CAMERA

Another great Polaroid option is the Polaroid Square Instant Camera. This camera is just as easy to use as the INSTAX Mini 11. This camera takes Polaroid 600 film, which is also available in a starter set to make things easier. These photos, unlike the Kodak, are instant. Once you take the photo, the Polaroid picture pops out. The price of this camera varies from $120 to $175.

NIKON FM10

On the more technical side, there’s the Nikon FM10. It has more of an old school look and has functions similar to a DSLR such as ISO. Therefore you might need a little more practice and learning to use this camera. It is mainly sold as “used” now and it can run anywhere from $200 to $500 and also uses 35mm film.

NIKON F6

With a similar body of a DSLR, the Nikon F6 can cost up to $1900 used on Amazon, since it has been archived from the Nikon website. This camera is compatible with more recent DSLR lenses. This camera also takes 35mm film and has automatic film loading, as well as auto film advancement which can come in handy between shots.

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COOKING WITH EASE: THE COLLEGE WAY BUTTERNUT SQUASH MINI PIZZAS

Story by Iyanna Warrick

You just got out of your three-hour night class.

It's late, you're hungry and you won’t get paid for two more days. Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.

These money-saving but flavorful recipes will keep cash in your pockets and your belly full. Instead of relying on fast food, these cheap and fulfilling meals provide a healthy and delicious alternative.

Ingredients

Prep

◆ 1 24-oz jar of butternut squash marinara sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

◆ 1 small tomato

4. Spread an even amount of marinara sauce on pizza crusts

◆ 1 pack of 2 5-oz organic pizza crusts

5. Evenly sprinkle cheese all around pizzas

◆ 1 8-oz pack of low-fat mozzarella cheese

2. Dice the small tomato 3. Place pizza crusts on baking sheet

6. Spread diced tomatoes on top 7. Put pizzas into the oven for 30 minutes 8. Wait for the pizzas to cool before cutting into four even slices

Photo by Alexcia E. Negrete

A healthier option is to use cauliflower pizza crust, instead of the organic pizza crust.

Ingredients

NOODLE STIR FRY

◆ 2 packs of Maruchan top ramen noodles ◆ 2 green onions ◆ 1/4 bell pepper ◆ 2 pieces of thinly sliced deli turkey

Prep 1. Boil 4 cups water in a medium-sized pot 2. Wait for water to boil, then add noodles 3. Chop onions and bell pepper 4. Slice deli turkey 5. After about 3 minutes, drain the water from the noodles but leave a little in the pot 6. Pour the noodles and water into a bowl, sprinkle seasoning packet in and mix until noodles are fully seasoned 7. Top with onions, bell pepper and turkey

A healthier option for this dish is instead of using Maruchan top ramen noodles use regular spaghetti noodles because they are less salty.

BAKED MAC ‘N’ CHEESE

Ingredients

◆ 1 box of Velveeta Shells & Cheese ◆ 2 bags of sharp cheddar shredded cheese

Prep 1. Once water is ready add in the box of noodles but leave out the Velveeta cheese 2. When noodles are done, drain the water but leave the noodles in the pot 3. Add pack of Velveeta cheese and stir until cheese is fully mixed in 4. Add everything from the pot to a microwave-safe bowl 5. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese all over the dish until it’s fully covered 6. Microwave for 2 minutes until cheddar cheese is melted and bubbling* 7. *If you have an oven available, you can preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put the dish in for 25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

If you want a healthier alternative, use cauliflower noodles. You can even use less cheese, even though cheese is amazing.

Instead of using the bags of sharp cheddar cheese you can just use the velveeta cheese.

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WRITERS, ILLUSTRATORS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS WANTED CREATIVITY ALWAYS NEEDED

INTERESTED IN JOINING THE STAFF OF INSIDE FULLERTON?

INSIDE FULLERTON insidefullerton.fullcoll.edu insidefullerton

Experience the hands-on process of magazine production by becoming part of Inside Fullerton, a student-run magazine published every semester.

Register for JOUR 132 or contact jlanglois@fullcoll.edu to learn more about magazine internship opportunities.

No experience necessary. We pride ourselves on inclusivity, so anyone is welcome to join!