March 2021

Student Life

Coronaversary: Interview with Mandika Swartz, 12th

Valerie Aguirre 2021

Question: "Can you tell me about your contribution in helping during COVID 19?"

Mandika: "When the pandemic hit and our lives flipped upside down, I felt inclined to serve society in any way that I can. Something that I noticed that was really astonishing to me was that hospitals around the globe were facing a severe shortage of personal protective equipment. I thought that was such a testament to how underprepared we were for the pandemic.

So, I started an endeavor to launch a project in which we created over 1,000 face masks and over 500 shields. To do so, I raised funding through a GoFund me and I came together with a small army of volunteers: teenagers who wanted to dedicate their time over the summer to help me make these personal protective equipment. This took six months and we ended up supplying four local regional hospitals. This was a testament as a whole to how devoted we are to uplifting the community. It was really a great experience."

Question: "What did you take away from this experience?"

Mandika: "It started a spark to make sure that whatever I do in life, I wanted to intersect with civic engagement. It's always exciting to see where that devotion is going to take me. It's a spark in me that will forever be ignited and I hope to continue this trend to make sure that the environment around me is a better place tomorrow."

UHS Club Advisor Interviews

Mohammad Al-Saber 2023

Get to know about the different clubs and groups we have at University High School!

Questions asked:

Introduce yourself, other officers, and the general members of the club. What is its purpose, and how does it contribute to the UHS environment?
How frequently does your club hold meetings? What is the general structure of your meetings? What is the objective and motive behind these meetings?
What do you say to those who are looking into joining your club? Why should they join your organization?
How does this club aid with education outside of the meetings?
How can you further improve your organization? What is one area of weakness in your club? Why is that?

Pre-Med/Red Cross Club

Active Minds Club

BLACK STUDENT UNION

“My name is Praise Okoli, President of Black Student Union (BSU) at UHS. The other officers are Savannah Grier, Lailah Norman, Kylie Carr, and Mohammad Al-Saber. The purpose of this club is to learn and inform others about Black culture while celebrating it as well. We are a part of a bigger organization, where pretty much every other high school in the valley has a BSU. We work with other schools to plan events from time to time.”
“We hold meetings twice a month, once every two weeks on Tuesdays unless otherwise stated. Our meetings are pretty calm, with a presentation by an officer and room for discussion, along with videos and announcements at the end. Our goal is to inform students without making it feel like they're at school or overwhelming them with too much information. We focus on a topic every meeting and we have a combined meeting with all topics covered at the end of each semester.”
“If you want to learn more about black history and culture in a safe, open-minded environment, then I would invite you to become a part of BSU. Everyone is welcome, there is no judgment if you don't know about a certain topic or if you have any questions. It's a great way to stay informed and to have fun doing so!”
“Every meeting's presentation is posted after the meeting. In it, there are usually links to resources if a student wants more information. There are also other events outside of our meetings from time to time if students want to connect with other BSU members in the valley.”
“We would love to have more members! The discussion is an important part of the club, but with a small amount of people, it's not always as lively as it could be. We are also working on getting more information on our Instagram, @unihigh.bsu, where students can find out more information and sort through the fakes presented on social media.”

INTERACT CLUB

“Hello, my name is Jet Li and I am the president of Interact Club, UHS's official volunteering club. The other officers of this club are Alyssa Fu (Vice President), Chijlooj Mouanoutoua (Secretary), Sarah Lee (Treasurer), Daisy Thao (Board Member), Isabelle Ong (Board Member), and Mohammad Al-Saber (Board Member). Interact Club's teacher advisor is Mr. Johnson. With this club, we want to create an active group of students who are willing to volunteer and help out their community. In Interact club, we provide many volunteering opportunities members can get involved in. Even though school is online this year, the Interact officers and I have found ways for members to volunteer virtually through online activities and websites. Members of this club range from students who are passionate about volunteering, are interested in volunteering, or students who want to earn volunteering credit to meet the 80 hour volunteering requirement in order to graduate from UHS.”
"Once every month, Interact Club meets with its members. During these meetings, the officers will present new volunteering opportunities and updates about the club through a presentation they have created. After the presentation, there will be a lunch time activity where members can earn 30 minutes of volunteering credit. Some activities that we have done in the past include making Valentine cards for patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and making appreciation videos for UHS teachers. The objective behind these meetings are to make members aware of what type of volunteering they can do to help out the community and to give members a chance to obtain volunteering credit.”
“80 hours of volunteering in order to graduate?! Seems pretty intimidating at first, right? Well, come check out Interact Club. We provide many volunteering opportunities that can help you get those 80 hours very easily. Also, at the same time, you can learn about the different ways you can help out your community and how you can make an impact on other peoples' lives. Who knows, you might even find a passion for volunteering that you never knew you had before after trying out a few volunteering activities.”
"As volunteering revolves around the idea of helping others, it teaches students about teamwork and socializing skills. Often times, when coronavirus was not a thing, volunteers would have to interact and work with other volunteers in order to finish the task set upon them.”

SOCIAL ADVOCATES CLUB

“Hi! My name is Joann, and this club started out as a few scrappy words on a piece of paper; an idea that I had, but never thought much of. I brainstormed all of early quarantine with Alex, who is the VP of SAC, to make this into everything we envisioned. Our club officers consist of two moderators who ask profound questions throughout the meeting, Emilea Okayasu and Olivia Lin. Our publicists are Quynhthy Hoang and Alyssa Fu, who are in charge of the Remind and Instagram accounts. We also have our newest addition to the SAC family, Skye Romo! She was recently selected to be the Student Researcher Lead, and will be overseeing a team of the Researcher Committee.

Our purpose in starting Social Advocates Club was to create a baseline on societal issues, while relaying them to our own student body. We feel that the importance of addressing injustices and its impacts on the Central Valley are pivotal towards bringing UHS students together to discuss at our meetings.”

“We hold all-student meetings monthly, often surrounding a common theme of discussion. For example, our most recent meeting touched on major events of 2020, and how it impacted our environment and education. We separate into breakout rooms to make conversation more intimate and open. Our moderators Emilea and Olivia rotate through the different groups to ask their questions, which helps generate even more productive thinking. Our motive lies within the very reason many students join SAC; to have an environment where your ideas aren't squashed down, to have fellow students listen to your take on social issues (and vice versa), creates an exchange of social awareness.”
“I would say, "Hi! It's not as intimidating as it looks, I promise!" I totally get that SAC sounds like a place where you could be afraid to speak up, especially in an online breakout room (already scary enough, sometimes). However, we've made is so that students who are comfortable with certain friends can request to be in the same group, which helps get that nervousness out of the way. If you're interested in listening to fellow UHS students speak up on worldly views that they feel passionate about, or want to speak yourself, come by our next meeting! We'd love to have you.”
"We use Instagram as our main hub of communication. We work constantly to push out relevant content to the UHS student body, including Student Features, or interviews with current UHS club members who want to speak out on a particular event.”
"Though we've come so far, there's so much more to improve upon. As a relatively new club, I'd say one of our greatest points of weakness is establishing ourselves as a "true" organization, as every interaction we've made as been online. We hope to improve upon our consistency within meetings and make ourselves more approachable in the coming weeks!”

PRE-MED/RED CROSS CLUB

“Hi all! My name is Yuyi Lin, president of the Pre-Med/Red Cross Club. Our club officers, Kaden Zheng, Ryan Titapiwatanakun, Ariana Mohebbi, Mellica Piri, and I, dedicate our club towards guiding our members through the journey of medicine, sparking interest in various pre-med topics, and providing resources for people who need it. UHS having many people interested in the pre-med path, this club is a good opportunity to delve into the question, "What is medicine"? From surgery simulation videos to guest speakers to card-making activities, we strive to answer this question.”
"We hold our meetings the first and third Monday every month. During our first Monday meeting, we explore into various sectors of medicine such as how to prepare for disasters and how to perform c-section. During our third Monday meetings, guest speakers share their experiences with us and host a Q&A session. Hearing from dermatologists, oncologists, residents, etc., we hope members will gather more insight in medicine.”
“Everyone is welcome to join our club! COVID-19 has brought upon us many hardships, whether that be through loss or distancing from loved ones. Thus, the Pre-Med/Red Cross Club provides an opportunity to learn about medicine and bring members closer together in addition to providing resources for people who need it.”
“Through our google classroom, we post presentation slides from our past meetings for future self-review. We also notify about new volunteer opportunities, competitions such as the USA Biolympiad, and resources such as Woke Woc Docs, a health justice podcast. Our google classroom class code is vanw4uv.”
“With clubs being online, we struggle with having active participation. We try to adapt to circumstances by hosting activities and having a busy Zoom chat.”

ACTIVE MINDS CLUB

“My name is Rynee Wijesinghe, and I am currently president of the Active Minds club. The other officers in this club are Ellie Moore, Simran Sekhon, Arleen Toor, Trisha Cortez, Alex Vang, and Emilea Okayasu. The purpose of the Active Minds club is to educate students on specific mental health topics. We believe that our club contributes to the UHS environment because we want to emphasize that mental health should be an open topic and we want students to help break its stigma.”
“We try to hold club meetings at least once a month. The general structure of our meetings is to discuss a mental health topic and do some sort of activity that correlates to it. Due to our meetings being online, we have lately just been providing informative presentations to students instead of interactive activities. The motive behind these meetings is to bring awareness to the variety of mental health subjects that we believe our members should be educated about.”
“I would say to please stop by one of our meetings sometime! We are always happy to welcome new members. As for why you should join, we believe that learning about mental health is vital for anyone, no matter the age. It is just as important as your physical health, and should not be overlooked. Once on-campus activities start, there will be much more interactive activities that we know students will enjoy.”
“We have recently started posting more mental health information on our club’s Instagram page (@uhsactiveminds, shameless self-promo) where we try to give students information and advice in between our club meetings.”
"We will be able to further our organization once we go back to school. Then, we will be able to do much more engaging and interactive activities with students. That is tied to our weakness, which I believe is our content. Since we are not in-person, all we can provide to students at meetings is presentations, which many might not find interesting after a while. We hope that by next year this will not be an issue anymore."

Current Events

Distributing and Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine

Kevin Wang 2023

As crusaders armoured in pale lab coats and equipped with metal needles continue to lay siege to that horrid behemoth COVID-19, these masked knights still need our assistance, particularly to get vaccinations. As spring break (at the time of this writing) begins to creep around the corner, COVID-19 rates are at risk at facing a resurgence. Yet, we can help prevent this by doing our parts in not only social distancing and monitoring our health, but also by getting informed ourselves and informing others on how to get vaccinated.

The three main COVID-19 vaccines include Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson’s (J&J) Janssen vaccines. The CDC is currently prioritizing “healthcare personnel and residents of long-term care facilities to receive the vaccination first”, and currently are beginning to branch out to many other workers, including education workers as well.

For people living in California, all individuals 50 years old or older “will be eligible to receive the vaccine” starting April 1, 2021, and all individuals 16 years old or older “will be eligible to receive the vaccine” starting April 15, 2021, allowing even some of the students at UHS to get the vaccine. Additionally, certain individuals ages 16 or older at a higher risk due to certain medical conditions, disabilities, illnesses, living spaces, or work environments are currently able to receive vaccinations. For Fresno County residents only, COVID-19 vaccine sites can be found at the Big Fresno Fair clinic, the Selma Senior Center clinic, the Reedley College clinic, the Sierra Pacific Orthopedics Clinic (SPOC), the Saint Agnes Administrative Center Clinic, the COVID-19 Equity Project (CEP) clinic, the African American Coalition (Gaston Middle School) clinic, the Sunnyside Clinic, and possibly several others.

Keep in mind that you still need to qualify and then schedule your appointment at these sites. If you or someone you know qualifies for the vaccine and wants to get vaccinated, you or your friend (or family, acquaintance, stranger, enemy) can sign up at myturn.ca.gov. You can find more information in the links listed below.

Helpful Links:

(Fresno County Vaccine Information)
(California Vaccine Information)
(Vaccine Distribution Information; Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J Vaccines Information)

Pandemic Restrictions Lifted in Texas

Brian Molina 2024

On March 2, 2021, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas issued an executive order lifting pandemic restrictions imposed on the state, which went into effect on the 10th. With this order, he opened the state 100 percent, citing the state’s advancements in the pandemic, including an increase in vaccinations and a surplus of personal protective equipment. Abbott stated that “Texas now has the tools to protect Texans from the virus” and Texans may now have “the freedom to determine their own destiny”.

With this executive order also came the supersedure of previous executive orders related to the pandemic, as well as mask mandates, despite warnings from health experts. Renae Eze, spokeswoman of Abbott, stated that “It is clear from the recoveries, the vaccinations, the reduced hospitalizations…that state mandates are no longer needed. We must now do more to restore livelihoods and normalcy for Texans”. However, Abbott’s plan has garnered controversy. After it was announced, some business owners were concerned that a possible spike in COVID cases could cause another round of closures. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, also raised the alarm about stalling declines in cases, and urged states not to lift restrictions too early.

Nevertheless, others in the state have praised the governor for easing pandemic regulations, which they say have hindered some small businesses, caused higher unemployment rates, and have been a burden. Supporters of the new executive order have celebrated the opening of the economy and step closer to “normalcy”, some maintaining that Texans now know how to deal with the pandemic safely and healthily.

While countless have given their opinions on the lifting of COVID restrictions in Texas, only time may tell if the governor made a wise decision.

Works Cited:

“Advocates Praise Governor Abbott's Vision For A More Prosperous Texas.” Office of the Governor | Greg Abbott, gov.texas.gov/news/post/advocates-praise-governor-abbotts-vision-for-a-more-prosperous-texas.

Bradner, Eric. “Texas Gov. Abbott Faces Backlash after Lifting Coronavirus Restrictions.” CNN, Cable News Network, 4 Mar. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/03/03/politics/greg-abbott-texas-criticism-coronavirus-handling/index.html.

Forman, Carmen. “Gov. Kevin Stitt Praises Texas Governor for Lifting Mask Mandate, Business Restrictions.” The Oklahoman, Oklahoman, 4 Mar. 2021, www.oklahoman.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/04/gov-kevin-stitt-praises-texas-governor-for-lifting-mask-mandate-business-restrictions/334827007/.

“Governor Abbott Lifts Mask Mandate, Opens Texas 100 Percent.” Office of the Governor | Greg Abbott, gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-lifts-mask-mandate-opens-texas-100-percent.

Munoz, James, and James Munoz. “Many Texas Businesses Praise Governor Abbott's Executive Order That Opens Texas 100% March 10.” Crossroads Today, 3 Mar. 2021, www.crossroadstoday.com/many-texas-businesses-praise-governor-abbotts-executive-order-that-opens-texas-100-march-10/.

Rapaport, Wes. “Texas Lawmakers React to Gov. Abbott Lifting COVID-19 Restrictions, Mask Mandate.” KXAN Austin, KXAN Austin, 3 Mar. 2021, www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/texas-lawmakers-react-to-gov-abbott-lifting-covid-19-restrictions-mask-mandate/.

Vera, Amir. “Texas Governor Lifts Mask Mandate and Allows Businesses to Open at 100% Capacity, despite Health Officials' Warnings.” CNN, Cable News Network, 3 Mar. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/03/02/us/texas-governor-mask-mandate/index.html.

The Happiest Place on Earth Returns Despite Pandemic

Kendall Guisto 2022

It was recently announced that as of April 1, 2021, theme parks and sports stadiums in California would be able to open with certain guidelines for the first time in a year. This would mean reduced capacity, mandatory masking, and other specific guidelines. As long as the only attendees were California residents, theme parks and stadiums that are in red tier counties may open with 15% capacity, orange tier counties may hold 25% capacity, and yellow tier counties can have up to 35% capacity filled. Disneyland, who attempted to go against guidelines and prematurely open during the summer of 2020, has been anticipating this and has held their Touch of Disney event since March 18, 2021. The event goes up until April 19 and allows everyone, even non-California residents, to buy tickets to enjoy food offered in California Adventure Park. With the event proving successful and the new guidelines, Disneyland plans to reopen on April 30, 2021.

Despite their closure for the past year, Disneyland has still been ever-evolving. Stage shows like Frozen: Live at the Hyperion and Mickey and the Magical Map were permanently closed after the Covid shut down. The Avengers Campus in California Adventure Park has still been under construction and is set to open sometime this year. Both the Haunted Mansion and Snow White’s Scary Adventures, now dubbed Snow White’s Enchanted Wish, will open alongside the park on April 30 with new upgrades. Disney has also announced Disneyland Forward, a multi-year expansion that is upgrading pre-existing land and experiences to be more interactive than ever. The changes have not just been to the experiences that Disneyland offers. Fast passes have been temporarily, and potentially permanently if online speculation is to be believed, discontinued. Back in January of this year, Disneyland announced that they were cancelling their annual pass system and would be refunding anybody who already owned one. Disney’s stance on this has not changed in spite of the opening due to the 15% park capacity they will have to abide by. Parades have also been cancelled and there are no signs that indoor dining will be available when the park opens.

In an effort to make the park safer and adhere to the guidelines put in place, the Happiest Place on Earth will undergo other changes solely for the sake of safety. According to their website, there will be extra cleaning of the rides and parks, new hand sanitizer and hand washing stations spread throughout the parks on top of their pre-existing public restrooms, signs encouraging social distancing, physical distance markers, physical barriers placed in shops and on large ride vehicles, temperature screenings, and extra face coverings available for guests. Disney also has been highly pushing their app for cashless transactions throughout the park. Reservations will have to be made for trips to a single park and have to be validated the day of. Most ride vehicles will contain a single party of people.

On top of the 15% capacity limit and California residents-only rule, Disneyland will also be following the other guidelines to shut down rides that may cause masks to fly off and will owe park visitors new masks if anything happens to theirs on a ride. A rumor about screaming being banned has been spread due to this rule. The actual context of this new “guideline” is that the California Attractions and Park Association merely said that due to the dangerous nature of shouting in this pandemic, it would be easier for businesses to open if they did not have to worry about activities that promote it. Disneyland will instead be doing workarounds for their high-intensity attractions.

A good prediction on the success of these new guidelines may be gleaned from studying Walt Disney World’s reopening back in July. The park followed most of the same guidelines that Disneyland is setting up for their opening. Walt Disney World had additionally shut down both of its waterparks and the Walt Disney World Railroad. While Walt Disney World has refused to comment on positive cases found in its park, union leaders for the area reported that there seem to be no cases among guests or workers caused from the park being opened. The only reports were of a few positive cases among workers that came from outside the park. As of March 25, 2021, there have been six cases for every 10k citizens of Orange County the past two weeks and a daily average of 146 cases. These numbers are certainly better than previous numbers seen in Orange County, but are they good enough to warrant a reopening of one of the most crowded theme parks in the area?

When dealing with a disease as deadly and devastating as Covid-19, it is always smartest to air on the side of caution. Yes, Disneyland has implemented numerous safety measures and the park is well known for its seriousness when protecting brand integrity. Yet considering Walt Disney World’s willingness to hide cases, there is no real way to know if these precautions are effective enough. The smartest choice is to avoid going to the parks for the safety of yourself and others. Everyone wants some escapism right now, but the parks won’t be the same way you remember them pre-covid. Disney has suffered financially during Covid-19 like many businesses, but they are far from going bankrupt and can survive without the normal source of wealth the parks provide. If you have been fortunate enough to receive your full vaccine, it is safer for you to go but remember that there is no guarantee anyone else in the park has received a vaccine. At the end of the day, the choice to visit the Happiest Place on Earth despite the danger is yours.

Sources:

St. Patrick's Day

Aalum Khehra 2023

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17. It commemorates the death of St. Patrick and is a celebration of Irish culture.

HISTORY

St. Patrick’s Day is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. He was kidnapped at sixteen and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped but later returned to Ireland to convert the Irish to Christianity. Many legends regarding him were created: he was said to have driven snakes out of Ireland and used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.

CELEBRATION, TRADITIONS, SYMBOLS

Ireland celebrates this day with religious services and feasts. For over 1,000 years, the Irish have observed it as a religious holiday. Traditionally, Irish families attend church in the morning and celebrate later in the afternoon. Emigrants who came to the United States turned it into a commemoration of Irish culture as a whole. Many wear green to participate. Foods such as corned beef, cabbage, and soda bread are associated with the holiday. The Shamrock, a native Irish clover, is considered sacred and a symbol of Irish nationalism. Boston held its first St. Patrick’s day parade in 1737 and New York in 1762.

Leprechauns, although they have their own holiday on May 13, are also commemorated. The original Irish name for them is “lobaircin”, meaning “a small-bodied fellow”. They are known for their trickery to protect their treasure. The belief in them stems from the Celtic belief in fairies.

FUN FACTS

Blue was traditionally associated with St. Patrick instead of green.
St. Patrick was actually born in Britain, not Ireland.
The Chicago River has been dyed green to observe the holiday since 1962.
The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in the U.S.
More than 100 St. Patrick’s Day parades are held in the U.S annually.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Sources:

Lola Bunny and the Issue of Adapting Female Characters for the Modern Day

Kendall Guisto 2022

In an age where media seems to be dominated by reboots, spinoffs, and sequels, it is not surprising that Space Jam: A New Legacy is a film we are getting in 2021. Of course in a sequel to a film where half of the appeal is Looney Toons characters interacting with the real world, we will be seeing the return of many familiar faces. The one that seems to have taken the internet most by storm is Lola Bunny and her new look.

Lola Bunny is a character who debuted in the original Space Jam and has since become an iconic character within the Looney Toons franchise. She is often remembered as being Bugs Bunny’s girlfriend and for her sexualized presence in the film. Lola wears a cropped tank top and short shorts as her uniform throughout the film that accentuate her curves. This combined with music cues and lines about her from other characters in the film make it very clear what her character was supposed to be in the first film. As unsettling as it may be, it worked and this characterization of her is what has stuck with so many fans. So when some designs of characters for the new film were revealed in Entertainment Weekly and Lola’s new modest design was shown, there was quite the reaction.

The changes themselves were a more appropriate and covering basketball uniform along with a diminishing of her curves. Those upset with the change blamed cancel culture and claimed that she was being changed out of a responsibility to "wokeness". Others were glad that her character design had been toned down and there has been a huge outpour of love for the new Lola. Those in favor of Lola’s new look even commented on how this is a common and tired troupe to make the female counterparts of male animals in animation painfully feminine. The female animals are often given unnatural curves and are made far more dainty. Well known examples are Angel, Stitch’s girlfriend, and Scratte, Scrat’s love interest in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. This should mean that the choice to redesign Lola Bunny is a step in the right direction, but let’s take a minute to look at the exact intention behind the redesign.

In an Entertainment Weekly interview, director Malcolm D. Lee talks about the reasons behind Lola’s redesign. He comments on how they want to make her as human as possible, a well-developed character, as her character in Space Jam was outdated even for the time. Lee mentions how there was an attempt to make her “feminine without being objectified”. Obviously, this would be an improvement and alludes to no more musical cues or lewd comments from other characters. Since the film is not set to release until July, the only evidence of these changes are in her redesign, specifically the elimination of her curves. Despite how uncomfortably provocative Lola is in the first film, nobody could deny she was one of the best players on the team. Her being “drawn that way” did not hinder her abilities in any way, shape, or form. There have been a lot of discussions lately about whether curvy female characters are inherently sexual. While obviously unrealistic for a bunny and that frame, there are girls who have similar builds to Space Jam Lola and changes like these seem to imply that they can not be strong, well-rounded women with their body types. Lola Bunny isn’t the only female Warner Brothers character who has recently received this treatment.

November of 2020 saw the release of the Animaniacs reboot and in all 13 episodes there was no sign of fan favorite character Heliose Nerz, AKA Hello Nurse. This was not too surprising as any returning fans of the show can tell you that the Warner Brothers’, Yakko and Wakko, fawning over women has been erased for obvious reasons. Hello Nurse was often the victim of these advances. Fans were still hopeful that in the future promised seasons they would get some kind of Hello Nurse appearance, especially because in both the comics and her theme song it was stated that she lived a very exciting life and was incredibly intelligent. These hopes were squashed after returning voice actors, including Hello Nurse and Dot’s voice actress Tress Macneille, confirmed that Hello Nurse would not be seen in the reboot.

It is amazing that there is progress in how female characters are portrayed in modern media. These changes allow old characters like Webby Vanderquack or Shera to have a more complex and developed existence than they were previously given in the 20th century. Yet for characters like Hello Nurse and Lola Bunny to be reduced to their physical appearances and changed based on that with no acknowledgement of what they were beyond their bodies, it’s a bit harmful to curvy girls. The issue is not that Lola Bunny got a redesign, but why she got a redesign. There are still several months before Space Jam: A New Legacy is released and until then it is up in the air about whether the changes to Lola were actually for the best. Hopefully Warner Brothers was able to update the character while not erasing what made her Lola Bunny in the first place.

Sources:

The Grammys

Natalia Viveros 2024

The 63rd annual Grammys took place on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Trevor Noah hosted the event at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion all performed at this event. Beyoncé won nine nominations and won the 28th Grammy of her career. She also broke the record for the most Grammy wins ever by a female artist and most Grammy wins ever by a singer. Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch and Taylor Swift each acquired six nominations. Swift took home her third Album of the Year award.

For a full list of nominations and awards, visit The complete list of Grammys winners.

Reviews and Opinions Column

A Synopsis and Review of WandaVision

Praise Okoli 2022

Marvel’s first spring into TV shows has been a hit and audiences are looking forward to what’s to come.

Marvel has done TV shows in the past. Netflix shows like Luke Cage and Daredevil grew fan bases and popular ABC ones like Agent Carter and Agents of Shield even used characters from the movies. However, due to contract issues and legal rights over film characters with different companies, the shows were not able to connect to the movies as much as fans hoped. Agent Carter never saved a specific event from happening in the future (especially with the Endgame ending of Captain America going back in time to be with her) and Agent Coulson and his team never got recognition for defeating Hydra three times, destroying robots, going in space and going back and forward in time.

Now that Disney owns pretty much everything, characters from the movies can receive their own TV shows. If one does not have Disney plus, no biggie- as seen in WandaVision, there are no box office level reveals that happen in the shows, to keep things even. Instead, specific characters not featured as much in the movies are given more screen time and a more developed and extended storyline.

Wandavision is set about three weeks after the events of Endgame. While titled “WandaVision”, the main character of the story is Wanda (played by Elizabeth Olsen), who had just blipped back from the snap in Infinity War. In the series, Wanda explores the levels of grief through a sitcom reality with her late lover, Vision (played by Paul Bettany), an Android consisting of the consciousness of JARVIS (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System created by Tony Stark), the Mind stone, and Ultron, a separate consciousness also created by Tony Stark. He died during the events of Infinity War, due to Thanos’ hunt for the Infinity Stones. Other beloved characters featured are Darcy Lin (played by Kat Dennings) from the Thor trilogy and Jimmy Woo (played by Randall Park) from the Ant-man movies.

Episodes One and Two are set up episodes. In other words, both of them share many similarities and were released at the same time. They have no action sequences (shocking for Marvel I know); rather viewers see Wanda and Vision doing… well… normal family things in their hometown of Westview. The sitcom era is the 1950-60s, with the black and white themes and poorly cut clips. It seems like everything is fine, with brief moments of reality breaking in each episode. Wanda is portrayed simply as a woman trying to fit into a new neighborhood; there’s nothing too evil about it. Viewers are introduced to Agnes (played by Kathryn Hahn), Wanda’s nosy neighbor who seems to have everything Wanda needs.

It is in episode Three where things really begin to feel… weird. The show is now in the 70s era (each era is complete with its own rendition of the WandaVision theme song by the way) and Wanda is revealed to be pregnant… with twins! Her and Vision go through the typical ups and downs of becoming parents. There is even a tease to modern day TV, where Wanda tries to hide her pregnancy from Geraldine (played by Teyonah Parris), another new girl in town. This is a nod to how TV shows try to hide pregnancies from the audience to keep the storyline the same. Geraldine, however, does not last in Westview, and is later seen being thrown out of town. Vision himself is starting to question his surroundings, asking Agnes and Herb (another neighbor in town) about why something feels off.

Episode Four catches up on everything happening in the “real world” during the Westview anomaly. At this time, most viewers can tell that the sitcom is not occuring in real time (given Vision’s… how shall I say… deceased ness), so this episode serves as a bridge between both worlds. The normal world is also recovering from the blip. The opening scene shows a chaotic hospital, where blipped people are coming back five years later. One of the “blipped” seems to be Geraldine, but it is actually a grown up Monica Rambeau from Captain Marvel. She was in the hospital with her mother, Maria Rambeau, when she blipped; she came back just to find out her mother had passed away three years earlier. This leaves Monica in a stage of grief, which is also explored through the remainder of the episodes. Maria was one of the founders of SWORD (Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division), an organization similar to SHIELD and HYDRA from earlier MCU movies, created to solve issues dealing with superheros and non-human… stuff (for lack of a better word). Monica was supposed to take over after her mother, but the leadership position was instead given to Tyler Hayward (played by Josh Stamberg). He sends Monica on a mission for a missing person’s case, one also being investigated by the FBI (cue Jimmy Woo). Monica and Jimmy end up at the border of Wanda’s pocket reality; Monica, carried away by curiosity, gets sucked in and disappears. Back at SWORD, Dr. Darcy Lewis is called upon to investigate this newly discovered “hex”. She and the rest of SWORD work to find what is happening inside of Wanda’s hex. Viewers see Darcy watch episodes one, two, and three; Darcy and Jimmy even attempt to communicate to Wanda from the outside in, but the mission fails. When Monica is booted out, she comes back to reveal to everyone that “It’s all… Wanda!” The episode ends.

Episodes Five and Six take turns showing viewers what is happening inside the hex and what’s happening in the real world. Episode Five is set in the 80s. There are many nods to the sitcoms of this time, specifically Full House. This is a reference to Elizabeth Olsen herself, since she and her sisters began their acting careers on that show. There are more glitches in reality; Agnes asks Wanda if she should “take it from the top” when she comes to visit. Vision himself is starting to question reality more and more. The couple’s children age up in years in order to take care of a new dog they found. The dog later dies near Agnes’ garden and ironically Wanda has to explain to her children that sometimes they cannot change what happens to fit their desires. Outside of the hex, tensions rise between Hayward and Monica. Hayward understandably sees Wanda as a huge threat, but fails to think through a proper plan to handle her powers. Monica, clouded by her grief, refuses to stop trying to help Wanda, focusing on her pain and almost forgetting how powerful she is. Wanda actually leaves the hex after a failed attempt by Hayward to take her down, and asserts her dominance over Hayward by warning him never to try killing her again. Vision himself is on a hunt for the truth. At work, he is able to break Norm from a spell. He cries out to Vision, telling him to stop “her”. When Vision and Wanda meet at home, Vision confronts her about what he believes Wanda has done. The two never finish the argument because, low and behold, Pietro, Wanda’s late twin, is back in town! Well, kind of.

Episode Six takes place in the 90s, following a Malcolm in the Middle style of sitcom for Halloween. The twins are portrayed as “Malcolm” and everything, from the setup of the house to the random first-person perspectives from the twins, references back to this time in tv. The Pietro in this episode is not the one viewers know from Avengers Age of Ultron. Instead, he is the Pietro from the X-men movies (played by Evan Peters). Many fans thought that this was a nod to the beginning of the multiverse in the MCU. This, however, ends up being a practical joke played by the Marvel team. Wanda has many conversations with “Pietro”, trying to figure out where he is from. Darcy, Jimmy, and Monica have officially been kicked out of Hayward’s team, and must figure out how to help Wanda on their own. Vision spends his time trying to find out what is happening-in other words, he wants to know what is outside of Westview and why Wanda does not want him to leave. He meets Agnes, who reveals his rather “dead” state, and he even gets to the border of Westview and attempts to leave. It almost kills Vision for a third time, prodding at the joke of the multiple deaths that Vision has experienced. Saving his life, Wanda expands the Hex out even further. It is an especially chilling scene because her costume is a reference to her comic book origin, and seeing her demonstrate that much power with the costume on seems to be foreshadowing a later event in the series.

Episode Seven is the final “sitcom” style episode of the series. Its intro and style are references to popular 2000s TV shows like The Office, Modern Family and others. The episode is mainly about Wanda, as she tries to collect herself from the disaster of the previous episode and figure out what she is going to do. Olsen emulates the sitcom acting style perfectly, with visible acting details here and there that demonstrate her knowledge of the TV show era. Vision and Darcy share some dialogue in a rather funny turn of events from the previous episode. Vision learns about his previous history and feels compelled to find Wanda as soon as possible. While the episode itself does not reveal too many plot changes, the final scenes are the most important. Agnes reveals herself as Agatha Harkness, a witch/mentor of Wanda in the comics, in one of the catchiest songs ever (yes it’s on my playlist). It confirmed most of the rumors that were circling the internet at that time.

Episode Eight (my personal favorite) focuses on Wanda’s past. Upon meeting her in AOU, viewers were introduced to a teenage/young adult Wanda. The only part known about her past was the fact that she and her brother, Pietro, were nearly killed by a Stark missile in their homeland of Sokovia. This episode takes viewers through the trauma that Wanda has experienced. It explains her love for sitcoms (stemming from watching them with her parents) to her experience with the mind stone. It features a tender moment with Vision, where he drops one of the most heart-wrenching lines ever (“What is grief, if not love persevering?”). It truly demonstrates the real reason why these Marvel shows on Disney plus exist. They show the viewers the ins and outs of characters who have only briefly seen in the movies. They build relationships that can only be developed in a stretched out series. The episode ends with Agatha Harkness calling Wanda the Scarlet Witch, the first time the comic book name has been used on screen. The post credit scene reveals Hayward’s secret project; a white Vision, with no emotion or memory of what has happened to him in the past. This character was present in the Marvel comics.

The final episode of WandaVision is a combination of temporary endings, cheesy superhero lines, and touching moments between Wanda and Vision. White Vision and Vision have what I would call the most mind-warping fight in the history of Marvel shows and movies (que the Ship of Theseus). Wanda spends the entire episode fighting the prophecy Agatha shows her from the Darkhold, only to turn around and fully become the Scarlet Witch. The twins and Monica are seen using their abilities in combat for the first time. Wanda must say goodbye to Vision and the twins in order to save the people of Westview, who are very angry with her for controlling their thoughts. Hayward ends up in prison (yay bad guy loses), and Jimmy and Darcy head their separate ways. The most important parts of this episode are (once again) the end credit scenes. The first one shows Monica being invited up to space by a Skrull; most people believe that this confirms that Monica will be in Captain Marvel Two. The second end credit scene shows Wanda in a cabin in an obscure location. She is seen getting a cup of tea, while at the same time reading the Darkhold. Shouts from what sounds like children can be heard at the tail end of this scene. This is a parallel to Doctor Strange, since he also has the ability to be in two places at once. However, he can only do this while sleeping, but Wanda can do this while being awake; this demonstrates the power that Wanda now has to (potentially) destroy the universe.

My personal thoughts of this series are pretty positive. I was not a huge fan of Wanda and Vision in the movies, but after watching this show I now have a lot of appreciation for them, especially Vision. Up until this point, I felt like Vision’s powers and intelligence were thrown to the side in order for him to be Wanda’s side piece. This series explored that idea really well and gave him the opportunity to (finally) have a mind of his own. Wanda’s stages of grief that she experienced were well thought out and I loved the idea of doing sitcoms from each time period.

Something I personally struggled with was the theory boat. During the week before each episode came back, fans would comb through each scene, frame by frame, in order to find easter eggs and hints at huge cameos. This made the finale seem very anticlimactic and I could have gone without seeing a Youtube video or two. It reminded me of what it means to watch Marvel TV shows compared to Marvel movies. Because the TV shows have to stretch their plots over more screen time, as fans we will probably be able to get most easter eggs with just one or two watches. In the movies, massive storylines are packed into 3 hours or less of screen time, making fans watch every frame in order to fully grasp the storyline. Another aspect of the TV shows is that while they do tie into the movies and use characters from the movies, Marvel will probably not reveal a huge cameo or easter egg in a TV show. Ultimately, more people watch the movies than the shows, and if audiences feel like they have to watch the shows in order to get the movies, they will be discouraged from watching the movies and Marvel will lose box office numbers. These shows are just branches of things happening in the overall universe, so your dream endings or huge climactic stories will probably be seen in theatres.

Rating:

I give the series a 9/10. It provides a good storyline for those who are not too into superhero TV shows while still giving comic book fans some easter eggs to squeal over. If Wanda and Vision are your favorite characters, this will probably be your favorite TV show. If not, at least it will give you a better appreciation for them. And if you want to see Jimmy Woo’s character development in terms of magic tricks, do not hesitate to tune it.

Minari: Repainting the American Dream

Isaac Hwang 2021

“Minari” is the Korean word for an edible plant that is native to East Asia, also called water dropwort in English. It is used as a flavoring herb in many soups and stews in Asia and is often rumored to be able to grow almost anywhere in the world. Perhaps its near-universal growth and persevering nature are some of the reasons why director Lee Isaac Chung chose this vegetable as the title and predominant symbol of his award-winning movie “Minari”. As he stated in an interview, “the interesting thing about [Minari] is that it’s a plant that will grow very strongly in it’s second season, after it’s died and come back… It grows very expansively without doing much to it, and so it’s a poetic plant, in a way, for me.”

“Minari” is a 2020 American drama film featuring renowned actor Steven Yeun, following the semi-autobiographical life story of a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas farm “in search of their own American Dream”. For the family, starting up the farm is a tumultuous process, with Grandma having to move in to watch the kids as the parents work for an uncertain future. From there, “Minari” presents a beautifully tragic struggle about the American immigrant experience and the resilient bonds of a family, with an uncertain future ahead for both the characters and viewers watching the story progress, a story so personal in its exploration that it would be difficult to explain its beauty without spoiling some of the film’s narrative for viewers. The simplest explanation, though, comes from Grandma’s own words about “Minari” (be it the plant or the movie): “Minari is truly the best. It grows anywhere, like weeds. So anyone can pick and eat it… Minari is wonderful, wonderful!” It’s universal acclaim has earned it six Academy Award nominations and the Winner of the top prize at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, and for many reasons.

“Over its quiet two hours, beautifully punctuated by long shots of sunlit green fields and fireflies flitting at twilight… we come to understand… how an elderly person’s vacant stare can still reveal their soul, why a little boy runs because sometimes he just must”, writes Moira Macdonald from The Seattle Times. Matt Zoller Seitz from RogerEbert.com humorously reflects on “[the] grandmother, who is brought in from the old country to provide advice and childcare help. She is a live wire—a cosmopolitan who always speaks her mind and is at ease with profanity, practical joking…” Hannah Bae praises the direction of the film, that “Chung and his talented cast of actors refuse to reduce any of Minari's characters to mere caricatures.” While not everyone agrees with such enthusiastic praise, as seen with one user review- “Boring. Just boring. A story about a farmer. nothing more”- Minari’s gentle yet emotional narrative seems to have justly earned it its praise.

“Minari” won the Best Foreign Language Film at the 78th Golden Globe Awards, although the movie’s categorization in being a “foreign” film rather than Best Motion Picture - Drama has drawn a bit of controversy. Filmmaker Lulu Wang has spoken out on such “antiquated rules that characterize American as only English-speaking”, firmly stating that Minari is through and through an American film by an American director based on the American dream. Steven Yuen has also stated his support for similar opinions on the controversial categorization. Nevertheless, “Minari” has received praise both in American and worldwide. Bong Joon-ho, director of the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, “Parasite”, participated in an interview with Lee Isaac Chung, discussing the creation of one-screen families and sharing personal stories. With two award-winning directors of Korean background talking in different languages about two highly praised films, one reflecting on the class conflict of Korean society and the other repainting the ideal American Dream, the interview happily ended with Bong Joon-ho’s well-spoken praise and an invitation to Lee Isaac Chung: “I’d love to grab a coffee or a beer with you sometime.”

If you haven’t seen “Minari” already, I recommend that you watch it and experience its storytelling first hand. While it might not be as clever or sharp in its presentation as “Parasite” or as understandable in its language choice as other American classics, its emotional, gentle, and familial spotlight is truly a remarkable gift to all who watch- immigrant, American, or both.

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Silk Sonic's "Leave the Door Open" Quickly Becomes a Chart-Topper

Celine Irasusta 2021

Big news for Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak fans! Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak recently announced the formation of their band Silk Sonic across all social media platforms. The brand new R&B super-duo released their debut single "Leave the Door Open" on March 5, 2021, which will be included in their upcoming debut album An Evening with Silk Sonic.

"Leave the Door Open" left a great impression on many. Within the first week of its release, it reached no. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, with 27,000 downloads and 23.5 million streams in the US. The numbers continued to skyrocket, which was an amazing feat in regards to their individual music careers; this song is Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak's 17th and first top ten on the Hot 100, respectively. The duo's song immediately peaked at no. 2 just two weeks after it came out.

In an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, .Paak and Mars said that their song "requires so much patience and delicate...a lot of meat went into this song". This song features a ton of smooth yet upbeat and groovy melodies. Also, the music video has a vintage aesthetic and 70s vibe to it, which complements the song nicely.

Today, "Leave the Door Open" has been streamed over 100 million times on Spotify. Their music video is also just about to reach 100 million views. Seeing that Silk Sonic is already becoming successful, many anticipate what these two talented artists will create in the future.

For those who have yet to listen to their newest hit, click here! I highly recommend giving it a listen if you enjoy listening to contemporary R&B and soul music.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leave_the_Door_Open_(song)

Anime Recommendations for Beginners

Isaac Hwang 2021

“Pokemon”. “Dragon Ball Z”. “One Piece”. “Naruto” You’ve probably heard of these titles at least once in your life, but perhaps some of you might have never given them a chance. Perhaps you simply didn’t have the time in your life to explore these shows, to saw what anime is. But as we pass our 1st “Pandemiversary”, maybe now is the perfect time to start exploring anime.

First, to establish what exactly is anime: anime is hand-drawn and computer animation originating from Japan… [describing] all animated works, regardless of style or origin, in Japan, or referring to animation produced in Japan. There is anime-influenced animation, as seen in some “cartoon shows” such as “Avatar: The Last Airbender”. Japanese anime accounted for 60% of the world's animated television shows. With so many shows to choose from, originating from many different genres and appealing to diverse audiences, it may seem impossible to get started with anime. But fear not! Here are a few recommended shows to help you get started! (In no particular order).

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is currently the highest rated anime on MyAnimeList and the 19th highest on IMDb, with an epic story of two disabled brothers on a quest to return their bodies to normal after a failed attempt to resurrect their deceased mother through alchemy. With stellar animation, well-realized world-building, and an energetic story through it all, this is a standout example of action anime at its finest.

Cowboy Bebop is a classic from 1998, but don’t let the date fool you! This space-western, action-packed show with “Cowboy” bounty hunters, guns, and shootouts is filled to the brim with the highest quality hand-drawn animation and one of the best soundtracks anime has to offer. A true classic and standing influence in the space-western scene.

Attack on Titan, the “Game of Thrones” of anime, is a heart-pounding action-thriller about a world of humanity threatened by giant, man-eating, humanoid creatures known as Titans. Its impeccable storytelling is one of a kind, with layers upon layers of foreshadowing and symbolism, beautifully-written characters, and a war story 10+ years in the making. (This show is intended for mature audiences and may contain extreme content).

Saga of Tanya the Evil is quite the unorthodox “isekai” anime, a genre that revolves around a person from Earth who is transported to a parallel universe. In this case, an atheist Japanese salaryman is forcibly reincarnated by a divine being as an orphaned girl in alternate reality’s equivalent of WWI Germany, where magical powers exist. This action-thriller anime of politics, war, and inhumanity is an exceptional one-of-a-kind show holding a one-of-a-kind premise and amazing world-building. (This show is intended for mature audiences and may contain extreme content).

Demon Slayer is a standard action anime with a far-above standard animation and storyboarding behind its creation. Following the story of a young boy whose sister has been turned into a demon in 20th century Japan, Demon Slayer holds a story of familial bonds, adventure, and sword-wielding action in a fantasy world not too far from the present.

My Hero Academia presents a huge cast of superhero characters with great action and unstoppable animation. Set in a modern-day alternate universe where 80% of the population has superpowers, the main character is determined to become a hero against all odds. It is one of the most popular shows among teenagers, with a story about highschool to-be heroes-in-training, making it a modern action hit in the anime scene.

Mob Psycho 100 is a wonderful story of adolescence and growing up, with a young, preteen boy having psychic superpowers and a conflicting desire to have a normal childhood. This show is an eye-opener in both art style and storytelling, with its eye-candy animation supporting its key treasure: an unstereotypical main character with a charming story.

Kayuga Sama: Love is War is a rock-solid romcom with exceptional character dynamics and narration. “All’s fair in love and war”, which is certainly the case here as two top high-schoolers play mind games with oxymoronic heavy humor and lots of heart between all people.

Cells at Work, the Osmosis Jones of anime, creates cute characters from the cells of our own bodies and roughly explains the functions of the human anatomy. While such analogy only goes so far as to perhaps the basic levels of biology, it is a charming show that blends entertainment, comedy, and education perfectly.

Haikyu!! This volleyball show is a perfect example of sports anime with a great underdog story featuring lots of relatable teenage characters and lots of hype, even if volleyball isn’t your favorite sport. You probably won’t get any more athletic just from watching, but at least you’ll be cheering on your favorite sports team here in anime.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is a strange yet perfect example of why animation, and to an extent, anime, extends beyond cultures, countries, and age demographics around the world, even if it’s technically not Japanese anime according to the definition. This American animated television series set in an Asiatic-like war-torn world of elemental magic features a story of a young boy undertaking a dangerous quest to fulfill his destiny as the chosen “Avatar” and bring peace to the world. With its art style, music, and character tropes all closely imitating standard anime tropes, ATLA manages to tell a well-written story that transcends time and place around the world.

While there is PLENTY of popular and/or critically acclaimed anime shows out there, these are a few recommended ones to start with in order to be familiar with anime culture and its animation style. Pick one for your tastes and give it a try!

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