The Skyline View Spring 2017 issue 2

Focal Point

Sports

Skyline vs.

San Jose City College

How was your Valentine’s?

Terrible? Page 5

The

Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Skyline View The Voice of Skyline College, San Bruno, California

Volume XLI - Issue 2

February 16, 2017

The “13th” reveals hidden reality for people of color

www.theskylineview.com

Emergency beds given during storms to homeless or to those in need

By Mint Tan

TSV Staff Illustrator

Miguel Madrigal/The Skyline View Dave “Davey” Cook, Dr. Jelani Cobb and Lasana O. Hotep discuss the new Netflix documentary “13th” on a panel in honor African American Heritage Month on Feb. 13, 2017.

By Laurel B. Lujan TSV Interim News Editor

The Black Student Union hosted a panel on Feb. 13, in honor of African American Heritage Month, to discuss the mass incarceration of people of color and how racism and the criminalization of immigrants is caused by a loophole in the 13th Amendment.

Who’s affected by the 13th Amendment?

A new documentary, “13th,” was shown in snippets to give the audience a better picture of what is happening in the United States system of social issues including the mass incarceration of African Americans and Latinos.

The panel was moderated by Lasana O. Hotep, Dean of Student Equity and Support Programs at Skyline College.

Relevancy in the past and the 21st Century After the first section of the film, David “Davey” Cook, professor of Africana Studies at San Francisco State University, highlighted what the film was doing by presenting to the audience the history of

slavery and how it is “framing” the narrative of how the 13th Amendment relates to today.

According to the Library of Congress website, the Amendment stands for being able to only punish those who are convicted of a crime through servitude.

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

With this particular Amendment, and the South’s cotton economy in “tatters,” Dr. Jelani Cobb, a Journalism professor at Columbia University said. Cobb has appeared in the documentary and spoke about how it was difficult for the South to meet the quota of being able to survive without free labor.

In the panel Cook further explained that a loophole was found in order to restore the previous system by legally having African Americans incarcerated, to work as free labor, creating the biggest prison boom after the attempt of the Reconstruction of the South around 1876.

Cook and Cobb agree with the narrative of the documentary of

Fifty Shades Darker Review Pg. 6

why mass incarceration has become the norm in the years since then.

The Social Culture and Stigma of People of color Cook explained that imprisonment has been normalized as a form of entertainment through documentary television shows focusing on prisons and who is incarcerated, namely African Americans and Latinos.

“When people see these marathon films, it’s almost justified,” Cook said. “We don’t think about jail above what is shown on these TV shows, so what’s missing in a narrative is the horrors that people experience once they’re incarcerated: beaten, raped and being there for long periods of time, families broken up and all these types of things … if you’re not experiencing it you may come to the conclusion that you have to find alternatives to jail.”

As the panel went on, the discussion was focused toward the research showing the mass incarceration of people of color.

Emergency shelter beds were activated on Thursday Feb. 9, due to a significant weather system affecting much of the Bay Area.

The inclement weather in the area had raised public concerns, and the Center on Homelessness decided to provide a safe place for those who were in need.

“There are two types of programs,” said Charlie Hamilton, a spokesperson from LifeMoves, the organization behind the program. “The first is the family program, the person needs to be in San Mateo County and he or she needs to have a child who is five years old and under and [has] never been on the program before.”

The second program is geared towards helping a more a different, yet similar demographic.

“The second program is for homeless singles, which began from Nov. 15 through April,” Hamilton said. “This service will be open up among those

The justification The panel focused on Ava DuVernay’s perspective, the director that the legal system is flawed in terms of who goes to jail based on the crimes inmates committed. Since only snippets of the film were shown, in the full documentary it elaborates on the growing inmate population, from 357,292 in 1970 to 2,306,200 in 2014. This is due to activist groups such as the Black Panthers being closely followed by former President Nixon and President Ronald Reagan in hopes to crack down on crime, but focusing on these particular groups.

“We do not see between incarceration and crime,” Cobb said. “Were you to listen to the things being said in Washington D. C., especially things that are coming out of the Trump administration where they are saying that crime is at an all-time high, people should be afraid,

dates depending on how severe the weather is.”

According to Hamilton, the organization has been providing these services for nine years. The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors are targeting to end homelessness within the district by 2020. They are hoping the shelter will be a good start to help those in need get their feet on the ground again.

The winter weather that hit the Bay Area in the last couple weeks has been harsh on not just the homeless, but the residents too.

“What they are offering to the homeless is great and helpful,” said Michaela Giles, a 19-year-old student from Skyline College. “The weather changed the way people are driving on the street and we are more cautious now than we are on a good sunny day.”

Giles continued, “that being said, a shelter for the homeless in such weather will at least help them to find warmth and be safe.”

For further information regarding the program, please visit http://hsa.smcgov.org/emergency-safety-net-assistance-cores.

people should be fearful and so on but in actuality crime is at a 47 year low.”

Towards the end of the panel there was a Q and A session, where the audience was able to write down their questions for the speakers to answer.

Cook elaborated on a real life example: what recently happened in Oakland and how the police were called on a few African American males for standing outside their house by a causcasion woman who moved into their neighborhood resulting in an arrest of the young men.

For one of the questions, it was asked about the recent events concerning the accuser of Emmitt Till, Carolyn Bryant Donham, who admitted that Till did not harass or flirt her but resulted

Continued on page 2

2

News

The Staff Editor In Chief Gregory Ragaza Digital Editor Kevin Perez News Editor Laurel B. Lujan Opinions Editor Chris christenson FocalPoint Editor Adreana Estigoy Sports Editor Brian Silverman Chief Copy Editor Shamal Prasad Copy Editor(s) Haley Holmes Carol High Multimedia Editor Blynn Beltran Photographer Editor Kevin Perez Social Meddia Marie Hom Editor at Large Josh Chan Staff Writers Carolina Araruz Christina Seruge Judah Darwin Abigail Avalos Katrina Benedicto Lauren Gozon Miguel Madrigal Amanda Blanco Olivia bowman Staff Photographer(s Mark Magat Staff Illustrator(s) Mint Tan

Online Education Initiative to aid students in graduating

By Lauren Gozon TSV Staff writer

California introduced the nation’s largest community college course exchange with 113 academic institutions.

Students at all levels are stuck if the classes they need aren’t available at their college. Some even wait until the following semester to enroll. To help students get the credits they need, California Community Colleges (CCC), the nation’s largest structure with 113 academic institutions, launched a course exchange. In this program, students at one campus can take classes (online or in-class) at another campus if those courses are not available at their home college.

Jared Stein, the vice president of Higher Education Strategy was very optimistic about the CCC course exchange in an interview.

“If you can open up windows for faculty to get a glimpse of what other faculty are doing,” Stein said.

“You’re going to see sparks of innovation.”

In the last 10 years, state budget cuts forced California’s community colleges to turn down about 600,000 students.

In an effort to stop shutting out students, California began building a collaborative program, Online Education Initiative (OEI), in late 2013. OEI enables CCC students to sign up for online courses at another CCC without having reapply for financial aid or enroll at the other college.

Offering online courses doesn’t guarantee students with access will succeed, so in addition to the course, classes on the exchange incorporate counseling and online

tutoring to help students.

Lorraine DeMello, a College Success counselor at Skyline College, had become familiar with this initiative in order to try to ensure the student’s success with these programs.

“At Skyline College, we are looking at our distance education courses and have integrated the OEI rubric as a way to ensure that we are meeting standards that support student success,” DeMello said DeMello also stated that any initiative that can potentially provide equitable outcomes for students and increase student success are positive and necessary.

Based on student’s reactions, the point of the launch is to make getting an education more efficient.

“I think it’s cool because you’re not limited to the classes at your college,” Jesse Lake said, second semester student at Skyline. “It should help students who want to graduate in two years.”

Some colleges will pilot 20 courses, with five seats per section, permitting a small-scale testing of the program. The program will begin in the Winter 2017 quarter and follow through the Spring quarter.

Jory Hadsell, executive director of OEI, put a lot of time into creating services that would be available to students in order to help their success.

“It’s an intentionally small launch,” Hadsell said. “We want to crawl before we walk.”

To test out the course exchange, CCC is set to launch the OEI program at eight other colleges.

OEI plans to expand college participation for exchange courses in Spring 2018. From there, the

Colleges Particapting in OEI Program

Want more news? www.theskylineview.com Or maybe you have news for us?

(650) 738-4377

• • • • • • • •

Want to yell at us? theskylineview@gmail.com Or use snail mail: The Skyline View c/o Language Arts Room 8-8110 Skyline College 3300 College Drive

Butte College Coastline College Foothill College Fresno City College Lake Tahoe Community College Mt. San Jacinto College Shasta College Ventura College

Feb. 16, 2017

District Crime Report

•Date- February 11, 2017 Time: 11:48 p.m.

Location- San Bruno Incident- The Arrest for a felony hit and run of a pedestrian which occurred on Feb. 9, 2017. The accident took place on El Camino and Citation Avenue, where a 42 year old man was struck. The injuries were serious but as the police report states, are not life threatening.

Suspect’s Description- On Feb. 10, 2017, Samuel Pinfold, a resident of South San Francisco, was charged and booked into the San Mateo County Jail related to charges of the felony hit and run.

•Date- February 11, 2017 Time: 4:15 to 9:15 p.m.

Location- San Bruno Incident- According to the San Bruno Pres Release, San Bruno Police Officers responded at 9:20 p.m. to the residential burglary at a residence in the Skycrest Circle neighborhood, which is located near the intersection of San Bruno Avenue and Glenview Avenue. “The investigation revealed that sometime between 4:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., unknown suspect(s) forced open the front door to the residence, searched through a room inside, and stole cash and jewelry before fleeing the area.”

Suspect’s Description- Unknown *Anonymous tips are accepted. *All information came from San Bruno Press Releases If you have any information, please callSan Bruno Police Department at (650) 616-7100 or by email at sbpdtipline@sanbruno.ca.gov.

OR South San Francisco Police Department at (650) 877-8900 or anonymous tip line (650) 952-2244.

Amendment Continued from page 1 in Till’s death. Cobb responded about how fear is deeply connected to the stigma of people of color.

Using Dylan Roof, a convicted American mass murderer, as an example, Cobb elaborated on why Roof carried shot nine Charleston church members in South Carolina on June 17, 2015 “One of the people who he had shot asked him why was doing what he did and how they mean him no harm,” Cobbs said.

Roof, as Cobb relayed, it was because black men were raping white women and taking over the world.This explanation was one

of many documented on video interrogation by the FBI used in the trial.

President Trump was another example, as Trump claimed that Mexicans were rapists, on record, during his presidential campaign.

The connection Cobb was trying to drive home was with these stigmas of men of color sexually assaulting women, these are the reasons used to justify racist actions.

“We should look at what the ultimate agenda is there and what the ultimate implications of it are,” Cobb said. “We are both trapped in the tradition of paranoia in American history.”

San Bruno CA 94066

3

The Skyline View is a First Amendment Publication. The Skyline View is published bi-weekly during the spring and fall semesters by the journalism students at Skyline College. The Skyline View is a member of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges.

Opinions expressed in the paper are those of the writers and should not be interpreted as the views of Skyline College, SMCCCD, the faculty, administrators or the newspaper adviser. Additionally, the paper does not endorse any of the products or services advertised.

The Skyline View welcomes Letters to the Editors; letters must include full name, address, and phone number for verification. The Skyline View reserves the right to edit letters for length, libel, clarity, and taste.

•

Science of Cocktails: This is a signiture fundraiser at the Exploratorium Lab on Friday 3, Coffee with a Cop: Next Tues• February 13, 2017, at 5:11 2017 p.m. a southbound train day on February 21, 2017, come join the officers of the This is a fun time to explore struck an adult male on San Bruno Police Department the process whoof wasthe illegally on the on distillation and community members at tracks of Brewster Avenue, alcohol and blends Never Too Latte for a get to- process of north of Redwood city wine, beer & gether. This is the time to chatof your favorite Caltrain Station. and to get to know your local cocktails. police department. The event website- transact.exploratoribegins at 9 a.m. at Never Too Latte located at 486 San Mateoum.edu Avenue in San Bruno.

• Don Pico’s a San Bruno restuarant is closing after 42 years on February 26.

3

Opinions

Feb. 16, 2017

editorial Finding peace in a Sanctuary City Additional security measures will help evening classes feel safer

By Chris Christenson TSV Opinions Editor

Campus Security does a great job throughout the day, but when night classes start, their presence is not as strong.

The Board of Trustees held an open campus security forum last October to find out how Administration employees, faculty members and students felt about campus safety across the three campuses in the District. A Skyline professor had even expressed her concern about evening class students walking back to their cars by themselves in dimly-lit parking lots.

The darker lighting during evening classes and with the thick fog our campus regularly gets, we are left with limited vision. Staying aware is key to our own safety and we believe the students do a good job looking after one another. But with the limited vision, students need the school to have a stronger presence of campus security officers during the evening hours.

While cameras are present and cover a majority of the campus, the fog and dim lighting are variables that could potentially jeopardize how much a camera can really capture on campus. Cameras are only good after the fact a crime has been committed, but do not intimidate those individuals with a serious intent to do harm.

A great start to remedying the problem of dimly-lit parking lots would be adding additional light posts to the overflow parking lot, as well as performing routine maintenance on the current light posts in Lot C. Sometimes the

bulbs go out and create patches of complete darkness in the lot.

The overflow parking lot is only illuminated by the light from Lot L and gets even darker as you get deeper into the lot.

According to a list of crime prevention tips listed on the Skyline’s website, students are encouraged to contact Campus Security to request an escort to walk them back to their car if they feel worried about walking back to their cars by themselves at night.

While the officers are here, they simply cannot cover the entire campus with the amount of staff available. The officers that patrol areas of the school are hard to find and contacting them is tough with the spotty cell phone service on campus.

Having a stronger presence from Campus Security would go a long way for the student’s protection even if it’s just an officer sitting in his car to oversee any potential threats in a crowded parking lot.

In order to alleviate the concerns about walking back to their cars after an evening class, the school should consider having a stronger security presence along with installing additional light posts to particular lots. Despite the additional expenses that would be spent in order to achieve this, it would ultimately make our school safer and put our students at ease when leaving campus late at night.

What I find very important about the city of San Francisco and the people I find there, is a sense of protection and belonging. Growing up less than 10 miles from San Francisco, I never felt alienated from society. Not until I attended school. But, whenever I visit Haight and Ashbury to grab some pizza or Hunters Point to pick up my lady, I’ve never experienced anything but safety and belonging in San Francisco.

Sanctuary cities have been a controversial topic in 2017. Since San Francisco is a sanctuary city, we limit our cooperation with federal immigration authorities. In other words, San Francisco doesn’t enforce immigration laws.

Now that I’m older, I realize that society nitpicks what they do and do not like such as skin color, religious beliefs, or even body image. Different societies, big or small, cultivate a certain type of culture. San Francisco not only protects its people, but they allow new people to integrate themselves and become legitimate citizens.

Whenever President Donald Trump speaks about keeping illegal immigrants out of the country, I can’t help but think about how broad of a statement that is. He wants to keep the potential threat out but won’t think about laws that he immediately signs on. The only thing he’s developing is hostility among a group of people that are being stereotyped and denied entry into the country.

The more you alienate citizens

Courtesy of Will Nacouzi

San Francisco reaffirms their residents that they will remain a sanctuary city, and protect undocumented citizens.

from society, the more hostile they become. It’s better to invest in your population and potential citizens because it allows more contributions to your society.

NPR reported on Aarhus, a town in Denmark, which has their own approach to counter-terrorism.

After realizing that young men and women were going to Syria to join ISIS, they wanted to figure out prevention measures because the rest of Europe was beginning to crack down on citizens who travel to Syria. Instead of cracking down on these kids, their preventive measures was to welcome them back home, help them go back to school, find an apartment, meet with a psychiatrist or mentor or whatever else they needed to feel part of society.

When comparing President Trump’s view on public safety to the police chiefs and mayors in the United States’ 10 major cities, including Oakland and San Francisco, it’s like comparing apples to oranges. Instead of resolving conflicts between people

or communities by sending them away, insulting them, and isolating them from society, San Francisco exercises their democracy by sharing their community with immigrants and their views and values.

On the flip side, sanctuary citie can potentially house criminals from different countries. CNBC reports that “Trump believes that these sanctuary cities produce a lot of problems.” Although sanctuary cities welcome people who are undocumented, criminals may use these cities as an opportunity to escape from their country.

NPR states, “on average, [sanctuary] counties that did not comply with ICE requests experienced 35.5 fewer crimes per 10,000 people than those that did.” Overall, not only do I believe sanctuary cities are healthy for the society to reintegrate new people, but they make them much safer as well.

This goes to show that sanctuary cities can be a benefit to a city and national security.

the campus to speak about Free Speech! Back to the definition; a system (or administration) censoring individual rights (freedom of speech) for a stronger society (peaceful safe space.)

Compared to communist Russia and fascist Germany, subscribers of Neo-liberalism, and leftists alike are right-wing. Often times, fascism is viewed as the opposite of communism, but this is a false perception Rather fascism and communism were rivals in much the same way as Republicans and Democrats. Conservatism and Liberalism are certainly not opposite philosophies in the United States but rival arguments.

This section of the left that is predominantly on college campuses or among youth is nothing new as the Underground Weathermen, an extreme left-wing U.S. based organization, used methods such as bombings and violent protests back in the late 1960s and early 70s to combat the US involvement in Vietnam. These extreme authoritative tactics in recent years committed by extreme leftists closely resemble fascism.

So within the political spectrum of “right,” and “left” in modern United States politics, fascism does not fall on the right side.

Left radicals move towards Fascism

By Judah N. Darwin TSV Staff Writer

As a conservative living in the Bay Area, I have learned that free speech is not free for me, or people like me. My political remarks are often met by the hefty price of (usually) invalid criticism, loss of friendship and closed opportunities. I have simply come to accept this ultimatum. But as I stand amidst my chaotic country as two polarized sides engage in political warfare, I feel as though a sect of the left has become the evil they claim to fight.

First let’s give a simple definition of fascism: fascism is an authoritative and nationalistic system that uses its power to regulate individual rights and create a stronger state. When I googled “fascism” the first definition that appears categorizes fascism as a “right-wing system of government.” However, the definition found on MerriamWebster has no reference to left or right.

Fascism is a philosophy founded by a dictator named Benito Mussolini. He is quoted saying, “Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy.”

Mussolini firmly believed that “men are tired of liberty.” The philosophy was named after fasci, a bundle of sticks that are weak alone but strong together. The lack of individual rights, and a strong society were of utmost importance to Mussolini. And

when put into perspective next to communism, fascism is right-wing.

And alas, liberals and leftists now believe that they cannot be fascist because they are not right-wing.

Unfortunately, this is not reality but an imaginary depiction of the world from a source of ignorance.

An article from The National Review gives this perspective: “Nazis maintained (limited and often purely rhetorical) respect for private property! The Soviets didn’t! Therefore, the Nazis were not left-wing! Well, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders believe in private property a good deal more than the Nazis did. Does that make them right-wingers?”

Senators Warren and Sanders are two of the furthest left politicians in United States today.

A perfect example of this is the destruction of a conservative event organized by the Berkeley Republican Club on Wednesday, Feb. 1, CNN reports. A group of 150 “anti-fascists” engaged in the fascist operation of shutting down individual speech rights. Around 1,500 protesters also crowed together for hours prior in an effort to protest the intrusion of their safe space.

Their signs read, “No Safe Space for Racists,” “This is War,” and “Hate Speech is not Free Speech.” And while people may disagree with someone like me, I am certainly not a racist nor the vast majority of conservatives and libertarians.

This is the terrifying message of the left; if you say something they don’t like, it is hate speech.

Hate speech is any sort of speech a group finds offensive and all too often is simply a political disagreement on fundamental issues.

Another example comes from DePaul University where conservative libertarian journalist Ben Shapiro came to talk about Free Speech. When he arrived on campus, there were around 30 members of security to keep Shapiro from speaking on campus ,according to the Daily Wire.

The administration believed that Shapiro’s presentation on campus may threaten campus peace. If he took “three steps forward,” he would be arrested. For coming to

4

opinions Artistic License

Feb. 16, 2017

the view from here With Editor in Chief Gregory Ragaza

Never been a choice

It’s unfortunate that there are still so many people who believe that being gay is a choice; a lifestyle.

Let me be perfectly clear, it is certainly not a choice. I didn’t get up one day and think to myself: “Wow, wouldn’t it be grand if I was gay? It’s all the rage with us millennials.” All sarcasm and jokes aside, why would people choose to be part of a minority where you will be persecuted, shunned, and in extreme cases, killed for being who you are?

That list is only a small portion of what the LGBT community has to deal with, in and out of the closet.

So many differing opinions telling you who you ought to be versus who you are is the icing on top of an existential crisis cake.

Your mind becomes a battlefield between strong morals that either society or religion has brought upon you. So, you end up repressing who you are because you don’t want to be labeled something people will ridicule, abhor, or both.

“Coming out of the closet” is not choice. It is a realization in which the individual has, against all resistance, finally accepted who they are. It’s a metaphor for some sort of metamorphosis, the closet being a cocoon where one is simultaneously hiding and morphing into who they are. While some come out of the cocoon ready to take on the world with a renewed self-confidence, others never see the light of day on who they could

Skyline Speaks

What do you think about extra curricular activities, and how do you feel it effects your daily life?

become because the fear of being ostracized is too strong.

No matter how much the LGBT community will cry out and say “we are born this way,” the opposition will push back harder saying it is a choice, lifestyle, or mental disease. Although none of those arguments are substantiated with facts, neither does an argument for the LGBT community.

According to The Atlantic research was done by the University of California, Los Angeles, to find a “gay gene” in homosexual men.

However, their research was quickly criticized because the results were not reliable or reproducible.

Does this spell certain doom for the LGBT community? Of course not. It does give fuel to those who believe that being gay is a choice, lifestyle, or mental disease. Even if there was a “gay gene,” there will still be people against homosexuality because it doesn’t align with their religious beliefs.

What the LGBT community can do now is to continue to fight for equality, and clutch onto dear hope that we will one day be accepted by everyone with little to no resistance as to why we are the way we are.

The only choice I see being made: is the choice to be ignorant, intolerant, and homophobic.

By Chris Christenson TSV Opinions Editor

Marie Hom

TSV Social Media Editor

Amir Esfahani Associate Professor of Art

“I think everyone needs to do extracurricular activities.

I think it’s healthy to do things that aren’t just work.

Especially today with so much technology around us.

I think it’s important to balance technology and daily rituals. Like going out or going for a run or even reading in your backyard, like physical REAL things. I think without extracurricular activities what else is there?

Just work? Especially in today’s day and age it’s really important for students and everyone to go out and do things that are healthy to break that pattern of using technology all the time. That fulfills some kind of inner need we all have.”

Need help navigating immigration issues like AB540, DACA, or the California Dream Act? Head over to the newly opened

DREAM CENTER Building 1, Room 1-219 Mon - Fri 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

(650) 738-4220 skylinedreamcenter@smccd.edu

skylinecollege.edu/dreamcenter

Mitch Barry Art Major “I think it’s a perfect gateway to getting recommendations from literally anyone,and help you pursue a career in whatever field you’re trying to go into.

Anything with a positive reflection on your work ethics will be beneficial wherever you end up going.”

Marilyn Piedra Nutrition

Juyoung Ku Art Major

“I enjoy extra curricular activities. The way it benefits me is kind of helping me let go of all the serious topics that I have to do. It gives me a new way to express myself especially through art.”

“I think extra curricular activities are beneficial academically and outside of school because it’s something that helps you to improve yourself whether its related to your major or not, as long as you’re out there doing something.

And usually when you do something like that it helps you to be more social.”

The Dream Center is a “one-stop shop” in a safe, caring place for undocumented students, allies, and community members at Skyline College. Students will receive personalized support as they begin their college journey.

Feb. 16, 2017

Features

5

Focal Point

How to ramp up your Valentine’s Day next year

By Olivia Bowman TSV Editor At large

Valentine’s Day can create a lot of mixed feelings. Some people love getting to spend time with their significant other. Other people may dourly call it “Singles Awareness Day.” Here’s the thing: how good or bad your Valentine’s Day is, is largely based on what you do about it. If your Valentine’s Day was a little lackluster and you’d like a re-do, or if you want to get a jump on a great Valentine’s Day for next year, here are some ideas.

Note: You can do any of these whether you are single or in a relationship, by yourself or with friends. There’s no shame in your game.

If you’re an introvert who’d rather spend Valentine’s day in the comfort of your own home you could: Order in all your favorite foods (just because you can) Note: sharing is optional Have a movie marathon.

For those that are anti-Valentine’s Day, the horror-comedy genre of the Wayans’ Scary Movie films are great at combating sappiness.

Also, staying home means wine and popcorn with a movie is an acceptable choice (Only for those over 21. Please drink responsibly.)

If Olivia Pope does it and can still be classy than you can too.

If you want to go a little hardcore, you can create a drinking game to your favorite Disnemovie.

Note: If you decide to take a shot every time Mulan gets disrespected or put down for being a woman, you will not have a good time.

Throw a baking party The best part about this is getting to eat all the desserts. Now if only someone else could be responsible for the cleaning up...

Treat yourself with a little retail therapy Sometimes the only thing that can cure the blues is a new outfit and some random shopping on Amazon, because their 2-Day Prime shipping is too good a deal to pass up.

Try an at-home facial This is very rejuvenating if done right. The key is to FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS. It doesn’t seem like it would be hard to do until you decide you want to keep the facial mask on a little longer than directed and your skin starts to feel like it’s burning.

Read for fun Crazy idea right? Who in the world does that nowadays? Don’t they know there are these little computer-like devices in our pockets that are an endless stream of instant entertainment?

Yes. Yes they do. And sometimes putting phones away and getting back to a book that won’t distract you every time your tinder match sends you an unambiguous message is a nice way to disconnect and focus on one overconfident guy at a time.

You can go for a combination of any of these or all of them if you are really ambitious to have as much fun in as little time as possible.

For extroverts who want to get out of the house you could: Get a massage Societal pressures for Valentine’s Day can make you very tense.

Relieve some of the stress by having someone knead the knots out of your back like a butcher making burgers. You may feel like a noodle afterwards, but it will all be worth it.

Get a manicure/pedicure This is not just for girls. There is a reason so many women get their nails done regularly.

It can be akin to a religious experience. Being pampered is something everyone should experience. Having someone spend time making you look and feel good is a wonderful way to make you feel good about yourself. It may be little in the grand scheme of things, but it is worth it.

Go to a bar You can go to your favorite hangout or try a new place. You might even feel adventurous enough to try a new drink. The world is full of possibilities.

Play lasertag If you enjoy first person shooter video games, this turns that into an interactive experience. There’s nothing like a little fear for your life to get the endorphins flowing.

For a little added competition, the losers can treat the winners to dinner.

Go bowling Whether you’re a pro or you do the between-the-legs roll, a little trash-talking on the lanes is good for the soul. Just make sure to bring socks, ya nasty.

Try a tapas restaurant

Photo Illustration by Mark Magat/The Skyline View

A typical scene for singles on Valentine’s Day. Feb. 15, 2017

If you’re basic and you can afford it. A little over-priced finger food is a sure way to bring people together.

However you spend Valentine’s Day, whether you look forward to it or dread it, realize that it’s just

Gaming addicting: the darker side of gaming

By Blynn Beltran

TSV Multimedia Editor

With the popularity of video games in the past two decades, it is inevitable encountering problems along its striving path. Sexism, violence, sloth, promoting anti-social behavior; all of these problems are discussed in the gaming industry.

But the one problem that isn’t discussed frequently and is often ignored by the community is video game addiction.

“The thing about gaming [addiction], you’ll get pushed back on this,” Psychology professor Jennifer Merrill said.

Video game addiction has become recognized disorder. It is listed in psychiatric/mental disorder manuals such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association.

According to the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, video game addiction is described as an impulse control disorder that does not involve drug use and is very similar to pathological gambling. It has also been referred to as video game overuse, pathological or compulsive/excessive use of computer games and video games.

“It is easy to get addicted to video games. People use it for different reasons,” Psychology and Communication Studies Jon Blakeslee said. “For me, I use it as an escape.”

Well, how many people are addicted to video games? Dr. Douglas A. Gentile examined 3,034 children and teenagers in 2011 on their video game usage. The average play time was 20 hours per week for an estimated 72 percent of American households. Roughly

Adolescent males are at a greater risk of developing a gaming disorder and that includes people from all over the world, not just Asian countries. According to a book by Stanley J. Baran regarding media literacy and culture, there are 211.5 million Americans who play video games regularly; 55 percent of them are males and 32 percent are 17 years old and younger.

“Society is becoming more and more technology based and rather than talking to people they play video games,” Psychology and Communication Studies major Ryan Rosales said.

However, parents should be observant of gamers. Just because they spend enormous amounts of hours on video games doesn’t mean they are addicted. Some hardcore gamers play for about 20 hours a week or more and professionals play for about 50 plus hours to train for upcoming competitions. These people are able to control their gaming time while addicts cannot.

An extreme example of gaming addiction is the case of a Taiwanese gamer. According to a 2015 article by the Daily Mirror, a video game addict by the name of Hseuh Screenshot by Blynn Beltran/The Skyline View Jun-Chen from Taiwan set himself on fire after an argument with his Logged hours for gaming on Steam. Feb. 15, 2017 father. The two exchanged words about Chen’s late gaming and nine percent of the 3,034 partici12-20. There are an abundance wanted him to stop. pants showed signs of video game of reports from China and South “I play for probably about three addiction meanwhile four percent Korea with fewer reports coming or four hours a day. You have to showed extreme use, clocking from Europe and North America. learn how to set boundaries and 50 hours per week playing video However, this doesn’t mean time yourself. I have two tests this games. that people should underestimate week and I haven’t touched my Now, video game addiction is the prevalence of video game Xbox since,” said Blakeslee. “I more relevant than ever. According addiction in Europe and North do play a lot still but I’m getting to DSM-5, the prevalence of gamAmerica’s since their estimates are better at controlling it.” ing disorders seems to be highest highly variable, especially with our Friends and family members in male adolescents from ages increasingly technological society. must be observant of the symp-

another day. So there’s no need to stress about it.

toms that a gaming addict have like being over-occupied by games, using video games to escape their problems, etc. They should also be aware that like any type of addiction, rehabilitation for gaming addiction is expensive, especially when you’re paying out of pocket. The previously mentioned DSM book is not only used to diagnose addiction but it also determines what will your insurance cover.

“One of the things that a DSM diagnosis can help is defraying some of the cost since insurance will cover it,” Merrill said. “This book has a lot of power because it pretty much determine whether your insurance will cover it or not.”

However, determining whether or not insurance will cover gaming addiction can be aggravating because of how insurance works.

“Dealing with insurance can be difficult. Some [psychiatrists] don’t want to deal with it at all and it’s completely private pay since it could take months until they get paid, so it’s extremely expensive,” Merrill said. “You can get treatment but you don’t know if your insurance will cover for that. ” Addiction is something that needs to be addressed and gaming addiction can be a silent killer if one isn’t paying attention. Please see if anyone you know has symptoms of gaming addiction to prevent it. Parents must understand to set limits for their children when it comes to video games. Video game addiction must be nipped in the bud like any other affliction. Gamers play video games for plenty of hours but restraint is what they need to be true gamers.

A healthy gamer is a good gamer.

6

Focal Point

Entertainment

Feb. 16, 2017

“Fifty Shades” of inaccuracy

By Adreana Estigoy TSV Focal Point Editor

Looking for a romantic movie to see? Watch the newest installation of the Fifty Shades Trilogy, “Fifty Shades Darker.”

“Fifty Shades Darker” starts directly where Grey left off.

Starring Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele (or Ana, as she’s been nicknamed), “Fifty Shades Darker” goes further into the fold by exploring the man behind the mask. Fresh out of college, the protagonist Ana navigates her tumultuous relationship with the 27-year-old billionaire Christian Grey, played by Jamie Dornan, in a relationship tug-of-war, as well as focusing on her budding literary career.

I recommend seeing the previous movie, “Fifty Shades of Grey” for context, because there is a lot of backstory that will be lost if you see “Fifty Shades Darker” without it. The series also had a director change, switching out Sam Taylor-Johnson for James Foley, directly accounting for a snappier soundtrack and more frequent, risqué scenes. And amid the singleminded flashiness of the film, it still does its job of entertaining die-hard fans and first-time viewers alike.

While flashy and lit-up for the big screen, it is not accurate. It is more inspired than factual, misleading in its representation of BDSM practices. “Fifty Shades Darker” is also like this and first-time viewers

Courtesy of Doane Gregory/ Universal Studios

DAKOTA JOHNSON returns as Anastasia Steele in “Fifty Shades Darker,” the second chapter based on the worldwide bestselling “Fifty Shades” phenomenon.

might get the wrong idea.

“Fifty Shades Darker” was better than “Fifty Shades of Grey” because it had better pacing and character development, along with the introduction of new characters, Jack and Ms. Jones. Characters were more alive and vibrant,

making them easier to relate to as well as humanizing them better than the first film did.

Overall, “Fifty Shades Darker” is a decent movie. It’s a good date movie to compromise on because it’s not a direct chick-flick. It has elements of a thriller while still

maintaining its romantic theme.

It’s raunchy and sexy. It’s also a perfect flick to see for some eye candy with your friends on girls night. Not for the faint of heart, it is rated R and contains a lot of gratuitous sex so don’t take your conservative mother with

you to see this film as a bonding experience. And if you’re looking for an intellectual movie, this isn’t it. As long as you know what you’re in for, you won’t be disappointed.

Ghost Warrior’s beta is plagued with game-breaking problems

Now Showing:

By Blynn Beltran TSV Multimedia Editor

The “Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3” beta for PC is not in a good state, to say charitably. This game in its current state is filled with bugs, game-breaking glitches and hard crashes. Although the core game itself is good enough to finish, it is far from the retail product that CI Games would want to release.

The beta consisted of two missions and a few side quests sprinkled around a small map. So far, the game resembles the “Far Cry” game series in a sense that the player can clear outposts filled with enemies and missions are seamlessly integrated into the map.

Considering that “Far Cry” is a very successful series, following its blueprint may not be a bad idea to transition the “Sniper: Ghost Warrior” series into the open world genre. However, this isn’t a very bold move and for a market that demands constant innovation, copying a successful but tired concept isn’t going to cut it.

The gun play remained the same as its previous iteration. It is still a tactical shooter with open world elements which work very well.

Scouting your area and eliminating targets are extremely fun and exciting.

The game lets the players plan their attack whichever way they want. You can even go in guns blazing without using a sniper rifle and finish a mission. This is fine but it certainly does ruin the

The Lego Batman Movie Fifty Shades Darker

The Great Wall

John Wick: Chapter 2

Courtesy of Evolve PR

Fist Fight

Drones can be used in “Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3” to scout enemy outposts. Feb. 15, 2017

essence of the game. Perhaps some necessary adjustments may need to be implemented in order to make assault rifles and pistols a last ditch effort to ward off enemies, rather than a primary weapon.

The graphics were pretty good for a CryEngine made game. However, if you own a mid-range PC, running this game lower than the suggested graphical setting would be optimal, as the game is quite demanding. The advanced graphical setting has a bug on which

cannot be changed. Hopefully, this problem will be resolved later in its development.

To underline the main problem of “Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3’s” beta, we must consider its numerous bugs. For five hours of game play, I had encountered five hard crashes, which are far more than most betas/early access games I have played in my lifetime.

There are also a few game-breaking glitches where the player’s entire inventory is wiped and a

bug where the player is able to carry five weapons instead of the intended three. There was also a time where my character model fell through the entire map just by climbing down a ladder.

Overall, this game has the potential to be a solid “Triple A” title but with its game-breaking bugs, it is hard to see this game being in the stores by its intended release date. Hopefully CI Games would fix the problems correctly and delay the release.

Split

Sports

Feb. 16, 2017

Sports Feature

Skyline’s baseball team grind out close games to start the season

Have concerns about Skyline College or our sister colleges?

7

Do you have concerns about the City of San Bruno and surrounding cities?

Considering writing a Letter to the Editor!

Ray Falk starts the season 1-1 with a 2.35 ERA over 3 game starts.

By Kevin Perez

TSV Digital editor

Skyline’s baseball team toughs out wins during the first five games of the season.

Since being blown out 0-6 in the opening game against Fresno City College on Jan. 27, Skyline has battled through some tough games.

The team sits on a 6-2 record and they’re impressing fans by winning close games.

After redeeming their loss against Fresno City College with a 6-3, Skyline went on to win their series

against Cosumnes River College.

The team won two close games to start off the series before losing the final game 4-8.

Head coach Dino Nomicos has high expectations for the Trojans this season, as the talent on the team is something that hasn’t been seen in a while.

“This is one of the best teams we’ve had in [the last] 10 years here,” Head coach Nomicos said.

Kyle Barret currently leads the Coast-Pacific in home runs with a total of three runs across eight games. Chet Silveria also has

SUBMIT HERE:

Mark Magat/ The Skyline View

registered 2 homeruns while Ramon Enriquez and Ryan McSwain join the list with each registering one home run.

Infielder Aaron Albaum leads the team and is ranked second in the North Coast-Pacific with five RBIs. The pitching crew has been steady so far this season. Cole Watts leads the crew with eight strikeouts and two saved games.

There have been some tough games to the start of the season, but the team has answered the challenge as they look forward to taking the next step and making it to the playoffs.

theskylineview.com/submit-a-letter/

Contact us: Email: theskylineview@gmail.com Twitter: @theskylineview Instagram: @theskylineview Facebook: @The Skyline View

The 4th Quarter With Kevin Perez

Golden State Warriors: The duo no one is talking about People have made out that the Warriors have the three best shooters in the league, but the underlying story that few have read is how Durant is being held accountable for the first time by a teammate or coach in his career.

Durant is a once a generation talent, who has a skill set that every team can utilize. He can post up and use his frame to shoot over smaller defenders, put the ball on the floor to get to the rim, and stretch the defense with his ability to shoot the 3-ball. There is no denying his talent.

But Durant’s unselfishness often has him passing up shots and playing second fiddle to other players. Durant’s previous experience with his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, had him running an isolation offense where he and Russel Westbrook would take turns. More often than not, Westbrook would choose not to pass up his shot and Durant would be left on the wing playing spectator.

For a team as stacked as the Warriors, it would be easy for Durant to fade into the

background and choose to play a complimentary, role like he had for moments playing with Westbrook. But, not with Draymond Green.

Green is the teammate Durant never had. A teammate that won’t bite his tongue and will challenge players when he does not see maximum effort or sees Durant fading into the background.

This season, the media has released clips of Green challenging Durant during key moments of games and play in the flow of the offense.

While Durant is averaging the least amount of minutes in his career, he is only getting three fewer shots than he had with the Thunder. Durant, to average 25 points and 4 assists a game.

Where his game has flourished this season is on the defensive end where Green directs the team. Durant is having his best year on defense, being a presence in the paint blocking shots and overall effort on the floor.

Durant has never been pushed to play as agressive like Green has. With the Thunder, Durant

was a superstar who could call his own number but was often relegated to watching the Westbrook show.

With Green as a teammate, Durant is hounded to stay aggressive on offense while being a presence on the defensive end.

San FranciSco PeninSula

|

eST. 1851

Ready to transfer?

Stress-free solutions to the rescue.

Apply now for Spring or Fall ‘17. It’s simple.

No associate’s required to start.

Open HOuSe March 18 or April 1 ndnu.edu/ugevents for details and RSVP

Our agreement with Skyline gives you flexibility.

■ ■

Finish your bachelor’s on time Financing options available

Scholarships up to $11,000 ■ Historic campus off 101 in Belmont ■

Kevin Durant and Draymond Green arguement vs the Memphis Grizzlies

Not for profit. 1500 Ralston Avenue, Belmont

Skyline

Sports

Upcoming Games: Baseball

Men’s Basketball

Feb. 18 Laney , 1 p.m.

Feb. 17, Las Positas, 5 p.m.

Feb. 21 @ West Valley , 2 p.m.

Feb. 23 West Valley , 2 p.m.

Basketball

Victoria Langi’s hot shooting night leads Skyline against San Jose City College “He tells me to shoot with confidence,” Langi said about her green light to shoot. “I play with confidence. I was ready. Basically, I play with a good mindset.”

Langi is second in the conference in 3-point shooting and added to her tally by adding eight more 3-pointers against San Jose.

Sheehy also played well, doing a little bit of everything on the floor.

She finished the game with five rebounds, 12 assists, three steals and 10 points. Sheehy was able to drive baseline on the defense and find open shooters all game, which led to her high number of assists.

In the start of the second half, San Jose City found a second wind and was able to score 20 points in the third quarter. Skyline seemed to struggle early against their trap defense and were giving up possessions, which led to layups on Courtesy of Will Nacouzi the other end.

A timeout by Head Coach Victoria Langi protects the ball against San Jose City College on Feb. 10.

Christopher Watters allowed the team to settle in and make

By Kevin Perez adjustments to the trap. Coach a tired San Jose team to an 83-63 points and 12 assists.

TSV Digital editor Watters kept the team playing fast finish. Skyline’s Victoria Langi Langi got it going early scoring but under control to the finish of the Skyline’s women’s basketball led all scorers with 30 points, 16 of her 30 in the first half. game, where he tired out the shortteam defend home court with a while shooting 10-14 from the Skyline continued to swing the handed San Jose City team. dominant win over San Jose City field. Skyline had another strong ball towards her side where she “We planned on pushing the tempo College on Friday, Feb. 10. performance from Arianna Sheehy, found open shots against the tired to try to wear them down over the The team pushed the pace against who had a double-double with 10 defense.

course of the game,” Coach Watters said. “We knew if we played hard, we would give ourselves a great chance to win.”

San Jose City didn’t have enough bodies to compete in the match-up, only having five dressed players.

The team even played some possessions with only four players on the court to give short breaks to their exhausted players.

Regardless, Skyline as a whole put together a fun brand of basketball, along with Langi’s hot shooting night. The team had two other double digit scorers with Kaimani Perez with 15 points and Veronica Akolo with 14 points.

“The team has really improved as the season has progressed,” Coach Watters. “The girls have worked hard and believe in each other. They are not only good players, but also good teammates.”

The team will look to close the season off strong going down the homestretch with a game at College of San Mateo on Feb. 15, and their last game of the season at home against Las Positas College on Feb. 17.

Baseball

Skyline Baseball explode for a 14 run game against Shasta College

Photos by Kevin Perez The Skyline View

Starting pitcher Austin Conour pitched six innings against Shasta college on Feb. 12.

By Blynn Beltran

TSV Multi Media editor

Skyline didn’t seem to break a sweat as they silenced the visiting team for the third time during this pre-season game.

Skyline College’s baseball team beat Shasta College 14-4 last Sunday, Feb. 12. In this particular game, Skyline was able keep Shasta scoreless for six of the nine innings played.

During the first inning, Skyline immediately set the tone for the rest of the game. Shasta accumulated three outs almost immediately as Donald Roethler and Andrew Shaw was grounded out from second and third. This gave Skyline a comfortable lead of five runs.

“We got to their starter early and were able to get on base a lot,”

Skyline hitter Ryan McSwain said about the advantages that Skyline had over Shasta.

Shasta’s greatest downfall was in their pitching. Their pitchers could not throw consistent strikes which led to Skyline’s hitter to either walk or hit in more runners. Shasta also seemed to throw pitches that hit Skyline’s players, which worked to the home team’s advantage.

“They had trouble throwing strikes so we took advantage of that,” Skyline Head Coach Dino Nomicos said about Shasta’s pitching.

On the opposite side, Skyline pitched quite well. The winning team only allowed four runs and stopped any kind of momentum that Shasta tried to establish. Their defense was just too much for the visitors to handle. Skyline’s pitcher Austin Conour started and

pitched for the majority of innings throughout the game.

“I’m typically not a starter. I just started because we have a lot of games so we have to stretch a lot of guys out,” Conour said. “I think this season is going to be good for me. I think I’m just going to be a one or two inning guy and I think I’ll do a good job.”

According to Coach Nomicos, it is still too early to tell how this victory translates to the rest of the season. Skyline is set to finish the rest of their pre-season games.

However, Skyline is currently fifth overall in runs which is unheard of according to Nomicos.

“The kids are playing well.

They are starting to believe. We are not even playing our best baseball yet which is exciting,” Coach Nomicos said about how the game will translate for the

Melvin Brown hits the ball against Shasta college on Feb. 12.

rest of the season. “It’s too early to tell. We’ve got 20 pre-season games but they count for state ranking and playoffs, so it’s like we are playing two seasons.”

“What I am looking for is consistency in the guys and them just getting better and better every time they go out,” Coach Nomicos said.