Orange Appeal Spring 2019

OA Orange Appeal // Saddleback College // May 2019

HIDDEN

HAVEN The wildlife sanctuary with a mission to protect endangered species

May 2019 • Orange Appeal • 1

join the rebellion

if there were journalists in ‘Star Wars’ Princess Leia would leak vader’s emails. become a part of something that can change the galaxy.

Join the teams of OC News Team (attached to JRN 106 Video Journalism), the Lariat newspaper and website, or Orange Appeal (both attached to each News Media Production course). Visit OCNewsTeam.com, LariatNews.com, or OrangeAppeal.org.

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8 CHASING CHANCE One man’s journey from 1960s Cuba to the United States. “I, as an immigrant, was able to make a life for myself and make a living by working and going to school, and no one stopped me,” he says.

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HIDDEN HAVEN Described as a home for animals with no where left to turn, this Orange County sanctuary strives “to provide a permanent home for displaced animals and educate the public about the plight of endangered animals.”

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(DIS)CONNECTED How is the constant connectivity of social media affecting your life? According to Bailey Parnell, “It not only affects your offline life and how you move through the day but also impacts your sense of self.”

Holly the racoon gazes out of her enclosure at the Las Lomas Wildife Foundation, located in the Tustin foothills.

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BREAKING THE RULES OF WIZARDRY Magic made real, this quirky game is taking U.S. college campuses by storm. Could this be a sport of the future? “I definitely think it will with time,” says freshman Olivia Forte.

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COPS, INSTAGRAM MODELS & TOURISTS In pursuit of the perfect selfie, tourists are trampling the beauty of Lake Elsinore’s recent poppy bloom.

OA Orange Appeal

ON THE COVER: Lilly the tiger photographed by Jemma Paradise in an OC santuary.

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BITES: POLITICS, PEOPLE, AND CULTURE For all the soundbite news you love but don’t have a lot of time for. Cooking at College 101 // OC Idiot // True or False? // Risky Journalism

Contributors Anastasia Augustson Harley Balling Kevin McConaughy Faculty Adviser Tim Posada

Student magazine of Saddleback College

Lab Technician Ali Dorri

Editor-in-chief Jemma Paradise

Contact Us 949-582-4688

jemmathewriter1@gmail.com

orangeappeal@gmail.com

A family visits the Walker Canyon Poppy Fields in Lake Elsinore.

Orange Appeal is the award-winning magazine of Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California, produced by students in the Journalism and New Media department on an annual basis. Columns, opinions, and other articles do not represent the views of the Journalism and New Media deparment, Saddleback College, or the South Orange County Community College District. The magazine is produced by students enrolled in JRN 125 Magazine Journalism or one of the News Media Production courses.

bites

Cooking at College 101 Impress your date with this simple, scrumptious meal for two!

By Jemma Paradise

Cheesy Breadcrumb Chicken 1.

2.

3.

4.

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Arrange 2 chicken breasts in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper.

Mix 1/2 cup of grated mozzarella, 1 tablespoon of pesto, 1 tablespoon of cream cheese and 1/2 teaspoon of mixed herbs.

Spread the mixture evenly over the chicken breasts and sprinkle generously with panko breadcrumbs.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with your favorite steamed vegetables and rice.

Raspberry and lime yogurt bowls 1.

2.

Jemma Paradise

3.

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Place 1 cup of raspberries in a dish, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar and stir gently. Separate into 2 bowls.

Mix 1/2 cup of mascarpone cheese with 1/2 cup of plain full-fat Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar and the juice of 1/2 lime.

Spoon the mixture over the raspberries.

Put a few raspberries on top to decorate.

May 2019 • Orange Appeal • 5

bites

OCidiot True or False?

In March, local high school students in Costa Mesa were pictured next to a swastika made out of party cups and posed next to it with Nazi salutes, according to the Los Angeles Times. Students from many Newport-Mesa schools attended the party and the district is cooperating with local authorities in an investigation.

Tustin Doctor Arrested for Narcotics Charges

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ince its popularization in the 2016 presidential elections, fake news has become a common voice of political discord, blurring the lines of fact and providing our daily comic relief. Yet the spread of misinformation is nothing new. Here’s a brief selection of unfortunate gaffes and fakeries from news history:

By Jemma Paradise

1948

Dr. Dzung Ahn Pham, 57, of Tustin, was arrested on two charges of distributing narcotics in December, according to a United States Department of Justice press release.

Undercover DEA operations were successfully able to buy prescription drugs from Pham whose prescriptions have been linked to five overdose deaths in the last three years.

Recently, a Mission Viejo man was charged in the death of a Costa Mesa fire captain after the suspect hit him with a car while under the influence of medication prescribed by Pham.

Teal Jeep Foils Robbery Samuel McClintock, 20, of Garden Grove was arrested on charges for an attempted bank robbery that took place December 19, 2018, according to New Santa Ana. McClintok walked into a Wells Fargo in Santa Ana and slipped a threatening note to a teller.

The teller set off the alarm and McClintok fled in a teal colored Jeep Wrangler and was arrested January 14, 2019 after tips from the community led officers to pursue him as a suspect.

When fire ravaged the Notre Dame Cathedral in April 2019, President Donald Trump tweeted advice to workers battling the blaze, suggesting that “perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!” In response, the French Civil Security agency explained that firefighters were using all possible means available, “except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral.”

At political polls, success is only guaranteed after the final vote has dropped. The Chicago Tribune discovered the value of this certainty in 1948, while covering the presidential race between Thomas Dewey and Harry Truman.

Rushing to declare the results of election night, the newspaper went to press with the headline “Dewey Defeats Truman,” a prediction that was later upended in Dewey’s surprise defeat.

After clinching the presidency, Truman posed with the erroneous headline before departing for Washington, memorializing the Tribune’s mistake for generations to come.

2019

Lemur at Large In July 2018 a ring-tailed lemur named Isaac was stolen from the Santa Ana Zoo after someone cut open a chain linked fence to his enclosure according to ABC7. The lemur is an endangered species and the theft is considered a federal crime. Isaac was later recovered inside of a plastic crate that was dropped off at a Newport Beach hotel with a note attached.

Kevin McConaughy 6 • Orange Appeal • May 2019

2019

Coming back from the dead is unheard of…or is it? According to Russia’s Zveda TV channel, opera singer Elena Obraztova attended the funeral of journalist Sergei Dorenko in May of 2019, reportedly commending the late Putin critic for his devotion to speaking the truth. However, as Obraztova died in 2015, the legitimacy of her praising presence is very unlikely, as well as a touch ironic.

PREVIOUS PAGE, FROM TOP: HARRY S. TRUMAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM; MARTINA BADINI / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; THIS PAGE: APRIL BRADY / POMED

Hate Speech and Booze

bites

PREVIOUS PAGE, FROM TOP: HARRY S. TRUMAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM; MARTINA BADINI / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; THIS PAGE: APRIL BRADY / POMED

Risky Journalism A reflection on journalists who have vanished or died over the last few decades in pursuit of the truth

By Harley Balling

J

ournalism is a field that can get people caught up in some sticky situations. Over the last few decades or so, reporters have gone missing, been held hostage, and have even turned up dead. A few notable cases include Austin Tice, Jodi Huisentruit, and more recently Jamal Khashoggwwi.

Austin Tice is a freelance reporter from Texas. In May 2012, he decided to travel to Syria and pursue freelance conflict reporting.

Tice mysteriously disappear a few months later, while on the job. It is speculated that he was kidnapped and taken to a remote location in Syria.

New York Times reporter, Rick Gladstone, wrote an update on the search for Tice in 2018. A speaker for the U.S. state department said that they believe that Tice had survived detention in Syria. They are still searching and the FBI is offering a $1 million reward to anyone who has information on the location of Tice.

Jodi Huisentruit was a news anchor from Mason City, Iowa. She mysteriously disappeared on June 27, 1995 after telling a colleague she overslept and was on her way to work. Police found her car and took witness statements from neighbors. There was a sign

of struggle outside her apartment and witnesses say they heard screams early in the morning.

In 2001, Huisentruit was declared legally dead. Since then, cases popped up in the area with similarities to the disappearance of the reporter. Tony Jackson, a convicted serial rapist, is still considered a person of interest.

Investigators still don’t have enough evidence to prove exactly what happened that morning.

“48 Hours” aired a feature on Huisentuit’s disappearance in 2018, hoping it would help investigators obtain more information. Unfortunately, the case still has not been solved.

The Des Moines Register contains links and updated information on the case.

Recently, columnist Jamal Khashoggi from the Washington Post, was missing in Saudi Arabia for awhile. Khashoggi wrote about the Arabic’s need for freedom of press

June, 1995 Jodi Huisentruit MISSING IN IOWA

May, 2012 Austin Tice

MISSING IN SYRIA

October, 2018 Jamal Khashoggi DIED IN SAUDI ARABIA

and expression. Khashoggi traveled over to the Suadi Arabian consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, to obtain documents for his marriage. He was recorded exiting the consulate and was never seen again after that, declaring him a missing person.

Unfortunately, it was learned that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered. The Washington Post put out an article reporting that Khashoggi had been assassinated by the Saudi Arabia consulate. Information collected suggests that the murder was premeditated the Arabian government had lured Khashoggi to his death.

Some journalists fear their work may put them or others at risk, so they go into hiding.

Many journalists have flead to Mexico, after receiving multiple death threats to them and their families. In 2017, many reporters had been found dead in Mexico, making it the most dangerous country in the world.

During the Obama Administration, many international journalists took refuge in the United States. The U.S. government made it a priority to combat for freedom of press in foregin countries, such as Mexico. In the year, however, the Board of Immigration Appeals, has been denying claims and deporting reporters back to their countries to fend for themselves.

LA Times journalist, Kate Linthicum wrote an article “Journalists are Fleeing For Their Lives in Mexico.” The feature explores Mexican journalists, who went through a great deal of trouble to uncover the countries dirty secrets.

One of the journalists included in Linthicum’s article was Julio Omar Gomez, who has been living under protection since spring of 2017. As a resident in Baja, California he set out to write about the financial corruption in Mexico. He received numerous death threats and is one of the few lucky ones who continues his life outside of Mexican imprisonment, though he might as well be in his cramped living situation.

Many Mexican journalists purposely get themselves locked up in U.S. detention, in an effort to save their lives. Mexican journalist, Martin Mendez, spent over a year in an El Paso detention center, before being sent back to Mexico, reported Lithicum. He was certain that if he would be killed if he was captured

by Mexican authorities.

The men and women who pursue journalism keep the public informed. Freedom of press gives a nation the power to understand details, that are necessary to our lives.

Reporters disappear and often times turn up dead in the line of duty.

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Chasing

Chance

Cuban immigrant Tony Romero reflects on his road to the USA

Story & photography by Jemma Paradise

I

f you escape an oppressive dictatorship on a one-way, government-sponsored flight to freedom, most would call it luck. Yet to Tony Romero, who flew through the clutches of communist Cuba in 1964, his remarkable journey was the byproduct of fate and the powers above.

“I do believe that we’re all guided, and I was guided amazingly well,” he says with finality, eyes twinkling as he recollects in the lounge of his welcoming Orange County home, the faces of his children and grandchildren beaming from the picture-frames above. “There was somebody taking me places.” * When he was 14, the rise of Fidel Castro’s Communist Party of Cuba changed the face of his homeland forever. The regime destroyed all notions of personal liberty, and the word of leadership became the word of law. “You couldn’t say a thing against the government,” Tony says. “There was no free press or free speech. There wasn’t even free movement. You couldn’t go from one state to the next without asking permission.” In a heartbeat of history, the island paradise he held so close to heart turned into an inescapable land of oppression and violence. Conditions within the nation deteriorated rapidly. “The economy was completely shot,” Tony says, his face suddenly a shade of seriousness. “We had no food, we had no medicine. We had nothing.” With its violently enforced dictatorship, Cuba gravitated towards a terrifyingly real-life rendition of 1984. Anything remotely misaligned with the government’s perception of perfection was quashed Big Brother style, including Tony’s Catholic high school. Fellow citizens became neighborhood watchdogs, incentivized to inform on their former compatriots. “If you did anything they didn’t like, they’d come and get you and put you away, or they’d kill you,” he recalls. “There were firing squads every day, for no reason whatsoever. * For the next five years, Tony lived in a balancing act, inwardly dissident, outwardly careful never to jeopardize his fragile privilege to live. Yet as he approached his 18th birthday, the age of Cuba’s mandatory conscription, he could no longer tiptoe under the radar. He had to find a way out, for his life’s sake. * Ironically, his opportunity to escape the country came from the government itself. “No one had left Cuba for the last three years, and all of a sudden, they open up,” he says. When he received a telegram confirming his eligibility for a university program in Spain, he had no doubts: this was his chance at a better life, a new life. The flight left in nine days. His momentous decision proved even more life-changing than he could have imagined. Within a week of his departure, the police came knocking on his parents’ door with an arrest warrant in hand, seeking him on unknown charges. “That would have been the May 2019 • Orange Appeal • 9

end of me for sure,” he says. “People did not survive jail there.” Yet he was beyond their reach, thousands of miles away in a near-alien capitalist society, with no intention of going back.

Before his ticket to the world beyond, Tony had never stepped foot off his homeland island. What were his first memories beyond the Cuban border? “When we got there that first night, they put us in a very nice hotel,” he says, cracking a wide smile. “They gave us steak for dinner. Well, we hadn’t had a steak for dinner in Cuba for years.”

“There,” however, was not Spain, as anticipated. In fact, Tony’s journey was quite the fiasco. As his flight closed in on Madrid’s airport, it was denied landing rights out of the blue and forced to divert to Czechoslovakia.

There, the authorities confiscated their passports, politely compelling the Cubans under the alternative threat of a U-turn trip. Eventually, they were allowed to continue on to Madrid, where Tony then arrived with no money, no food, and no way to contact the family he was originally meeting two days before.

Amazingly, luck came to the rescue once more.

An old neighbor (who had escaped the regime in years past) just happened to be at the airport, collecting one of Tony’s fellow passengers. “He took me in for the night,” Tony recalls. “Then, I called my parents to tell them I was okay, three days later. You can imagine how they were, not knowing what had happened to me.”

When he arrived in the small township of his host family, it was the crack of dawn, yet he knew where he had to go. Without even pausing for a breath, he wandered seamlessly from the little train station into the city, now in pursuit of a U.S. consulate, single suitcase and all. A few twists and turns later, he found himself before a wide set of double doors, and his frantic pace didn’t skip a beat.

Knock, knock, knock.

The door creaked open to reveal a rather unfortunate diplomat, dressed in a bath robe and the irritated scowl of a rude awakening.

“I said to him, ‘Sir, I need to get to the United States of America,’” Tony says, grinning at the awkward recollection.

After four months of uncertainty, Tony’s immigration request was finally approved, his student residency complete, and his first step to a successful future secured. He was on his way to the USA. When he first arrived, Tony’s English skills were limited to his secondary education and thus proportional to their relevancy under Cuban communism. In other words, they were inadequate.

So, to learn the language and its nuances, 10 • Orange Appeal • May 2019

he immersed himself in the truest halls of American culture: the cinema. “Every night, I went to the movies to listen to people,” he says. “It’s easier to do that, because you hear what they’re saying and you see what they’re doing, and you kind of put two and two together.”

His sharp mind soon caught on, and before long, he had adapted to the lightning-paced American speed of talk and life, juggling three jobs whilst trying to find a secure footing in this new society. He credits his tenacity to his enduring commitment to those he loved. “I wanted to be free,” he says thoughtfully. “I wanted a place where I could go to school and work and then bring my parents.

Everything was fine because I was working towards a purpose.” Soon after, he was accepted to University of California Los Angeles and aced his first class, English as a Sec-

“I see myself as a total

AMERICAN. I just happen to come from Cuba.” ond Language.

After graduating with a masters degree from the University of Pheonix, Tony found his first break on the job market, a position in the Western Airlines’ IT department at Los Angeles Airport. As he recalls, “I learned the business while I was there, delivering reports,

and then they gave me another job, and then after that they gave me a better job, and then after that, they gave me another job, and before I knew it, I was in management.” When the airline industry began to wobble 12 years later, he once again found a fateful lifeboat in Mitsubishi Motors, who offered him a promising position in Orange County. He jumped at the company’s ladder of opportunity and eventually retired as the CIO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America.

When Tony became a U.S. citizen in 1988, naturalized amidst the cheers of his beloved family, it was one of the happiest moments of his life, marked by patriotic pride and the gratification of circle complete. “I will always love this country because it took me,” he says, reflecting on his thoughts that day. “This is my country, as long as Cuba is too. That moment was a big, big deal. I was so emotional,

so fulfilled, and it had been so hard for me to get there. It was a milestone for me.”

He had more cause than most for true celebration, for he was closely acquainted with the extreme challenges of immigration. Following his dangerously close shave in Cuba, he worked tirelessly to secure his aging parents’ emigration to the U.S. “I had to go to Mexico multiples times to get visas for them,” he recalls of the process. “I would send the visas for them to Cuba, and then Cuba would say, ‘Sorry, you have the visas, but we won’t let you out.’ So even with the visas and the passports, they would not be able to go. That happened many, many times.” After 10 years and his father’s desperate pleas to see his son once more, the Cuban authorities finally relented, and the family was reunited at last.

However, the shadow of a lost decade would always linger on.

Tony’s past experiences with closed borders are evidently formative in his perception of immigration today. “I, as an immigrant, was able to make a life for myself and make a living by working and going to school, and no one stopped me,” he says to me, his eyes earnest and alight. “I was able to make something out of my life, much better than I could have done in Cuba. That is one of the best qualities of this country, that anyone can come here and, if he or she works hard, make a living. If this country loses the ability to integrate people from other countries, it will become a lot less than it is today.”

So does he see himself as American or Cuban?

He smiles knowingly at the question: “I see myself as a total American. I just happen to come from Cuba.”

May 2019 • Orange Appeal • 11

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Story and photography by Anastasia Augustson

The Destruction of the Walker Canyon Poppy Field for the Sake of Selfish Instagram Selfies

Cops, Instagram Models & Tourists

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ake Elsinore County shut down Walker Canyon Poppy Fields late last month due to several complications including tourists stopping on the side of the freeway, lack of parking and people risking their lives for that great Instagram selfie while simultaneously destroying indigenous poppy plants. After seeing countless tattooed girls in sun hats frolicking in a sea of orange and purple, thousands of tourists flocked to the Poppy Field to see the super bloom of 2019. Armed with their cell phones and children, visitors struggled to locate parking and resorted to pulling over on the side of the highway. Fortunately, the city police of Lake Elsinore were ready and able to hand out thousands of dollars worth of tickets. In their valiant effort to capture that perfect shot, would-be nature enthusiasts trampled over countless poppy plants. Being that poppy plants are delicate and temperamental this caused distress to the City of Lake Elsinore, which resulted in a complete shut down of the trails. The city has since re-opened the trails and created a trolley system with available parking at an off site lot.

14 • Orange Appeal • May 2019

Left A photographer takes shots of a model posing for the camera amongst the foliage behind a no trespassing sign.

Right A woman sets up a tripod and camera to take photos of the poppies.

May 2019 • Orange Appeal • 15

A group of artists paint from life and recreate the hills on canvas.

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BREAKING THE RULES OF Adapted from its magical beginnings, quidditch has exploded across America’s college campuses. But how far can this quirky game grow in the mainstream muggle world?

Story & photography by Jemma Paradise

18 • Orange Appeal • May 2019

WIZ

S OF

IZARDRY

May 2019 • Orange Appeal • 19

C

an quidditch grow beyond the bounds of J.K. Rowling’s fantasy?

Born from the beloved tale of Harry Potter, this high-flying game is emerging as a popular muggle pastime, albeit at a slightly lower altitude than its magical predecessor. Trading black capes for sportswear and flying brooms for PVC pipes, its new form is the ultimate cross of fandom and athleticism, developed by a generation that grew up immersed in the wizarding world.

“I loved the books,” says Kobe Bryant, captain of Anteater Quidditch, the team from University of California, Irvine. Like the majority of his fellow collegiate players, his interest in the sport sparked from a fondness for the fantasy series.

However, quidditch has evolved beyond its bookworm’s delights, incorporating a degree of competitive rigor characteristic of far more mainstream athletic pursuits. To the viewer’s eyes, its proceedings look like the intersection of rugby, tag, and hobby-horsing, complete with tackling and flying dodgeballs. “There’s an enormous amount going on, because you effectively have three games going on at the same time, and they all interlock,” says UCI senior Timothy Conner. Translated for those unfamiliar with the game’s magical archetype, a team’s chasers (the offense) score points by throwing the quaffle (now a volleyball) through one of three hoops, defended by their rival’s keeper (a goalie). Meanwhile, the beaters (the defense) shower the opposing chasers with dodgeballs, of which the penalty for a successful blow is broom disembarkation (essentially a time-out, where the player must tag his/her home hoops before returning to the game).

As for the game-deciding snitch, the quidditch community has devised a creative alternative to the bewitched, notorious golden ball of Potter lore: a third-party person dressed in yellow from head-to-toe, released on the field upon the 18th minute of play. The first seeker to catch this human snitch (by retrieving a tail attached to the snitch’s waistband) wins 30 points for his/her team and concludes the game. With this complicated interplay, it’s no wonder UCI Quidditch’s motto, “turning nerds into jocks and jocks into nerds since 2013,” seems so fitting.

Real-life quidditch hasn’t always been athletically focused. Adapted by Middlebury College students in 2005, its first matches were contested by cape-clad players on costume-worthy, wooden brooms. However, given its roots in college culture, the game’s initial absurdity soon transformed into a bizarre competition of intelligence and strategy. “Since it’s a brand-new sport, people are learning for the first time how to develop 20 • Orange Appeal • May 2019

“Quidditch is the human condition.”

J.K. Rowling

techniques for offense and defense,” says UCI junior Rachel Ramirez. “In the beginning, they would do a V-formation like how ducks fly, and nowadays, people would never try to do that. People are starting to learn what works and what doesn’t work.” With each overstep of strategy, the muggle rules of quidditch also evolve, expanding in the name of a fair play. In the latest rulebook from US Quidditch (the US’s quidditch governing body), its mind-blowing 187 pages detail everything from broom regulations to the proper conduct of the human snitch.

Yet despite its complexity, quidditch has a singular guiding principle, one that far outshines its budding competitive side – as a game created by and for a loving fandom, it values its inclusivity above all else. “When I saw it at college, and one of my roommates played it, I thought, okay, I’m going to try that sport,” recalls Emily Provenzano, who

played throughout her UCI years and now continues her involvement in a local Orange County team. “What people stay for, though, is the community.” In particular, the game provides a supportive space for people across the gender spectrum, enshrining the integrity of its unique mixed teams with inclusive rules based on personal identification. Under the embrace of its welcoming values, quidditch gives its players the chance to bond over their love for a sport and the magical story behind it, forming a comradery that extends far beyond the outcome of a match.

With all the eloquence of an author, J.K. Rowling perfectly captures the quintessence of quidditch in a recent tweet. “It makes total sense,” she declares. “There's glamour in chasing an elusive lucky break, but teamwork and persistence can still win the day. Everyone's vulnerable to blows of fate and obstructive people, and success means rising above them.

Quidditch is the human condition.” Yet even though its muggle version mirrors the values of modern society, will quidditch be a mainstream game of the future? Anteater Quidditch certainly believes so. “I definitely think it will with time,” says freshman Olivia Forte. “If it gets enough support, it will grow.”

May 2019 • Orange Appeal • 21

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HIDDEN

HAVEN

A unique sanctuary provides refuge for wild animals in the heart of Orange County Story and photography by Jemma Paradise May 2019 • Orange Appeal • 23

N

estled in the suburban hills of Orange County, Rancho Las Lomas is an oasis of the unexpected. With its terracotta villas and lush, forested grounds, its tranquil beauty has evaded the surrounding urbanization, seemingly untouched by place or time. Yet the estate’s uniqueness extends far beyond its picturesque appearance.

Through its Rancho Wildlife Foundation, this 32-acre property is also home to a one-of-akind animal sanctuary, a safe haven for exotic wildlife with nowhere else to go. In the words of Cynthia Findley, a zookeeper and volunteer coordinator, the foundation’s mission is both simple and profound: “to provide a permanent home for displaced animals and educate the public about the plight of endangered animals.”

Rancho Wildlife’s efforts shine particularly clear in the case of its largest resident, a white Bengal tiger named Lily. Classified as an endangered species, only 3,200 Bengal tigers exist in the wild, none of which share Lily’s coloration, for her snowy distinctiveness is too compromising in their native woodland environment.

Instead, she was bred for the color of her fur by a wildlife photo attraction facility, born into the captivity of an industry that prioritizes human entertainment over animal care. However, when the operation shut down (in the wake of a negligent death), Rancho Wildlife offered the then six-month-old Lily a new life, complete with an expansive environment, lots of toys, and an adoring staff of zookeepers. According to the foundation’s veterinarian Dr. Klause, Lily is now one of the happiest big cats he has come across. At the sanctuary, she enjoys a vast array of activities, from pouncing on her giant blue ball to searching for hidden treats, along with other creative enrichments. “Sometimes, we’ll even do bubble baths,” says Findley. “We put a whole bottle of bubble bath in her pool, so it’s just this big pile of bubbles, and she loves it.”

Rancho Las Lomas opened its doors to animals like Lily in 1998, beginning its journey with the arrival of its first inhabitant, Eli the serval. Since officializing its sanctuary status, the foundation has grown into a tight-knit community that both treasures the animals in its charge and strives to educate the public on their value to the wider world. “During the busiest school seasons, we often have field trips,” explains Findley with a smile. “The past few weeks, we’ve had a field trip basically every day.”

However, the heart of Rancho Wildlife’s mission remains rooted unconditionally in the care of its animals. Unlike many other zoos, its sanctuary prioritizes the needs of its wildlife over all else, utilizing a reservation-based 24 • Orange Appeal • May 2019

Mark Anthony the peacock shows off his impressive seasonal plumage

“Sometimes, we’ll even do bubble baths” Cynthia Findley structure that balances public interest with animal wellbeing and enriches the overall visiting experience with its knowledgeable tour guides.

Behind the scenes, volunteers and keepers work tirelessly to keep the operation running as smoothly as possible, and their dedication is apparent in the foundation’s many thriving inhabitants.

Yet for those in the Rancho Wildlife community, the work can also prove personally rewarding. “As a kid, I always wanted to be a zookeeper,” says Findley. “I started as a volunteer. I worked for about six months, and then they offered me a job. I was very lucky.” As she sits in the Rancho’s beautiful courtyard, surrounded by the last of O.C.’s untouched forestry and the distant calls of a peacock, it’s not hard to see why.

Lily claims her favorite blue ball

Fiji the cockatoo perches on her branch, a cheeky gleam in her eye. “She’s so cute, so playful,” says Findley. “She can never get enough attention.”

May 2019 • Orange Appeal • 25

The Last Slice

(DIS)CONNECTED

By Jemma Paradise

I

What are the long term effects of growing up in a culture of social media?

The truth of the research is that we are not going to know the real answer to that until we have teenagers that have grown up and are able to reflect on what it was like. We are in a very particular phase of history right now where young people are growing up with social media, yet the parents, educators and adults have not.

So we are kind of guessing what the long term effects are of this mass addiction; if they go unrecognized, we are going to have a crisis of confidence and loneliness, which are definitely feelings that carry on into adulthood.

The addiction (to social media) is both physiological and physical, which makes it especially hard to break. It not only affects your offline life and how you move through the day but also impacts your sense of self; constant engagement in the media’s upward comparisons have been linked to a decline in mental health.

In that respect, how is social media affecting the way adolescents view themselves in terms of their self-confidence, self-image, and overall identity?

Adolescents are already at the phase of life where you go compare yourself (which is perfectly normal) as a means of socialization. This happened long before social media, 26 • Orange Appeal • May 2019

Jemma Paradise

n this fast paced, ever changing world, advances in technology are often seen as the key to success. Development in communication has empowered businesses across the world and given opportunity to far-reaching communities, but whilst many use this modern media to achieve their dreams and stay in touch with friends, others have fallen prey to its obsession, trapped in a negative cycle that takes control of their lives. The OA caught up with Bailey Parnell, founder and CEO of Skillscamp, to discuss her insight on this growing paradox and its potential to transform the world of communication, both for better and for worse.

but now, the comparisons don’t turn off, are directly tied to your identity, and quantified by likes/shares for everyone to see, even more tangible now than it was subjective before.

Personalities have become a commodity, with interesting philosophical consequences Moving into a workplace dynamic, currently face-to-face communication is central to the success of companies and overall achievement in the marketplace. How will teenage online interactions impact such communication?

If young people are addicted to a screen and they are not prioritizing the offline, then theoretically you would enter the workforce, and if you have never done any soft skills training, it is going to be tougher for you to handle in-person, offline conversations.

In your opinion, define the importance of soft skills?

The five most important soft skills you can build for yourself should start with self-awareness – you need to really understand your own beliefs, values, motivators, stressors so you know when it’s in flux. And Resilience, so that when something happens, you are able to bounce back and actually thrive in the face of that. Self-confidence, because there is a version of you that really does not care this person gets more life, that does not let it affect

your sense of self. Time management, because planning how you are going to spend your day and how much you are going to give to this matters. And finally, everybody should value their time more. Most people don’t appreciate the potential of time because they work in a billable hour industry. Be mindful about what you do; we did observations with participants where I watched them go through their social media feeds, and I would stop them and say “who’s that, did you ‘like’ them, what do you like about the photo.” The scroll was so mindless; you are still taking in visuals, you are still taking in everything, whether you are being mindful of it or not.

Are we going to be able to teach the next generation that it is necessary to switch off sometimes?

Yes, because we need to. Social media is a risky behavior like sex and drugs and alcohol. There is a mass addiction right now by every definition of addiction, physiologically and physically, and like we know with drugs and alcohol, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. It is not meaning we need to abstain, but rather know where to draw the line and understand the need to take breaks.

More importantly than ever though, more important than switching off, is just moderating consumption.

join the rebellion if there were journalists in ‘Star Wars’ Jedi scandals would be publicized.

Jemma Paradise

become a part of something that can change the galaxy.

Join the teams of OC News Team (attached to JRN 106 Video Journalism), the Lariat newspaper and website or Orange Appeal (both attached to each News Media Production course). Visit OCNewsTeam.com, LariatNews.com, or OrangeAppeal.org.

May 2019 • Orange Appeal • 27

FIND YOUR VOICE, BECOME AN ORIGINAL Writing, photography, designing, illustration: Develop your portfolio by contributing to the student magazine when you join JRN 112 News Media Production, Blogging & Social Media this fall and JRN 111 News Media Production & Editing in spring.

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Orange Appeal | March 2016 | www.orangeappeal.org

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