"Not taking a vacation can increase your chances of becoming stressed, less productive, anxious, depressed, and sick," said Brigid Schulte. While taking a vacation can improve your relationships with family members and make you more happier, taking vacations is also good for your overall health. According to a Gallup Study, “People who always make time for regular trips had a 68.4 score on the Gallup Healthways well being index in comparison to a 51.4 well being score for less frequent travelers. This is important because people are more happy when traveling often. In comparison to people who rarely travel are not as happy. It is important that people are happy because if they're not, it can affect their health. For example, if people are not happy and they do not want to do anything all day it can lead to diabetes, depression, and more. According to Starre Vartan from CNN, one out of four Americans get no paid vacation. I interviewed Andrea Gutierrez, she is a podcast host. Andrea said, “Traveling helps make your world bigger.” I agree with Andrea because if you stay in your house all day and just watch television you do not get to see different cultures, celebrations, traditions, and languages. Instead all you would see is the living room in your house. It makes me feel bad for them because they do nothing and they should be having fun and going out. My mom, Alicia Aragon, said, “Your kids do not look forward and get picky.” Based on what would happen if she never went on vacation. I also agree with Alicia because if your kids do not want to go on a vacation it normally causes less memories to share a laugh in the future. Instead they want to be at home all the time and not build new memories. In conclusion, not taking a vacation can increase your chances of heart attacks and illnesses. While taking a vacation can improve your relationship with family members and make you more happier.
The Impacted
By ANDREA VILLEGAS
According to Santiago Villegas, “Nothing like football.“ My article talks about the Los Angeles Rams and their impact on fans. The Rams have impacted my family and others by giving us entertainment, players giving out advice, and many other things. As a family, we have cheered on the Rams for years. Santiago also mentioned that, “Football is great to watch.” My family loves when football season comes around. We love to go to the football games, barbecues, or just watch it at family members homes. We always have when the Super Bowl , even if it’s not our own team. The Super Bowl shows who is the best football team in America. It’s very exciting to see the tension in the room when the football player runs across the field. Just imagine the crowd cheering. It is clear to see how this is a loved sport. “Most folks in St. Louis will probably skip Sunday Super Bowl rather then watch two teams they hate,” said Rodger Sherman. This means that most of the St.Louis fans do not like watching football because the leaving of the Rams. I really do not know why the people from St. Louis can support their former team. A sports commentator said, ”Big team, young coach.“ Rams came from the bottom and went up. Rams started in the LA first . Everyone likes the Rams maybe because a lot of the people live in Los Angeles or because of their great score last season, even the coach. I like the Rams season, even the coach. I like the Rams since they were in St. Louis , my family has been a Rams fan since they started in Los Angeles. What surprised me about my topic is a lot of people do love and hate the Rams for many reasons. Maybe it's because of how they are doing, people are making a big deal about the Rams being here, or maybe they just love football. My family loves watching football because the excitement brings them together, all the laughs and cries that we shared together means so much to me. I love bringing people together.
Christmas Traditions All Over the World
By ANETTE MOLINA
Many people have different types of traditions. It might be just a tradition between you and your family or your whole culture. Like I said before, traditions vary depending on if it is cultural or just with your family but either way they are important. Traditions are meant to be repeated and remembered. For example, many people have different traditions based on certain holidays. Each culture celebrates Christmas in different ways. There are traditions based on which culture or place someone is in. On Momondo.com, it describes varying traditions for Christmas. In Toronto, Canada, they have 'The Cavalcade of Lights', which is basically an extravagant firework show, which first took place in 1967 to show off its new city hall. Another tradition celebrated during Christmas is in Japan. Now, this is a rather simpler, newer one, it is just eating KFC on Christmas. Another tradition could be found in Austria. This one includes, “Krampus” which is basically the opposite of the good ol Saint Nick, where he is said to take the naughty kids that did not make the good list. Another tradition is posadas. Posadas are “a ritual re-enactment of Mary and Joseph's search for a lodging in Bethlehem,” according to Google dictionary. This is one of the traditions my family celebrates and is celebrated by a lot of those in Mexican Culture. For this tradition, people have added buñuelos which is a crisp thin flour dough that gets fried then sugar and cinnamon is added on top. According to tripsavvy.com, posadas are believed to have started in 1586 in Colonial Mexico by Augustinian Friars. As I mentioned, my family is Mexican, so we do posadas. Posadas in my family are normally performed on my dad’s side of my family. We have done this tradition for many generations. After my family performs the posadas we shortly follow up with a gift exchange where each family goes in front of the room and passes out the gifts we had brought for everyone. Since this tradition has been a constant in my family’s life it would be very weird not to have it in my life. “If we didn't do posadas, it wouldn't be Christmas,” said my grandma, Maria Gonzalez. As you can see there are many holiday traditions for celebrating Christmas. There are also many places or cultures where traditions have continued, so if you believe you have no traditions, do some research and you'll be surprised on what you read. It could encourage you to continue those traditions because,” In holidays you keep the traditions of your culture alive, so by not having those holidays , those traditions would usually die and you would be able to pass them onto other generations”, said Melissa Carrillo who I interviewed. So remember to keep your culture alive and continue traditions.
Why Gaming is Good For You
By ANGEL LOPEZ
Did you know that gaming helps your hand-eye coordination, which is defined as the control of the eye movement with the hand movement? This is one of the many reasons why gaming is good for you. Another reason people believe gaming is positive for you is because it keeps you away from trouble. As my source, SGT. Toney Hosey, says, “it’s a great way to pass the time without getting in trouble." Meaning, you're not in any trouble meaning you won't have anything on your record. Furthermore, gaming is also good for you because it helps you practice your social skills with communication. Studies show that after two months of regularly playing video games a test group of students demonstrated improved communication skills, according to smartbrief.com. Which can help you socially like in a Job interview or making friends. To add on, gaming is good for you because it helps with things like hand-eye coordination. According to integratedlistening.com, “people who regularly play video games like Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed, are better able to learn sensorimotor task, which can help you in engineering tasks Overall gaming helps you by keeping you occupied. But, always keep in mind that it can be bad if it becomes an addiction.
The Benefits of Gaming
By ANTHONY SANTANA
Contrary to popular belief video games can actually be good for you. Multiple studies have shown multiple ways video games can improve you in a lot of ways. A Lot of people are just misinformed about video games and don't take the time to research about it. Here, I will be discussing some ways gaming can benefit you. One way gaming can benefit you is decision making. The ability of decision making can be strengthened by gaming because new information is constantly being displayed during play. Players are forced to adapt quickly. In a study made, players who were immersed in a fast paced game were 25 percent faster in reacting to questions about an image they just seen compared to non-players. This can also make you better at staying focused because in a fast paced game you need to be able to adapt to keep up with everything that is going on. You also need to be able to comprehend what is going on. Video games are producing better surgeons. Spine surgeons need to be mentally focused and there hand-eye coordination has to be at its' best. Video games can improve that because that is what most video games consist of. A study of laparoscopic (small incision) specialists found that, "those who played for more than three hours per week made 32 percent fewer errors during practice procedures compared to their non-gaming counterparts." Video games can also reduce stress. A major study that tracked players over six months and measured heart rate, found that certain titles reduced the adrenaline response by over 50 percent. Video games may also help people overcome dyslexia. Attention difficulties are common in dyslexia. Like we already said, video games can help you focus and be more attentive so this helps with dyslexia.’’One study has shown dyslexics improved their reading comprehension following sessions of games heavy on action. The reason, researchers believe, is that the games have constantly changing environments that require intense focus." So, this helps and shows improvements. Video games get such a bad rep by ill informed parents and news outlets. They say it will deteriorate your vision or make you violent but that simply isn't the case. Video games give you a fun way to pass the time without getting in trouble and there is actually studies that can prove that video games can actually improve your vision.In one study, 10 weeks of play was associated with a greater ability to discern between different shades of grey. I give gaming a 10/10.
Positive Things About Soccer
By ANTONIO MORAN
“A writer can write forever a soccer player can only play for 10 years,”said Vince La Rosa, digital manager for LAFC. My topic is about soccer and how it brings people together. As friends and family we create bonds because of soccer. “You can almost play it everywhere,” said Vince La Rosa .This quote means you can play soccer everywhere that's why it is so popular. It agrees with my story angle because it explains why people become friends and have a bond with each other. Similarly, Vince La Rosa mentioned that, “soccer gets people outside, keeps them healthy, it connects people, brings joy, and keeps people happy.” This quote is important because it lets us know the positive things that soccer does for people. I agree with this quote because it says the truth of what soccer makes you feel. In addition Mr. La Rosa stated that “it may be more business related, a lot of guys come from areas where soccer might be there only way out.” This quote impacts others because it lets people know that some people play soccer not because they want to, because they have to. This means that some people have no way to win money or have a positive life and all they have is soccer. Therefore, soccer brings people together, keeps people happy and makes family become closer. Soccer also helps people out because some people don't have any way out, but to play soccer and it helps them move on and have a better life.
Red, White and Blue
By ARIANA BOJORQUEZ
Did you know every 4th of July the liberty bell in Philadelphia is tapped (notactually rung) thirteen times in honor of the original thirteen colonies? In addition, barbecues are a big tradition on Independence Day. Approximately 150 million hot dogs and 700 million pounds of chicken are consumed on that day, according to Mentalfloss.com. Fourth of July has been a popular holiday to celebrate during summer and is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, and family reunions. Decorations (e.g. Streamers, balloons, and clothing), are generally colored red, white, and blue. As a family, we celebrate Fourth of July by having each family bring a dish of food for the party. “We usually go to a family member's house or to the park to see a firework show and just have a barbecue or have more of an American type of dinner as opposed to something Mexican,” said Melissa Carrillo, who I interviewed about this topic. I think Melissa’s quote impacts myself and others because most of us have more Mexican traditions we like to do on other holidays. But, this specific holiday all of us celebrate it more of an American way. “I believe that Fourth of July is one of the best holidays to celebrate with lots of family activities,” said my aunt, Susana Sanchez. Arkansas Nina prater and her family take to the woods to “blow up stuff”. “The kids like the sprinklers, June bugs , snakes, and the poppers that you throw on the ground.” “Each family member brings a dish that is special and traditional to them and shares it for all of us to enjoy,”said my aunt, Susana Sanchez. According to parents.com, Pennsylvania mom of two, Amy Dimeler Lerner, makes a black raspberry ice cream as a 4th of July family tradition. “Ever since I was a kid we’ve made black raspberry ice cream.” To summarize, I learned that all of us celebrate 4th of July pretty much the same when it comes to activities. For example, watching fireworks and having barbecues. The only difference is that each family has at least one special tradition they like to do on this day, whether it's the food or an activity that basically somehow separates us from other families way of celebrating this special meaningful day.
Holidays and Families
By DAYANA PEREZ
Holidays are all about family. Holidays have been here for millions of years. They bring us together, and help us know more about one another. One reason why holidays are important is because we get to know what we missed out on throughout the year. Getting to know what you missed out on about your family after not seeing them for a long time is beneficial for everyone. Talking about what you have done over months. “Getting to know a little about every person,” Said Mely Martinez. What I think Mely means by this is that whenever you get together as a family you have the opportunity to get to know something about everyone, even though it is something small. Another major point is, we get to make connections and memories. When you gather around you have an opportunity to make memories by talking and having a good time. “Gathering around the table is also a way which connects people tightly and create memories.” (Europe.eu). It ensures connections with our families become stronger every time we are together. Connections make us trust each other. Finally it is reliving traditions. Which are important for many reasons. First of all, reliving traditions is when all the family comes together and makes there favorite foods and talk. “Cooking those meals keep the traditions alive and our culture,” said Mely Martinez. Reliving traditions brings families and communities together to have a good time. Family, connections, memories, and holidays the best. They remind us about our roots and allow us to have a good time. So enjoy the holidays with your family as they bring you closer to one another.
The Many Meanings of Metal Music
By DEIDANIA VILLANUEVA
Heavy metal and Rock do not have the same meaning to everyone. The genres of music first branched off the Blues. The Blues originated as a, “Melan music of black American folk origin, typically in a twelve-bar sequence. It developed in the rural southern US toward the end of the 19th century, finding a wider audience in the 1940’s, ass blacks migrated to the cities. This urban Blues gave rise to rhythm and blues and rock and roll,” according to Google’s dictionary. Bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and others added their own style to the Blues. “The term Heavy metal was first used to describe a style of pop music by Lester Bangs in Creem. it is believed that his inspiration was Steppenwolf’s, “Born to be wild”, which contains the phrase “Heavy metal thunder”. According to www.tandfonline.com. “Rock has evolved over time,” says Kory Grow, from Rolling Stone Magazine. Metal and Rock has changed. It has its’ own genre. Barely related to the Blues anymore too. I believe it is also an emotional support. It can alleviate anger and keep you going. “It's just tradition in a way,” claims Kory Grow. It is a way to show who you are. That you are not copying any one. We are a community, a family. “Once you hear it you get a little bit of a sense to it,” said Kory Grow. Rock and Metal is not just screaming, it has a meaning to it. I personally have gotten some friends into it. Metal is not just screaming and satanic, if you think it is, you were probably introduce to death metal. There are different genres between Rock and Metal. We are a community. We all have opinions and that's okay. We are our own community with preferences. So what is Metal to you?
The Tradition of the Day of the Dead
By EDUARADO HURTADO
“Day of the Dead gives people time to remember those they lost,” said Javier Cervantes. Day of the Dead is about giving respect to family members and remember all of those who are deceased. There are many ways to celebrate Day of the Dead. Many ways people can use different items to celebrate. However, some people can go decorate family gravestones. Some travel to other places to remember. It sometimes depends on the religion of the family. Celebrating Day of the Dead depends on the family. Also, religion depends on where the family is from. Some religions like the pre Hispanic religious rite and Christian feasts can celebrate if they want. Day of the Dead is known throughout the pre Hispanic and Hispanic culture. It is mostly known throughout the Hispanic culture. It can be celebrated by everyone who wants to. There are mostly festivals in Mexico. Also, there can also be festivals in the U.S. In those festivals they have live music, bike rides and other activities. Something I learned was that Day of the Dead can be celebrated throughout the world like Latin America, South America, and the Caribbean. It can also depend on the religion the family is from.
Positivity in Gaming
By ERNESTO CHAVARRIA
People who play video games have better visual senses and can better monitor what is going on around them. Gaming can be positive or negative depending if you stop doing school work just to play video games. Gaming can be a positive benefit to people later in life. People who play video games can analyze a situation more quickly than a person who does not (sciencedaily.com). This relates to my angle because if somebody gets caught in a situation where somebody is robbing a store they will react faster than those who don't play video games. The reason people play video games is because they want to find a game that can make them happy. This can help relieve stress and help the player make fun memories to remember later on. A study showed us that roughly 61% of people that play video games show more signs of happiness than those who do not. (IGN.com). Playing video games can help somebody who is not very outgoing possibly open up and start talking to others. People who play online video games can become a part of a community that all do the same thing and can talk about their experiences and can make new friends. Although gaming can be frowned upon by a lot of people i think it is important to bring this topic into consideration and show people that video games can be positive in a person's life.
The Best Sport EVER
By ISMAEL ZEPEDA
“In the MLS (Major League Soccer) the players do not get paid a lot of money,” said Vince La Rosa, the Digital Manager at LAFC (Los Angeles Football Club. In 1899, Hans Kamper announced the making of a soccer team that later changed the world. That team became FC Barcelona, according to Apartime.com. Soccer is a sport that can be life changing in regards to working hard as in training and dedicating your time to th sport by doing soccer drills. Vince La Rosa also mentioned that, “players get contacted in many different ways.” For example, the agents get contacted through their email saying a team is interested in that specific player because they are good players. The players get contacted by their agent saying the team is willing to pay lots of money. I believe this the correct way because players practice 8 hours a day and if the team would text the player at that moment, the player would not answer until 8 hours later. So that is why players have agents just in case the teams have a very good deal. “Playing or watching soccer can bring joy with the team and make a connection,” said Vince La Rosa. This supports the claim that fans are happier when watching their favorite player/ team play. To add on, when a player is by generous enough to give fans an autograph or a jersey during the game or after the game, then fans admire that player for being humble with the fans. Lastly, Mr. La Rosa mentioned that, “becoming a pro, takes hard work, dedication, and responsibility." You need to do extra hours of training and have 24/7 lifestyle to be fit. You need to be responsible by not being late to practices and not staying at parties too late. If this becomes an issue, players can be sit on the bench and only play a few minutes. In conclusion, what surprised me was that Vince did work hard in his younger years to try to become a pro but at the end he did not succeed. Soccer has been important in my life because it makes my dad feel happy whenever I play. I believe soccer can affects others positively by showing he, good sportsmanship with other players and teach them you cannot always win.
Special Time of the Year
By JAQUELINE ACOSTA
Did you know that during the 15th century people started giving gifts for Christmas? Christmas is about having a good time with your family and keeping your traditions going. People gather up to have a good time together and celebrate the special moments. I love Christmas because all my family gets together and we celebrate our traditions. Christmas is a special time of the year for many people. As said by Melissa Carrillo, “Family and unity is not about gifts, it is about traditions and cultures and spending time with your family.” During the holidays especially during Christmas, I spend a lot of time with my family. I agree with Melissa Carrillo that it is not always about gifts. For this reason, sometimes people worry too much about what they are going to receive. Instead of spending time with family. Additionally, families participate in traditions, for example, posadas are important said Melissa Carrillo. Posadas are when your block gathers together and sings going from house to house, and then you have a little dinner and sing the rosary. Traditions are very important because it is the time of the year where people gather up to show their love to one another. My family and I do posadas. By having a little party and thanking god for our blessings. There are many traditions you can do to have a good time with your family. For example, on Christmas Eve families go to mass at midnight and then have a dinner together this is called the 'Noche Buena'. Furthermore, “Whether you're celebrating a religious festival like Hanukkah or Christmas, or a more secular occasion you're sure to have your own selection of ritual and customs that make the holiday season so special,” said momomd.com. This quote means that no matter how you celebrate a holiday, what you do is important to you because you are having a good time with who you love. I agree with this quote because you don't need to have fancy things or a huge party in order to have a good time. Christmas is for you to have a good time with your family it is that, that counts. In conclusion, Christmas is an important topic to talk about for me because it's a time when I get to spend time with my family and by celebrating traditions and having parties. Something that surprised me is that some people believe it is very important to give presents during Christmas and others don't. Other people believe it is about having the best time with who you love. Christmas is to have a good time with your family.
The Good in Soccer
By JAYRO ROBLEDO
“Soccer is not bad for the community,” said Vince La Rosa. It helps a lot of people let out energy and have lots of fun. I think people should focus more on the good side of soccer instead of the bad. Which is players playing dirty, people getting injured, people getting in fights. As friends and family, we get together for this sport. We bond by going to games with each other, going to people's house to watch games, and by going to parks to play soccer. It is important because it brings the community together. People tend to focus on how much players get paid instead of how good they are. “Neymar’s net worth is $75 million and his salary is $8.8 million,”-gossipgist.com. Throughout the years, it is harder to make a good team because certain players are more skillful which means they cost more to recruit. I believe soccer players do not as much money as they deserve. Getting good players is important because it helps your team be better. If you have a good team you start winning more games and you start to have a bigger fan base. There is a lot of steps required to become a professional soccer player. “The steps needed to become a professional is dedication, luck, supreme care of your body, extra hours of training, and a healthy diet,” said Vince La Rosa. You need to dedicate in order for a recruiter to keep an eye on you. You also need to take extreme care of your body, because if you get injured there is a possibility it can end your career. Another thing you need to do is put in extra hours of practice because the better you are the higher the chances are for you to become a professional. You also need a healthy diet to stay in shape. Your going to need lots of luck because there is going to be lot of people competing with you for that same spot. Soccer can really benefit the community. Soccer brings people all over the world together. “Soccer benefits others by bringing people in the community and people all over the world together,” said Vince La Rosa. Soccer helps families spend quality time with one another, by watching games, supporting different teams, and even yourself by going out to play. Soccer is very important to talk about because I have been playing soccer since I was 2 and everyone in my family played or still plays soccer. It helps a lot of people enjoy themselves because it is a competitive sport. I see myself benefiting by playing soccer with my family by spending more time and getting closer to each other.
Traditions Like Christmas!
By JOCELYN ALCANTAR
What is Christmas? Christmas is the annual Christian festival celebrating christ’s birth, held on the 25th of December. Holidays like Christmas are very important to me because it is a part of my culture. It is important because it has to do with what I grew up believing in. Traditions such as Christmas, are very special days. For instance, Melissa Carrillo the person I interviewed said, "Christmas is about family and unity not about gifts its about tradition and spending time with your family.” This quote relates to my topic because it's not about the gifts it's about unity as family and just being together. I chose this topic because I agree with what she is saying and reminding us to spend time with our families and try to put the gifts to the side because that isn't the purpose of Christmas. It is not about the gifts it's about spending good times with your family because that's what matters . Furthermore Melissa Carrillo also stated, “a lot of people, specially Latinos like us, we like lose a lot of culture and tradition.” In addition, to my topic this relates because Christmas is a tradition, a tradition many of us celebrate for people who do celebrate it is like a 2nd birthday. By this I mean that in both your birthday and jesus’s birthday you spend time with your family and celebrate. Imagine not being able spend time with your family and friends. I am saying this because Christmas is the type of holiday were you celebrate ,have fun, and specially be together As a family to greet the the new baby . In addition, “in holidays you keep traditions of your culture alive so by not having those holidays those traditions usually die,” said Melissa Carrillo. She is saying that holidays are a huge part of our culture because holidays specially Christmas have a lot to do with the birth of Jesus which also has to do with many peoples believes. I can relate because Christmas for me is such an important day because my family and I are celebrating the birth of Jesus. I personally would want to pass this tradition down because it is a very fun day and it is worth celebrating for as long as it can . In conclusion, Christmas is not about gifts and I have learned to understand that throughout the years it is about being together and celebrating this special day. This topic affects others because many people don't know the importance of Christmas.
The Minecraft Experience
By JORGE TORRES
Everybody has been in a community at least once in their life, but have you ever been in a Minecraft community? Although it might sound silly, this type of community can leave a impact on your life. According to Forbes.com and other websites including Microsoft themselves, Minecraft is one of the most popular to be ever released. Since this game got really popular, multiple communities came along the way. But the communities that were formed from the game were very different than the communities of other games. I would say it is like one big family. Playing with different Minecraft communities over the years changed the way I played games and introduced me to life. Minecraft is one of those games where sometimes if you play with a couple of friends, you can have a lot of fun. I play Minecraft most of the time with my friends. One of my friends is Nathan Cardenas, a fellow eighth grader, whom I interviewed. When I interviewed him I asked about his experiences with the game and communities. During the interview I asked him what was his favorite part about being in a Minecraft community, he answered, ”my favorite part of a community is experiencing fun moments with other people.” This shows the experience that he had when he played the game. This is what a Minecraft community can offer and what type of experiences you can get. Also, you do not really have to play the game to join a community. You can go online to a website or blog that gives you tips about the game. For example, a blogger called Warren Woodhouse has a blog where he posts all of his Minecraft creations and gives tips on how to play the game to newer players. A writer in a website called forevergeek.com stated, ”Warren Woodhouse is a master Minecraft builder who shares all of his incredible projects on a simple blog.” The writer of the page goes by “Forevergeek”. There are other types of websites that a player can join to talk about the game like reddit. Reddit is a website that you can go to and learn,talk, or argue about things regarding MInecraft. Additionally, one of the main reasons why Minecraft has one of the best communities is because of how big the player base is. No matter what gaming system you play on, there will always be a community you can join. Regardless if you play Xbox, Playstation, Pc, or Mobile, you can have the same fun and epic experiences. That is one of the main reasons why the game and the communities became so big, the variety of gameplay. It is one of the easiest accessible games on the market. Finally, a big question a lot of people ask is, if joining a gaming community a positive or a negative thing? Well if I am being completely honest, sometimes it is both. A game can have a really mean and toxic community where a player might not feel comfortable playing in. But, a Minecraft community is very different from other communities. I interviewed a fellow gamer, SGT. Toney F. Hosey, and I asked him the golden question. He responded with, ”I think a Minecraft community would actually be a very positive thing. I think if you enjoy the game enough to want to reach out to a community, I think that is a good enough point for everyone to talk about. You can make new friends, you can learn something new.” So there you have it, the golden question answered. A Minecraft community is definitely a positive thing that you can look forward to. In conclusion, a Minecraft community is something beneficial and fun. You can not really experience everything until you have tried it. I highly recommend playing this game for yourself and join this big family that it has established. This game has taught me love, responsibility, trust, and how to value friendships. All the people who played this game know this experiences. Even though Minecraft is not as big or as popular as before, the family it created will never forget this amazing game.
Thanksgiving Day
By JUAN LEYVA
Thanksgiving is very important and many things are done on that day. I had help from Melissa Carrillo and my family in order to find out more about this. I learned how people celebrate with people they love, people they care about. I celebrate with people I love like my mom sister, brother, grandma and grandpa and more. To start with, Melissa Carrillo mentioned, “you need to pass the Family tradition.” I like this quote because It tell me if we do something like a tradition we should keep doing it. Somethings we do as a family every year are: eat turkey, pie, stuffing, and mashed potatoes every year on thanksgiving. We would all come eat together as a family. Another quote from Melissa Carrillo is, “it not about the gifts it about the family." My family does not have a lot of money so we could eat or get gifts. We get food and eat together as a family. Lastly, according to the LA Times, I found out that 46 Million people celebrate thanksgiving. I like this because a lot of people are celebrating thanksgiving with people they love, they care about. I celebrate with people I love like my mom, sister, brother, grandma and grandpa and more. To conclude, I learned that to celebrate with your family is the most important thing in the world. It is important topic to talk about because not everyone has a family to celebrate with. This made my family close by now celebrate all holidays. This topic affects other people by now know why you need to celebrate holidays.
The Effects of Traditions
By KATHERINE ROBLES
Did you know traditions can be almost anything? As long as it's doing something frequently, it's a tradition. People may even have a similar tradition, like decorating a tree on Christmas. But it does not matter what the tradition is, they can be negative and positive. One reason why some traditions are important is because they can help you bond with your family. According to Francisco Robles, "some people have traditions to get together and have fun." It can be inferred that if families get together, they might bond which can help in building a strong relationship. Having a strong relationship with your family is important because it resolves in less conflict between each other. Overall, traditions can help you build a strong family relationship. Another reason why some traditions are important is because they give you time to honor your culture and family. As you can see Javier Cervantes states, “...it allows me[him] to honor my[his] culture, and my[his] family.” This may apply to others because multiple of us may have a similar tradition. As you may know, many of us do similar things because we share ideas of traditions and other subjects. Although traditions are good, other traditions may be negative. One reason why some traditions are negative is because they can make you lazy by not letting you think for yourself. “We assume the status quo to be correct, and in doing so, miss the opportunity to use creativity to drive progress,” stated Josh Linker. In other words, we just follow those traditions blindly, thinking it is correct, and in doing so, miss opportunities to be creative. For example, we believe it's correct to cut the lid for a pumpkin on the top, since everyone does it, it if you were to stop to think about it for a second, it would be more convenient to cut the lid at the bottom. But overall, he tried to say it makes us lazy. As traditions can help us bond with family and help us honor our culture and family, some tradition are bad because it makes us lazy, it does not let us be creative. Even though traditions are important, they can be negative and positive.
Growing Up with Corridos
By KIMBERLY ALFARO
According to my interview with, Arlene Areola, a college student at Cal State LA, stated that she still listens to him [Chalino Sanchez] nowadays because it reminds [her] of [her] grandparents. When parents play corridos at parties or at home when their cleaning, their kids most of the time end up liking them. My siblings and I like them because it reminds us of our childhood memories. According to allmusic.com, “their music style is primarily Ranchera, but also Banda and Corridos.” Chalino Sanchez and Las Jilguerillas music are ranchera and corridos. Chalino was paid in many ways such as with cash, clothing, vehicles, and even in weapons (lastfm). Las Jilguerillas recorded over 65 records and toured the world many times (allmusic.com). Chalino and las Jilguerillas were great musicians. “When I was 13 [or] 14 I would listen to them on my own,” said Arlene Arreola. Arlene also grew up listening to Chalino and Las Jilguerillas because she started liking those artists and they would remind her of her grandparents. I had a similar experience because hearing those artists reminds me of my grandpa and my parents. Some Latin American people grew up listening to a type of music called corridos, like Chalino Sanchez and Las Jilguerillas. Their songs always tell a story. Chalino Sanchez wrote the song, "Nieves de enero," translated to January Snow ,” It's about a love song about a guy that is waiting to be noticed by the lady he loves, Las Jilguerillas wrote a song called “Caminos de Michoacán,” translated to “Roads of Michoacán,” it's about where they were born and raised. Arlene likes Chalino because he tells a stories. To add on, some stories are about love and things they lived through. My mom, Leticia Gomez, described Las Jilguerillas and Chalino’s music as stories about her time in the pueblos (villages). Their are people who grow up listening to corridos because of their parents, such as Arlene and Leticia because it reminds them of their childhood and family. I believe this is true because my siblings and I would hear my mom play these songs and now we hear them on our own.
Traveling Around the World as a Family
By LUIS ESTRADA
Did you know that people who don’t take vacations are more stressed out? Family vacations could be a great bonding experience with your family. Every year as a family travel to different places like Mexico and New York to have fun and have quality time together. “People who don't take vacations seem to be unhappy than counterparts who take vacations,” said Lupe Meneses, a traveler. A reason why they’re more calm is because when you go to vacations for example, to the beach you can really feel the wind and it gives you absence of patience and calmness (wanderlustechloe). Also, vacations tend to let you space out and relax. In Addition, it helps you forget your all your problems and stress. Second reason is, “you build stronger bonds by experiencing different things together as a family,” said Lupe Meneses. To support this you have more fun together than when you are alone. In Addition, you can really see what your family members like and don't like by seeing if they like the food or whether there. Finally, Lupe Meneses said, "it's nice to share the same experience with the people we travel with and make more memories." She also explained that you can think about it 2 years from now and you will still remember everything you did together. Also that even though sometimes it's stressful to plan a family vacation it can really pay off at the end. In conclusion, is is an important topic to talk about because it helps you with stress and allows you to relax. I learned that sometimes it gets stressful with your entire family to agree on something, but once you start getting along it can get really fun.
Into the World of Gaming
By MATTHEW IRIZARRY
There are many communities nowadays that can benefit you in lots of ways, but did you know that the gaming community can too? According to understanding.org, gaming can give you lots of advantages such a jobs or even just getting payed for it. People can get hired just by gaming, and maybe even creating these video games for this community. Gaming can train you to do a lot of things. Well, what I mean is that it gets your brain going. During these video games you may not notice but your hand-eye coordination improves. Anyways, you are most likely to get great benefits off of gaming. As a community most of us connect by playing video games. According to gamers online and online websites such as understanding.org and interviewee Tony Hosey, gaming can really improve your hand-eye coordination. As you get used to playing these video games your memory gets better and you basically start knowing what to do while your playing a certain video game. Your hand coordination also improves, as soon as your brain begins to memorize these games your hand does to its like your brain and your hand send sigmas to each other and your hand knows what it's doing while it's moving and pressing on the control and you don't have to keep looking back up and back down to see what your doing because your hand and eye coordination are like some how sending signals. I can admit myself that I some how realized that my hand-eye coordination where improving while I was playing these video games. As we all know gaming brings negative and positive energy, yet it goes both ways, it's up to us. We can all learn lots of new things from gaming and that would be a positive advantage. Gaming can help us solve real life problems or just help us with skills in general for the real world. According to many YouTubers, they believe that gaming has helped them a lot with real life problems, they also believe that they have learned new skills that were put to use in real life while they were facing certain situations. Gaming can also cause a lot of negative advantages too almost anyone. As the gaming community knows that gaming can be lots of fun, gaming can also take up too much time and distract you from important things or things you are supposed to do on a daily basis. According to many news reporters around the world between the years of 2010-2016 there have been many complaints about parents with children that have been very addicted to gaming and has made them violent. Gaming can really affect people in a very bad way in can cause lots of problems with the real world such as communication problems or maybe even not seeing things for what they really are and for most people it can be very difficult too stop playing video games. Many of us have a purpose to play video games or some type of connection. There are many people around the world that play video games for a living or maybe just play video games for fun. People can get paid for playing video games. There are people who make video games and can try to connect there lives too those video games. If you really think about it there's video games that have real life events such as “Call Of Duty” a game based on the past wars that has happened or a type of story based on it. These video game creators do what they can too let these people have fun or maybe show the gaming community there connection towards these games. As a gaming community we all have some sort of connection or a type of relation too gaming. Over the years gaming has changed and improved in a variety of ways. Gaming wasn't very common years ago, let's just say that gaming wasn't as fun as it is now to many people. Gaming was as little as a cheap box with bad quality on a television which is way better to the gaming today. Today we have a ton of games to play and lots of different consoles to play on. Over the year gaming has become more and more popular due to all the new games that they have created and designed and now it just found a way of catching lots of people's attention. Today gaming has become more common and has millions of different people from around the world playing these games, it's like a new world where we show off and compete with our skills. Gaming is very competitive too many people and some just halon too take gaming more serious then others. There's like many ways how gaming has changed over the years and how much more popular it is. I myself can conclude that gaming is just gaming we should all at least give gaming a try.
Traditions About Food
By MELINDA XOCHIMITL
There are millions of traditions around the globe. This essay discusses some traditions and how people learn about them. As a community we have different traditions on select foods that all depend on what day it is throughout the year. For example, Mely Martinez, a blogger, has a tradition about how every Sunday she would eat bread with butter and coffee even if she were to eat something else. Mely Martinez has that she has done growing up in Mexico. This is a great example on how many people have different traditions based of how they were raised involving food. A tradition that some families go by is that eating pozole on New Year's Eve is a turn of luck, according to Recipes and Memories. Pozole is soup with meat. The soup is made with hominy, which are dried corn kernels, and seasoned with shredded lettuce. This is a unique food tradition because many people do not believe in superstitions that food will give you good luck. My family and I have a tradition of wishing for something every month by eating a grape. We would wish on the 12 grapes, one grape represents a month, and then we would eat all the grapes so that are wishes would come true. Having potlucks can be a way for a community to learn about other traditions. Mely Martinez said, “I think it is positive because you get to know about a culture.” This means that you learn about others foods and a culture that you are not so aware of. Sometimes you even get to meet new people from different origins when having a potluck in your community. By having these potlucks with your community you can discover that there are people with traditions that are similar to yours.When you want to know more about a person’s culture. Many people have different traditions when it comes to food. These traditions are unique and different. This topic affects others because it can bring people closer by learning their culture based on the food they eat. I have learned that people have traditions on different days, not only on holidays.
The Pros and Cons of Vacation
By MIRELLA HERNANDEZ
Vacations are a good way to stop your stress and worries, but unfortunately sometimes they don't. Vacations can help us in many different ways,but they can also cause problems. People must see the positives and negatives of going on vacations. According to, blogs.nytimes.com, “vacation does make people happy.” I agree because it can help us be more open to do more things that you wouldn't do regularly. Also it inspires us to do new things in life and not to miss out. It can also give us positive energy when you're stressed and you need a vacation to relax. Similarly from dangerous-business.com said, “travel allows you to escape.” Yes it does it can show us that it's better than just being at one one place and doing nothing. It is better to go on vacation now because you never know if the prices could go up or miss something. You can also see things you have never seen before, it's like a new experience. On the contrary, in my interview with Andrea Gutierrez, she stated that “travel may do more harm than good.” In my opinion yes it can do harm because sometimes we waste a lot of money on it. Also when we are in vacation we can miss out important events back home. Another point is that for some people vacation isn't always forever, they have to go to work and to be tired. Also, back to stressing about other stuff. In conclusion I learned that vacations either be positive and negative at the same time. Also that it is important to talk about this because we all need a vacation once in a while.
My Favorite Artist: Cuco
By MISAEL SANCHEZ
There are many artists that only focus on one type of genre, but this artist has a variety of it and that makes him unique. He is an upcoming artist that is making it big in the music industry. I like to listen to Cuco, also known as Omar Baños, because it helps me focus. “Just being an artist of color is already and act of resistance,” said Cuco in a Mitú YouTube video. This means that people of color can do a lot more things. Cuco was trying to show that people of color are more capable of doing more than the stereotypes said about people of color. Cuco was posting videos of himself online doing things out of the ordinary with his guitar. This shows that he was ready to show the world that he can play music. He got recognized with his skywalker solo video on his twitter. The music he ended up doing was Indie. To further define this genre, Indie music is defined as music for the artist that do not fall into a single category. This is why his music sounds more like Indie because he does not fall into one single category. Cuco was hanging everyday at his parents house looking for something to do. He would be hopeless if he was not making music. If it was not for himself, he would just be there at home doing nothing. This relates to me because I kind of do the same thing trying to look for something to do. I think once I get the rhythm of my life, things will get easier. It gives me hope which helps with my focus. In conclusion, this is the reason why I listen to Cuco and think he is unique. What I learned was that it was not always easy for him doing what he does. This will guide my focus by not stopping my dreams when they become hard to reach.
Watching TV As a Family
By MONICA HERNANDEZ
My siblings and I watch TV together every wednesday. We watch Riverdale every wednesday at 8pm. This impacts me because my siblings and I get closer by watching TV together. According to Yesica Guardado, she tries not to be more than 3 episodes behind on shows. I can relate to her because I tend to do the same. For example, if I am watching a show I don't like to stay behind on shows. When watching a show it is better not to stay behind. It is better not to stay behind because then you forget where you were at and how and what happened in the show. “I think the acting and story lines could be improved, but I don't see them making any changes soon,” said Yesica Guardado. This quote means Yesica is giving her opinion on the storylines. I can agree that the storylines can be a bit more intense with triller. “Riverdale has lots of dramatic and thriller scenes,” said my sister Paulina. My sister is giving her opinion on the types of scenes Riverdale has. I can relate to this because I can agree that the scenes have are thriller. Like I previously stated,it needs to have storylines changed. This topic is important to talk about because it is one of the only times me and my siblings are together. I learned that watching tv together is better than watching it alone. It brings us closer as a family because we are all together. This topic can affect others because than they can start to watch as a family.
Why is Thanksgiving Important?
By STEPHANIE ESCOBAR
Why is it important to get together on thanksgiving? Many families don’t eat on regular days but Thanksgiving brings them together. As a family we connect by gathering at my tio’s house for many holidays but mostly Thanksgiving. “During this time we get to catch up and just enjoy each other's company,” said Alicia Dieguez who I interviewed about this topic. Most families don't eat together because of different reasons. Most people have different schedules so they can't eat dinner together on a regular day. Most people usually catch up on thanksgiving since they are usually not together or they live far away. They take this time to maybe catch-up. “Holidays bring people and families together," said Alicia Dieguez. Thanksgiving does bring people together. I know because they gather to eat and talk. They catch up on what they did that year. Most people go to eat and give thanks, and their food and for everything they have. On a regular day in the week most families don't eat at the same time. Most people just aren't hungry when their family members are. One big reason families don't eat together is they are to busy and are never home at the same time. Something I learned is that not all families eat together. They also don't spend time together because they busy. Also they are tired. Maybe no one wants to cook.
A Special Day
By STEPHANIE CERDA
Celebrating a fifteenth birthday is a special day for many Latina girls. To be specific in many Latino cultures a quinceanera is a party where a girl turns into a young woman. This party is suppose to present this young women to everyone invited . According to Maria Valdez, “it doesn't matter if the fifteen is big or small it's important to celebrate it with everybody that you love and care about.” You have to celebrate your fifteen with people that your close to. The party doesn't have to be big it can be small and u can still have a great time . It is important to be close to your family and have a good time in that special day. There are girls in her court, and boys in her court it is a tradition for the quinceanera to choose special friends or family, which is called a court of honor. They dance with you in your quinceanera you pick a day from a week to practice and get the routine and dance right until the special day comes. It is so fun to gather up with them but it can also be hard and stressful when your practicing to get everyone to dance it right . Jocelyn Orozco, from a quinceanera magazine said, “it is worth having a fifteen and I believe every girl can have one.” Every girl can have one and it is worth it because you have a lot of fun and spend it with your family and friends. In conclusion, I learned that a quinceanera is a very important day that a girl turns fifteen and becomes a young woman. You celebrate it with people you love and care about it also gets you guys closer and reunited. It's a very special day and fun and it is totally worth having one . A quinceanera only comes once and you got to enjoy it and make the most memories out of it. I am having a fifteen when I'm in 10th grade. I really want one and it's gonna be really fun and i'm going to be really happy I actually got to have one and enjoy it with my friends and family.