Bread and Roses (and Alex Rousset)

Alex Rousset recently joined an all women service organization on campus known as Belles. While the mainly known focus of this organization from students is their work with domestic violence awareness, these women also work with various other service placements and are able to volunteer in other service opportunities.

On a Thursday night in the middle of March, Alex, who has long brown hair and is incredibly tall, looking laid back in comfy clothes, was excited to open up about one of her favorite places to service. Bread and Roses is one of the optional places to do service. Located in Venice, California, this café is open Monday through Thursday, 8 am to noon, and provides meals for the homeless.

Having done multiple service placements in high school including visiting a convalescent home and gathering food for Thanksgiving meals for the homeless, Alex has always enjoyed giving back to the community. Although taking in everything she was experiencing, going into college, Alex was looking for a more hands-on type of service that would allow creating deeper connections with others.

While Alex works mainly on Tuesdays at Bread and Roses, she is able to serve meals to those in need. One woman that Alex always sees is described to be in her late 20s. Also described as beautiful and even vegetarian, this woman not only looks after herself but also her adorable 3-year-old son. Now Alex’s work does not go unnoticed as simply handing out meals can once be overlooked. The woman that Alex always sees actually took the time to thank her for all of her hard work at the café. Alex mentions that it really touched her because she never realized that someone would actually thank her for doing something that she genuinely enjoyed. She mentioned that it was nice to be recognized but she also never saw her service as work and really did just enjoy coming to work every Tuesday to make new interactions with people.

Alex’s simple act of kindness was an inspiration to this woman, providing her with a potential new drive to succeed and move forward with her life. The act of handing out food or passing out drinks shows that small acts can really mean so much when faced with adversity. The hands-on experience that Alex had was able to impact and influence someone around her. As Bread and Roses’ mentality of “hearts starve as well as bodies,” the café strives to make sure that people that come in for meals not only leave with a full stomach but also with a full heart. Alex says she’s lucky because she not only gets to see the progress of people she meets every time she stops in to do service but she also gets to leave with a positive outlook as well.

To find out more information on Bread and Roses and how to volunteer click here: http://www.stjosephctr.org/bread_roses.html

Watch a news segment that highlights the great things that Bread and Roses does for the community here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aUu7Dgae6g&feature=player_embedded

Learn more about the lovely ladies of the Belles Service Organization and all that they do to give back to the community here: http://studentaffairs.lmu.edu/activitiesservice/centerforserviceaction/serviceopportunities/joinaservicegroup/serviceorganizations/belles/

 Shannon Iriarte  

The Frozen Obsession

So you may have heard of this animated movie that came at the end of last year, you know, this movie called ‘Frozen?’ Yeah well I’m not here to write about how great this movie is or how great the soundtrack is because I haven’t even seen it yet. (Don’t kill me.) I’m really curious to as to why this movie is so good. I have heard so much praise for the movie that I feel like I practically know the entire plot summary and soundtrack without ever watching a second of this film. I feel like it’s this monumental thing that has to be seen and I have even had friends question our own friendship because I haven’t seen the movie yet…seriously? Is it that serious thing? Is it that great? Well I decided to ask why this movie is so great. I thought I would ask a few people to get to the bottom of why ‘Frozen’ is so good. Here’s what they told me:

“There’s singing and magic and a cute little snowman. What more could you ask for?”

“The songs are so catchy.”

“You have a sister right? Well your sisterly bond will grow and flourish from watching this movie.”

Well, this is great to know, really. I even got a mini lecture on how my relationship with my own sister will change and become stronger from this movie. I’m not surprised Disney has a life lesson in their movie. I appreciate the fact that this movie not only has catchy songs and magic but there’s also a cute little snowman?! I mean I love me some animated movies, trust me I do, Lilo and Stitch? One of the greats and I’m sure this movie is too but if I have to hear ‘Let It Go’ one more time today, I might punch a wall. I’m sure one day I’ll give in and watch this movie that also won an Oscar for Original Song but for now I’m content with hearing about how great it is every 3 seconds of the day. You should know that I’m not exaggerating, I hear about it multiple times a day. Frozen, I’m sure I already love you, but for now just accept me for who I am. I’ll watch it eventually, I swear.

Watch Frozen’s trailer here, maybe you’ll get hooked too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbQm5doF_Uc

Find out why this movie is as successful as it is here: http://www.vulture.com/2014/01/why-is-frozen-such-a-big-hit.html

Most beloved animated film in 20 years? Do you trust Buzzfeed’s opinion? http://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/how-frozen-became-the-most-beloved-animated-movie-in-20-year

Shannon Iriarte  

Two Peas in a Pod

My dad and I are simply put, two peas in a pod. I’ve always been told growing up that I look just like my mom and act exactly like my dad which is absolutely true. I remember being taught in a psychology class once that there’s a theory that sometimes a child’s life is predetermined in a sense, meaning that characteristics or interests of one parent are naturally ingrained into their child’s thought process per say. Although I was a little put off by this idea, thinking that not every child is just like their parent, as I got older I began to realize I do share the same characteristics and interests as my dad.

Growing up with one older sister, my dad never got the chance to have a son which I don’t ever think bothered him. However, I remember that he put us into sports the moment we reached the minimum age requirement. My sister and I played a variety of sports including softball, which my sister loved, basketball, and volleyball, which is what I fell in love with. My dad loved that we played competitively and was always our biggest supporter. Once my sister had graduated from high school and three years later when it was my turn, I didn’t really have an idea of what I wanted to pursue in college. I knew how much I enjoyed reading and writing but it wasn’t until my dad had brought up the idea of considering majoring in English, had I thought it would be a good fit. 

It was a weird concept for me to realize that I was somewhat following in my dad’s own footsteps. We loved sports as kids and grew up extremely die hard football fans, are both obsessed with anything to do with music, and are both English majors. We also have very similar personality traits. We’re stubborn and incredibly passive and always have to be mediators in arguments. I am literally his carbon copy. It’s also nice that as I get older I find more things that relate to my dad. I love coming home on random weekends and hearing stories from his college life or getting asked questions about what I’m currently reading or learning in my English courses. He gives me insight to his younger days and always tells me whether or not he actually enjoyed British Literature or Don Quixote while he was in school.

My dad is easily my favorite person on the planet and one of my best friends. A lot of the time there is a lot going on in my life and since we’re so similar, he understands and is there to help me out when I need it. I know how proud he is of me and it’s always nice to have a helping hand when I just really don’t understand what is going in one of Chaucer’s works or need some new music to listen to while I’m writing a paper or studying for an exam. As my college life is coming to an end within a year’s time, I’m sure I’ll get more stories out of him and we’ll only become more alike.

Need to know 29 reasons why there is no bond quite like a Father and Daughter’s? Sure you do. Click here: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/02/18/law-aiding-whistle-blowers-puts-un-on-notice/

How does a Father/Daughter relationship or lack of one affect a woman:  http://firstthings.org/father-daughter-relationships

Watch an iconic Father/Daughter relationship in this little moment from the Parent Trap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqEZUkW9TCo

Shannon Iriarte 

                   

My Eternal WCW (Woman Crush Wednesday)

A woman with great dignity, class, artistic ability and achievement, Julie Andrews tops the list of the select few actresses that I deeply revere.  Throughout her 70-year career that is still thriving, Dane Andrews has become a multi-faceted icon and role model for aspiring actresses and singers.

Starting off as a young girl in the UK singing with her parents in the evenings, Andrews was a long way off from American silver screen fame. She appeared on stage for most of her young life at the London Hippodrome, the London Palladium, and the West End Theatre as well appearing on the BBC.  She made her debut on Broadway when she was 19 in The Boy Friend, a show that she recently revived and directed in 2003. “By the end of 1967, Andrews was the world's most successful film star. She had appeared in the most-watched television special Cinderella; the biggest Broadway musical of its time, My Fair Lady; the largest-selling long-playing album, the original cast recording of My Fair Lady; the biggest hit in Disney's history, Mary Poppins; the highest grossing movie of 1966, Hawaii; the biggest and second biggest hits in Universal's history, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Torn Curtain; and the biggest in 20th Century Fox's history, The Sound of Music.” Along with such prestige and fame, Dame Andrews has won numerous awards for her acting and singing. Just a few of her numerous honors are the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actress in Mary Poppins, her Golden Globe for Best Actress in The Sound of Music, and her Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Screen Actors Guild, the UCLA George and Ira Gershwin Award, and the Grammys.

Although her immense success as a youth has waned in recent years, Ms. Andrews’ work will always remain iconic and awe inspiring. She is currently focused on her philanthropic work and is constantly working with the United Nations International Fund for Women, Operation USA – an international relief agency, Save the Children, and the Foundation for Hereditary Disease. To the youth of this century, she is most recognized as Queen Clarisse in The Princess Diaries movies, the voice of the queen in the Shrek series, and Lily in The Tooth Fairy.

I admire Dame Andrews primarily because of her versatility and immense talent. It amazes me than in the span of her life she has been both a theatre and film actress, a singer with perfect pitch and a four-octave range, a comedian, a voice-over actress, a director, a philanthropist, a Dame Commander of the British Empire and a best selling author of children’s books. To me, she is a fitting example of a real and tangible woman who, despite her human faults, has made history out of her successes. No negative connotation follows a name like hers because she has always made wise choices in her career that allow her to have fun and try new things while maintaining a wholesome and positive persona. I feel as though Julie Andrews is a lot like me. My biggest love is singing, I enjoy theatre and comedy immensely, and writing is one of my strongest attributes. I just hope that wherever my life takes me, and if I do decide to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, that I can have a flourishing and iconic career like that of Julie Andrews.

You can learn more about this amazing lady here and make your next movie night a Julie marathon! 

Why I Cringe at the Sight of the Good Ol’ Captain

During college, the most popular extracurricular activity is heavy drinking. You can pretty much never drink too much, and coming close to frat guy averages is nearly impossible. The more you drink, the more respected you are. The more often you drink, the more popular exposure you gain. It seems like a win-win situation for a lot of young people to engage in binge drinking at parties for the “cool factor” that comes with attending a wild rager. With stories to tell and cell phone photos to flaunt, anyone can appear more bold and interesting than they really are.

Like a large majority of high school students, I drank at parties to excess. I’ve puked in bushes, sinks, occasionally hitting the mark of a toilet, and have gone so far as to “puke and rally”, not wanting to quit after the first round of nausea. I’ve made a fool of myself, made “party friends”, fucked up relationships, lied to my loved ones and said “yes”, when the sober me would have politely declined. 

I did it all to feel like I was someone else. I had good friends, but socially, I was not at the status I longed for. Drinking made me part of a group of people I found interesting and funny, but I could never see the cracks in their façade as we all stumbled through an alcoholic daze.

Coming to this realization and gripping on to the last strings of reality helped me escape a world I could have easily fell victim to.  Freshman year of college, I saw a few of my good friends destroy themselves at the hands of drugs and alcohol. What they were running from, I could never understand, but I knew that was not the life I had planned for myself. I reasoned that I never enjoyed the taste of alcohol nor the feeling of a hangover, so I wouldn’t be missing much if I simply stopped drinking and took responsibility for my health and future.  

Easier said than done, I continued to drink, only on a much smaller scale, for the next two years. Leaving the University of San Francisco sparked a great relapse as I realized how much alcohol affected the social atmosphere here at Loyola Marymount University. Drunk and uncoordinated, I met the love of my life the first weekend of school, my boyfriend of a year and a half. Although this is one of the most positive things that have ever happened to me, I deeply regret the way in which we met. It is a story I will always feel ashamed to tell, certainly if we are married and have children.

Within our relationship I found great incentive to stay sober for the sake of mutual safety and respect for my partner. After a few incidents of neglectful behavior and drunken bickering, I called it quits. There is nothing more important to me than my personal relationships, and now I have more than enough motivation to give up the fantasy of my drunk alter ego and simply be myself.

Surely it has taken me quite a bit of time to come to this conclusion, but it truly the best for me at this time in my life. I go to school full time, work full time and hold a leadership position in a sorority. I don’t have the time or the energy to get wasted every weekend and deal with the hangovers that will inevitably come.

If self-awareness does not stir a response to my story, think about the physical facts:

Alcohol is a toxin that our bodies tolerate and toil to process and eject.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/mar/07/safe-level-alcohol-consumption

Long-term alcohol abuse can produce devastating neurological damage.

http://www.healthline.com/health/alcohol-related-neurologic-disease#Overview

The negative effects of alcohol reach far beyond our own back door.

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics

For more info on cutting out alcohol from your weekly or daily routine, check out this UK site:

http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/relax-without-alcohol.aspx

Birds on the Wire

If you can believe it, this man actually made a song based on birds sitting on a wire. He mirrored the notes from a photo snapped of the birds and this AMAZING piece of music came out of it. Now I don't know about you, but I believe that this kind of creativity and beauty melding nature, art and technology is something inherently special about the world we live in. We are capable of so much good, that at times, it's hard to accept that there is and most likely will always be evil amongst us. 

For a few brief minutes, fall into the peaceful frame of mind this video inspires. There's nothing to complain about or contemplate. Just experience the natural music of life. 

by: McKenna Warde

So I Just Did a Juice Cleanse

Yes, you heard right. I gave in to the fad last week after feeling particularly lethargic and unmotivated to do anything with my day. It certainly didn’t help that social media at my fingertips shoved encouragement in my face via photos and articles of all things “healthy”.  Why couldn’t I just kick myself back into gear for the end of the semester and go on a cleanse? That sounded perfectly sensible to me, and with extra money in the bank from my new job, I took Nike’s advice and just did it.

I chose a three-day personalized cleansed from Pressed Juicery in Manhattan Beach and read up on all the facts and how-to articles to actually reap some benefit from this insane decision. Three days before the cleanse I switched to eating only small portions of raw fruits and veggies, transitioning on the last day to soups and liquids only. 100% by the book, and that my friends, was probably the hardest part of the whole process. I honestly had to turn down a cheese stick from a co-worker the day before I started, and just holding it in my hand was a Herculean effort. When you think about all of things in your diet that are made of meat, dairy, grains, sugar, caffeine and alcohol, then being told you can’t touch them for the entirety of a pre-cleanse, the cleanse itself and the post-cleanse, your outlook gets a little bleak. Being dedicated to a fresh start was my sole motivation, and it was a shaky road for a while, but I managed to succeed.  For the most part…

Pre-cleanse complete, I dove into day one of the cleanse. Everyone warns you that the beginning is rough, but I have to say, the only rough thing for me was getting down so much damn liquid. 16 oz. of juice every 2 hours in combination with 2 liters of water throughout the day is a struggle. There’s no other way to explain it. I never felt a single hunger pain, but my stomach and bladder were screaming for me to let up on so much volume. Silly me also opted for two addition “cleansing waters” to accompany my cleanse that I simply couldn’t finish in addition to the 160 oz. already ravaging my system.

As far as taste goes, I made a huge mistake by picking my own juices and not just doing the pre-made cleanse. Reading over the list of ingredients in the juices, I excitedly chose some pretty nasty combos, ending up with only two really yummy concoctions to look forward to each day.

1.     10 AM- greens 1.5: I don’t know why I decided to choose a greens drink with zero fruit….this is basically grass in a bottle.

2.     12 AM- citrus 4: ok celery was a bad idea

3.     2 PM- roots 3: literally devil’s blood…. beets and ginger= nope

4.     4 PM: citrus 2: thee most delicious fruity/tangy concoction ever! I baby sipped it for the entire two hours

5.     6 PM- vanilla almond: HALLELUJIA this drink was so good. Think creamy almond milk taste with vanilla and a hint of sea salt

6.     1 hour before bed- aloe vera water: looks like water, smells like water, NOT WATER

7.     Throughout the day- chlorophyll water: a grass/water hybrid of disgusting

As you can see, the road was rough, and trying to function around people who are eating solid food isn’t great. Luckily, I had enough energy to get through my days at work and school without any major issues. Most likely because I was within 100 feet of a bathroom most of the time. I’ll spare you the details.

The experience was interesting, but I wouldn’t say it’s something I’ll do again soon. You need a lot more time to relax and breathe as you do a cleanse, and I certainly don’t have that luxury right now.

Three days post-cleanse and I’m doing just fine. I did indulge in a few treats a little too soon after breaking the cleanse, but who could blame me? When frat guys throw candy at you, you tend to eat it. I feel pretty good, but the biggest benefit I’m enjoying right now is a lessened appetite. I feel full and comfortable with small portions of fruits and veggies, and I don’t crave sweets or fried foods at all. Being content feels good, and if anything, I hope the habit of refraining from “unclean” foods sticks with me.

If you want to try a cleanse to detox your body or have a fresh start, I’d say go for it! It was hard for me, but everyone has a different experience. I think I’ll count myself one of the lucky ones for not having too much digestive upset. I would highly recommend getting familiar with a juice company you think is reputable, and sticking to the full cleanse regiment when you do commit. Also, focus on the internal benefits you are reaping rather than the external. Unless you’re Superman and you decide to juice for weeks or months, don’t expect to see too many changes in your weight or skin. There will be improvements, but think more along the lines of a clean and healthy colon and digestive track.

You can take a look at the company I used here: http://www.pressedjuicery.com

Good luck on your own health expeditions and happy juicing!

by: McKenna Warde

Queen of Convergence

As a child of the 90s, I have never considered myself in the same boat as the newest generation of "tech-immersed" children, learning and engaging primarily through digital multi-media. When I was a child, the personal computer was still clunky and took some getting used to in order to even use the most basic functions. I used text books throughout my elementary and high school education with the occasional movie or demo thrown in, and I never felt like school was too boring or I wasn't getting the best education possible. There are many outdated forms of research and learning that I have mastered, and I take pride in my ability to live at a convergence of old and new media where I feel comfortable in both worlds.

In his article, Marc Prensky addresses an issue that I think is more prevalent in the youth of the present generation of "digital natives." Teachers have lost touch of what students immersed in the technological age need: condensed, engaging, readily available information. This is an extremely tall order to fill for adults who are essentially "digital immigrants" compared to their younger counterparts, but there seems to be few other choices than to simply adapt.

Just as my parents and I have adapted to our new smart phones and drawn heavily from the benefits that come with convenient connection, so too would there be benefits to freshening up teaching models and engaging students in new and interesting ways. Take the website Prezi for example, which is essentially an interactive form of PowerPoint. Not only does the site offer a new learning experience for teachers in building their presentations, but it gives students something visually appealing to look at with an interface that mimics much of the new technology they use in their daily lives.

At the same time, it is hard to neatly pin down the divide between digital natives and immigrants, just as it is to conquer the drastically different cultures/learning practices. Author Henry Jenkins references this opposing theory to Prensky in his article focusing on the importance of collaborative learning. Rather than taking on an attitude that the young are superior to the old and those who are behind in the tech world need to simply "get with the times", there needs to be some give and take. Teachers can learn just as much from their students as their students can from them. Think back to any effective teacher you had growing up, and chances are they were flexible and ready to adapt to the needs of their class.

To this day, I'm one of those people who gawk at 2 year olds using IPads and sneer whenever "good old fashioned _________" doesn't seem to be enough. However, I am a supporter of innovation in an age when education remains a subject filled with yawns and groans. Check out Center Theatre Group online or like their "Emerging Artists" Facebook page here to see what this company is investing in to engage and invite young people to participate in LA theatre. Some of their projects include "Tweet Seats" that allow patrons to live-tweet during performances and "Student Scene Nights" that immerse teens in the history and atmosphere of current shows with a free ticket included!

by: McKenna Warde

Outside Lands Music Festival-- The Best Fest In The West

Mark Twain once said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” With that in mind, Outside Lands is the perfect place to let the inner wild child free without having to worry about dehydration, heat stroke or melting. Unlike Coachella or Burning Man, Outside Lands is arguably the best festival on the West Coast if triple digits aren’t your thing. Putting the weather aside, Outside Lands strays from the typical, trendy music festival, giving veteran festival-goers something to be excited about.

If you dig the lights and drug culture of raves—or Coachella, even—then Outside Lands might not be for you. The festival is much less of a spectacle and less E.D.M (electronic dance music) oriented—keeping the light shows and thumping bass to a minimum (thankfully!). The lack of spectacle makes Outside Lands a music festival that’s actually centralized around the music. As odd as it may sound, the majority of music festivals aren’t about the music anymore, giving Outside Lands an edge over most multi-day music events. It’s an event for the genuine music lover because it’s an authentic music experience.

What separates the San Francisco music festival from other massive music festivals is the line up. The number of incredible, world-renowned musicians who perform every year at Outside Lands is more than impressive. Between 2010 and 2013 alone, Al Green, Foo Fighters, Willie Nelson, Metallica, Neil Young, Jack White, Paul McCartney, LCD Soundsystem and Stevie Wonder have rocked the Golden Gate stages.

Year after year Outside Lands continuously books quality performers, while most other music festivals do not. Most festivals have conformed and morphed into mainstream conclaves, and let’s be real: Mainstream music is terrible. Outside Lands, thankfully, has kept to its unique, eclectic roots.

The San Francisco music fest is also notorious for it’s performers doing wildly unheard of things. In 2012 former lead singer of the White Stripes, Jack White, performed an impromptu set in the middle of the Golden Gate woods. Completely unannounced, a massive crowd gathered around him as he performed songs off of his solo album, Blunderbuss.

Paul McCartney

An equally mind blowing affair occurred this past year during the middle of Paul McCartney’s set. The former Beatle invited two fans from the crowd on stage and gave them a once in a lifetime experience. The girls chosen to join McCartney stood motionless, speechless and teary-eyed, as he chatted with them in front of the massive Golden Gate crowd. The overwhelmed fans wept as Sir Paul hugged and dedicated the song “Hey Jude” to them.

The spontaneous and spirited nature of the performers gives the massive festival an intimacy other music fests don’t have. I mean, what other concert allows attendees the opportunity to personally engage with A-list musicians? None. It’s unheard of for rock stars to play surprise sets in the middle of a forest. But, it’s even more unheard of for a Beatle to invite people on stage and dedicate an iconic song to them.

Instances like these don’t happen anywhere else, making Outside Lands electric. For the people who witnessed White’s unannounced set, and the fans who were brought on stage by Sir Paul McCartney, Outside Lands is the place where dreams come true.

Additionally, the festival is located in one of the hippie epicenters of the universe – Golden Gate Park—giving the festival an old school vibe. Between the psychedelic art structures and festival attendees dressed in their best hippie attire, it’s hard not to feel the peace and love.

YUM

Along with the festival’s innate hippie culture, the options for food and alcohol are stellar. Between fried pickles, cruelty-free meat, ice cream trucks and vegetable vendors Outside Lands has something for everyone to eat. The options for adult beverages are also limitless. With wine from Napa Valley, beers from some of the best breweries in the nation and bartenders who pour stiff cocktails, it’s easy to get into the festival spirit. In regards to all things tasty, Outside Lands has its bases covered.

For more reasons than I can count on my hands and feet, Outside Lands is arguably the best music fest in the West.  

By Mary Carreon

Soberchella

[Writers note: The links in this piece are worth checking out!]

In the first week of April last year, LA Weekly asked me to help them provide media coverage for Southern California’s biggest music festival: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Considering the fact I’ve been labeled a music nerd/junkie/snob/nut job for all of my life, the invitation to cover one of the most renowned music festivals in the world was more than a dream come true. My downfall, however, was due to lack of experience. It wasn't festival experience that I lacked, but rather the experience of writing, reporting and working in a festival environment for 15 hours straight. I didn't realize how difficult and tiring it was, and therefore, didn't plan for it. I figured that when I got to the festival, brilliant ideas would pop into my head and I would have tons to write about. That obviously didn’t happen. Although I completed the amount of content I was responsible for, it was tough because I didn’t prepare--at all-- prior to the event.

So, when LA Weekly asked me to help them cover Coachella again this year, I made sure to prepare a laundry list of ideas. I scoured the Internet months prior to the event for things I could base my coverage around. At the height of my research, I discovered what felt like a glowing hidden treasure chest: Soberchella. Soberchella is a support group for people in recovery who want to experience Coachella to the fullest, while maintaining their sobriety. Over the three-day event, the group holds 12-step meetings on the festival grounds in order to provide safety, relief and strength for its members.

Originating in 2009, Soberchella has grown substantially, attracting people from all over the globe, let alone the country. Although most members are from the U.S., the group provides a sense of familiarity to foreigners attending Coachella by welcoming them into a group of like-minded people who share a couple of things in common: sobriety and a love for music.

As those who’ve been to the festival know, Coachella is a shit show. It’s become a place where people go to party their brains out for three days straight. Thus, the combination of the wild atmosphere, drunks and druggies, Coachella isn’t exactly an ideal place for a person who struggles with addiction.

This is what makes Soberchella inspiring: The group provides a safe haven for people in recovery amidst a chaotic warzone. Especially to those new to recovery, it’s commonly thought that events like Coachella are out of the question. Soberchella proves otherwise, however, as it provides those who struggle with addiction the opportunity to take on a new perspective about their condition. Being an alcoholic or addict doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, and that’s what Soberchella aims to confirm.

As Coachella has evolved, the focus has become more about partying and less about the music. The members of Soberchella, however, experience the festival the way it’s meant to be enjoyed: For the music. Going to a music festival for the sake of the music is a concept that seems long forgotten, sadly, which is another aspect that makes Soberchella unique.

Although sobriety isn’t an issue for me, Coachella is, without a doubt, one of the craziest and most unpredictable places I’ve been to because of the 100,000 inebriated festival attendees. With that said, if sobriety was a challenge of mine, I’d imagine Coachella to be an anxiety ridden experience. Needless to say, the members of Soberchella are impressively brave and commendable. You are who you surround yourself with, thus, you are as strong as those you surround yourself with. Soberchella, then, is an example of how powerful a group of strong individuals who share a common goal are.

Interviewing the leaders of Soberchella as a part of my festival coverage opened my eyes to an interesting subculture within the intoxicated festival culture. The group gives those who are challenged by addiction the chance to experience Coachella and feel safe about it. This inspiring group of people is a reminder of how incredible and positive humanity can be. Nothing is more beautiful than seeing people reach out and do good for the sake and well being of others around them.

By: Mary Carreon

Reciprocate What You Get, Let's Not Experience Ecological Debt.

“The world is too much with us,” but what would it be without us?

Sure. Pollution, sickness, war and hate would be much less fuss,

yet far less love, friendship, joy and happiness would cease to exist,

and we’d never get to experience what it is to love and to be kissed.

“Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers/ little we see in Nature that is ours.”

Yes, it’s true-- humanity is hypnotized by the modern world’s powers

but is it right to judge how one appreciates flowers and their beauty?

No—remember the goal is to be more open minded and less moody.

You want to get out of here because uninformed people make you forlorn--

Instead of running from what bothers you, why not help others become reborn?

Appreciating nature is one thing, but helping others see its majesty is another.

Promote the benefits of what it means to love and take care of our mother.

A persistent and proactive approach is the best way to help people care.

Instead of whining about how we won't improve our quality of air,

it’s up to us to inspire others about our alive and radiant Earth

because she is foremost responsible for humanity’s life and birth.

Doing your part means leaving a smaller footprint--

It's easy! Just start by conserving water, hint hint.

Remember that recycling means clean and fantastic,

but reuse what you can and throw away less plastic.

The world needs to know there’s too much in our landfills—

the waste is equivalent to mounds of infinite trash hills.

Producing less waste is another way to contribute—

because it means less litter for people to distribute.

Disposing trash properly will improve the ocean’s quality

and enhance people's lust for the knowledge of ecology.

“Mercy, mercy me, oh things aren’t what they used to be,”

you see, even Marvin Gaye wants our Earth radiation free.

If you take care of the Earth, she will take care of you—

there are many ways to ensure our bright sky stays blue.

If our Earth goes black because of our negligence, so do we

Lets join forces to ensure a beautiful world for our kids to see.

By Mary Carreon