Author: Bruno Shapiro

  • The Thousand Oaks Mall 805 Night Market cooked, served and ate

    The Thousand Oaks Mall 805 Night Market cooked, served and ate

    The Oaks Mall parking lot was full, but people were not there to buy new clothes, see movies or eat pretzels. Instead, the Thousand Oaks community came together to experience a blend of cultures that brought different worlds to one suburban town.  From Sept. 5-7, the 805 Night Market filled the The Oaks Mall…

  • Students address concerns about new deportation policies

    Students address concerns about new deportation policies

    Names indicated with asterisks are pseudonyms for individuals who prefer anonymity due to concerns for their safety.  As deportation rates increase in the U.S., many Ventura County students have encountered Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] on and off school grounds.  ICE was established in 2003 by the Bush administration as a part of the…

  • Aggressive coaches create quitters; kind coaches create winners

    Aggressive coaches create quitters; kind coaches create winners

    Since March 24, a video of a girls’ high school basketball coach in New York aggressively yanking an athlete’s hair has been circling the internet, igniting outrage. The coach was fired and cited with harassment. From personal experience, I know that the energy a coach brings to the team can make or break an…

  • John Mulaney pushes boundaries in “Everybody’s Live”

    John Mulaney pushes boundaries in “Everybody’s Live”

    Comedian John Mulaney returned to Netflix with a live series that makes an abstract painting of what we know to be a late-night talk show. “Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney” is a spunky, off-beat series featuring hilarious celebrity guests and eye-opening alternative musical performances. Overall, watching it is a good time. Mulaney is most…

  • Thousand Oaks community takes a stand at the Hands Off! protest

    Thousand Oaks community takes a stand at the Hands Off! protest

    “This is what democracy looks like,” chanted the crowd. Between 1-3 p.m. on April 5, approximately 2,000 Thousand Oaks community members protested against President Donald Trump’s administration and policies as a part of the Hands Off! National Day of Action. On the sidewalk near the Oaks Mall, between West Hillcrest Drive and Lynn Road,…

  • DEI programs provide equitable opportunities for Americans

    DEI programs provide equitable opportunities for Americans

    Introduction  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion [DEI] are three values forming an initiative aiming to foster supportive environments where opportunities are accessible and equitable and all perspectives are valued. Most DEI objectives focus on ensuring that everyone feels empowered by an environment filled with respect and support. DEI is not about filling a certain quota…

  • Dark humor fails to excuse racism

    I have often been labeled as “too sensitive” to the jokes my peers make, so I tend to keep my mouth shut when I am frustrated with what they have to say. But when an acquaintance looked me dead in the eye to tell me that he hates Black people, then paused and giggled…

  • Track and field mentors guide youth runners to the finish line

    On the field and under the sun, NPHS track and field runners serve as mentors for athletes on the NP Track and Field youth team, working to prepare them for the high school track team.  Isabella Steiner and Elizabeth Barnes, sophomores, founded the program in partnership with the NPHS youth track and field program,…

  • NPHS vandalized with hate speech

    NPHS vandalized with hate speech

    On Feb. 27 at around 8 p.m., NPHS was vandalized with derogatory slurs, profanity and swastikas.  The case has been handed over to the Major Crimes Unit of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and detectives are currently studying security camera footage with various databases to identify the suspects. The perpetrators will likely be charged…

  • Local martial arts classes teach self-defense skills

    Local martial arts classes teach self-defense skills

    From the fight to the mindset, many local martial arts courses strive to teach self-defense skills that may be lifesaving in the case of an attack. For example, Hezi Sheli, seventh-degree black belt and owner of the Israeli Martial Arts Academy [IMAA] in Westlake Village, teaches practical self-defense with Krav Maga. This system combines…