Category: Centerspread

By Hannahjane Arellano

A fierce battle over the future of reproductive rights is now being processed in Washington as congressional Republicans made the first move to slash funding for Planned Parenthood. While Trump was campaigning, he selected Tom Price to represent the Department of Health and Services. In starting to roll back the Affordable Care Act, the GOP (Grand Old Party) plans to target the country’s largest women’s health care provider. Planned Parenthood could lose most of their reimbursements from Medicaid and other funding as soon as this spring if the repeal advances.

The main reason is because one of the health care options for women is the right to an abortion. The abortion law ranges from state to state, but President Trump and other Conservatives who share the same viewpoint as him believe that terminating a pregnancy is unjust due to the fact that they believe a fetus is still a child. It falls into the same beliefs for many religions which is completely valid just like your right to choose.

Margaret Sanger, a Birth control activist and sex educator believes that,” No woman can call herself free who does not control her own body.”

Let us not forget that Planned Parenthood also supplies other medical attention like regular check ups and or test screenings. They provide other health care services not just abortion which truly raises problems to those who rely for their service.

The congressional bans on abortion funding prove a particular religious or moral viewpoint on those women who rely on government-funded health care. Providing funding for abortion does not encourage or compel women to have abortions, but denying funding compels many women to carry their pregnancies to term.

By Ashliana Rodriguez and Jhunior Pintor

• Cleopatra (69-30 B.C.): The last queen who reigned all of Egypt during her 21 year rule. She was also a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty and later became a sole ruler of the Egyptian empire after her father and brothers. The legacy of Cleopatra was remembered in movies and books that were inspired by her life in the history of Ancient Egypt.
• Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855): Best known for her novel Jane Eyre, she was an English author and poet. She made a point to write about the struggle of oppressed women in her literary work. She only wrote a little amount. Her writing has helped show modern feminism to those who have read her work.
• Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906): She was the women’s movement’s most powerful organizer of the nineteenth century. At the age of 17,, she collected anti-slavery petitions and became the New York agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society. In 1878 she arranged a presentation for Congress about women’s right to vote, which was passed in 1920 as the nineteenth amendment to the U.S Constitution.
• Harriet Tubman (1820-1913): Was known as the first American abolitionist who was against slavery, a humanitarian, and an armed scout and spy for the Union army during the American Civil War. She went on 13 missions to free the enslaved families and friends escaped to freedom, and was known as the Underground Railroad.
• Marie Curie (1867-1934): A Polish and naturalized French physicist and chemist, she was the woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, twice. Was also the first woman to earn her doctorate in Europe. She achieved the development of the theory of radioactivity. Her work and developments are what earned her the two noble prizes in two different sciences.
• Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962): Known as the longest serving First Lady when her husband President Franklin Roosevelt was in office for four terms, she used her role as a platform to promote social activism. After that, the role of the First Lady was changed, Eleanor Roosevelt reshaped the role for future first ladies.

By Jen Luu

Let’s talk about feminism. At the very core of its meaning, feminism is the advocacy of equality for both sexes. Since we live in a fairly open-minded place in the Bay Area, it is safe to assume that most people are generally accepting. However, there are a still quite a few misconceptions lurking around. To counteract these misinterpretations, it is important to understand where they come from.

“I feel like a lot of the times, the reason why people may be against feminism, is because they don’t really understand what it is,” expresses senior Sarah Dao.

Ignorance may be the biggest reason some people may against feminist ideas. At first glance, the word feminism may imply just femininity for its cause. As a result, people may perceive the movement as one that fights to gain leverage for women over men instead of pure equality. Despite the misleading root of feminism, its goals are not one-sided. Quite the contrary, it feminism advocates for everyone.

Dating back to the origins of human nature, the default organization of social groups were split among male hunters and female gatherers. This patriarchal system stems from the need to make do with biological differences to maximize efficiency and survivability. Of course, society has greatly progressed since prior civilization does not rely on old tactics anymore. Gradually, but surely, women have proved themselves to be apt in response to their male counterparts. Those who still cling onto gender roles may struggle to acknowledge the shift from older to modern society.

Currently, feminism empowers women to strive for their goals and to break away from generalized molds. In contrast to the heavily male-run civilizations centuries ago, women today have achieved far more independence.

“Feminism allows females to have enough self-confidence. They can fight for themselves, and be their own warrior,” elaborates senior Aleisha Lew.

However, even with the current advancements, equality has not been fully reached.
“I think feminism is important because it’s still an issue in today’s society. Women and men don’t get treated the same; there is sexism,” claims English teacher Peggy Lee.

Traces of discrimination still permeate our surroundings. It may be the nuanced scoff in response to a girl’s ambitions of pursuing electrical engineering, or it may take the form of a national outcry.

Take for example the People vs. Brock Turner case. As a widely recognized crisis, thousands of people were outraged with the result of a brief sentence. Even though he was guilty of rape of an unconscious woman, Turner only received three months in jail instead of the district attorney requested standard of six years. These unjust decisions, made by a part of society that is supposed to be entrusted with law and order, only further emphasize the need for feminism.

In contrast to some people’s beliefs, feminism does not just benefit women. Equality can range over several aspects, including double standards. It has been an ongoing stereotype to portray men as solely masculine figures who will be shamed if they convey their feelings. As children, some of our peers may ridicule boys who cry “like a girl.” Not only does this imply that only girls have the right to express sadness, an innate human emotion, but it also suggests that crying is a sign of weakness. As an indicator of vulnerability, this expectation binds men to an unrealistic mold from an early age. This is where feminism comes in: men, who experience the same turmoil as everyone else does, need to have same freedom to express their emotions without fear of judgement. More importantly, sexual assault can happen to men as well. In cases of rape, some people may find this incredulous since usually it is the other way around, but gender does not invalidate the existence of these issues.

Although years and years of social progress have fostered a generation of  more tolerance, the movement still needs to continue. As an integral part of society, feminism breaks down the dichotomy that men and women are separate beings. It blends them together as simply just…people.

In its entirety, feminism isn’t just a declaration of women’s rights, but of human rights as well.

By Bernice Ou-Yang

Matriarchy is a system of society or government ruled by a woman or many women.  In the modern world, there are around six matriarchal societies that exist: the Mosuo, the Minangkabau, the Akan, the Bribri, the Garo and the Nagovisi.

The Mosuo, probably the most famous matriarchal society, live near the border of Tibet in the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.  The Mosuo women are the ones that handle business decisions, and the children take the mother’s name instead of the fathers.  They also have “walking marriages.”  It’s not really a marriage; the woman literally chooses her man by walking into his house.  The couple does not live together and the father has little to no involvement in childraising.  In fact, the children might not even know the identity of their father.

The largest known matriarchal society today is the Minangkabau of West Sumatra, Indonesia.  They strongly believe that the mother is the most important person in the society and even made tribal laws requiring all clan properties to be passed on from mother to daughter.  In this society, even though women ruled the domestic realm and men took the political and spiritual leadership roles, they both are on equal footing. After marriage, every woman gets her own room.  Although the husband may sleep with her, they have to leave early to have breakfast at his mother’s house.

The Akan are mainly located in Ghana.  Although men had originally held all the leadership roles, the females founded the clan.  Now, everything is passed on from mother to daughter and men are still expected to provide for the family.

The Bribri are located in the Talamanca canton in the Limón province of Costa Rica.  Just like the other matriarchal societies. Only women are allowed to inherit land and money.

For the Garo society, the youngest daughter gets the properties. Usually, the youngest daughter has an arranged marriage. For their marriage tradition, the guy runs from the girl, forcing the girl to catch him. This can go on forever until one side gives up.

The Nagovisi are located in South Bougainville. The society is divided into two matrilineal moieties. The women took the leadership roles, but they took the most pride in tending to the land they owned. In this society, if a man helps a woman with her garden, sleeps with her and is often seen together with her, those two are considered married.

By Justin Nguyen

The push for women’s rights can be dated back to the 19th century, when the Seneca Falls Convention was held in 1848. Convention organizer Elizabeth Cady Stanton befriended teacher Susan B. Anthony and the two sought to expand the 14th and 15th Amendments, which provide citizenship / equal protection and the right to vote, respectively, to include women.

The two later focused their goal on the latter and founded the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), while a similar organization known as the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) was also created. The two groups often clashed with one another due to conflicting interests, but merged in 1890 to create the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Prior to the NAWSA’s formation, women’s suffrage was only allowed in the state of Wyoming allowed. Other western states later followed suit with support from the NAWSA; by 1920, Congress agreed to add the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, granting all women the right to vote.

The 1960s saw a period of change for civil rights, including those of women. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy hoped to suppress gender discrimination with the President’s Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW), appointing Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman; two years later, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act to close the wage gap between men and women. Progress towards ending such prejudice in the workplace continued with the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s Title VII, which banned employing workers based on their race and sex, though it was expanded under Lyndon B. Johnson, whose Executive Order 11375 banned gender-based discrimination in particular.

In the military, women saw little to no participation in combat-based positions for decades, During the 2010s, they began to see involvement in such roles. In 2015, Kristen Griest and Shaye Haver became the first women to graduate from the Army Ranger School. A year later, the United States Armed Forces opened up all military-related jobs to women, provided they meet certain performance standards.

By Erica Xie

1. Lazer Tag.  Combine exercise and fun with this illuminating and competitive game.  Chasing your s/o around and shooting them is a fun way to relieve some stress and some exercise never seriously injured someone.  *Hint: keep moving side to side so the laser will never hit you.  
2. Cliff diving.  Taking a hike to a nearby waterhole and diving off a cliff is a fun way to spend an afternoon.  It’s a nonfatal way to express your suicidal tendencies while having a splash.  There’s sun, water and adrenaline.  
3. Executing a murder.  The thrill of the hunt and the rush of hiding evidence from the police will leave you a night to remember.  Just be careful not to get caught or else you and your s/o might be put in separate correctional facilities.  
4. Embarking on a journey that marks the beginning of your life together.  Date night can get pretty repetitive but pulling out important documents for you and your s/o to sign is a fantastic way to switch things up once in awhile.  *Works on a first date too.  
   • Getting a loan for a house
   • Opening a joint bank account
   • Adopting a child
   • Signing divorce papers
5. Roasting each other to prove how much you know your s/o and their insecurities.  Once in awhile, you wonder if your s/o really knows you as a person.  What better way to find out than a roast session and making up afterwards.  Some hurt and comfort at a tolerable level with no physical or permanent mental damage is always a nice way to end the evening.  
6. Rioting against the establishment and overthrowing the monarchy.  Are you, as a millennial, or living in a world full of millennials, sick of the way the US government runs?  If so, it’s time to pull out Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto and plan a coup d’etat with your s/o to rule the world under an iron fist until the world starts to run itself and no longer needs a system of government.  
7. Late night food run.  Sometimes the late night cravings become siren songs of yearning that even Odysseus cannot hope to resist.  Despite your New Year’s Resolution to lose weight and not eat after 7pm, there’s a time when you call up your s/o to pull them on a spontaneous late night food adventure to Denny’s.  
8. Road tripping to Disneyland.  What’s romantic and happy?  Road tripping and Disneyland, so why not combine them both and take your s/o to SoCal for the weekend.  Spend some desperately needed vacation time with the person you love.  Treat yourself.  
9. Hitchhiking to Canada.  A cheaper alternative to Disneyland.  LA is expensive and so is Disneyland.  If you’re looking for a free ride and better company, hitchhiking to Canada is the road to take.  *Might last more than a night and can be considered a permanent move if unlucky.  
10. Spa day.  Life’s tough and no one’s getting younger.  But, people are prolonging their youth with complicated spa treatments so you and your s/o can take the time to relax and soak in life with a mud bath and an avocado mask.  
11. Getting robbed.  A brush with death will surely deepen your relationship and losing your material possessions can reveal to you the inneccesity of them and cause you to live a simple yet fulfilling life of minimalism.  
12. Stovetop s’mores.  Sometimes date night can be at home in a cozy blanket and roasting marshmallows on a gas burner.  Pick up some chocolate and graham crackers at your local supermarket or change it up by buying Oreos™ to create s’moreos for s’more fun.  
13. Fireworks.  Nothing warms the heart like illegal pyrotechnics.  Buy some firecrackers from Little Saigon or hop on over to Union City for some sparklers.  This will be sure to light up your night together.  
14. Tandem biking/surrey riding along the beach at sunset.  As a resident of the beautiful Golden State, it is a crime to not visit the beach at every opportunity.  The water may be freezing during all of our two seasons, but the view is to live for.  It is time to utilize our accessibility to beaches as Californians and take a bike ride for a taste of the salty ocean air.
15. Game night.  A great way to destroy families and relationships.  Want to put your relationship to the test?  Play some Monopoly Deal and find out who really has your back.  Don’t be shocked if the person behind the gun, or in this case, the Double Rent Card, is the one you love most.  
16. Fighting a bear (and survivin!).  Almost nothing beats coming out of a fight with one of these majestic creatures alive.  Your bones may be shattered but your pride won’t be.  

By Jen Luu

The gentle pitter-patter of the rain on a December night soothed Marshall and Melanie as they took comfort in each other’s company.  Melanie laid blissfully in the crook of Marshall’s neck, peacefully snuggled in his warmth.  Although the whole world around them was uncertain and unstable, their happiness was constant.

It was evening, and the only sounds of the night were that of the burning from the fire.  As Melanie slept without a care in the world, Marshall sensed something different in the environment.  A quiet tremble in the distance stirred his thoughts.  He felt an eerie, ominous presence approaching them.

“Is someone there? No, this must be my paranoia talking.  What’s there to even worry about? I can’t be too sure, though,” contemplated Marshall.  Anxiety and worry began to seep inside his mind, muddling his rationality.  But after what seemed like eternity had passed, the night was silent again.

Relief flowed into Marshall’s state of mind, and he finally allowed himself to close his eyes to drift into slumber.

Then fear itself manifested.  Forcefully, a booming noise exploded from the surroundings.  The ground shook incessantly, as if Hell was emerging on earth.  Melanie’s eyes shot open and terror paralyzed her entire body.

“Marshall!  What’s going on?  What’s happening?  I-I can’t move,” shrieked Melanie.  “No…wait..it can’t be that! All this time we were safe!”

Trying to keep his voice steady Marshall said, “Look at me, Mel.  I thought there was no chance of this happening either, but we can get out of this.  Alright?  This isn’t the first time that we’ve escaped.  We’ve done it before, and we’ll do it again now.”

Despite the chaos raging around them, a gleam of hope appeared in Melanie’s eyes.  She choked out, “I believe you, Marshall.  I—”

Without warning, the force blasted through the interior of their safety and mercilessly gripped Melanie.  She let out a blood-curdling scream and frantically tried to squirm out of the predator’s grasp.

Marshall had to think quick.  He inspected his environment and haphazardly searched for anything that would be of use.  He couldn’t comprehend the horror taking place in front of his eyes.  He thought to himself how ironic life could be: just when the sea reaches serenity, an unforgiving storm unleashes its wrath.

“Wait! Marshall…stop.  Please come here,” pleaded Melanie.  There was resignation in her voice, but also calmness. “Marshall…it’s okay. You don’t have to struggle for me anymore.”

“What? Melanie, no.  Stop speaking nonsense.  Of course you’re going to get out. Of course —”

“Marshall…for years we’ve let others suffer in our place.  The time I’ve spent with you was undoubtedly the best in my life.  But I don’t want to place this burden on anyone else anymore for my own selfish interests.  The love we shared was more than enough happiness in my life… I’m content. Thank you.”

He understood, and a bittersweet acceptance settled into Marshall.  He swallowed the lump in his throat and began, “Melanie…I’m happy I lived long enough to be with you, too.  I just wish —”

Although Marshall didn’t finish his sentence, Melanie’s tender expression gave him enough closure.  Within just a few seconds, the predator took Melanie away and flung her into a dark, steamy sea.  Marshall solemnly watched the water submerge Melanie, but was grateful for their time spent together.

As Melanie resurfaced and laid on her back, there was a smile on her face.  Almost barely noticeable amidst the frenzy, there was genuine contentment embedded in the upturned corners of her lips.  And with that, she slipped into a peaceful rest.

“Mmm, this is some good hot chocolate,” I gleefully exclaimed.  “Huh, just one marshmallow? I could’ve sworn I grabbed two…”

By Emily Zhao

Want to ask out the cute person in your class but don’t know how? Use one of these cheesy pick-up lines! Satisfaction guaranteed!

1. Why provolone when we can prov-together?
2. I find intellect attractive, and you’re as sharp as cheddar.
3. I want to grow mold with you.
4. I can promise you a gouda time.
5. There’s no feta person to be with than me.
6. You make me melt like mozzarella sticks.
7. Sandwich me in your arms and I’ll melt like a grilled cheese.
8. I know this sounds cheesy, but we’d be grate together.
9. You’re the dairy best I could ask for.
10. You’re the only one who can calm the muenster inside me.

Too cheesy?

1. If I were an enzyme I’d be a helicase so I could unzip your genes.
2. If I was an octopus all 3 of my hearts would beat for you.
3. Pass me the tape…cause I’m ripped
4. There’s a fire! Let’s get out… together!
5. Are you a bank loan? Cause I take interest in you.
6. These are all knives and forks, but all I want is a little spoon.
7. Do you have an inflamed appendix cuz I wanna take you out.
8. What’s your sign? It must be pi/2 cuz you’re the one!
9. Can I walk you home, because my mom told me to follow my dreams.
10. Are you an existential crisis? Because I’m thinking about you all the time.

By Bernice Ou-yang

Don’t stress out about not having a significant other to hang out with on Valentine’s Day — It’s okay, because many people don’t either!  Here are a few tips to get loneliness off your mind:

1. Hang out with friends.  When you’re going somewhere public, invite your friends.  It doesn’t matter if you’re going to be a third wheeler or even a fifth wheeler.  You’ll look much less lonely.
2. Act busy.  It doesn’t matter how lonely you think you look.  If you are on your phone, you’ll look so much less lonely.  As long as you’re doing something, people will think that you’re just too busy to hang with your friends.
3. Make new friends.  Instead of just standing there and being paranoid of people thinking that you›re a loner, why not make new friends?  Start a conversation with a random stranger that you think is alone or waiting for someone.  Keep them company, because most likely, they are feeling the same way you are.

Although it does feel a bit lonely and awkward to be that loner in the midst of people in public, you should not care about what others think.  Just because you may look lonely without a significant other on Valentine’s Day, it does not mean you do not have friends!

If anything, you should be happy that you can still enjoy that single life.

By Mae Castellano

Just like there’s a designated day for couples, there’s one for the single pringles: Singles’ Awareness Day. This holiday is celebrated by the single people and can either take place on Valentine’s Day or the day after.

The point of Singles’ Awareness Day is for “lonely” people to have celebrations or get togethers with their other single friends and exchanges gifts with each other. Some common activities done on this holiday include spoiling oneself, traveling and volunteering.

“I wait for Target to go on sale and buy the chocolates,” says junior Cindy Hoang. “I enjoy (Valentine’s Day) for the candy, not the love.” This is a great way to start off your Singles’ Awareness Day: binging on cheap chocolates.

If some young, independent women (or men) “who don’t need no man (or woman)” really wants to have fun, they’ll call up their friends and have a fun night out.

If you’re not one to go out and be crazy, there is always the option of staying home and hanging out with friends. With your friends over, you can build a fort in the living room and act like children again.

“I watch romance movies any day besides Valentine’s Day,” comments junior Thy TranHoang. “(On Valentine’s Day), I eat and wonder why everyone is interacting so much.”

“I’m a single pringle, and I’m not ready to mingle,” claims Cindy.

Singles’ Awareness Day isn’t just about single people feeling down because they don’t have a significant other. There are those who are willingly single and know that they don’t need anyone to have fun in life; they enjoy how their life is now.