Jake Sonderman Archives - Page 2 of 3

My Favorite Places to Play Live

January 27, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

One of the things we all miss in these days of quarantine and social distancing is live music. Few miss it like Jake Sonderman. Jake tells us here what it’s like to be on stage at a few local venues.

By Jake Sonderman

Those who know me know what I do outside of school. I do music. I play live and in the studio. It was only recently that I started realizing how much I miss playing live, as of course I had many other things on my mind at the start of quarantine. Looking back, I’ve had quite a few odd experiences playing live, from being electrocuted at a show at the mall to nearly being sued for playing too loudly. Still, I’ve missed the live performance. Here are a few of the places I love to play. Most of them are completely or almost completely closed. Fingers crossed that they reopen soon.

Pappy and Harriet’s

Pioneer Town was built in 1946 by Hollywood investors. It was a classic western set for many iconic movies and shows including The Gene Autry Show (1950-55) and Buffalo Bill, Jr. (1955-1956). Pappy and Harriet’s was the “cantina” in Pioneer Town. In 1982, Harriet and her husband Claude “Pappy” Allen opened “Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneer Town Palace.” The restaurant featured live music and Tex-Mex food. Pappy and Harriet’s became an icon in the high desert and has hosted the likes of Robert Plant, Vampire Weekend, and Paul McCartney (pappyandharriets.com).

I have played there myself, and I have to say that there is nowhere else like it. There’s always a great crowd, great food (even though it takes 45 minutes to come), and great sound. The people who run the shows and open mic are incredibly friendly, and this cantina is really just a meeting place for people who love music.

Stagecoach

Technically, yes, I’ve played Stagecoach. That being said, it was probably for less than 30 people every time. Even still, some years the administration has been kind enough to give artist passes to my band, and I have to say the artist pass comes with quite the experience. The backstage part is cool for a while–until you realize that most of the backstage section is a maze of boxes and RV’s. Also most big artists have a special second pass that you need to get backstage during one of their shows. But, the artist and administration food is not only free, it’s amazing. With tons of options every meal, from fried steak to salmon, the food tent is definitely better than any concession stand in the festival.

But even without the artist pass, Stagecoach and Coachella are both incredible. There aren’t many other places where you can see multiple top-100 artists without paying north of $1,200. The sound is always good; the people are sorta nice; and the experience is unforgettable.

The Date Shed

The Date Shed is also on the polo grounds, but is (usually) operating all year. The Date Shed doesn’t necessarily have the swagger of Pappy and Harriet’s or the awe of Coachella, but as far as venues in the Coachella Valley go, the Date Shed is supreme. What I like about the Date Shed is that its one and only purpose is music. While there is a bar, most would not consider the Date Shed a bar; it’s a music venue. Besides maaaaaybe the Whiskey A Go Go, this is my favorite place to play. The sound is unbeatable, and the crowd, if there is a crowd, is roaring. This is definitely a much more formal venue, but the people are still quite friendly, and it is right across from the Tack Room Tavern (also on the polo grounds) if you’re looking for a bite to eat. The Date Shed has also been hosting many Facebook live events, which has been a good compromise for live music.

My prediction is that when we return to some form of normalcy, there will be an elevated appreciation of live music. I only hope that these wonderful venues and festivals can make it that long.

Links to these venues:

https://www.pappyandharriets.com/history/

https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?locations=Pioneertown,+California,+USA

https://www.stagecoachfestival.com/

https://www.facebook.com/thedateshed

https://www.tackroomtavern.com/

Festivities (in a post-Coronavirus time) Editor: Hannah Hall

The 2020 Census and Texas Redistricting

January 22, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Jake Sonderman

2021 has already proven to be a year full of politics. Blogger Jake looks toward one state’s 2020 census in particular and what it means and “predicts” for our government in 2021.

I’m sure everybody reading the news knows that we have a census every ten years. What is the purpose of this census beyond just knowing our approximate population? One very important outcome is apportionment and redistricting.

Apportionment

We have 435 representatives in the House of Representatives. After each ten-year census, those 435 representatives are redistributed slightly to account for population changes. Texas is expected to get about three new representatives (that’s a lot) since their population has grown by about four million people in the last ten years.

Redistricting

States legislatures use the census data to draw new congressional districts (state and federal). Districts must be relatively equal in population (about 710,000) and not discriminate based on race or ethnicity. Unfortunately, the Constitution does not prevent partisan gerrymandering, which is where the party in power of the state legislature draws the districts to favor their party. In practice, this means cracking and packing: cracking some districts by giving your party a small majority, and packing some districts by giving the opposing party an extremely large majority. “Packing” will give one party significantly fewer districts they can win. Gerrymandering is used extensively by both parties.

Texas

As mentioned earlier, Texas is set to gain three representatives, the most of any state (Houston Public Media). Texas’s state legislature is controlled by the GOP and has a history of gerrymandering. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has allowed partisan gerrymandering in the last decade, saying that the federal court does not have jurisdiction on the subject (Oyez). In 2013, Texas approved new congressional districts that greatly favored Republicans by drawing very odd districts like their 2nd and 22nd districts (which are both Republican).

Though Texas was expected to be more blue this year, it really was not. Trump got over one million more votes in Texas than he did in 2016 and beat Biden by about 600,000 votes (pretty much the same as 2016) (AP). Texas also elected 23 Republicans out of a total 36 representatives allotted. My prediction for 2021 is that the Texas state legislature will further gerrymander their congressional districts, helping keep the GOP in charge of the state legislature and giving the GOP more say in the House in the coming decade.

Sources:

Texas Will Redraw Its Congressional Maps In 2021. Here’s How

NPR Articles

https://www.oyez.org/cases/2012/12-96

https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-population-data-suggest-which-states-will-win-and-lose-seats-in-congress-11608677211

https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/texas

https://www.ap.org/media-center/understanding-the-election

2021 Predictions Editor: Sara Habibipour

Top 10 Album Covers

January 12, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

For this next “Aesthetic” post, Blogger Jake Sonderman incorporated his passion for music and compiled a list of his 10 favorite album covers.

By Jake Sonderman

This is a list of my top 10 album covers of all time. I did not take into account the album’s popularity or musical content, only how much I like to look at the cover art.

10. Iron Maiden – Piece of Mind

Iron Maiden is the only major band that comes to my mind that has a character on every single album cover. Steve Harris, the bassist and founding member, says the character comes from a mask they used to call “the head,” and they’re British so it was like, “the ed,” and they started calling the mask Eddie. There is even a video game built around Eddie.

9. The Who – Who’s next

A monolith and destruction for miles. This apocalyptic cover is simple. If you look closely, the guys are zipping up their shorts, and there are stains on the monolith. I’m not sure exactly what the message is, but man that is a cool cover.

8. Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill

Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill (1986, Vinyl) | Discogs

Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius

Of course, when you first look at this album you only see the front side. This is a clean and pristine lookin’ tail of a plane, pretty cool on its own. Then you flip it over to the plane crashing on the back side. The front is cool, but the connection to the surprising, chaotic back makes this a top 10.

7. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication

This album cover takes a bit of unpacking. For a while I thought the pool was lava because I never gave it more than a glance. The pool is really the sky during a sunset, and the sky is more obviously the water. The message is simply how backwards life in California is.

6. Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy

Creating Art from Failure: The 'Houses of the Holy' Album Cover | by David Deal | Festival Peak

Despite what many say, this is not a bunch of kids in blonde wigs. This mysterious album cover meant to mimic Arthur C. Clarke’s novel Childhood’s End was photographed multiple times with two blonde children, at sunrise and sunset. Truly genius.

5. Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer

On 'Dirty Computer,' Janelle Monáe Reveals Herself, Sort Of | The ARTery

I couldn’t find a ton of backstory on this art, but I really like it. The color scheme is intoxicating, and every little detail pops out. It’s almost like when I look at it I have to back up and open my eyes more to really take it in.

4. Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (180 Gram Vinyl) - Amazon.com Music

This is arguably the most iconic album cover of all time, but that’s not why I chose it. For a long time people speculated where this album art, seen on millions of t-shirts, came from (before the internet). Bernard Sumner from Joy Division found this image in the Manchester Central Library. He was searching for inspiration, and found this image in the The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Astronomy. It was the “stacked plots” of the radio emissions of a rotating neutron star.

3. Pink Floyd – Ummagumma

Ummagumma by Pink Floyd – top psychedelic album No. 22

This album was designed by popular English design company, Hipgnosis. They’ve designed album covers for more famous rock bands than any other design company, and this is my favorite art that they’ve done. The more I look at this cover the more I discover. If you look closely, in each “picture inside a picture” the bandmates have switched positions. This might be because the album is a combination of songs written by the individual band members.

2. Motley Crue – Too Fast For Love

Motley Crue - Too Fast For Love - Amazon.com Music

In case you didn’t already figure it out, this is a very clever copy of the Rolling Stones’s album cover art for Sticky Fingers. This is truly the album cover for all of 80s rock: all leather, studs, and spikes.

1. The Clash – London Calling

The Clash - London Calling (1979, Vinyl) | Discogs

I’m not sure anybody but Evan would agree with me on this one, but this is truly a masterful album cover. So much so that people know this album cover better than the album cover it is imitating. This is a play on Elvis Presley’s name album from 1956, but instead of playing his guitar like Elvis’s cover, Paul Simonon is smashing his bass. Truly Punk.

Aesthetics Editor: Elizabeth Shay

Call of Duty: Keeping Me Sane

January 5, 2021 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

As Jake contemplated his response to Editor Evan’s “What are you grateful for?” post, he thought up of his favorite quarantine pastime, Call of Duty.

By Jake Sonderman

Saying that a shooter game is how I relax might be a shock to some, but, I am sure many people can relate to why I think so. Playing these games is, in a way, thoughtless. Many look to TV, fitness, listening to music, and art to let their mind relax. I also do these things, but since quarantine started, I’ve been playing more video games. I get to talk to Evan and take my mind off college work, work-work, school work, and the many other kinds of work that burden all of us.

“Correlation does not equal causation.”

While the first connotations that shooter games like Call of Duty bring to mind involve blood, gore, and violence, I have not at all found that to be the case, most of the time. I would equate games like Call of Duty to dodgeball more than actual violence; players spawn into a small map and try to beat the other team by knocking out the other players or capturing a point. When a player “dies,” they either respawn instantly or wait for the next round (much like dodgeball). I am very critical of the claim that shooter games have made society more violent, as shooter games were introduced at the same time period as things like the internet and social media, which without a doubt have affected how violent we are as a society. But, as Ms. Mckee would say: “Correlation does NOT equal causation.”

Zombies

If you didn’t know, a new Call of Duty came out recently set in the Cold War era, and I have to say I’m a fan. It has the much awaited arrival of the next zombies gamemode. If there is one thing more thoughtless and relaxing than normal Call of Duty, it is Call of Duty Zombies. It is a very cooperative game, and I have fun playing it with my aforementioned comrade, Evan Spry. Though I have to revive him many times a game, I couldn’t ask for a better partner. Sometimes Andrew, Co-Yearbook Editor, will join us (until his game crashes).

If it weren’t for this game, quarantine would have been much longer, I wouldn’t have stayed in touch with my friends, and the stress of senior year would have driven me pretty much insane. Sometimes, the small things like a game or a show can make a huge difference in your mood and well being. I am grateful for this small thing that has helped me stay calm, and I hope you all have something that has helped you through quarantine and will continue to keep you stay sane.

What Are You Grateful for? Editor: Evan Spry

The Social-Media Apocalypse

December 15, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

Jake is here to warn us:

No need to look to large governments and nuclear power plants for apocalyptic mishaps. The Apocalypse could come via your smartphone.

By Jake Sonderman

“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.”–Voltaire

At first, saying social media will cause the apocalypse makes me sound like a middle-aged technophobe, but let me walk you through how social media amplifies hate and falsehood and how that can lead to real world violence and chaos. Let’s consider how propaganda has always been a vital part of dictators’ politics.

The year is 1919 and Hitler has just become the 55th member of the German Workers’ Party. In two years, Hitler would take over the party, now called the Nazi Party. In two more years, he attempts to overthrow the government of Bavaria and is thrown in prison. From prison, he writes Mein Kampf, a half biography, half manifesto, that foretold of his intentions of genocide. In 1932, Hitler lost the presidential election but was named Chancellor (similar to a congressional majority leader) in 1933 by President Hindenberg of Germany. From here, Hitler gained the overwhelming support of the German public and took control of the government. But how did this failed middle-class artist gain so much popularity and power?

Sometimes, I think we forget, since we all despise Hitler, that he was loved by the public when he took power and continued to garner support from the public well into the war. Many historians agree that it was Hitler’s speaking skills that propelled him to power. His ideas were far from original, and he had no status or family of status. In the 1920s and 30s though, radio became common in many households. This multiplied the effect of Hitler’s speeches and message, and certainly expedited, if not enabled, Hitler to gain public support (lifescience.com).

Obviously, we could not have stopped the radio from being created and used by Hitler, but today we have something much bigger than radio: we have social media. Social media amplifies content that is likely to get more views and attention. According to a recent MIT study about tweets, fake news and falsehoods spread significantly faster and to more people than accurate information. This is largely because of the “novelty and the emotional reactions” that go along with conspiracy theories and false information (sciencemag.org). Often times, hate speech and hate groups are tied with conspiracy theories.

One type of hate that has gained steam in the past decade is Islamophobia. Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Ali G) recently gave a speech at the Anti-Defamation League summit. In his speech he recounts a story from one of his shows. Sacha Baron Cohen’s thing is to play a ridiculous character who talks to real people and tries to get them to show who they really are. In his show Who Is America, he went into an Arizona town posing as a woke developer. He proposed to a town hall that they let someone build a big Mosque. He declared that it would bring millions of dollars of revenue to the city. This outraged the citizens and led a man to proudly proclaim: “I am racist, against Muslims” (adl.com).

There have been multiple instances of Islamophobia on Facebook. The most famous, atrocious incident was in Myanmar. Facebook has 18 million members in Myanmar. It has become “synonymous with the internet” for many citizens. The Myanmar military took advantage of this and started multiple propaganda accounts under the guise of celebrities and news sources. These gained millions of views and followers. The false accounts frequently posted complete fabrications about the minority Rohingya-Muslim population of the country. Tensions boiled when the military messaged (through Facebook) many known buddhists and anti-muslims and said that an attack was imminent from the Rohingya group. This led to what the UN called a “cultural genocide” of the Rohingya-Muslims, leaving 10,000 dead and 700,000 dislocated and disenfranchised (The New York Times). If Facebook had an effective monitoring system and had deleted those accounts, the whole genocide would have likely been avoided or been less extreme.

A settlement for Rohingya arrivals in Thang Khali, Bangladesh. More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar in what United Nations officials have called “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” — *Displaced Rohingya Peoples*

Facebook monitoring, though, has changed over time. An in-depth New Yorker article tackled Facebook’s questionable moderating system. At first, Facebook employed a small monitoring group that was left to its own judgement to say what was acceptable and what was not. The group was driven by the sentiment, “If something makes you feel bad in your gut, take it down” (The New Yorker). As Facebook grew and calls for monitoring increased, Facebook moved international monitoring to a large Dublin facility. Not many have come forward about what really goes on behind the scenes in Dublin, but those who have tell a dark story. In training, moderators are told that if they are unsure as to whether a post violates Facebook’s community guidelines, they should let a post stay up. The supervisors give some examples. A couple examples include a meme of a white mother holding her little girl underwater with the caption, “When your daughter’s first crush is a little Negro boy.” According to the supervisor, that image “implies a lot, but does not actually attack the . . . boy” or his ethnicity (The New Yorker). So, the post stands. Another example the supervisors show is a username “Killall [slur for LGBTQ+ peoples].” According to the supervisor, “L.G.B.T. is an idea” unless used with pronouns. This story of Facebook ends with many of the moderators leaving the company and suing Facebook for 52 million dollars for emotional damage (The New Yorker). The New Yorker article implies Facebook no longer worries about morals, only about negative PR.

Hate is what starts genocides and major conflicts. Social media is amplifying hate and conspiracy. None of us expect these companies to be perfect, but we have a chance now to stop future conflicts, wars, and genocides. Sure, World War II was not the Apocalypse. But if we had another World War, would it end in the Apocalypse?

Apocalypse Editor: Erik Bearman

Sources:

https://www.livescience.com/54441-how-hitler-rose-to-power.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44883743

https://www.adl.org/news/article/sacha-baron-cohens-keynote-address-at-adls-2019-never-is-now-summit-on-anti-semitism

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6380/1146

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/10/19/why-facebook-cant-fix-itself

The 10 Essentials

November 13, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

Thinking of escaping into the wild this weekend? Jake has the essentials you should bring along with you.

By Jake Sonderman

For any backpacking or camping trip in the wilderness, there are 10 things you must bring. These 10 things could be the difference between life and death in a survival situation, but they could also be the difference between having a pleasant hike and being miserably uncomfortable. While I am no wilderness survival expert like some other people in the senior class, I have been a Scout since middle school and have recently finished my Eagle Scout. Early on in Scouting, you learn the importance of always having these 10 things on you when venturing out into nature. The Scout motto is “Be Prepared”; and with these 10 things, you will be prepared for anything the wilderness throws at you.

Navigation

In the days of electronic navigation and GPS, maps have become obsolete. But, in the wilderness, batteries only last so long. While it is definitely smart to bring an electronic navigation device, you should make sure to not only bring a physical map and compass, but the skill to use them. Bringing proper navigation tools and knowing how to use them helps you to not get lost, which, in the wilderness, is very dangerous.

Knife

Food, Fire, Shelter–the knife is the most versatile tool and absolutely necessary for feeding, sheltering, producing warmth. A multi-tool–like a Swiss Army Knife–is also very useful, though you should probably bring one or the other and not pack the weight of both.

Fire

Waterproof fire starters are a commonly forgotten item but 100% necessary for any trip. Fire is needed to cook food, melt snow, purify water, and provide heat, among other things. I always carry matches in a waterproof case, but a better option is probably a disposable butane lighter. The lighter is most waterproof. If water gets into your match case you’re pretty screwed. The lighter also gives you more lights than matches will. It is also a good idea for cold/wet weather to gather some dry tinder and put it in a plastic bag. This will make starting a fire significantly faster and easier. Another common solution is to put some cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly in a small container. They are good fire starters. Please do not forget this; it is so extremely hard to start a fire without a fire starter, and it is highly likely you won’t be able to do it your first try (I’ve never lit a fire without a fire starter). If you do find yourself without a fire starter, your best bet is probably to make a small bow to spin your wooden spindle. Check out this video on how to do that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dptkV1mYZU0

Water

How much water you should be drinking will differ on where you are camping/hiking. Always, though, bring at least a one-liter water container and a way to purify more water–the best probably being water purification tablets.

Sun Protection

This is definitely the most forgotten item, especially in cold environments. It is always important to have protection from the sun not just to shield yourself from sunburn, but to prevent skin cancer and potential dehydration. Sun protection includes a lot of things, such as sunscreen, hats, clothes, sunglasses, etc. If you’re somewhere cold, you probably won’t need as much sunscreen because of your clothes, but the sun can still get you where you’re not covered and can even reflect off the snow to burn you.

Headlamp

This category used to be “light,” but headlamps are the best option for light by far, so you can do other things with your hands while you have light. It also is smart to bring some extra batteries for a longer trip.

First Aid

It is not only important to bring a first-aid kit but to know first aid, especially for wilderness situations. Also make sure that your kit is fully equipped. There are many short courses you can take to learn first aid, and getting CPR certified is a good idea, too. It would be good to know what to do for small and large cuts, shock, hypothermia, and dehydration.

Shelter

The Boy Scout handbook actually says “rain gear” for this one, but many people put “shelter” instead, and I am inclined to agree. It is very important to carry a rain shell at all times because you never know when it will start raining. Obviously, your tent is also pretty important if you are camping, but make sure you also have the proper stakes and a rain fly for your tent to shelter you from the elements. It is also important to always have some small emergency blanket or, even better, a small bivy sack, which is basically a very small tent/sleeping bag. You should always have shelter ON you, and not just back where you set up camp.

Food

This varies on where you are going and how long you will be there. It is necessary to always have these certain ready-to-go foods on you: bars, nuts, dried fruit, beef jerky. Additionally, if you have a bunsen burner, or another way to cook food, then oatmeal, hot cocoa, and other small things are good options. Always bring more food than you need.

Extra Clothes

This obviously varies a lot depending on where you are going. For every trip I always bring an extra pair of socks (trust me there are not many things worse than hiking in wet socks). For cold trips, some long underwear isn’t a bad idea either. It adds an extra layer.

Bonus: Duct Tape

This one was listed in the Scouting magazine, and I instantly thought “of course.” Duct tape has come in handy so many times, mostly with fixing water containers and clothes/tarps. While this might not sound huge, having a leak in a tent or your water bottle can be absolutely devastating, leaving you or your stuff totally soaked.

Note: All of these things are totally necessary, but it is also important not to overpack. Overpacking only applies to backpacking, not car camping. The right weight for a loaded backpack is about 20% of your body weight. There are pretty lightweight options for all of the items listed above, and it is smart to split up different items like your tent and food if you are camping with multiple people.

Wilderness Editor: Hannah Hall

Sources:

https://scoutingmagazine.org/2019/08/the-10-essentials-a-21st-century-update/

The Scout 10 essentials: Items every Scout needs in the outdoors

https://www.mountaineers.org/blog/what-are-the-ten-essentials

The Boy Scout Handbook(2012 edition).

Local Music: Life Beyond the Classroom

November 11, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

PVS students have active lives beyond the classroom. We acknowledge their accomplishments in “Life Beyond the Classroom.” Jake is on his way to being a producer of ground-breaking music.

In case you didn’t already know, I, Jake Sonderman, run my own studio with Luke Sonderman called Sondy Studios. Over the summer, I recorded Pescaterritory’s 9-song album in the extra room in our house. The album contains every type of rock and roll, from the nostalgic song I’m Fine to the hard rock hit Running Away. Whether you are pining away for old times, or wanting something fresh and new, this album has what you are looking for. I had so much fun putting together this album, and I am proud to call this my first major release as a producer. Give it a listen.

https://open.spotify.com/album/3wg8zpQszKk0MatrKbfJ23?si=49W5ghAKRdWKLOvr0L5Ieghttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kqyvLXvQB9omZrGGQoNJVUm-L2B7QPp64

https://music.apple.com/us/album/pescaterritory/1536349886

Skydiving

November 4, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

One of the most common items on a person’s bucket list is skydiving. But, not many people know much about it. What training do you need? How safe is it? If you have these questions, Jake’s here to explain the details of skydiving so you can make your bucket list a reality.

By Jake Sonderman

What is the most common item on everyone’s bucket list? If I had to guess, I’d say skydiving. Going on a skydive instantly gives you the badge of bravery because skydiving is dangerous, right? Well, not really. The United States Parachute Association reported 15 fatal skydiving accidents in 3.3 million total jumps (uspa.org). That is about a 0.000005% chance of a fatal accident. For reference, there is about a 1% chance that any individual will be in a fatal car accident in their lifetime (valiente mott). That is also not considering that usually, in cases of car accidents and parachuting, the fatalities are caused by a lack of judgement–for example not pulling your parachute until much too late or not wearing a seatbelt. While it is not likely you will die from skydiving, it is still pretty agreed upon that it takes a great deal of guts to jump out of a plane. Now that you see that it is safe to skydive, let’s take a look at what skydiving looks like.

Skydiving Myths

There are a couple myths associated with skydiving that have to be dispelled. For one, when you pull your parachute, you do not go up. It of course looks like you do because you are slowing down so fast, but you don’t go up. Another myth without much foundation is that you can’t breathe when you go skydiving. If you are skydiving from heights higher than 12,500 feet (which you probably won’t your first time), you will have to wear an oxygen mask (RyanHeitsmith). The wind may take your breath away, but, typically, you can breathe, with no oxygen tank or anything, when you skydive. Lastly, on tandem skydives, where you are attached to an instructor, you do have to do some things; you don’t get to sit back and relax the whole time. You will have to make sure your body is in the right position for where you are, whether that’s jumping out of the plane, in the air, or landing.

What Skydiving Looks Like

Likely for your first dive you will do a tandem dive. This is common for people who want to skydive once just for the thrill. If you are looking to skydive more regularly, then an Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) is what you want to do. For a tandem skydive, you will probably train about 30 minutes and then go up and jump. For an AFF, you will be in a class all day, and then jump with two instructors, who will make sure you do everything correctly like pulling your chute at the right time and landing in the drop zone. This is a good option if you want to eventually jump on your own.

How Much Does it Cost?

While it would make sense if it was much more expensive in California (like pretty much everything), skydiving prices are relatively similar across the country. For a normal tandem dive, it will cost around $200. For an AFF, it will be closer to $350. This is just the cost of the dive though, and you will likely want pictures and video which will be around another $100. There are likely some options that will appear cheaper, but either these options will add on extra fees, or they cut some corners, so it is probably best to resign yourself to the standard price. There are plenty of places to dive on the west coast, and there is one pretty close to Palm Springs called Skydive West Coast in the San Bernardino area. Most places require you to be 16 and up to jump.

So now, what’s stopping you?

P.S. Here’s a video of skydiver Luke Aikins diving 25,000 feet into a 100×100 foot net.

Sources:

Skydiving Basics

The Chances of Dying in a Car Crash – Valiente Mott

https://www.seeker.com/how-common-are-skydiving-accidents-1765419215.html

Skydiving Tips: 6 Things To Know Before You Go

https://www.skydivewestcoast.com/

Bucket List Editor: Sara Habibipour

The Chicken-Sandwich Wars

November 3, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

When tasked with writing a tantalizing Food and Drink post for Editor Elizabeth, Blogger Jake Sonderman dove into the history of the chicken sandwich and the modern-day war of the sandwiches.

By Jake Sonderman

Chicken, bread, two pickles, and some special sauce–what is it about these four things that has sent Americans into a frenzy?

To understand this chicken-sandwich frenzy, we must rewind to 1946 to a little Georgia diner called the Dwarf Grill. It was here that Truett Cathy, co-owner of the restaurant, discovered that with a pressure cooker, boneless fried chicken sandwiches could be made just as fast as hamburgers. Equipped with the knowledge of the chicken patty, buttered bun, dual pickles, and special sauce, Cathy transitioned from the Dwarf Grill to the first Chick-fil-A at the Atlanta Greenbriar shopping center in 1967 (chick-fil-a.com). Though the franchise was formerly located almost entirely in shopping malls, in the 21st century, Chick-fil-A started to ride with the big dogs. In 2018, Chick-fil-A had the 8th most locations for a fast food chain but had the 3rd largest sales, behind only McDonalds and Starbucks (Business Insider). But in 2019, Chick-fil-A was no longer the only one making the sacred chicken sandwich.

In August of 2019, Popeyes released not just a chicken sandwich, but a SPICY chicken sandwich that was composed of a chicken patty, buttered bun, dual pickles, and special sauce. Chick-Fil-A immediately struck back the same day of the release on Twitter, tweeting “Bun + Chicken + Pickles = all the for the original.” Popeyes responded with “… y’all good?” It was Dance Moms with multi-billion dollar chicken companies. Within two weeks, Popeyes had sold out of their sandwich nationwide. The public was so desperate for this new spicy chicken sandwich that guns were pulled on employees who had no more of the sandwich (CNBC). When the sandwich was re-released (on a Sunday), a man was fatally stabbed after he cut in line at Popeyes (CNBC). A war was being waged, but all the players were not yet at the table.

Fast-food juggernaut McDonalds entered the war with the introduction of two new crispy chicken sandwiches that both have–no surprise–a chicken patty, two buttered buns, pickles, and sauce. Fried chicken specialist, Kentucky Fried Chicken, also threw its hat into the ring in early 2020. And on October 27th, 2020, Wendy’s entered the fray, offering its new classic chicken sandwich FREE with any purchase (Business Insider).

Has a new era of fast food begun? Did Truett Cathy have any idea what he started with a chicken patty, buttered bun, two pickles, and sauce?

Sources:

https://www.chick-fil-a.com/about/history

https://www.businessinsider.com/wendys-new-chicken-sandwich-promotion-coupon-how-to-get-free-2020-10

https://www.businessinsider.com/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-started-civil-war-customers-2019-11

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/14/why-chick-fil-a-popeyes-mcdonalds-launched-a-chicken-sandwich-war.html

… y’all good? https://t.co/lPaTFXfnyP
— Popeyes (@Popeyes) August 19, 2019

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-chick-fil-a-took-over-america-2019-8

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/mcdonalds-entering-chicken-sandwich-wars-amid-increased-demand-for-sandwich-sized-chicken-breasts

Food & Drink Editor: Elizabeth Shay

The First American Olympics

October 22, 2020 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

Editor Evan ordered the Blog Staff to find Funny Stories from History. Jake found the most intriguing series of events in Olympic history.

By Jake Sonderman

Since the dawn of the ancient Greek city-states, countries have gathered despite differences to compete in an event called the Olympics. The Olympic games discontinued for thousands of years after the fall of the Greek city-states, but they were revitalized in 1896 in Europe. After almost a decade of the Olympics, the United States sought to host these reputable games. So, in 1904, the third Olympic games came to St. Louis, Missouri. This was a landmark Olympics in many ways. It was the year the gold medal was introduced (the silver medal was the highest previously), and American gymnast George Eyser won six medals even though he had a wooden leg (The Atlantic). German-American Frank Kugler won four medals in three different sports, making him the only competitor to ever win medals in three different sports (bleacherreport). Boxing was also introduced at this Olympics. But by far, the most peculiar part of these Olympics was the Olympic marathon.

Today we look to keep our athletes in peak condition and performance. But, in 1904, not so much. The 24-mile course was an entirely dirt road with 100-300 foot hills, and on the day of the race, it was 92 degrees and humid (I put the numbers into a heat-index indicator: it felt like 135 degrees in St. Louis). On top of all of this, James Sullivan, the organizer of the race, decided to put only one water station in the entire race to “purposefully dehydrate” the runners. This was because he had a hypothesis that dehydration would help the runners do better. Because of this, only 14 of the 32 runners finished the race, and the winning time is still the worst in Olympic history by 30 minutes! (AV Club)

The gun fired to begin the race, and Fred Lorz was in the lead. A short way into the race, William Garcia, from California, collapsed after inhaling so much dirt from the unpaved road and passing traffic it blocked his esophagus. He was rushed to the hospital, just in time. If he had continued for even a couple more minutes he would have likely died (Smithsonian).

Two racers had come all the way from South Africa, and they ran barefoot. They were fast and likely would have won if they hadn’t been chased a mile off course by dogs (Quartz).

The only Cuban in this Olympics, Andarin Clervajal, was in the marathon. Upon his arrival in the US, he gambled away all of his money. He hitchhiked and walked from New Orleans to St. Louis. He had not eaten in 40 hours and only had pants and a dress shirt on. He cut his pants and rolled up his sleeves and began the race anyway. On the track through the town, Clervajal saw a tasty lookin’ peach cart, and begged the owners for a couple. When the owners of the cart refused he grabbed one anyway and ran. Farther down the track, Clervajal saw an even TASTIER looking apple orchard. He took a quick stop and ate one of the apples, but the apples were rotten! Clervajal decided to nap it off and then woke up, and continued the race. He finished 4th. (AV Club)

Even though Fred Lorz was leading at the start, Thomas Hicks passed him fairly quickly. Lorz tried to catch up and burned out around halfway through the course. Lucky for him, he hitched a ride on a passing car, and waved at the runners as he passed them. The car broke down a couple miles from the finish line, and from there Lorz continued the race. Lorz ended up crossing the finish line first. He was even awarded the gold medal by Alice Roosevelt! Then, the truth came out–in just minutes. Lorz said he was only joking. (AV Club)

Thomas Hicks, the real leader in the race, found he could not keep going seven miles before the race ended. But his trainers wouldn’t let him give up. They gave him some strychnine (rat poison) and brandy to keep him going. Safe to say this didn’t help, and Hick’s trainers carried him the rest of the way to win him the gold medal. Hicks needed immediate medical attention for his dehydration combined with the rat poison in his system. Though he finished first, he lost eight pounds in the couple hours of the race. (Medium)

*I almost don’t feel the need to include sources for this story because you really can’t make this kind of stuff up.

Sources:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1182023-30-greatest-athletes-in-summer-olympic-history

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/08/how-a-guy-with-a-wooden-leg-won-6-olympic-medals/260988/

https://www.boredpanda .com/1904-olympic-marathon-st-louis/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-1904-olympic-marathon-may-have-been-the-strangest-ever-14910747/

https://www.penn.museum/sites/olympics/olympicorigins.shtml#:~:text=Although%20the%20ancient%20Games%20were,presented%20the%20idea%20in%201894.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1904_Summer_Olympics

https://qz.com/758181/the-long-and-bizarre-history-of-the-olympic-marathon/

https://www.avclub.com/the-1904-olympic-marathon-was-the-worst-race-ever-run-1842740808

https://medium.com/history-of-yesterday/the-worst-marathon-in-human-history-66047f7e004c

Funny Stories in History Editor: Evan Spry