A Weekly First Amendment Student Newspaper December 6, 2013 (Vol. 25 No. 11) First copy FREE; additional copies 50 cents each

A 2011 General Excellence Newspaper — Journalism Association of Community Colleges

The Express

NEW MAN IN CHARGEBarry Russell takes the reins as LPC’s

newest president

HOW SAFE IS LPC’S DRINKING WATER?

SEE NEWS, PAGE 2

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Talk Hawks’ superior preparation paves path to success

TRISTAN PICO/THE EXPRESS

Talk Hawks coach Tim Heisler demonstrates the range of student Josh Thompson’s characters.

Bekka WiedenmeyerMANAGING EDITOR

The secret to the rampant success of the Talk Hawks isn’t genetics. It isn’t a special gift for speaking or some other intangi-ble element. Instead, it’s a simple recipe. Not easy, but simple.

It begins with organization, but the foundation is hard work. Experienced coaches season the student debaters and they work on their craft in an environment made to feel like home.

These students are a testament to the diligence of Las Positas College students.

Having etched the school on the collegiate forensics map, the Talk Hawks are an example of what can be accomplished right here on campus.

The best part? They’re just average students.

Talk Hawks, page 4

TAMI SHEPHERD/THE EXPRESS

Men’s soccer in action against Ohlone College on Oct. 15.

Men’s soccer has best season since 1997Martin GallegosSTAFF WRITER

The best season for LPC soccer since 1997.That’s what the 2013 Hawks were able to achieve as they got back to

the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.Although they fell short of where they wanted to end up as they

were eliminated in round two of the postseason, Head Coach Larry Aguiar says his team has nothing to be ashamed of.

“Would we have liked to have done better? Yes,” Aguiar said. “But these guys put in a lot of hard work throughout the season and I’m proud of them.”

Soccer, page 7

Bekka WiedenmeyerMANAGING EDITOR

At 8 a.m., he entered the presi-dential suite with a dozen boxes, prepared to get set up as soon as possible to personalize the office and make it his own. He wanted to make sure he also had time that day to walk around Las Positas College, introducing himself to people so that he wasn’t just known as “the man in the suit.” He also wanted to get a taste of campus life before heading over to the District Office to speak with the chancellor and take care of business.

His first order of action, how-ever, was a little more

casual.

“Getting to know people’s names. Names are always a chal-lenge. I wish everybody had a name tag. I’ve got mine down,” he joked.

Nov. 25, 2013, marked the offi-

cial arrival of new Las Positas College President Barry Russell on campus. Replacing interim president Dr. Janice Noble, he will be heading LPC in a permanent position and aiding the faculty and staff of LPC and the district with essential endeavors such as accreditation.

As of now, however, he is just focused on settling in and accli-mating to LPC life.

“I don’t plan on solving world peace or any of that in the first week,” Russell said. “Maybe I’ll

do that next month.”Before arriving on campus,

Russell sent out an e-mail to the entire campus notifying

them of his impending arrival. This e-mail wasn’t intended to elicit a greeting of pomp and cir-cumstance, but so that he could let people know ahead of time who the man in the suit was walking

a r o u n d , introduc-ing himself to students and fac-ulty.

“It’s a b e a u t i -ful cam-

pus, and everyone has been so welcoming,” Russell said. “(It’s a) great day to come and visit.”

Russell has already had a chance to meet several people around campus, including viticul-ture and science faculty.

He was also able to visit the Transfer Center and the Disability Resource Center.

“I thought him very approach-able. He focused on me and I was able to focus on him. I can’t wait to see how he fills those shoes,” said alternative media technology specialist Karen Zeigler.

Russell, page 5

“I thought him very approachable. He focused on me and I was able to focus on him. I can’t wait to see how he fills those shoes.”

-Karen Zeigler

2 Las Positas College Express NEWS December 6, 2013

On  Sept.  30,  college  representatives  will  be  visiting  LPC’s  campus  to  speak  to  students  about  transferring  opportunities.  From  10  a.m.  to  1  p.m.,  students  will  have  the  opportunity  to  traverse  Campus  Boulevard  and  the  quad  to  speak  with  representatives  either  by  appointment  or  drop  in.  To  make  an  appointment,  go  to  www.laspositas–college.edu/transfercenter/AdmissionRepresentatives.php.      On  Oct.  1,  the  Business  and  Marketing  Department  will  present  “Innovation:  The  Search  for  New  Ideas  that  Change  the  World.”  Esteemed  Bay  Area  thought  leader  Bob  Borchers  will  be  speaking  as  part  of  the  Business  and  Entrepreneurship  Speaker  Series,  sponsored  by  the  Business  and  Marketing  Department.  This  meeting  will  be  in  the  Multi-­‐Disciplinary  Building  Lecture  Hall,  Room  2420,  from  5:30  to  6:45  p.m.  on  Tuesday,  Oct.  1.  It’s  that  time  of  year  again!  Flu  Vaccinations  are  now  available.  The  Student  Health  and  Wellness  Center  is  offering  vaccines  

staff  and  faculty.  The  Flu  Vaccination  is  free  for  students  (while  supplies  last)  and  $25  for  staff  &  faculty.  Walk-­‐ins  are  available  on  Wednesdays  from  11  a.m.  to  7  p.m.,  and  scheduled  appointments  on  Mondays,  Tuesdays  and  Thursdays  from  9  a.m.  to  5  p.m.  For  more  information,  contact  the  Student  Health  and  Wellness  center  at  (925)-­‐424-­‐1830  or  email  dbarbero@laspositascollage.edu.  On  Oct.  3,  Jeff  Bell,  news  anchor  of  KCBS,  will  be  giving  a  presentation  about  Obsessive  Compulsive  Disorder.  The  LPC  Psychology  Department  and  Psychology  Club  will  host  this  presentation  in  Room  2420.  This  discussion  will  be  open  to  all  students,  faculty  and  staff  from  9:30  a.m.  to  10:45  a.m.  

AGS conducts food drive

The Alpha Gamma Sigma (AGS) Honor Society will be conducting its annual “Holiday” Food drive from Nov. 1 to Dec. 10. Canned or boxed foods are preferred, and they will be taken to ABODE Services (previously Tri-Valley Homeless Coalition) in Livermore. Nelly Villanueva, Social Service Coordinator of the ABODE Services Livermore Office, is an LPC graduate and AGS member. Drop off bar-rels are located in build-ing 1600, the library, the PE building and room 601.

AGS conducts school supply drive

The AGS Honor Society is also doing a School Supply Drive until Friday, Dec. 13. The AGS Public Relations Officer, Raissa Chiri, will be personally delivering the donations to low-income first grade children of Villa Maria del Triunfo in Lima, Peru when she returns to visit for the holidays. If interested in donating, use the barrel in the Library for the school supply drive. Paper, note-books, binders, pencils and crayons are welcome.

LPC Veterans say thanks

The Las Positas College Veterans First Program and LPC Student Veterans Organization gives thanks to all who shared holiday spirit with the LPC Veterans in the Veterans Resource Center on Monday, Dec. 2. Almost 100 toys were collected from around the community and has been delivered to Chabot College for the Marine Corps. Reserves Toys for Tots Drive, which benefits chil-dren of Alameda County.

ECD hosts book fair

From Tuesday, Dec. 10 to Thursday, Dec. 12, the Early Childhood Development Center will be hosting a book fair where students and parents can come purchase interactive and instructional books for their little ones. If interest-ed, head over to the Center Lobby of building 2300 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the dates listed above to pick up some books.

Water filters keeping campus greenWill TannerA&E EDITOR

It’s something people consume on a daily basis. An essential part of any working ecosystem, life would not survive without it. Water plays a vital role in their lives.

On campus we have many options to fill our water fix. There are bottles for sale all over the Las Positas campus. Or, if you like free water, there are fountains. Attached to certain ones, there are eco friendly water bottle refill stations.

The filtered refill stations were installed as part of a green initia-tive on campus. The same bond money that was used to construct the new building paid for the new additions to the water fountains.

“Before the stations were installed, everybody was drink-ing out of the plastic bottles,” said LPC chemistry professor Mike Ansell. “Some of the bottles ended up in the recycling, but most ended up in the trash. They were piled up and more were thrown on the top of the pile.”

Bottled water may not be the best thing to drink. Zone 7, the local water agency, said on their website that the standards they are held to for local drinking water are much more stringent than those for bottled water.

“The!Environmental Protection Agency strictly regulates all pub-lic water under the Safe Drinking Water Act, while the Food and Drug! Administration oversees

the bottled! water industry with less stringent regulations.! In many cases, bottled water is actu-ally filtered tap water.”

These stations are filtered. They don’t refill the bottles with purified water, but with double filtered water.

Purified water, unlike filtered, has little to no flavor. With every impurity taken out, the water is completely cleansed of anything that isn’t hydrogen and oxygen.

The water from the filter sta-tion has a tiny bit of flavor as com-pared to that of purified water. It is considered hard, which means

it still has minerals that weren’t taken out by the system.

Starting off at the water treat-ment facilities for Zone 7, the local water district, the water is filtered to remove impurities. Then, when it comes through the refill station, it goes through an activated carbon system.

“The activated carbon filters out organics,” said Ansell, “if there are things like pesticides and all the non-polar items.”

In addition, there is an addi-tional ion exchange filter, which helps take out minerals like iron and copper that cause the water

to have a bitter flavor. In addi-tion to catching those minerals, if there is any mercury or lead that got through the system, it would catch those as well.

The water still has calcium and magnesium, but Ansell says that’s a good thing.

“The hardness comes from calcium and magnesium, and people need more of that,” said Ansell. “People seem to think it tastes better.”

With almost 80,000 bottles saved from using the refillable station, it would seem the stu-dents and faculty agree.

PHOTO  COURTESY  OF  ANTHONY  READER

Too-hot coffee causes fireTravis DannerEDITOR IN CHIEF

Las Positas College Campus Safety received a phone call of a fire on campus around 1:10 p.m. after an instructor smelled smoke inside the 2100 building.

Campus Safety arrived and confirmed that there was indeed smoke in the building. They then alerted the Livermore Fire Department (LFD) and activated the building evacuation system.

Upon thorough inspection, LFD determined coffee was to blame. Specifically, a Starbucks cup had been placed in the micro-wave and heated extensively. It was then placed in the garbage and was hot enough to start a small fire.

Around 2 p.m. the LFD fire captain gave the all-clear signal and the building was opened for re-entry.

“I’d like to (acknowledge) Sean Prather, Jeff Nelson and all of Campus Security,” new LPC president Barry Russell said at a town meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 4. “They did a fantastic job of mak-ing sure that the building was cleared and the students were safe.”

TRISTAN  PICO/THE  EXPRESS

December 6, 2013 NEWS Las Positas College Express 3

A  Message  from  the  Associated  Students  of  Las  Positas  College

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

Finals are approaching and students are bunker-ing down as the semester draws to a close. Even though everybody’s schedules are filling up with papers, projects and study groups, students all over campus are still committing time to staying involved.

The basketball teams are playing hard, the per-forming arts department is cranking out produc-

tions and concerts, The Express keeps on printing and the clubs continue to hold meetings and events.

The level of dedication and passion that I see on a daily basis is nothing short of inspiring.

The ASLPC would like to wish all of you the best of luck in the trials ahead. We also hope that whichever holidays you celebrate this year bring you happiness. Enjoy the break because you’ve earned it!

DID YOU KNOW?

There is a program on campus that very few students know about. Helping Hands Network Directory located on the Student Government link inside the Las Positas website lists professors on campus that are trained to assist YOU the student on any issues regarding your life. The great thing about this program is that most of the issues can be

solved by just talking about them, but if the profes-sor cannot solve the issue, they have a list of more qualified people that you can contact. Each profes-sor involved with the Helping Hands program will drop ANYTHING they are doing to speak with you. It is a great tool we all can use in our lives at one time or another, and yes, it’s confidential!

EVENTS: PREP-TO-PASS

Dec. 12 and 13, 6 to 10 p.m. Student Senate members provide individual and group tutors for any student needing extra help in studying for finals.

Tutors will be paid by the student govern-

ment. Tutoring will be provided for math, English, accounting, physics and chemistry. Free snacks will be available.

PHOTO  COURTESY  OF  ASLPC

Senator  of  the  Month:  Brenton  Arndt1. Do you have a favorite quote or saying to live by?

“It’s all part of the experience.”- Clark Griswold

2. What is your major?

Rhetoric

3. Why did you join Student Government?

I joined Student Government because I wanted to be involved in decisions being made, which affect my learning experience.

4. What are your hobbies and interests?

I really enjoy camping and hiking.

FINANCE

Friday, Oct. 18$1,000 to fund Club Day

Friday, Oct. 25Additional $400 to fund Club Day to accom-

modate vegetarian options$50 to fund Campus event #2$500 to buy tables for ASLPC

Friday, Nov. 1No funds approved

Friday, Nov. 8$600 Donation for Online Tutoring

Friday, Nov. 15$14,000 approved for spring advocacy trip$1,000 approved for end of semester celebra-

tion

Friday, Nov. 22$2,000 Donation to CalWORKS

Brandon ClutterSTAFF WRITER

Running through stop signs. Spinning donuts in the parking lots. Speeding nearly 20 miles per hour (mph) around campus.

The quality of driving on the campus of Las Positas College is arguably inadequate. Drivers have almost caused many accidents with illegal driving antics and are angering other people on campus: drivers and non-drivers, alike.

There must be a solution to this problem, and people would like to see it as soon as possible.

Campus safety overlooks the campus as much as they can, but with a small staff, not everything wrong can be caught.

“In the last calendar year-to-date, since Jan. 1, 2013, we have given 12 tickets for speeding and reckless driving, minus the ones we haven’t caught,” said Campus Safety Supervisor Sean Prather.

When people are getting away with bad driving every day, it sets an example to other drivers.

These drivers then think driving outside the law is OK, and it causes a problem. Add the bad driving to the distracted driving seen every day, and it’s much more than

a problem. It becomes an epidemic.Mark Tarte, Administration of Justice instructor, is a concerned driver, and being an

ex-policeman, he has seen everything dangerous a driver can do. “The problem with drivers now, is that the younger drivers have the reactions, but

don’t have the experience,” Tarte said. “Then you have the older drivers, 60 and above, who have the experience, but don’t have the reactions anymore.”

The speed limit on campus is 10 mph, and in the parking lots, only 5 mph. When campus safety has to write speeding tickets for drivers going 45 mph, up to sometimes 60 mph, something is going wrong.

Even with campus safety officers watching drivers on campus, and writing tickets, it’s not enough. The officers will get your license plate down, send it to the campus safety

office and run it through the Department of Motor Vehicles database. They then mail the driver their ticket. A solution has to be made for this problem. There are too many people getting away

with their driving, and it’s going to be too late for a solution when a fatal accident occurs because of this driving.

Poor driving around campus becoming problematic

PHOTO  ILLUSTRATION  BY  TRISTAN  PICO

4 Las Positas College Express FEATURES December 6, 2013

Talk Hawks members’ discipline reaps rewardsTalk Hawks, page 1

“I didn’t know too much about (the Talk Hawks), but once I start-ed I loved it. I love everybody in here,” Talk Hawk Jake Averill said.

Step 1. Choose a topic. Depending on what the student

likes, it could be a humorous after dinner speech or a serious persua-sion. The coaches may help by choosing a couple different pieces that they believe suit the student, but the decision can be made by the student.

Last year, Talk Hawk Josh Thompson was admittedly not great at performing pieces portray-ing more than one character. This year, coaches Tim Heisler and Jim Dobson saw so much progress that they gave him a prose piece with four different characters, allowing him to flex his new strength.

“We try to play to people’s strengths, and topics are a big part of that,” Heisler said. “In that sense, we can customize to what you like to do. That’s one of the reasons why we’re very good.”

Step 2. Research the topic.

This depends upon the speech. It could take up to a week or lon-ger, especially if it’s an informa-tive or persuasive speech that has to be written by the student.

For example, Talk Hawk Nathan Bolin wrote and performed a persuasive speech about trains.

He had not previously planned on giving a speech about trains, but with the proper research and writing, he saw decent success throughout the semester with the speech.

Step 3. Condense the speech.

The hardest part about the research phase is per-haps deciding which research to keep. This is crucial, especially if the piece is interpretive, pulled from a longer work such as a

50-page short story. With only 10 minutes of speaking time, it’s hard to decide what needs to stay and what needs to go.

“Working on the speech is hard ‘cause when you’re writing it. It has to be a certain amount of time. It has to be structured very well. Figuring out what the structure’s going to be, cutting it or adding on to it. Figuring out what to cut is the hardest thing for me,” said Talk Hawk Jacob Alexander-James Montez.

Step 4. Memorize the speech.

This goes without saying. When a student goes to tournaments, he or she doesn’t want to still be using cards. It’s distracting to the judges, doesn’t look polished and overall doesn’t make a good first impression.

Step 5. Rehearse the speech.

This is most likely one of the most important parts of the pro-cess and most helpful for the students.

It can be accomplished in one of three ways: alone in a separate room, in front of peers or in front of the coaches. A mix of the three could be the perfect recipe to success.

Room 4211 plays a large part in the students’ ability to rehearse. Before the Barbara Mertes Center for the Arts was built, the Talk Hawks only had room 711 avail-able for use on Friday afternoons. If they wanted to meet any other time, they had to do it in an office.

Now, with the ease of their own room, they can meet or rehearse whenever they want.

“They’re here all the time working on stuff. The amount of hours that we’re putting into this now because of this room makes it all feasible,” Dobson said.

If rehearsing alone, there are adjoining rooms to practice in.

In fact, when standing in room 4211, it is not uncommon to hear voices echoing through the walls

from students rehearsing their speeches.

If rehearsing in front of coach-es, the students are prepared for different responses based on which coach he or she is giving the speech to.

“Janet (Brehe Johnson) is mother hen. When things don’t go well, she’ll say, ‘hmm, you should work on that a little bit. We’ll see you tomorrow!’ Jim is the football coach. He’s expecting you to be a seasoned member of the team, so you should expect to be yelled at and over time you learn. Everybody’s a little differ-ent. I’m a huge teaser, everybody knows that. I’m very sarcastic. I get my point across in different ways,” Heisler said.

At a certain point, though, all the coaches do crack down.

“There’s a moment of tough love for everybody. Sometimes you have to look them in the eye and say, ‘this is not cutting it,’” Heisler said.

According to the students, though, the tough love is what brings it all together.

“Our coaches are awesome. They grill us,” Averill said. “When you do it in front of them, you have to act like they’re the judge and they just have that face. They won’t let us go until it’s perfect.”

Some students even say that this is the main factor to their success.

“Tim and Jim are very pas-sionate about this,” Talk Hawk Heather Crockett said. “They’re very involved and they really care about the team on an individual level, and as a whole. That’s the main factor.”

Step 6. Perform. It’s tournament time.

If the numerous trophies and placards on the walls are an indi-cator of anything, it’s that the Talk Hawks have seen major suc-cess over the past year.

And while part of their success can be attributed to research-ing, memorizing and rehearsing,

another part can be attributed to the Talk Hawks themselves.

“You learn your family. You learn your team, as well,” Heisler said.

Family and team are synony-mous when it comes to the Talk Hawks.

They spend hours and hours together every week, drilling their speeches and making sure they are perfect for tournaments.

They support each other when they do well in tournaments, and they support each other when they don’t do so well.

“Everyone’s still very positive

about it. This last competition I went to I didn’t place and I was really upset, but everyone was still really nice. They said, ‘It’s OK, there must be something more we can work on.’ Everyone’s nice, no one’s rude,” Averill said.

Home is another word that is used to describe the Talk Hawks.

“These are the nicest people I’ve ever met. I’m being totally sincere. This is like my second home,” Alexander-James Montez said.

They’re just average students, but with a simple process, they become extraordinary.

TRISTAN PICO/THE EXPRESS

The various characters portrayed by Talk Hawk Josh Thompson in his prose speech, selected from the short story “Quiz Bowl Antichrist” by David Levithan.

TRISTAN PICO/THE EXPRESS TRISTAN PICO/THE EXPRESS TRISTAN PICO/THE EXPRESS

December 6, 2013 Features Las Positas College Express 5

DialogueDime10 QUESTIONS. 10 ANSWERS.

Coach “Yeah baby” Larry Aguiar kicks it with The Express

ExprEss filE photo

tristan pico/thE ExprEss

librarian cheryl Warren introduces president Barry russell to library assistant lesley Barren during a walkabout on his first day. Warren and Barren talked to russell about the upcoming library renovation plans.

Russell welcomed to LPC campus, described as “approachable”Russell, Page 1

Approachable was a word that several used, in fact, when describing Russell.

“My first impression of Dr. Russell is that I find him very per-sonable, very approachable and all around friendly,” said Special Student Services receptionist Constance Hildebrand.

“I think he was very person-able and friendly, and seemed very easy to talk to and approach-able,” added Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) test facilitator Kelly Pettis.

Along with meeting members of the LPC community, Russell has been able to get a little taste of campus life. He was able to attend the second annual LPC women’s basketball tournament.

“Las Positas was winning when I left,” he said. “It looked like they had everything under control.”

He was also able to view a Friday night showing of “Fahrenheit 451.”

“I met Wendy (Wisely), the director,” Russell said. “It was very well done. That’s a really tough play. I liked how she included a lot of diversity in the cast.”

Originally from Texas with degrees and teaching experience in music, Russell is also looking forward to the end of semester recitals performed by a variety of LPC’s performing arts students.

“I look forward to being on campus and going to those things,” Russell said. “All those concerts are on my schedule. I’ll try to make as many of them as I can.”

Along with acclimating to LPC life, Russell is also focused on set-tling into his office and setting everything up. Part of the plan is making his office more person-able.

“I have boxes of art, (and I’m)

trying to figure out where I’m going to put all of this stuff,” Russell said. “It’s kind of hard to hang things on the windows. I don’t want to put a lot of holes in the walls. It may take me awhile to figure out how exactly I’m going to do this. I love art and making it individual so that when people come in, they may see some kind of art that speaks to them.”

After settling in, Russell will then get down to business and

tackle the administrative side of the president’s role. With the help of faculty such as Noble, who has returned to her position as Vice President of Academic Services, and Diana Rodriguez, Vice President of Student Services, he will begin attending meetings and transitioning to fill the perma-nent position of president, last held by Dr. Kevin Walthers.

“I think the good thing is that Dr. Noble has been here the last

two months. She kind of knows where everything is and what’s going on, so the first two weeks she and I are going to just be spending a lot of time together,” Russell said. “She’ll be going with me to all the meetings, district meetings, to just make sure that there’s a transition and some of the questions people ask that I don’t have the history for, she’ll be able to provide some of that.”

Within the next couple of

weeks, Russell will continue to settle in and meet people around campus, along with taking on the responsibilities of school presi-dent with the help of faculty such as Noble and Rodriguez.

The transition will soon be over. The permanent position of LPC school president is no longer empty, and Russell’s name will be hanging by the door with his art and determination to lead the school in a brighter direction.

“What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?”

Listen to wise older people, they will direct you in the right direction

“What is your motivation?” I’ve got the gusto for life. Just enjoying the precious moments that we have here on earth.

“What is your favorite food from the LPC cafeteria?”

Omelets, not the Denver omelet without the ham, which is just the onions and the tomatoes with the eggs.

“What did you want to be when you were a child?”

A teacher. You remember Jane Wyman, she had a television show where she was a teacher and I was just always mesmerized with that show and the messages that show gave, and the lessons that the teacher gave.

“If you could travel to any-where in the world, where would you go?”

There are just too many beau-tiful spots and beautiful coun-tries all over the world to pick one. Top three: The United States, there’s so much beauty to see here that we really don’t need to go anywhere else. You know Niagara Falls, The Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone; I mean, there are so many hidden treasures in the United States. Europe, because in two hours you can cover four or five countries. I mean, it’s that quick and you can see a lot more. And the last one would be Africa. But you know the whole world is a treasure.

“If you could be any fictional character, who would it be?”

I’d probably be a healer, heal the most treacherous diseases that we have.

“In the news story of your life, what would the headline say?”

Aguiar cures diseases.

“What would your last meal be?” My wife’s Eggs Benedict. I have not found the restaurant that can top hers. And we’ve been married 35 years so I’ve had a lot of Eggs Benedict.

“If you could pick any two celebrities to be your parents, who would they be?”

I would not pick any celebri-ties to be my parents. The two parents that I have I would have never changed them they did the best job, I believe that society wants from two parents.

“If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be?”

God, so I could cure all the diseases.

6 Las Positas College Express ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT December 6, 2013

William TannerA&E EDITOR

Disney has done it again. The newest animated musical, “Frozen,” is a fantastical adapta-tion of a classic Hans Christian Anderson tale “The Ice Queen.”

Set in the kingdom of Arendelle, Frozen is the tale of two sisters Anna and Elsa. Elsa has the magical power to control the snow. She is told to keep her power in check and not to let oth-ers know of it.

If you walk into this movie knowing that it’s a Disney film and just let yourself get enveloped in the story, it is a fantastic movie. It really calls back to the movies of Disney past.

The music does more than set the tone. It tells its own story within a story. Utilizing the sea-soned voices of Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell, the two carry their songs with the grace of a falling snowflake. Idina’s voice rings out like the howling gale. She captures the pure essence of the songs written by the duo Robert Lopez and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

Josh Gad’s song as Olaf, a mag-ically brought to life snowman, stole the show. Gad’s comedic timing along with Robert Lopez’s wit (he wrote songs with Trey Parker and Matt Stone for Book of Mormon) creates a perfect storm. I don’t want to ruin it for you, but snowmen aren’t accus-tomed to that weather. While the songs are great, Disney still had surprises in store.

The animation done by Disney artists has always been smooth as freshly zambonied ice. Perfect lines, crisp details and amazing synchronization with reflections. Disney spared no expense to show off their incredible crafts-manship.

Every time I saw the ice form, it blew me away. Not even sec-onds after you saw one part of the ice form, the details emerged. Reflections changed and every-thing was perfect.

I cannot talk enough about how perfect that animation was. I plan on seeing it a second time just to watch the smallest details as they emerge.

There was a scene towards the middle of the movie where you could see the points on some icicles melt. The water didn’t just drip down, but slowly formed until the bead was heavy enough to drop.

It’s the small attention to detail that really pulls even the small-est moment together. With every moment drawn together, the story just flows effortlessly.

Though not perfectly connect-ed to the original story, the adap-tation carries it through. Nothing is out of place.

Maybe it’s because the story warmed my frozen heart, but this was the perfect movie for a cold winter night.

If you have any trepidations about seeing Frozen, cast them aside and bask in its warmth.

PHOTOS  VIA  FROZEN  OFFICIAL  MOVIE  FACEBOOK

Top:  The  stunning  details  in  the  reflection  give  a  perfect  view  of  the  attention  to  detail  of  Disney’s  animators.

Bottom:  “Here  I  stand  and  here  I’ll  stay.”  Elsa’s  ice  castle  shines  on  Arendelle’s  North  Mountain.

Performers delight at Music Department Recital

TRISTAN  PICO/THE  EXPRESS

Clockwise  from  top:

1   -­  Tony   Marsilli   performs   three   movements   of   Ludwig   von   Beethoven’s  “Piano  Sontata  No.  23,  f  minor,  Opus  57  ‘Appasionata’”  on  Dec  4.

2  -­  Abby  Peterson  and  Sam  Leeper  portray  the  “Too  Late  to  Turn  Back  Now”  from  “Bonnie  and  Clyde”  by  Frank  Wildhorn/Don  Black.

3   -­  Graciela  Pena   sings   “I  Could  Have  Danced  All  Night”   from  “My  Fair  Lady”  by  Loewe/Lerner.

4  -­  Danielle  Breedan  vocalizes  “Roxy”  from  “Chicago”  by  Frank  Ebb/John  Kander  in  the  Barbara  Mertes  Center  for  the  Arts  Main  Stage  Theater.

of  5

December 6, 2013 SPORTS Las Positas College Express 7

LPC Cross Country has best finish at state; Espinoza finishes 20th

Martin GallegosSTAFF WRITER

Led by record-breaking standout Abraham Espinoza, the LPC men’s cross-country squad marched into the state’s biggest meet with high expectations.

It was the State Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno, which took place on Nov. 23.

“We knew going in it would be a tough meet,” Head Coach Steve Navarro said. “Our goal was to finish better than last year.”

The team achieved that goal. In fact, their 15th place team finish was their best in school history. Abe Espinoza has played a big role in the team’s suc-cess all year and it was no different this time around as he personally finished 20th overall out of 203 runners who competed.

While he wanted to finish better, Espinoza gave it his all the last meet of his LPC cross-country career.

“I didn’t finish where I wanted to,” Espinoza said. “Still, I left everything I had out on that course. I did my best.”

Motivation is something often used by coaches to give athletes an extra kick and coach Navarro is no different. He and assistant coach Kyle Robinson promised the team pizza if the team finished in the top 15 at state.

The team came through with the finish and Navarro made good on his promise after the meet.

“We took them to BJ’s for pizza after the meet,”

Navarro said. “It was a reward for a good season overall.”

The team may have finished 15th overall, but as far as Northern California schools go, LPC was fourth overall in the region. Two of their top run-ners, Abe Espinoza and Adam White, garnered attention from four-year schools in attendance scouting in Fresno.

“The coach from CSU Stanislaus was raving about Abe and Adam,” Navarro said. “Hopefully those guys can get some scholarships. They both have worked hard the past two years.”

While Navarro is proud of the recognition they got for their performance on running, their work away from the track is what really brings a smile to his face. Both Espinoza and White finished the year on the All-Academic list for state with GPA’s of 3.47 and 3.42, respectively.

“A lot of times you see athletes getting into trou-ble outside of sports,” Navarro said. “These guys are getting it done on the track and in the classroom. It’s good to see them get that recognition.”

Top performers Espinoza and White are at the end of their LPC cross country careers.

Navarro is now faced with the task of recruiting the next crop of talent to carry on the tradition of great runners at LPC.

No matter how the team does in the future, Navarro will always have a special place in his heart for this year’s team of runners.

Men’s soccer reflects on historic campaign, already looking to 2014Soccer, page 1

The season officially came to an end on Nov. 26 in Salinas when the team was on the losing end of a 2-0 shutout to Hartnell College.

With the loss still fresh in their minds, return-ing players can’t wait for an opportunity of redemption next season.

Chief among those is Freshman Dennis Andrade who is wasting no time as he has already started training for next season.

“This ending has me motivated for next sea-son,” Andrade said. “I want to be a leader on this team next year. I want to take my game to the next level.”

While some are already preparing for next year, others are still having trouble getting over the loss. Midfielder Darren Sanchez is proud of the history-making season but says it still doesn’t cure the feeling of losing.

“I’m not ready for the season to be over,” Sanchez said. “We put so much work into this game and this season. It just hurts.”

Making the playoffs was a surprise to many, but how they got there may have come as even more of a shock.

To say the team started off slow would be an understatement.

The Hawks lost four of their first five games and appeared to be on their way to another los-ing season.

However, this year’s squad refused to let that tradition continue.

“They became one big family,” Aguiar said. “Outside of soccer they were really bonding. I think that’s why they were so successful. They played as a team.”

Whatever the team did to spark a turnaround obviously worked.

The team proceeded to win their next six games in a

row and only lost three times in their final 16 games, cata-pulting them into the playoffs.

Heading into their first playoff game on the road against fifth ranked Taft, the 12th ranked Hawks were huge underdogs.

Just making the playoffs would have been enough for some, but the Hawks were able to stun Taft College in penalty kicks.

“That was the highlight of the season,” Darren Sanchez

said. “There’s no better feeling than winning in penalties.”Looking ahead to next season, the Hawks will have

a number of players returning looking to build on their newfound success.

The chemistry formed in 2013 will have to continue into next season if they want to go back to the postseason.

“Unselfish play is the key,” Aguiar said. “If they buy into playing as a team, we can get back

there next season.”

TRISTAN  PICO/THE  EXPRESS

Cross-­country   team  member  Abraham  Espinoza   finished  20th  at   the  State  Championships  at  Woodward  Park   in  Fresno,  Calif.  on  Nov.  23.

TAMI  SHEPHERD/THE  EXPRESS

The  Hawks  defend  their  goal  against  West  Valley  College  on  Oct.  25.  

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8 Las Positas College Express OPINION December 6, 2013

EDITOR IN CHIEFTRAVIS DANNER

MANAGING EDITOR/COPY EDITOR

BEKKA WIEDENMEYER

PHOTO EDITOR

TRISTAN PICO

PRODUCTION MANAGER

BEN CASTRO

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FEATURES EDITOR

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EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION STAFF

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the collective opinion of the editorial board. Other opinions express the views of individual writers and artists are not to be considered the views of the publication’s staff, editorial board, advisors, the associated students, the college administration or the board of trustees.

*Students retain copyright ownership of the con-tent they create, including words, photographs, graphics, illustrations, cartoons and other work. The Express retains copyright ownership to advertisements the Express creates. The Express retains the right to use all material in all forms in perpetuity.

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Brandon  Clutter   Brianna  GuilloryCharlie  Anne  Curtis   Richard  JimenezAshley  Freitas     Brian  LinglMartin  Gallegos   Tami  ShepherdAugusta  Hohn   Aretha  WelchAngelica  Guillory

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EXPRESS YOURSELFHow do you deal with

the stress of finals?

“A   lot   of   coffee.     Trying   to   piece  together  all  the  stuff  I  have  learned.    This  is  my  first  semester  so  I’m  trying  get  a  grip  on  how  to  handle  college  right.”

Darby Clark, Forensic Anthropology

ILLUSTRATION  BY  BRIANNA  GUILLORY

Look up, there’s a whole world in front of youThe same robots that are used

to kill and spy on people will, in the next few years, be able to deliver that DVD copy of the entire series run of “Gilmore Girls” you’ve been itching to get your hands on.

On the latest episode of “60 Minutes,” Amazon revealed that it was working on technology that will deploy drones to deliver peo-ple’s items within 30 minutes. It calls the service “Amazon Prime Air,” and it will deploy small robot helicopters from its numer-ous warehouses to deliver goods directly to customers.

Never mind that this will be yet another modern job that eschews the type of general labor that is the backbone of the middle class in favor of highly-technical work that requires a series of degrees many can’t afford to get — it’s part of the furthering anti-social streak that runs through the human condition circa the end of this year of our lord, 2013.

It sounds like bad Science Fiction but it may be where we end up — a world of robot-human symbiosis where it’s no longer required for humans to leave the house, let alone open their mouths to speak to any other per-son. Instead we’ll have Facebook apps downloaded directly into our brains and we’ll watch each other’s memories like we watch reality shows.

We’re in danger of becoming a world full of people totally con-nected but still in a perpetual state of isolation from the outside world.

Most everyone has the expe-rience now of being at a ball-game, or a restaurant, or a movie and taking that quick moment to observe the people around them and realizing that the family next to them is all looking at their elec-tronic devices at the same time.

This sight is so common now as to be a part of what I like to, quite unoriginally, call the “new normal.”

The drive to break up any social activity is so strong as to be contagious. If you enjoy peo-ple watching, observe a group of friends talking and wait until the first person pulls out their phone. What you will see is that within moments, the others in the group will follow suit.

You can see it every time you fly on a plane — travelers now prefer to shut down and watch a movie on their laptop then taking the opportunity to get to know a stranger.

People together but alone.It may seem strange to suggest

that devices that seem to keep us so close together can tear us apart, but it extends beyond mere social contact into the realm of the personal.

All this technology and all this instant access to information has caused another phenomenon that will most likely continue to spread — a disease I like to call being-a-self-centered-jerk syndrome.

Not only can we isolate our-selves physically, we can isolate ourselves emotionally when the only reality we have access to is the one we create every day vir-tually. When you only hear music you like, or watch the movies you like, or talk to the people you like or read opinions you like or eat at restaurants you like — well, you lose something: some sense of adventure or tests of your charac-ter or opinions.

Instead, you walk around all day inflated on your own sense of the world — created by the

unearned ability to pick and choose what reality suits you best. A reality it takes no effort or work to find.

If a person is liberal, they can go to liberalopinions.com or con-servatives can go to conservati-veopinions.com (both sites being hypothetical, of course). Instead of gathering all relevant infor-mation and forming an opinion based on reasoned analysis, a couple clicks and one can find an opinion without thinking what-soever.

And these problems will only get worse, as technology improves. Phones will get bet-ter — more immersive and better looking. With each new iPhone, mankind’s gaze will be drawn fur-ther downward and away from the rest of the world.

And when Amazon Prime Air is operational, don’t think for a second that it won’t lead to less people leaving the house. More things will eventually be delivered in this fashion: food, for instance. Pizza delivery by way of car may become an obsolete practice.

And maybe this is all a good thing. Less gas used, less people driving, less carbon emissions being put into the atmosphere.

But we as humans run the risk of fulfilling the “WALL-E” prophecy.

That would be a race of people who spend their whole lives in chairs indoors — depending on the chairs to cater to our every whim.

Smart phones may be the most revolutionary innovation since fire as it’s hard to say that any thing else has captivated and commanded so much attention since the caveman days.

While it seems great that they can do so much for us, it’s time to remember to look up every once and awhile.

It will become doubly impor-tant once the Amazon drones are online — one may bump you on the head as it passes.

“Study   hard   and   pay   attention   in  class.    Study  for  three  or  four  hours  per  day.   I  will   study  around  one   to  three  p.m.  and  take  a  break  for  ten  minutes  in  between  and  start  again.”

Christine LinBiology

“I...think   of   a   goal,   and   if   I   can  accomplish  it...I  treat  myself.  I  study  for   an   hour   or   two   and   then   I  ...(take)   a   break.   Then   I   study   for  something  else.  I  limit  the  breaks  to  an  hour,...(so)  I  can  rest...”

James Avila Music

“Because   I   am   the   mother   of   two  kids,  it’s  really  hard.  ...  My  husband  takes   the   kids   and   says,   ‘OK   now  you  have  two  or  three  hours.’  ...  But  for  single  mothers  it  is  really  hard.  “  

Saleha Janjua Nursing transfer student