Is Gun Control Overdue?

Seniors Show Their School Spirit

Karissa Fields

BY VIVIANA TRUJILLO

As our senior year comes to an end, it seems that ours has just begun. A burst of senior activities has just been let out to us in this last month or so including homecoming court, Senior Sunrise, prom, and graduation. Covid-19 has put a strain on everyone and because of that our activities have started late and has made gathering difficult. Our student body has, however, done its best to get us back to some kind of normal.

Homecoming nominees came out as of the previous week and winners are to be announced this Friday, April 16th at Senior Sunrise. Voting begins Wednesday, April 13th, and closes the next day. The homecoming Court consists of Aria Jimenez, Jake Knecht, Cielo Said, Noach Wood, Kendall Dawson, Deacon Hill, Izzy Kamin, Sebastian Harris, Wendy Vega, Ty Montgomery, Michelle Joffe, Miles Thompson, Jake Peardon, Malia Hammons, Anthony Simon, and Monique Lopez. Two chosen nominees will be crowned this Friday so do not forget to vote.

Senior Sunrise will be April 16th at 7:30 in the morning where breakfast burritos will be served. COVID guidelines will still apply so 6 feet distance is required as well as masks. It is recommended that you bring a blanket to keep warm. Seniors will also be able to bring a small padlock to place on the love lock wall at the entrance of the senior parking lot.

A COVID-friendly version of prom was also announced dated now May 22nd. Unfortunately, because of the circumstances, dancing in such close proximity is not allowed. It will seem more similar to a festival than a normal prom as there will be many activities, food, and music. Be ready to still dress up formally and look your best. Our theme so far is “Masquerade Under the Stars”. Look out for further information as well as nominations as we come closer to the date.

Lastly, ASB has announced that there will be a graduation for seniors this year on June 2nd, the last day of school. No further details have been given as they do not know what will and will not be regulated by then. Keep your eyes peeled as further details will be given.

Michelle Rubio, Secretary/Treasurer of the ASB cabinet, gave me a quote on ASB’s behalf: “We hope to bring the class of 2021 together one last time for a big celebration for this last year and the hard work that led up to it”.

Belarus Brutality

BY SEBASTIAN SALCIDO

For months, there have been protests in the streets of Minsk in opposition to president Lukashenko’s authoritarian regime. Alexander Lukashenko has been president for 26 years. In the 2020 election of Belarus, the government states that Lukashenko won by 80%. The protests in the aftermath tell a different story. People have been protesting for Lukashenko to step down for months. Some have even been calling for him to be put behind bars. Law enforcement has not been responding kindly to the dissidents. Police have been arresting, beating, and even torturing protesters. Police have used water cannons against protesters as well. Some people who were beaten by law enforcement claim they were even raped.

Lukashenko is not only criticized because it is believed he rigged the election, but Lukashenko has also altered the constitution to remove limits on presidential terms. Lukashenko denied the existence of the coronavirus, and Belarus has one of the largest per capita infection rates. Thousands lost their lives. Lukashenko also stated, “Our constitution is not meant for a female leader.” Back in 2010, police beat up and apprehended several other candidates. Women were leading the protests against Lukashenko. The 3 women leading the opposition were Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, Maria Kolesnikova, and Veronika Tsepkalo. Unfortunately, Lukashenko’s minions abducted Maria and she is now in prison. Svetlana fled to Lithuania and Veronika fled to Ukraine. Back in February, two journalists were jailed for filming the protests in Belarus. The protests continue today. It is unknown how longer these protests will continue to take place until it comes to an end. The European Union placed sanctions on Lukashenko back in November. Svietlana recently stated the United Nations and OSCE are ready to help speak with the state on a new election. How will this crisis be solved? Can it be solved diplomatically or will it take force for this ruthless regime to be brought to an end?

Covid Vaccines Open to 16-Year-Olds

BY YULIANA DE LA LUZ

On April 5th everyone in Santa Barbara County ages 16 and up were deemed eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Santa Barbara County was supplied with enough doses to better deal with all the online vaccine appointments. Vaccination clinics have also increased opening to 7 days a week in Santa Barbara. One of the main reasons for this sudden decision is the increase of vaccine supply from the state.

The clinics are only open to Santa Barbara residents and people who work in Santa Barbara County, you will be turned away if you do not reach any of the requirements.

Starting April 5th and ending April 11th Santa Barbara residents from the ages 16 and up were able to sign up for appointments at Allan Hancock Community College where they would receive the only approved vaccine for their age at the moment which is the Pfizer vaccine. While Santa Barbara residents 18 and older can sign up to receive the Johnson & Johnson, Moderna vaccine, or Pfizer vaccine at the vaccination clinics.

Appointments to the vaccination clinic offered by Santa Barbara County Public Health Department can be made at local pharmacies and healthcare sites.

One of the locations where the vaccination for 16 year olds and older will be held is at Hancock College in Santa Maria from Thursday through Sunday. Residents 18 and older will have open slots on Wednesdays only.

Some students at Santa Barbara High School have expressed their opinions on people their age having access to the vaccine. One student said “I think it could be too early since we are stronger and could handle it better if we got infected. So I think it would be better to do everyone that is at higher risk first.” While other Dons said, “I don’t see anything wrong with it. If adults have access to it then we should too. If you think it benefits you then you should just go for it,” and “I think it’s fine as long as they are all getting it with the guidelines.”

“Maybe yes because it would benefit me but also would scare me,” said a student. “Yeah it could be a possibility,” answered another student. “I would probably get it because I already had it and my 3 months have passed. So yes.” Although many of them are worried about the outcome they’re all at least considering getting the vaccine once it becomes available to them.

“Many of my students told me that they will sign up to receive the vaccine as soon as they are able. No students said that they would NOT get the vaccine,” says Roberta Nye, a teacher at Santa Barbara High School.

Those registered for an appointment should bring with them a documentation with your name on it and proof of Santa Barbara residency. It is recommended by the Publichealthsbc to not make an appointment if you are not currently eligible for the vaccine because it will slow down the process and take away the opportunity for someone who is eligible to make an appointment.

For any additional questions on how to sign up or see if you’re eligible you can visit the PublicHealthSBC. org

KTLA

No More Masks for Texas

BY MIA TALAUGON

Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, announced that on March 10th the mask mandate will be lifted and business will be able to open with an 100% capacity. Abbott stated that Texans have “mastered the daily habits to avoid getting COVID.” City Council member Greg Casar said “If state officials don’t want to do their job protecting people from the virus, then we will.” He also has required Austin and the big cities to still require masks. However for the smaller cities lifting the mask mandate may make it harder for small businesses to stay open. This is difficult for them because most normal citizens who would shop or eat at their establishment do not want to wear a mask at all and if the small business requires masks they could lose a lot of business and run out of money to stay open.

Most Texas citizens were thrilled to hear that they would not need to wear masks anymore, but business owners didn’t know what this would mean for them. They are conflicted by the fact that they would like to continue to require masks in their business establishments yet they do not want to upset a customer who disagrees with them. Another business owner Missy Herring who owns Creating Printing & More located in Three Rivers, Texas said “I was tickled to death, ready to get back to normal.” Herring never forced her customers to wear masks in her establishment as she did not wear one either, she would wear her mask in the stores that required it but she stated “The minute I walked out, I took my mask off.”

A small restaurant in Texas still requires their customers to wear masks, an employee was called “an absolute idiot” after telling a customer they needed to wear a mask. Another incident took place in another restaurant and a bartender was hit in the head with a glass bottle by a mask-less costumer. The bartender ended up having to get stitches. A San Antonio restaurant owner Mike Nguyen said that as an Asian American he is worried about any potential clashes he could have with a customer, especially with how Asian Americans are treated today and all of the violent attacks. Nguyen told CNN that he fully supports reopening Texas businesses however he asked, “But what does taking away the mask mandate have to do with anything about reopening Texas?”

Businesses owners are terrified about how lifting the mask mandate could affect their business if they continue having customers wear masks. Between the two types of people, who knows how this will affect the state. It may either bring people closer together by letting everyone be in the same space at once or it may lead to acts of violence due to different opinions. More and more states are starting to follow Texas in lifting the mask mandate and many more people are starting to form opinions about if it is a good decision or not the smartest one.

The Debate: Cultural Appropriation

Two writers take on the same topic with very different angles

BY SEBASTIAN SALCIDO

In recent years we have seen more and more people become aware of cultural appropriation. I feel there is a great double standard. I see the reaction to white people using things from non-White culture is more criticized than vise versa. I think it is ok for people to wear things from other cultures as long as they don’t claim it as their own. You are entitled to your opinions, however, when people try to police what other people wear or use, to me that is a problem. Here are things from White culture you may have used.

Music

Have you ever played a violin or a piano? They actually come from Italy. You may be shocked to find out that the ukulele was not invented by Polynesian men but European men, more specifically Portugese men. Their names were Manuel Nunes, Augusto Diaz, and Jose do Espirito Santo.

Art Forms

Theatre, Cinema, Animation and Ballet are all European art forms. Theatre comes from ancient Greece. Cinema developed through France in 1895. Animation also came from France in 1892 through “Pauvre Pierrot.” Ballet comes from Italy. Speaking of such things, we constantly get all these people upset about the lack of representation of non-white people in cinema when it is a European art form. I don’t see people as upset about the lack of white representation in Hip Hop, but some people may slam that for cultural appropriation. I saw a website that listed “White chefs selling burritos” as what cultural appropriation of food can look like. It reasoned that it would be “benefiting through financial and social capital, without any benefit to communities that contributed to the food culture in the first place.” Ring-shaped donuts have origins in White America, they were invented by a Dutch-American sailor named Hanson Gregory in 1847. 90% of donut shops in Houston, Texas are owned by Cambodian-Americans. May these Cambodian-Americans be benefiting through financial and social capital, without benefiting the communities that created the food culture in the first place? Baguettes and croissants were also invented by an Austrian named August Zang.

Clothing

Jeans were invented in 1873 by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss. Levi was German and Jacob was Latvian, but both were White men nonetheless. The first cowboy hat was designed by a European-American named John B. Stetson in 1865. Neckties came from Croation mercenaries serving in France during the 30 years war. The suit is a traditional thing men in the West wear.

Now I am not saying non-Whites did nothing for modern culture. The Bible, the book that forms much of people’s moral view and faith in Western society is primarily of middle eastern influence. Kites come from China. Much of modern music was made by people of African descent (Jazz, Rock, Hip Hop). If you see someone enjoying something from another culture, please remember we all benefit from each other’s culture.

BY KARISSA FIELDS

The topic of cultural appropriation is an often complicated and confusing conversation. So, let’s start by defining it. VeryWell Mind defines cultural appropriation as “the use of objects or elements of a non-dominant culture in a way that doesn’t respect their original meaning, gives credit to their source, or reinforces stereotypes or contributes to oppression.” Because the idea of cultural appropriation is a layered phenomenon it can sometimes be hard to spot and understand. Cultures often interact, especially in the melting pot of America, thus creating many incredible subcultures and even genres of music. This is the fruition of appreciation for other cultures, however, the line is sometimes blurred between appreciating and appropriating. Appropriation is the manifestation of ignorance. Appropriation in the simplest terms is using or taking something that does not belong to you. In the cultural context, it most often refers to a dominant group taking something from a minority group that has historically been oppressed or exploited. I say that appropriation is the manifestation of ignorance because it is an act that fails to consider the historical context and thus the weight of the symbols in which an appropriator is wearing for the sake of aesthetics. An example of this is wearing a sacred object, such as an indigenous headdress, and wearing it as a Halloween costume. Take for example the Victoria’s Secret fashion show a few years ago when Karlie Kloss strutted down the runway in a large feathered Native American headdress and turquoise jewelry. This is appropriation rather than appreciation because first off Victoria’s Secret failed to recognize the cultural significance of this headdress and jewelry to indigenous people of North America, and second used a white model. Kim Kardashian along with most of her sisters have been accused of cultural appropriation on multiple occasions. The Kardashians are not first time offenders of appropriating black culture specifically, from the cornrows and box braids to deep “tans”. Kylie Jenner wearing a durag as a fashion accessory is cultural appropriation due to the historical significance of durags dating back to the headwraps enslaved African Americans wore. It is wrong that she gets to wear it as a statement piece yet Black men have to take it off to succeed in corporate america. Another way in which cultural appropriation manifests itself is through cultural degradation. Cultural degradation is the act of using an element of a group’s culture/ identity for the sole purpose of humiliating said group. The most known example of this is blackface. Blackface dates back to approximately 200 years ago when white performers would paint their faces darker to mock enslaved African Americans. These depictions of Black people painted them as lazy, hypersexual, cowardly, and unintelligent. Blackface then and blackface now continues to paint a nasty and racist stereotype. Blackface is not a past racist activity many politicians and celebrities of today have done blackface such as Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau, Dancing With the Stars Julianne Hough, Teen Wolf’s Colton Haynes, and even cancelled youtube star Shane Dawson. Blackface is not a thing of the past and it remains highly ignorant and offensive. Unsure if what you’re doing is cultural appropriation? Well if you’re asking, it probably is, but for the sake of knowing ask yourself these questions because why not err on the side of being respectful and considerate of others. (VeryWell.com): Are you following a trend or exploring the history of a culture? Are you deliberately trying to insult someone’s culture or being respectful? Are you purchasing something that is a reproduction of a culture or an original? (e.g., artwork) How would people from the culture you are borrowing an item from feeling about what you are doing? Are there any stereotypes involved in what you are doing? Are you using a sacred item in a flippant or fun way? (e.g., headdress, burning white sage) Are you borrowing something from an ancient culture and pretending that it is new? Are you crediting the source or inspiration of what you are doing? If a person of the original culture were to do what you are doing, would they be viewed as “cool” or could they possibly face discrimination? Are you wearing a costume that represents a culture? (e.g., Geisha girl, tribal wear, a sombrero and a modelo) Are you ignoring the cultural significance of something in favor of following a trend? Cultural appropriation is avoidable. Ask yourself these questions. Take the time to appreciate and learn from other cultures. Support small businesses that directly benefit members of a culture you appreciate. Give recognition to these cultures and don’t claim as your own or the “hot new thing”. Overall, be sensitive to the experiences of others.

Gun Control and Why It’s Long Overdue

Golden Cosmos

BY SABRINA CRUZ

As America continues to recover from the year that was 2020 and starts to open up again, some unattended wounds have started to bleed with the rise of gun violence all over the country with including the most recent being the targeted attacks on six Asian women in Atlanta to the grocery store shooting in Boulder, Colorado. Our country has a history of mass shootings and that was put to a halt for obvious reasons as the pandemic raged last year. But why have we become so desensitized? We are so used to seeing the headline and so used to arguing over outdated onstitutional rights, we don’t even see the big picture that people are losing their lives because we do not have enough regulation around guns.

According to CNN, in the three weeks after the Atlanta shootings, at least 20 mass shootings have occurred. One example, the shooting in Boulder, Colorado which took place just six days after the shooting in Atlanta was a situation where the gun was bought very close to the date of the actual shooting. Seamus McGraw, a journalist, informed ABC News that “the last-minute gun purchase is ‘absolutely a pattern’ in massacres in the United States”. So if this is a pattern, why has it taken this long to even start the chatter about gun laws around wait time to purchase a lethal weapon? If the same behavior has been displayed over the many years of mass shooting and school shootings, why haven’t laws around wait time changed?

The political climate also hasn’t helped things with a heated election and aftermath, especially when it came to how our previous president handled the pandemic. Many hate crimes against Asian-Americans have also been committed due to many far right politicians such as Donald Trump putting the blame on the Asian community for the pandemic, calling it the “Chinese virus” or the “Wuhan virus.” The most recent and brutal of these was the shootings of the six Asian women in Atlanta. The shooter was also a previous customer at Gold spa, and it was later discovered that he had a sex addiction revealed by his previous roommate who said he had previously gone to massage parlors for sex. As reported by The New York Times, “Mr. Long, who is white, said he had targeted the spas because he wanted to remove a ‘temptation,’ the authorities have said.” That temptation was his sexual desire toward the women at the massage parlor. It’s possible that he may have had an addiction, a disease that was out of his control, but this could have all been prevented if there was a mandatory psychological evaluation before you purchase a lethal weapon that could’ve determined his state of mind and what his intentions were. Many people may argue for the Second Amendment and that all Americans have the right to defend themselves and to bear arms. And, Yes ,everyone should have the right to defend themselves, but when you live in a country where you have been learning how to hide or run in a zigzag line to avoid an active shooter since you were five, you get tired of seeing the same headline. You get tired of seeing innocent blood being spilt. You just get tired of seeing tears shed for people that had so much life ahead of them. We are reminded of Columbine, Sandy Hook and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school shootings where children lost their lives doing what they did everyday. Yet politicians and lawmakers still let their paychecks influence our laws. Thankfully, no school shootings have happened yet this year, but when one does, will we mourn and move on or will we do something about it?

The Iliad, The Odyssey, and All of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less

Lulu Marsetti

BY EMERSON STEADY

Over a year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced Santa Barbara High School’s renowned theatre program to go dark, actors are finally returning to the stage. In both the first onstage production since the pandemic began and the first under the direction of new Theatre Arts teacher Justin Baldridge, SBHS students will summarize the whole canon of Greek mythology within a strict time limit. With each of the nine actors playing a multitude of roles and donning a plethora of costumes and props, the show has proved to be quite the production, a worthy challenge for Baldridge’s first outing. Baldridge in fact views himself as just part of a much larger team along with his student designers and technical director Talitha Blackwell. This show was selected with the pandemic in mind to provide covid-safe lightning-bolt speed hysterics for adults and students alike. Due to the coronavirus, there will be no live audience for the first time in SBHS Theatre history. However, the show is being streamed live each night and tickets are available at SBHSTheatre.com. They are $12 for individuals and $22 for families.

The show begins as nine students enter a classroom, and one of them nonchalantly flips over an hourglass. The rest of them proceed to freak out as they hurry to cover all of Greek Mythology before the sand runs out. And I mean ALL of Greek Mythology, beginning with the creation of the universe, the war between the titans and the Gods, the introduction of the 12 great Olympians, and the creation of the humans. And that’s just in the first twenty minutes. As the name suggests, Homer’s epic poems also feature prominently. The Iliad which portrays the great battles between the Greeks and the Trojans and The Odyssey which details Odysseus’s 10-year journey home after the war make up the bulk of the show and are described in comedically rich detail. Other segments include a dating-show style account of Greek romances, and two teams competing for who can tell the more ridiculously tragic story. Other than a quick intermission after The Iliad, the performers never take a break from telling these hilarious stories during this 99 minute marathon of a show.

To ensure the safety of everyone involved, the show will be performed with masks and social distancing. Theatre is a particularly difficult format to meet these requirements, so this production has been a learning process for everyone. Namely, actors usually rely on facial expressions to communicate their intention and emotions to the audience. Throughout the rehearsal process for this show, however, Baldridge says he has had to focus on getting actors to fully inhabit their bodies. This is a particularly important skill in comedy, especially character-based comedy, where distinct physical personas count for everything. Furthermore, the staging has been created to allow actors to remain six feet apart at all times. Baldridge said that at first, this proved difficult for the student actors in connecting to their scene partners, but over time as students got more used to the format, and just being back in person doing theatre, it began to click. Characters developed, relationships emerged, and the comedy of the show took over.

As the first major production in the new era of Santa Barbara High School Theatre, Baldridge has put a specific emphasis on the role of student designers. Long before actors began rehearsing in January, designers were already planning the show in November and December. As director, Baldridge says he simply views his job as “uniting everyone.” It is then the job of costume, set, and prop designers to figure out how to implement the initial vision into a cohesive show. In this way, ideas flow from everyone on the team. For example, early in the process, Baldridge decided he wanted to use students giving a presentation in a classroom as a framing device. The student costume designers, Malia Hubbard and Lulu Marsetti, then came up with the idea of having each student’s outfit and personality fit into a specific archetype. For example, Elizabeth Throop plays the loud theatre kid, with her “I can’t, I have rehearsal” shirt. Baldridge also worked with student scenic designer Anisa Saleh to create the atmosphere of a classroom, with whiteboards and desks, while also serving the drama of the stories with balconies and pillars. All of these elements blended together to create a show that is uniquely SBHS.

Theatre all around the world has been disrupted as much as any industry by the Covid pandemic. From Broadway to high school, curtains have been drawn and seats have been empty. But following strict guidelines, SBHS theatre students are once again able to perform. It has certainly been a strange year for theatre, but this year has made Baldridge hopeful for the future of the theatre arts program with the new rigorousness of his theatre classes, the foundation of the Theatre Arts Club, and the success of this production. He said that this show has served an important role in “laying down the foundation, that as a teacher and a director, I focus more on the process, then on the necessary outcome.”

The Iliad, the Odyssey, and All of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less opened last weekend and has three more performances starting Thursday! The talented cast will perform via live stream on April 15th and 16th at 7PM, and April 17 at 4PM. Tickets are available at SBHSTheatre.com. This show is sure to delight lovers of Greek Mythology, supporters of SBHS theatre, and anyone just looking for a moment of levity in these difficult times.

Artist of the Month: Jaelie

Raven O’Donnell

BY CHARLEY RAYMOND

The artists of the month for April are Raven O’Donnell, Cassandra Stewart, and Arlen Abbey in a band called Jaelie. The band is the three of them and was started two years ago. Arlen plays piano and creates beats for the songs. Raven works on beats as well and plays drums while also focusing on the advertising side for the group. Cassandra works on the lyrics and all forms of vocals within the songs.

I asked them about their passion for music and how it started. Cassandra said that she started singing from a young age and has always loved singing and songwriting. Raven learned to play music back in elementary school, found a passion for drums, continued playing drums into high school, and is now part of the marching band and drumline at SBHS. Arlen would always gravitate to the piano at his grandma’s house. When his grandma picked up on this, she put him into piano lessons, and he has been playing piano ever since and is now in jazz and drumline as well at SBHS.

They shared the story of how they met with lots of enthusiasm. Arlen told the story of how he and Cassandra met in his freshman and sophomore years in Spanish class. He said that they knew little of each other and their relationship consisted of giving the other a pencil or eraser when the other needed one. And it stayed that way until one day she said that she wanted to start a band and he mentioned that he plays piano. From there, Raven joined the band and became introduced to Cassandra through a mutual friend. While awkward at first, they have all become close friends with each other.

I asked them about what they plan to do after high school and if they still want to do music together. Arlen explained that they have learned to do the band meetings over zoom because of the pandemic so it really wouldn’t make that much of a difference if they were far away from each other at college. None of them plan on pursuing music as a career but hope to forever have a passion for it and keep it in their lives. Even in college, when they have hectic schedules, they still hope to use music as a creative outlet for themselves.

I could tell through the interview that not only are they band mates but close friends and that their relationships with one another go beyond music. Their passion is evident through the way they discussed the creative process and their stories with music. It’s interesting to see the way music can bring people together and affect people’s lives.

Instagram: @jaeliemusic Website: Jaeliemusic.com

Mariposa Cosmeticz, a Student Run Business

Mariposa Cosmeticz

BY ALEXA COBIAN SIMON

Emma Baltadano, born and raised in Santa Barbara, established her business, Mariposa Cosmetics, back in August of 2020. Baltadano is currently a junior who attended Santa Barbara High School up until last year. She switched over to Alta Vista Alternative School right about when the pandemic started. She remarks that most of her time is taken up by her job as well as “coming up with ways to advertise the brand on Instagram.” She also states that she has always loved how businesses have the ability to “open up doors for different types of people.” Baltadano adds on to her list of reasons by saying that each business also has the potential to “bring something special and unique to the table.”

Mariposa Cosmetics has a variety of different products, ranging from eyelashes and jewelry to T-shirts and tapestries. Baltadano decided to create Mariposa Cosmetics because she was inspired by many different businesses she’s seen online, she wanted to be a part of the business world and wanted to have a platform to share ideas with others. Baltadano gathered inspiration from her childhood and culture to shape the style of her brand. She draws inspiration from the murals all over her neighborhood and also from early 2000’s glamour shots, specifically ones that she found of herself as a child and used as an inspiration for her tapestries. The main factor that pushed Baltadano to create her own business was wanting to see her own ideas come to life.

There are many positives that come with starting a business. For one, the positive feedback a business receives and seeing a product go over well with customers is extremely important because it’s encouraging. Everyone needs encouragement in order to strive, so a good job can go a long way. But because owning a business can be a bit overwhelming at times, Baltadano, in a way, makes lemonade out of lemons. Baltadano feels she gets into her “zone” when she listens to music while packing orders and making lip glosses. She finds the process “therapeutic,” a small way of incorporating mindfulness into her day.

There are some negatives to owning a business as well. The biggest factor to consider when starting a business or being a business owner is being aware that they’re constantly going to have to be taking risks. In Baltadano’s words, “you never know what people are going to like or dislike.” Whatever you’re going to be selling, people will either love or hate it. That’s why a business owner will constantly have to be taking risks. Baltadano adds on that another difficult aspect of owning a business would have to be advertising or finding ways to promote your business. It’s difficult after a while to come up with new ways or ideas to catch people’s attention and possibly gain new customers.

Overall, running a business does take a lot of consideration and hard work, but Baltadano does give some words of wisdom to anyone who is planning to start a business of their own. She advises that they do extensive research on what they’re going to be selling because sometimes there are some pretty good deals out there that most people overlook. Baltadano also advises to not rush the process! It’s very important to take the time you need in order to have a successful business. Do whatever feels right or in other words just go with the flow.

iCarly Reboot Coming to Paramount+

BY CHARLIE HESS

In December of 2020, millennials and Gen-Z alike were both happily surprised when news broke that a fan-favorite Nickelodeon Kids show was making its return to our screens. iCarly pleased viewers with its lovable characters and slapstick humor between the years 2007 and 2012. Across six seasons we watched the trio of teenagers, Carly, Sam, and Freddie take on the task of surviving high school, whilst running a hugely popular Web Show named after the title of the program. Now, audiences get to view our beloved characters once more when an entire first season, comprising 13 episodes, launches on the Paramount+ streaming service early this summer. As the announcement of the show’s revamp came only a few months ago, story and plot details are scarce so far. However, we do know one important development is that the character Freddie becomes a stepfather! This was discovered when actress Jaidyn Triplett, age 10, was confirmed as a cast member said to play ‘Freddie’s snarky and social media-savvy stepdaughter’ according to Paramount+’s Twitter account. On top of this, another actress named Laci Mosley will be portraying ‘Harper, Carly’s roommate and best friend’ this quote also surfacing from Paramount+’s Twitter account. But after rummaging through the cast list a very important observation became evident in my mind, ‘where is Sam?’ The disappearance of everyone’s favorite rib-loving best friend came as quite a shock to viewers, as she played arguably the second most important role on the show! Digging deeper into the loss of this pivotal character, I discovered the actress Jennette McCurdy, who played Sam in the first adaptation of the show had actually spoken about the issue to the public. On her podcast ‘Empty Inside’ she tells us ‘“My experience with acting is, I’m so ashamed of the parts I’ve done in the past...I resent my career in a lot of ways. I feel so unfulfilled by the roles that I played and felt like it was the most cheesy, embarrassing. I did the shows that I was on from like 13 to 21, and by 15, I was already embarrassed. My friends at 15, they’re not like, ‘Oh, cool, you’re on this Nickelodeon show.’ It was embarrassing. And I imagine there’s a very different experience to be had with acting if you’re proud of your roles, and if you feel fulfilled by them.” This revelation is truly heartbreaking, but it seems all we can do now is see how the new best friend character of ‘Harper’ compares to the beloved, fat-cake-consuming Sam Puckett. As I continued my research, I found out more than one important character is completely missing in the upcoming highly-anticipated revival. Gibby, our shirtless king, is nowhere to be seen! In a tweet from iCarly producer Jay Kogen, he states that Noah Munck has been approached about reprising his role, but that was all the information the fans were given. Other former cast members that have not been confirmed to return are Mary Scheer (Ms. Benson), Reed Alexander (Nevel Papperman), and BooG!e (T-Bo), among others. Keep in mind, we don’t know for sure whether these actors have turned down their roles, or haven’t yet been approached, so there is always a chance we could see these characters one last time. As a big fan of the show back in the day, I certainly have a couple of things I’d love to see in the reboot. First off, I want to see a fun reincarnation of their web show, with all the silly skits and segments we’ve come to love. I think what gave the first iteration of the series so much heart was the truly hilarious moments captured during their broadcast of Carly and Sam ‘Random Dancing’ or my personal favorite ‘Messin’ With Lewbert!’ Also, I’m curious to find out what everyone has been up to these past 9 years! Is Spencer still an artist? When did Freddie get married? And last but not least, I’m eager, but also nervous to discover what Sam’s fate is, or if they’ll even mention what happened to Carly’s co-star? Throughout the drama and scandals surrounding the revival of one of Nickelodeon’s greatest creations, I still have excitement built up inside of me to finally be reunited with the characters that defined so many of our childhoods. Even if treasured characters like Sam and Gibby don’t return, we still are in for a positive burst of nostalgia once the iconic lyrics ‘wake up the members of our nation…’ enter our mind. These past few months have been trying times for a lot of teenagers, but with the announcement of the reboot, we’ve been given a growing light, in a continuously dark tunnel. So if all goes to plan, grab a Blueberry Blitz from the Groovy Smoothie and mark your calendars for early this summer!

Miranda Cosgrove

We Are Who We Are

BY EMMA KING

We Are Who We Are, is a beautifully crafted TV show directed by the talented Luca Guadagino. Luca Guadagino not only directed this masterpiece of a show, but he also directed Call Me by Your Name. A movie about Elio and Oliver and their blossoming summer romance. There are definitely nameable elements in both of his similar pieces. The way he films is the same. The non-intrusiveness of the camera and the way he finds beauty in simplicity. He is such an incredible director. Other movies he has directed include The Staggering Girl, The Protagonist, I Am Love, and Antonia.

This show follows the lives of Caitlin Harper and Fraser Wilson testing out the deep waters of teenage adolescence. It is set in a military base located in Italy. When crafting the show Luca and the set designer wanted to create an Americanized bubble, but when the characters stepped out they find themselves in Bagnoli di Sopra, Italy. This show is uncomfortable, raw, and unforgettable. The series explores themes derived from everyday life. The actors and actresses do a wonderful job portraying real, authentic characters. This cast includes Kid Cudi, Chloë Sevigny, Alice Bragga, Jack Dylan Grazer, Fransesca Scorsese, and breakout star Jordan Kristen Seamón.

One of the most memorable lessons taken away from this show is that identity is not a static state of being, but rather a dynamic one. Throughout the show, both Fraser and Caitlin are trying to figure out sexuality, gender, and preferences. It is shown that Fraser might be gay and Caitlin transgender. Although it is never labeled the audience assumes based on the on-screen behavior of these two characters. At the end of the show, Fraser and Caitlin share a kiss after attending a Blood Orange concert in Bologna. This kiss broke down any preconceived notions the audience had about them. A lot of the time across the world there is a need to have everything figured out. Including “who we are”. For me, this show broke down those walls. It made me comfortable with the fact that it is ok to not have everything figured out.

Not only does this show explore identity, but it also explores a teenager’s relationship with their parents. The conflicts and the beautiful moments. Both Caitlin and Fraser have strained relationships with their parental figures. For Fraiser, his conflict lies with one of his moms-, Sarah. For Caitlin, it is with her father- Richard. It shows the good and the bad. That’s another thing that is so well done. The show’s ability to portray not only good but also portray the bad. Death and conflicts are portrayed just as well as partying and fun teenage antics.

Musical director Devonté Hynes did an amazing job curating the music. His own music group Blood Orange featured songs in the show. These songs included “Time Will Tell” and “It Is What It Is”. In the show, Fraser and Caitlin’s favorite band is Blood Orange so it was inevitable that they eventually attend a Blood Orange concert where the music group actually played for the scene in the show.

We Are Who We Are explores identity, self-discovery, relationships, love, and the general ups & downs of life and growing up. This show changed my perspective on so many aspects of my life and the world around me. The show is out on HBO max and Hulu as a limited-time TV show. I recommend you go give it a watch!

We Are Who We Are

A Recap of the 63rd Grammy Awards

Page Six

BY MIA TALAUGON

The 63rd Grammy Awards took place on Sunday March 14, 2021. Held outside of the Staples Center in Los Angeles and hosted by Trevor Noah, 83 awards were given out, however only the main ones were televised. In between awards, many talented performers shared performances with the viewers at home. The first Grammy Awards were presented by NARAS in 1959 in Los Angeles, California when 28 awards were given out. The number of awards have greatly increased as more and more music genres have come out. Rock was the first genre recognized in by the academy and a couple years later the next genre was Rap. The award for best music video was handed out in 1982. The number of awards grew and shrunk over the years until they stabilized the awards at 83 in 2017. For the 2021 Grammys, they had to change up the settings due to COVID-19. Half of the awards were announced on a livestream over Zoom before the televised awards. They limited the people attending to just the ones nominated for the big categories, They all sat outside socially distanced and wearing masks. The only times a person took off their mask was if they had won and were going up to get their gold gramophone award and give a speech.

The nominations for these Grammys were chosen by recording studios and Recording Academy members submitting their entries for consideration. The nominees were announced November 24, 2020 by the Interim Recording Academy President/CEO Harvey Mason Jr on an hour long live stream. Following the live stream the nominations were announced on the Grammy’s social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. The nominations included artists such as Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Dua Lipa, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, H.E.R, Megan Thee Stallion, and many more. Most of the nominees also spread the word on their social media showing fans what they were nominated for.

The show started by host Trevor Noah announcing himself and walking to the stages of the performers. The opening act of the show was Harry Styles performing his hit song “Watermelon Sugar.” The next performance was Billie Eilish with “Everything I Wanted.” The closing performer of this opening act was the punk rock sister band HAIM, and they did their song “The Steps”. They paused performances to give out awards and then the performances started back up again with the Black Pumas playing “Colors.” Next was rap artist DaBaby and Roddy Ricch with “Rockstar.” Then came the Latin singers Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez with their single “DÁKITI.” After more awards, Dua Lipa made her appearance and DaBaby came back with her to perform their hit “Levitating” together. When DaBaby left the stage, Dua continued with her song “Don’t Start Now.” The following performance was Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak together as they debuted their first Silk Sonic song “Leave the Door Open.” And to finish up this segment of the show, Taylor Swift performed “Cardigan,” “August,” and “Willow.” After these performances, the show had a small memorial for artists who passed away, but have left a huge impact in the music industry. Silk Sonic took the stage once again and performed a remembrance to Little Richard covering one of his songs. Lionel Richie covered Kenny Rogers and Brandi Carlile sang John Prine’s Grammy-winning “I Remember Everything.” To wrap up the “In Memoriam’’ section of the show, Chris Martin and Brittany Howard performed Gerry Marsden’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” 4 country singers were next. Mickey Guyton sang her Grammy nominated song “Black Like Me,” Miranda Lambert was next singing “Blue Bird” from her album Wildcard. Finishing the country performances was Marren Morris who did a duet with John Mayer singing “The Bones.” The next category was the Rap category and opening was Megan The Stallion with “Body” and “Savage”. Cardi B then joined Megan to sing her song “Up” and together they performed “WAP.” More rap artists followed such as Post Malone, Lil Baby, Doja Cat, and Roddy Ricch. Closing the performances was BTS live from Korea performing their hit song “Dynamite.” The pre-show awards were livestreamed on youtube a couple hours before the Grammys started. Following the pre-awards was the red carpet. All the nominees who were arriving to the in person awards showed off their outfits for the night before walking in. The most recognized award at the Grammys is Record of the Year and for the second year in a row, Billie Eilish took this award home with her song “Everything I Wanted.” Another award that is very well known is Album of the Year and this award went to Taylor Swift and her album Folklore. Song of the Year went to “I Can’t Breathe” by H.E.R which was a song she wrote about the Black Lives Matter protests. Best New Artist went to Megan Thee Stallion. Best Pop Solo Performance went to Harry Styles for “Watermelon Sugar.” Best Vocal Pop Album went to Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa. “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé won Best Rap Performance and it also won Best Rap Song. Beyoncé won Best R&B Performance for “Black Parade.” This year’s Grammy awards was a very big one for multiple artists and definitely one they will cherish forever. Beyoncé beame the most awarded woman in Grammy history with a total of 28. Beyoncé was also the most nominated artist for the 2021 Grammys and now has had 79 Grammy nominations. She also won six Grammys in one night which has only been done by one other artist. Lastly, she won seven Grammys for consecutive albums, a record that she shares with 3 other artists and groups. Her daughter Blue Ivy became the second youngest person to win a Grammy for her writing credit on “Brown Skin Girl” which won best music video. Taylor Swift is now the first woman who has won album of the year three times. Her previous two albums that have won are Fearless and 1989, and now Folklore is one of them. Overall, this Grammy Awards was very entertaining and had a lot of amazing performances and well deserved awards. Under the circumstances with COVID-19, they did an amazing job at making it feel like how an award show before the pandemic would feel.

Lil Nas X Music Video Controversy

BY CATHERINE HARLOW

Lil Nas X’s new music video, MONTERO, released March 26 has created a lot of controversy so far with people with religious values. During the video, he incorporates depictions of heaven and hell, which can be offensive towards certain groups, depending on how it is represented. A main controversial point was Lil Nas X sliding down a pole from heaven to hell, strip dancing towards where Satan or the Devil was sitting. Incorporating the Devil into his music video did tend to upset a large group of Christians and religious groups since Satan is a symbol of hate and the opposite of good. In the video, he obviously portrays himself as a gay man, and since gay is usually not supported by many religious groups, he used that logic in the MONTERO music video.

I showed this video to my father because he was curious about what it was talking about since he saw it on the news. My father is a moderate Christian, but the video was very out of the ordinary. The part that upsets most people is when Lil Nas X gives a lap dance to The Devil. The interpretation people have been getting from the video is that he is a satanist or is trying to get his audience to do the same. Since he blew up on TikTok, his fan base is full of younger viewers, who may be influenced by his behavior.

Not only did he introduce Satan into his video, but he also made a limited edition brand shoe with the devil sign on it, also adding a drop of blood into each pair of shoe soles. It does not give off a very good message to his audience. Nike decided to sue Lil Nas X for his pair of shoes claiming “ trademark infringement, asking a federal court in New York to stop MSCHF from selling the shoes and prevent them from using its famous Swoosh.” Nike settled on an agreement to recall the shoes and to offer full refunds to any person who bought these shoes to keep them from circulating.

The whole story behind the song seems to be about trying to use the logic of gay being a “sin” against its self, but the way the music video is portrayed is not family-friendly. Obviously, his music is not made for a younger audience. His hit song “ Old Town Road” was very popular on TikTok in 2019. He does make history for being one of the only openly gay rap artists, which seems to be excepted and praised by his viewers, but the way he showed it in the music video did not please most people. Overall, I think the music video wasn’t meant to be taken in a negative way although at the end of the video he kills Satan and takes his horns and wears it on his head, becoming “Satan,” which definitely put some people over the edge. This music video is not for people who are sensitive to religious topics or beliefs because the MONTERO music video can be triggering or upsetting for certain groups of people.

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