Winter 2017 Issue

ALAMEDA COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER’S LEARNER NEWSPAPER WINTER 2017 ISSUE

ACLC Learners Attend “Landmark” Court matter what the outcome, they will continue to fight for cli- Hearing in Environmental Lawsuit mate justice, and hope that they will inspire others to do the By Mai Corkins same.

Common Sense: This Service Has Been Blocked by Your Internet Provider By Erika Badalyan

A historic and controversial decision made by a 3-2 vote on Thursday, December 14, 2017, by the Federal Com- munications Commission (headed by Ajit Pai) has success- fully dismantled Net Neutrality regulations that were put in place to keep the internet open and fair,. This means that internet service providers (ISPs) like AT&T and Verizon can now potentially reshape the American citizenry’s online ex- 11th and 12th grade learners from ACLC’s Environ- perience in the direction ISPs want it to go. Now, broadband mental Science class attended a court hearing in the Juliana v. providers can legally block websites or charge for higher- U.S. climate lawsuit on Monday, December 11th. A group of quality service or content. The federal government will also youth ages 10 to 21 are suing the United States government no longer regulate high-speed internet service, much as if it for the damage inflicted by climate change. They say that ac- were a utility like a phone service. Ajit Pai’s intentions of tions taken by the government that cause climate change vio- allowing telecom companies to charge internet sites for deliv- late their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property. ering their data to consumer’s homes have come true. Pai be- Initially, the fossil fuel industry was a defendant as well, and lieves that the implementation of his plan would let the for- tried to get the case dismissed along with the US government. mer regulation-free policy that made the internet thrive come The case was not dismissed, but the fossil fuel industry was back. This strategy is nothing new. In 2015, the FCC under released from it. the Obama Administration voted to prohibit telecom compa- In July of this year, the government petitioned for nies from charging internet providers. “writ of mandamus”, asking for the case to be dismissed be- Social media and online hysteria have slightly mud- cause the efforts required to bring the case to trial would be died the waters on what the term “Net Neutrality” actually harmful to the government. ACLC learners attended the hear- means. Net Neutrality is the basic idea that people should be ing on December 11th, where lawyers from both sides pre- able to have access to whatever websites they want to look at sented oral arguments as to why the case should or should not without their internet service slowed down, blocked, or sped be dismissed to a panel of three judges of the Ninth Circuit. up. It is the idea that the internet is a free place that does not Eric Grant, a lawyer for the Trump administration, ar- prioritize some sites over others. gued that the normal pre-trial process of finding experts to Members of our community have voiced frustration testify would be irreparably harmful to the government, and over the repeal of Net Neutrality. As a senior in high school, said that the case was “unprecedented”. He also said that the and really a student in general, my peers and I realize the case was unlikely to succeed in court. The government does devastating consequences that come with Pai’s win. George not deny that its actions have been harmful to the environ- Continued on p.3 ment. Julia Olson, who argued on behalf of the plaintiffs, said that young people are disproportionately affected by cli- INSIDE THIS ISSUE mate change, because they will be alive when the consequences of current harm to the environment will come to fruition. Opinion…………………………………….p.1 She said that the plaintiffs, and in fact the entirety of the Contributors and Word Search.………….....p.2 youngest generation, are being discriminated against by their own government when it takes actions that harm their planet’s Recipes..……...…….…....…...…….….…...p. 4 future. The case has been hailed as the Brown v. Board of Ed- ucation of this generation. Fiction ……………….………….….……....p. 5-7 Learners also had the chance to attend a post-hearing press conference and rally, where they heard some of the Gallery………………………….…………...p. 8 youth plaintiffs speak about their experience. “It was the most interesting field trip out of all of my Horoscopes ………………………… ……... p. 9 four years at ACLC,” says 12th grader George Hofstetter. “It was such a critical current event, and I think it was amazing that our whole class got to witness history in the making.” The plaintiffs and their attorneys look forward to hearing the judges’ decision in the near future. They say that no

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Precious Speakeasy Readers,

We here at Speakeasy could not be more ex- cited to present the Winter issue of Speakeasy to you! As you hold this issue in your hands, you are hopefully well on your way to celebrating your winter break! Give yourself a pat on the back for getting through 2017—no small task by any means—and decompress by reading this issue. Every nook and cranny of this holiday issue has something to entertain readers from all walks of life! We Editors hope this issue will serve as a break from the constant onslaught of scary news that has basically dominated our lives for the past year (and every year, really). So seriously! Open up that holiday playlist you ONLY listen to in De- cember, put on some fuzzy socks, and curl up with Winter a Speakeasy issue and celebrate a much needed By Erika Badalyan break from school. Having read the issue, we’re going to take a nap. We’ll wake up in time for the next issue, though. Promise! See you in 2018!

Love, Speakeasy Staff

Continued from p.2 Hofstetter, 12th grade, said the following: “How can the FCC have so much power? I just don’t understand. They’re unelected officials. How is this legal?” What Hofstetter is saying is true: a decision made by 5 unelected officials has essentially impacted the entire nation on a grand scale. However, no part of our nation will be more affected than those who are low- Santa: The Scientific Impossibility income. By Tay Lew “What does this mean for low-income families and im- poverished neighborhoods?”, Hofstetter continued. Nobody As a child, almost everyone believes in Santa knows for sure now, but it is likely that the potential ramifica- Claus. A magical man who lives in the North Pole with tions will be colossal. In today’s age of technology the internet his elves making presents for children. It’s fun to be- has become such a virtual necessity that those who do not have lieve that every Christmas Eve, Santa goes around to the means to pay for it will be at a huge disadvantage in all every house in the world, puts presents under the Christ- walks of life, mainly because a large number of daily life re- mas tree, and eats the milk and cookies the children sponsibilities (banking, paying for bills, job hunting, college leave out for him. It’s only when you crunch the num- applications) have moved online. bers and realize: Fellow senior Ornella Hernandez-Soto also spoke up. 1.9billion children ÷ 24 hours ÷ 60min/hr ÷ 60sec/min = “Although the intent of repealing Net Neutrality wasn’t to tar- 21990.740 children/sec get low-income families, that’s exactly what happened. It’s that things start to get fishy. Sadly, the possibility of just...the Trump Administration keeps on putting out policies Santa Claus existing is scientifically impossible...with that are subliminally racist and they’re like, oops! Sorry, we today’s tools. Here are five ways Santa could theoreti- didn’t mean to!” Soto elaborated with an opinion that hit par- cally exist. ticularly close to home for me. “I mean…this year I was apply- 1. Time Travel: Santa can’t do what he does in ing to colleges, and that’s already a lot of money that I’m ex- one night...but what if he had more than that? What pected to pay and that’s been accepted. But the idea of having if he had all the time in the world? The sleigh is to pay to simply access the applications is a thought that makes clearly capable of traveling at incredible speeds, if it me really angry.” travels to every child in the world in one trip. What Knowing that the very freedom of the internet is at if it moves faster than light, allowing it to go back in stake, several interest groups have taken it upon themselves to time, and repeat the same night over and over until tackle the issue. The net neutrality repeal is, therefore, not set all the presents are delivered? in stone. The repeal could easily be overturned in court or by 2. Time Dilation: According to Einstein’s Theory Congress. According to CNN, Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Relativity, the faster you move through space, the of Massachusetts said he's already working on legislation to slower time goes to you relative to the rest of the overturn the FCC's decision to repeal net neutrality rules. “‘I universe. This is been explored in several sci-fi plan to introduce a Congressional Review Act resolution that movies, including Interstellar. This should actually would restore the Open Internet Order and reverse the @FCC’s make Santa move slower to us. However, from San- historic mistake of repealing #NetNeutrality,’ he tweeted, ta’s perspective, the world would be speeding alongside a copy of the first page of the resolution. "This fight around his sled. The world would be slowing down, is far from over." Under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), giving him enough time to deliver every present. So according to the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation, who’s right? This absolutely confusing idea is “Congress can reverse a change in a federal regulation by a known as The Twin Paradox, if you wanna Google simple majority vote within 60 working days after that regula- it. tion is published in the official record. In other words, Con- 3. Delivery Drones: This one is something that’s gress can vote to overturn Pai’s rule change and bring back the actually possible today! Amazon already has a Open Internet Order.” drone delivery system in the works, and drones in What Markey says is true. The fight IS far from over. general have been around for decades. Who knows, We can all do something to help out with the cause, even maybe they have an extremely advanced engineer- though the FCC has decided to repeal Net Neutrality. ing lab and already have a very feasible drone sys- Here are some resources. tem. I mean, soon you’ll have deliveries in 30 Text BATTLE to 384-387 to contact Congress and stop minutes or less from the time you click the button on the FCC. Amazon. #notsponsored https://callyourrep.co/ - Find out who represents you in Con- 4. Teleporters/Portal Gun: We’ve already sug- gress. gested that there’s secretly an advanced engineering lab at the North Pole, so what says that drones are Sign petitions for Change.org, American Civil Liberties the only thing they built? Scientists have teleported Union (ACLU), Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Battle information already using quantum entanglement, for the Net. involving a whole bunch of science-y things that I couldn’t fit in a 5-page essay, never mind one para- Call the Federal Communications Commission: 1-(888) graph. The point is, teleportation could definitely 225-5322 occur in the future, so you never know, it could hap- Call FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler: 1-202-418-1000. pen. It could happen either with direct disassem- bling and reassembling of the object’s atoms at dif- Works Cited ferent points, or with a portal gun firing quantum Kang, Cecilia. “F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules.” The entangled particles (like the aptly-named video New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Dec. 2017, game Portal). www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/technology/net-neutrality- 5. Molecular Assemblers/Teleporters repeal-vote.html. (continued): The parents put the gift boxes under McSherry, Elliot Harmon and Corynne. “Team Internet Is Far the tree, that’s what we know. Who says they’re From Done: What's Next For Net Neutrality and How You Can full? Maybe the empty boxes are put under the tree, Help.” Electronic Frontier Foundation, 15 Dec. 2017, and the items are created inside of the boxes, ready www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/12/team-internet-far-done-whats- to be opened by children by Christmas morning. It next-net-neutrality-and-how-you-can-help. would either just be generated by some sort of signal Wagner, Meg, et al. “The Net Neutrality Vote: Live Updates.” sent from the North Pole that would alter the mole— CNN, Cable News Network, 14 Dec. 2017, -cules inside of the boxes, or it would literally reas- www.cnn.com/2017/12/14/politics/net-neutrality-latest/ semble the particles of the presents inside of the index.html. boxes (teleportation). So, in conclusion, the idea of a big jolly red man in a magic sled traveling to every house in the world and delivering presents in one night seems impossible, al-

Continued on p.8

4 RECIPES

Coffee Cake 4. Spoon frosting into large resealable food-storage plas- By Molly Boyle tic bag; partially seal bag. Cut off tiny corner of bag. In- sert cut corner of bag into indentation in each cookie cup. Squeeze bag to fill opening, about 1 generous tablespoon Ingredients per cookie cup. Place stem end of strawberry on each • 2 cups all-purpose flour frosting-filled cookie cup, and press down slightly so • 3/4 cup white sugar frosting becomes a brim for hat. Pipe a small dab of frost- • 2 teaspoons baking powder ing on tip of each strawberry for pom-pom. Serve imme- • 1/2 teaspoon salt diately, or store loosely covered in refrigerator. • 1/2 cup butter • 1 egg • 3/4 cup milk, or as needed • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 4 cup all-purpose flour • 2/3 cup white sugar • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1/4 cup butter Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies By Claire Wong Directions Ingredients 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Make the streusel topping: In a medi- • 1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour um bowl, combine 1/4 cup flour, 2/3 cup sugar and 1 tea- • 1 ¼ teaspoons ground ginger spoon cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon crumbs. Set aside. • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, bak- • 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa pow- ing powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles der coarse crumbs. Crack an egg into a measuring cup and then • ¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature fill add milk to make 1 cup. Stir in vanilla. Pour into crumb • 1 tablespoon freshly grated peeled ginger mixture and mix just until moistened. Spread into prepared • ½ cup packed dark brown sugar pan. Sprinkle top with streusel. • ½ unsulfured molasses • 1 teaspoon baking soda 3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a • 1 ½ teaspoons boiling water toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. • 7 ounces best-quality semi-sweet chocolate, cut into Allow to cool. ¼-inch chunks • ¼ cup granulated sugar

Directions

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Santa Hat Sugar Cookies By Annika Rehling 2. In a bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, Prep 35 MIN cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. In the bowl of an electric mix- Total 1 HR 30 MIN er fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and fresh Servings 36 ginger on medium speed until lightened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; Ingredients beat until combined.

• 1 pouch (17.5 oz.) Betty Crocker™ sugar cookie mix 3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in boiling water. • Flour, butter and egg called for on cookie mix pouch for cut- Beat half of the flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in out cookies baking soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mix- • 36 whole medium strawberries ture. Mix in chocolate; turn onto plastic wrap. Pat out to a • 1 container Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting 1-inch thickness; seal with wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or overnight. Directions 4. Preheat oven to 325°F. Roll dough into 1 ½-inch balls; 1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, mix cookie mix, flour, place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Chill 20 melted butter and egg with spoon until soft dough forms. Shape minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until surfaces just into 36 (1 1/4-inch) balls. Place in 36 ungreased mini muffin begin to crack, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway cups. Press indentation in center of each with end of wooden through. Let cool 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and spoon. cool completely. Cookies are best the day they are made, but can be stored in airtight containers at room tempera- 2. Bake 8 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately ture up to 5 days. repeat indentation into center of each cookie with end of clean wooden spoon to create 1-inch opening, cleaning off end with paper towel when needed. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove to cooling rack. Cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

3. Using small paring knife, for each strawberry, carefully cut around stem into pale flesh underneath, and remove. Place strawberry stem-end down on paper towel-lined cookie sheet to dry. Repeat with remaining strawberries.

5 FICTION

Not Quite Narnia “Follow me.” She inclined her head forward, to- By Josie Whittock wards the North. He followed, and Luna thanked the moon that he was wearing shoes. She’d had to carry a Living in a literal ‘winter wonderland’ wasn’t as noisy little girl the entire way to the safe house once, good as it was cracked up to be. In fact, Luna was getting which had made her back sore and the Queen most un- pretty sick of it. Sure, it was beautiful at first glance, or happy. The boy was less of a chatterbox, but he still had so said literally everyone , with its endlessly sparkling questions. They always had questions. snow, picturesque trees lightly dusted with powder, per- “What are we gonna do after we get to the safe petually frozen lakes, and crisp winter air. Luna had got- house?” ten used to mortals’ gaping mouths and wide-eyed stares Luna looked down at the boy, who was complete- when they first arrived, each one thinking this was the ly dwarfed by the white furs. start of some kind of magical adventure. “The Queen insists on an audience with every In their defense, they weren’t wrong. mortal who enters her realm. Not to worry, she has taken This came to mind as she leaned against an iron care of many before you and she will surely take care of lamppost that flickered with dying flame, the metal cold you as well.” against her back even through the layers of fur and fab- “Is she a nice queen?” The boy’s round brown ric. Being a denizen of this world, it was almost impossi- eyes stared up at her, as wide as saucers. Luna consid- ble to become frostbitten, but she still felt the chill of the ered the question. slight winter breeze, and this was enough to cause her to “She is fair and guides this world with a firm wrap her furs around herself just a little tighter. As al- hand. I would not go so far as to say I am unhappy under ways, the weather was perfect, the moon peeking out her rule.” from behind a dense cloud cover. Day never exactly “What are you, exactly?” broke here, the night sky simply lightened and darkened Luna gritted her teeth. How rude. “I am a... snow with each new cycle. As a child, Luna always dreamed of elf. We work for the Queen as her sacred guardians.” seeing ‘sunlight’, that magical thing illustrated in every This was also a lie. Luna was fae through and one of the crinkled pages in her picture books. Now, old through, though she may have had some selkie blood on as she was, she had all but given up. Besides, the moon her mother’s side. If she was a snow elf... well, the boy was more beautiful than the sun would be anyway. It was wouldn’t have made it to the Queen in one piece. Maybe her namesake, after all, so she had the right to be a little not even in two. biased. This answer seemed to satisfy Micah, and he was Luna looked up at the nearby street clock, won- quiet the rest of the way to the safe house. Halfway dering when exactly this mortal was supposed to show through the journey (which was not as long as many as- up. It was ten minutes after eleven already, and no pink- sumed), she felt a tiny hand grab her elongated one. She cheeked, warm-blooded idiot in sight. She tapped her winced, expecting it to be sticky or dirty, but it was dry foot impatiently. and maybe even a little warm. She did not object, even As soon as she had all but given up and aban- when he gasped at how cold her own hands were. The doned her post, there was the quiet, yet unmistakable, snow crunched beneath their feet with every step they sound of the air twisting and popping, contorting and took. warping like a circus performer. She turned around to see Once they arrived at the safe house, Micah’s lips the familiar sight of a mortal, one ill-prepared for the had lost their blue tint and his shivering had diminished chilly air and eyes cloudy with confusion. This one was to an almost indistinguishable tremor. Luna expected rather young, with rounded cheeks, curly black hair, and nothing else from a cloak of that caliber. Her last one had awkward legs not unlike a baby giraffe’s. only decreased the shivering, and she had nearly had to “Where am I?” He stuttered, staggered breaths es- use her own reserves of magic to save that poisonous lit- caping his rapidly blueing lips in small wisps of fog. Lu- tle girl. Luna shivered herself at the thought. na had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Always the first “Here we are.” Luna carefully led Micah up the question. front steps of the inviting wood lodge. Micah was too “That depends.” The boy jumped when he heard dumbstruck at the sight of the safe house to protest; it her speak, eyes roaming from the tips of her fur-covered looked like a stereotypical storybook cabin, with flicker- feet to the top of her silver-blonde head. She swallowed ing yellow light in the windows and a thick cover of the rising bile in her throat and continued with the speech snow on the roof. Luna knocked on the door three times, she had given more times than she could count. “How smiling when the familiar face of Dorothy, the lodge’s exactly did you arrive here?” owner, appeared to open it. “I touched some kind of weird ball in my mom’s “Oh, Luna! You’re here early.” Dorothy greeted attic. Who are you?” The boy was shivering now, teeth her, as always, with a smile. It was kind of her trade- chattering wildly. Luna slowly inclined her head. mark, and it was contagious. Luna herself felt her lips “I am Luna, Guardian of this realm. I was making turn upwards as she pushed Micah forward. my daily rounds when you appeared.” This was entirely a “Found him near the lamppost in Pine Glen.” Lu- lie. “Tell me, sir, who are you?” na clapped Micah once on the shoulder. “Can you get “I’m M-Micah.” The boy nodded. “Can we go him something to eat before we head to the Queen? Hot somewhere where it’s not so c-cold?” chocolate, preferably, and maybe some toast?” Luna snickered to herself, careful not to let the Dorothy nodded. “Of course! We don’t get mor- boy hear. “Of course. There’s a safe house up ahead. In tals around here very often, it would be an honor!” the meantime, you may borrow my cloak. We don’t want Micah didn’t say anything, only stared at Dorothy you getting frostbite now, do we?” with wide open eyes. Luna couldn’t blame him. Dorothy This was true. Frostbite would throw a wrench in was uncommonly pretty, with smooth dark skin and her well-oiled machine. She slid the fur cloak off of her masses of chocolate brown curls. However, Luna figured shoulders and wrapped it around the shivering boy. His it was her legs he was focusing on, which looked like eyes shone back at her, so full of gratitude she almost felt they would be more at place on a deer than on a human. bad for him. Dappled with white spots, they matched her ears and tail, Almost. which were twitching in excitement. Luna had seen them twitch like this many times before, mostly when she Continued on p.6

6 FICTION Continued from p.5 brought mortals like Micah back to the safe house. How- pression on his face once she broke the news. “Not to ever, they tended to twitch similarly on hunting trips, the worry, Dorothy is fetching a jacket for you. She was times when the Queen ordered them to take care of frost simply asking me what size.” gnomes who were causing a ruckus in the woods near Micah visibly relaxed at this, and went back to her castle. Because of these trips, Dorothy had the repu- draining the dregs of hot chocolate from his cup. Luna tation of being as handy with a dagger as she was with a unwound the cloak from around his shoulders and af- soup ladle. fixed it to her own, sighing as she felt the heavy layer of Luna, tired of the cold, gently gave Micah a push magic settle around her, like an old friend. and followed him into the house. The inside was as cozy Dorothy reappeared soon with a heavy fur jacket, as the outside would have you believe, with a roaring which fit Micah much better than the fur cloak, and sent fire crackling in the stone fireplace and floor-to-ceiling them off with a cheery farewell. After the warmth of the windows that provided glimpses of the gentle snowfall lodge, the chilled air hit them like a slap in the face. If outside. not for the furs they both wore, and Luna’s fae heritage, “You sit here while I make you something to eat, they would most likely have frozen where they stood. A alright?” sudden gust of wind whipped around them, like an angry Micah nodded, allowing himself to be guided to a ghost, and left as suddenly as it had come, leaving only plush armchair near the fire. Teeth chattering, he fixed cold in its wake. his gaze on the flames, not saying a word. Satisfied, the She’s getting angry, Luna thought to herself, we faun bustled off to the kitchen, and Luna sat down next have to hurry. to the shivering boy, taking her place in an old wooden “Come on, little one, we must make haste.” Luna chair. called to Micah. The smaller boy’s pace hastened, but it “You feeling okay, kid?” was clear he was making an effort. Micah nodded. “Just a bit cold.” “I’m kinda tired.” Micah gave a little whine. Luna was taken aback. Most of the mortals she “Can we go back to the house?” took said they missed home, missed their parents, etcet- Luna shook her head. She knew the magic in the era etcetera. She patted him gently on the shoulder. food would make him weak, but she knew it wouldn’t “You don’t need to worry. You’ll be alright.” weaken him enough to stop him from walking the dis- He wouldn’t be able to worry, exactly, once the tance from the safe house to the castle. “It’s not that far Queen was done with him, but Luna cleverly decided to away. See? You can see it in the distance.” leave that part out. Instead, she watched the fire with ‘Twas true. The castle could not have been more him, her gaze lost on the ever changing reds and yel- than 2000 yards away, according to his mortal measure- lows. She marvelled at how perfect the temperature was, ment. Upon hearing this, Micah did not say anything never too warm or too cold. Just like every-freaking- more, but she noticed he continued to hurry. thing else in this blasted world. As they walked, Luna did not feel the need to Soon, Dorothy was back, bearing a tray of toast talk, but scanned the woods on either side of them for and a steaming mug of hot chocolate. Micah, unable to any danger. All would be lost if a frost gnome decided contain his hunger, accepted the food, albeit somewhat to make this mortal its meal, though she knew the likeli- hesitantly at first. As soon as he took the first bite, how- hood of that happening was incredibly low. All the ever, he ate as though he would never see food again. same, she stayed vigilant, though only for the sake of “Luna, can I talk to you?” Dorothy asked, once escorting this important whelp the entire way to the Micah was about halfway through the plate of toast. Queen’s castle in one piece. The two headed into the kitchen, where some “There it is!” Micah pointed out excitedly once kind of carcass was waiting, ready to be butchered. This they drew close to the castle gates. It truly was grand, wasn’t the topic of conversation, sadly. Luna loved a with glassy walls that seemed impossibly smooth and good cut of meat, and she knew Dorothy did too. strong, and spires with tips that seemed to scrape the “Does he seem satisfactory?” Luna queried. Dor- sky. Luna knew from first-hand experience that it was othy nodded. just as grand on the inside, though mortals didn’t often “The Queen will be pleased.” The faun sighed in get to experience its luxury. appreciation. “I wish she would allow us some scraps. “Halt.” Luna was jolted out of her reverie by one We never get to taste mortal meat.” of the gate guards. Pricks, all of them, puffed up with Luna hushed her friend. “She would consider that self-righteousness. Their presence wasn’t even that im- sacrilege, if she heard you. Be glad she’s not around, or portant, but serving the queen was seen as a great honor, you’d be demoted for sure. Besides, after what she does no matter what your job was. to them, there aren’t any scraps left to take.” “State your business.” Dorothy slumped. “I know. I’ll go get one of the “Queen’s handmaiden, escorting a mortal for a fur jackets. You won’t need the sled, right?” private audience.” Luna smirked up at them from behind “Nope.” Luna shook her head. “He’s hardy. He’ll her bangs. “Urgent business. You don’t want to detain have enough energy, even after the food.” me for very long, I reckon.” “Alright.” Dorothy looked unsure. “If you say The guard gulped. “Carry on.” so.” Satisfied, Luna pushed Micah forward, not want- “You just want an excuse to use the sled again, ing his curiosity to cause them to linger. Up the count- don’t you?” less steps they walked, with the mortal boy’s pace grow- “Maybe a little.” ing more and more sluggish with each one. He was al- Luna gave her friend a little push on the shoulder, most to the point of collapse when they reached the causing her to squeal. “Go get that jacket. We’ll need to doors, but Luna pushed him to keep going. leave soon if we want to make it on time.” “It isn’t that far now, you can make it.” Luna re- As Luna left the kitchen, she noticed Micah was sisted rolling her eyes. She had to talk to Dorothy about finished with the toast and had nearly drained his cup of the dosage next time. Micah, dutifully, pressed onward hot chocolate. towards the double doors. Luna pressed her hand to the “You’ll have to surrender that cloak, little one.” ice, as cool as glass under her palm. Slowly, the doors She informed him, nearly laughing at the puppy-dog ex- slid open, completely noiseless.

Continued on p.7

7 FICTION Continued from p.6 “Come, little one. She’s waiting in the foyer.” coming distinguishable. Micah was not the first, and he Micah stumbled forwards, then collapsed near the would not be the last. middle of the grand room, his legs giving out completely. As soon as Luna was sure that each trace of the Luna supposed this was acceptable, and strode in herself, small boy had disappeared beneath the surface of the the doors gliding shut behind her. The room itself was Queen’s form, she bowed again. circular, with a large round pool in the center, and a stair- “I am pleased to serve you, and thank you for well that led up nearly a hundred flights. your services to our world.” “Where’s the Queen?” Micah gasped, his breath The goo rumbled again, almost seeming content- becoming more labored by the second. Luna winced at ed. the state of his breathing. She definitely needed to talk to You’ve done well. Dorothy about the dosage. Luna turned on her heel, refusing to look back. “She awaits.” Luna said simply, walking up be- She knew what happened next was messy, and she did hind Micah. Wordlessly, she slid the coat off of Micah’s not want to be around for that. shoulders, leaving him only in a grubby shirt and jeans. Maybe I’ll spend the night at the safe house to- “I don’t see her.” Micah looked around from his night, she thought, Dorothy might be making stew. position on the ground, eyes flitting from the stairwell to the pool. “You shouldn’t be able to.” Luna discarded the coat nearby on the ground and walked slowly towards the center pool. “Come closer.” Micah tried to stand up, but then collapsed again. Luna rolled her eyes, not even bothering to resist at this point, then took him by the shoulders and helped him move forwards, right up to the brim. “Our Queen is most gracious.” Luna continued to talk, standing behind Micah as he leaned forward to glimpse the contents of the pool. “She keeps this world perfect for each and every inhabitant, and only for a small price.” Micah gasped, for the pool went down nearly 40 metres. “In exchange for our weather, she asks for sustenance. Food.” The contents of the pool were as dark as ink, and moved as if someone from above was slowly stirring them, churning and shifting like a discontented sea. “Food she cannot move herself to get, and food the inhabitants of this world cannot provide.” What looked like ice-blue lightning flickered across the surface of the inky blackness, though it made no sound. “There was a simple solution, of course. Your world is linked to ours, though you do not know it, and the people there are not like us.” Every so often, the goo would bubble, almost impatiently, and emit rumbles that almost seemed like the growls of some ancient, feral beast. “Fleshy, warm, and weak. It was a perfect match.” Peacock Micah, in his weakened state, slowly began grasp- By Kayley Ryan ing the situation he had landed himself in. “A few simple links, and we had ourselves an almost perfectly stable food source.” The small boy tried to stand, but collapsed again, letting out a wail. “Magic is involved, of course, but it would take me years to explain how we mask your absence, how we transport you here, etcetera.” Luna looked into his eyes, and smiled. “Don’t feel bad, little one. Your sacrifice will not go unnoticed. You are simply a link in a perfect chain, one decided centuries and centuries before your coming.” Luna helped Micah to his feet, keeping a tight grip on his arms, and inclined her head to the soupy, churning mass. He screamed, they always screamed, but she had learned to ignore it over the years. “Hush now. She feeds.” She always thought she’d remember their faces as they fell, as they were absorbed into the black goo, as they became a part of something more important than themselves, but she always ended up forgetting. Each was similar to the next, and they eventually stopped be-

8 GALLERY Continued from p.3 most magical. But science is the way of the world now, magic is forgotten lore, only remembered in myths and legends. This real- ization took our belief in Santa from us long ago, but I hope that this article could give at least a little bit of it back to you. But regardless of what you do or don’t believe, I hope you have a Happy Holidays! -Tay Girls in Dark Blue By Amor Boretto

Germany, did you pray for her? America, did you raise her? Did you pull her from your trembling earth?

I sit with her San Francisco Oakland Oaktown Alameda Moraga too, where our unifiers roam And in her eyes I see the revolution I watch Marsha cascade down the city pavement And Sylvia and I are there too We are all there, drowned in patterned flags and clothing Eyes wide open to eyes shut close Say goodnight to her mind

College dorm life, midnight nights upon nights Urban shower heads dance through her dreams Pristine white grid walls and eruptions of steam And she is no longer afraid Happy Holidays Among the watchful eye of her spectres The motherly aid of those mothers with AIDs By Susanna Tsay Sylvia and Marsha bathe her in the milky moonlight The universe beckons her, calls her name And everything is soaked in dark blue

Communism By Luke Brindley

What thoughts I have of you Karl Marx, Marching down the snow laid Soviet streets. The Iron Curtain blocks the light, Barrel fires guide my flight. I enter the breadline; Men, women and children starve awaiting sustenance.

I see Nicholas, looking down, laughing. What fools are we, lost amongst our revolution. From each according to his ability, to each According to his need, These are your words. What of the holodomor? No retribution for lost lives, is that not essential?

Was this the future you imagined for your ideology? A population dependent on the government for food, goods. We are trapped, no room for individuality; There is no struggle. Volgar vodka numbs the pain, But doesn't conceal the corpses. No resistance in a regime formed by Revolution, Ironic.

Mein Herz

Anonymous

Ein Tropf Wasser fällt One drop of water falls.

Eine Träne läuft deine Wange runter. Petrichor One tear runs down your cheek. By Erika Badalyan

Ein Stuck Schnee schmölzt. One flake of snow melts.

Mein Herz ist traurig. My heart is sad.

9 HOROSCOPES As Foreseen By The Capricious Capricorn

Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 21): Prominent artists like Kehlani Berkeley, and bring blotting papers! It’s important to get just and G-Eazy hail from the Bay, so isn’t it time for you to make the right amount of sheen for your Instagram photo, but you yourself famous? Go for it dude! Shoot your shot! Start with don’t want to be sweating like a pig. You want to be *glowing* tattooing “WOKE” on your hand and I promise the ink will make you smarter. Aries (Mar 21-Apr 19): Sometimes politics is just way too hard to catch up with. Trump tweets border on the ridiculous Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19): You’ve been reluctantly Holiday side so often that you’re worried you’re mixing up your meme shopping with your mom, even though you KNOW somewhere page with your CNN notifications. Most of the time, it’s proba- in the back of the basement lies the exact same wrapping paper bly real. Sorry. you’ve been trying to find for hours. Next time you hear Mariah Carey croon “All I Want For Christmas Is You” in Safeway, try Taurus (Apr 20-May 20): You know those artsy girls you see and make your mom a little more #woke. Slavoj Žižek is the on Instagram trying to embody the 80s aesthetic? You want to actual writer of the song, who inspired and reminded Mariah be like them? Heck, me too! Well, the thing is to do that you’ve that Christmas has transformed into a season of never-ending gotta take on the whole ensemble, the whole enchilada. Start material consumption. All Mariah really wants for Christmas is using a dictionary to define words for Molly’s vocab assign- an end to the exploitation of the working class ://// ments. For Priscila’s FIT lessons, you’re gonna need to do them on PAPER. Totally tubular, I know. Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18): We live in the incredible Bay Ar- ea! Though personally I think the art is mediocre, the San Fran- Gemini (May 21-June 20): Rewatch the classics! Movies like cisco MOMA is free on Mondays for children under the age of It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and A Christmas 17! If museums aren’t your thing, why not check out Christmas Story are always sure to warm the heart. It’s fun to be senti- Tree Lane right in Alameda? There’s plenty of fun things to do mental. Trust me, when you’re older you’re going to look back around here, and I sure do hope you’ll find an adventure of your on your carefree days of sitting by the fire (jk this is California) own. with your cup of hot cocoa enjoying your holiday break.

Pisces (Feb 19-Mar 20): Take a hike over winter break! But I don’t really mean take a hike. Go over to the Big C at UC

Cancer (June 22-July 22): Have you been playing Animal Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21): Your parents have been working late Crossing: Pocket Camp edition? Isn’t it just marvelous? I mean nights, so everyday you’re having the most boring dinners imagi- I’m totally addicted. By the 28th of December, try to acquire all nable. Don’t worry, though. Not entirely sure you haveeee to eat. the Holiday furniture for your campsite! You’ll get extra candy After all, wasn’t it The Beatles who said “All you need is love?”. canes, too.

Leo (July 23-Aug 22): Consider listening to classic songs and determining the under-the-surface meaning of all of them. “Irreplaceable” by Beyoncé? The lyrics “To the left, to the left” was inspired by her meeting with Mao Zedong. It’s her effort to inspire the working class to awaken their political consciousness. Capitalism is a disease! To the left! To the left!

Virgo (Aug 23-Sep 22): You’re probably starting to hear the word “college” being tossed around more and more frequently. Don’t worry, this isn’t a reason to get all alarmed. Even when your parents start screaming and throwing fits, just close your eyes and count to ten. The Department of Education will fix everything! Betsy Devos is good at her job.

Libra (Sep 23-Oct 22): According to a principal economist at the Alameda Community Learning Center, it’s important to invest before you retire. I’d recommend saving now. That weird girl in your class REALLY needs money for the bus? Really? Wasn’t she talking about how she cares about the environment? Who cares if her house is 3 miles away from school? She can walk! Open up a 401k and put that dollar in right! Now!