Author: Brittany Claramunt

Brittany Claramunt is a reporter for the Del Mar College Foghorn. She joined the staff in Spring 2016 as a first year college student. Brittany majors in Radio and Television and hopes to one day become an aspiring television news anchor. You can contact Brittany via e-mail at bclaramunt@foghornnews.com or follow her on Twitter @BrittClaramunt.
Campus, Community

Del Mar hosts big speech tournament

Brittany Claramunt

Brittany Claramunt bclaramunt@foghornnews.com @BrittClaramunt Speaking in front of a crowd is one of the top three most common fears that people have, but not everyone has that fear. The students in the Vocal Vikings may feel nervous when they compete but fearing the idea on speaking in front of other competitors and judges does not stop them from speaking. Every year, the Vocal Vikings host Speech on the Beach where they compete in both debate and various speech events. Thirteen colleges and Universities from around Texas and as far as Louisiana and Mississippi competed in the tournament. Mariah Massengill placed…

Book Review, Entertainment

“Red Queen” series has fans eagerly anticipating the next one

Brittany Claramunt

Brittany Claramunt bclaramunt@foghornnews.com @BrittClaramunt   Society is already separated by classes due to economic standings, but what if it was divided by the color of your blood? In the series “Red Queen” by Victoria Aveyard, that is exactly how society is divided. The story follows Mare, a girl who is trying to earn some money for her family to survive. She and her family are considered red blood because they are nothing special, while the elites and royals have silver blood because they have special abilities. While trying to find work, the royals discovered she has an ability even though…

Technology

One thing not on break – your phone

Brittany Claramunt

Brittany Claramunt @BrittClaramunt One good thing about living in Corpus Christi is that the beach is only a short drive away. Spring break usually means the beaches will be packed with students and tourists wanting to get some sun, but not everyone is rushing to the beaches. Whereever you go, the one thing you will likely have with you is your phone. Besides having social media apps, maybe some of these apps will help for spring break and beyond. Trip Advisor and Yelp are great apps to have when you are looking for a place to eat. They will tell…

Community

You can now text 911

Brittany Claramunt

Brittany Claramunt bclaramunt@foghornnews.com @BrittClaramunt We are all taught to call 911 in an emergency, but what if you are in a situation when you can’t use your voice? The idea to text 911 has been around although it had never made it to Corpus Christi until now. The Corpus Christi Police Department’s MetroCom officials recently announced that they are now able to receive emergency text messages with the three-number code, except in Robstown. The new program will help the hard-of-hearing community or those with speech disabilities in an emergency. Depending on the situation, voice call is still encouraged because they…

Opinions

Trump’s wall will cost us more in the long run

Brittany Claramunt

Brittany Claramunt bclaramunt@foghornnews.com @BrittClaramunt President Donald Trump campaigned on the promise that he will build a wall between the United States and Mexico and that Mexico will pay for it. After visiting with the president of Mexico and a recent phone call during his first week in office, President Enrique Peña Nieto refuses to pay for the wall. So Trump is going to put a 20 percent tariff on anything that comes from Mexico to pay for the wall. In the end, Americans are going to pay for the wall. If the 20 percent tariff is enacted then whatever we…

Entertainment, TV

Doctor playing God proves to be intriguing

Brittany Claramunt

Brittany Claramunt @BrittClaramunt   Physician assisted suicide is the last thought anyone has when they have an incurable disease or even cancer. It is a controversial topic in the United States, and just six states allow physician assisted suicide if the patient only has six months or less to live. “Mary Kills People” is a show based on physician assisted suicide, a topic that causes many people to think about their morals. Dr. Mary Harris (Caroline Dhavernas) is a single mom and also an ER doctor by day, but at night, with her partner, helps terminally ill patients slip away…

Book Review, Entertainment

Former White House press chief mixes humor with advice

Brittany Claramunt

Brittany Claramunt @BrittClaramunt   I normally read fiction books for fun because the story takes me on an adventure when I really want to escape reality. Over the Christmas break my parents got me two books that were not fiction, they were autobiographies. One of the books was “And The Good News Is…” by Dana Perino. Perino is well known for being the press secretary during the Bush administration. In the book she writes about her life before, during and after her work in Washington, D.C. Going from a small-town girl to the press secretary for the president meant hard…

Opinions

Water crisis shows the need to be prepared

Brittany Claramunt

Brittany Claramunt blaramunt@foghornnews.com @BrittClaramunt   After the city’s fourth water problem of 2016 in December, the thought of having a plan in case it happens again was on many residents’ minds. It appeared we were having yet another water advisory on Jan. 19 when another chemical managed to get into the system. However, it did not get into the city’s system; it was only found in the Flint Hills water system, which is separate from the city’s supply. The brief misunderstanding sent people scrambling to H-E-B and Wal-Mart to buy bottled water before it sold out. The December advisory, which…

Entertainment, TV

Sherlock makes a thrilling return

Brittany Claramunt

Brittany Claramunt bclaramunt@foghornnews.com @BrittClaramunt   A typical TV series has about 13 episodes and comes out every year. Episodes run for an hour, with commercials, so the episode itself is roughly 40 minutes. “Sherlock,” on the other hand, is completely different. An episode of “Sherlock” is a full hour and a half with no commercials or interruptions. So far, each season has only 3 episodes. British shows in general are a full hour because in the U.K. they don’t get commercials while the show is airing. Their goal, according to the lead writers of the show Mark Gatiss and Steven…

Campus

Best of the best speech students get their moment

Brittany Claramunt

Each semester for the past 29 years, the speech department has been putting on the Speech Showcase. Over 900 students are taking some sort of speech class this semester whether it’s public speaking, intro to communication, business and professional, or oral interpretation. At the showcase, the top few were spotlighted. In class the students get to do an informative speech and a persuasive speech. They are recorded during class and then uploaded to the server in the speech lab. From those speeches the nine professors, including adjuncts, select one student from their classes and submit them to a facilitator who…