By Tyler Shute
CCC Journalism Program

BLACKWOOD – The Camden County men’s basketball team extended its win streak to four by defeating Sussex County Community College 82-42 at home Nov. 26.

James Cooper attempts a free throw after being fouled at the 3-point line Nov. 26. By Tyler Shute, CCC Journalism Program

“I always like playing against Sussex. They are very well coached and play really hard. It’s a good win for us,” Coach Lou Abbattista said about the win.

Abbattista felt the team executed the game plan very well.

“We thought we could up the tempo a bit, play a little faster and change up the defenses a lot. We held them to only 42 points so it was a pretty good defensive effort,” he said.

CCC came out to a rough start going down 6-2 within the first 3 minutes of the game, which led to a timeout called by Abbattista. Following the timeout the team got off to a 15-2 run.

“I just told guys to follow the game plan. We have a very young team that sometimes doesn’t always understand what we are trying to do and then we have to make sure that the coaching staff reminds them what they have to do,” Abbattista said about the game-changing timeout.

“I thought sharing the ball was important. I thought we started sharing the ball more and making extra passes, which I thought was incredible,” said Abbattista.

“It feels real good, making the extra pass, playing defense 35 seconds at a time and just following what Coach Lou told us to do,” said Shakoor Woodson about the team’s win.

Woodson led the team in scoring with 19 points.

“Playing defense and getting my shot going, taking the open shot, just rolling with the punches and keep taking what the defense gives me,” Woodson said about his success.

The bench led by Qaadir Nock added 46 of the team’s 82 points. Nock had 13 of them.

“It feels good. We actually came out there and we had fun. We played hard and got the W,” Nock said about the team’s win. “I just played my game with a lot of confidence.”

After winning four games in a row and improving its record to 4-1, the team feels it is heading in the right direction.

“I think we have a long way to go but I’m really, really excited about some of our young guys. Some of our guys are really starting to get better,” said Abbattista.

“I think we are coming together as a team now. We got confidence in each other,” said Nock.

“It’s a 4-game winning streak and I think we’re playing real good basketball,” said Woodson.

For more information about upcoming games, visit http://www.camdenccathletics.com/basketball.html.

60 to 0 mph in 5 seconds because of sheer volume.

Evening rush, not so bad… until the lights ahead.

Many students wander the inner lot in search of spaces.

Typical Rt 70 craziness.

Start of Monday morning rush hour.

Every day, millions of us commute great distances to school or work; but how much of your fuel is actually used to move your car? The answer is most certainly not as much as we like (neither individually nor all of society). All of the wasted fuel while in traffic substantially contributes to incomprehensible damage to our environment. What can you do?

The answer is both simple and complex. Three major factors of our traffic troubles are accidents, volume, and inefficient infrastructure. The first factor is something everyone can help with: drive safe! We all know what is considered safe driving, and some simply choose not to. On these highways, this means excessive speeding, weaving, and, the most dangerous, tale gating. Tale gating significantly reduces a driver’s view, thus limiting time to react to dangers. If you are at a high speed with an unsafe distance between your car and the one in front of you, all the other car has to do merge last second to reveal a much slower car in front of them. You know what happens then? You will definitely hit that vehicle and will probably injure yourself and others (or worse). Make smart decisions!

The other two factors causing traffic are difficult to solve; but, because we know about them, it is not impossible. The increase in traffic volume overall has shown that the states must revamp traffic infrastructure. There are always transportation projects in the works, but they are not completed fast enough. Although there is little we can do at the moment, we absolutely must keep this issue open in case technological innovation or a novel idea is revealed in the future. Perhaps we must rethink our transportation system in its entirety.

By: William Lusky – Influence of Mass Media

A new name for a brand new beginning for old comic book shop “Hall of Heroes”

CEO, Manager, & Owner Sal Fichera working store shipments, schedules, and events during his lunch break

Sal presents one of his employees, Steve, with a birthday muffin, reflecting his passion and extended friendship with his employees

A group of nine gather for one of Sal’s events, this specifically being a card-game night for Magic: The Gathering & Cardfight: Vanguard

Marie Fichera, Sal’s wife, is showing WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler, some lotion he requested during their Meet & Greet Event at the store

Sal & Marie Fichera, owners of Adventureland, take a pose with WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler after their Meet & Greet Event

I remembered when I was a child, I’d save up a portion of my lunch money every week to buy comic books from my favorite pop-culture store, Hall of Heroes, located in the Echelon Mall. Every inch of each wall of the store was absolutely covered with all sorts of things for sale, like comic-books, videos, DVDs, CDs, action figures, etc, and often behind the counter was Sal Fichera. Back then, I only knew him as the friendly owner of the store, and would lose myself for hours in deep conversation debating our favorite comic-books, heroes, movies, etc, and would find myself heartbroken, one day to find the store closed and abandoned. Stories traveled how Sal lost his store to a foul mall contract, and even the name of the store itself. I wouldn’t see Sal Fichera again for 10 years, until I saw that familiar face sitting as a salesman of a comic-book kiask with a new sign overhead: “Adventureland”. He hadn’t aged a day, and didn’t recognize me since I’ve grown up, but after a few hours of again, losing ourselves in conversation of our favorite subsets of pop-culture, he informed me that he was planning to buy out a dying Hot Topic in the Echelon Mall, determined to regain his footing at the mall in which he lost his business. He succeeded so, and even hired me as an adviser & cashier for the store. For this photo essay, I decided to use my time off to shadow his work and every day process as a manager and CEO of his store.

By Taryn Lawlis

 Influence Of Mass Media

Daniel Gonzalez, 32 years old, who lives in Vineland, New Jersey is a single father. Daniel works as a full time electrician, but still manages to make time for his only daughter,Kylie. Kylie is 8 years old, and lives with her mother in Vineland, New Jersey. Daniel gets to see Kylie on Wednesdays, Friday nights and on the weekends after Kylie finishes cheerleading practice. While Daniel has Kylie with him, he gives her his full attention and makes sure that she is fully entertained. When Daniel is not spending time with Kylie or working, he try’s to stay in shape and go to church. He is trying to make a better life for his daughter as well as for himself.

Daniel Gonzalez, 32 years old of Vineland, NJ plays Jenga while waiting for his breakfast to finish being made on Thanksgiving morning.

Daniel Gonzlez of Vineland, NJ plays a game of Hangman with 8 year old daughter, Kylie also from Vineland, NJ on Thanksgiving morning. Kylie chose the word “Hippopotamus”  in hopes to fool her dad. He eventually figured the word out.

Daniel Gonzalez,32 years old of Vineland, NJ is a full time electrician. He is required to wear a hard hat and protective glasses while on the job.

Daniel Gonzalez plays with his 8 year old daughter, Kylie who has just arrived home from cheerleading practice. Kylie would run across the room, and then Daniel would lift her into the air. This would leave Kylie laughing and breathless.

Although Daniel works a full time job, he has been striving to live a healthier life style. Daniel lifts weights at least twice a week, if not more.

This past weekend we took the long drive to my grandmother’s for thanksgiving and sleepover, so to speak. After a few hours of waiting for the dinner to be ready I decided to poke around the basement to see if I could find anything cool. That’s when inspiration struck; I pulled my phone out and took some pictures of the more interesting items. Or at the very least the things my grandmother could remembers the stories behind. Some were new but at least one was familiar to me.

Zach Meyers- This changeable fan is very strange in that it has the Last Supper printed on it. She wasn’t really sure where it had come from, but it’d apparently been around for a good long while. I can’t remember right but I’m pretty sure there was some writing on the back.

According to my grand-mom, my dad left this at her house at some point and never bothered to ask for it during any visits. Apparently he had completely forgotten about it. I find that hard to believe as the Monterrey Int’l Pop festival was a huge deal. After finding it I put the cds on and enjoyed the music as I continued rifling through the cluttered basement. I’m not really into that kind of music as much as I used to be, but it was still nice to listen to. Grandmom finally got dad to take it home, too.

This was my late grandfather’s telescope. As you can see it’s not in the best condition. Even handled with care the second leg snapped off; plastic back in the day was pretty brittle as it turns out. He was really interested in the stars and the night sky and was usually looking through it. I tried using it and it didn’t really work, so I wonder if the lenses had gone bad as well, or it was just dusty on the inside.

I was confused by this small little tv at first. The screen is laughably small and it only got maybe six channels if the antenna felt like picking anything up. I remember this old tv very vaguely, but I’m pretty sure even when I was a kid the tech for tv wasn’t that bad. I asked her why she kept it around and she simply said “Well, why not?”. I was surprised to find that it still worked; it at least turned on.

This clock was a gift from my uncle to my grandmother many years ago, and it’s age shows in the yellowed plastic. It was an old clock radio and clearly a rather small model. She said that it didn’t last very long because she had accidentally knocked it over while cleaning one day, so clearly even way back things were not as durable as they should be. It worked fine except the alarm wouldn’t go off.

Assigned Duties

Michael Martinez, Veteran of the United States Army who served 10 years as a Ranger Airborne Medic with High Meritorious Awards from the United States Federal Governmental for serving three tours in the former Yugoslavia, is currently participating in the transitional program that the State of New Jersey and The Department of Veteran’s Affairs have provided. Unlike the more popular view, Mr. Martinez graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts & Science from Rowen University. Always employed since the age of 16, he now at the age of 38 has not been able to find gainful employment after placing 568 job applications in the past two years.

Jobsearch

Unlike popular view, Mr. Martinez’s current economic crisis did not result from drug dependency, chemical substance abuse, alcohol abuse or womanizing. In fact, Mr. Martinez has a very clean record and was neither ticketed nor arrested. His economic crisis resulted from not finding gainful employment and the financial abuse suffered from his family. According to New Jersey’s Department of Labor, Mr. Martinez’s unsuccessful rate of finding gainful employment results from his disposition as a Veteran, low economy where companies neither wish to employ new college graduates nor wish to pay the financial dividends that Mr. Martinez merits as a result from his academic training and life experience. In fact, “Overqualified” seems to be the constant response that he gets daily on his emails in a country that guarantees “Veteran’s Preference.” To add, the six thousand dollars Federal Government grant offered to companies who hire veterans does not seem to promote employment for the homeless Veteran Community.

So, let’s quickly review the daily life of a Veteran who’s in transition to gaining self-independence.

Nutritional Support

The day begins roughly at 6:30 am with feeding the resident population. After eating, residents perform assigned duties, go to appointments, and attend support groups as they endevour to seek gainful employment and enter into financial stability and economic independence.

Volunteerism

Residents partake in volunteer projects to help build-up their self-esteem, community awareness as well as receive excellent recommendations from their counselors pertaining to work ethics.

Meditation & Relaxation

After enduring all these pressures, counselors assist residents in a well-balanced program of exercise, meditational techniques and encourage program participants to pick-up hobbies to help boost their self-esteem. Then, the daily routine ends immediately after 5:30 pm dinner where residents may go to their rooms, relax and watch tv until the next day.

The program offer a safe retreat to America’s best heros who’ve fought for their country, earned meritorious awards as well as the academic education needed to become a thriving member of society. It just so happens that as adults, our Veterans loose familial support and have to turn to governmental state agencies to help them progress in life. Many of our residents are content with the fact that they are not forgotten of the numerous years of service rendered to their country. Programs such as this provides the basic human needs for progressing into the next steps in life.

The Fault in Her Stars.

It all started new years of 2008, the day where Sarah Conner’s life changed forever. Due to an unknown source, there was a house fire which erupted that day, taking everything from her and her entire family. Due to this event, a plethora of medical issues crept their way in as a result of being diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder; an issue that still has a slight hold over her to this day. Her family was also affected by the fire. Tension rose when her family resided with her father’s sister, not only because of her different appearance, but lies were spread and Sarah was excommunicated from her own church. All of these rash behaviors from simple, immature catty behavior from a temporary member of the family.

Despite all of this irrational treatment Sarah has stepped up and forgave her aunt for the harsh treatment. “Life’s funny,” Sarah has told me. “Moving on is only thing you can do.” I was truly inspired by her story and I made an amazing friend in the process.

A girl haunted by a past of misery and grief.

Flammable

The aftermath of fire damage to her house, which is a constant reminder of what happened new years of 2008.

Prescription candy

A multitude of Sarah prescriptions for her bodily issues; such as, celiacs, acid reflex, and IBS. A lot of issues arose after the fire because of the post traumatic stress disorder.

Isn’t blood thicker than wine?

The front of Sarah’s local church where she was cast out of because of her appearance.

It goes on…

Writing down this Robert Frost quote, Sarah shows us she is going to be okay and is able to move on from her past.

On November 27th, Thanksgiving Eve, two South Jersey acts took the stage at the Theater of the Living Arts on South Street in Philadelphia. Philabundance is the one of the hunger organizations that is prominent in the Philadelphia region. This show was a collaboration between DVT Entertainment and Philabundance to host one of the many food drives taking place in Philadelphia over the Thanksgiving holiday. Personally being from South Jersey, I was excited to finally be able to see these two particular acts as I not only know their music, but I connect to them on a personal level through friends. Tickets were $15. The event began at 8:00 P.M. with one of South Jersey performers, Joey DiTullio, a Washington Township native, opening the show.

In the Presence of Wolves, or ITPOW as they would be referred to here in South Jersey, hails from Barrington. Barrington is located in Camden County about 15 minutes away from the Philadelphia border. In the Presence of Wolves has 4 band members. Vincent (Vini) Stamato is the lead vocalist but also plays bass. Christopher Capitanio and Justin Alexander are both ITPOW guitarists. Lastly, Mason Ingling is the fantastic drummer for In the Presence of Wolves. Both bands are South Jersey natives and people are ecstatic to see these people get the chance of a lifetime to play at the TLA.

Five bands altogether played at the TLA on November 27th. Three of those bands were from Philadelphia. Zymotic Flow is a rock and roll band that went on after Joey DiTullio. After Zymotic Flow was another band from Philadelphia called Rowboat Casino. Rowboat Casino was a rock band that had a rapper as their singer. Rowboat Casino was a band that definitely caught many people’s attention, including mine. After ITPOW played, the final band, The Electric Boa went on at midnight. All of the bands were great, and these bands definitely opened my mind up to the Philadelphia region for music.

Joey DiTullio, South Jersey native, playing one of his newest original songs “My Friends and I” on November 27th, 2013.

DiTullio, who hails from Washington Township, NJ, is an astonishing performer despite being only 15 years old. DiTullio writes his own music, and has played in many different venues including the famous BlueBird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee. At the TLA, DiTullio released his first demo CD with 3 original songs and a cover of Anna Nalick’s, “Wreck of the Day”. Joe’s love for music comes from his main inspiration, The Foo Fighters. DiTullio’s life is changing drastically very quickly and he is very aware. He recently announced that he will be playing at Jaxon’s Local Shots Mistletoe Jam on December 26, 2013 at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Jaxon is a famous radio DJ on 93.3 WMMR. This is a huge deal for DiTullio because he is playing with Kid Felix, and John and Brittany, two famous bands from the area. Joey DiTullio is beginning his life and he loves every minute of it because he is doing what he loves. More information of Joey DiTullio can be found at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joey-Ditullio/360863670707148

or

http://www.joeyditullio.com.

In the Presence of Wolves’ bassist/vocalist Vini Stamato and guitarist/vocalist Chris Capitanio opening with their original song, “Man of the Times”.

As I stated in my introduction, In the Presence of Wolves, or ITPOW, originated in Barrington. Vini Stamato and Chris Capitanio, the bassist and guitarist, began ITPOW in 2009. After a long time of searching, Stamato and Capitanio found Justin Alexander (guitarist), and Mason Ingling (drummer) in 2012. Since then, they have played at many different venues very similar to DiTullio. ITPOW creates their own music, four of which they played at the TLA on the 27th.

Guitarist Christopher Capitanio playing along to their original “Bird Song”.

ITPOW has many influences to their rock & roll music. Rush, Porcupine Tree, The Mars Volta, Mastodon, Opeth, Incubus, Yes, and Tool all help ITPOW create their amazing music. ITPOW has a very progressive rock feel to their music. They are many guitar solos, and many people find that to be a helping factor in making their music more prominent. However, In the Presence of Wolves doesn’t just play their originals at concerts. They have their occasional cover that makes the crowd go wild.

Vini Stamato (singer/bassist) and Mason Ingling (drummer) wowing the crowd with their cover of “Cult of Personality” by Living Color.

In the Presence of Wolves doesn’t do covers that often at their shows. However, when they do, it is usually one of two options. One option is “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zepplin. The other is “Cult of Personality” by Living Color.  They performed “Cult of Personality” on November 27th at the TLA making the crowd go wild. This being a crowd favorite, the audience yelled and sang along with the band. Find out more about In the Presence of Wolves at:

https://www.facebook.com/InThePresenceOfWolves

and

https://soundcloud.com/in-the-presence-of-wolves

ITPOW is also available on Spotify.

Both South Jersey’s Joey DiTullio and In the Presence of Wolves were fantastic and the crowd favorites of the night. After each performed, they got a roaring ovation from the audience. Personally, I can finally check seeing these acts off of my list. They’ve become pretty important in the South Jersey area and everyone is so excited to see these guys do well for themselves. Both acts are extremely talented and I can’t wait to see how far they are going to go in the music industry.

By Brianna Cutter
CCC Journalism Program

BLACKWOOD – The faculty members of the visual arts department of Camden County College have put much time and effort into bringing the student body this year’s Annual Faculty Art Exhibit.

The exhibit features artwork from about 12 faculty members. Their pieces include sculptures, paintings and videos.

The opening of the exhibit as well as the artists’ reception took place Nov. 13.

The opening night of the exhibit provided guests with food, beverages and a chance to talk to some of the artists. Gregory Brellochs, one of the coordinators of the exhibit, is displaying some of his works of art.

“I am showing a series of 18 small graphite drawings titled ‘Valences,’ which explores imagined structures that visually reference the notion of a periodic table of elements through elements like they’ve never seen before,” Brellochs says.

Brellochs is displaying other pieces of his work as well. He says students should check out the exhibit, which runs through Dec. 13 in the Marlin Art Gallery in Lincoln Hall.

“It offers students the opportunity not only to see quality artwork first hand but to speak with the artists, their teachers, about that work,” Brellochs says. “It’s a great opportunity to ask questions of the artists regarding what they intended, how they created the objects or images and, in short, to gain a glimpse into the mind and practice of professional artists working in the fields the students themselves are interested in entering.”

Students can expect to see plenty of different artwork of different forms at the exhibit.

“Students will be able to see a range of work done in many different styles and in many different media, ranging from realist-inspired painting to abstract sculpture to traditional crafts and contemporary photography,” Brellochs says. “It’s the breadth of the work that makes this show such a great learning experience for our students.”

Students who have visited the exhibit so far have not been disappointed.

“The show definitely had a lot to offer,” student Stephany McKean says. “The art department is lucky to have professors that excel in a variety of disciplines.”

McKean recommends students check out the exhibit.

“It’s important to see the work your professors are doing and where they’re coming from artistically,” McKean says.

Faculty member Coy Gu has a variety of colorful artwork on display in the Faculty Art Exhibit. By Brianna Cutter, CCC Journalism Program

Tom Ersing visits friends at home while taking a break from the ROTC.

Tom Ersing, 18, of Sicklerville, NJ attends The Pennsylvania College of Technology where he has become a part of the ROTC program. While majoring in Construction Management and minoring in Business Administration, Ersing is also training to become a part of the National Guard. Ersing decided this was something he wanted to do while he was attending high school at Timber Creek high school in Erial, NJ. When Ersing finishes up his training in June of 2017, he plans to commision into the Army as Active or Reserve.

After many long days and nights of training, Ersing was finally able to take a trip home to visit his family and friends for the Thanksgiving holiday. During his trip home, he made a trip to visit his friend Joe Greco, 20, who is a student at Camden County College.

Tom Ersing (Left) & Joe Greco (Right) catch up on what’s new

Ersing and Greco had tons of catching up to do during Ersing’s visit. So they caught each other up with all that is going on in their lives while watching some college basketball on TV.

Tom says bye to his friend Joe as he heads home to pack up to go back to school

After hanging out and catching up over a couple of hours, Ersing has to move on to go visit some more friends and family during his short time at home.

Tom waves bye to his friend Joe as he gets in the car to head home.

Ersing waves goodbye to his friend one last time before driving off to make his rounds to his other friends, and then head up back to school.

Ersing brought home T-Shirts from the ROTC program for his friends and family as part of a fundraiser.

Before leaving home, Ersing brought some Army Reserve T-shirts for his friends and family as part of a fundraiser the ROTC program he is involved in was holding.

By Brian Clayton
CCC Journalism Program

BLACKWOOD – The Camden County College women’s basketball team defeated Sussex County Community College 74-28 on Nov. 26 at Papiano Gymnasium.

Entering the game, the CCC women’s basketball team had a record of 1-3 but was able to take advantage of a Sussex CC team with only seven players.

About the large margin of victory over the Sussex CC team, CCC women’s basketball Coach MollyAnne Light said, “We were surprised by the margin of victory over Sussex. We knew they were one of the weaker teams in the conference, but we play(ed) good basketball.”

The CCC women’s team got big contributions in the game from starters Kamari Talley and Kathleen Velez. Talley led the team with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Of those 13, seven were offensive rebounds. After the game, Light said, “Talley grabs a majority of our rebounds. She has always been a great rebounder given her size and strength around the basket. As a team, we need to supplement her average.”

Velez had 17 points and shot 5-for-7 from the 3-point line. She made four of those 3-pointers in the first half, which helped the CCC women’s team get off to a big lead. About Velez’s shooting, Light said, “Velez has been shooting the ball better and better as the season is progressing. She came to us as a true point guard out of high school and did not have shooting on the mind. We have been encouraging her to ‘let it fly,’ and I’m confident that she will continue to improve and maybe even be in the top contenders for field goal percentage in our region.”

Siani Blackson and Ayanna Williams both came off the bench for CCC and supplied 12 and 15 points, respectively. Williams shot 4-for-6 from the field and shot 6-for-10 from the free-throw line.

James Owens, a spectator, said about the game, “This is the best I’ve seen the CCC women’s team play all season and hopefully they can start a winning streak now.”

Light expressed optimism about her team, saying, “It’s a long season, and we expect to surprise a few teams and give others a good run for their money. Our program has been in the rebuilding stages the past couple of years, so we are considered the dark horse of the conference.”

Papiano Gymnasium held the women’s basketball game between Camden County College and Sussex County Community College on Nov. 26. By Brian Clayton, CCC Journalism Program

By Rachel Robin
CCC Journalism Program

BLACKWOOD – Spies in fiction, film and television got the spotlight Dec. 2 at Camden County College during a session of a mini-course called I Spy: A History of Espionage Since World War II.

Professor John Pesda lectures about spies in fiction, film and television. By Rachel Robin, CCC Journalism Program

The mini-course is taking place from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Mondays from Nov. 11 to Dec. 9 in Room 210 in Madison Hall. It is one of many mini-courses offered each semester at Camden County College.

I Spy: A History of Espionage Since World War II covers major events in espionage in the last 80 years, including successes and failures; spies, counter spies and double agents; plots and counterplots; crises; fascinating personalities and fictional characters.

In the Dec. 2 session, called For Everybody’s Eyes Only: Spies in Fiction, Film and Television, Professor John Pesda discussed topics that included Mossad Origins, Mossad Myths, Stasi, Stasi Methods, Extent of Stasi Network, and Spies in Fiction and Film. He gave examples, stories and a handout for each topic and fielded questions from attendees. More than 35 men and women attended.

One woman in attendance, Kathy Kilgus, said she has been coming to these mini-courses for four years.

“I come to these mini-courses because they’re educational and entertaining,” Kilgus said. “Professor Pesda keeps the topics interesting and the lectures are very easy to listen to. I would recommend this mini-course to people interested in the topic.”

Mariessa Molloy, 23, grew up in Williamstown New Jersey. At the age of 18, she left her childhood home to attend her dream school, Penn State University, Main Campus, in Pennsylvania. Mariessa attended Penn State University from 2008 until 2012. When Mariessa graduated from Penn State University in 2001, she did so with her bachelors degree in psychology and big plans for her future. However, something Penn State University did not prepare Mariessa for was her big plans falling through. After months of job hunting, submitting applications, and waiting to hear back, Mariessa stopped looking for jobs in the psychology field. None were available. No one was hiring in that particular field. It is not just the psychology field that this is happening in, either.
Many college students are in the same predicament that Mariessa finds herself. To pass the time until she can figure out her next big step, Mariessa is currently working part time in a jewelry store in the Cherry Hill Mall called Pandora. Although making above minimum wage, Mariessa is still unable to afford a place of her own on top of all of her bills and student loans, forcing her to be living back in her childhood home in Williamstown.
Mariessa Molloy ringing out a customer at Pandora in the Cherry Hill Mall on November 21st, 2013. Mariessa describes ringing out customers as tedious and easy. It’s something she can do mindlessly without having to think too much about it.

Mariessa paying bills online.

Mariessa packaging up a customers purchase.

Mariessa helping a customer select their produce.

Mariessa watching television at home with her parents.

By Alicia Colletti
CCC Journalism Program

BLACKWOOD – A mini-course presentation Nov. 25 at Camden County College looked at the CIA’s plans to overthrow or kill Cuban President Fidel Castro and U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s part in all of it.

The presentation, The Spy Who Didn’t Love Me: Double Agents and Betrayals in the Cold War, is part of a mini-course covering the major events in espionage in the last 80 years. The mini-course, I Spy: A History of Espionage Since World War II, is taking place from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Mondays from Nov. 11 to Dec. 9 in Room 210 of Madison Hall. The mini-course focuses on espionage successes and failures; spies, counter spies and double agents; plots and counterplots; crises; fascinating personalities and fictional characters.

Dr. John Pesda, the presenter of the mini-course, began the Nov. 25 session by cracking a joke and engaging his classroom of 42 students. Pesda’s class was mainly lecture with the use of visual aids. He also engaged in conversations with the students about various aspects of the topic. It was obvious the class was comfortable and enjoyed the lecture.

“It’s history but it’s history that happened in my lifetime,” stated Adjunct Katherine Perloff, a student in the class.

The lecture focused largely on Presidents John F. Kennedy and Dwight B. Eisenhower and their participation in the Cuban Missile Crisis of the early 1960s. Pesda was so comfortable with the information he appeared to lecture from memory.

“I spend weeks preparing and emphasize developing an understanding of the material so I don’t have to rely heavily on notes. It isn’t memorized. I just know the material really well,” the professor stated.

He started by describing Operation Mongoose, the CIA’s plans to overthrow Castro. Pesda then expanded on how the CIA planned on overthrowing Castro, its initial intentions on killing Castro and Kennedy’s part in all of it.

While discussing Kennedy, the class got onto the topic of his sexual scandals, to which one student exclaimed, “It’s a shame they didn’t have (Saturday Night Live) back then …,” causing the rest of the class to explode with laughter. The other students took turns telling anecdotes of things they remembered from this time period.

The mini-course is offered to every student for one credit or it may be taken as an audit.

Dr. John Pesda speaks to the class during the mini-course session Nov. 25. By Alicia Colletti, CCC Journalism Program

Here we see Steven mounting the Roll of Stock on the press, preparing it to run through the machine. It is crucial that he makes sure the paper is centered so everything runs smoothly

For my Photo Essay i chose to capture the story of how a label is made. I was talking with local resident Steven Easterday, who works at Modtek: Labeling and Printing, in Pennsauken NJ. He says a lot more goes on behind the scenes than just laying ink down on paper. He explained all the steps you need to take before you even start running the machine. First you have to make sure your roll and paper are centered in the press. Then you have to take the plates that have the images in them, and match them all up. This way when you run, all the images needed to make the final image are perfectly overlapped and not a jumbled mess. After that, you have to make sure all the necessary heating elements are on, so your ink dries properly before reaching  the end roll. Once you’ve completed these steps, you can now turn on the Press and start running.

Steven Then went on to inform me that even though you’ve done a lot of preparation, you can’t just sit back and watch the machine run, that is only half the battle. Now you have to keep up with your work and maintain the machine. You have to make sure that the inks are drying at the speed at which you are running. It is also crucial to make you sure you do not run out of ink, or let it sit too long and clump up. Spraying the rollers with silicon so labels don’t peel up and cause a wrap up around one of the rollers is also super important. You have to keep all this going while watching the status of the label too, making sure colors stay qualified and registration stays in place. Meaning that the images are all suppose to be on the label, and not moving around, because even a sixteenth of an inch can make all the difference. Once you finish running the job and you are done with your copy of labels, you send it over to the rewinding station where it gets one step closer to being sent to the customer.

In this photo we are seeing Steven splicing the new roll with the finished roll. The Tape job must be done thoroughly, so the paper doesn’t rip when he starts the press back up again.

Here we see Steven applying a water based formula known as 80/20 which is meant to keep the ink from thickening up and leaving chunks of ink on the label in the incorrect spots.

In this shot, Steven is examining the labels as they shoot by at a very high pace. He is looking for any mistakes in registration or color.

After finishing his job, he places the finished rolls of labels on a cart to be sent to the next area.