Alex Rodriguez
More by Alex Rodriguez
 UCR Presents: Challenges of a Playwright6/1/2012 |
Not a theatre major myself, I found that many of the “challenges” covered would apply to any other major in the arts & humanities departments, let alone the math and sciences. Those in the art field know that we hear every day from our parents “you’re not going to find a job after college with that major”. Several playwrights, theatre directors, and actors came to UCR to explain the challenges of going into the arts of playwright. Kelly Miller is the Literary Manager of South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, CA. Mike Myers is the Managing Director of the Ruskin Group Theatre and current chair of the Arts Council in Santa Monica, CA. Stephen Metcalfe is a playwright, screenwriter and director who has created numerous dramatic works for film, television and stage. His writing credits include Jacknife, based on his play Strange Snow and starring Robert DeNiro and Cathy Bates, and Cousins, directed by Joel Schumacher for Paramount Pictures. They are accomplished people with a career in the playwrighting and theater world. Our own theatre professor Mr. Reckerby put it as theatre is the original 3D and the ultimate question: What could you bring to the audience? To enter to the world of playwright it is up to you to keep it relevant, it’s up to this generation to keep the art still alive. Mike Myers (not the famous one) lives in Santa Monica which has recently became center of modern theatre and art. In Santa Monica more than 60% of people make their money through the arts. Santa Monica’s Civic Center was made with 60 million dollars to increase the art life in the area, bringing in a 4 million profit for the arts. What the playwrighters and theatre directors mostly focused on was to “never give up”. To keep striving for more success and to not be hard on yourself, sometimes plays take up to 16 drafts to be over written until it’s good enough material. Start interning in different companies to get a feel of the theatre world such as Southcoast Rep. |
 UCR Wellness Wednesday: Facebook Friend or Foe?5/29/2012 |
With the downfall of Myspace, Facebook was able to take over the social network empire. And like any other trend; everyone in the world seems to be connected now via Facebook. Now, we ask is that a good thing or a bad thing? On Wednesday I attended UCR’s Wellness Wednesday, which focused on the benefits and harm of social media. Social media includes all of the goodies: youtube, facebook, twitter, flickr, tumblr, instagram etc. A survey based on the student body of UCR stated that 63% of their time spent on social media is “well spent”, then a 5% went to “always” and 32% said “rarely”. Usually, like myself, we log on into these sites when we are bored or just procrastinating. While 88% of us use facebook to maintain relationships, using too much of a social media can affect us in ways we didn’t know. Social media can cause phobia and anxiety. We are use to talking to people via internet and it can sometimes build a phobia when it comes down to talking to someone in person. We also can build a fear of “missing out”, feeling of inferiority, and competition. Loneliness is increased by using social media. If we would leave facebook temporarily, then we would miss out on all the invites, parties, outings, club meetings, and virtually anything social about your friends and or family. We all read those statuses about how great someone’s day is going or they got promoted to astronaut; those kind of statuses stir up subconscious competition and inferiority for users. It makes some users feel less accomplished of their success. Not only do we feel emotional affects but facebook does cause relationship problems, a study shows 1 in 5 divorces happen on facebook. Although there is negativity when it comes to social media there is positivity that can outweigh the bad. |
UCR Wellness Wednesday: Facebook friend or foe?5/29/2012 |
With the downfall of Myspace, Facebook was able to take over the social network empire. And like any other trend; everyone in the world seems to be connected now via Facebook. Now, we ask is that a good thing or a bad thing? On Wednesday I attended UCR’s Wellness Wednesday, which focused on the benefits and harm of social media. Social media includes all of the goodies: youtube, facebook, twitter, flickr, tumblr, instagram etc. A survey based on the student body of UCR stated that 63% of their time spent on social media is “well spent”, then a 5% went to “always” and 32% said “rarely”. Usually, like myself, we log on into these sites when we are bored or just procrastinating. While 88% of us use facebook to maintain relationships, using too much of a social media can affect us in ways we didn’t know. Social media can cause phobia and anxiety. We are use to talking to people via internet and it can sometimes build a phobia when it comes down to talking to someone in person. We also can build a fear of “missing out”, feeling of inferiority, and competition. Loneliness is increased by using social media. If we would leave facebook temporarily, then we would miss out on all the invites, parties, outings, club meetings, and virtually anything social about your friends and or family. We all read those statuses about how great someone’s day is going or they got promoted to astronaut; those kind of statuses stir up subconscious competition and inferiority for users. It makes some users feel less accomplished of their success. Not only do we feel emotional affects but facebook does cause relationship problems, a study shows 1 in 5 divorces happen on facebook. Although there is negativity when it comes to social media there is positivity that can outweigh the bad. Here are some tips on how to keep a healthy relationship and benefit from social media. 1. Limit your time used on the internet 2. Monitor emotions and reactions |
 KUCR DJ: Neill Chua4/30/2012 |
Name: Neill Chua Age: 19 Year: Sophomore Hometown: Walnut Major: Media and Cultural Studies Relationship Status: Forever Alone Job/activities: KUCR DJ, cellist / teacher, student, The Hills fanatic Twitter/Tumblr/Facebook: Qtpiegurk.tumblr.com We are in the year 2022, what do you see yourself doing? Who's your icon? What does the world need right now? An endless supply of tiramisu. Favorite phrase (saying, one-liner) ? If you can be anyone for a day who would you be? If you can bring back alive a dead celebrity who would it be? If you could have any superpower what would it be? If you could marry any Disney princess/prince who would it be? What's your perfect date? |
 Marilyn B. White4/30/2012 |
Marilyn is a second year English Major. She is a true southern California girl who always knows how to have fun but more importantly knows how to crack down on the books. What’s your favorite phrase? “let’s get raaaaaaaaaatchet” (hahahaha) Who’s your musical icon? Do you think she’s a good role model for women? Scenario time! If a “thirsty” guy comes up to you in the club what do you do? If there is something you can eat for the rest of your life without getting tired of it, what would it be? Can you cook? What do you look for in a guy? Who’s your celebrity crush? What is your favorite Drake and Chris Brown song? How important is Education? If you were a rapper what would be your name? Which artist would you collaborate with? [pagebreak] |
 Hip-Hop & Native Soul4/9/2012 |
Hip-hop has revolutionized from the 80’s “hiphop hippity hop” days to the 90’s West coast and East coast clash. It has then had a wide range of artists from different backgrounds and ethnicities. Still, the world is not exposed yet to the “fire” Native American hip-hop artists bring. University of California Riverside’s NASP (Native American Student Programs) produced the “Indigenous Hip Hop Symposium and Concert “. The show featured Serrano native Fawksie 1, Cahuilla native Tha Native and brothers Quese imc and Dj Shock B who form the group Culture Shock B of the Pawnee and Seminole nations. Although Native American rappers have not become main stream, their superb rapping skills prove they’re toe in toe with some of the hottest emcees today. Quese IMC combines his captivating freestyle with traditional sound to deliver powerful lyrics that take the listener through a memoir of Native American history. Fawksie 1 is a fierce lyricist and as a woman in hiphop she doesn’t marginalize her music. Tha Native incorporates Indian sounds with his music and creates a distinct sound amongst the hip-hop community. Like Tupac, Biggie Smalls and NWA were able to express their pain through music, the Native American Artists conveyed the struggle of Native American history through the power of music. The genre of Native Hip-hop is a relatively new but we can expect in the near future that this genre will make its mark in Hip-hop history. |
