Monthly Archives: October 2019

Flying High With Dr. Sanchez

Dr. Marion A Sanchez holds three world records and still somehow finds time to host a talk show called Flying High on the Chabot television station. Many students see him around the Chabot campus but only know him for his friendly personality and quirky demeanor.

Dr. Sanchez is a retired Digital media instructor at Chabot College. About a year ago, he decided to devote his free time to producing Flying High. Flying High is a once a week, unique half an hour interview with varying guests from all walks of life. 

His guests range from a former Pakistani official to Bay Area Presidential candidate Tom Steyer. Flying High is produced solely with the help of Sujoy Sarkar and Morgan Butler, two friends of Dr. Sanchez.

Even though Dr. Sanchez hosts Flying High and currently holds three world records for his age of 87 in the 50, 100 and 200-meter dash. His real calling is to try and do everything he can to help promote world peace. 

In Dr. Sanchez’s free time, he raises money to send wheelchairs to disenfranchised children overseas. So far this year, he has been able to raise enough money to send over 550 wheelchairs to children in Afghanistan, Cuba, and India.

Every year Dr. Sanchez travels to India, Thailand, Russia, and many other Southeast Asian countries to help facilitate basketball tournaments with disenfranchised youths. Recently over the summer, he assisted in the creation of an 8,000 child basketball tournament in India.

Dr. Sanchez does this yearly to keep his foot in the door method to get the attention of people in higher positions to discuss possible solutions to help achieve world peace.

Dr. Sanchez’s favorite location that he’s visited working to promote world peace is Russia. “Of all the places I’ve visited, Russia is unique. It’s such a different culture from what we are used to in America.”

Dr. Sanchez is so dedicated to world peace and unity that he even wrote a Pledge of Allegiance to the world. “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the world and to all the lands and countries it represents. One World indivisible with Liberty, Justice, Freedom, and Love for all.”

All in all, Dr. Marion Sanchez is a man who strives to make the world a better and more peaceful place for the generations to come. Make sure to tune in to Dr. Sanchez’s Flying High, on Chabot TV on Comcast channels 27 and 28.

Ad Astra: To the Stars or to the Dumps?

Ad Astra starring Brad Pitt as Roy McBride is set in this dystopian future where waves coming from deep space are disrupting all the electronics across the solar system. The protagonist is set up to be this emotionless guy who split from his wife and is not even afraid of falling from the upper atmosphere. 

The pacing of the movie, for the most part, is pretty slow even the action scenes feel about as slow as the last hour of work. Not that it is a bad thing at all, it is quite refreshing, especially with the oversaturation of fast-paced action movies. 

There is one scene on the moon where some space pirates try to steal their little cart and equipment. The scene was much faster paced than any other part of the movie, even faster than the climax. I’m only bringing this up because it was the only scene where it felt out of pace with the rest of the movie. 

I have grown quite tired of all movies, books, comics, and games doing these massive exposition dumps at the beginning of the story, where the protagonists narrate their entire life story up to the point where we come in. It just feels like lazy writing to me. I would prefer being able to piece together some of the story as it came up naturally in the film.

For Ad Astra, I appreciate that they didn’t do as much of that. The significant bits of background and story came from what was currently going on. Like when we find out that these waves are not only just affecting the earth, but they are hitting both the Moon and Mars knocking out all of their electronics as well.

What this movie does well is world-building. The world that this movie exists in is not an empty or bland one. For instance, when traveling to the moon, it was an option to go commercially, and the flight attendant mentions that it is $125 for a blanket and neck pillow. As soon as Roy stepped off the ship, you can easily spot several chain restaurants and retailers showing that not even the moon can escape capitalism. 

Another stop in the movie was the dystopian surface of Mars. Mars felt more like a military base compared to the moon, where there were commercial flights to and from. There were fewer people and no mention of it being a tourist stop like the moon.

The main environment in this film was aboard spaceships, and they made it feel compact. For a good part of the movie, the protagonist is alone in a spacecraft for a few months, and the feeling of vast emptiness and isolation kicks in.

Chabot student and movie attendee, Jacob Jenkins had this to say about the movie. “I have never seen Interstellar, so I can’t make that comparison, but I really liked this one it felt super atmospheric from the environments and the world it set up was fascinating. Plus, Brad Pitt is just a solid f****** actor.” 

In the end, I really enjoyed Ad Astra. I liked the world-building the shots of open space and the super chill vibe about it.

Vaping Poses Danger to Health

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 1,080 patients in 48 states and the US Virgin Islands have developed lung illnesses associated with vaping. At least 18 people have recently died from using vaping products. 

E-cigarettes are electronic devices that resemble pens or USB flash drives. The devices heat a liquid that vaporizes into an aerosol that the user inhales. A significant number of patients have experienced respiratory illnesses from vaping nicotine and cannabis. One puff generates a distinctive cloud of steam which lingers in the air.   

At Chabot College, Janette Muñoz, Student Health Clinic Supervisor, says she is very concerned about the increase in youth becoming addicted to nicotine. “It seems like [e-cigarette] commercials are targeting young users more and more,” says Muñoz.

A sophomore Chabot student, who preferred not to be named, said he has been vaping flavored pods for one year. He thinks the news coverage is sensational and pertains to heavy users only. 

However, experts disagree. The American Lung Association asserts that “even in small doses, inhaling the two primary ingredients found in e-cigarettes — propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin — is likely to expose users to a high level of toxins and that the more ingredients a user is inhaling, the greater the toxicity.”

Common ingredients in e-cigarettes include nicotine, flavorings, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-an active ingredient in marijuana), and toxins. Other ingredients include benzene (an organic compound found in car exhaust), heavy metals such as lead, and the herbicide acrolein (used to kill weeds).

People who vape may experience chest pains, shortness of breath, coughing, diarrhea or nausea. The CDC recommends that anyone who experiences any of the above symptoms after vaping should contact their physician as soon as possible.

The unnamed sophomore at Chabot started vaping to stop smoking cigarettes and plans to quit vaping in six months.

E-cigarettes were marketed as a safe alternative to smoking tobacco, and as a tool to stop smoking. In fact, no US studies have proven that vaping is a safe alternative to smoking for young adults.

Don Fuller: The Joy of Music

Have you ever walked past the 200 building on the Chabot campus and heard someone singing and playing the guitar? If so, that’s Don “The Guitar Man” Fuller. He writes his songs and has been playing them during his lunch hour for the past 15 years. He sits on a bench between the 100 and 300 building singing and playing his acoustic guitar Monday through Thursday. 

Fuller says he enjoys playing on campus. It’s his outlet. “I enjoy playing. The reason I’m out here playing is basically for my mental health. I appreciate people stopping by and giving me compliments it’s heartwarming.”

Fuller has opened for Country singer Dottie West, has played with the actress/singer Madonna’s guitar teacher, and with the San Jose garage rock band named Count Five. The group is best known for their hit single Psychotic Reaction. Fuller said, “I played with Count Five, a San Jose and the Cleveland Hall of Fame band. We played together at my house.”

“Love for Love”, “When You Woke Me Up” are the songs Fuller wrote. “Fluffy Monkey Butt” is a funny, unique song he also wrote with a student on campus. 

Fuller stated, “It was eight years ago when a student was watching people walking by and saw them walking with their cellphones. I just started singing “Fluffy Monkey Butts.” We wrote that song to get the student’s attention who were walking with their cellphones. It caught their ears.” 

Fuller can also be very serious about the songs he wrote. “Home on The Range” is a song he wrote. His song talks about kids that are losing to drugs, and it may cut to the heart of many people. It’s an Anti-Drug song. 

One of the lyrics of that song is “…. The last straw was when I walked into the bathroom. You had a glass pipe in your hand; it was a stone reaction. When was the last time you just weren’t wasted, then you had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to taste it? Life is so strange, making me want to go back home. Back home On the Range.”

The lyrics talk about a person walking in on a friend using crack. His friend tempts him to use it but refuses. Fuller says he sings it twice a week. It’s his favorite song.

Fuller was born in Massachusetts but raised in the Bay Area. He was four years old when he first learned how to play the piano, then five when he learned how to play the Ukulele.

Fuller mentions, “at ten years old; I started playing the guitar. My family was all musical. My grandparents had a band. My Uncle had a band, and I was in his local band.”

He has written Over 100 songs and performs daily on campus.

His inspirations for writing songs are things that happen in day to day life like; driving a car, eating food, or birds. Fuller stated, “I write about anything that goes on, anything that’s around. It doesn’t matter if I write a song about a bird or a smelly trash can. I don’t have to be inspired to write songs.”

Fuller has also contributed background music toward multiple TV shows for Chabot TV Channel 27 Comcast. Chabot Television Studio Manager/Engineer Sujoy Sarkar mentions, “I begged him for it. When I first started, I was by myself, and we needed some background music to use. I saw him outside and asked him if he happened to have a way to make some background music for TV and he said sure. Ever since then, he gives us some background music, and so I have his music for background on TV Shows.”

It’s OK if you want to play your guitar and sing a song with Fuller. So, the next time you hear someone playing a guitar and singing, don’t be shy and walk on by. Stop and take a listen and lesson from Don “The Guitar Man” Fuller.

Chabot’s New Student Senate

Chabot College announced the following newly elected members of the Chabot Student Senate are Ashanti Robinson as President and La’Roy Fitch Jr. as ICC Chairman for the 2019-2020 academic year. There are five new representatives Navin Bansal, Ranjit Cheema, Chunyan Lin, Alejandro Schimmels, and Yinglin Yu.

All seven were sworn into office September 30, 2019, in the boardroom located in 200 building on Chabot campus surrounded by their fellow senate members.

Robinson’s role as President is to act as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Student Senate here on campus. In this position, Robinson must take action on and enforce all policies and legislation espoused by the Student Senate. In her first senate meeting as President, she did just that with her strong presence and natural-born leadership ability.

Also, Robinson will be the official representative of the Student Senate at an assortment of other college committees and serve as the chairperson in Student Senate meetings.

According to Robinson’s candidate statement, she, “Plan(s) to strengthen the communication between the student body and the Student Senate by directly working with smaller groups on campus to keep the conversation and representation going.”

With several items and policies on the ballot, Robinson has her hands full as this year’s student body president. ICC Chair is the liaison between the clubs on campus and the Student Senate. This seems to suit Fitch’s framework and his affiliation with clubs here on campus, such as but not limited to Change-It-Now (C-I-N), Striving Black Brother Coalition, and the Justice Arts Collective. 

A goal Fitch set during his campaign for ICC Chair was to put himself and the community in a position to take action and be an active resource for the campus. “Build bridges, don’t burn them down,” states Fitch in his 2019 campaign video.

Being the ICC Chair is a job that Fitch has worked hard for, and just like Robinson, Fitch carried himself with dignity, grace, and excellence. From the looks of things, he’s the right man for the job.

That is what this year’s Student Senate of Chabot College (SSCC) is trying to accomplish — getting the job done. Every goal that was set is in the works to be fulfilled by the Senate and the advisers. 

The 2019-20 school year is sure to be a progressive one. There are a fair amount of changes that the Chabot campus will be seeing, and they are all for the betterment of the college.

Hustlers Review

The movie Hustlers brings you a sexual-storm that makes you want to drop it like it’s hot while showing the strength of sisterhood and being unashamed in your skin.

Being a stripper is a way of life for some or a way to make ends meet for others. Based on actual events from Jessica Pressler’s Dec. 28, 2015, article in New York Magazine and Lorene Scafaria’s direction you take a never-ending cycle of drugs, sex, and money, not necessarily in that order. That doesn’t stop until it’s too late.

Jennifer Lopez plays Ramona, a smoking hot stripper, who is about the mighty dollar. She is the moneymaker at a Manhattan strip club. This movie takes you down a timeline with Ramona and Destiny (Constance Wu) and their so-called family.

In 2007 Ramona met a skinny little Asian woman named Destiny and saw the potential in her. With four little words, “Climb in my fur,” Destiny’s life changed. 

Women in the club who didn’t give Destiny a second glance were now giving her private lap dance lessons. One, in particular, is Diamond portrayed by Grammy winner Cardi B, her first words to Destiny were “Bi***, stay out my section,” but now that she is close with Ramona, Destiny has some clout. 

Romona is a lioness and lethal weapon and very manipulative and verges on being a narcissist. Destiny, a follower, gives you the notion that she will never be a leader. Even at the end of her journey, the only thing she leads herself into is becoming a snitch and losing what little family she had left.

Destiny had a horrible childhood. Her parents left her at her grandparents’ house and never turned back. You guessed it. Yup, she’s a people-pleaser who will do anything to fit in, which leads her into trusting too easy and loving too hard.

Ramona, Destiny, Mercedes (Keke Palmer), and Annabelle (Lili Reinhart) were all strippers with the need for money and each other. But who needs who more?

Some would call what Ramona is doing pimping, but considering they never had sex with any clients; it’s not pimping. However, when you throw the label family on it, it becomes a little hard to see through the ugliness.

When things get risky for the “family.” Ramona is on this “me me me” kick. Destiny wants things to run smoothly. Mercedes wants to marry her jailbird boyfriend, and Annabelle is just a cat-loving homebody, who vomits every time she gets nervous.

You can see things are about to go south. So many different personalities being run by one puppet master, Ramona. Feeling she can get more bang for her buck, Ramona suggests they recruit new girls for their business.

If you’re thinking they were selling their goodies, you; my dear reader are wrong. It’s worse.

Imagine being a grown man with Wall Street money, Ivy League education, and the world at your fingertips, just looking for a good time. It’s just your luck you meet a beautiful Latina (Ramona) who has not one, not two, but three just as beautiful sisters.

Mind you, Ramona’s sisters are Asian (Destiny), African American (Mercedes), and Caucasian (Annabelle). Some look a little suspect to me. They are ordering round after round, yet you’re the only drunk one. 

The strippers were drugging these men with Ketamine and MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) cocktails. Then they would drain their bank accounts of fifty thousand dollars a swipe, and they were swiping their VISA’s like windshield wipers during a hurricane.

One of Ramona’s new recruits is a junkie and snitch, and just like that, their ship went down like the Titanic. Everyone was arrested. Destiny snitched on everyone because she just remembered she had a baby with rapper G-Eazy, who plays Destiny’s deadbeat baby father, Johnny.

This movie overall was booty-shaking good. I enjoyed every minute of it, as did moviegoer Samantha Gibson and others that clapped their hands as the credits rolled.

“I’m glad I got to see it early, but it’s definitely worth the wait for those who didn’t,” says Gibson while exiting the theater.

Women Candidates in 2020

Over 800 people have filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for president, yet only three women made it to the third presidential debate. The three women are senators: Kamala Harris from California, Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota, and Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts. This is the first time that the three women have run for national office. There appears to be a lot of excitement about the prospect of having a woman on the Democratic ticket.

On Sept. 12, the top 10 presidential candidates met in Houston to debate. September’s debate allowed voters to witness the candidates’ demeanor on the same platform. Whereas Klobuchar sounded forceful, Harris appeared joyful and diplomatic. Warren seemed eager to debate and deftly responded to challenges from Joe Biden — the leading candidate in the presidential race.

Chabot student, Veotis Latchison II, thinks all the female candidates are strong. His advice to these women is to speak louder, powerfully, and respectfully. Latchison thinks highly of Elizabeth Warren but prefers Cory Booker over Warren.

This year, Warren has been the most competitive among the top female candidates and has occasionally edged out Biden in national polling.

For Harris and Klobuchar, their campaigns face pressure to gain traction since Iowa and New Hampshire voters will cast their votes in Feb. 2020. A look at the candidates’ positions on College and Immigration in Table 1 may explain the senators’ current rankings.

IssueHarrisKlobucharWarren
CollegeAllow current students to refinance college debt.
Future students to attend college debt-free.
Tuition-free community College.

Expand Pell Grant Eligibility.
Forgiveness of $50,000 in college debt.

Free college for 2-year or 4-year degrees.
ImmigrationProvide a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living in the US and contributing to the economy.

Reinstate DACA and implement protections for DREAMERs and their parents from deportation.
Provide a pathway to citizenship.

End the policy of separating children from their parents.
Decriminalize migration.

Raise the refugee cap.

Expand legal immigration.
Created the Office of New Americans to support new immigrants’ transition into America.
StrengthRaising Teacher PayMental Health PolicyPlans for nearly every public issue.

Table 1

Senators Harris and Klobuchar both served as prosecutors, government attorneys who brought charges against defendants.

In the September debate, both Klobuchar and Harris were asked to defend their records. 

Harris responded by stating that she developed “requirements that a state law enforcement agency would have to wear cameras and keep them on full-time” and that she “created police officer trainings … on the issue of racial bias.”

Klobuchar referred to two incidents where perpetrators were found and jailed. She asserted that her prosecutor’s office made changes, such as to pursue “white-collar crimes in a big way, diversify the office in a big way, [and] work with the Innocence Project to make sure we do much better with eyewitness ID.”

Harris sounds strong when she is talking about barriers she overcame to succeed in her career. However, she often changes her position on critical issues, including her health care plan. 

According to the website FiveThirtyEight, Harris has received nearly as many endorsements from Democratic leaders as former Vice President Biden. Representing the populous state of California has helped catapult Harris to the debate stage. But Harris’ support from last summer has declined precipitously in California and other states according to recent polls.

Klobuchar continues to voice moderate positions on hot issues and often touts her ability to get work done. According to Quorum (a legislative tracking company), Klobuchar has introduced more than 70 bills in 2019, more than any other US senator in the current Congress. These bills have not yet been enacted, but often include bipartisan sponsorship. The majority of these bills have been referred to the appropriate legislative committee for consideration.

Warren worked as a Harvard law professor before joining the Senate in 2013. She has a good command of the issues and a reputation for bold plans. During the debate, however, Warren did not directly respond to questions on whether she would increase middle-class taxes to help pay for her expensive proposals.

Several polls are regularly conducted of voters in early primary states by various media outlets. According to Real Clear Politics, polling averages show Harris and Klobuchar in single digits below Warren, except in California. The average polling percentages for all female candidates expected to debate in October are shown in Table 2. For comparison, polling percentages for former Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii also appear in Table 2.

StateHarrisKlobucharGabbardWarrenBiden
Iowa5.34.72.323.020.3
New Hampshire6.31.04.317.722.3
Nevada8.701.315.027.0
California9.01.01.521.724.3
Texas6.51.50.815.826.8
Massachusetts5.01.01.519.024.5

Table 2

As the American public becomes more familiar with these women, some may drift into higher tiers or end up withdrawing from the race. On the other hand, one of these women may become the nominee or earn a spot on the 2020 Democratic ticket. 

The next debate will be on Tuesday, Oct. 15, in Ohio. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii recently qualified to join the October debate. Since there will be at least 11 candidates debating, the candidates may be divided into two groups and perhaps have more time to explain their views. 

To participate in the presidential primary, you must register to vote beforehand. To register online, visit https://registertovote.ca.gov/ or scan the QR code on the right. The deadline to register is Feb. 17, 2020, to cast your vote in California’s primary on Mar. 3, 2020.

Apple Releases New iPhone 11

This year’s Apple event saw Apple CEO Tim Cook reveal the new iPhone 11, 11 Pro, AppleWatch Series 5, and new plans for the giant corporation. Apple showcased it’s updated devices, an update that rocked the social media world of memes was the iPhone 11’s three-camera lens. It had mixed reviews on social media, most notably memes parodying the fact it had another camera added.

The Apple Watch Series 5 has added more features to the device, including being able to control your home lights, door, set the alarm, or it can even be used for subway stations as a pass. 

The event kicked off, introducing a new feature, Apple Arcade coming to the iPhone Sept. 19 along with the release of the iOS 13 update. Apple Arcade is a feature that will allow iPhone users to play games made by some of the best game developers around the world. One of them is the Japanese gaming company Konami who has partnered up with Apple in this feature to allow users to play more than 300,000 games for the price of $4.99 a month. 

The new iPhone 11 will cost $699 or $399 with a trade-in of a qualified iPhone, while the Apple Watch Series 5 will cost $399 for an aluminum one or $799 for the stainless steel.

Sept. 20, 2019, at the Apple store in Palo Alto, CA, customers talked about Apples’ recent releases, including it’s new iPhone 11 and their thoughts on the latest gadgets. 

An Apple store customer, James, who had preordered the iPhone 11 Pro and had been waiting since 7 a.m., 2 hours before the Apple store opened said he was most interested in the new iPhone because of the three camera lenses. He wants to test it out since he’s a photographer. 

Emily and her husband Carl also preordered the new iPhone 11, and they said, “We’ve been getting the new iPhone each year, and we feel each year the iPhone keeps improving, and that Apple’s technology is the future, our future, the price for the trade-in ($399) seems like a fair offer for us Apple customers.” 

According to Apple staff members compared to the past releases, the iPhone 11 seemed to be slow or less packed than lines from previous versions.