Is This The End or Just The Beginning?

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- The semester is dwindling down and graduation is right around the corner.  Like most graduates ask themselves, what now?

It takes the average college student five years to graduate.  And now with fees going up every semester and classes not being readily available, five might turn into six.

Thinking back on my college career, there were classes I hated and some classes I loved; some I paid attention to and some I didn't; and some I learned something in and some I learned nothing.  Starting off at San Jose City College, a junior college in San Jose (duh!), was the best decision I could have made.  Taking general education classes at a junior college was cheaper, and it was a lot easier to get to know the teachers and get help on assignments.  Not leaving home was also a plus!

Transferring to a university, two hours away from mom's house, did not live up to all of the scary stories my high school teachers used to tell.  There were no mean teachers, no superfluous amount of homework, and no 20 page essays.  Yet, I found teachers who were willing to help, nice classmates and some great, fun times on campus.

As graduation inches closer, some decisions must be made in order to lay down the path of the future.  Should I go to graduate school or take a semester off and try to gain some experience in the field?

On one hand, going to graduate school and earning a master's degree could possibly give me an advantage in the job world, and I could potentially make more money.  On the other hand, going out into the real world could show me what I'm getting myself into, and when I'm ready to go to graduate school, it could give me leverage compared to the other applicants that do not have experience.

This economy is not the best, and everyone has said, time and time again, "It's hard to find a job".  A piece of advice my best friend's mother said, "Network.  Network.  Network."

Another way to get a job is to have internships.  With internships, there is a possibility of getting hired on after graduation and creating relationships with people in high places.  Hopefully, working at TMZ and on a local school board campaign will get my foot in the door.

Lessons are going to be learned, no matter what decision is made.  Some lessons I've learned throughout the years:

1. Do not procrastinate! Get 'er done!
2. Proofread, proofread, proofread.
3. Gain a connection everywhere you go.

All these possibilities, either way, will help make my mark in the world.  What will the future hold for future graduates?

What Are You Thankful For?

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- It's about that time of year where people look forward to stuffing their face with food and later on regret it because they gained 10 pounds.  Thanksgiving is in T-minus 3 days.  I am thankful for:

1. To be alive

2. Good health

3. Mom

4. Graduating this semester

5. To have a job

6. Good friends

7. My roommate's moving out soon

8. A place to go for Thanksgiving

9. A roof over my head

10. A working car

My list may seem pretty typical, but I am most thankful this Thanksgiving to have somewhere to go to eat Thanksgiving dinner.  This was the very first Thanksgiving I could not spend it with my mom.  This year I would not wake up to the aroma of turkey cooking and the banging of pots and pans.

Since it's just my mom and I, we usually go to her friend's house and eat dinner with them and their families.  Then later on that night, I go to my best friend's house and eat dessert and play Spoons.    

But some things this year stayed the same.  First thing I did when I woke up was send a mass text to all my friends wishing them a "Happy Turkey Day *gobble gobble*".  Then I called all my family members and wished them the same.  

I was very lucky this year that a friend of mine invited me over to his sisters house and spend Thanksgiving with him and his family.  Not knowing the proper etiquette of what and what not to bring to a stranger's house as a greeting gift.  Wine or cider?  I decided to go with the most appropriate...cider.  First impressions are the most important.

Painfully shy, I met the whole family and sat down to watch Ace Ventura on TBS.  After 2 hours of waiting for the food to be done, we finally sat down at the table, said grace and began to grub.  Turkey, rib-eye, black eyed peas, cabbage, greens or spinach (not sure, because I didn't eat it), mashed potatoes, rice, rolls, yams, deviled eggs.  Everything you could think of.  

After all that, it was time do dessert.  Many cakes to choose from: pineapple upside down cake, red velvet cake, lemon cake, and peach cobbler.  

About to leave, no left overs for me please.  Left overs are like an elephant in the room.  You know it's there, but don't want to acknowledge it.

Had it not been for my friend inviting me over, I probably would've stayed in and watch movies.  I'm thankful I have great friends.

All in all, I am very thankful for all the blessings I have in my life.  

Zombies On the Loose

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- Blood, guts and gore oh my! To go along with the Halloween spirit and spooky new movies in the theater, "The Walking Dead" is a new breed of television shows.

It airs on AMC on Sundays at 10/9 P.M. central.  Knowing my love for scary movies, some of which are: "The Strangers", the Freddy Kruger series and "The Exorcist", a friend recommended this brand new show.

Unlike other zombie shows, which I do not know of any, the only way to relate to this show is through zombie movies like "28 Days Later" or "Dawn of the Dead".  The show views as if it were a movie.  The first scene is of the main character Sheriff Rick Grimes, who's played by Andrew Lincoln, shooting a little zombie girl.

However, the first scene was on in Sheriff Grimes' imagination.  As the show progresses, the director shows the audience that in reality Sheriff Grimes wakes up out of a coma to find himself alone in his town.  Walking out of the hospital he is surrounded by thousands of empty cars, dead bodies wrapped in white linens and an eery peaceful silence.

Returning to the only place Grimes feels safe is home.  Trying to retrace his steps, he sees a man walking in the street, not knowing it's a zombie.  Some 100% human neighbors find Grimes and knock him unconscious until they know for sure he is not undead.

The story continues of Grimes trying to find his family and other friends in the community.  During his journey he runs into zombies left and right, killing them with his shot gun and knife.

All of the gruesome scenes might deter someone with a weak stomach, like the friend I was watching it with.  Just to turn and look at his face, as the show did a slow motion of a zombie getting their heads blown, was PRICELESS!

I would have to agree with Ken Tucker on EW.com, having said, "I think the pilot will score very good ratings from AMC..." and then says, "I predict that ratings will fall after this week because many AMC viewers who like Mad Men and Breaking Bad will look at this and say, 'Um ick.'"  AMC is not usually known to bring horror to its viewers, but I definitely think this will target a new segment in the market for them.

Another review of "The Walking Dead" by Dan Owen of Obsessedwithfilm.com says, "It's just a pity so much of The Walking Dead's premiere felt recycled from old movies, as its occasional flourishes of originality don't come often enough to keep you sated."

All together, this is a great show for lovers of scary movies and gory filth.  I give it two thumbs up, for re-creating a genre that has been played out so many times, as Owen suggests.

International Cafe Getaway

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- Looking for a nice getaway from the city, while in the city?  Then you need to check out Tower Cafe.


This cafe is located at 1518 Broadway.  Driving on Broadway, you might miss it.  It's a little hide-away behind some big bushes and trees.  At first, I didn't notice it, until I saw the long line of people standing on the sidewalk, at what looked like valet.


Parking is located behind the cafe.  On the walk up to the entrance, you will pass a cigar shop, a movie theater, walk through the secret garden and on the other side the entrance will appear.  The secret garden is the patio area of the Tower Cafe and just outside of the patio, is a beautiful European fountain.  Even in the rain, it was still spewing water.


Arriving at 11:00 A.M., the wait was estimated at 45 minutes.  Awnings were placed outside, so customers would not have to fully wait in the rain.  Everyone was in very close quarters, and even though the wait was long, everyone seemed to have a smile on his or her face.  I did over hear some young people say they should have gone to IHOP or Denny's because of the long wait.


As my classmates and I waited, we looked at the menu to see what we would like to order.  It was a overwhelming majority vote for breakfast food ONLY.  Some other items on the menu were: The Borracho Burger (The Drunk Burger), Thai Steak Salad, and Greek Omelet, among many other yummy choices.


We were seated about hour later.  Upset by the hour-long wait, cold and wet from the rain, this was not starting off very well.  Seated toward the right of the restaurant, the kitchen was next to us.  Looking around, the inside was full of color.  Many trinkets and decorations from Southwestern states, Mexico, Asia, Europe, and many other countries were everywhere.  Two painted pictures of Frida Kahlo hung on the wall, a Dia De Los Muertos skeleton doll was on the back wall of the bakery section, a bull skeleton behind me on the wall, and many fake colorful flowers.


The waitress, Dorrian, took our drink order very fast and was delivered timely.  Not short after our drinks came, a manager came to talk to our table and apologized for the wait and took care of our drinks for us (as in, she gave it to us for free).  I ordered the Seasonal French toast.


Maybe 10 minutes went by, then POOF! my food appeared.  The French toast had a fruit medley on top which consisted of apples, raspberries, and blueberries, with a dollop of cinnamon butter.  The French toast was so soft, the cinnamon butter added a sweet taste, while the fruit contrasted that taste with a tart flavor.  It had to be the best french toast I've ever had in my life.  No more fake French toast from IHOP and Denny's.


The Tower Cafe is a great breakfast spot with a crowd of all ages.  I saw a lot of babies, and a few kids.  Most of them were in amazement at the bakery section of the cafe, with cakes and cookies in the display window.  There was some diversity among the customers, but a lot of diversity among the Tower Cafe employees.


In total, my entire meal was $8.69, since the OJ was on the house.  All together, the food made up for the long wait and was well worth it.  I recommend this to anyone who loves good food.  

Trick-or-Treat, Smell My Feet

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- On the day of all Hallow's Eve, ghosts rise from the graveyards, witches come out of hiding, and monsters are on the loose.  This must be every child's favorite holiday.  They get to dress up and become whatever they want and go door to door receiving candy from strangers. 

I remember growing up, Halloween, was about being creative with your costume.  Some costumes were homemade and others were store bought, but it didn’t matter.  All the kids went out through the neighborhood and went trick-or-treating.  Usually the little kids started at 5PM, while there was still some light outside, but the big kids didn’t go out until it was pitch black outside. 

I've lived in Sacramento for about two years now and Sacramentans have odd Halloween traditions.  I've observed parents being scared to take their kids or let their kids go by themselves out into the neighborhoods because of kidnappers, rapists, and every other criminal roaming the streets.  So instead of trick-or-treating outside, Sacramentans result to trick-or-treating at the mall.  At the mall?  Are you serious?!  What kind of fun is that?!

In this case, children and parents dress up and go store to store asking for candy.  This is unfair and children don't get the real feel of what Halloween is truly all about.  As a mall employee, the company I work for does not participate in the giving out of candy, but I would say most stores do.  But as I viewed the busy hall of the mall, peering through racks of clothes, I spot ladybugs, bumblebees, witches, ninjas, princesses, and many more.

Another odd tradition, now for young adults, is to get so drunk, they black out, dress up in barely there costumes and have an excuse to be promiscuous.  This is most prevalent at Cal Expo's Exotic Ball.  As you enter the doors, you have a choice to stay in the room with a live band or the hip-hop room.  They have a variety of booths such as a fetish booth, with whips and chains, the mechanic bull, and a human petting zoo.  They have plenty of alcohol to last the entire night.  Continuing to walk around the grounds you will see a plethora of sexy Freddie Krugers, body latex painted on animal costumes, Adam and Eves, anything you could ever think of.

Back home in small Sunnyvale, the young adults would either go to the club or to a friend's house for a Halloween party.  This seems to be the safer choice rather than attending the Exotic Ball.  

I guess that's just how it's done in Sacramento.  I wonder how other places in the U.S. celebrate Halloween, or even in other countries.  In an informal poll I took of some friends and looking at people's Facebook statuses, most went to the Exotic Ball, a few went to Las Vegas, and others went to San Francisco or spent it with friends watching scary movies.      

I wonder how next year will be.  Will we see the same trends?  Stay tuned.

Anne Applebaum from The Washington Post

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- Everyone reads their news online or watches it on television.  The increase in online readership is skyrocketing.  As a college student, I rarely, if ever, watch the news on television anymore.  It seems all they focus on is death, terrorism and chaos.  Rarely do they ever have a happy story or a story that brings pride among the community.

Anne Applebaum is a foreign affairs columnist for The Washington Post and Slate.  I have read a few of her articles, some titled: "Chile and Haiti: A look at earthquakes and politics", "A terrorism alert to ignore", "'It's too soon to tell' how the Iraq war went", and "Anger over papal visit shows religious freedom is alive and well in Britain".  Her column appears every Tuesday.

In the column titled, "Chile and Haiti: A look at earthquakes and politics", she talks about both earthquakes and how it was more devastating for Haiti to experience this type of natural disaster because of the aftershocks of rebuilding their cities.  Applebaum says Chile has a better democratic government so it will be easier to rebuild, where Haiti has nothing working for it to rebuild it.  She says, "She has nothing to do with luck."

Her other column titled, "A terrorism alert to ignore", was a funny ironic piece.  She speaks about a terrorism alert that alerted people in Europe to be careful to ride public transportation because terrorists might attack.  Has it not occurred to their government that a terrorist attack can happen anywhere and at anytime?  So why now would they send this alert?

Applebaum has achieved many accomplishments in her journalism career such as writing two books, "Between East and West: Across the Borderlands of Europe" and "Gulag: A history", which she won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction in 2004.  She she has also won the Charles Douglas-Home Memorial Trust award for her journalism skills in post Soviet Union.

She has her own website which is linked to previous articles she has written, her columns, as well as introductions and critiques of her books.

Applebaum was born in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Yale.  She then went to the London School of Economics and St. Antony's College in Oxford.  It seems as though foreign affairs runs through her veins.

I tried to contact her, however she never returned my email.  Her columns are easy to read and if you don't watch the news, her columns are a great way to know what's going on around the world.  She'll even write a column on things that do not make the first page of the paper.

I decided to profile Anne Applebaum because of the simple reason that I do not like to watch the news, especially what's going on in other countries.  Like I said before, it seems as if the media simply focuses on tragedy, but Applebaum focuses on not only tragedies but focuses more on a humanistic level of all of her stories.

Donations for Students!

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- There's nothing new to being a broke college student.  If you're a college student and not broke, you definitely do not fit in.

The budget crisis of California is not new.  We've been in debt for about 4 years now and maybe even before then.  The state has taken money away from schools and increase our tuition fees so the burden lays on us.  In the academic year 2009-2010, tuition increased to about $4000 a year.  Financial aid is a huge portion of how students are able to afford their housing, books, cell phone bills, and everything else.  Without financial aid, personally, I would be living out of my car and going to school.

According to IES-National Center for Education Statistics, for the year 2007-2008, 66% of all undergraduate students receive any kind of financial aid.  I know for most students, they rely on financial aid like a lifeline.

There have been times, I didn't know how my rent was going to get paid.  Thank God for financial aid.

There are different types of financial aid a student can get.  They can get loans, Cal grants, University grants, and Pell grants, are just a few to name.  With grants, students don't have to pay them back, however with most student loans, they do not have to be repaid until 6 months after the student graduates.

Along with financial aid, students get part-time jobs like working at the mall or at restaurants.  Personally, I work at the mall.  No one likes to work at the mall.  Working at the mall is a necessity to live, to pay the bills financial aid cannot, and to have a life outside of school.  Mall and restaurant workers have to put up with the rude customer who cannot make up their mind or wants their meal made to unattainable standards. 

Another way we, students, survive going to school is the help from our beloved parents.  The people who love us to death and don't want to let go.  They taught us to save, save, save.  They're the ones to tell us, "Don't put your purse on the ground or you'll be broke forever".  My mom always told me to save.

However it's hard to save your money when your priorities are: rent, food, books/school supplies, cell phone bill, car expenses, and the dreaded credit cards.  With financial aid paying mostly for tuition, the little, unfriendly customer, part time job has to pay off all these other expenses.  How can a measly $400 a month pay for all that?  

Some suggestions on how to make a students financial troubles easier:

1)  Public transportation- CSU Sacramento offers a shuttle that goes to different areas around school and picks up students like a city bus, and it's free.  Also if the shuttle stop is not near your house, use a city bus.  School's offer free bus passes for students.

2) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- Recycling cans is the best way to earn a little bit of cash.  You can find any recycling place in your area at any gas station.  

3) Food Stamps- The Welfare Administration office will give students $200 a month for food.  Food should not be something anyone should have to worry about.  

Financial aid is one of the best things that could ever happen to a student.

Libraries for Profit

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- The book, Fahrenheit 451, is about America in the future and how books are illegal to read.  In this book, it's not unusual to read about books burning and how the main character tries to maintain reading books as a way to keep his sanity.

I read an article in the Sac Bee about the library in Santa Clarita becoming privatized.  At first I didn't quite understand the concept of privatizing something.  But the general jist of it is, to make a profit.  

A few folks in class spoke about different structures in a community are privatized, for example: roads, bridges and what not.  Some people said it was good to privatize libraries and others said it wasn't ethically correct.

In my opinion, I don't see a huge difference in privatizing a library than not privatizing one.  As it is libraries already charge late fees and fees to use the computers.  One person in class said the fees might go up if it were to be privatized.  If this is true, then perhaps by doing this, all libraries can have new and improved technology centers, better and newer books and even a better facility.

The library in my hometown, Sunnyvale, Calif., is a little run down and out of style.  A few blocks down from the library is Downtown Sunnyvale.  The one block downtown area has just been re-vamped and has an upscale look; with the two story Target and massive parking lot being the focal point.  Ritzy and modern housing is being built in the opposite direction of Downtown.  The library is just a reminder of the old Sunnyvale.

Maybe if my hometown library was privatized, it would have a lot more community members checking out books there, or more children taking an active role in bettering their education.  It would be as live and happening as the Downtown area just a block away.

Now, Sunnyvale, Calif. is a middle to upper class town, and so is Santa Clarita; the focus of The New York Times article.  Are the corporations privatizing the libraries targeting middle class areas or are urban areas also going to be affected by this?

I think it would be an interesting turn if corporations went into the slums of America and fixed the libraries and other infrastructures to better the community.  Now that would be a good thing to do!

Such communities in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Detroit, etc...These big cities have plenty of corporations that make easily billions of dollars a year.  I'm sure they write a check once a year as a tax write off to different organizations that help the underrepresented.  If they would actually go into the communities that they want to help, this would put a face to their good doing, and maybe it would have a better impact.

I can envision the members of the community, being proud to have such a nice and technological savvy library in their neighborhoods.  I can envision single mothers and fathers taking their children to the library after work to help their children with their homework.  Or even, children using the library as a safe haven from the criminal activity in the area.

Maybe corporations should focus on those types of neighborhoods instead of middle to upper class areas that already seem to have full functioning library, that seems to fulfill its purpose.     

The Undergrads Are Taking Over

SACRAMENTO, Calif.-

"So you wanna be a rock superstar?

And live large, a big house, 5 cars, you're in charge"-Cypress Hill

Walk around a college campus and what do you see?  Students studying in the library, walking from one class to another, or even lounging in the grass areas eating lunch.  But The Undergrads are in the studio making music for their fellow college students.

The Undergrads, a new hip-hop group, consists of three CSU Sacramento students.  Darren Stowes, AKA Savvy, 23, is an International Business major. Julius Wellington, AKA Spiffy, 21, is a Theater Arts major with a minor in Communications.  Last, but not least, Isaiah Alexander, AKA Zayy, 20, is a Communications major with a minor in Government.  

Savvy is one of the talented lyricists in the group. "We want to make good music and make music that people can relate to", says Savvy.  Right now, Savvy is most dedicated to his schoolwork.  One of the group's principles is for all the members to achieve a 3.0 GPA or better.  He says music is more of a passion.

Zayy is also one of the lyricists in the group.  The members of the group come with their own talents and learn from one another. Zayy never wanted to be a rapped growing up, but always knew he wanted to perform.  He's participated in talent shows growing up and now is "blessed to be in a group with two other talented gentlemen." 

Spiffy is the producer, singer, rapper/lyricist and songwriter when needed in the collaborative mix.  His dream is to make this music gig his profession.  Once he's able to generate income from the littler projects, he wants to be in the entertainment industry.  He hopes to do movies and soundtracks.  Spiffy says, "I really make masterpieces than just regular beats."

This past summer the three students thought it would be a great idea to collaborate with one another and create good music for college students.  They had all been solo artists, per say, and seen each other in the studio previous, and thought this was a great way to spread their message.

GUAP Entertainment is the management team for The Undergrads.  They help with the musical process as well as book venues for the group.  GUAP's Facebook page states, "the hottest and trend-breaking company out.  We deliver entertainment for the people.  You want, we got it!"

So far they have performed at Club 916, located in downtown Sacramento twice, and every Thursday, they perform at Pangaea Two Brews Cafe, located in south Sacramento on Franklin Rd.  Pangaea is a known lounge where spoken word is performed as well as serve drinks and lunch time specials.

Their newest achievement was to make a theme song for Iphone's newest application called, Wikkit.  Wikkit is "a qr code reader, ticket scanning app and a social networking platform".  It works on Iphones as well as Droid phones.  Go to www.wikkit.com to find out more information. 

Club Dream played The Undergrads theme song on Saturday September 25, 2010, for the Wikkit premiere.  They got such a good response from the crowd, that The Undergrads will be shooting their music video for the song Tuesday, September 28 from 7:30PM to 10:30PM at Club Dream.

So far they have produced two hits, "Unstoppable" and "One of Those Nights".  To check out more of their songs, go to http://undergrads.bandcamp.com/.

Mexifornia-Two Worlds Come Together

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- CSU Sacramento hosted a lecture from Consul General Carlos Gonzalez-Gutierrez.  The lecture was held in the University Union, Ballroom I & II from 12PM to 1PM.  The entire lecture was to celebrate national Hispanic/Latino month as well as inform students of the Mexico/California relations.

When Gutierrez walked onto the stage, he first greeted the crowd in his native language, Spanish.  He then, translated it into English to thank and greet the audience for coming out to listen to his lecture.  Gutierrez was very humbled to be at CSUS and even thanked the big screen off of Highway 50 for giving him his "15 minutes of fame".

It's been 200 years since the Mexican Independence war, and Gutierrez sees this as an opportunity for California and Mexico to come together and help each other.  The Mexican Consulate in Sacramento has various programs and services for people of Mexican origin and Mexican immigrants, undocumented and documented.  Such programs consist of: English classes for free, marriage licenses, birth certificates and identification cards.  The Consulate in Sacramento has a jurisdiction from the border of Oregon to Stanislaus.

The Consulate also focuses on politics and taking a proactive approach to initiatives.  Two of these initiatives are the Cien (100) Amigos Group and Mexican Advocacy Day.  The Cien Amigos Group is an informal network, even CSUS President Alex Rodriguez is a member.  

He focused on three main points during his speech but the one that stood out the most was about organized crime in Mexico.  Organized crime seems to be an ongoing problem, centralized in six states, mostly in Sinaloa and Chihuahua.  Gutierrez said these groups are trying to take over President Calderon's administration.  Since 2006, approximately 28,000 people have died due to drug related incidents.

"This is a multinational problem", Gutierrez states.  He would like states like California and others that have a large population of Mexican immigrants to help solve the organized crime issue.

Everything the Consulate does is to help solidify a well working relationship to help the people of California and Mexico, to bring two worlds together.  

Abrakadabra

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- Remember your sixth birthday and your mom hired a magician to do magic tricks for you and your friends?  Then when it came to your turn to help the magician you started to cry and run to mommy?  Phlagleblast was just like a six year old's birthday party.  Phlagleblast was an event at CSU Sacramento, located in the University Union on Septepmber 15, 2010.  The purpose of Phlagleblast was to familiarize students with the different departments that students wouldn't normally come across on a day-to-day basis.  Some of the departments were the: ASI office, Police Station and the Information Desk.  

As you approach the Union, students receive a map/puzzle piece of the Union.  At each stop they learn what the certain department does and get a stamp on the map.  Some stations of Phlagleblast were: KSSU, on campus radio station, Mellow Me Out had a massage station and a taste-testing table for Muscle Milk.  The theme for this year was Safari.  

The Union looked like you had stepped into the jungle.  It was decorated with paper monkeys and leaves hanging from the second floor and paper statues of trees.

During my excursion, I found on the second level of the Union a magician linking chains.  He made the chains into different shapes, such as: a swing, a four leaf clover and a flower.

Dennis Loomis is the name of the magician.  He's been doing magic since 1970.

Loomis has always been amazed with magic.  At a young age, Loomis received his first magic kit for a Christmas present.  Magic was a hobby at first, but as he attended the University of Michigan he knew he wanted to make magic his profession.  Loomis graduated in 1968, with a double major in Psychology and English Literature with a minor in Dramatic Arts.  

His father wanted him to become a civil engineer and join the family business, but Loomis had other plans.  Both parents were supportive of his choice in career, however his mother was concerned with the security of his choice.  

Harry Houdini was his favorite magician growing up.  Houdini died in 1926, so Loomis wasn't able to see him in action, however he read a lot of books on him.  

At the start of Loomis' career, his mentor Dick Oslund, helped him to learn tricks and how to entertain people.  Oslund was a former magician, but took some time off to work for Boy Scouts of America.  Oslund lived in near by city and heard Loomis was interested in doing magic.  Once Loomis began his professional career in magic, Oslund re-entered the realm of magic and continues to do what he loves.  

Today, David Copperfield is his favorite magician.  Loomis met Copperfield when he was only thirteen years old.  Loomis has mentored Copperfield and even created an illusion act that Copperfield has performed. "He's a hard-working guy and very talented."

When asked what his favorite part of his profession was, Loomis responded, "Working with people."  He enjoys entertaining people and he says he likes the process you have to go through to learn new tricks. 

His two favorite tricks to perform would be linking rings and a card trick, where he tells the contestant to pick a card (2 of hearts, ace of spades, etc...).  On the back of every card is a name, like: Rose, Bud, Phil, etc.  Once you have chosen a card, he will tell you the name on the back of the card.  In this case, I chose the 2 of hearts, and he told me Phil would appear.  And what do you know, Phil was on the back of the 2 of hearts.

This has been the sixth or seventh year in a row Loomis has performed at Phlagleblast for CSUS.  They have even invited him again to participate next Fall.

Tutt Your Butt Off

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- All the kids are tutting.  If you don't know what this is by now, you're behind the times. "Tutting" is the new hip-hop dance craze.  People with two left feet, this is the dance for you.  Tutting is a series of mostly arm movements creating right angles.  Some dancers even got technical with the dance, and do what they call "finger tutting".  Finger tutting is where they create a series of right angles with their fingers.  King Tut and the artwork of Egyptians originally inspired Tutting.  

Tutting is also related to popping and breaking, two dance crazes created in the 80's in New York City.  It’s also related to turfing, which is a common dance technique established in the Bay Area.

Here's a link to see what I'm talking about:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43uLJLvOrPc

Hip-Hop has four elements to it.  MC’ing, which is the act of rapping.  DJ’ing, the act of spinning records and creating new beats with old ones.  Graffiti, the act of artistic expression.  Lastly, breaking, the act of dancing using big and fluid movements with the entire body.

Josh Williams, 22, former Sacramento City student turned dance instructor, has been tutting for four months now.  He describes tutting by saying, "It's all about finding creative angles in the most difficult spot."  He's been dancing since he was a little boy, but at the age of 19 he knew that dance would be his career.  He hopes that one day he will be a famous dancer who will perform all over the world and is recognized for his creative dance moves.    

Williams and Guy Holmes III, 20, who currently attends Sac City, are dance teachers at KAST Performing Arts.  They're dance class is called "Goshing".  They incorporate both tutting and popping in their choreography.  They've been teaching this class since June of 2010.  

This is what "Goshing" looks like:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXGHdWpIEQA 

Holmes has been tutting since 2009.  He's been dancing since he was 16 years old and fell in love with dance at the age  of 18.  He aspires to be a well known dancer around the world and open his own dance studio with a competitive dance team.  Holmes says, "I dance for the love of it, the money is a bonus."        

This dancing duo has performed at four dance competitions with their dance studio, winning every competition.  Their new found popularity had allowed them to perform at this past summer's California State Fair at Cal Expo.  Their dance crew is called DMC "Dance Music Creativity, formerly NSA "No Stringz Attach'd".  They started this group in 2009.   

Tutting appears in the underground dance battle world.  If you go to any dance battle, you will see tutting. 

DMC has participated in about five or six dance battles.  A dance battle is a competition between several dance crews for bragging rights of which crew is the best.  Individually, Williams has participated in three dance battles, and even went to the final round in one battle.  Dance battling has been made famous with shows like "America's Next Dance Crew" on MTV.

DMC has auditioned for famous television shows such as "America's Got Talent" and is about to audition for a new upcoming show that Paula Abdul is hosting.

     

Their next performance will be at CSU Sacramento for the annual Organization Night, Tuesday, September 21, 2010, held in the University Union.  This would be a great opportunity for those to come out and see a new dance in its infant stage.

Run for Cover

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Everyone run for cover.  The thugs are on the loose.  What happened this past Second Saturday was a tragedy.  Victor Hugo Perez Zavala, 24 was shot in front of Streets of London pub located on J St. and 18th St.  The gunman has not been identified and is still on the loose.

Click on the link to see what the Sac Bee had to say: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/13/3024285/sacramento-mayor-johnson-vows.html

The TV news coverage was one that was very vague.  They continuously played a clip of a group of African Americans standing around while police were trying to tame the crowd.  I even saw a clip of a young African American lady being held back from another young lady as if she were trying to start an altercation.  The following clip I saw was of the manager of Streets of London saying how she had never seen a crowd like this before and she was scared of what's to come of the next Second Saturday.

y question is, why did the TV media portray the event like this?  Are they implying/speculating that the gunman was an African American?

If one had not been to a Second Saturday before, one would think it was a typical Chico party night plus an overload of African American thugs.

The comments on the Sac Bee's article also does not help the situation of the underlying tone that African Americans are thugs and cause such great events to be shut down.  A comment by Hans Brix to say, "Leave it to the ghetto folk to ruin the party for everyone..."

What does it mean to be ghetto?

Another comment made by Suburbanite was, "Gold teeth and baggy clothing is all I saw on the news."

Is it not a common theme in Hip-Hop/Rap videos to see gold teeth and baggy clothing?

I'm simply saying, the news media, especially television, needs to take a second look at how they portray certain news stories.

Mid-town is not an unsafe place, and the patrons of the city who attend these types of events, go to bars/clubs or ride their bike in this neighborhood are not vigilantes.

This tragedy could have happened any other day.  It could have happened at a club after the club was letting out.  It could have happened in South Side Sacramento outside of a liquor store.  Would it have made the front cover of the paper?  Would people be talking about shutting down the liquor store because customers were scared to shop their anymore?

Take a look at the video.  Tell me what you think?

http://cbs13.com/local/sacramento.shooting.second.2.1908596.html.  Click on the video to the right of the article to view the clip.

Virgo Week

SACRAMENTO, Calif.- The first week of the last semester attending CSU Sacramento was all of what I expected.  Teachers do their usual: talk about themselves and how they ended up at CSUS.  This usually takes the entire class time, which by the end all the students are drained and distracted by the thoughts of what they’re going to do for the weekend.  The truth is students don’t really care to hear the professor’s life story.  Seniors especially.  We want to get in and get out as quick as possible.       

 Just like most seniors I’m taking the minimum of units (12), so I can obtain financial aid and still have a life outside of school.  Monday is Jour 131-Column Writing, Tuesday and Thursday is Jour 158-Minorities, Social Progress and the Media and Engl 180-African American Poetry and Friday is Mktg 125-Advertising.  I have to take the African American Poetry class for my writing intensive and the Advertising class for my major requirements.  I’m taking the two journalism classes to better my writing skills.  In the Public Relations field, you must be a good writer.  And as a graduating senior, I am determined to find a job that I will make good money.  

This is my last semester, I have to make it the best one and go out with a BANG!     

This BANG started on Wednesday, by celebrating my best friend’s 25^th birthday.  We ate at Thai Basil on J St. downtown.  The food was excellent as well as the customer service.  Then we headed back to the bestie’s house and had a 90’s karaoke night with songs from: Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Coolio, Brandy, and many more.  The main attraction was a performance by the birthday girl, singing Erkyah Badu’s “Tyrone”.  It was priceless!  Coming soon in a Youtube clip near you.

Finally Friday came around.  I got out of class early, which was a shock, I didn’t have work and that night was my birthday reggae bash.  I was turning 22 years old.  The whole day was mine to get ready for the festivities of the night.  First thing on my checklist was to get my make-up done at the Mac counter of Nordstrom.  Next, all the girls met at my place to get ready.  My childhood best friend drove down from Chico just for my special day.  Lastly, we were on the road to Capitol Garage on K St. and 15^th St. downtown Sacramento.  Friday nights they play Reggae. 

As soon as we stepped inside, I felt like I was in Jamaica in a hut that resembled a club.  About hour into it, all of my friends were there and we were tearing up the dance floor doing the dutty wine and the thunderclap; imitating every reggae/dancehall music video we have ever watched.  It’s going down in the books as a night to remember.

I hope next year tops this year.  Vegas anyone?    

Now that the week is over and a new one approaches, a new adventure begins.  What will happen this week?