The College of the Desert Dra-matic Arts Company is returningwith a new sketch comedy show ti-tled The Madcap Underground: Asketch comedy Christmas special.

The show will run Friday andSaturday, Dec. 12 & 13 in the TheaterToo building at COD. admission is$15.00.

“There’s no other show like thisin the valley and our audiences keepcoming back for more,” says Director& Writer Noemi Villela Dean.

The show will feature a com-bination of original sketch comedyand music performed by an ensemblecast that includes Miranda Hane,Johnny Botlh, Mason McIntosh,Ronda Williams, Pedro Mora, AldenDickey, Nina Charming, TamamiOno, Mari Kerber, Ramon Martinez,Brieana Holguin, Priscilla Richards,

Jose Vargas, German Pavon, CatalinStef, Leslie Benjamin, and Kelly Mc-Cool. Comedy veterans Tres Dean,Michael Hadley, and Dan Graff teachthe group and help the studentsproduce their show.

“It’s a tremendous learning ex-perience for the students. Captivatingaudiences while portraying outra-geous characters in outrageoussituations is a challenge for any actor.It is a fast-paced environment andrehearsal process,” says Dean.

The Madcap Underground wascreated in 2009 by Tres and NoemiVillela Dean. Across the CoachellaValley, the group has produced andperformed shows and frequentlycreates web series shorts and videos.

For ticket information and reser-vations, please call 760-773-2565.The performance is rated “PG-13”for language and all proceeds benefitthe C.O.D. Dramatic Arts Company.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014 ◆ VOLUME 62, ISSUE 4

Opinion 2

fEATURES 3

cAMPUS LIFE 4

lOCAL 5

cULTURE 6

cURRENT aFFFAIRS 7

SPORTS 8

The ChaparralStudent Voice of College of The Desert Since 1962 www.thechaparral.net

FEATURED STORIES

This past Thursday, Nov. 20,President Obama announced,through executive action, that hewould provide protection to 5 millionundocumented immigrants frombeing deported.

The decision has come afteryears of criticism from the Hispaniccommunity that the white housewas slow to move on immigrationreform. Many still see his announce-ment Thursday as merely a shortstep in the right direction.

"They are part of american life."That was the quote that PresidentObama pulled from his predecessor,President Bush, to talk about themillions of undocumented americansliving in the country.

Since his first term as Presidentof the United States, Obama hasbeen criticized for the alarmingamount of deportations, amassingover 2 million, far more than anyother president.

A part of the deal, the presidentsaid Thursday, is that many of theimmigrants living in the country il-legally can "come out of the shadowand get right with the law." The newactions will provide work permits,which will help immigrants con-tribute to society where illegalemployment doesn't allow them to.It also focuses on trying to end thesystem of business owners exploitingimmigrants for low wages.

The new changes are said to

focus mainly on the parents of U.S.citizens and legal resident, and onlyprotects those who have been in thecountry for five years or more.

On the continuing deportationof immigrants and his plans for thefuture, the president emphasizedthe idea of "Felons, not families."Deportations of criminals is up 80percent in the past six years, according

to the president.Lawsuits were filed against the

president from Republican politicians,including the House GOP and Ari-zona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who isknown for his anti-illegal immigrationrhetoric and his convictions of racialprofiling within his prison.

Although the Speaker of theHouse of Representatives, John

Boehner, announced that the GOP'slawsuit was filed against the imple-mentation of the 2010 AffordableHealthcare Law, the decision camethe morning after the president'sexecutive action speech on immi-gration.

"Time after time, the presidenthas chosen to ignore the will of theAmerican people and rewrite federal

law on his own without a vote ofCongress. That's not the way oursystem of government was designedto work,” House Speaker JohnBoehner said in a statement. “If thispresident can get away with makinghis own laws, future presidents willhave the ability to as well. The Househas an obligation to stand up forthe Constitution, and that is exactlywhy we are pursuing this course ofaction."

This is not the first time a pres-ident has used executive action toprovide legal status to undocumentedimmigrants. Including three Repub-l ican pres idents , Dwight D.Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, andGeorge H.W. Bush, many havegranted a stay for illegal residentsin the past, although arguably, Pres-ident Obama's actions are muchmore significant.

Many Republicans in congressstill criticize the president's actionsas "imperialistic" and see him asoverstepping his power. Those longcomplaints have been met with thepresident's insistence that he hasbeen more than willing to compro-mise with Republicans.

"And to those Members of Con-gress who question my authorityto make our immigration systemwork better, or question the wisdomof me acting where Congress hasfailed, I have one answer: Pass abill. I want to work with both partiesto pass a more permanent legislativesolution. And the day I sign that billinto law, the actions I take will nolonger be necessary" said the pres-ident.

Obama announces executive action to protect 5 million undocumented immigrants

BY IVAN VALENZUELA

CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP IMAGESPeople watch President Barack Obama's televised immigration speech at Casa de Maryland inHyattsville, Md.

The Madcap Underground:A sketch comedy Christmas special

BY IVAN VALENZUELA

CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PHOTO COURTESY OF PERFORMING ARTS AT COLLEGE OF THE DESERT FACEBOOK

The Madcap Underground will debut their sketch show on Friday Dec. 13 at COD’s Theater Too.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PERFORMING ARTS AT COLLEGE OF THE DESERT FACEBOOKThe cast of a past performance of The Madcap Underground(April 2014) pose together for a picture

Veteran stu-dent honoredin DesertHot Springs

Tamale Festivalcomes backto the valley

Some people think that openingfor Black Friday on Thanksgivingday is too early, but really in retailthere’s no such thing. Many big retailstores, such as Walmart, Target,Macys, Best Buy and many othersare opening on Thanksgiving Dayagain this year to catch even moreshoppers with the Black Friday deals.

It's a new tradition that startedabout three years ago with storesopening their doors earlier and earlier.According to TIME magazine, re-porter Jay Rowlin spoke to a Targetstore employee who explained, “Weknow our guests are pulled in a mil-lion different directions as the holidaysget underway, so we’re helping themsave time and money by offeringmore access to Black Friday dealson Thanksgiving.”

Although, many stores agreeon opening early, there are also con-sumers who are against this action.Kelsey Kelso, who has formed a pe-tition opposing these earlier BlackFriday deals on Change.org, states,“Stop stores from ruining Thanks-giving by opening at absurd timeson Black Friday!” In regards to manybig retail stores still opening, there

are an excessive number of consumerswho choose not to take advantageof these absurd openings on Thanks-giving Day.

Thanksgiving is a day for family,food, and traditions. When retailstores open earlier then 5 or 6 a.m.,they are ruining the holiday for the

employees and the customers wholike to shop for deals on Black Friday.By opening on Thanksgiving Day,the people who work for the retailstores and the customers who chooseto participate in the shopping willbe forced to use the holiday to tryand get enough sleep and prepare

themselves for the early sales Fridaymorning.

Catherine Credeur, who hassigned and supports the petition onChange.org declares, “Thanksgivingshould be a day for families, for spir-itual reflection, or for communityservice. Retail employees need this

time to recharge before the busy hol-iday season. Customers need to bewith their loved ones instead ofbeing in line on Thanksgiving. LetBlack Friday begin at 6 a.m. on Friday.That is still plenty of shopping timebefore Hanukah, Christmas, andKwanzaa.” They are losing this valu-able holiday and the time to sharewith family. This trend of openingearlier and earlier needs to stop totry and conserve the morals of theholiday.

Former College of the Desertstudent, Stephen Perdue mentions,“What ever happened to taking timeto be thankful for all of the goodthings in life for instance, family,friends, and good health. I truly feelfor all of the workers in these retailstores. I don't support those retailstores opening on Thanksgiving thisyear. It's wrong to push retail on aholiday.”

Holidays have always remainedimportant to many people and withthese stores opening so early it’s ru-ining the spirit. Retailers need toshow their employees more respectand allow them time with their fam-ilies on Thanksgiving, the goodswill still be there tomorrow. In anyevent, life is more than just aboutmaking another buck.

Pg. 2 • Opinion THE CHAPARRAL MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFIvan ValenzuelaPaola Fernandez

PRODUCTION MANAGER

COPY EDITORJasmine Hernandez

SECTION EDITORSOpinion - Ivan Valenzuela

Paola FernandezFeatures - Staff

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The Chaparral will be published six times this semester. All edito-rials are strictly the opinions of the editorial board, and do notnecessarily reflect any opinions held by The Chaparral staff orCollege of Desert. Editorials are subject to review by the editorialboard.

Letters to the editor are printed in the order they are receivedwith space and deadline considerations, and may be assigned tofuture publications.

Students are invited to submit any original and appropriate cre-ative materials to the editorial board of The Chaparral. Materialsmay be sent to the following address: Editor, The Chaparral, Col-lege of the Desert, 43-500 Monterey Ave, Palm Desert, Ca, 92260.

All letters must include a phone number for verification. TheChaparral reserves the right to edit for libel and/or length asneeded.

OpinionWill your family be thankful for Thanksgiving or Black Friday?

BY KERRY TORIBIO

STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

Cyber Monday a click away

Black Friday is the day afterThanksgiving when all hell breaksloose because people hope to savea pretty penny. Many shoppers donot know that the Monday afterThanksgiving, known as Cybermon-day, is actually the best day to shop.

Cybermonday is the day thatmany online stores have sales. Insteadof wasting time on Blackfriday tryingto get through traffic, looking for aparking spot and waiting in line tobuy a product you want, you couldspend that time with your familyafter Thanksgiving and just wait toshop the sales on Cybermonday. Cy-bermonday gives you the ability tocompare prices online instead ofdriving from store to store and col-lecting the many sales papersprovided. A lot of the time the ex-tremely good deals that are advertisedare very limited because of the insanepeople who wait for days outside

of the stores before Blackfriday. Onlinestores might not offer as great of adeal, but they usually have more ofthe items in stock and you’ll still beable to save a good chunk of moneyeven if you missed the Black Fridaydeals.

On Black friday 2010, my sisterand I waited in line for 2 hours tobuy a few things from Old Navy.The line to buy things wrappedaround inside the store. It was socrowded that it was impossible forme to find my size in anything be-cause all of the clothes were throwneverywhere. Now I shop on Cyber-monday because just about everystore I like has 20% off or they willhave most purchased products onsale.

Shopping on Cybermonday iseasier and faster than shopping onBlackfriday because you get to avoidcrowds and shop in your own homeor where ever you can have internetaccess. Cybermonday is the daywhere you’ll not only save moneybut also your sanity.

BY ANDREA CASTANEDA

CURRENT AFFAIRS EDITOR

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP IMAGES

The Rocky Horror Show rocks the COD stage

The College of the Desert TheatreDepartment kicked off their fallseason with an extraordinary per-formance of The Rocky Horror Show,a testament to a talented cast andcrew.

Making its COD debut on Oct.24, The Rocky Horror Show playedto a packed house. The rock musicalattributes to the classical sci-fi andhorror movies of the early 40s throughlate 70s. The show brought laughsand awe to an unsuspecting audienceas they were given a new kind oftheatre experience.

“It has exceeded my expecta-tions,” said Director Tres Dean. “Theaudiences were rowdy and the showssold out. The cast was fantastic aswell, but I knew they would be out-standing.” Opening night audiencemember Lester Worthington thought“the turnout was more than expected;[I] almost didn’t get in," while anotheraudience member, Viridiana Mayorga,thought the actors were talented and"their performance on point.”

What mostly made the showunique was the use of space that the

Theatre Department put to work.The cast and crew were challengedto incorporate the entire room inTheater Too to allow it to be part ofthe stage. "We’ve certainly had ourtechnical challenges, given the factthat there hasn’t been a musical donein Theater Too in over a decade…talk about redesigning a space to fitthe show,” said Director of MusicScott Smith.

In regards to the crew’s chal-lenges in staging the shows,choreographer Shea New said it was“the restriction of space and non-traditional use of space, as inperforming on an upper level andon stairs and with performers inte-grating into the audience areas” asbeing the most difficult part of prepar-ing the production. Being the firstproduction for the season The RockyHorror Show is a precursor to futureshows performed by the TheaterDepartment. “While the McCallumis always an exciting theater to putup a major show in, I think this pro-duction underlines some of the moreintimate possibilities of doing musicaltheater, with live music, in the smallerspaces on campus,” said Smith.Onwhether the show prompted futureattendance to other productions, au-

dience member Jessica Kincaib stated,“Yes, since they do live performancesso well and awe-inspiring for a smallproduction.”

“I hope that we will seemore risk taking in theater arts andmore productions that incorporatemusic and dance,” said New. “I alsowas gratified that so much of theproduction, the performing talent,and technical crew were students,not just learning their craft, but doinga great job.”With a variety of choices,directors and audiences alike hadan opinion of what were the bestparts of the event.

Audience member LesterWorthington credited “the environ-mental harmony making the roompart of the stage” was the best, whilechoreographer Shea New loved themusic because “Richard O’Brien’sscore is genius and the bandrocks.”The Rocky Horror Show wasan event where the cast and crewendeavored to involve the audienceas part of the performance. The talentand passion that the cast radiatedand the work the crew put in tomake it all possible brought somethingunforgettable to the COD campus.With many more productions tocome, it’s only the beginning.

Cyber Monday deals will only be a click away

BY RUSSELL SHELDEN

STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

PHOTO COURTESY OF PERFORMING ARTS COLLEGE OF THE DESERT FACEBOOK PAGE COD’s Performing Arts Department debuted The Rocky Horror Show on Oct. 24

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP IMAGESA Target shopper fills her cart with televisions in Colima, Calif. during last year’s Black Friday.

Good food, an extended week-end, and family gatherings, – Yes,those are some of the first aspectsthat come to mind when thinkingof the November holiday: Thanks-giving. Besides the delicious foods,what exactly is Thanksgiving andwhy do we celebrate this day as aholiday?

According to BBC (British Broad-casting Corporation) the very firstThanksgiving took place in 1621.Plymouth colony pilgrims and theWampanoag Indians gathered to-gether and celebrated the survivalof the harsh winter which took thelives of many pilgrims. The website‘Time and Date’ states that the firstnational Thanksgiving Day, eventhough first celebrated in 1621, wasproclaimed by the first president ofthe United States, George Washington,in 1789.

In 1863, George Washingtonmade national Thanksgiving Dayan annual holiday in the UnitedStates. Since then, people come to-gether every year on the fourthThursday of November and showtheir thankfulness towards the Lord,family members, and friends.

The Food Network website hasturkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce,pumpkin or sweet potato pie, squashsoup, green bean casserole, glazedcarrots and a few other dishes listedas classic dishes, which should be a

part of any traditional Thanksgivingfeast. Of course every family willadd their own dish to complete theirvery own Thanksgiving feast.

As it is with every holiday,people love to travel. Even thoughThanksgiving is a four day holiday,people pack up their bags and leavetheir home town for a few days. Ac-cording to AAA travel forecast, onlast year’s Thanksgiving, over 43.4million people took to the roads. Be-sides wanting to visit loved ones orsimply escaping everyday life, a rea-son for these high travel numberscan be directly reflected to the lowgas prices around this time of year.

However, with all of the savingspeople are making at the pump, theyimmediately spend it on discountedmerchandise on Black Friday. Ac-cording to USA Today, early reportsfrom the International Council ofShopping Centers states that the me-dian consumer purchases jumpedfrom $2 to $89 in October, and chain-stores sales jumped 0.6 % from lastmonth. Economists from IHS GlobalInsight predict that retailers are likelyto see sales rise from 3.1 % last yearto 4.2 %, or about $40 billion ‘pumped’back into the economy.

To sum Thanksgiving up; enjoythe good food, the low gas prices,the sales, and simply spending timewith friends and family members.Be thankful for everything and every-one you have. With that said: HappyThanksgiving!

College of the Desert studentveteran Jacob Klassen, 22, was hon-ored on Nov. 11, 2014 by the city ofDesert Hot Springs (DHS) for hisservice in the U.S. Army. The cere-mony was a part of the Veterans DayService hosted by DHS. Klassen hasbeen a life-long resident and for him,this was a true honor. Reflecting onthe service he said it “was humblingand moving”.

Klassen received an honorabledischarge from the U.S. Army inOct. 2013 after being stationed in Ft.Stewart, GA, as a 19K M1 ArmorCrewman. He was deployed toAfghanistan in 2012 where, afterbeing blown up outside of his truck,saved a fellow soldier during anenemy ambush. Klassen is currentlyserving with the National Guardout of Palmdale, CA.

Others honored at the eventwere retired Army veteran EddieJohnson, and WWII veteran andpurple heart recipient Dale “RunningDeer” Culbertson, 88, who has aclose relationship with Klassen andhis family. “I am not related to Run-ning Deer” said Klassen about hisconnection to the WWII veteran,“but he has known my family andI for many years ."

The honorees were presentedwith banners that will be displayedin the Desert Hot Springs CouncilChamber. They were created by Free-dom Flags for Families, a CoachellaValley organization that honors localveterans and hopes to spread recog-nition. The banners display the officialmilitary photo of the service person,as well as their name, rank, andbranch of service.

In addition to being honoredat the service in Desert Hot Springs,Klassen was a flag bearer at COD’sVeterans Day Flag Ceremony. The

event took place on the same dayand was held in the amphitheatreadjacent to the Cravens Student Serv-ices Center. Professor Emeritus ofHistory Dr. Kroll, a retired veteranof over twenty years, was amongthose who gave a speech during theevent. Klassen said of the event that“as more speakers gave movingspeeches it really made the ceremonyso much sadder”.

That ceremony was put on byCOD’s Student Veteran Organization,which Klassen credits with makinghis shift from soldier to student easier.“I love my experiences so far atCOD.” said Klassen “The transitionfrom active duty to civilian life wasa little difficult, but being around

the support of fellow veterans andold stories makes it a fun experi-ence”.

The bond shared by Klassenand other members of the StudentVeterans Organization was on fulldisplay as they marched togetherduring the Veterans Day Parade heldin Palm Springs that very next day.“The parade was great” said Klassen,“walking with my fellow studentveterans was an honor and it wasgreat seeing so many patriotic peoplecoming out to show their apprecia-tion”. After a busy two days it wasback to the grindstone for Klassenwho is working on earning an ad-ministration of justice degree.

Features • Pg. 3THE CHAPARRALMONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014

FeaturesDesert Hot Springs honors COD student

veteran for his service in the U.S. ArmyBY JOE MCDANIEL

STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

PHOTO BY JOE MCDANIEL

Jacob Klassen delivering his acceptance speech.

A brief history ofThanksgiving DayBY SASHA FLEISCHNER

STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

PHOTO BY ABCNEWS.GO.COMA turkey fit for a king, this is a turkey ready for Thanksgiving.

Rooted in gratitude for a good harvest,Thanksgiving is a day of togetherness andfeasting for many Americans. It is a time towipe the dust off Grandma’s delicious recipecards or to head to the Deli Fresh groceryaisles for savory string beans and pumpkinpie. For many, Thanksgiving is the purestand most important holiday of all, unblem-ished by the commercialism that threatensto tarnish Christmas and other celebrations.

Behind the scenes, however, the cor-nucopia of foods for which we give thanksis now under siege, in part due to a new andinsidious class of insecticides called neoni-cotinoids, or “neonics.” First introduced inthe US in 1994, the neonics quickly becamethe most widely used insecticides on Earth,applied to two-thirds of the world’s croplands.Virtually all the corn in this country is grownfrom neonic-coated seeds, as are many grains,fruits and vegetables.

Unfortunately, these neonic insecticidesare killing bees, butterflies, birds, and quitepossibly bats and other wildlife. As such,they are a direct threat to our Thanksgivingmeal, wiping out the tiny buzzing “fieldhands” that pollinate hundreds of crops –roughly one-third of the foods we eat. Pol-linators play an essential role in ourThanksgiving celebrations -- from the squash,sweet potatoes, broccoli, and other vegetablesto the nuts, pumpkin desserts, apple pies,and cranberry sauce.

Even minute amounts of neonics areenough to kill the bees. The neonic coatingon a single corn seed can kill over 80,000bees. Bees that don’t succumb immediatelyface other effects: reduced memory andnavigation, immune problems, developmentalshortcomings and diminished foraging ability.These impairments are as good as death tothe parent colony.

Concerned about the impacts on bees,in 2013 American Bird Conservancy reviewed200 studies including 2800 pages of industryresearch obtained under the Freedom of In-formation Act. Our assessment concludesthat the neonics are lethal to birds as well.A single corn kernel coated with a neoniccan kill a songbird. And as little as 1/10thof a coated seed per day during the egg-laying season can impair reproduction.

The ABC report also looks at aquaticinsects, which are critical to avian aerial in-

sectivores such as swifts, swallows, andnighthawks whose populations are now indecline. We conclude that the levels of thesechemicals in our waterways are already highenough to kill the aquatic invertebrate lifeon which so many birds depend. These find-ings are buttressed by the strikingly highlevels of neonics found in a new review ofsurface water data from nine countries, andalso by a recent study by Dutch researchers,published in the journal Nature, which notedthat the higher the concentration of the pes-ticide in the surface water, the greater thedecline in bird populations. A 2014 meta-analysis by the Task Force on SystemicPesticides evaluates 800 peer-reviewed studiesand confirms this spiral of unintended con-sequences.

Neonics are part of a revolution inseed technology that has transformed Amer-ican agriculture in recent years. Giantagri-business companies including Monsanto,Dupont, and Syngenta control the commercialbiotech market for seeds. They coat theseeds in neonics and embed them with ge-netically engineered (GE) traits such asimmunity to RoundUp herbicide, enablingfarmers to use large amounts of weed-killerswithout harming their crops. The companiesmaintain strict licensing agreements controllingthe use of their coated, GE-impregnatedseeds. For many crops such as corn andcanola, it can be near impossible to find un-treated seeds on the market. Attempts toclean and re-use seeds from prior years arelanding farmers in court facing battalionsof industry lawyers.

In encrusting our seeds in systemicinsecticides, the chemical and seed conglom-erates are transforming the way agricultureis done in this country. Neonic seed treatmentsare a pre-emptive strike; we are blanketingour lands with chemicals even when thereis no pest to be found within 100 miles. Thisis a damaging reversal from integrated pestmanagement, the approach to agriculturethat says you monitor for pests, do all youcan to prevent pest outbreaks, and applyconventional chemicals only as a last resort.

What is really quite extraordinary isthat – despite the enormous scale on whichthey are used – there is scant evidence thatneonics are actually increasing agriculturalproductivity. The EPA released its ownanalysis of soybean production on October16, concluding that “there is no increase insoybean yield using most neonicotinoid seedtreatments when compared to using no pest

control at all.” The EPA review confirmswhat we have been telling the agency allyear: that despite the enormous scale onwhich they are used, neonic seed coatingsare not increasing agricultural yields. Scientificstudies on corn, canola and other crops showsimilar results, as documented by a recentCenter for Food Safety assessment of inde-pendent peer-reviewed efficacy studies. Thefarmers pay for the costly treated seeds; thebee-keepers bring home dead hives; and thebirds, butterflies, and other wildlife die. Theonly benefit is to the handful of multi-nationalbiotech conglomerates, which accrue enormousprofits. Equally absurd is that, even thoughneonics are applied to hundreds of millionsof acres in the US – up to 95 percent of thoselands via coated seeds – the EPA fails to

require any registration of neonic seed treat-ments, or any enforcement in cases of misuse.EPA misinterprets its 1988 “treated articleexemption,” 40 CFR § 152.25(a), to overlookthe fundamental definition of a “treated ar-ticle”: the pesticidal effects must not extendin significant ways beyond the article itself.In the case of coated seeds, typically only 5or 10 percent of the active ingredient is ab-sorbed by the plant. The rest either blowsaway as dust during mechanized planting– killing the bees directly – or washes intothe soil and ultimately the groundwater.EPA’s failure to require stringent testing andapproval protocols for neonic seed coatingsis a significant loophole, while its failure totrack use and impacts helps perpetuate the

myth that these chemicals can be used safely.Birds don’t take a holiday and nor do

bees. Their protection demands that we doaway with policies that allow excessive useof ineffective and dangerous pesticides.Closer to home, as we prepare for our cele-brations, let’s help save our pollinators bychoosing carefully what we put in our shop-ping baskets and on our plates. We can helpgrow the market for sustainable, healthy,pesticide-free agriculture and help shrinkthe market for chemical intensive, neonic-contaminated products. And as we givethanks for the bounty on our tables thisThanksgiving, let’s remember the birds andbees that made it all possible.

Thank the Birds and the Bees for your Holiday TableBY CYNTHIA PALMER

AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY

The Chaparral is pleased to starta new column in the college papercalled “The Academic Senate Pres-ident’s Corner,” where assistantprofessor in Automotive Technol-ogy/Advanced Transportation andAcademic Senate President DouglasRedman will bridge the gap betweenstudent and faculty communicationby answering questions readers can

submit for an answer. Allow Redmanto formally introduce himself:

"Salutations! Welcome to theAcademic Senate President's Corner.I am Douglas Redman, I teach Au-tomotive/Advanced Transportationhere at the College. I am also Aca-demic Senate President! Of the twojobs, I like teaching the most. It isfor selfish reasons; it brings me suchgreat satisfaction.

It is so satisfying to help someoneelse! I have been hired to help youreach your educational and careergoals. Let me make this clear, IT IS

ALL ABOUT YOU!What is the point here? You

have a bunch of important stuff todo, maybe more important thanreading his article. As AcademicSenate President, I am in a leadershipposition that helps make decisionsthat affect the most important personon campus: YOU. I need to hearfrom you.

Communication is SOOOO im-portant in life. It is important inrelationships, jobs, and at college.

I want to improve communi-cation between the Academic Senate

and the VIPs on campus: the stu-dents.

Here is what I propose: I willsit here, each edition, and chat withyou over a cup of coffee.

I promise to sit at Starbuckswith a Pike place, no sugar or cream,and respond to your questions.Would you please sit down, in frontof a cup of coffee, and talk with me?

Let me know your successes,frustrations, your dreams, your con-cerns, your comments, and yourquestions.

I will respond in this little section

of the Chaparral, each issue. I willonly be able to respond to a few eachissue, but I will take to heart eachand every correspondence. Look, Iwant to get to know you better so Ican better support you.

Thanks for taking the time toread th is .P lease wri te indredman@collegeofthedeset.edu<mailto:dredman@collegeofthedeset.edu>In the SUBJECT line, please put 'AS President's Corner'. "

Pg. 4 • Campus Life THE CHAPARRAL MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014

Campus LifeMy professor’s in a band: Outside Pedestrian rocks COD

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLLEGE OF THE DESERTOutside Pedestrian band members (from left to right): Dr. An-thony Fesmire, David Lockeretz, and David Oromaner

Annual Veteran’s DayCeremony is held

PHOTO BY CRYSTAL HARRELL/ THE CHAPARRALVeteran's Specialist Donni Prince and the members of the Stu-dent Veterans Organization after the Veteran's Day Ceremony.

Introducing “The Academic Senate President’s Corner”CO-AUTHORS

CRYSTAL HARRELLDOUGLAS REDMAN

Transfer to Success Scholarship

© 2014 National University_1442

Up to $5,000 Award

Automatically Awarded

Serving the Public Good™

Applicants must meet eligibility requirements and be formally accepted to National University. Funds paid in accordance to the scholarship terms. Some restrictions may apply.

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Associate professor of music,Dr. Anthony Fesmire, is known byhis students as an engaging instructorin the musical arts, but what somemight not know is that Fesmire isalso an accomplished guitarist andcomposer who takes part in a bandcalled Outside Pedestrian.

Fesmire formed the bandwith bassist David Lockeretz in theearly 1990s at Berklee College ofMusic.

According to Fesmire, whenreuniting in Los Angeles in 1999after their college years, he and Lock-eretz were inspired by the tightsecurity found in the California Re-habilitation Center where they wereproducing an album with some in-mates of the facility. Passage throughthe prison involved two heavily-armed gates, “the inside pedestrian

and outside pedestrian gates.” The duo had found their

namesake and also used “OutsidePedestrian” to describe a musicalstyle that is eclectic and not of thetypical radio tunes of today.

A third band member,David Oromaner, joined OutsidePedestrian after 2012, when Fesmire

returned to Southern Californiato teach at College of the Desert. Itwas decided that the trio would pro-duce a new album under theirindependent label EclectichordRecords.

As independent artists, themembers of Outside Pedestrian ownall the rights to their material, and

their recordings are availablethrough iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify..

Outside Pedestrian’s newalbum, Reclaimed, was released onNov. 7 of this year and coincidedwith a CD release concert at Collegeof the Desert’s Pollock Theatre, withFesmire on guitar, Lockeretz on bass,and Oromaner on drums. The

album’s musical sound is influencedby

reggae, funk, and surf, alongwith the band’s signature jazz/rocksound.

“All of the members of theband have played on numerous al-bums and recording sessions, so itis not a new experience. Reclaimedis the culmination of two years ofcomposing, performing, rehearsing,recording, and discovering the col-lective voice of the ensemble. Weare all proud of the finished product!”said Fesmire.

Outside Pedestrian per-forms throughout Southern California,doing concerts and participating in

educational clinics. To learnmore about Outside Pedestrian orlisten to their new album, visit theirFacebook page and SoundCloud.

College of the Desert’s StudentVeterans Organization (SVO) pre-sented the sixth annual Veteran’sDay Ceremony on Nov. 10 to honorthose who have served in variousbranches of the military, in conjunctionwith the 239th birthday of the MarineCorps.

The event took place at the circleamphitheater and was hosted byMaster of Ceremonies Frank Ytur-ralde—the SVO president and afellow army veteran. Yturralde’sopening speech touched upon thecamaraderie shared among the vet-erans due to their shared experienceson duty.

“You’re among your people.You can speak naturally among yourpeers: the people who’ve beenthrough the same things and are ableto understand the hardships youhave endured [as a veteran],” statedYturralde.

“The Star-Spangled Banner”was then performed by Kira Kerr,following a presentation of the flagsof each branch of the military and ahistory of Veteran’s Day announcedby political science professor/armyveteran Tony Clerc. Master of Cer-emonies Frank Yturralde thenproceeded to acknowledge each ofthe veterans carrying their respectivemilitary flag with some informationabout themselves and the time they

served their country.“I think it is absolutely fabulous

that [the community] has come sofar to the point of honoring the vet-erans , and with the new VeteransResource Center, it has made sucha difference to have access to coun-seling and recommendations thatthe veterans need,” said Presidentof the COD Foundation Donna JeanDarby.

Yturralde closed the ceremonywith some acknowledgments to thosewho have assisted veterans in thetransition from serving in the militaryto attending College of the Desert,namely Veteran’s Specialist DonniPrince, who affectionately calls theveterans who seek her guidance “herboys.”

“On behalf of the College, I’dlike to thank the community, thestaff, and most of all, the studentsfor participating in this event. I alsowant to thank the veterans for theircommitment to getting an education,and I encourage them to take ad-vantage of our Veterans ResourceCenter,” stated Trustee Mary JaneSanchez.

Immediately following the cer-emony, refreshments were servedin the Bighorn Golf Club VeteransResource Center to the participantsof the ceremonyand the public. Abirthday cake was also cut to signifythe 239th birthday of the MarineCorps and to reward those who haveserved the country with tremendousduty.

BY CRYSTAL HARRELL

CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

BY CRYSTAL HARRELL

CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

Desert Oasis Comics openedtheir doors in 2012, being the onlycomic book store in the wholeCoachella Valley. Sidney Lynn John-son the comic book store owneropened his doors in Palm Desert toshare his passion and love for comicbooks.

“I’ve always been talking aboutopening a comic book store for thelast 15 years” said Johnson, “WhenI got laid off from my last job, I paidoff my debt and decided this wasthe best time to open a comic book

store.”Though his first year of opening

up was tough, he held though. Nowwhenever someone comes to hisstore he is always ready to greetthem with a smile and is ready tohelp make their day just a little bet-ter.

“When I was starting my busi-ness I always knew that planningwas key. I knew that the first threemonths were going to be the hardest.My uncle always told me it’s allabout location, location, location,and since I didn’t have the very bestlocation here in the valley I knew Ihad to get my name out there.”

With the help of Facebook and

some very well balanced budgetinghe got business up and running.

When I asked what series yousuggest to any first time comic bookreaders he replied, “It varies. I usuallytell them to take a look around theshop and if you see anything thatpops out at you just give it a shot.”

“Let me tell you something” hesaid, “The thing I learned out of allthe years in business is to followyour passion and follow your dreams.Don’t let people try to talk you outof it. There Johnson does not haveany plans for the future currently.He says he was going to take it “oneday at a time.”

The Salton Sea, California’slargest lake is in danger of shrinkingby half it's size in the years to come.Mandated water transfers to areasalong the coast and other factors re-portedly will expose the lake bed,giving off dust and posing a healthhazards for people living in the Im-perial and Coachella Valley.

“The consequences of continuedinaction at the Salton Sea will be feltmost directly by the 650,000 peoplewho live in harm’s way of the SaltonSea’s dust, as well as by the birdsand other life that depend on thelake,” says Michael Cohen, a researchassociate at the Pacific Institute

Environmentalists say there issome urgency with the problem. Arecent report by the Pacific Instituteclaims that many scientific and med-ical studies document the link betweenblowing dust and a broad range of

public health impacts, includingasthma in children and adults, cardiacdisease, lung cancer and increasedmortality rates.

Vicken Etyemezian of the DesertResearch Institute in Las Vegas saidthe shrinking of the lake “shouldmake us consider very carefully thepotential for very serious air qualityproblems.”

As the sea shrinks, decayingmaterial in the water has also peri-odically been giving off an odor thatcan be blown as far as Los Angeles.

The Indio Tamale Festival returnsfor the 22nd time for a two-day eventDecember 6 & 7.

The admission-free festival isranked as one of the top ten “All-American Food Festivals” in thenation by Food Network-TV. Morethan 125,000 tamale lovers fill thestreets of Old Town Indio every yearto sample every type of tamale imag-inable. Activities include a festiveholiday parade, carnivals, MexicanFolkloric dancing and a variety oflive entertainment for all ages.

There will also be 200 boothsrepresenting over 150 vendors thatoffer foods such as ethnic specialties,hot dogs, roasted corn, and desserts.

In an effort to improve the overallguest experience, a few different

shows and attractions will debut atthis year’s festival. One of them willbe the Inaugural Car Show whereshowcase cars will take part in theopening parade and will then bedisplayed along Requa Street forspectator viewing and judging. Thepublic will be in charge of votingfor the seven different categories.

The Art & Wine Garden willshowcase original art works, includingpaintings, photography’s, sculptures,and textiles from at least twenty-five artists. Guests can enjoy winetasting in the wine lounge, and beerfrom the Coachella Valley Brewery.

Also making its debut will bethe Food Truck Alley. Approximatelya dozen food trucks will offer a widevariety of cuisine, including CaliforniaGrill Truck, Kogi Korean BBQ, Tor-nado Potato, Always Cookin’ BBQ,The Sweet Stop, Steamy Bun Truck,

Bakery Truck, and Chunk and Chip.Live music, dancing, singing,

and other diverse performances willbe held on the Fiesta, Amigo, Sunset,and Community stages. There willalso be a karaoke contest.

The festival holds two GuinnessWorld Records: The world’s largestTamale, over 1 foot in diameter and40 feet in length, December 4, 1999and the world’s largest tamale festivalwith 120,000 in attendance, December2-3, 2000.

Location of the festival is be-tween Highway 111 and IndioBoulevard and fills-in the streets ofMiles, Towne, Smurr & Requa. Park-ing will be made available at theLarson Justice Center. The festivalwill start at 10 a.m. and conclude at6 p.m. both days.

For more information you maycontact (760) 391-4175 or visit tamale-festival.net

Local • Pg. 5THE CHAPARRALMONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014

LocalTop ten “All-American Food Festival”brings the tamales back to Indio

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TAMALE FESTIVAL Attendees visit the different attractions and food vendors at the tamale festival.

BY DANIEL MAGAÑA

LOCAL EDITOR

Health Hazard concerns as

the Salton Sea deterioratesBY ALEXANDRA WINNER

STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

“It’s not a tragedyyet, but it could be a

forthcoming tragedy ifthere is a failure of ourgovernment officials totake preventive meas-

ures.”-Roger Shintaku, director of Salton Sea Authority

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP IMAGESInaction at the Salton Sea is causing health concerns.

The Imperial Irrigation Districthad planned to cover the exposedlake bed by attracting constructionof geothermal power plants aroundthe Salton Sea.

The plan was to use some ofthe profits for dust control and en-vironmental conservation projects,however the cost of producing energyby pulling hot water and steam fromthe ground has reportedly discour-aged new business.

Silvia Paz, of the organizationBuilding Healthy Communities East-ern Coachella Valley, says that incommunities near the Salton Sea,

many residents have unansweredquestions.

The Pacific Institute report pre-dicts that the declining Salton Seawill impose massive public healthand environmental costs on localresidents and Californians generally.

The continued failure to protectand preserve the Salton Sea, wors-ening air quality, and the loss ofvaluable ecological habitat – combinedwith diminished recreational revenueand property devaluation– couldcost as much as $70 billion over thenext 30 years.

Friendly Neighborhood Comic Book Store BY DANIEL HERNANDEZ

STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

Since 1989, the PalmSprings International Film Festivalhas been the Coachella Valley's largestshowcase for American-Independentand Foreign-Independent Films.Drawing in nearly 135,000 peopleannually, this Festival has gone froma simple tourist attraction to an out-standing example of the popularityof film culture in our own backyard.The Palm Springs International FilmFestival has always attracted a crowdof international directors, actors andactresses, writers, and movie review-ers from places all over the world.Popular actors such as Brad Pitt,Dustin Hoffman, Anne Hathaway,and Leonardo DiCaprio are just afew of many actors that have madeappearances at past festivals to sup-port films they have been affiliatedwith. Film submissions for the PSIFFhave been closed for over a month.That means that somewhere in ourvalley, right now, there is a room fullof professional film reviewers carefullybuilding a long list of Independentfilms that all festival-goers will be

able to watch from January 2nd toJanuary 12th.

The Palm Springs InternationalFilm Festival is a ten-day event thattakes place in all of the major theatersthat Palm Springs has to offer. Amongmany theaters, the festival holdsscreenings in the Regal Cinema 9,the Camelot Theaters, and the mas-sive, 1000-seat auditorium at PalmSprings High School. Attendees ofthe festival will have screening accessto dozens of films and the possibilityof a brief Q&A session with thepeople behind the production of thefilm being screened. The festival willalso hold its annual Gala awards asscheduled for 2015. The Gala awardsare held each year during the PalmSprings Film Festival in order to givepraise to films and categories of filmwork that exceed standard perform-ance. Among many of the awardsgiven at the Gala awards are theSonny Bono Visionary Award (wonby the Rock band, U2 in 2014), andthe Director of the Year Award (wonby Steve McQueen in 2014 as well).Information regarding the Galaawards and all of the nominees in-volved will be posted to psfilmfest.org

as the festival comes closer.Not only does the Palm Springs

International Film Festival offer apersonal experience for film enthu-siasts of all ages, but it also offers achance to see most of the top-leveldirectors, actors, actresses, and mu-sicians that appear in or producethe films that have been submitted.At the 2014 Film Festival, actorsBradley Cooper, Tom Hanks, SandraBullock, and Julia Roberts all madeappearances and gave speeches tocrowds that had just watched theirfilms. Celebrity appearances arefairly common at the PSIFF due tothe great word-of-mouth promotionthat the festival offers for both filmsand film makers.

Vouchers to attend film screen-ings during the ten days of PSIFFwill be available starting December26 and will be fairly priced betweeneleven to twelve dollars. The PalmSprings International Film Festivalalso offers bulk ticket purchases (6+tickets), and many other varieties ofpasses to the festival on their website,psfilmfest.org. A complete scheduleand descriptions of the films beingshowcased will also be available onDecember 26th.

Pg. 6 • Culture News THE CHAPARRAL MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24 , 2014

Culture & EntertainmentSuper Smash Bros. takes on the Wii U with a new creative approach

PHOTO BY ALISSA MCALOON

Nintendo has released its newinstallment in the Super Smash Brosfranchise for the Wii U, very similarto that of the 3DS version launchedback in October, on November 21.

Many changes have been madeto Smash Bros. for the Wii U due tothe quality and overall performancethat the system can provide as opposedto its counterpart, the 3DS.

The creators were able to addmore than they ever could with theWii U and the differences are incredible.One of the biggest differences playerswill notice is a special mode thatallows the users to play with up to 8players simultaneously in local mul-tiplayer. This Wii-only option letsplayers compete on extremely largestages to compensate for the increasein characters. Potential patrons willbe happy to know that 4-player stageswill also be included with 8-playerstages.

The 8-player mode isn't the onlynew addition to the Super SmashBros franchise. Multiple modes anddifferent ways to play have beenadded to keep the players wantingmore, including Smash Tour, SpecialSmash Mode, Coin Battles, StaminaMatches, Classic Mode, All Star Mode,and Event Mode. Many stages havebeen created that are only offered forthe Wii U edition. Such stages include:Final Destination, Boxing Ring, MarioGalaxy, Mario Circuit, Duck Hunt,Wii Fit Studio, Kalos Pokemon League,and many more.

Players can also tap in their Ami-ibo figures, which can gain levels tobecome stronger and add equipmentas they gain experience through battle.GameStop released a peak of whatAmiibo figures can do and what aplayer can benefit from using them.

BY AARON TEEL

CULTURE EDITOR

Nintendo is known for their iconic characters including Mario, Link, Pikachu, Kirby, Yoshi, and many new faces that will be showing up as well.

Features:Compete with classic players from the Super Smash Bros. Series, along•

with new challengers like Mega Man, Little Mac or newly announcedPalutena, the Goddess of Light from the Kid Icarus games. For the firsttime, players can even compete as their own Mii characters.

Use a variety of control methods during the high-energy and action-•filled battles, including Nintendo GameCube controllers - the longtimecontroller of choice for a hard-core Super SmashBros. players.

Customize move sets when playing locally or online with friends.•Connect with amiibo for added fun.•Experience the beauty of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U in stunning•

HD, a first for the series.Fight against friends and family locally or online, or battle random•

challengers from all over the world online in "For Fun" or "For Glory"modes.

Amiibo in Super Smash Bros. for Wii UCustomize your amiibo figure as the ultimate sidekick, and level it•

up to CRUSH your opponents.Train your amiibo to supercharge its stats and expand its abilities.•Customize your amiibo by adjusting its attack, defense and speed•

stats.Fight your amiibo against a friend's to make them tougher and see•

who the best trainer is.Team up with your amiibo, or battle against friends in multiplayer•

amiibo action.Gamestop also released some features that players can expect to see•

in Super Smash Bros.

This newest Super Smash Bros. closely resembles its past versions butwith all that this game offers and its expectations, players will have a blastplaying as their favorite Nintendo characters.

Most of the features added are for the Wii U only. Although The SuperSmash Brothers 3DS edition does have its advanages, players will findthat the Wii U is more interactive between players.

Masahiro Sakurai, director of Super Smash Bros., said, “For gettingamiibo involved with the game, we tried coming up with ideas that wouldn’tclash with the core of the Smash Bros.” Amiibo was an idea that begantoward the end of development and luckily made it through.

Palm Springs International Film Festivalwill be here before you know it

BY GENE PIETRAGALLO

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

PHOTO BY WHEREISRANCHOMIRAGE.COMPalm Springs International Film Festival returns again this year with their iconic logo.

Upcoming Winter films have

movie goers excited

As the year comes to an end,movie studios are beginning to un-leash their best films. With awardseason quickly sneaking up on us,you can expect a number of moviesworth your money and time.

Walt Disney Animation Studiosstarts off with a movie perfect forthe whole family; “Big Hero 6”,adapted from the Marvel Comics.“Big Hero 6” tells the story of a groupof teenage kids turned superheroeswho risk their lives in order to solvea mystery. The movie is filled withlots of action, lots of comedy andlots heart-wrenching moments thatwill be sure to leave you in tears.

The highly anticipated third in-stallment of the Hunger Gamesfranchise, “Mocking Jay-Part 1”,comes into theaters Nov. 21. AcademyAward winner, Jennifer Lawrencereturns as Katniss Everdeen and isnow spending her time not playingin the Hunger Games, but insteadfighting to save Peeta's life, playedby Josh Hutcherson. The film alsoraised much anticipation as audiencesand critics look forward to watchingthe late Philip Seymour Hoffman insome of his final acting moments.

On Nov. 28, the Weinstein Com-pany presents “The Imitation Game”,

starring Golden Globe nominee Bene-dict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightleyand Matthew Goode. Based on thereal life story of cryptanalyst AlanTuring, the drama-thriller is readyto put audiences at the edge of theirseats.

From the director of the Oscarwinning movie, “Dallas Buyers Club”,comes another drama film, “Wild”.The film, starring Reese Witherspoon,is about a women who has lost allhope after a failed marriage and thedeath of her mother. She sets off ona journey by hiking through a trailthat ultimately heals and strengthensher mind, body and soul. The pow-erfully inspiring film hits theaterson Dec. 5.

In theaters Dec. 19 is a film manymight be familiar with. Sony Picturesremakes the Broadway classic,“Annie”, starring Oscar winner JamieFoxx, Cameron Diaz and AcademyAward nominee Quevenzhane Wallisas Annie. Annie is a happy go-luckyfoster child who soon finds her wayout of her home when a Mayoralcandidate takes her in as part of hispolitical campaign.

The winter movie season has alot to offer with the wide variety offilm genres and eye-catching per-formances.

BY KATHERINE SANCHEZ

STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

PHOTO BY IGN.COMBig hero 6, was released on Nov. 7,2014 and stars an ani-mated robot

BY ANDREA CASTANEDASTUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

State Senator - Jeff StoneHouse of Rep. -Raul RuizCalifornia Assembly - Chad MayesBoard of Trustees -Incumbent Aurora Wilson

Climate change has an impacton every living organism on earthand one of them is the polar bear.Global warming has been the resultof worldwide climate change andaccording to NASA’S Goddard In-stitute for Space Studies, averagetemperatures have climbed 1.4 de-grees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius)around the world since 1880, andmuch of this has been in recentdecades. According to multinationalArctic Climate Impact Assessmentreports complied in 2004, the rateof warming is increasing causingthe Arctic to feel the effects of thisthe most. Average temperatures inAlaska, western Canada and easternRussia have risen at twice the globalaverage. This is due to the rapid dis-appearance of Arctic ice and it hasbeen assumed that the Arctic regionmay have its first completely ice freesummer by 2040 or even earlier. Thiswould mean that polar bears andother indigenous cultures are already

suffering from the sea ice loss.In 2007, scientists from 130

countries concluded, “humans areresponsible for much of the currentwarming”. They stated, “not onlydoes one person contribute to globalwarming but billions of people onearth do”. Cutting trees, driving cars,burning vast coal, and oil, all con-tributed to an enormous increase ingreenhouse gases.

The Arctic is showing the effectsof global warming, as a result “TheWard Hunt Ice Shelf, the largestsingle sheet of ice in the arctic hasbeen around for 3000 years”, (Sey-mour Simon, 2010) started to crack.By 2002, it had split. Now it is con-tinuing to break into smaller pieces.The sheet of ice has been gettingthinner since the early 1990’s andthe loss of sea ice is resulting interrible consequences for polar bears.The sea ice is the path for polar bearsto hunt for seals and other pray.

The lack of sea ice will also havea negative impact on female bears.“MMS has found that, in the last tenyears, 60 percent of female polarbears were denning on land and 40percent were denning on ice”. Mean-

ing that the female bears on landwill have a more difficult time trav-eling between land and ice, forcingthem to leave the ice and stop huntingearlier before the ice has retreatedtoo far to find their denning areason land.

Changes are happening fasterthan expected and there are worriesabout the loss of sea ice in whichthe arctic is vanishing. “U.S. GeologicalSurvey has stated that the U.S. pop-ulation of polar bears will beextirpated by 2050.” If we continuewith our growing footprint and thegreenhouse gases continue to increase,by mid-century, polar bears will nolonger exist in Alaska. By encouragingdomestic and international supportto minimize the emission of green-house gases, at least 80 percent below1990 levels by 2050, the Work WildlifeFund (WWF) is an international or-ganization that has worked for over50 years to protect endanger species.WWF's mission is to get the U.S.Congress and the administration toact now on the threats posed to polarbears through climate change.

This semester the Geology course“Earth Science” class took a fieldtripto the Thousand Palms Oasis, locatedon the San Andreas Fault line.

The Coachella Valley Preserveis a more than 20,000 acre sanctuaryfor endangered the Coachella ValleyFringe-Toed Lizard. Students couldspend minutes or even hours justexploring the Oasis. The Oasis isowned and managed by The NatureConservancy, Bureau of Land Man-agement, Wildlife Service, andCalifornia Department of Fish &Game and California Departmentof Parks & Recreation.

This Fan Palm Paradise is sittingright on top of the San Andreas Faultline. The fault forces undergroundspring water to come up to the surfaceand for many years it was knownby natives as a source for water,hunting, and food.

Originally in 1900 it was home-steaded by Albert Thornburg, andwas then traded to Paul Wilhelm in

1905. The land was traded in exchangefor two mules and a wagon, but Wil-helm’s dream was always for theoasis to become a public park, whichit eventually became in 1984.

The class begin it’s trip in thevisiting center parking lot, and walkedthrough a well-marked trial over tothe San Andreas fault, we actuallysaw the fault line, which I can sayis kind of scary but amazing at thesame time. Most plant species wereexplained in detail by COD’s ScienceProfessor Dr. Pellenbarg who hasmany years of experience in EarthScience. There was evidence of erosiondue to flooding, and we could alsosee the seriousness of our Valley’scurrent drought problem, and Dr.Pellenbarg did not hesitate to explainmany geological events that haveoccurred in the area.

The hike from the visitor centerto the McCallum Oasis is about 3miles long round trip. There is nocharge to visit or hike the preserve.There is also a cool fan palm forest,it is a great place to spend your dayand check out our Valley’s own nat-ural preserve.

Over the past few year’s socialmedia has evolved into a huge wayfor people to stay up to date withpolitics, entertainment, friends andfamily, some are even dating online.But social media is not only to net-work and see what your favoritecelebrity is doing, but also used formarketing.

The dynamic of marketing hasevolved and changed drastically re-cently. Rather than investing in masschannel ads or radio ads, companieshave focused mainly on social mediaas a way to market their company.Social media makes it easier for com-panies to reach out to millions of

viewers or readers all over the worldin a shorter and less expensive waythrough Twitter, FaceBook, Youtubeand Instagram. They’re able to un-derstand the needs of the marketfrom the market itself.

Kyle Hulett, founder of Flip-penMusic, an LA based productioncompany tells us how he uses socialmedia and how it has helped Flip-penMusic. He says, “You want tofollow the majority of your audienceand appeal to them in whatever wayyou can. Social media just happensto be the most popular and relevantplatform of communication in oursociety today. My partner and I pri-marily base our outreach via ourYouTube channel, as YouTube is theworld’s second largest engine. We’veproudly just broken 3 million views

through collaboration with up andcoming rock artists.”

Many up and coming aspiringartista use social media to get theirvoice out to the world. Whether itsby YouTube or Vine. Vine is a short6-second video sharing service thathas also gained ground as a promo-tional tool. Singers, comedians, evenjournalists use Vine to promote them-selves hoping to become moresuccessful.

Social media has become a sig-ni f icant par t o f our moderncivilization. Marketing via socialmedia not only is cost effective, butit is probably one of the best andsmartest marketing strategies youcan possibly use.

Current Affairs • Pg. 7THE CHAPARRALMONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014

Current AffairsThe Impacts of social media and marketing

BY MARIA CASTRO

STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

Thousand Palms Oasis, our

valley's natural preserveBY BETSUA MONTOYA

STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

Climate change and its impacts on the environment

BY GREGORIA PARTIDA

ADVERTISING MANAGER

JOHN MCCONNICO/ AP IMAGES

Icebergs in the North and South Pole are being severely affected by Climate Change

ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/ AP IMAGESMother bear and her three cubs playsing in their icy cold den.

MATT ROURKE/ AP IMAGESThis is the logo for facebook that is seen on many people’s communication devices.

Who are the MidtermElection Winners?

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP IMAGESYoutube is one of the most popular video and social media sites, and is owned by Google

The GTLA (Gay and LesbianTennis Alliance) will be hosting thereannual Tennis tournament in the cityof Palm Springs November 28through the 30.

Tennis players come from allover the United States to participatein the global tournament. There are70 GLTA tournaments world wide.They Believe in diversity and thespirit of fair play in sports.

GLTA is a non profit organizationthat think of their tournaments associal sporting events with charity

fundrasing.All people are welcome and no

membership is required. Hostedhousing is offered at many events,the entry costs can vary starting at$65. Double partners can be foundfor you and the events are playedon grass, clay and hard court. Theage ranges from 18 to 80 years old.

These tournaments take placethroughout the year. They have 5divisions from beginner to starterlevel. There is currently more than10,000 players world wide.

This tournament will be heldat 1300 East Baristo Road 92262 PalmSprings, California.

Pg. 8 • Sports THE CHAPARRAL MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24 , 2014

SportsRoadrunners starting the season on a hot streak

With the College of the DesertMen’s Basketball team starting offhot with a 3-0 record against solidopponents, the wins are gettingtougher and the stretch betweenhome games is getting longer. Afterdefeating Long Beach Junior College103-93 in overtime behind JordanPellum’s 32 points, the annual Collegeof the Desert tournament camearound, and the Roadrunner’s fellto Saddleback in the first round, 98-

88. Even with the tough loss theyoung freshman Pellum, out of PalmSprings High School, performedwell with 26 points, 2 rebounds, and2 assists.

This past weekend was the AlvinHunter Classic hosted by the SanBernardino Junior College. It didn’tstart off so well with the Roadrunnerslosing the first round game to An-telope Valley 99-86. However DockGooch had a solid outing with 15points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Inthe second round the Roadrunnersfaced Pasadena and was able tosneak away with the win 85-84 behindMark Johnson’s big game totaling12 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists.

In the classic’s Consolation Cham-pionship game C.O.D. faced offagainst Ventura falling 99-22. Thefreshman Pellum once again playedoutstanding totaling: 24 points, 3 re-bound, 4 assists, and 3 steals in thetough loss.

Coming up next for the Road-runners is a trip down the 10 toWoodland Hills to take on the Brah-mas of L.A. Pierce. The team doesn’tget a game back on their home courtuntil Thursday December 18th againstWest L.A. at 9:00. So come on downand cheer on your colleges men’sbasketball team to another win. GoRoadrunners!

BY JORDAN A. WILLIAMS

STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

PHOTO COURTESY OF CODThe College of the Desert basketball team’s group photo in 2014

First openly gay NBA player

announces his retirement

The first active male in any ofthe four major North American teamsports league to announce he wasopenly gay, Jason Collins, announcedhis retirement this last Wednesday12th November 12 at 35 years of age.

According to Sports IllustratedCollins said, “It feels wonderful tohave been part of these milestonesfor sports and for gay rights, and tohave been embraced by the public,the coaches, the players, the leagueand history,It had been argued thatno team would want to take on aplayer who was likely to attract amedia circus from the outset and

whose sexuality would be a distrac-tion. I’m happy to have helped putthose canards to rest."

Jason Began his basketball careerin 2001 with the New Jersey Nets,and he came back to the franchisein Brokyln last February. Collins an-nounced he was openly gay in Aprilof 2013 right after the end of the sea-son. Collins played 22 games butwas not part of the roster the wholeseason. He ends his 13 year careerwith averages of 3.6 points and 3.7rebounds per game.

Collins also wrote that maybeone day, "when we get to the pointwhere he's not compelled to hidehis true self and is able to live an au-thentic life," being a gay male athletewon't be a big deal. But we're notthere yet," he said.

BY ANTONIO RUVALCABA

SPORTS EDITOR

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP IMAGES

Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins (98) talks with Nets pointguard Deron

GTLA World Tour to host PalmSprings Open Tennis Tournament

Stanton signs major deal with Marlins

PHOTO COURTESY OF SPORTSWEB.COMStanton batting at a Miami Marlins game.

Last week, baseball starand Miami Marlins outfielder Gi-ancarlo Stanton signed a 13-year$325 million contract. It's the largestcontract in North American sportshistory.

A small market team, theMarlins have made the long-termcommitment to Stanton to build theorganization around his talents whileletting it's fans know that they'recommitted to producing a winningteam.

The large amount of moneythat Jeffrey Loria, the team's owner,has given Stanton might stem fromteam's inability to compete in recentyears. The Marlins have struggledgreatly in performance and atten-dance. The last time they had awinning season was in 2009 whenthe team went 87-75.

Still, the idea of signingStanton for the next 13 years isn'tbased solely in his role on the field.The Marlins see Stanton as the faceof the franchise and hope he canboost attendance, but before the next

season in April, they're also hopingStanton can attract other free agentsin the current market, includingpitcher James Shields.

Stanton grew up in Sher-man Oaks, Calif. Many believed hewould return to play for a team onthe West Coast, but when askedabout Miami, where he has spentthe last five years, Stanton expressedhis desire to stay.

"I've said it from the be-ginning: winning or losing, mypersonal beliefs in living here, I likeit better than L.A., where I grew up,"Stanton said. "I'm very comfortablehere. I enjoy all aspects of it. This isa place where I want to make a stampand bring something that Miamihasn't seen before."

Although the contract isset for 13 years, Stanton has an opt-out clause after the sixth year if hewishes to play somewhere else. It'senough time for Stanton to decideif the team has developed enoughto be a winning team.

Many writers have criti-cized the move, saying that the dealis merely a scam to temporarily bringin fans before the team underperformsonce again. In 2012, Loria spent $312on five different players, includingJose Reyes. The signings had a similar

tone to the recent one, saying thatLoria was committed to building awinning team and make the Marlinsa powerhouse organization. Heended up trading most of those con-tracts along with other previouslyacquired players like Hanley Ramirez,Josh Johnson, and Omar Infante.

It's difficult to think that ateam can do well by concentratingso much money on one player. TheMarlins finished fourth in their di-vision last season with Stanton, whowon his first Silver Slugger awardand finished second in MVP votingin the National league. There haven'tbeen any significant additions to theroster since the season ended, al-though Loria says he has enoughmoney left to add another bat to gowith Stanton.

The poor performance bythe Marlins in the past five yearshas continually been attributed tothe bad management within the or-ganization. The incredibly poorattendance from fans has alwaysmarred the team, but although theperformance might be a factor, it'salso known that Miami isn't usuallyrecognized as a baseball or even asports town.

BY IVAN VALENZUELA

CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PHOTO COURTESY OF GTLA.NETThe logo for the annual GTLA World Tour

PHOTO COURTESY OF GTLA.NETAn unnamed player who participated in GTLA World Tour circuitin Fleur de Lis, New Orleans

BY ANTONIO RUVALCABA

SPORTS EDITOR