Sports+

Opinion From injuries to death, Black Friday is like walking into battle, waiting to see who your enemy will be in line as you hear them say they want the TV that you are after. Consumerism is a problem in this country and instead of spending Thanksgiving with family, we are lining up outside of department stores for sales that are barely worth the hassle. Black Friday is a day that strikes fear in the hearts of retail workers who have to work on Thanksgiving, but also brings excitement for shoppers who are looking for the perfect gifts at a “low” price. Yes, we may all know consumerism is a problem in the U.S., but people are risking their lives for deals and it brings out the worst in people. According to BuzzFeed, in 2011 a woman with two children pepper sprayed fellow shoppers waiting in line for an Xbox 360 and 20 people were treated with minor injuries in the incident. The thought of actually physically harming someone for a measly 50-60 dollars off is wh

Photos by Jovanni Arroyo-Camberos It’s that time of the year again, from Santa’s little helpers to Santa himself, crowds of Christmas enthusiasts from the community gathered at Santana Row to witness the 12 th annual tree lighting ceremony last Tuesday. With the holiday season now in effect, people not only saw the start of the Christmas season but also watched performances, special guests and the tree lighting ceremony. “Really it’s to kick off the holiday season for our community, we want to invite the community, our family and friends out to Santana Row, to kickoff the holiday season together,” said Santana Row Marketing Director Collette Navarrette. The ceremony began with a moment of silence for those affected by the Paris attacks that occurred Nov. 13. “I enjoyed that (moment of silence) I think that it’s a good thing to do out of respect for other people who are not as fortunate as we are and I’m glad they incorporated that tonight,” attendee Monica

SJSU called to divest from companies "profiting" from Israeli occupation The Associated Students Board of Directors officially signed the resolution calling for divestment from several companies accused of profiting from Israeli occupation of Palestine on Friday. The passing of the resolution was announced on Nov. 18 and while A.S. voted in favor of divestment, it would still need to be approved by the SJSU Tower Foundation board of directors to actually go into effect. Divestment is the reduction of some kind of asset for financial, ethical or political objectives. According to Abid El-Miaari, president of Students for Justice in Palestine, the resolution was initially pitched on Oct. 21, and that many student groups were involved including the Black Student Union and MEChA. “We first went around to student organizations and explained the situation in Palestine, and why we wanted to pass such a resolution,” El-Miaari said via email. Palestine and Israel

Jonathan Colunga takes the ball down the field in a home match against the University of Missouri Kansas City on Oct. 23 at the Spartan Soccer field.  Photo by Jovanni Arroyo-Camberos I t’s not every day a teenager is faced to cross the Mexican border with only the clothes on his back and a visa in his pocket to pursue a dream of becoming a professional soccer player. However, for Jonathan Colunga his goal of becoming a professional soccer player meant he needed to come to the United States at 17 years old. Colunga, a midfielder on the San Jose State University men’s soccer team, was born on Oct. 24, 1992 in Leon, Mexico and he came to the U.S. without his family. He is the oldest in his family and has two small brothers. “I grew up in Mexico and when I was 17, I left everything and moved to the U.S. to live the so-called American dream” Colunga said. “ This made me mature a lot and it has certainly affected me because I learned to grow up and be self-reli

Opinion The most ridiculous lawsuits to ever reach any court system happen to be in the U.S. and it’s nothing to be proud of. Lawsuits are made up left and right and are made over the stupidest reasons. Americans need to stop, look, and listen to what the world is thinking of us. Last week, an aunt in Connecticut found out the verdict in a lawsuit she made citing her nephew for $127,000 dollars in medical expenses for a hug that went wrong. According to CNN, Jennifer Connell broke her wrist when her nephew jumped into her arms at his eighth birthday party at his family's home in Westport, Connecticut, causing her to fall. Connell’s attorneys said she filed suit after her nephew's parents' insurance company offered her $1 over the accident. This incident is not the only time a lawsuit like this has happened in the U.S. Just last year, the energy drink company Red Bull agreed to a settlement of $13 million for not promising its consumers wings. Th

Photos by Jovanni Arroyo-Camberos Junior defender Hayden Kelley battles for the ball in last Friday’s Mountain West match-up against the UNLV Rebels at the Spartan Soccer Field. T he San Jose State women’s soccer team split its weekend conference matches with one win and one loss when they hosted the UNLV and the University of Nevada. The Spartans lost their first matchup against the UNLV Rebels 1-0 in a tight played game that was mainly dominated in the middle of the field. “I thought they came out flat in the first half, a lot of players did and we didn’t start the day in sync and I thought our attack was not very threatening in the first half and we didn’t finish our chances,” head coach Lauren Hanson said. SJSU began the match dominating most of possession, having several chances to score but failed to capitalize on them. Senior midfielder Darlene Rodriguez had a one on one chance at the beginning of the game but was denied by Rebels goalkeeper, Jessie Clark