Author Archives: The Brave News

News: Discrimination Against Intersex Athletes Rising Controversy

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by Joshua Adoh

In a recently ended year-long court case, female South African runner Caster Semenya has been given a choice.

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This choice was appointed by recent ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) due to her abnormal high testosterone levels to either, “forcibly alter her body’s natural hormones, or give up international competition,” according to Vice Sports News.

This unique situation has brought about an alarming ultimatum. On one hand, you would think it is not right to forcibly change an athlete’s natural gender, but on the other hand a female athlete with noticeably high testosterone levels can have extremely unfair advantages.

Vice Sports News explains that the Caster Semenya situation fell into the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) territory, which mandates medical intervention for Differences of Sex Development (DSD) individuals.

Despite the obvious athletic advantages, I do not think these regulations should require intersex female athletes – like Semenya – to forcibly lower their testosterone levels to align with IAAF maximum limits prescribed for females.

In this specific case, Semenya was born with abnormally high testosterone levels, so who is IAAF to forcibly alter a person’s human genetics. At this point, one should think to themselves: how important is this sport? Is it worth forcibly suppressing the natural hormone that your body produces?

In my honest opinion, I have never cared about what people do with their bodies, because in this day and age everyone has the right to believe what they think is right or wrong. It is not our place as fellow humans to try and convince them otherwise. However, it does frighten me to see people making life-altering decisions for something as trivial as entertainment.

I am not saying this to discredit athletes to any degree, female or male, because as an athlete myself I understand the importance, but I draw the line at having artificial procedures done on my body. The biggest question that I would like to ask you – the reader – is where would you draw the line?

“The DSD policy represents the tortured lengths international sports associations will go to ensure a vague ideal of “fairness” in sports. After decades of doping concerns, the IAAF is now ruling that some athletes must alter their body’s natural hormones just to compete,” states Vice Sports News.

There has been some that came to the defense of athletes like Samenya – such as Dr. Silvia Camporesi.

“Dr. Camporesi is a bioethicist at King’s College who has previously written in defense of Semenya’s right to compete without altering her natural hormone levels,” stated Vice Sports News.

In a recent interview with Vice, Camporesi stated that the CAS verdict is ‘weird,’ in part because the court initially admitted that “there is not enough evidence to support the regulations.”

Camporesi notes that the CAS decision was made based on theoretical ideas about potential advantages, and “not on evidence of a concrete advantage.”

The fact that there is not enough evidence to support the IAAF regulation proves that there is no real logical reasoning behind this real rule, merely theoretical ideas.

“Semenya’s female competitors will remain at a disadvantage even if she agrees to lower her testosterone levels (which can be achieved by taking oral contraceptives) because Semenya will still have a higher-than-average level of the hormone as well as the additional advantage of a lifetime of higher testosterone exposure, which means greater bone and muscle density and lung capacity, among other physical benefits,” states a recent article from Christine Rosen.

This is a pretty ugly situation for Caster Semenya, and a radical move on the IAAF behalf. Whether or not she has the medical procedure, she will still have physical advantages.

In my opinion, the IAAF ruling is unfair and should be reversed immediately.

 

 

Sports: Bosco Lacrosse Puts Program On The Map

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by Jacob Jornadal and Jake Bailey

The St. John Bosco lacrosse team took the 2019 season by storm with their best season in recent history.

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Senior Isaiah Dolphin on the attack – @BoscoLacrosse on Twitter

The team had a comfortable balance of young, ambitious players as well as older, more experienced leaders such as captains Mitchell Myers and the Dolphin twins – Isaiah and Miles. Both Myers and the Dolphin twins will be taking their talents to the Ivy league next year and playing lacrosse at the next level.

“The season went great, we finished 15-2 and had a whole lot of fun as a team,” said Myers.

Mitchell has shined as a starter and mass producer for SJB Lacrosse over the past three years. He had high hopes for his team going into this season, and lead the program in a winning direction this year.

“We only lost one senior last year, which means we were a young team, but hungry. Everyone was a year older, and we’ve grown together as a whole,” says Myers.

As for the Dolphin twins, they have been extremely consistent on the field, and carried a lot of the load for the team overall each game.

“We want to continue to improve and leave a legacy at St. John Bosco,” says Isaiah Dolphin.

The Dolphin boys have strived to be dominant both academically and athletically, and their hard work surely shows. The twins progressively stepped into their roles as captains and leaders over time, and it lead to a great season.

The team started the year diving in head first, wasting no time solidifying their position as a serious contender and starting 10-0.

In comparison to last year, this years’ squad seemed to be much more focused and driven towards their common goal of winning a CIF title. Their increased chemistry and trust with one another spoke volumes on the field and many people surely took notice.

“I think we did a lot better this year, especially on offense and in 6-on-6 situations, we pretty much handled every team we played against,” stated Miles Dolphin.

However, the team’s season left a left unsettled, seemingly. Bosco lost a heartbreaker to Mira Costa in the first round of the division one playoffs, a double-overtime thriller, ending their season.

Nevertheless, the lasting impact the seniors and 2019 team has had on the SJB program will undoubtedly leave a legacy and lasting imprint.

“As us seniors leave, we want the younger guys to be prepared to step in as new leaders and to be able to run a well-functioning team,” said Miles.

The future is bright for Bosco lacrosse, and 2019 was just a sneak peek of the capabilities and potential the program has moving forward.

 

News: UNC-Charlotte Shooting Kills Two Students

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by Jake Bailey

On April 30th, 2019, the community of Charlotte suffered a tragedy that resulted in the death of two University of North Carolina Charlotte students and left many more injured.

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“The shooting took place on the last day of classes for UNC-Charlotte, just as the campus was getting ready for a Waka Flocka Flame concert,” said The Charlotte Observer.

Suspect Trystan Andrew Terrell allegedly chose to enter the Kennedy Building at UNCC, and open fire on his fellow peers inside.

“Trystan Andrew Terrell is accused of gunning down two students and injuring four others in a classroom on Tuesday, according to police,” says ABC News.

Fortunately, all who were injured are expected to make a successful and full recovery, but the death of two innocent students is still too much.

As for the motive of the shooting, that much is unclear at this time, according to police and school officials. Terrell, however, is facing more charges and jail time.

“In addition to the two murder charges for the deaths of 21-year-old Riley Howell and 19-year-old Ellis Parlier, Terrell has been charged with four counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, discharging a firearm on educational property and possessing a gun on educational property, according to jail records,” a police report told The Charlotte Observer.

As for the two students who were killed in the gunfire, one of them courageously risked his life to save many of his peers, and ultimately was killed after stepping in front of bullets intended for others.

“He kept charging. A bullet to the torso did not stop Riley Howell. A second bullet to the body did not prevent him from reaching his goal and hurling himself at the gunman who opened fire last week inside a classroom at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The third bullet came as Mr. Howell was inches from the gunman, who fired at point-blank range into his head,” stated The New York Times.

The chief of police stated that once the shooter was subdued under Riley Howell’s body, no one else was then shot after.

Students and faculty joined together shortly after the tragedy for a vigil in honor of 19-year old Ellis Parlier and 21-year old hero and savior, Riley Howell.

“Since 2014, there have been at least seven other shootings on or near North Carolina colleges and universities,” stated Greenville News.

USA Today offers a few tips to help students on a campus be prepared for a possible school shooting situation. Tips including: keep a cell phone and charger on hand at all times if possible, and sign up for your school’s alert system.

In addition, students should share their location with family and close friends at all times. Finally, students should check to see if there is a Text-to-911 service in their area for as much safety as possible.

It’s sad that times have reached this level of evil and terror in America. But school shootings are now something everyone must be prepared and ready for.

Movie Review: “The Highwaymen”

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by Samuel Rodriguez

The new Netflix movie release “The Highwaymen” is one that sets high expectations but cannot deliver.

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Credit – Netflix

The story revolves around two of the United States most infamous criminals: Bonnie and Clyde. However, the movie places a twist on the story as it focuses on the the two policemen that caught the criminals, Frank Hamer and Maney Gault.

Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) and Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson) are former Texas Rangers hired to track Bonnie and Clyde and put an end to their rampage. The story focuses on the brotherhood between the two rangers and their journey in tracking the infamous criminals that leads to their capture.

The story takes place in the mid 1930’s and begins with Bonnie and Clyde breaking prisoners out of Eastham Prison Farm in Texas. In response, Texas Department of Corrections Chief Lee Simmons (John Carroll Lynch) convinces Governor Ferguson (Kathy Bates) to hire former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer to search for Bonnie and Clyde. Hamer comes out of retirement and is joined by former partner Maney Gault to work independently away from the FBI and track the notorious criminals.

The lack of respect for the ‘old timers’ becomes an apparent theme throughout the movie. The two rangers are seen as irrelevant and out of date, but still upset the modern policeman despite the opposition they were in. The climax of the movie is the inevitable death of the two criminals at the hands of the rangers and their group of men. This occurs as the rangers arrange an ambush and emerge from the bushes and gun down Bonnie and Clyde in their car.

The difficulty that was presented in tracking the criminals was a lack of support from the people. Anyone that the rangers would ask to help them would not help and saw Bonnie and Clyde as heroes and people that were doing good against the government. This prompted 20,000 people to attend Bonnie Parker’s funeral in Dallas, while Clyde Barrow’s service drew 15,000.

The Highwaymen is an interesting film that draws a different view on the historical Bonnie and Clyde manhunt. However, the story develops slowly and does not build as much anticipation from the audience and could have been better.

 

SJB Unsung Heroes: Ms. Amy Krisch

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by Kyle Moats

Ms. Amy Krisch is one of St. John Bosco’s hidden gems.

While Ms. Krisch is a well-known face in the staff and administration, she may not be as well-known to many parents and students. This is ironic in that the students at St. John Bosco are the primary beneficiaries of her many efforts and the results her events provide.  

I had the privilege of being able to sit and really get to know who “Miss Amy” – as she is affectionately known – is and how important her position is to us at St. John Bosco.

Ms. Krisch’s road to St. John Bosco has been equally lengthy and interesting. She was born one of three daughters, in a town outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and spent most of her early childhood there. As she grew up however, her family moved frequently due to her father’s job in the Aerospace industry, moving them from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, then to Livermore, California and back to Pennsylvania for her senior year of high school.

Ms. Krisch attended California State University, Monterey Bay where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Communication with an emphasis in Practical and Professional Ethics in 2007. While there, she was a player on the Women’s Golf Team and worked for Pacific Grove Golf Links.

Unfortunately, during a round in her sophomore year, she hit a tree root and tore tendons in her wrist and her role of player transitioned to that of coach and mentor. Ms. Krisch also volunteered with the PGA and LPGA Tour and The First Tee of Monterey County, an early indication of leadership potential.

“I love golf and I got that love from my dad, my forever coach. It became our thing and still is today,” said Krisch. 

After graduating from CSUMB, she worked at the Portola Hotel and Spa, looking to build a career in the hospitality industry.  She capitalized on an opportunity to organize Portola’s employee golf tournament and realized she wasn’t ready to give up golf completely.

She made the decision to further her education in Arizona where she attended the Golf Academy of America, Phoenix, earning an Associate Degree in Business focusing on Golf Complex Operations and Management in April of 2009. As is common with many graduates, jobs after college are often difficult to find, especially for a female trying to break into the male-dominated golf industry.  

With limited jobs available, Krisch started working for the Arizona Humane Society (AHS) as an information ambassador, and six months later moved over to the Spay/Neuter Clinic as a surgery scheduler and – on occasion – veterinary assistant.

We almost, unknowingly, lost Ms. Krisch before we had her to a career as a veterinary technician. She thought she had found her calling in veterinary work but a job opportunity within the AHS Development Department became available.

Her time in the Spay/Neuter Clinic was cut short when she accepted the position of development coordinator, responsible for grant writing and overseeing tribute and memorial gifts. Eventually, Ms. Krisch began helping with AHS’ Signature Event, Compassion with Fashion, managing one of the event’s critical fundraising components – the silent auction – thus starting her career in event management.

She quickly took both her educational assets and practical experience on the road and went to work for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Orange. Her responsibilities there developed in many areas but the majority of her time was spent as the Events and Logistics Campaign Manager for the Light the Night Walks at Angel Stadium and Cal Baptist University in Riverside.

Fast forward to March 2014, where Ms. Krisch entered the unique world and community of St. John Bosco High School. She was hired as a consultant for the Braves Gala and was offered a full-time position as the Special Events Manager for all of Bosco’s events including the SJB Golf Classic, the Alumni Memorial Mass and SJB-hosted tailgates before home football games.

Currently, she is the Director of Alumni Development and Special Events. The title just scratches the surface of her diverse and varied responsibilities. Essentially, there are two major areas where she focuses her efforts. As the Director of Special Events, her primary focus is to find creative ways to help programs raise money for current and future needs.

Some examples of this include sport-specific events, such as the Bosco Football Golf Classic (formally the SJB Golf Classic) which is a cornerstone for the football program, Texas Hold’em and Casino Night for Bosco Baseball and Aquatics and Bosco Baseball’s St. Patty’s Day 5K Run.

She also spends much of her time producing SJB’s signature fundraising event – the annual Braves Gala. The event hosts anywhere from 350-400 attendees and proceeds are critical to St. John Bosco, providing both merit and need-based aid for students, pathways, and other programs. She also works on “pop up” events designed to help Bosco continue to grow and increase exposure by getting people to come to campus.  

As the Director of Alumni Development, Krisch works to find different ways to keep our current alumni active and engaged with their alma mater and essentially cultivate more alumni to return home to their Bosco days.

Ms. Krisch feels that the connection is mutually beneficial as SJB Alumni are the business leaders we need in our community whose assistance and guidance ensure a strong future for the students of St. John Bosco. It links them with fellow Bosco brothers, providing benefits and opportunities to their businesses and interests as well. Her job challenges her to keep, build, and expand those bonds.

Ms. Krisch celebrated five years at St. John Bosco in March of 2019. Even with her family in another state (finally settling in Denver, Colorado) she was determined to settle down from her travels and promised herself she would invest her time and talent to see what she could develop.  

With much of her first year at Bosco spent working with the Margheritas Guild and the Parent Association, the immense outpouring of welcome for her personally, as well as the volunteers who consistently came alongside her to help create successful events that benefited the students, solidified her feeling that she was in the right place. She has stayed, frankly, because she believes in St. John Bosco High School. She believes that this is a unique place with great accomplishments and continued potential.

I feel the best way to describe Ms. Krisch is as a “One Woman Army.” No matter how busy she is, and she is always busy no doubt, she takes the time to handle one more thing, assist a coach, welcome a student, and more. Currently, she is juggling the Braves Gala, Graduation, and the Bosco Football Golf Classic – just to name a few of her many responsibilities!

Even though her job is hectic, it is satisfying. Miss Amy, at this time, cannot imagine being anywhere else. We cannot imagine Bosco without her and thank her for being the true epitome of a Bosco unsung hero.

 

Sports: LA Clippers Step Into The Spotlight

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by Christian James

Los Angeles has always been centered around the Lakers due to their amazing legacy, especially this season after acquiring superstar, LeBron James.

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This put the Lakers back into the spotlight while the Los Angeles Clippers were hidden in the shadows. Many people counted out the Clippers ever since they traded away their franchise player – Blake Griffin – to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, and future draft picks.

The Clippers had a solid group, but many would still look down upon them. ESPN predicted that the Clippers would only reach 33 wins this season, being one of the worst teams in the Western Conference. This doubt gave the team a chip on their shoulder, motivating them more than ever. 

Leading into the All-Star break, the Clippers traded away Mike Scott and their recently obtained players, Tobias Harris and Boban Marajanovic, receiving Landry Shamet, Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, and future draft picks in return.

The Clippers took a lot of criticism for this trade, but in the end this trade would be crucial for them. The Clippers at this point had a record of (30-26) above the Lakers who had a (28-29) losing record. Even having a better record, the spotlight was still on LeBron and the Lakers. LeBron brought a lot of attention to them when he told the media his “playoff mode” was activated earlier than usual. Many people had high hopes for the Lakers and didn’t give the Clippers much thought at all. 

By the end of the regular season, the Clippers clinched the eight seed in the playoffs, leaving the Lakers in the dust. For the first time in a while, the Clippers were in the spotlight over the Lakers. They finished with a (48-34) record, going beyond most people’s expectations including ESPN.

The only thing now in their path was trying to beat the powerhouse team of the league, the Golden State Warriors. With outstanding efforts from veterans Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley and breakout performances by rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Montrezel Harrell the Clippers would put up a fight.

Although these players would step up huge for the Clippers, their efforts would not be strong enough to beat the Warriors. The Clippers would lose their series 4-2 in the first round. In the end, the Clippers proved many of their doubters wrong even though they didn’t finish the season the way they wanted to.

Going into the off-season, the Clippers have some of their key players – Beverley and Ivica Zubac – becoming free agents. After this seasons’ performance and the Clippers recent action of extending Doc Rivers’ coaching contract, they have certainly increased their chances of being a favored location for free agents to end up.

They have the ability to sign Kawhi Leonard, who becomes a free agent after this season, and trade for another superstar due to them having great amount of cap space, maybe even Anthony Davis.

A+E: Lil Uzi Makes Statement In Return To Rap Game

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by Nnamdi Chugbo

Lil Uzi Vert has finally made his return to the music industry.

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The Philadelphia based rapper, born Symere Woods, had been on a hiatus from releasing any music since the artist released his hit single “New Patek” in September 2018, and his best selling album, “Luv is Rage 2,” in August 2017. Uzi struggled to release music due to  contract disputes with his Generation Now label executives, Don Cannon and DJ Drama. However, on March 28th, 2019, Uzi made his long awaited return to the music scene with a controversial single titled “Free Uzi.”

“Free Uzi” was a freestyle over the beat of “Gangway” by G Herbo, who is credited as an inspiration to Lil Uzi Vert. The song features Uzi discussing his issues with Don Cannon and DJ Drama, and plays along with the fact that fans have been constantly leaving comments under their social media posts to free Uzi from his corrupt record deal that causes him to struggle to release music.

Prior to Uzi releasing this song, he took to his Instagram page to repost fans who used #FreeUzi on his Instagram story. Uzi was not done at this point, as about 12 days later he came out with two more singles, “That’s a Rack,” and “Sanguine Paradise.”  

Fans are now in a frenzy, wondering whether the two singles that the Philadelphia rapper recently released will be featured on his long awaited album, “Eternal Atake.” However, the recent increase in activity in music from the artist is a ray of hope for all fans who are patiently anticipating his work.

Another promising occurrence that happened for fans was Lil Uzi Vert’s recent signing to Roc Nation and Jay-Z. After his two year struggle with his label executives, it is a sigh of relief that he is finally able to be managed by someone as legendary as Jay-Z.

Jay-Z has a reputation for helping artists in times of need. For example, he was able to help Lil Wayne release his Free Weezy album on Tidal under Roc Nation in 2015, then helped him resolve tax issues during his legal battles with Cash Money, Wayne’s label.

Having Uzi back in the rap game is a breath of fresh air for all people who enjoy his music after his two year hiatus. As fans continue their wait for the long-delayed Eternal Atake, they are satisfied by the fact that Uzi is finally back to being himself and is still making good music, as he showed us he can still do on “Free Uzi,” “That’s a Rack,” and “Sanguine Paradise.”

News: Mueller Report Analysis

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by Jake Bailey

On April 18th, after much speculation in the media, a redacted version of the Mueller Report was released to Congress, causing tremendous controversy, to say the least.

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The Mueller Report is the culminating result of a two year investigation by the Special Counsel into Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election. Ultimately and most importantly, the Mueller Report indicated that there was no finding of Trump, or his campaign, criminally conspiring with the Russians.

The Mueller Report stated that in regards to the Obstruction of Justice charges, they were unable to reach a finding, and leaves Congress the opportunity to pursue investigation on this front, if they so choose.

Additionally, the Report did find evidence of President Trump’s and Michael Cohen’s shared interest in building a Trump Tower in Moscow, Russia. The Report also found evidence of Michael Flynn trying to help President Trump’s campaign find Hilary Clinton’s emails. 34 people associated with Trump were indicted, some of whom have been convicted.

Trump, however, considers the findings a complete exoneration, likely because the investigation was initiated to reach a conclusion on the issue of criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and administration with the Russian government.  The president also takes issue with the legality of the investigation.

“It began illegally, and I hope somebody takes a look at the other side. This was an illegal takedown,” said President Trump.

And as he so succinctly put it in a tweet, “No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT.”

As far as prosecution is concerned, President Trump, Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were all cleared of charges for interactions with Russian officials, and many people consider them fortunate to have escaped charges in the manner they did.

In a broader view of events, impeachment has been an extremely controversial topic among politicians as well as the general public.

Leaders of the Democratic Party and the House of Representatives have been conflicted over whether or not to pursue the impeachment of President Trump.   A primary consideration is that we are coming into the election cycle for the next President in 2020.  The controversy centers largely on whether it is wiser to move on and focus on the issues facing the nation, or follow this through to the end.  Congress requested and received a redacted version of the Mueller Report to review and make a determination.

According to ABC’s Mueller Poll, citizens are divided on the issue of impeachment.  While Trump’s approval rating is holding at 39 percent, over 50 percent of citizens believe Trump is guilty of wrongdoing of some kind and that he lied to the American public.

The responses from Democrats vary widely, as there are several different “blocs” of the Democratic Party.  The most liberal are calling for impeachment, the moderates are calling for a “ruling out” of impeachment, based on their review of the Mueller Report, and the conservative Democrats are calling for the party to move on from the controversy, even if they pursue other investigations.

The Republican Party also varies widely in their responses, as Republicans range from Trump enthusiasts to Anti-Trumper’s and everything in between. Those most loyal to Trump are calling on a continuation of the Russia investigation, with a focus on the origin of the investigation and the investigators, themselves.  Moderates are learning toward a focus on approving conservative judges and the issues facing the country (moving on), and those against Trump are using the Mueller Report as another reason to move on from Trump and select another nominee for the 2020 election.

Very few Presidents have endured the level of defamation of character, scrutiny, and slander that Trump has. The last President to do so was probably Richard Nixon, during the Watergate ordeal.

“The final blow came with the decision by the Supreme Court to order Nixon to release more White House tapes. One of these became known as the ‘smoking gun’ tape when it revealed that Nixon had participated in the Watergate cover-up as far back as June 23, 1972.  Around the country, there were calls for Nixon to resign.  At 9:00 pm on the evening of August 8, 1974, Nixon delivered a nationally televised resignation speech. The next morning, he made his final remarks to the White House staff before sending his resignation letter to the Secretary of State, Dr. Henry Kissinger,” says Watergate.info.

 Now, the Trump presidency hangs in the balance until the decision is made as to whether or not he will finish out his first term in office. 

 As expected, the two parties of politicians have passionate feelings about the release of the Mueller Report; and most are unwavering in their opinions.

According to EightThirtyEight.com, “Republicans who approved of how Mueller handled the investigation went up by 25 percentage points, from 21 percent to 46 percent, whereas the percentage of Democrats who approved of Mueller’s work went down by 15 percentage points, from 77 percent in February to 62 percent in March.”

Since the interaction between President Trump and Russia was proved to not exist, Russian officials quickly rushed to the side of President Trump and urged him to re-solidify the mutual friendship and respect between the two countries.

While Trump and his campaign were exonerated on the issue of conspiracy, there is no doubt that the Russian’s, on their own, interfered in the election.  Some say this has been occurring for many years.  Americans should be informed about the issue of foreign interference, which is anticipated to be attempted throughout the next election cycle.

A+E: MCU Phase 4 Preview

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by Jalen Manson

(WARNING: SPOILERS FROM “AVENGERS: ENDGAME” AHEAD)

A snap, a reversal, and the death of a beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe legend brought the end of Marvel’s phase three.

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Possibilities for future Marvel phase four movies (not confirmed)

Since the first “Iron Man” film debuted in 2008, Marvel has taken a group of characters and created a 22 movie-long MCU (cinematic universe) over the last 11 years of real time.

Within this time, the 22 movies released were divided into three phases, with approximately seven movies in each phase.

The first phase of the MCU set the tone for tremendous success down the line, introducing Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye as the original six Avengers. Phase one included the movies of “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” and “The Avengers,” where all heroes came together to defend the Earth.

From here, the universe continued to develop and jumped into phase two, which continued the saga, introducing new characters and continuing the stories of others. Phase two included “Iron Man 3,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Ant-Man.” This phase set phase three up perfectly.

Phase three is arguably the franchise’s best selling period, jam-packed full of blockbuster movies. “Captain America: Civil War,” “Doctor Strange,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Black Panther,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “Captain Marvel,” and headlined by the famous “Avengers: Infinity War” and recent “Avengers: Endgame.” Spider-Man’s sequel movie “Spider-Man: Far From Home” will cap off phase three this summer officially.

The end of all these remarkable and memorable phases leads Marvel to it’s new and futuristic phase four. No official information has been leaked or let go about this new and future phase, but fans are speculating about what is to come.

At the end of Endgame, Iron Man had a sad but heroic death, Captain America went back in time and retired in the future, and Thor seemingly joined the Guardians of the Galaxy. The “big three” of the MCU is seemingly broken apart now, and the franchise will look to head in a new direction.

The question that remains is: what direction will this be? Fans already speculate that Captain Marvel may take the helm as the new “Cap” of the group. At the end of Endgame, Steve Rogers (Captain America) passed on his shield to his good friend and sidekick Sam Wilson (Falcon) which leads us to believe that Wilson will become the new Captain America.

Black widow died in Endgame as well, and Hawkeye wants to live life with his family as he previously did. That leaves “Professor Hulk” now as the only remaining of the original Avengers, and a new six may emerge.

At the end of the day, Marvel’s first three phases will be extremely hard to top for the future. You can guess that Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Sam Wilson, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange and others will be major parts of the MCU for the foreseeable future.

New characters could be rumored to debut as well, especially with Fox reaching a new deal with Marvel Studios that may allow iconic characters such as “The Fantastic Four” and the “X-Men” assimilate into the MCU. With Thanos dead, comic book villains such as “Galactus” and “Dormamu” or any of the Celestials can emerge as universe-threatening villains.

Whoever emerges, it will be hard to top the villainy of Thanos, an intergalactic psychopath who literally wanted to wipe out the entire universe as we know it. Thanos could arguably be one of the greatest villains in movie history. At the end of Infinity War, people were stunned and shocked walking out of the theatre, because for the first time in movie history it felt like, the super-villain one. Thanos was strong, smart and determined in his conquest to acquire all six infinity stones and take over the world.

Of course, through various intense heroics, the Avengers defeat the evil Thanos in Endgame, killing him off properly and restoring life in the universe, five years in the future.

It will be a tall order to fulfill to get the kind of dynamic action and character connection MCU fans have experienced for a little over a decade. However, the integration of new characters and the furthering of little-known ones could rekindle and start new relationships that fans can connect to and can experience for the future.

Time will tell where the franchise goes from here. Marvel would be foolish to just discontinue the MCU now, especially after the last two movies have absolutely obliterated the box offices. Endgame forced some theaters to stay open for 24 hours for multiple days of the week, with extremely early morning showings never seen before.

After one weekend, the movie already made about $1.2 billion, making more than last year’s Super Bowl. Bigger movies can be foreseen in the future as well, with people of all generations having a connection with the characters in these films.

The way these characters in the MCU were built up is truly remarkable to look back at. Captain America, Iron Man and Thor each had three individual movies, in which audiences and Marvel fans all over the world built connections with the various and core characters of the Avengers.

Due to this, it only leads us to believe that Marvel Studios – led by the Russo brothers – can have similar success for the future in continuing to craft this multi-verse. We look forward to the new and mourn the old, as the MCU will live on.

Whatever direction the franchise takes, it’s been an amazing 11 years, and Marvel Studios, ‘[We] love you 3000.’

 

Bosco: New Band Teacher Bobby Easton Fills The Gap

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by Lucas Agatep

When our Bosco community lost Mr. Eugene Fabiero, a space in our community was left and a position in the music program appeared. New band director Bobby Easton has come in to fill that gap.

A graduate of Long Beach State, Mr. Easton has 20 years of teaching experience, previously working around the Long Beach Unified School District mainly as a substitute teacher. Eventually, he taught full time for 4th and 5th grade students for a year each and worked in various after school programs, all in music. He worked with kids from preschool all the way up to college and adult students.

Apart from teaching, Mr. Easton likes to indulge himself in the music industry, working as a professional musician in his own band, playing around the LA area with different bands, records and music producers.

He has also recently even played at Coachella. On a more personal side, Mr. Easton also enjoys teaching Capoeira (Brazilian martial arts), Brazilian music, swimming and is a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers.

With it being close to the end of the school year, it was sudden to have to bring in someone that can pick up were Mr. Fabiero had left off. Though difficult, Mr. Easton is confident about his teaching skill due to him having much experience as a substitute teacher and picking up where others had previously left off.

“Absolutely, it is very challenging, but my experience as a substitute teacher has trained me to adapt quickly to situations that I come into. With Mr. Fabiero passing and the turning over with various different subs, I know it’s a challenge to come in here but I look at what we have to work with and just try to do my best with what’s at hand,” said Mr. Easton.

This type of community is actually a new teaching environment for Mr. Easton. This is the first time he has worked in an all-male and Catholic school. But, the way he teaches hasn’t changed because of that. The way he runs his class is what he calls an “organic approach” that tries to connect the art and feelings that is in music to help his students learn the material.

“Music is a mix between art and science in a way, because the theory of music can be very scientific, but music is an art of expression and feeling,” said Mr. Easton.

He could tell that the current state of the music department has potential and has heard of some indication of improvement in the future due to some of the current renovations and implementations that the school has done in recent years.

“I recognize that the music department has a lot of potential but needs a lot of help to pick up where the previous teachers had left off. I understand that the school has had renovated other parts of the school and I heard that VAPA (Visual And Performing Arts) would possibly be renovated in the near future. I really see a lot of potential in this school and students for their desire to learn,” said Mr. Easton.

With that in mind and the mention of possible changes in the program’s future, Mr. Easton would like to see a more diverse and unique field implemented into the music program. He requested that a modernization of the program would be beneficial and a nice addition due to the advancements of technology that are currently being used in music production around the world.

“I would like to see a jazz band. I would also like to see a music technology program here that teaches kids about digital music production and studio recording as we move deeper into the 21st century, teaching the kids the newer tools that are becoming commonplace in music,” said Mr. Easton.

Though it was sudden to have to replace such a memorable member of the community, it is nice to know that the music program is in good hands with Mr. Easton. Please welcome Mr. Bobby Easton to the St. John Bosco family and community!

 

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