A Hot New Sauce

Chloe Lomelli
Elective Article

May 1, 2015

From the underground to the mainstream, people are always looking for new and unheard tunes. There is always new music is being made, new genres are always emerging. Music is everywhere and with its infinite amount of genres and multi-categorizing of artists and music it is easy for listeners to stumble upon something new to their ears.

The jazz, funk and hip-hop stylings of The Sauce, a band out of Orlando, brings their sound to the scene in summer of 2015. Their fusion of jazz influenced bass, psychedelic guitar sounds and funky percussions mixed with hip-hop lyrics paved the way for their first EP, “Today is the Youngest We’ll Ever Be”.

 “I hope this first release opens the door for more opportunities to make better music and collaborate with other artists,” said one of the band’s lyricists BOXicle Jenkins. This EP will be the first step The Sauce is making to get their sound heard.  They also plan to release “Nivens McTwisp” the last song on the tape, as a single. A video will also accompany the song to further promote their work.

The Sauce drew from personal experiences to write the music included on this tape. Some of heavier topics are death of loved ones and battling inner demons, but the band offers an uplifting outlook on life while talking about things people do not necessarily want to deal out in the open.

Hitting social media during the summer, be on the lookout for The Sauce in places like Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. Keep up with the band and see where they will be playing after the release of “Today is the Youngest We’ll Ever Be” and for band merchandise.

Whether people love or hate the EP it makes the listeners think and feel which the end goal The Sauce wants to achieve. The only rule is “It’s The Sauce over everything.”

Prom Do-Over Valencia Style

Danny Mora Howard
Campus Story
May 1st, 2015

Going to Prom is considered a once in a lifetime opportunity to take advantage of and enjoy. But what if you could experience it all over again?

Kimberly Caldwell, the SGA Treasurer for Valencia's West campus, sat down with me for an exclusive interview prior to the Take Back Your Prom event that was heavily promoted around the West campus. 

I was quite fascinated by the idea of students having another shot of dancing the night away even while being in college. Prom has always been a high school event that is especially considered a right of passage that each generation can experience. 

When I thought about going to Prom, I knew it would be fine even if I didn't attend the dance because it's not like there aren't going to ever be anymore dances in the future. 

But then I pondered the thought of whether or not I would regret not attending Prom during my own Senior Year. I made the decision that I should absolutely go to the dance and have a great time not just because it's a right of passage, but also because I know I would have a fun time. 

It was an unforgettable experience to attend my Senior Prom and thankfully, Kimberly Caldwell arranged for the Take Back Your Prom dance for Valencia students to enjoy another chance at attending a Prom dance. 
I'm happy for the students who missed out the first time and were able to take advantage of this opportunity presented by Valencia College. 

I was sick with the flu when Take Back Your Prom happened, so I'm also thankful I attended Prom the first time while in high school. 

Below is our full interview between Kim and myself. 

Your Conscience or Your Entertainment.

Mytho Stvictor
Audio Recording Project

Millions of people are going to answer this question on May 2nd when Floyd Money Mayweather finally steps in the ring to face off with his not so best friend, Manny "The Pac Man" Pacquiao. This match has generated 80 million dollars in bets, which is the most ever for a boxing fight per CNN. Its hard to imagine how a boxing match could cause you to fight with your conscience, but yet there are thousands and millions of people are going to put in that exact situation. Just imagine that you willfully paid someone who is a notorious woman beater, just to be entertained for an hour or two. Many people don't have to imagine this, because that is exactly what they will be doing if they order pay per view and tune in to the mega fight this weekend. According to am Outside The Lines report, a show on ESPN,  and a simple a google search, Floyd Mayweather has been accused of multiple instances of domestic violence and has even been convicted and was sentenced to 90 days in jail a couple of years back. And in spite of that he is still being cleared by the Vegas fight commission to be a part of arguably the grandest boxing match ever, only because he is involved of course. That is what makes Floyd so polarizing, even though so many people hate his personal actions they still want to pay to see him in the ring. Professionals are forced to deal with problem as well. Look no further than ESPN analyst Cari Champion spoke about her struggle with having to cover this fight while also wanting nothing to do with Floyd but she also acknowledges his greatness. Some of what she specifically said is, “Personally, I'm rooting for Pacquiao. I would like to see him beat Mayweather in knockout fashion. Still, if I had to bet my last dollars on the fight, I'd bet my money on Mayweather.” She says that she feels haunted by her conscience while having to discuss the fight but she has a job to do and she gets it done, regardless of her personal opinion, and that can be understood. But what should we make of everyone else who plans on tuning in solely for their entertainment? Should we look down at them for helping a serial domestic abuser accumulate more wealth, fame, and in turn power? Or should we just view this as 2 boxers and not 2 people? It all depends on what you value you more, Your entertainment or your conscience. Either the fight is going down and Mayweather will be richer than ever, enjoy your fight night.. If your heart will let you, this has been Mytho. Thank you.

Looking Back at MegaCon 2015

Danny Mora Howard
Media Outlet Story
May 1st, 2015

Today will be a day long remembered for comic book fans.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is in theaters now and a massive storming of audiences to see the film will be taking place all across America. I look extremely forward to seeing the sequel to Marvel's The Avengers tonight along with hundreds of other fans.

This day is also worthy of taking a step back for reflection on previous experiences with the Marvel brand and one such experience I had was attending the MegaCon Convention in Orlando, FL for the very first time. It was an overwhelmingly positive adventure to attend the convention each of the three days it took place last month from April 10th to the 12th.

Below is a video montage I've put together of some of the most interesting costumes I have ever seen and the video also shows just how incredible the turnout is for this yearly convention.



Being a Marvel fan since I was in the fifth grade, I've especially enjoyed the progression that the superhero film genre has experienced this past decade. I still remember seeing Spider-Man 3 when the sequel first came out on May 4th, 2007 and at the time I believed it was the best one yet for the genre.

Then Iron Man came out a year later. Followed immediately by The Dark Knight. It's clear that there can never be an absolute greatest superhero film because there is tremendous creative success that is accomplished with each movie no matter what studio releases which superhero film. 

Comic book characters have become much more common and accepted now among popular culture as cool when in previous decades, it was considered nerdish and unpopular. Times have certainly changed indeed. 

MegaCon brings together hundreds of fans, young and old, to enjoy a time among fellow admirers of comic book related items as well as materials related to the Film and Television industries. I can't tell you how many excellent lookalikes appeared at the convention dressed in the best and closest relation to characters many people are aware of and enjoy. 

Below are just a few of the many examples:

I was able to share this experience of enjoying a weekend among comic book and movie fans with my brother who's first time at the convention it was also. 

There is no shame in any of the hundreds of people who dressed up in costumes. They passionately enjoy the characters they imitate and have a wonderful time taking pictures with astounded fans such as myself and many others who attended that weekend. It was such a successful turnout this year that 2016's MegaCon has been extended for an extra day and that is excellent news. 

May 26-29 will be the weekend of MegaCon 2016.