By: Kaley Lopez and Kenya Adame, Pet Experts

March 16th, 2023

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - Many people have animals at home, such as cats and dogs. Cats and dogs are beneficial for physical health and social health. People feel animals may help during times of stress. There are service animals which include dogs and miniature horses, which have different purposes depending on the circumstances of their owners such as emotional support. While other regular pet animals may be for companionship. Most people don’t realize how much animals benefit our overall health.

After a long day of work, interacting with animals can be helpful because studies show a decrease of cortisol levels. The cortisol hormone is a primary stress hormone that triggers the production of sugar. When cortisol levels are chronically high this can cause the persistence of high sugar levels known as hyperglycemia. While playing with pets, the body produces dopamine and serotonin. When serotonin levels increase, cortisol levels decrease, and dopamine levels increase. The serotonin hormone has a role in mood and causes people to feel good. When serotonin levels are too low this can be linked to depression.

 Caring for a pet dog can improve lifestyle, an example of this is when we walk our dogs. There are many health benefits when we walk regularly such as protecting the joints. We all know exercise is important but people may not have the motivation to do it. People who have dogs want to give them a healthy life since dogs need to be physically active depending on the dog breed. Having a dog breed that needs daily exercise can motivate the pet owner to be active as well. Whenever I personally take care of a dog, I usually run with them for long periods of time. Some studies show that dog owners are more likely to meet daily exercise requirements. Exercise has benefits on mental and physical health. We are less susceptible to diseases through exercise. When one has high activity levels, it is beneficial to the cardiovascular system, lowering the risk of heart attacks. Not everyone can afford pets such as cats and dogs but even watching a fish in a tank can lower pulse rate and reduce muscle tension.

Humans are naturally social creatures and isolation may be detrimental to health. Dementia is linked to social isolation; social isolation can cause a 50% percent increased risk of dementia. Other studies found that animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings for social support, and boost mood. Animals can serve as a source of support and comfort. Therapy dogs are a good example; at times they are brought into hospitals or nursing homes to help reduce a patient's stress or anxiety. Pets are a valuable companionship to their owners. Having a dog provides opportunities to get outside and interact with your community regularly. This could be helpful for people who are shy or don't feel comfortable talking to new people. Nancy R. Gee, a Ph.D. professor Ph. d found through a market research survey that more than half of the people they know are affected by mental health issues and they each claim their pet has helped them connect and build relationships with others.

Teachers and staff in our school have a few things to say about their pets. Meet Ms. Ng who has 3 adoptive cats. The first cat she adopted was during graduate school 4-year-old Milo, a male. Second is 3-year-old Opal, a female, adopted before she moved to Los Angeles. Her last adoptive cat she recently got was 6 months ago and is named Stanley, an 8-month-old male. She fostered kittens during the pandemic, at one points having 12 cats in her apartment, but is currently taking a break from fostering. Opal is a quarantine kitty. When asked about the mental health support her kittens offer she stated, “Huge mental health support, especially for me, I live alone, but whenever I go home I still have comfort and support. If I have a long day at work, I go home and I get lots of love and attention.” She also said when she gets home after work all she wants to do is sit on the couch and play with her kittens which she calls “A huge dose of serotonin.” We also asked Ms. Ng how her pet offered support during quarantine, “My pets helped me massively during quarantine, we were all isolated, cut off from our loved ones, but I still had comfort at home.” Further on during the interview, she told us fostering bottle babies, and having to routinely feed them, kept her from going crazy during quarantine. It kept her productive and gave her a sense of purpose. Before getting a pet she advises you to make sure you’re financially ready and prepared for the commitment. If you can’t commit to a pet's full life, then don’t get one. Ms. Ng then shared her experience in the rescue system, “A lot of people will adopt a kitten and then they’ll return it, realizing it was too big of a responsibility. Little kittens get adopted quickly but when cats get older it is harder to get them adopted.” She said if you’re committed to all of the responsibilities, then pets are the best for emotional support especially for people who feel isolated and lonely.

Lastly, we have Mr. Ortega who has a cat named Mocha. He explained to us how he found Mocha under a trailer and decided to take him home. When asked if Mocha provides him with any support, he explained how Mocha is very capable of telling when he's had a long day and how Mocha gets close to him when offering comfort. When we asked if Mocha helps him relieve the stress he said, “Yeah because a lot of the time Mocha will just kind of be silly”. Mr. Ortega explained by saying, “There's never a day where I'm not laughing, like I’ll literally laugh out loud at something he does. He’ll like fall off the bed or something, or run into the wall or something goofy every single day and I just have to laugh”. Lastly, when asked what he would tell someone that wants to get an emotional support animal he said he’d make sure they had the proper environment for it, and to make sure their home is right for the animal. Mr. Ortega showed support for those who are seeking a pet and highly encourages people to get pets because of the benefits that come from it.

By: Brandon Garcia, Entertainment Reporter 

March 6th, 2023

LOS ANGELES - The Mandalorian has been a fan favorite show for a large group of people. Now with the awaited release of season 3, which was released on March 1st and will release new episodes every week on Wednesday. This article talks about seasons 1 and 2, if you haven’t watched it, go do that. Also, I highly recommend rewatching the show if you haven’t done it recently. One thing to note is that this article has the knowledge of the first 2 episodes of season 3 but will not disclose any events that happen in those two episodes. Now, with that out of the way, let's start with the first season of The Mandalorian.

For starters, events of The Mandalorian take place between Episode 6 (Return of the Jedi) and Episode 7 (The Force Awakens). But only a little bit after the fall of the empire. The main character is a Mandalorian named Din Djarn. A bounty hunter that works in a Guild (an organization where bounty hunters can accept jobs). It is one of these jobs where the Mandalorian finds a “child” that is the same species of Master Yoda. This is when the Mandalorian is attached to the child so he takes the child back from the client. After that, the rest of the season is when The Mandalorian keeps the child safe and runs from other bounty hunters meeting new friends and helping people. At the end of the season, the Mandalorian gets a message from an old friend to meet him. So he recruits two other friends to go meet him. Then they find out that his old friend Greef Karga plans to “give back” the child to the client and take him out. The plan goes wrong when a person named Moff Gideon, the client’s superior and x-empire, tries to take the kid by force. So the Mandalorian and his team try to get away and seemingly kill Moff Gideon but he survives.

Happening almost directly after season one, the events of the second season happen. Not a lot happens in season two. The most important part is that the Mandalorian with help takes down an empire trading base. The most important things happen at the end of the season when the Madalorians' goal changes to reunite the child with the jedi after he meets another jedi that refuses to take him. That is where we learn his name, Grogu. After that, the Mandalorian with the help of Grogu singles the jedi in the universe but Moff Gideon kidnaps Grogu. Then the Mandalorian teams up with Boba Fett to take down Moff Gideon and rescue Grogu. Then a Jedi, Luke Skywalker comes and promises to take care of Grogu and train him in the ways of the jedi. This is where the Mandalorian takes off his helmet willing to say goodbye to Grogu.

Even after season 2 there were more events relating to Grogu. As in the other Star War shows called The Book of Boba Fett the last 2 episodes are tied to the Mandalorian. At the start we see what happened to Grogu after Luke took to training him and we learned what happened to Grogu. Also why Grogu had started using the force at the start of the show. Then we see that Luke makes Grogu choose between Yoda’s lightsaber and the chain mail armor that the Mandalorian dropped off for him. The problem is that if he chooses the armor then his training will stop. After that, he goes back to the Mandalorian and helps him with the problem that he is dealing with. The Mandalorian sees that Grogu is wearing chain mail armor.

This season is bound to be great as were the other two seasons. This season will mostly be about the Mandalorian going to Mandalore so he can be accepted back to his creed after taking off his helmet. Though that won't be his only goal. He will also try to find a piece to repair a droid. We might also see Grogu grow in his abilities to use the force. We can expect this season to be as good or maybe even better than the last two seasons by seeing the first episode of season 3.

By: Ian Marquez & Luis Vasquez, Entertainment News Reporters 

February 9th, 2023

LOS ANGELES - The long-awaited movie has been announced titled “Michael”, which is Michael Jackson’s upcoming biopic. Already excited? Wait until you find out who’s playing as Michael Jackson. Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s nephew will play his role. The director, Antoine Fuqua thought it’d be the best idea if his own nephew played Michael as it’s supposed to depict a “complicated legacy” of the man himself who slowly became the king of pop. One of the many struggles with this upcoming biopic is the legacy of Michael Jackson himself. 

Following Michael Jackson and his pop royalty are multiple allegations. Some of which are the child sexual abuse allegations that many believe. Throughout his career, he has been accused and confronted about it, but he would deny them. Before his tragic death in 2009, he was in court the year 2003. He was on trial and even found innocent of child molestation, even after his death this “legacy” still sticks to his name.

Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson has recently been getting spotlight after announcing on Instagram that he will play as his uncle for the upcoming biopic. Jaafar Jackson is the son of Jermaine Jackson, who is known for being the bassist and vocalist for The Jackson Many people are excited that Jaafar Jackson will play this role with Michael Jackson’s mother (Katherine Jackson). Katherine Jackson said, “Jaafar embodies my son. It’s so wonderful to see him carry on the Jackson legacy of entertainers and performers,”. Even the director Antoine Fuqua says he can’t wait for everyone to watch him on the big screen. Much pressure is applied to Jaafar Jackson. 

Producer Graham King who is also known for credits from the famous movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” stated that he and his team searched worldwide to find an appropriate actor for “Michael Jackson”. He quotes, “I met Jaafar over two years ago and was blown away by the way he organically personifies the spirit and personality of Michael,” said King. “It was something so powerful that even after conducting a worldwide search, it was clear that he is the only person to take on this role.” Along with how excited he is to see Jaafar take this role he left a statement saying how eager he is for the world to see Jaafar play his very own uncle. 

Many fans are excited to see this movie but are hoping not to see Michael Jackson portrayed as a bad person as recent media has been portraying him. The film has been in development since 2019 but now that a director and main actor have been announced it’s starting to put out more marketing. There is no set release date yet for the film as it is in its early stages of development. Antoine Fuqua will put his full focus on ‘Michael’ after he finishes filming the picture ‘The Equalizer 3’ starring Denzel Washington. The movie will be in the hands of Lionsgate studios as they have gained the rights to make a Michael Jackson biopic. Everyone hopes the movie will be great because Michael Jackson is many people’s idol and favorite person and we’re so excited to see this film soon. 

By: Kaley Lopez, Wellness Reporter

November 17th, 2022

Los Angeles California- People around the world struggle with mental and physical health and it may be because of a lack of awareness of the connection between physical and mental health. When we talk about health, many think of physical health but it includes mental health as well. Mental and physical health are connected, mental health affects physical health, and physical affects mental health. Both should be perceived as equally important. Mental health is often dismissed by a lot of people but physical health isn’t. My question is why?

Mental health effects on physical health:

Mental health has an effect on physical health like someone’s life span. People with schizophrenia have 3x risk of developing respiratory disease. They also have a doubled risk of dying from different types of heart diseases. Those who have depression have an increased risk of dying from cancer by 50% along with 67% increased risk of heart disease. Researchers speculate that this is because those with mental illnesses are less likely to care for their health. Those with mental illness may have unhealthy habits like smoking and drug abuse. Antipsychotics used to treat schizophrenia and depression include negative side effects like weight gain, higher risks of diabetes, tardive dyskinesia. Tardive Dyskinesia is when there are involuntary muscle movements in the jaw, lips, face, neck, etc. Mental health isn’t only about mental illnesses, which is what many people may think of, it also includes a healthy state of mind.

Positive emotions slow down the development of heart disease, but that does not mean people can’t have negative emotions, we should have a balance of negative and positive emotions. People who are more optimistic compared to less optimistic had a 50% less risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Having a positive mental state is linked to health improvement in lower blood pressure, longer life, healthier blood sugar and weight.

Physical health effects on mental health:

About 1 in 3 people who have physical problems have an increased risk of developing mental health problems like depression and anxiety. People who are diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, and heart disease may have a high risk of mental health disorders. This can be because of fear about the future or how they may not have the money to afford treatments. Activities they enjoy like hiking may become harder to do and it’ll be hard for them to adapt with restrictions they may need to keep their health up.

Physical exercise on the brain: We know physical exercise improves our physical health, but you may not be aware that it helps with mental health. Exercise can reduce daily stress by producing more endorphins, making you feel more relaxed, which decreases cortisol (stress hormones). Exercise can also prevent anxiety and depressive disorders and increases dopamine and serotonin, responsible for making you happy. With exercise we can get better moods, attention span, and memory. When exercising, the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex gets stronger and bigger. The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are at much higher risks of cognitive decline in aging and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. Exercise can help slow down these diseases and help with living a healthy life.

There is a connection between mental and physical health. Health is both mental and physical, there is no such thing as health without mental health. Mental health can affect the development of respiratory diseases and heart disease. While poor physical health can increase the risk of mental health problems and physical exercise slows down the development of neurodegenerative disease. People should take care of both physical and mental health to help with their overall health.

By: Sheyla Estrada and Jasmine Castaneda, Entertainment Reporters

November 17th, 2022 

32nd St USC MAE Magnet - Here is some history and ways to watch some of your favorite movies.  Majority of us appreciate a variety of movies including: horror, romance, action, and other genres. With services such as Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Peacock, Tubi, and among others, you can view  movies at the comfort of your own home. A number of foreign films are streamed on these platforms, including a selection of Spanish-language films on Pantaya. All of these platforms also contain a variety of TV shows and documentaries. Even though watching movies in theaters is enjoyable, not all of the films screened are usually up  for a long time. These platforms may provide some of your favorite types of movies, which you may view again whenever you desire. The first motion picture film was made in Paris, France, and directed by a French inventor named Louis Le Prince. Even though it was only 2.11 seconds long, it is still considered the first film ever made. From his work, people were able to modify it to be able to make the movies that we know today.

Recent movies that have come out in 2022. Thanks to these platforms, we are able to watch films today. One of the most recent and well-liked films this year was "The Good Nurse," a Netflix original based on the true story of Charles Cullen, a serial killer who murdered victims in hospitals while also working as a nurse. I believe this would be a nice movie for you if you enjoy crime and mysteries. Another recent film that has been released this year is "Bullet Train," which is based on the 2010 novel Maria Beetle by Ktar Isaka who has an assassin that engages in deadly combat while traveling on a fictitious version of the Tokaido Shinkansen. The film is funny and action-packed. One of the most watched horror films was “The Black Phone." It is a retelling of Joe Hill's short story also named “The Black Phone” from 2004. It tells the story of a kidnapper who kidnapped a boy and is now attempting to escape by speaking to the dead on a black phone. The fact that his former victims are on the other end of the phone allows the boy to flee.  

Some underrated movies/ recommendations we found from people we surveyed. Speaking of well-liked movies, we searched for some underappreciated yet excellent ones. We have discovered some underrated films that we think you should see. Based on some of the people we questioned and information we found online. We were given a vast selection of movies from all different genres, including a sampling of each. Some of the films we have gathered include “Prey”, an action/science fiction film from 2022 about a skilled Comanche warrior who defends her tribe from a highly developed alien predator that hunts humans. Another film that was mentioned is the 2016 comedy/romance film “Why Him?”. The story revolves around a father who tries to prevent his daughter's immature millionaire tech boyfriend from proposing to her. Another movie is called “Synecdoche, New York”, a 2008 drama movie about a theater director who struggles with his work and the women in his life, as he creates a life size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play. Additional examples include the horror films “Mother!” (2017), “Think Like a Man” (2021), and “Frozen” (2010). 

Now time for classmate preferences! Get to know your peers better. We conducted an experiment by asking people around school what genres they prefer through a survey, shared by a school counselor. A big thanks to them, and to the people who replied! With the information that we have gathered, we have found out that most people in our school prefer the genre of horror/thriller. Most people said that the reason they prefer this genre of movie is because “I enjoy the idea of a quick surprise or a build-up of tension that eventually snaps in the most random ways." Another good reason people said, “I like the anticipation when it comes, the creative methods used to create tension, or leaving the viewer uneasy.” The second most preferred genre was comedy. A response replied, “This genre is fun to watch with friends and guarantees lots of laughs." 

Some movies are coming soon! We have made the decision to share some upcoming movies as we approach the new year. The action and adventure film “Fast & Furious 10” is one of a few movies scheduled for 2023. An action, comedy, and adventure film is “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” The horror/mystery “M3GAN”. An entertaining family movie is “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” And the horror/slasher/thriller “Blood and Honey” starring Winnie the Pooh. I hope you all like the next new movie!