Tag Archives: Hermaione Sanchez

Taliza Coffee Roastery

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By Hermaione Sanchez

During these times, Starbucks drive-throughs are fully packed and the wait time is ridiculous. Hopefully, many others agree with me when I say smaller local coffee shops deserve more attention and credit. 

A great one I recently came across was Taliza Coffee. They have an extensive menu and offer not only coffee but many food items as well. Taliza is a hidden gem, with two locations in the Norwalk area. One, located at 13217 Rosecrans Ave, is technically in Santa Fe Springs, but is right around the corner from John Glenn High School. Meanwhile, their other location at 12200 Civic Center Dr. is close to the AMC Norwalk.

One of my favorite things about this place is the Porto’s Bakery items they offer. Along with that, you can choose anything from an egg breakfast, to bagels or croissant sandwiches, omelets, french toast with fruit, salads, burritos, wraps, and other lunch sandwiches like a B.L.T, veggie, chicken, and more. They also have soups, noodles, rice, and pasta!

The prices for the coffee, teas, smoothies and hot chocolate are fairly inexpensive. They range from $2.25 to $4.95 (left).

Naturally, the food items are more expensive, but with great variety, prices range from the cheapest being a bagel at $2.70 and the most expensive at $9.95. Many of the items are around $7-8. 

They have tables located outside for a safe and enjoyable time. The service is great, too; they are bilingual and get your order with a smile. The shop has some tables indoors as well as a TV (although due to COVID restrictions, they may be off-limits). They have free wi-fi and the password is displayed for customers. Besides walk-ins, they also offer online ordering. I think this is a great option during the pandemic.

The coffee shop opens bright and early at 6am. Many early risers find this upsetting because they go to work earlier, at 4 or 5am, and the coffee shop isn’t open. While this is understandable, I think 6am is a good opening time. This opinion depends on the person of course and it is totally up for discussion. Everyone deserves coffee before work if they want it and if Taliza can’t offer that then another coffee shop will for you.

Another downside that I think many will agree with me on is that the shop closes at 5pm. Since it also serves many food items, I think it would be better for it to stay open longer, get more customers in for dinner or even coming home from work. It may be a possibility that because the business isn’t receiving as much attention, they can’t open for that long without losing money. Hopefully, as more customers come in, their hours become longer, but, we don’t know. Still, the limited hours are my only issue with Taliza.

Overall, this is my favorite coffee shop. I love coming here with my dad and getting new things every time. I love the environment and hope to come here with my friends once quarantine is over.

Visit their webpage for more information about Taliza and their locations.

COVID Vaccine News Round-Up

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By Hermaione Sanchez

For all of us, the goal should be to get vaccinated and reach herd immunity in order for this pandemic to be over. According to experts, 85% of Americans need to be vaccinated in order for this to happen. As of February 8, 4,746,539 vaccine doses have been given out. About 40 million people live in California, and of these, only 9.6% have received the vaccine.

Here’s a round-up of more vaccine news:

  • Health-care workers were first on the list for these vaccines, along with long-term care facility residents. 
  • On January 13, Governor Newsom announced accessibility to those 65 and older. 
  • Newsom also announced major vaccination sites like Dodger Stadium, Disneyland, CalExpo, PETCO Park in San Diego, and more.
  • On January 25, it was announced that the next phase will be giving accessibility to age-based groups.
*Availability and distribution depends on the country and the doses provided. It is always best to check up on your county’s information and stay updated to see if you or anyone you know qualifies.

As of the first week of February, L.A. County has received 1.2 million doses, and 89% of those have already been used. 184,000 doses were received last week, too. Many of those were saved as a second dose. 218,000 doses are expected to be received this week and more than half of those are going towards the second-dose vaccine. In L.A. County, as of February 8, only those aged 65+, health care workers and residents/staff at long-term care facilities are eligible for the COVID vaccine. Those eligible can make appointments through this link: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/vaccine/hcwsignup/ 

In L.A. County, starting on February 16, those in need of the second dose were able to obtain it at Pomona Fairplex, the Forum, Six Flags Magic Mountain, The Los Angeles County Office of Education in Downey, Cal State University Northridge, Balboa Sports Complex and El Sereno. Proof of the first dose will be needed in order to enter and get vaccinated.

How to Celebrate Valentine’s Day During the Pandemic

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By Hermaione Sanchez

The pandemic has hit all of us hard. Many things have changed and that is without question. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take care of yourself and have fun on Valentine’s Day.

A quite popular idea that has been going around on TikTok is having a picnic. Now, if you are by yourself, you can simply have all this in your room or wherever you prefer and watch your favorite movie while enjoying the snacks and a cute set-up. If with your partner or best friend, you can have this at a park (away from strangers) or your front yard if you’re more comfortable with that.

Here is what this picnic consists of:

TikTok cake picnic, featuring cutting the cake with a wine glass!

It has very “vintage” vibes. Drinking out of wine glasses with your favorite drink, like lemonade, cranberry juice, soda, etc. Your choice, of course. Then, there’s a special way to eat the cake–this is the trend going around. You get a cake–usually it’s a cute/weird cake like a frog cake, or something unique (maybe even something homemade, which can only add to the fun). To eat this cake, you get an extra wine glass and just stick it in. You scoop the cake out and now you have a glass full of cake (pictured, above). There you go, that’s how you are going to eat! Fun right? Well, for some people. It is different and fun to try out.

Usually, there is a lot of fruit at picnics, too. Try a cute, medium-sized fruit platter with your favorite fruit or all kinds of berries. For the main food, you can either buy fast food or make something homemade. Usually, people will have a platter with ham, cheese, bread, and anything else they enjoy to make their own sandwich. You can customize this to your liking, of course. 

With this picnic comes some type of fun activity. If you’re alone, try reading your favorite book, watching your favorite movie, drawing, or painting. Doing whatever you love is ideal. If you’re with someone, the same thing applies–you can paint together, watch a movie, listen to music, or simply talk. Having a photoshoot is also great because of the cute picnic as a setting.

If picnics aren’t your thing, you and your partner can recreate your favorite fancy food or fast food at a table. To add a little bit of spice (no pun intended), you can have a cook-off.

Buying simple snacks and watching your favorite movie is always a fun simple option, too. Learn something new together or show each other your favorite food combos.

If you’re spending this day alone, make it all for you. Wear a beauty mask, take a warm bath or shower, play your favorite video game or movie, eat your favorite snacks or even a yummy cake! It’s all up to you to make this day amazing. Being alone doesn’t mean being bored and sad. It means you can do whatever YOU love and eat whatever you want. Love yourself always and remember to stay healthy and stay safe.

What’s up with wildfires in December?

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By Hermaione Sanchez

The Bond Fire spread over 7,000 acres and destroyed or damaged over 26 structures. Thousands of residents evacuated the area. The AP captured dramatic video of the fire.

It all started with a house fire at 28331 Bond Way, in Silverado CA., last Wednesday night. Winds up to 70 MPH and dry conditions worsened the fire. More than 25,000 residents were evacuated. Fire fighters have been working to contain this fire ever since.

As of Sunday, December 6, the fire is 55% contained and residents are still evacuated. Due to Covid, there is no congregate shelter offered. Residents have to stay at a hotel or at a friend’s home, both of which may be uncomfortable due to the virus. In cases like these, Chief Fennessy urges residents to evacuate the zone when in doubt.

Alanis, a hotel worker in Anaheim, was called into work suddenly due to the fires and evacuations. “From super slow days… all of a sudden groups of reservations started to come in and nervous overwhelmed families started to show up. All we can do on our end is comfort them in this tough time and hope everything goes well for them,” she says. 

The dry weather and strong winds this December has brought questions and concerns. (photo source: www.californiawildfirerelief.org) Climate change is affecting our earth immensely and we aren’t getting enough rain. Multiple fires have occurred during the summer in California, but it is the deadliest fires that occur at the end of the dry season that is from September to December. Many people have lost their homes and all they own due to wildfires. They are at a greater risk in the midst of this pandemic. Their lives got turned upside down in just one day.

If you want to help the victims affected by California wildfires, visit: https://www.cafirefoundation.org/programs/supplying-aid-to-victims-of-emergency/

Different Opinions: Should Schools Re-Open?

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•Schools Should Stay Closed

By Hermaione Sanchez

As a student, being in front of a screen for more than 7 hours a day is exhausting; and for teachers, I’m sure it is too. Although reopening schools sounds like a wish come true, it is dangerous and shouldn’t be done unless it is completely safe to do so.

It is no news that Covid has ended thousands of lives and has affected millions, but that doesn’t mean that we should risk our lives just because we’re bored or tired of it. A problem doesn’t disappear just because you want it to. We have to work towards it. Staying inside, wearing masks, it’s all very simple, really. Follow simple rules for a couple of weeks or months and we won’t have to stay this way for a couple more years. There are many people saying, “Yeah, but Covid cases decreased and it is somewhat safe to open schools up again.” What they don’t see, though, is that opening schools up will increase Covid cases and will just lead to closing again. It’ll become a cycle. It has to be completely safe in order for students and teachers to get back out there.

Imagine this: A student who lives with their parents, young siblings, and grandma. Their mom has an extremely low immune system, their grandma is over 60 years old, and their sibling is only 6. If schools made the selfish decision to re-open, this student would have to get back out there and possibly bring the virus home. Their dad, who works, could spread it at work, his coworkers to their families, and so on. What has this created? Hundreds of more cases. They could’ve easily been prevented. Not to mention, teachers also have kids and spouses they go to after school. They are all at risk. Teachers shouldn’t be put in that position. 

The best thing to do is wait and be careful. Hopefully, this vaccine that is being worked on will allow us to go back to normal without any deathly dangers. 

Although there are many problems with grades, attendance, and participation, the solution shouldn’t be risking our lives, or our family’s. There are other ways to solve issues that online school brings upon us. Regardless, we all appreciate everyone’s hard work through all this.

•Schools Should Re-Open

By Angelica Moreno

With the idea of being in the presence of friends or just to be near people again as a collective, us teens and students have been waiting since March to be in school again. Even though we’ve hated going to school five days a week since Kindergarten, we never knew a plague would hit us; and I hope that a lot of people are with me on this–we didn’t get to cherish it, especially this class of 2021. 

Going on the second school year in quarantine, we, the class of 2021, have not gotten to sit in a school desk yet. (Remember sleeping on your desk instead of paying attention to the teacher? A high school student can only dream…) The class of 2020 at least had their first half (actually, nearly 3 full quarters). They cried about not getting their prom and walking for graduation, but we didn’t even have the chance to get ready for the first day of senior year. Although many people give up and just wear sweatpants, I liked seeing the people who wore sweatpants to the first day of school (and to the people who wore sweatpants with CROCS deserve a “do not care” award. I applaud them).

With the many protocols it would take to go back to school, I would suggest they’d be strictly followed like the “girls’ dress code.” There would be many things to take into account, rules to follow, obligations to get tested, always wearing a mask, keeping the social distance, etc. It’s not like every student and teacher wanted the “hybrid learning model.” The votes should be taken into account of how many kids and teachers would actually go. A “direct democracy,” it’s called. Everyone would get what they want for the rest of the school year. Although, if all teachers decided to continue online, then we’re out of luck for hybrid (I say this as if i’m in charge of this).

Here’s what I propose: I suggest that only seniors take part in hybrid learning. By that I mean ONLY the senior class set foot on campus for the second half of the school year. The graduating class is always small and it would really help those with low grades. We have no more time other than this year to finish our four year contract–earn those credits needed to graduate. Juniors still have time to redo classes over summer or retake them their senior year (assuming Covid gets better over the summer of 2021). Sophomores still have lots of time to make up classes and especially the freshman, they can figure themselves out over the course of their next three years. Something about online learning to the extent of daily Zoom calls discouraged my good time management habits and now my grades are crumbling to rock bottom. I know this isn’t only me because everybody in the district is concerned about what to do with students who have low grades. 

There’s no right or wrong answer to what should happen with online learning. Okay, yes, continuing online to keep people safe is a great idea; but there are pros and cons to hybrid and continuing online. Yes, you can ask questions on Zoom but we all know it isn’t the same. Should we continue online and have students who need help have constant low grades, or should we shift into hybrid learning and hopefully pass into learning thoroughly during a real lesson, able to ask questions and receive meaningful feedback? I opt for the latter.

Dash & Lily: The Perfect Binge-Watch for Romance Lovers

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By Hermaione Sanchez

Christmas time + Quarantine = an even more perfect time to binge-watch holiday romance shows. The endless possibilities might have you going crazy but Netflix can definitely help with that, giving us Dash & Lily. When a movie is too short to touch base on things it should, and a show is dragged way too long, people tend to stay away (for the most part). 

Dash & Lily is an 8-episode rom-com series that takes place during Christmas. Dash (Austin Abrams) is a teenager who hates Christmas; he convinced his divorced parents that he’d be staying with each other during this time, and they were free to travel or whatever they wanted. This left him alone in his dad’s apartment in New York. He spends his time in a bookstore called The Strand, just like our second main character Lily (played by Midori Francis).

Lily is a teenage girl looking for love. She was left alone with her brother, Langston for Christmas while her parents traveled to Fiji, and her grandpa visited his secret girlfriend in Florida.

The show brings its focus to Langston (played by Troy Iwata) at times. He finds himself in a new relationship with Benny and is sort of trying to figure out how serious it is. Although the show mostly focuses on Dash and Lily, Langston learns some lessons and has a meaningful story. 

During one of his times at The Strand, Dash finds a book written by a mysterious girl. It is a series of dares and riddles. He finds a lot of interest in this and realizes whoever must’ve written it must be sadistic and sophisticated. Before returning the book, he writes his own set of dares. Leading to a constant exchange of it, daring each other to get out of their comfort zone. Once one of them completes the dare and writes their dare and entry or riddle, they leave the notebook where they completed the dare, whether it’s with a friend or hidden from the public. Slowly, they start to fall in love. Of course, not everything is perfect. The two teens have their own set of problems that might pull them apart… but that’s for you to find out by watching.

The dramatic irony implemented had me clicking “Watch Next Episode” the second after the previous one was done. The show did change a lot of things from its original source: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. But both are still enjoyable and perfect for this time of the year. I loved everything from the casting to the music choices and even the book allusions.

I also especially liked the representation. The series has diversity which is something a lot of people love seeing. Lily’s brother, Langston is part of the LGBTQ+ community and his relationship with Benny is a big part of his story. Lily’s family is Japanese, and the show was not afraid to display her heritage on multiple occasions.

Let’s talk about the cast. Austin Abrams plays Dash in the series. He’s best known for his role in The Walking Dead as Ron Anderson. He also appears in Euphoria, and This Is Us, as well as in films like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and Chemical Hearts, with Lili Reinhart. Midori Francis plays Lily. She is best known for her lead role as Lily in the film Good Boys. Her grandfather is played by James Saito. He has been working in the industry since 1970. He’s the original shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), and is well-known as Dr. Chen in Eli Stone.

Hermaione Sanchez

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Hermaione Sanchez is a senior at John Glenn High School, in her second year with The Shoemaker Bugle. She was born in Anaheim and lived in Mexico for 3-4 years. She currently lives in Norwalk with her parents, her grandmother, and her little sister. She hopes to become an elementary school teacher and go to Cal State Fullerton. She helps her mother manage a business and is hopeful it will grow to be very successful. Hermaione loves roller skating and swimming in the summer and watching movies and baking in the winter. Her favorite news sources include Business Insider, The Los Angeles Times, and CNN.

Different Opinions: Should Trick-or-Treating be Canceled During the Covid Pandemic?

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•Why Trick-or-Treating Should Not Be Canceled, By Erika Hernandez 

With this year’s pandemic, many events and holidays have been canceled. But Halloween is right around the corner, and people have mixed feelings. Many people argue that it should be canceled, or at least the trick-or-treating part. Well, I say trick-or-treating should not be canceled. 

If people were to go out and trick-or-treat, everyone will be wearing costumes which may have their own mask. If not, then people should just wear their regular mask, including children, teenagers, and parents.

When it comes to residents, if they want to give out candy they should leave their porch light on. However, those who don’t want to participate should simply just leave it off, just like during any other Halloween. If residents are giving candy out themselves they should also wear a mask. Just because they’re in their own home doesn’t mean they shouldn’t wear a mask when meeting strangers.

Everyone will be walking around neighborhoods like usual, so you wouldn’t really cross paths with other groups. Halloween could still happen as long as we all keep following the rules of just wearing a mask and distancing ourselves from people we don’t know.

•Why Trick Or Treating Should Be Canceled, by Hermaione Sanchez

Halloween is a special time of the year when people of all ages dress up and go house to house asking for candy. By the end of the night, everyone is in a sugar coma and peoples faces are stained from the makeup. But is all that worth risking your health for?

I’m sure by now, the word Coronavirus is nothing new to you. The world-wide-known virus has been affecting our daily lives since March 2020. Since then, masks and social distancing have been required almost everywhere and people have been quarantining to prevent spread and infection. The latest controversy, however, has been whether trick-or-treating should occur or not.

Social distancing involves staying at least 6 feet away from people and trying not to go out unless it is necessary. On the other hand, trick-or-treating requires knocking door-to-door, either with a group or while alone, and making contact with a resident, asking for candy. You can see how dangerous this is during a pandemic because you’re making contact with a person and accepting food from them. Even if it is packaged, touching the same thing as another person, is potentially dangerous. “It should be cancelled cuz Covid will be easier to spread,” says @Triplesixfather (Brayan Gonzalez) on Instagram. Especially for the person giving out candy who would see many people in one night, raising their risk of getting infected.

Someone’s home is their personal, safe space, and knocking on their door asking for candy in the middle of a pandemic is invading that. It is clear by now that this virus should be taken seriously, and we should do our best to stop the spread.  Angel Landeros, a 23 year old son, husband and brother says, “People will risk their life over missing one year of trick-or-treating… yet someone’s grandmother may miss all the years they could have lived if that one person that went trick-or-treating and was infected would have skipped Halloween.” There are many people who are at high risk, those people are parents, siblings, friends, and loved ones. They are at risk of death, and candy shouldn’t be worth that.

Finally, people on Instagram were asked what their thoughts were on trick-or-treating, and here is what they had to say:

“Because you’re going to houses asking for candy, meanwhile you don’t know where the owners have been” 

@babbynisse (Denisse Sanchez), a Senior at John Glenn High

“Best choice would be to stay at home and not have any contact with people we don’t know”

@svmii9 (Samantha De Avila), a student at  John Glenn High

“Trick or treating should be cancelled because we can’t see germs on candy”

@jayme._.ferrer (Jayme Ferrer), a student at Savannah High

“…you can get COVID and you don’t know what the candy can have in it” 

@714.natalie (Natalie), an Anaheim resident

“Trick or treating can cause an increase in COVID cases”

@yo.jarey (Jarey Lopez), a senior at John Glenn High.

How to stay on top of school during a pandemic

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By Hermaione Sanchez

  • Stay Organized. From a simple notebook to an expensive planner, staying organized with your assignments is essential. Color coding is extremely helpful. Different days = different colors, and once you finish an assignment, highlight it with whatever color it corresponds to. This way you know what you have due for the day and what you can get ahead on.
  • Don’t wait until the last minute. I know it’s tempting to not do the assignments until the night it is due. But doing it right away and getting ahead are such amazing methods. For example, let’s say you have government notes, two math assignments, and a 3-part project due Thursday. Take each day up until Thursday to do the assignments. It is better to work most of the week rather than to try and cram it all in one day. Turning assignments in early is key to a successful school career. Besides, you will most likely have more free time. Free time without worrying about assignments is more valuable than free time with a constant reminder that you have 4 assignments due in a few hours.
  • Push yourself and prioritize. Now more than ever. Since everything is from home and you don’t have teachers giving you time limits in class, you need to do that for yourself. If you have an assignment that is doable in a few minutes, do it ASAP. Just because it’s easy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prioritize it. You should finish those first so all your attention goes to more complicated assignments.
  • Have self discipline. Teachers aren’t present to take your phone away, or to make you pay attention, but you need to discipline yourself. Trust me, stay off TikTok during class and pay attention and take notes. It is the best way to ensure good grades and proper understanding of the subject. It will do you good when that chapter test comes– trust me.
  • Have integrity. We all know that when you’re desperate to get an assignment done at the last minute, your mind goes to copying. But, this goes back to point 2 and 4, above. If you don’t wait until the last minute, you have more time to work on your assignment, and if you take notes and pay attention, you should understand the subject, therefore, making it easier to complete your work. If you have any questions, teachers are open to answering them and they are more than happy to help you out.
  • Find a quiet place to work. Not all of us have access to a quiet place at home, but just try your best to find any place you can work at without getting interrupted. If you have little siblings, try to get away from them so that there isn’t too much noise. If necessary, go to a park or even outside to your patio, lay a towel and do your work there. If all else fails, put on your headphones and play your best study music to block out any other noise.
  • Have hope. I know it’s a typical thing to say but it’s the realest thing I could have mentioned. Not giving up hope is extremely important during these times. It’s essential to staying mentally healthy. We won’t stay like this forever– you’ll get out and live your life. But for now, work hard and stay focused. Remember, it’ll all be worth it in the end.

The new craze: Among Us

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By Hermaione Sanchez

It is a big change to go from Animal Crossing,  a game about making friends with cute animals in a town, to Among Us, a game about working in a spaceship with a murderer pretending to be a crew mate. 

Among Us is a game that was released in June 2018, by InnerSloth, a 3 person indie game studio. The creators have recently stated they are also working on a console version of this game. The game received a rush of popularity due to famous YouTubers and streamers playing it. The game consists of 4-10 players; each player can choose a unique color and style their character with the variety of hats and accessories the game offers. 

It takes place inside a spaceship where 1-3 players are imposters; meaning their job is to pretend to be a crew member and kill off everyone else while maintaining their real identity a secret until the end. The rest of the players are crew members. Their job is to run around the spaceship and complete tasks. These tasks include wiring, downloading data, and fixing problems the spaceship may have. Besides that, they are also responsible for finding the imposter. Throughout the game, any crew mate can find a body and report it. This is when all players discuss who they think the killer is and try to vote them off. The person who gets the majority of votes gets thrown off into space. If the imposter is voted off, the crew members win the game. At the time of discussion, the imposter should try to blame an innocent person and win the game. The imposter, however, can too report a body and try to throw off the other players. Their goal after all is to blend in and kill off everyone to win the game.

You may be asking yourself, if the game was released two years ago, why would it barely start gaining popularity? Well there is not one answer to this, but many. The game in its mobile form is free, and you get to play with people all over the world, or your friends by hosting a game and sharing a code. If you want to play on PC, it is only $5. Although there are ads after almost every match, they are not too annoying; sometimes I don’t even notice them. Another reason for the rise of this game is the situation that we’re in. Due to social distancing rules, people can’t exactly hang out with their friends. This game allows them to come together and share laughs through party chats, making it ideal for quarantine. The intensity in the game makes it fun and thrilling. Having to trust people and blame people is nerve racking but can entertain you endlessly, especially with the right people.

So, pull out your phone, download Among Us and give it a try!