The Guardsman, Vol. 150, Issue 5. City College of San Francisco

C&T: Alternative Press Expo 2010

Volume 150, Issue 5

Page 12

NEWS: Local 2 strikes against Hilton

Page 3

C&T: Review: Legends of the Guardians

www.theguardsman.com

Page 10

October 20, 2010

POISON POLIT I CS

The federal government’s attempt to exterminate the promise of Prop. 19 Page 8

2|

News

THE GUARDSMAN

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Dispatch from the Editor’s desk

NEWS IN BRIEF

Zemanifesto

‘Nenikékamen’ This issue has all of our sweat and blood in it.

Not like that limited-edition KISS comic from the ‘70s where they put actual blood from each member in the red ink—we’re looking into that for issue six—but in the sense that it almost killed several editors, including myself.

Producing this issue was a disaster from start to finish.

Murphy’s Law has been holding our little newsroom in the grip of it’s razor jaws since the start on this one, and at one point we even lost electricity for five hours—bringing production to a bone-chilling and deadlinedisrupting halt.

And I won’t go into full details, but there was an incident involving cat poop.

Yeah...

But here we are, so I just want to send out a heartfelt, personal thank you to everyone who made this issue possible.

Once every two weeks, my editorial staff sacrifices their weekend for the sake of our common goal, providing City College students with a paper we would read ourselves.

It is my sincere belief that, despite it all, we have done just that once again.

And now for something completely different…

So California’s just hanging around in it’s one-bedroom apartment with some friends, relaxing and eating some Hawaiian burgers.

California and Prop 19 are sitting at a folding card table and Prop 215 is laying on the couch.

Then, Eric Holder and Arnold Schwarzenegger kick down the door and barge into the room with .50 caliber, semi-automatic handguns drawn.

Holder bellows, “which one of you sensimilla-sucking suckers is named California?” while brandishing his cocked hand-cannon at California’s trembling chest.

“Look man,” California barely manages to squeak. “I was just trying to get some more money for education, and I only had the best intentions–”

Students excluded

RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

BAM! BAM! BAM! Holder unloads three shots into Prop 215’s gut without even looking—his eyes stay trained on California.

“Oh my god,” California gasps in numb horror as Prop 215 writhes and screams in a the growing pool of it’s own blood.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Holder snarls. “Did I break your concentration? You were saying something about best intentions?”

California stammers, unable to produce anything but a few choked sobs and the rapidly spreading urine stain on the front of its chinos.

“Oh, you’re done. Well then allow me to retort,” Holder says. “Does Barrack Obama look like a pinball machine? So why’d you try to play him like one?”

BAM! BAM! Two more shots ring out. This time they strike Prop 19 in the face and head—killing it instantly and knocking it out of its chair.

California shivers in Holder’s shadow as he speaks slowly and clearly.

“I got a little bible verse memorized, just for occasions like this,” Holder says with a fiendish grin. “Ezekiel 25: 17, ‘The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men...’”

Holder smashes California in the face with the butt of his pistol, bloodying its nose, and continues. “...And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger, those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers,” he screams. “And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you.”

With this final utterance, Holder unloads the remaining nine shots into California’s torso, relishing in his total power over the little republic—when he feels someone nudging him in the side.

“Eric! Eric, wake up, you were screaming.”

Holder’s loving wife sits next to him on the edge of their bed, looking with concern down at her husband, who is curled up in the fetal position, in his footy pajamas with a thumb in his mouth.

“Baby, are you ok?” she asks.

Holder squints at his wife through eyes still dusted with slumber, a dopey grin spread across his face, “Yes darling. I was just having the most wonderful dream.”

— Greg Zeman Editor-in-Chief Email: gzeman@theguardsman.com

Alea Iacta Est

Veterans Resource Center holds grand opening

By Robert Romano THE GUARDSMAN

The Veterans Resource Center, a place where veterans returning to school can study and obtain services, including mental health counseling, held it’s grand opening on Oct. 15.

Chancellor Don Griffin, Coach George Rush and City College veterans joined dignitaries from the San Francisco Veterans Administration and City College supporters to officially open the center.

The grand opening, at Cloud Hall, was standing-room only with approximately 40 people overflowing into the cramped hallway.

The room, which is equipped with a flatscreen monitor, a refrigerator, a microwave and six computers with Internet access, gives veterans a place to socialize.

“We need to be ready to serve veterans when they came back from the war. We were not ready,” said Griffin, who has worked as a psychologist for the Veteran hospitals in the East Bay. “We had only 140 veterans in the college.

They were in a facility in the basement of Conlan Hall—totally inadequate staffing.”

As City College has seen the number of veterans return to campus increase, there is a need to filter out those organizations that would hamper them finishing school.

“The Army tried to come in and recruit last

Georgia became the second state to bar undocumented students from attending select universities on Oct.13.

The state’s policy, similar to that of South Carolina, requires colleges to check the legal residency status of all applicants and prohibits undocumented students from enrolling with the selective admission process.

The ban, which applies to the University of Georgia, the Georgia Institute of Technology and three other universities, will go into effect next fall.

Immigrant rights groups intend to challenge the decision in court.

New Leaf closes doors

After 35 years of service, New Leaf San Francisco LGBT mental health facility closed its doors this past weekend.

The clinic served more than 1300 clients, with an emphasis on helping seniors, youth, low-income individuals and people with HIV. “We are profoundly saddened by this loss, but the economic forces we are facing were just too much for us to overcome,” Interim Director Thom Lynch said in a press release posted on the clinic’s website.

Homeless Day rally

Creative House Liberation hosted a rally and march for World Homeless Day on Oct 10. The rally began at Civic Center Plaza and was followed by a march up Larkin Street. The march ended at Hotel Leslie at 587 Eddy St., which has been unoccupied for over two years. Approximately 20 people took over the empty hotel. All involved were able to escape before the police were able to enter the building, so no arrests were made.

CORRECTIONS

ROBERT ROMANO / THE GUARDSMAN

Oscar Munuz, left, hugs Jim Knudstrup, one of the Veteran Alliance founding members, at the grand opening of the Veterans Resource Center on Oct. 7.

week. I asked them to leave,” said the Dean of the Student Health Center, Sunny Clark, who was appointed by Griffin to administer the VRC. The primary purpose of the VRC is to create a safe and welcoming place on campus for veterans returning from active duty. ”Some guys that have moved here don’t know how to navigate around campus or town,” member of the Veteran’s Alliance club, Jordan Towers, said. The club was instrumental in the creation of the VRC. He said the biggest

service is peer mentoring.

City College’s VRC is the first community college center in the country to work closely with San Francisco Veterans Administration, according to founding members of the club. ”It is unprecedented. As veterans we are entitled to care at the VA hospitals, what has not been done before being able to have on site care,” founding member of the Veterans Alliance club, Jim Knudstrup, said.

The SFVA plans to expand its hours at the

CENTER OPENING: Page 13

The issue 3 article titled “Registration project reaches out to students” contained a misspelling of Student Trustee Jeffery Fang’s last name.

The issue 2 article “Discussion of student equity continues at City College” contained an inaccuracy. The article incorrectly said that students would have the option to take certain introductory classes being merged— mostly in the math and English departments—on a “pass/not pass” basis. This is not the case.

We apologize for any confusion caused by our error.

News

OCTOBER 20, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

|3

Workers strike against Hilton Hotel Cases of

bedbugs increase

By Gayle Yglesias THE GUARDSMAN

Workers of the Hilton San Francisco Union Square hotel, who are fighting to keep their wages and benefits after their contract expired last year, organized a six-day strike that started Oct. 13.

Strike organizer and housekeeper Guadalupe Chavez, who has been employed at the hotel for 30 years, said excess labor is being put on the backs of overworked employees instead of hiring and paying more workers.

“This is my hotel. I’m gonna fight for this. Nobody can do our job,” Chavez said in front of the hotel while handing out fliers and explaining to onlookers about the strike.

“They are trying to make us work more for less money,” Chavez said. Hilton employees pay $10 per month for health care and now are expected to pay $173 per month to cover costs of benefits.

However, Hilton Spokesperson Christy Seto said “Most companies across the U.S. require their employees to contribute to their health care.

In terms of health care right now, the San Francisco hotels are paying for all of their plans.

Employees pay zero dollars.”

Strikers outside of San Francisco’s largest hotel building on O’Farrell Street repeatedly chanted “What time is it?

Check out time,” and “We’ve got to feed our families,” and “The Hilton isn’t fair!”

“Hotels have lowered their

Law reforms transfer process

By Patrick Makiri THE GUARDSMAN

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act, guaranteeing students who complete certain degrees with at least a C average at California community colleges a place in the California State University system as juniors.

Schwarzenegger signed SB 1440 into law on Sept. 29 requiring the two institutions to better align their transfer process. CCC must offer degrees composed entirely of courses that CSUs recognize as transferable, while CSU must accept students with at least a C average who earn these transferable degrees.

Only 25 percent of community college students intending to transfer actually reach four-year institutions, according to the SB1440 Fact Sheet from the office of Senator Alex Padilla, author of the bill.

Some employees of City College are not convinced by TRANSFER: Page 13

By Isaiah Kramer THE GUARDSMAN

IAN MC DONALD / THE GUARDSMAN

Alphonso Pines stands with his megaphone striking outside the Hilton Hotel in downtown San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010. Alphonso works with Local 2 Union, which is working against low wages and a rise in Health care costs.

rates to keep room occupancy up, that way if they’re not making money, at least they’re still employing their employees so they have jobs,” Seto said.

“And it’s challenging because when you don’t really have income, and you’re still employing all these people, you can’t really get into all these requests. And that’s the challenge we’re facing now.”

“We just want what’s fair,” said Hilton telecom operator Howard Shoaff, who has been employed with the hotel for 24 years.

“Our contract ended in August 2009, so it’s over a year that we’ve been working without

one.”

One couple was convinced by the strikers not to check-in to the hotel. As they approached the front lobby, they were bombarded by strikers who told them the hotel would steal their belongings once they left their rooms.

The couple drove off to show support, leaving a happy crowd of strikers cheering them.

Seto said the strike was a “lose/lose situation,” because in an attempt to hurt the hotels, the union hurts San Francisco.

“These disruptive activities are not really helping anyone,” she said.

But while events may not be

booked at the Hilton specifically, they’re still being booked with other nearby hotels.

Hilton General Manager Michael Dunne stated in an Oct.13 press release, “our hotel is operating normally and is fully operational. We are using our managers and temporary replacements in the place of striking employees, with little or no disruption to guest services.”

When asked about the media coverage on the strike, Chavez pointed to herself and said, “Don’t believe the news, believe me.”

Email: gyglesias@theguardsman.com

Trapped in a jar on the top shelf of a bookcase in a Nob Hill studio-apartment is a deepred insect the size of a pinhead known as a bedbug, which is being kept alive as evidence of possible infestation.

After contacting her landlord to verify that it was a bedbug, Madeleine Reynolds prepared for the eradication process.

Bedbugs are nocturnal, sixlegged, blood-sucking parasites that invade homes and are difficult to eradicate. They are not confined to beds. They’re opportunistic, they can hide in screws, carpeting, books, clothing and furniture—basically anywhere imaginable.

And they hitchhike from room to room, home to home and person to person, said Dannette Lambert, resident bedbug expert at Central City SRO Collaborative, an organization that fights for SRO tenants’ rights.

A bedbug bite can be a red welt or a perpetually-itchy rash depending on the bug and the host.

The consensus among experts is that, though they feed on human and animal blood, they do not transmit disease and are of no serious physical health concern. But psychological trauma is often experienced among those afflicted by bedbugs.

BEDBUG: Page 13

Students speak out against budget cuts

By Robert Romano THE GUARDSMAN

City College students and teachers held a day of action at Ram Plaza on Oct. 7, in conjunction with schools across California, to address budget cuts.

Music was played and free spaghetti was served as students and teachers were given an opportunity to voice their views through an open mic, video journals and student surveys.

The event was organized by the CCSF Against Budget Cuts Club. Its stated goals are to restore cut classes, bring back funding for student services and to participate in all actions and conferences against budget cuts.

Approximately 50 surveys were collected asking students about their education goals and what barriers they were experiencing in fulfilling them. The surveys also asked for input and solutions. ”The goal is to have the administration adopt a Student Bill of Rights, then take it to other community colleges and finally take it Sacramento and ask for enforcement,” Felix Cabrera, vice president of cultural affairs and co-founder of the club said. He

added the surveys will eventually be available on the CCSFABC website. ”I went to the rally on March 4 with my son who is now in fourth grade,” City College child development student Victoria German said.

“We went to the rally and later my son said, ‘Mommy, is this mean I can’t go to college?’ I was shocked but if you think about, if we continue with same motions and if its gets worse then it will be a bigger problem for him when he gets to college. I mean it is affecting everyone. It is going to be our kid’s future,” German said.

City College students were affected by budget cuts when summer session was suspended. ”The budget cuts are really hurting students,” Jay Sayed, City College interdisciplinary studies instructor and United Nations Club faculty advisor, said.

“I personally think that education is the key to the success of a society, and if education is lagging for a budget that is behind, we are not taking into consideration the long term success of the society,” Sayed said. “It is hurting the writers, it is hurting the teachers, it is hurting the students.”

The California state budget

JAMES FANUCCHI / THE GUARDSMAN

Students and administrators voiced their opinion in the Ocean campus Amphitheatre via an ‘open mic’, Thursday, Oct. 7, in support of a statewide Day of Action Against the Budget Cuts. A free ‘Rock&Roll Spaghetti’ lunch for students was cooked and served by student ‘Diamond’ Dave Whitaker.

for 2010-2011 passed on October 8, 100 days after the deadline, and designated $1.9 billion less to K-14 public schools than the minimum Proposition 98 guarantee.

“We know that budget cuts are directed at us all, students in elementary schools and college students are all getting attacked at the same time by these budget cuts,” Mission High School teacher Andy Libson said. Libson

initially contacted City College to plan the day of action.

The day of action at City College is part of a larger effort to mobilize and educate all people affected by education cuts. A statewide organizing conference against the cuts will be held on Oct. 30 and 31 at SF State.

Email: rromano@theguardsman.com

4|

News

THE GUARDSMAN

OCTOBER 20, 2010

CALIFORNIA BUDGET 2010-11 Schwarzenegger’s Veto Highlights A brief look at the governor’s veto of $963 million in General Fund spending approved by the legislature and the impact it will have for California.

Nov.

1

CalWORKs Stage 3 Child Care will be eliminated, saving $256 million in spending.

55,000 Children

from low-income families will lose subsidized child care.

$366

cut from General Fund spending for CalWORKs and assumes receipt of federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds in the same amount.

Million

$80

Million

$52

Million

$10

Million

in funding reduced for child welfare services. in funding reduced for HIV/AIDs programs. in funding reduced for health clinics

$6

in funding reduced for communitybased programs in the Department of Aging.

Million

$133

deleted from funding for AB 3632 mandate for students’ mental health services — suspending the mandate for 2010-2011.

Million

Source: Legislative Analyst’s Office

CLOSING THE GAP

$108 million increase in funding for community colleges

$7.4

billion owed to the public education system since 2002

State legislature, Gov. approve plan to end record-long 100-day impasse

$189 million deferred until the 2011-12 fiscal year $81 million loss for the current fiscal year

California Suffles debt with defferments

By Alex Emslie and Greg Zeman THE GUARDSMAN

State legislators suspended California’s minimum education funding guarantee and wrote a $4.1 billion “IOU” to its cashstrapped education system Oct. 8, finalizing the state’s budget and ending a record-long, 100-day impasse.

Now schools and other state-funded institutions await reimbursement for $8.3 billion in delayed funding, as the loans keeping their doors open continue to accrue interest.

“The California Community College system has become the state’s banker by virtue of these late budgets,” City College Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance Peter Goldstein said.

The big picture California’s non-partisan Legislative Analyst Office estimated “well over two thirds” of the budget solutions concocted by the state to bridge its $18 billion projected deficit are onetime and temporary financial gymnastics.

“This means that California will continue to face sizable

annual budget problems in 2011–12 and beyond,” the LAO analysis concludes.

Legislators set aside $365 million in reserve, which Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ballooned to $1.3 billion with his veto pen. This brings the grand total spending package to $19.3 billion.

According to the latest monthly report released by State Controller John Chiang, California has $3.5 billion in available cash to address the $8.3 billion in outstanding bills from the 100-day budget delay.

In a statement accompanying the report, Chiang said it was, “difficult to celebrate a budget deal that does so little after so long.”

Banking on a prayer The budget relies heavily on anticipation that the state will be taking in more revenue in the very near future. For instance, the $1.9 billion reduction to K-14 education funds is cast as a deferral, to be paid back in next year’s budget.

“It is a cut though,” City College Trustee Milton Marks said. “You can’t pay a custodian’s salary with an intent to pay.

You have to pay it with money.

I understand what they’re doing.

It’s an accounting maneuver, but the college needs cash flow.

Borrowing is up, and interest is accruing.”

California owes its public education system $7.4 billion in deferrals. The state began delaying voter-mandated payments in 2002, according to a Chronicle analysis published Oct. 18, and the money never seems to get paid back.

The budget act also assumes $4.1 billion in federal money that congress has yet to approve.

If the feds decide to give less money, or if legislators underestimated costs, the suspension of Proposition 98’s minimum guarantee to education will allow further mid-year cuts to schools’ budgets.

Proposition 98 has not caused education funding to grow with California’s economy, nor has the level of state support become more stable, as voters had hoped when they passed the mandate in 1988. Goldstein said the focus on Prop 98, under which mandated funding is unpredictable, distracts from the state’s repeated cuts to the community college system.

“We were cut dramatically in 2009-10, and none of that money is being restored,” Goldstein said.

The state budget plays a shell game with funding for the California Community College system, increasing funding by $108 million to reflect an anticipated 2.2 percent increase in enrollment, but deferring $189 million in payments from the general fund until next year— resulting in a net loss of $81 million this year.

CCC Chancellor Jack Scott estimates the budget will leave 140,000 community college students unfunded in 2010-11, and that’s assuming no further mid-year cuts.

“This action tends to undermine the funding increases by obligating our system to expand this year, but does not provide colleges with the resources to do so until next year,” Scott said in a media statement. “Policymakers need to understand the demand for a community college education is continuing to outstrip resources.”

Email: aemslie@theguardsman.com gzeman@theguardsman.com

Pension reforms roll back benefits for new state employees

By Alex Emslie THE GUARDSMAN

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's threat to kill any budget not including significant reforms in both revenue and the state worker pension system has resulted in the inclusion of two landmark measures in the California 2010 Budget Act. Budget Reform Legislators drafted an amendment to the California constitution that, if approved by voters, would double the amount of funds transferred into the state’s budget stabilization account, or “rainy day fund.”

“This amendment forces Sacramento to save money in the good years and to cover shortfalls in the bad years, and that is the bottom line here,” Schwarzenegger told reporters Oct. 8, the day he signed the budget act.

Aimed at smoothing California’s traumatic boom and bust economy, the amendment would raise the rainy day fund’s

ceiling from 5-10 percent of general fund revenue, and require a minimum 3 percent deposit of yearly state revenue into the rainy day fund.

This year, 3 percent of the general fund is approximately $2.5 billion.

Proposition 58, which passed overwhelmingly in 2004, created the fund.

While campaigning for Prop 58, Schwarzenegger said the fund’s creation would safeguard California against future record budget deficits. The May 19 special election in 2009 included an attempt to strengthen rainy day funding that was staunchly rejected by voters.

City College political science instructor Jessica Williams said placing the amendment before primary voters instead of including it in the 2012 general election will likely entice more voters who are sympathetic to the rainy day fund’s fiscal conservatism. Barack Obama will almost certainly be the democratic incumbent presidential candidate, which could result in a low turnout for democrat primary.

“Generally, primary voters are more likely to live in suburbs and to be educated,” she said. “They are more likely to be Caucasian and middle aged—and that's exactly why primary voters are generally more conservative.”

Pension Reform The 2010-11 Budget Act’s pension reform includes a rollback of new employee pension benefits and a collective bargaining process with temporary and permanent cuts to current state-employee paychecks.

“We took an 8 percent pay cut,” said Jim Zamora, a spokesman for the Service Employees International Union Local 1000. “Three percent is permanent and goes to retirement. Five percent is temporary for one year, and it saves the state half a billion dollars.”

In addition to decreasing the state’s pension-funding obligation for new employees, legislators sought to end “pension spiking”—the practice of inflating income in the last year of employment

to pad retirement benefits. The three highest-earning years will be used when calculating pension awards for all employees hired from now on.

The California Legislative Analyst's Office concluded that pension reform for employees yet to be hired did not in any way contribute to bridging this year’s budget deficit.

Zamora, whose local union participated in collective bargaining with the state, called the rollback of SB 400 a “philosophical goal” of Schwarzenegger’s, which addresses future pension costs, but not this year’s.

“We’ve accepted this 5 percent pay cut, but until 2013, we’ve bought ourselves the security that they’re not going to further cut our pay,” Zamora said. “We’re hoping that by 2013, the economy will be a lot better and maybe we’ll get a raise.”

Email: aemslie@theguardsman.com

Opinions&Editorials

OCTOBER 20, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN City College of San Francisco’s Newspaper Since 1935

News Editor Tania Cervantes Opinions & Editorials Editor Nick Palm Cultures & Trends Editor Estela Fuentes Sports Editor Ryan Kuhn Online Editor Dominick Delgadillo

Photo Editor Ramsey El-Qare Assistant Photo Editor Frank Ladra Chief Copy Editor Atticus Morris Production Editor Jessica Luthi Copy Editors Don Clyde Alex Luthi Staff Writers Isaiah Kramer Catherine Lee Kwame Opoku-Duku Robert Romano Jose Torres Destiny Vaughn Gayle Yglesias Photographers Celeste Bogle Colt Ciancanelli James Fanucchi Dishon Irving Donald Hamilton Frank Ladra Patrick Makiri Robert Romano Tim Taechotirote Roderick Tannehill Rachel VanZandt Web Media Ian Mc Donald Contributing Writer Omri Petitte Faculty Adviser Juan Gonzales

California Newspaper Publisher’s Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges

To advertise in our newspaper please contact our Advertising Manager Tristan Covello or Michael Brandt at advertising@theguardsman. com How to contact us: Mail: 50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112 Phone: (415) 239-3446 Fax: (415) 239-3884 Email: email@theguardsman. com Online: www.theguardsman. com

|5

Little Nickles’ faces a big ‘transfer-mation’

Editor-in-Chief Greg Zeman

Multimedia Editor Angela Penny

THE GUARDSMAN

Application time is upon us, my friends! You all have exactly 42 days to complete your applications, while praying for acceptance into an overcrowded CSU or UC campus.

For everyone approaching the point of transferring to a fouryear school, this is like the scene from “Escape From Alcatraz” where Clint Eastwood’s character Frank Morris diligently molds a papier-mâché copy of his head to throw off prison guards who pass his cell at night.

Trust me, it’s just like that.

I’ve even been using old copies of The Guardsman as a primary source for Nick Palm face-material.

I received a thoughtful e-mail last week from Donna Hayes, a counselor at City College. She told me not to fret over the appli-

cation process, as it’s much less daunting than television programs and Hollywood make it out to be.

She also pointed out I should seriously consider finishing my application before the Nov. 30 deadline.

According to Hayes, last year a network system crash close to the deadline left many lastminute Larrys unable to finish their applications.

I can imagine the collective cry of these poor souls, as their screens went black: “Oh whimsical devil of technology, why have you forsaken us at the most basic of levels? The Internet! It is you, mechanical Beelzebub, who has retarded the already slim likelihood of ever subduing my parents into content!”

Something like that.

As for myself, I can only

pray that life will take a backseat for a couple of hours these next few weeks so I can complete my application online.

My point behind all this: I am calling on universities to bring back the prehistoric paper applications known only to our ancestors. Mainly because the quality of my penmanship is only surpassed by my uncanny ability to construct a world class sandwich at a moment’s notice—most notably, the BLT and its avocadoheavy west coast variation, the BLAT. My poetically-crossed lettering would undoubtedly impress any assessor of college applications, inevitably securing me a place at the university of my choosing—not limiting me to DeVry, or it’s big sister, Dartmouth.

Please, City College transfer students, consider completing your CSU and UC applications as soon as humanly possible. You can do so at csumentor.org and universityofcalifornia.edu/apply.

Their servers will thank you later.

Plus, it will leave you more time to focus on what really matters in life: Giants fever.

Buster “The Pose-Monster” Posey and company are in the midst of an epic battle against the Philadelphia Phillies, vying for a spot in the World Series.

Yes, the fall classic is upon us, and it’s “hitting” close to home.

Get it? It was a baseball pun—cue the baseball pun music.

As much as we’d all love to focus on important scholastic matters like bio-technology and piñata construction, the all-tootorturous task of following the Giants has everybody’s mind whirling with childish delight and fantasy.

After all, the Giants need a World Series Championship like Meg Whitman needs hair transplant surgery to fix her inexplicable male-pattern baldness.

And my slight resemblance to the Giants’ closing pitcher and master of the ninja arts Brian Wilson (see above picture) proves my devotion to the Orange and Black.

“My beard,” as they say, “is to be feared.” For my facial hair equips me with the knowledge required to drop bombs of sanity and clarity on the student population of City College... that is, if they read my column.

Until we meet again, I leave you with three tasks. E-mail me with your updates upon completion: 1) Root for your Giants; they need all the support they can get.

2) Vote, it is your civic duty. If not for me, do it in case you want to run for governor some day.

3) Complete your transfer applications. I’m not your mother, I won’t do it for you.

Email: npalm@theguardsman.com

A once mighty language fades away

For my own reasons I try not to judge people. I do my best to keep an open and accepting mind to each culture’s idiosyncrasies. My one fall-back that places me into a deep, dark, Neanderthal rage is when people misuse the English language.

I’m sure if I knew any other languages, I’d be a stickler for those as well, but my Spanish is minimal, and my French is hardly better. I don’t find it wrong to be pretentious about this one particular topic—aside from music, movies, and pizza—because our ability to communicate is, regardless of the impending cliché, what separates us from the animals.

So here we are What I hope to do here is give you some insight into the the thoughts that go through my mind as I hear everyday people chatting in a manner I can only describe as elementary. No, that doesn’t mean they derive from the periodic table, nor am I making some half-hearted attempt at a Sherlock Holmes reference. To put it simply: Every day I find that grown adults speak like grade school children.

Not a day goes by that I don’t hear a banshee’s pained squeal as a nonsensical, poorly structured sentence penetrates the typically busy world of thoughts in my head,

distracting me from the outside world. Here is where I finally get to tear these sentences open and lay out their guts to show everyone where things went wrong.

Think of this as a man on the street interview—or our formally popular column “On the Record”—but people don’t know they’re on the record, and privy to a few corrections.

amazing counterpart to the aforementioned fossil of speech is all too often used in place of decently organized thoughts. Rather than further explain yourself in any useful manner, you end a poorly structured argument or explanation with a question in hopes of once again using the language’s status to yield a “yeah,” rather than my oft response of: “No. I don’t speak that language ... because you’re talking out of your ass.”

The Offending Party 3) “That’s a no-brainer”— Nerds love In a paltry attempt not offend to any this one. Nerds come in all shapes and sizes. particular individual who was unlucky One of them is currently writing an article enough to let slip a sentence that makes on the sad nature of daily speech. Certain me want to release the Hounds (of the nerds seem to think if they can solve a probBaskervilles), lem or underI instead stand a concept, decided to go that anyone after an entire What I hope to do here is give you who doesn’t is generation some insight into the the thoughts that somehow inept of misused is, as this go through my mind as I hear everyday or terms. phrase suggests, 1) “What- people chatting in a manner I can only without a brain. cha talkin’ describe as elementary.

Stop thinking ‘bout?”— you’re better While I than everyone certainly can’t and try teaching place all the rather than judgblame on the continued popularity of this ing. term on Gary Coleman, he did have a hand in it. However, Gary Coleman died, so let So what? us all, let’s just say in his honor, retire this I’m not claiming to be better than any of term from our daily vernacular. It’s a sense- you, and I’m sure folks with a keen eye and less, lazy manner used to explain you don’t hopefully a sharp wit will tear everything understand something. People are often too I just said to pieces, but I have a point to afraid to simply state, “I don’t understand,” make, and I’m not going to let any of you so they jump to this ‘70s catch phrase to stop me. portray they are too cool for school. Ironically, that’s where they would’ve learned how to speak properly ... one would hope.

Email: 2) “Naw what I’m sayin’?”— Ah, the ddelgadillo@theguardsman.com

Opinions&Editorials

THE GUARDSMAN

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Propositions Debated This is the last issue where The Guardsman will discuss propositions that will be on the Novermber General Election ballot.

PROP

B

If passed, Proposition B would make significant changes to San Francisco city employees’ pension and benefits plans. Currently $829 million in government funding is spent annually on these workers pensions and benefits alone. Employees would be responsible for covering more expenses, which would alleviate some of the city’s budget woes.

Opposition

By Ramsey El-Qare and Jose Torres THE GUARDSMAN

San Francisco’s Proposition B unfairly hurts the lowest paid workers and their families by increasing the cost of health care and decreasing their retirement benefits by lumping everyone in the same flat rate.

If Prop B passes it will undermine collective bargaining between of San Francisco and its employees, and would create a flat rate for all employees’ retirement benefits and heath care costs regardless of their income level.

The system was originally designed to be equitable. While a flat rate seems fair, by taking a closer look at who it will affect, the reality is that it creates an unfair and unequal system. A City College professor has a different pay scale then a police officer. This proposition lumps teachers, custodians, gardeners, librarians, nurses, firefighters, police officers and other city employees together.

Prop B’s proponents claim the city is in a deficit and needs to

25

PROP

6|

balance the budget. The city is in a budget crisis, but so are the people, and it’s unfair to balance the budget on the backs of workers and their families who are struggling financially. There needs to be a wider analysis that looks into how the budget is spent, instead of just turning to the workers and taking it out of their pockets.

It would cost single mothers with one child up to $5,600 more per year, in addition to what they are already paying in heath care costs, while the city will only save less than 2 percent.

This proposition is shifting the deficit from the city to families.

The cost of living in San Francisco is among the highest in the country.

Prop B will make it impossible for working families to live in the city. It seems like a high price to pay for less than 2 percent savings.

Vote no on Proposition B.

Support Proposition B, San Francisco’s retirement and pension reform measure, will give San Franciscans the opportunity to help alleviate the out-of-control budget that’s keeping the city ailing financially.

Sponsored by Public Defender Jeff Adachi, Prop B would require city workers to contribute a slightly larger monthly sum towards their retirement fund. It also calls for workers to pick up more of the costs for their dependent’s healthcare.

Employees whose assets are managed by California Public Employees’ Retirement System would be required to contribute 10 percent of their monthly compensation toward their pension. These employees are currently contributing from zero to 7.5 percent.

According to Deputy City Controller Monique Zmuda, last year’s average city employee wage was $93,000, not including added bonuses and benefits. And in 2009, one in three city employees earned over $100,000. Every year the average has increased, and this year it will increase again.

These facts make it hard to believe these workers cannot afford to pay higher contributions toward their own benefits.

In a June 28 San Francisco Chronicle article, Adachi said, “There’s a fiscal train wreck just around the corner, as these pension costs are flying through the roof.”

The numbers are truly astonishing. This year alone, California will pay $6 billion to cover retirement benefits, nearly equalling what the state spends each year on the UC and CSU systems combined.

State employees’ wages amounted to $2.5 billion of the $6.6 billion 2009 budget, not including benefits.

The spending problem is huge, but according to Adachi, $170 million could be saved each year if Prop B is passed. It seems like only a drop in the ocean, but we have to start somewhere. Vote yes on B.

Email: relqare@theguardsman.com jtorres@theguardsman.com

It’s no secret California’s legislative branch has trouble agreeing on its annual budget; this year’s was 100 days late. Currently, the state budget requires a two-thirds majority vote by legislators to pass. If voters pass Proposition 25, the budget would be pass with a simple majority.

Opposition

By Dominick Delgadillo and Kwame Opoku-Duku THE GUARDSMAN

Proposition 25 seems like a glorious shining beacon of hope for California, because it will stop the gridlock typical of the state’s budget process, and it claims to have no effect on the current two-thirds majority required to pass new taxes.

As it stands, California requires a two-thirds majority vote from its legislators to approve its fiscal budget. Complaints have been lodged because this method has a tendency to impede the process.

Even the City College employees from the Service Employees International Union and the California Teachers Association are against the current system, citing the fact that 47 other states only require a simple majority in these matters.

These groups ignore the reality that a super-majority vote requires members on opposite ends of our two-party system to work together on issues. This ensures the best possible outcome, a compromise, where all

of the people being represented get some of what they want.

Additionally, the wording of the 25 contradicts itself. The proposition states that it “retains two-thirds vote requirement for taxes,” but later states that any other provisions which are even related to the budget will also only need a simple majority to pass.

That word “any” seems a bit broad for comfort. History screams and tosses books off the shelves filled with moments when broad or vague language allowed shady, unrelated clauses to piggy-back on legislation.

Which is to say, if a budget bill required taxes to be raised, that would still only require a simple majority.

Maybe the “gridlock” needs a solution, but prop 25 is more like a landmine during rush hour.

Support By changing the vote requirement to pass a budget from two-thirds to a simple majority, Proposition 25 will put California’s legislators in a better position to consistently present the budget on time.

Plus, if legislators fail to pass a budget bill by June 15, all members of California’s legislature would forfeit their salaries for each day until one is passed.

Since 1980, legislators have met the June 15 deadline five times.

During that same period, the final budget has been approved and put in place by the July 1 beginning of the fiscal year, only 10 times.

While politicians are busy fumbling over themselves, public schools and other organizations dependent on state funding suffer without money, until legislators decide they are ready to do their jobs.

Currently, California is one of three states that requires two-thirds of its legislature to pass a budget.

This might work for the other two states, Rhode Island and Arkansas— with combined populations equalling slightly more than half of the Bay Area’s—but it is simply not the case

in California.

Allowing a simple majority to pass the budget will give our legislature a greater opportunity to achieve a pragmatic solution to our budget crisis. This is also an opportunity to hold our representatives accountable if they can’t. It’s a win-win situation.

Critics of Prop 25 say the measure will make it easier for politicians to raise taxes but in actuality, the two-thirds vote requirement for taxes will be retained.

Governor Schwarzenegger told the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce he opposed 25 because, “if you do a budget by simple majority, again, there is one party that will make all the decisions.”

That sounds a lot like obstructing our appointed officials from doing their jobs solely because they are not making decisions based on Schwarzenegger’s political preferences.

Let’s finally get these politicians working. On Nov. 2, vote yes on Prop. 25.

Email: ddelgadillo@theguardsman.com kopokuduku@theguardsman.com

Opinions&Editorials

OCTOBER 20, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

Candidates In addition to our discussion of the propositions, The Guardsman will review major candidates for the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial race.

The battle for Governor is making front page headlines across California. The two front-runners, Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman, are neck and neck. An Oct. 15 Rasmussen Reports phone survey placed Brown in the lead with 50 percent of the potential vote, compared to Whitman’s 44 percent.

Jerry Brown

By Frank Ladra and Nick Palm THE GUARDSMAN

Jerry Brown is by far the most experienced and eligible candidate for governor in the upcoming election.

He has worked for decades in a variety of roles to better California.

He has fought for clean energy, equal rights and an open and honest legislative process.

Brown knows the importance of using money in the most appropriate places. In fact, state funding for higher education, including community colleges, more than doubled during his eight years as governor.

He knows how to navigate Sacramento and will do so with the interest of California’s citizens in mind.

Brown faces an opponent with seemingly unlimited funds to spend on misleading attacks and vague promises. As the election approaches, it’s clear Meg Whitman will stop at nothing to buy the Governor’s office.

Brown, on the other hand, understands the threat of money in politics and has campaigned successfully with limited funds.

Brown has the experience, knowledge and know-how to get the state working again. He is a true servant to the people of California.

Under Brown, Californians saw their tax burden reduced by more than $16 billion. He indexed the personal income tax, eliminated the business inventory tax and offered energy tax credits.

Some believe that California needs an outsider with business experience to run government, but that’s been tried before, with poor results. This state needs a leader who can manage the system, somebody who will act in the best interests of the people.

Brown has no hidden agenda that would lead him to mislead the public while pandering to special interests.

He is motivated by his desire to leave a shining legacy after a lifetime of public service. So on Nov. 2, vote for Jerry Brown.

Meg Whtiman California’s gubernatorial race has two clear front runners: a lifelong politician, looking to extend his mediocre career in politics by running for his third term, and a concerned citizen hoping to save a state with financial problems that run as deep as the quality of education has run dry.

Meg Whitman has never run for political office. In a state long-run by crooked politicians, movie stars, or some combination of the two, Whitman is just what California needs to get back in good financial standing as the eighth largest economy in the world.

When Whitman became president and CEO of eBay, the company had 30 employees and an annual revenue of just over $4 million. By the time she left in 2008, the company had over 15,000 employees and was generating over $8 billion annually.

With California’s unemployment rate lingering at 12.4 percent, the state needs a governor who is business minded and will keep citizens’ well-being at heart.

Whitman is the candidate who knows how to create jobs and keep

them in California.

Jerry Brown’s education policy doesn’t clearly outline the allocation of government funds, and it centers on making students technologically savvy.

It’s 2010. Today, it’s nearly impossible to find any elementary school student who doesn’t have a fundamental knowledge of computers and technology.

Simply educating students about technology will not create better students. Whitman is “setting a goal of moving the state’s test scores from near worst in the nation to the front of the class.”

Far too much money is thrown around the state’s educational system in the form of redundant grants, bureaucracy and overhead. Whitman plans to consolidate these grants and award achievement in the classroom.

Don’t dig up a corrupt, ineffective fossil for governor and let him run California into the ground. Vote for someone fresh in California politics. Vote for Whitman.

Email: fladra@theguardsman.com npalm@theguardsman.com

Three-term Senator Barbara Boxer is in a very close race with political newcomer and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. An October 14 Rasmussen Reports phone survey showed Boxer with 49 percent of the potential vote and Fiorina close behind with 46 percent.

Barbara Boxer

By Catherine Lee and Atticus Morris THE GUARDSMAN

Barbara Boxer is the best Senate candidate for Californians who demand affordable public education, and who feel they are stewards of our natural resources.

According to Boxer’s plan, California will become an economic leader in both technology and natural resources by combining our innovative inner-geeks with our love of nature to redefine California as a state powered by renewable energy goods and services.

To achieve this vision, Boxer knows that California will need a population of well-educated individuals to work in these emerging professions. Boxer’s first public service efforts in the ‘70s were focused on improving education, and she continues to emphasize the need for superb public schools—from elementary to community college to vocational.

Boxer has the experience and clout to get things done. She has the tenacity and confidence of 36 years of public service. Boxer votes ethi-

cally, including voting against bills which harm the middle and working-class citizens of California; she was one of eight senators who voted against repealing the Glass-Steagall Act. Repealing the Glass-Stegall Act encouraged risky lending and overleveraging financial markets, and is now considered by many economists and experts to be the instigator of our current financial meltdown.

Here are just a few highlights of Boxer’s support for education: - Pell Grants, a commonly awarded financial assistance tool, have had Boxer’s attention for years and she consistently fights for grant increases as college costs increase.

- Boxer has introduced legislation specifically to ensure that Pell Grants are not reduced just because a student chooses a lower cost college, such as a community college.

- Boxer supported providing middle class families with assistance through tax cuts to pay for the costs of a college education and supports the ability of employers to fund employee education as a tax-free benefit.

Carly Fiorina

With unemployment hovering around 12 percent and rampant deficit spending in Sacramento, many Californians are understandably unhappy with the status quo.

More than ever, California needs leaders who know how to manage money and make the tough policy decisions these times necessitate.

Carly Fiorina has a proven track record of leadership when financial stakes are high. As CEO of HewlettPackard, she brokered the controversial merger with Compaq now considered one of the most successful moves in information technology history.

She believes entrepreneurs and small businesses are the engine of California’s economy, so the last thing we should be doing is raising taxes.

Unlike many incumbents, Fiorina is actually committed to creating jobs.

She has proposed a two-year payroll-tax holiday to give small businesses and startups greater incentive to hire. She’s also suggested creating “jobs for Americans zones,” which would bring manufacturing jobs back through “targeted” federal tax benefits.

Barbara Boxer claims to represent working families, but tell that to the farmers whose fields are barren because she cares more about protecting the endangered delta smelt, than irrigating the San Joaquin Valley.

Boxer chairs the Committee on the Environment and Public Works, and has repeatedly voted against measures to irrigate the valley.

It’s easy to wax moral about “saving the environment” when it’s not your family going hungry as a result, and really easy when you’re a millionaire senator living on the other side of the continent in in Washington D.C. If elected, Fiorina will turn the pumps on as soon as possible.

The latest Rasmussen poll shows Fiorina and Boxer in a dead heat.

Are California voters really willing to accept more of the same mess, just so they can vote for someone with a “D” next to their name?

Let’s send a message. No one’s job performance is beyond reproach, even if they happen to be a Democrat in California.

Email: clee@theguardsman.com amorris@theguardsman.com

|7

8|

THE GUARDSMAN

Opinions&Editorials

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Photostory

OCTOBER 20, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

|9

Editorial

Cannabis revenue could save California October Surprise In the ballot battle over Proposition 19, which would decriminalize marijuana for recreational use by adults over the age of 21, President Obama has unleashed an “October surprise” on California voters— and the snarling attack dog at the end of that leash is U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

Holder’s threat to “vigorously enforce” the outmoded federal Controlled Substances Act against non-violent, California citizens represents the unrestrained, authoritarian policies that the citizens of this nation naively thought they had voted out in the last presidential election.

By rejecting California’s decision on Prop 19, before it has even been made, the Obama Administration is telegraphing it’s complete disdain for the will of the people and kowtowing to conservative paranoia surrounding cannabis legalization.

Two previous U.S. presidents tried unsuccessfully to challenge the will of California voters through law enforcement raids on medical cannabis dispensaries and legal challenges of Prop 215, which passed with 55 percent voter approval in 1996.

When the Supreme Court refused to hear a case brought by the city of San Diego in 2009 challenging Prop 215, it seemed like the federal government’s obsession with our state’s marijuana “problem” had dissipated.

That same year, Holder announced the Obama administration’s lack of interest in pursuing the failed policy of repressing voter-approved medical cannabis laws.

But now, once again, the shining knights of the “Drug War” status quo ride into battle, under the banner of public safety, armed only with misleading figures and prohibitionist hysteria.

Legislative sleight of hand The recently passed Senate Bill 1449— an amendment to the California Health and Safety Code reclassifying misdemeanor possession of marijuana as an “infraction” punishable by a mere $100 fine—was a calculated maneuver to deflate the momentum behind 19.

The last-minute move by the political establishment is really a slight-of-hand trick that mischaracterizes the problem, and fails to address the real problems with marijuana prohibition.

The majority of cannabis-related cases tying up our state’s courts involve the individuals who cater to the minor possession 1449 decriminalizes. Most of these individuals are not gun-toting, hardened criminals, but cash-strapped students and youth who are acting as facilitators for our state’s demand for cannabis.

It does nothing to address the cultivation, sale and distribution of cannabis and essentially leaves the black market as is, ensuring that lives will continue to be ruined, families will continue to be ripped apart and desperately needed potential revenue from the enormous marijuana market will continue to wither on the vine.

Drug War & Prison Industrial Complex Between 1980 and 2003, the number of people incarcerated in state or federal prisons quadrupled, while the rate of violent crime remained essentially constant (actually it decreased slightly). This explosion is a direct result of policies that have made prison sentencing more frequent, and prison sentences longer.

Although these policies were typically sold as more effective solutions to violent crime, nearly 75 percent of the increase consisted of non violent offenders.

And the proportion of incarcerated

drug offenders has increased twelve-fold during this time.

California’s prisons are overflowing; 165,000 inmates occupy facilities that were only designed to hold 80,000. A recent study called “Money Well Spent” released by the Justice Policy Institute, detailed how spending on corrections grew faster than any other expenditure between 2005 and 2009. And noted that California has built 21 prisons since 1984 and only one university.

This makes perfect sense when considering how profitable the prison “industry” is to some.

Private corporations are permitted to contract prison labor in at least 37 states, including California. The list of participating companies reads like a who’s who of Fortune 500s.

IBM, Boeing, Motorola, Microsoft, AT&T Wireless, Texas Instrument, Dell, Compaq, Honeywell, Hewlett-Packard, Nortel, Lucent Technologies, 3Com, Intel, Northern Telecom, TWA, Nordstrom’s, Revlon, Macy’s, Target Stores are all benefiting from this forced labor.

And the failed war on drugs fuels the prison population these companies use as capital—a population pulled largely from disadvantaged and minority neighborhoods.

According to a study released by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Across all age categories, black males were incarcerated at higher rates than white or Hispanic males.

Black males ages 30 to 34 had the highest custody incarceration rate of any race, age, or gender group at midyear 2007.”

The California NAACP has endorsed Prop 19, precisely because the current prohibitions on marijuana are unevenly applied to people of color.

A Drug Policy Alliance study found that, “Although African Americans comprise only 12.2 percent of the population and 13 percent of drug users, they make up 38 percent of those arrested for drug offenses and 59 percent of those convicted of drug offenses causing critics to call the war on drugs the ‘New Jim Crow.’”

Some opponents of Prop 19 draw a comparison between a voter mandate to legalize cannabis and the voter-enacted segregation laws of the pre-Civil Rights Act U.S. They point out the fact that although certain states approved of segregation, the federal government upheld a prohibition against it.

Apart from being a specious argument that flips the reality of drug prohibition on it’s head, this line of “reasoning” overlooks the troubling facts about drug prohibition and race in this country.

The inescapable fact is that drug prohibition in America is rooted in a history of racist scare tactics, and any attempt to compare a sensible overhaul of our state’s drug laws to pro-segregationist legislation simply adheres to this tradition of prejudiced irrationality.

And highlights the weak foundation of the arguments against Prop 19.

Lies, lies, lies One argument against legalizing cannabis is the supposed economic boon this would represent to Latin American drug cartels. The federal government has long maintained that marijuana represents 60 percent of cartel export revenue, but a RAND Institute study found the number is closer to 15 percent.

According to a Los Angeles Times article about the study, “The researchers could find no documentation to support the

O HELL is e m a n my

i t i f f a r G a i r t s E e l t t a b

PHOTOS BY IAN MC DONALD / THE GUARDSMAN

PHOTO BY MANNY CRISOSOTOMO / SACRAMENTO BEE / MCT

Richard Lee, pictured January 19, 2010, is the president of Oaksterdam University, a pot growing vocational school, in Oakland and the head of the main pot initiative that will likely be on the statewide November ballot.

higher estimate … this 60 percent figure is a truly mythical number, one that appeared out of nowhere and that has acquired great authority.”

The study also found that the passage of Prop 19 would reduce the cartel profits by an estimated 2-5 percent.

Then there’s the argument that this measure would prevent employers from firing or disciplining employees unless they could prove that job performance was affected, but surely someone failing to adequately perform their job could be reprimanded or fired regardless of whether or not they were intoxicated.

And if the consumption of marijuana did not significantly affect performance, then really, what’s the problem?

Concern has been expressed that Prop 19 fails to specifically prohibit passengers from smoking inside of moving vehicles.

The implication is that the driver would acquire a contact high, but if this did in fact happen, why wouldn’t the same rules about driving while intoxicated apply?

Section 11304, Article A clearly states that the measure shall not “affect, limit or amend any statute that forbids impairment while engaging in dangerous activities such as driving.”

Anyone who says it’s impossible to prove marijuana intoxication is seriously misinformed or lying—all it would take is a simple field sobriety test for officers to recognize the signs of intoxication and handle it like they would any other DUI arrest.

Then there’s the hypothesis that, because anyone could maintain a 25 square foot garden, cultivation would proliferate to such an extent that the sight and smell of cannabis would affect the quality of life for those in close proximity.

But not just anyone would want to take the time and effort the labor-intensive process of cultivation requires. Just like

most people prefer to purchase their alcohol from a bar or store, rather than investing the time, energy and money into distilling or brewing it themselves.

Others raise the specter of increased violence because of outdoor gardens. In a Sept. 16 editorial, The Chronicle went so far as to recount an episode where a homeowner “fatally shot an intruder he claimed was attempting to steal his pot.”

This bizarre, ill-suited anecdote is blatant scaremongering, and comes off as more than a little idiotic—are they advocating for the burglar?

Home invaders forfeit their right to not be fatally shot when they break and enter into private property. It’s like saying, “if you don’t want your house to be burgled, then don’t have nice things.”

And furthermore, who would need to steal pot if it were legally and readily available? How often do California homes get raided for their beer or wine by outside intruders?

One of the most oft cited argument against this bill, is that it doesn’t establish state controls over sale and distribution, but instead allows 58 counties and hundreds of cities to come up with tax policies. It’s predicted that this lack of uniform policy will incite chaos.

We are convinced that, just like with alcohol and everything else, regulations will be instated, and taxes will be levied.

Prop 19 is about setting a precedent.

From anti-smoking laws to recycling to gay rights, California’s social policies generally foreshadow those of the rest of the country. The powers that be know this.

Decriminalizing cannabis here, would make a resounding statement. It would be a big step in the direction of retiring an archaic social more, and improve the quality of life for countless Californians.

Email: email@theguardsman.com

(Clockwise) Top: Graffiti artist Lango finshes his piece during the Estria Graffiti battle in Oakland, Calif. on Oct. 3. Above: Graffiti artist Lango stretches out as he applies a base coat to his piece during the Estria Graffiti battle. Lango is competing for first place but was narrowly beat by Vyal One. Below: Spray paint cans are lined up and become ready to be used during the Estria Graffiti battle at De Fremery Park in Oakland Calif.

Graffiti artists from around the nation gather to show off their artistic talent to younger inspiring artists during the battle. Left: Graffiti artists Goser works on his piece at De Fremery Park in Oakland, Calif. Goser is one of many artists who participated in the battle.

10 |

Culture&Trends

THE GUARDSMAN

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Film Review

A look at life in Palestine

By Estela Fuentes THE GUARDSMAN

PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES

(Left to right) Soren, voiced by Jim Sturgess and Gylfie, voiced by Emily Barclay in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ family fantasy adventure ‘Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole’.

Film Review

‘Guardians’ dazzles with 3-D imagery

By Greg Zeman THE GUARDSMAN

I want to preface this review by saying I rarely go to a multiplex theater to see films anymore.

I do love cinema, and I used to love going to the movie theater, but it has been a long time since a new movie has visually astounded me enough to justify the cost of seeing it on the big screen.

There have been a few recent standouts—interesting plot, well acted, tastefully shot—but overall, I find myself uninspired by the visual aspect of things. An exciting plot twist or a well-written bit of dialogue is just as good when experienced from the comfort of my couch.

Or maybe it’s just that computer generated imagery doesn’t do it for me.

I loved Guy Ritchie’s take on “Sherlock Holmes”—almost as much as I loathed the cheesy,

CGI “set” for the film’s London Bridge finale.

“Avatar?” It was neat, but it was no “Captain Eo.” Let’s just say, I prefer the 1981 “Clash of the Titans”—the one with Ray Harryhausen’s clay “dynavision” monsters—to the 2010 version with “high-tech” imagery.

So when I say that you should stop what you are doing immediately, head to the nearest theater and shell out almost $5 extra on top of the already absurdly high-priced movie ticket to see “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’ Hoole,” you know that I mean it.

It’s a fantastic adventure through some very well-worn story themes, the kind you already know and love if you grew up on any kind of fairy tales.

Without delving too deeply into plot-synopsis, I’ll just say that a little owl with a big dream

goes on a dangerous journey and makes some friends along the— do I really need to finish this?

You’ve heard this story a million times.

If you’re familiar with Joseph Campbell’s comparative mythology “The Hero With A Thousand Faces,” you know that heroes can come in all different shapes and shades, but you also know that, in general, they pretty much all do the same exact thing in every story.

So, with the understanding that a story rooted in the archetypal plot arc of a hero’s quest isn’t going to reinvent the wheel, you’ll be free to enjoy the synapse-baffling eye-candy of the film’s animation.

I feel like I should give a twopart warning, because this is a kid’s movie, but not a little kid’s movie. It’s directed by the guy who brought you “300,” so if you just imagine the graphic, slow-

motion violence from that film, but substitute owls for sweaty, shirtless Spartans, you pretty much nailed it.

The scene with the protagonist soaring through a driving rain storm—every nuance of every feather being splashed with exquisitely-rendered droplets of water—is the coolest thing I’ve seen on the big screen since E.T. traversed a moon-lit sky by flying bicycle.

My brain is still fried from how incredible the imagery in this movie was in 3D—I still can’t see the color blue, or properly pronounce my ‘t’s.”

Actually, I should probably have that checked out.

Regardless, I urge you to see “Legends” in it’s 3D glory, you will never be the same.

Email: gzeman@theguardsman.com

Album Review

‘The Fool’ aims high but misses its lofty mark

By Greg Zeman THE GUARDSMAN

Let me clarify this review by saying that Cassidy Haley's album, “The Fool,” is not my proverbial cup of tea, and that my review may suffer from a lack of appreciation for his particular type of vocalization.

There is at least one song on this album— "Ride The Night"—that ruthlessly ear-wormed me (the hallmark of strong songwriting), and I am likely still trying to get it's fuzzy guitar lead out of my head at the time of publication.

For my money, he seems to be a poor man's Bono, and I mean that in the least degrading way possible. He has an obvious affinity for lost causes, and as the editor-inchief of a print newspaper, I can definitely relate with that.

If nothing else, Haley's liner notes prove he is an extremely passionate and grateful individual with a strong desire to share his art.

He gets two stars, just for having the chutzpah to make a concept album, another for sincere effort in fleshing out an impossibly ambitious concept and a half-star more for "Ride The Night."

Let's just say I had to listen to A-Ha’s "Take on Me," to get it out of my head … but that was a mistake. It always is.

"Fly" is by far the most thoughtfully arranged piece on this album. Its key strength—apart from being planted squarely in the center of Haley's limited range—is the sparse instrumentation, which draws sharp

focus on a hauntingly melancholy cello line.

That said, the digital effects on Haley's vocals show like a zipper on Godzilla's back and there are also randomly placed, clichéd, synthesized strings that feel obligatory and careless, occasionally detracting from the raw intoxicating magic of a real cello.

And I hate, hate, hate synth-strings.

"Spindle" has an intro that mercilessly rips off Led Zeppelin's "In The Light," a chorus that could easily have been lifted out of any VAST song, and a delay-drenched sound effect that almost demands that Alan Parsons take a paternity test. "Spindle" does not reinvent the wheel, but with it's repetitive, one word hook, it does walk the razor-thin line between catchy and impossibly grating. Take that however you want.

The arrangement on "Daylight Breaks" is beautiful at first, with the viscerally satisfying hum of the cello dancing delicately with whispering vibraphone and the steady pluck of finger-picked guitar, but the digitally altered vocals stand out unpleasantly without extra sound to hide them. By the end, "Daylight Breaks" descends into over-wrought, this-isthe-big-finish synth strings (yuck) and "soaring" vocals.

And needless to say, the lyrics are petty, cliché dog crap about “lost love.”

It's uncanny how familiar some of these song intros sound. The last similarity I will mention is that between many of Haley's verses and those of Staind, except he lacks Aaron Lewis' distinctive baritone guitar and vocals.

Incidentally, "Burn" sounds a bit like acoustic Alice in Chains with the nuts cut completely off.

"Ride The Night" sounds like Devo, Kraftwerk and INXS donated at the same sperm bank and, because of a filing error, all of the donations were injected into an artificial uterus grown from Trent Reznor's DNA and wired to an 8-bit sequencer. And since nobody else wanted to raise this freakish, Frankenstein monster, it was adopted and raised by Paul Hardcastle—the guy who made that infectiously repetitive "Nineteen" song with the stuttering hook.

Incidentally, this is definitely the best song on the album—if it was a single, I'd give it at least four stars. If it was a woman, I'd buy it a drink. Even though I sincerely want to hate the shit out of it, I can't stop listening to it over and over.

And that's how pop music is supposed to work. I wish the whole album sounded like this… but I am pretty drunk right now.

In summation, if you really want to support local musicians (he is from Oakland) or if you're just one of those people who wants to listen to artists nobody else knows about in an attempt to fuel your smug, self-important view of yourself as an alienated outsider, buy "The Fool."

Just kidding, nobody buys music anymore.

Download away, dickheads.

Email: gzeman@theguardsman.com

The short documentary “Shooting Muhammad” opens our eyes to the injustice, oppression and racism Palestinians go through on a daily basis when they leave their refugee camps and must enter Israeli territories.

Muhammad is a 21-yearold man trying to better himself through education. He travels about two hours a day to an Israeli university where he is the only Arab student in his major.

The documentary is not only focused on Muhammad, it follows the people of the camp he lives in and what they do in a place where they are not wanted. It shows interviews of Israelis expressing their hate and fears of Arabs, as well of interviews of Arab students who just want to be accepted.

Muhammad expresses how he goes day by day living a life in a place where he is seen as garbage to make his family proud and be a better person.

However, the most heartwrenching part in the film has nothing to do with Muhammad. It is video footage from an Israeli mall where at least 5 different people swarmed and beat a 13-year-old Arab boy until he was unconscious and mall security did nothing to stop it.

This documentary was bittersweet for me because it opened my eyes, and I learned something new, but it made me sad to see the cruelty and oppression Palestinians deal with.

This film will be playing at Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley on Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. along with 3 other short films as part of the Arab Film Festival.

Email: efuentes@theguardsman.com

THE GUARDSMAN

FRANK LADRA / THE GUARDSMAN

Check out our online exclusive of the Burning Man decompression at www.theguardsman.com

Culture&Trends

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Film Review

Love drives lonely caligrapher insane

By Estela Fuentes THE GUARDSMAN

“The Man Who Sold The World” was the man who stole my heart, figuratively speaking that is.

This drama-filled movie had me on the edge of my seat and a sniffle away from a tear. It is a story full of love, torment and confusion.

Based on Fyodor Doestoyevsky’s “A Weak Heart,” the film takes place in an unknown war-ridden country.

It is the story of a man who never thought he could have happiness. But, in what seems to him to be over night, he finds the happiness he’d always dreamed of.

The main character is referred to only as “X,” which gives the story a sense of mystery. X grew up an orphan along his best friend and surrogate brother Ney. These two were all each other ever had, and X felt that Ney was the only person who ever accepted him because of his physically deformed foot.

But one day he meets Lili, a beautiful woman who sings and dances; and who also knows what it’s like to be an orphan. X would watch her stage act daily until one day they talked. They went on to develop a relationship and he proposed to her, which is when the movie actually starts.

When X finally tells Ney about Lili and his plans for marriage, Ney interrogates him, asking whether he really thinks he can live a normal man’s life

with a wife and a home of his own.

But Ney quickly shifts gears and becomes supportive of X’s future. He says that as they’ve always lived for each other, they will continue to do so, and he commits to helping X give his wife anything she may need.

X ends up with a happiness overload so to speak. He is overwhelmed by his emotions and feels that he doesn’t deserve the things he has when so many other people around the world live in sadness and despair. He feels that he is trampling over people to be happy, and the guilt consumes him.

To some the film may seem slow, but I think this allows the audience to connect more with the characters.

I don’t know much about cinematography but I loved the concept of various flashbacks to better support the story, as well as the different shooting techniques which were obviously done for dramatic effect.

I haven’t read Doestoyevsky’s book, so it took me a couple of minutes to tie the story together, but once I did, it made sense. I could feel X’s inner conflict and pain, and it made me fall in love with the film. I’ve even decided to start reading the book as soon as I can break free from The Guardsman.

This film will play at Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley on Oct. 22 at 9 p.m. as part of the Arab Film Festival.

E-mail: efuentes@theguardsman.com

THE GUARDSMAN

| 11

Restaurant Review

Don Pistos offers Mexican cuisine for North Beach cheap

By Catherine Lee THE GUARDSMAN

Don Pisto’s is a recent addition to the North Beach dinner lineup offering numerous pleasures with an affordable menu and refined versions of classic Mexican dishes.

The medium-sized restaurant sits one block from the frenetically busy intersection of Union and Columbus, where the big green trees in Washington Square Park scent the air with a fresh leafiness that’s a relief from the vehicle exhaust of cars circling the North Beach strip of Columbus Avenue.

Don Pisto’s niche as a neighborhood dinner restaurant contrasts with the majority of restaurants clamoring for tourists’ dollars in North Beach. A dinner for two, including drinks, only demanded two $20 bills from my wallet. While there are some good, quick eats in North Beach, it’s often tough to find a sit-down dinner for under $20 a person.

The brick façade has no sign; the only markers are small red firehouse lights above a giant street window. Approaching by foot, you are drawn in by the savory smells of carnitas and chorizo, and the sounds of laughter and spunky modern Mexican music.

Inside is an almost unknown pleasure in San Francisco: plenty of room between stations and the luxury of eating at heavy wooden tables that neither totter nor wiggle. And the chairs, with an equally comforting girth, are a relaxing plus to the meal.

The tacos come two per order, and all are under $10. The

RACHEL VANZANDT / THE GUARDSMAN

Head chef Samuel Ortiz cooking shrimp at Don Pisto’s Mexican Restaurant on Sept. 29. Peet Pisto, a former City College student, opened the popular Mexican Restaurant on Dec. 18.

simple presentations of meat or seafood—garnished with shredded cabbage and onion with cilantro and a side of radishes and jalapeños—looked a bit small on arrival. As did the carnitas torta ($9) which came out of the kitchen on gorgeous hot bread that was toasty crisp on top and soft on the inside.

Many of us who are now acclimated to Mission Mexican food suffer from the delusion that all tortas are giant sandwiches that we can barely get our hands around.

We’re wrong and Don Pisto’s is right.

The portions were perfect. The two tacos per serving and the tortas were completely filling because they were so rich and savory you could taste the ingredients’ freshness.

Appetites are also slaked by the endless supply of perfectly crisp flour chips, which are served in giant wooden bowls with addictively mild tomatillo

salsa in pretty silver bowls.

Plus, beers are only $5. Not super cheap, but a good price for any North Beach bar, and a price that still gets one diner out the door for under $20.

The atmosphere is casual and warm. Young couples and tables of co-workers shared pitchers of margaritas and Acai berry sangria in the moodily lit dining room, which has a healthy mix of two-, four- and six-person tables.

While there are few dishes on the menu, they are all classics prepared with gourmet delicacy.

The lightness of the house–made chorizo and mussels ($13) was a pleasantly surprising change from the harsh acidity of many chorizos. For hearty eaters, there’s a cast iron seafood stew ($14), giant platters of chicken tostadas ($11) and a lobster dinner for two ($32) on the menu.

E-mail: clee@theguardsman.com

REALIZE YOUR DREAM AT MILLS COLLEGE. Located in the heart of Chicago’s Loop and at www.saic.edu

AMERICA’S MOST INFLUENTIAL ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL SAIC encourages investigation that is interdisciplinary, collaborative, and experimental.

SpRING 2011 SCHOLARSHIp DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 15 www.saic.edu/ugmerit APPLY NOW: www.saic.edu/ugapp ADMISSIONS 312.629.6100 | 800.232.7242 admiss@saic.edu

Mills offers talented women who want an exceptional and personal education the ability to: • Transfer in spring or fall.

• Get the classes you need to graduate on time.

• Earn a merit scholarship from $8,000 to full tuition.

• Transfer with no minimum number of credits.

• Transfer without completing your GE requirements.

INFORMATION SESSIONS Saturday, October 23, 2010 • 10:00 am–1:00 pm Thursday, November 11, 2010 • 10:00 am–1:00 pm

MAKING THE WORLD MORE . . .

Oakland, CA admission@mills.edu www.mills.edu/transfer CALL 800.87.MILLS TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE.

Jee Soo Shin (BFA 2010)

City College — The Guardsman Size: 6” x 6” • Insertion date: October 20, 2010 Ad #207DREAM10

12 |

Culture&Trends

THE GUARDSMAN

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Book Review

‘Our Junk’ is great, so check it out now

By Nick Palm THE GUARDSMAN

JAMES FANUCCHI / THE GUARDSMAN

Cartoonist George Webber, right, of No Cash Comics autographs a comic for fan Tony Kazman during the Comic-Con’s nonprofit Alternative Press Expo at the Concourse Exhibition Cnter on Oct. 16.

Fans go ‘APE’ for indie press expo

By Dominick Delgadillo THE GUARDSMAN

The Alternative Press Expo, a gathering of less mainstream artists, writers, and publishers in the comics industry was hosted in San Francisco by Comic Con organizers on Oct. 16 and 17.

Members of this often underappreciated gaggle showcased their talents to thousands gathered at the San Francisco Concourse.

The attendees flooded the building in hopes of letting the next best thing catch their eye, buy merchandise, or just sit and chat with their favorite artist. The rows between vendors occasionally got backed up by the throngs of fans.

Not only would a chat with one of the hundreds of quite congenial artists or designers slow traffic, but even some of the art simply hanging on the boards behind people would be enough to make anyone want to stop and stare in awe.

“I love APE. It’s my favorite of the local San Francisco events,” Ed Luce, the creator of our previously showcased comic “Wuvable Oaf” said.

He explained that an important part of the event is handing out promotional materials and getting your comic recognized.

Not all comics are created equal. Some take months to draw with spectacular color and subtle emotional portrayals. Some are simple line drawings that focus more on witty or poignant dialogue.

One comic in particular stood out for its unique layout. “The Lair of the Dreaded Atrox,” co-authored by Jeff Stone and Leslie Levings, featured cute clay critters that brought it to life.

The colorful three-inch figures are positioned and photographed with photoshopped text bubbles.

The product is instantly recognizable and completely endearing.

Not only artists and creators are present at this convention.

N A T I O N A L

Eric San Gregorio, owner of 4th Dimension Comics, discussed how he started his company.

“I originally set out to write entomology books, but I realized I could do that in comic form, because people found it more appealing,” Gregorio said.

“This is really a hobby. I never went to school for this,” Tracy Butler, the artist behind “Lackadaisy” said. “Drawing is just something I always did.”

You wouldn’t know it from seeing her signing her comics.

Other titles to look out for are “Sixth Circle” drawn by Xander “Grim” Kent and written by comedian Jackson McBray.

“It’s all about tattoos, metal, nerdery ... all the the things we love and do, everyday,” Kent quietly noted. “It’s good when you have a comedian as your writer and pitchman.”

E-mail: ddelgadillo@theguardsman.com

Finally, a humorously noneducational look at the awkward human glory that is sex.

The five writers who make up the Association for the Betterment of Sex have come together with their first guidebook — “Sex: Our Bodies, Our Junk.”

The fictional ABS includes Michael Sacks, Scott Jacobson, Todd Levin, Jason Roeder and Ted Travelstead, who all have made names for themselves as writers for “Vanity Fair,” “The Daily Show,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Onion,” and “McSweeny’s.”

The book jumps straight into human sexual anatomy, blatantly misconstruing facts such as the size and shape of the average male penis (the artist’s rendering, looks oddly like a portobello mushroom), and creatively re-naming parts of the vagina (“Skid Row,” “Glitteris,” and “Drifter’s Bus Stop,” for example).

Following chapters include mockeries of foreplay, masturbation, and a delightful, yet completely irresponsible take on fetishes, domination and multiple sex partners. To grasp the ridiculousness of the latter chapters, consider the fact that the book takes two pages to help the reader choose “the perfect interior decorator for your basement

dungeon.”

Each chapter ends with a list of witty sexual “facts” based on the reading. After reading a section on attraction, I learned, “The male sex pheromone is most closely replicated by the scent of a spicy-chicken sandwich from Wendy’s.”

After the fetish chapter, the fact was presented that, “Sixtythree percent of all girl-girl-guy threesomes end with the male prematurely ejaculating and then sitting alone in the kitchen drinking a Diet Sunkist.”

“Sex: Our Bodies, Our Junk,” however hilarious, is not the type of book you should read with your lover in bed. Its perfect place is on the coffee table where it can be enjoyed for hours when friends come over — then stored on the highest shelf of the closet when your parents visit.

Written by some of the country’s best comedy writers, this book was not meant to be taken seriously. It’s a naive look at a remarkably complex subject that is well written, very smart and a must have for anyone who appreciates the humor of “The Daily Show” or Conan.

E-mail: npalm@theguardsman.com

U N I V E R S I T Y®

Transferring?

Finish School YOUR Way!

BACHELOR’S

© 2010 National University 8916

2013 “The plan was simple – two years of community college and then straight to UC. That was before the budget crisis; suddenly, I had no idea what I was going to do. Then I discovered Notre Dame and my education got on track again.”

At

National University,

we know you can’t sit in class all day or lock yourself in a library – you’ve got work, family, and friends. You’re transferring because you want to finish your degree and move on into a new career. National University makes that

>> Streamlined admissions

UNDERGRADUATE FALL PREVIEW DAY

>> No enrollment fee

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER

>> Flexible scheduling >> Unique one-course-per-month format >> Scholarship programs

possible with. . .

6TH 1PM–4PM

Notre Dame de Namur University is still accepting transfer students for Spring 2011. Join us for Preview Day and find out how Notre Dame de Namur University can keep you moving forward.

Meet faculty and students, get an overview of NDNU, find out more about financial aid options and tour the campus. We think you will like what you see and how we can help you with your next step in completing your bachelor’s.

Apply for free through November RSVP - www.ndnu.edu or call (650) 508- 3600 Friends and family are welcome

The University of Values 1500 Ralston Avenue, Belmont CA 94002

8 0 0 . N AT. U N I V

|

getinfo.nu.edu/transfer

News

OCTOBER 20, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

| 13

Protesters mourn Afghan war National bedbug

epidemic hits SF Tenderloin area

By Isaiah Kramer THE GUARDSMAN

Below a buzzing helicopter and flanked by idle policemen, about 50 protesters rallied near the Powell Cable Car Turnaround to observe the ninth anniversary of the Afghanistan War, a conflict responsible for innumerable civilian casualties.

The exact number of Afghan civilian deaths is unknown because the United Nations only started recording casualties in 2007, and the data has not been made public. The U.N. reported that the first half of 2010 has been fraught with civilian bloodshed.

The Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition organized the Oct. 6 protest with endorsements from other groups including Unite Here Local 2, which is now on strike against the San Francisco Hilton.

“The people of Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine got the same enemy we got,” union member Marc Norton said. “That enemy is the small batch of capitalist overloads.”

Beneath a banner that served as a stage, speakers stepped forth with a microphone and spoke of crimes perpetrated in the wars abroad, the suffering of Afghan people and the “greedy capitalists” fueling it all.

The protest did not limit itself to Afghanistan, but indicted all military occupations and acknowledged the relation between the $2.5 billion weekly expenditure in Afghanistan and cuts to health care, education

BEDBUG: From page 3

FRANK LADRA / THE GUARDSMAN

CodePink member Leeza Vinvinogradov lends her support on a chant against U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, led by demonstrators at downtown San Francisco.

and joblessness in America.

“This isn’t a war about fighting Afghanistan,” said Father Louis Vitale, an activist who has been arrested over 200 times in the pursuit of his cause. “The main enemy is at home.”

Vitale equated the Afghani warlords who orchestrate “war crimes,” with the use of unmanned drone planes—the “war criminals” right in Nevada who operate them.

“Don’t they feel kind of chicken-shit being 10,000 miles away dropping a bomb on a school?” Vitale said. “These drones are going to be flying over and watching us someday.”

Code Pink: Women for Peace illustrated much of what Vitale spoke of with miniature paper drone planes that flew above, re-enacting crimes of war.

“We’re attacking wedding parties and funerals just like the drones,” Code Pink member

Leslie Angeline said while maneuvering a model drone held above her head.

Attendees of the protests were predominantly members and affiliates of the ANSWER coalition, Local 2 and pamphleteers from various socialist groups. The protesters were easily matched, and possibly outnumbered, by the irritated tourists lined in a U-shape around the Powell cable car.

Teachers and students were notably absent from the protest, though many protesters advocated for education funding with chants like, “money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation.”

After approximately 10 speakers addressed them, the anti-war crowd marched to the strike at the Hilton in solidarity with Local 2.

Email: ikramer@theguardsman.com

New degrees guarantee admission TRANSFER: From page 3

the language of the new law though. “It’s not going to be that much of a guarantee to go to a CSU,” City College transfer counselor Larry Damato said. “The way the law’s worded, it’s not a perfect world.”

While the law guarantees admission into the CSU system for students who complete the program, there is no guarantee the students will be accepted to their preferred campus or into the same major for which they studied at their community college.

Students who earn these associate degrees, however, will be given priority enrollment over students transferring without the same status in addition to being placed in a “similar major,” according to the law.

Currently, community college students transfer with an average of 80 units completed, 20 units above the required amount according to STAR’s bill.

The language of the bill refers to these extra units as excessive and the “result of the confusion surrounding transfer requirements.”

According to Padilla’s fact sheet, shortening the average tenure of college students will shore up funds for admitting more students.

“Streamlining the process would result in students graduating more quickly, allowing community colleges and the CSU to serve more students,” it reads.

Jo Volkert, associate vice president of enrollment at San Francisco State University, said that around 500 students transfer from City College to SFSU each year.

She said this new legislation will help transfer students avoid duplicating classes they have already taken and keep them from spinning their

wheels upon transferring.

According to Padilla’s fact sheet, “due to the impending retirement of a generation of baby boomers, California faces a looming workforce shortage in job sectors requiring a bachelor’s degree and above.”

The Public Policy Institute of California claims that by 2025, “only 35 percent of working-age adults will have a college degree in an economy that would otherwise require 41 percent of workers to have a college degree.”

City College Articulation Officer Deanna Abma predicts that more students will leave CCC’s halls with an associate degree due to the STAR Act, but she is not certain how many degrees will actually meet the criteria for the transfer guarantee.

CCC and CSU must still approve the curriculum and decide on how to interpret certain details of the new law.

“We still have to figure out what it means to have admissions priority,” Abma said. “What does it really mean to have priority admissions into a ‘similar’ major?”

Abma also raised the issue of the impact on students’ experience as California’s higher education system becomes more centralized.

In her research on SB1440 she noted a general “fear of statewide standardization,” and the possible corresponding reduction in curriculum variety and opportunities for certain students.

She is also concerned that it could “provide less flexibility” for students who want to change their major.

The forming of these transfer degrees will require no extra funding, and City College remains committed to providing basic skills courses to students not yet transfer-bound Abma said.

Email: pmakiri@theguardsman.com

Reynolds sacked her possessions into plastic garbage bags and stacked them like a pyramid on her furniture in the center of the room. She cleared the walls of obstructions. Later, the pest control company sprayed 130-degree steam to kill the bugs.

Though, often, that isn’t all it takes.

“Usually, everything has to be treated: clothing, bedding, furniture,” Central City SRO Collaborative volunteer Hannah Mariah said. ”It’s three treatments, 10 days apart—for one month of your life being discombobulated.

Unless you kill all the eggs, you have to do it all over again.”

The treatment process starts at $250 but can exceed $5,000 depending on the scope of the infestation, according to Clark Pest Control. Many people with bedbugs in their home opt to throw out their furniture and mattresses in a frantic effort to get rid of them.

Reynolds caught the infestation early and kept a watchful eye for any signs of continued inhabitance.

“One sign is little black spots that are their feces and little streaks of blood on the mattress,” Mariah said.

The parasites are gaining in number since their virtual elimination in the 1940s. The exact cause of the bedbug resurgence is unknown, but some attribute it to increased world travel and lack of pesticides—now banned by the EPA—that once exterminated them.

“To say bedbugs have become

an epidemic is not an overstatement,” Lambert said.

San Francisco has had 450 reports of bedbugs, mainly concentrated in the Tenderloin, where SROs are prolific, according to The Bedbug Registry, a website that tracks the parasites nationwide. The number of homes with bedbugs is far greater and more widespread than what is listed in the registry because many individuals do not report infestation.

“Many middle-class homes and residences handle the problem internally,” Lambert said.

“Our folks, SRO residents, are the ones who can’t combat it.”

Often, instead of dealing with an uncooperative manager, the residents employ agencies like the Department of Public Health to solve the problem and that is when it’s reported.

Tenderloin SRO residents have been significantly impacted for a number of reasons: living in a densely populated neighborhood, managerial misconduct in eradication, residents obtaining discarded items from the street that harbor the bugs and hoarding habits that make extermination problematic. But this doesn’t mean the problem is confined to SROs. “It is an illusion that the Tenderloin is more prone to bedbugs than other neighborhoods,” Mariah said. “Bedbugs are becoming a national health problem; like a disease, indiscriminate and tenacious.”

Email: ikramer@theguardsman.com

Center expands services for military veterans CENTER OPENING: From page 3

center from 12 to 40 hours a week.

“We are going to be doing psychiatric assessments and evaluations providing medical management which include psychotropic prescriptions and medication can be then mailed or picked up at the VA,” SFVA psychiatrist Ellen Herbst said.

“Having psychologists on campus is a huge step to what City College has offered in recent years. It means that Veterans don’t have to travel miles to reach the Veterans Administration.” Air Force veteran, Benjamin Moran Cooper said.

Multiple veterans have also complained about waiting for benefits.

“I just got paid last week, My rent money did not get to me until to Oct. 4,” Army reserve medic Jeanette Martinez said. “I had to go through a portion of August and September without rent money.”

“As veterans we get priority registration dates, the VA has been

slow to publicize this date. I had to sit in to each class to add. This delayed my paper work a month, lot of veterans are trying to do the same thing.” Cooper said.

Wells Fargo donated $30,000 as an emergency loan to act as a bridge for living expenses until benefits kick in, Clark said.

Manny Flores, a member of Carpenters Union Local 22, and Steve Powers, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electricians Local 6, were among the many who donated their time, material and labor to completing the VRC. “Anything for the vets and it worked out. It was not a job, it was something you wanted to do.” Flores said.

The VRC is located at Cloud Hall 332-333 and can be reached at 415-239-3486. They are also staffed to help honorably discharged veterans complete the necessary steps to receive Post 9-11 GI Bill certification.

Email: rromano@theguardsman.com

14 |

Sports

THE GUARDSMAN

FROM THE BLEACHERS

RAMS - 5 VS. MONTEREY PENINSULA - 0

Women’s soccer shuts out Lobos for 10th win

By Ryan Kuhn THE GUARDSMAN

Thoughts by Ryan Kuhn on community college, sports and what not

Referees need to stop making mistakes People make mistakes.

Whether the mistakes come from home like, “Sorry honey, I forgot it was your birthday,” or at the office with someone saying, “I knew I shouldn’t have said that comment to her,” people do mess up time to time. Saying that, it does not mean making those mistakes is acceptable.

Mistakes often happen in the world of sports. Players sometimes forget the fundamentals of the game even with the years of experience and a nice seven-, eight- or even nine-figure check in their back pocket. But with that amount of money in their wallets, their mistakes during the game are also unacceptable.

But what about those guys who keep order during the games? The guys who call the balls and strikes, who call the technical fouls and who announces to everybody that the offensive player is lined up in the neutral zone. Are they allowed to make mistakes?

Umpires, officials and referees from every sport have made a mistake at one time or another.

But with multiple eyes on the game, making a bad call is totally unacceptable.

A great example of one of the worst calls in professional sports was during the 2002 AFC Divisional Playoff game when the New England Patriots hosted the Oakland Raiders.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was sacked by defensive back Charles Woodson which caused him to fumble the ball.

After the referees reviewed it, the play was overturned, saying it was an incomplete pass. The Patriots went on to win the game.

Now let it be clear that the Raiders are not on the top of my list of my favorite teams.

In fact, they are probably one of the few that I despise. But “Raider Nation” was royally screwed. Referee Walt Coleman not only made one of the worst calls in football history but he overturned the call after watching the replay in slow motion on a monitor that clearly showed Brady fumbling the ball. I sincerely thought that to be an official you had to have 20/20 vision or corrective lenses, but apparently not.

Another example of the worst calls in professional sports came this year came in

Detroit during a Major League Baseball game, but at least this one showed some class.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was one out away from throwing a perfect game, but umpire Jim Joyce called the runner at first safe when he was clearly out.

After the game when Joyce saw the replay he was quoted saying, “ I just cost that kid a perfect game.”

He later found Galarraga after the game, apologizing in tears.

Even though Joyce did the right thing after the game—and I give a standing applause to— he made a mistake, and it was not right. Not only is this kid not in the record books, but his pitching performance will also be affected as he thinks about that final out for the rest of the season.

Not only do bad calls come from the professionals, but from here in our own back yard as well.

Last Saturday, during a City College football game against Butte College, a City College defensive back clearly intercepted the ball in the end zone for a touchback, and the ball should have been placed at the 20-yard line. Instead, the field judge placed the ball at the 2-yard line.

With City College up by three points and a little over a minute to go in the game, this would clearly give Butte the advantage.

This might only be a community college game, but if someone is given a job they must do it to the best of their ability, and the field judge did not. Luckily the call did not affect the outcome of the game, which the Rams won 37-34 With advancing technology and the professional league’s implementation of instant replays, some of these mistakes are getting fixed, but some are not. Anyone can make a mistake, but just because someone wears a referee’s shirt does not mean they are always correct. Officials make mistakes and they often hear it from not only the players but the crowd as well.

Next time you go to a game just listen to the crowd when they announce the officials.

Email: rkuhn@theguardsman.com

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Ten wins in a season does not seem that great. But to the women’s soccer team at City College, 10 wins doubles the amount of victories last year and so far solidifies the top spot in the Coast Conference standings.

Last Friday, the Rams (10-12) kept on with their winning ways, shutting out Monterey Peninsula College 5-0. It was their eighth shut out this season.

In the last three games, City College outscored their opponents 17-1 and leads all Northern California schools in goals scored.

“We are working a lot in practice finishing and getting behind defenses,” head coach Gabe Saucedo said. “I’m really happy at the amount of goal scoring opportunities we are getting.”

The Rams started early with a header by freshman midfielder Yvette Flores. Later in the first half, forward Christina Barretto doubled the score with a goal of her own.

Because of the aggressive offense that City College displays, the Rams were called on many offside penalties that stopped their momentum. Saucedo and his team know they can improve on certain aspects of their game.

COMING UP

10/22 vs.

1:30 at Crocker Park “We still need to work talking on the field and working more as a team,” freshman forward Alex Montano said.

Montano, who is second on the team in goals scored, extended the lead in the second half as she scored on a header assisted by Tera Piserchio.

Minutes later Montano showed she not only could score, but also pass as well, finding Christian Bibiano whose shot sailed over the Monterey goal keeper.

Not only has the offense stepped up, but the Rams defensive duo of goal keepers Jhosselyn Alvarenga and Alexandra Jerez have only given up a total of seven goals all season.

Splitting the time against Monterey by each playing a half, both Alvarenga and Jerez each had one save and allowed the Lobos only three shots on goal.

With the second half winding down, Piserchio was the fifth

Ram to score on the afternoon, putting City College up 5-0, where it would stay until the final whistle.

Even as they sit atop the Coast Conference, the Rams know their road will be challenging, still having to play Skyline, Las Posistas and Ohlone. Saucedo made it clear what his team’s goals are.

“Before the season starts we set goals for ourselves, and one of those goals is a conference championship,” Saucedo said.

“We talked yesterday, and those goals are obtainable. It’s there for us to take it and it’s just about going out there and performing and playing well.”

The Rams will continue in conference play on Oct. 22 as they host Las Posistas, where they tied in the first meeting, 2-2 on Sept.

17. Kick off is at 1:30 p.m. on their home field in Crocker Park.

Email: rkuhn@theguardsman.com

Calendar

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Calendar for October 20 - November 2

WED

THUR

20

Karaoke Night at El Rio 3158 Mission St. Free 8 p.m.

Career Development Counseling Department Seasonal and Holiday Joh fair: noon-2 p.m. Ocean Campus cafeteria

Air sex 2010 World Championships The Independent 628 Divisadero St. $15 8 p.m.

The Poetry of Craig Santos Perez Multiuse building Rm 130 Ocean campus Free 2 p.m.– 3:30 p.m.

WMC final round of Band Competition Ram Plaza Ocean Campus 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. $5

WED

27

Kate Bernheimer Lecture: My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: 40 New Fairy Tales The Booksmith 1644 Haight St. Free 7:30 p.m.

Castro Street Farmers Market Castro and Noe Streets Free 4 p.m.

Lecture: Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill – Intrinsic Bioremediation, or Mother Nature’s Abilities to Clean Up Our Messes Science 300 Ocean campus Free 12 p.m.– 1 p.m.

Final round of City College band competition Performance Theatre of the Wellness Center Ocean Campus 4 p.m. $7 at the door $5 presale

Isobel Campbell perforsm at Amoeba Music, 1855 Haight St. Free 7 p.m.

23

Bilal performs at Amoeba Music, 1855 Haight St. Free 2 p.m.

CCOF’s 5th Annual Organic Beer and Wine Tasting 1 Ferry Bldg $30.00 4 p.m.-- 8 p.m.

24

7th Annual Howlween small dog costume parade Alameda Small Dog Park 8th Street & Portola 1 p.m.-- 4 p.m.

Free Hula for Faamilies Palace of Fine Arts 3301 Lyon St. $10 12 p.m.-- 1 p.m.

SAT

29 Lecture: Antibodies: An Important New Class of Therapeutics: From Discovery to Development Sci 300 Ocean campus Free 12 p.m.– 1 p.m.

SUN Bill Frisell performs at Amoeba Music, 1855 Haight St. Free 2 p.m.

Small Gift: Celebrating 50 years of Sanrio Justin Herman Plaza 1 Market St. Free 10 a.m.

FRI

28

Board of Trustees Meeting 33 Gough St. 6 p.m.

Free

SAT

22

THUR

Community Events

Campus Events

FRI

21

THE GUARDSMAN

30

Julie Brown CD signing Books Inc 2275 Market St. Free 3 p.m.

Journey to the End of the Night Citywide Tag Game Justin Herman Plaza 1 Market St. Suggested donation $5-$20 7:00 p.m.-- midnight

SUN

31

Lucha Vavoom The Fillmore 1805 Geary Blvd. $32.50 8 p.m.

Karaoke Halloween Nightlife Gold Club based on 157 reviews 650 Howard Street $10.00 9:00 p.m.

MON

25

Buddhist monk and mystic, Nicole Grace workshop, “Exploring the Bodhisattva Way” Fort Mason FireHouse Free 7 p.m.

Workshop: Fiesta with Maxine Holloway LGBT Center 2199 Market St. sliding scale $7-$12 6 p.m.

MON

1

Ghostship III: The Armada Treasure Island $35-$40 9 p.m.-- 5 a.m.

Classifieds

TUES

26

Enchanting Victorian Landscape Lecture Conservatory of Flowers Golden Gate Park Conservatory Rd $20 6:30 p.m.

Lecture: Authentic Dating: Consciously Creating Relationships San Francisco Main Library 100 Larkin St. Free 6:15 p.m.

Got a classified ad? You could see that ad here. Contact our Advertising Manger for more information about rates and publication deadlines at (415) 239-3446.

Classified Ads

TUES

2

ELECTION DAY! City College of If you are a U.S., San Francisco: The Citizen don’t forget to Campus History Series By Julia Bergman, polls close at 8 p.m.

Valerie Sherer Mathes and Austin White Lois Silverstein is now for sale at all Faculty Poetry Campus’ bookstores Reading Rosenberg Library, Rm 305 Ocean campus Wine, Cheese & Innovation Lecture- Free 11 a.m.– 12:30 p.m.

City Club SF 155 Sansome St. 10th floor $25 5 p.m.--7 p.m.

50 cents per word. $5 minimum for commercial advertisers. City College students, staff and faculty qualify for one free classified per semester. Multiple ads not accepted. Must show current student ID. Commercial ads not accepted from students. Acceptance of ads at the discretion of The Guardsman.

Article Submissions To submit tips on stories contact: Editor in Chief (415) 239-3446 Fax: (415) 239-3884 editor@theguardsman.com

START YOUR NURSING DEGREE AT MILLS

C A L IF O R N IA

ont Standard r ill Sans Regula : .25 4pt g: 32 % ntal Scale: 110 l Scale: 105%

AND GAIN ADMISSION TO SAMUEL MERRITT UNIVERSITY. Discover a new path to a career in nursing at Mills College. You can complete your prenursing requirements on our beautiful 135acre campus dedicated to women and earn guaranteed admission to Samuel Merritt University.* You’ll receive a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences and leadership development training that will prepare you for a successful nursing career.

INFORMATION SESSIONS Saturday, October 23 • 10:00 am–1:00 pm Thursday, November 11 • 10:00 am–1:00 pm

PAY OFF

*upon successful completion of all program requirements

YOUR EDUCATION Tuition costs shouldn’t stop you from reaching your goals in life. By joining the Army National Guard, you’ll receive the money you need to help pay for college as well as the skills and training you need to get the career you want. If you’re looking to get through college, with the Army National Guard, you can!

MAKING THE WORLD MORE . . .

Oakland, CA admission@mills.edu www.mills.edu CALL 800.87.MILLS TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE.

NATIONALGUARD.com • 1-800-GO-GUARD AMS-02_4x6.indd 1

8/2/10 11:27:08 AM

City College — The Guardsman Size: 6" x 6" • Insertion date: October 20, 2010 Ad #906Nursing

THE GUARDSMAN Celebrating 75 years of journalistic excellence City College of San Francisco’s Newspaper Since 1935

| 15

16 |

Sports

THE GUARDSMAN

OCTOBER 20, 2010

RAMS - 37 VS. BUTTE - 34

Rams stay perfect against Butte

By Ryan Kuhn THE GUARDSMAN

With less than two minutes to go in the game, sophomore defensive back Allen Chapman came up with an interception on the 2-yard line, in what could be called the biggest play of his City College football career.

That interception would keep the Rams perfect record in tact defeating No. 4 Butte College at home last Friday, 37-34.

The interception was the third of the season for Chapman.

“Coaches said to press and I just came down with the ball,” Chapman said.

The defense had their hands full with running back Travis Davison for the Roadrunners who scored twice on touchdown runs, but it was another Butte player, that did a majority of the scoring.

Sophomore Rashad Ross gave the Roadrunners 14 quick points as he completed two kickoff returns for touchdowns in the second half, 70 yards and 94 yards, respectively.

“This game should have been a blowout,” said head coach George Rush. “We gave up two kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Take those out of the game and it’s a different game. It gave them momentum and they got all excited.”

Even though special teams struggled giving up the two touchdowns and a fumble on the opening kickoff to start the game, the Rams offense improved from the previous week.

Quarterback Steele Jantz had his best game of the season passing 19-32 for 355 yards and four touchdowns.

“Steele’s development has been really accredited to the coaches who have worked really hard with him,” Rush said. “He has developed into a really fine player.”

City College was the first to score when Jantz found receiver Royce Spencer on a 33-yard pass, but Butte tied it up minutes later on Davidson’s first of two touchdown runs.

Butte was about to tie the score at 7 on the point after attempt, the kick was blocked and returned by Rams defensive back Nigel Maloneto giving them an extra two points and putting City College up 9-6.

In the second half, the Roadrunners came out with 14 quick points, as the Rams fell behind only for the second time all season but two touchdown passes to Aaron Horne quickly changed that.

Twice Jantz found Horne on touchdown passes in the third quarter, the first for 65 yards and

the second for 51.

Horne finished the game with 172 yards receiving, with 152 of them coming in the second half.

The Rams next opponent will be Laney College in Oakland this Friday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m., one week before the match up with College of San Mateo, perhaps the most anticipated game of the season.

Rush knows he cannot over look the Eagles and Northern California’s leading rusher, Corterlie Anderson.

“What we need to do is not think about San Mateo and think about Laney”, Rush said. “We will get to San Mateo in due time.”

Email: rkuhn@theguardsman.com

NORCAL Conference Standings San Mateo RAMS Butte Foothill Laney Santa Rosa JC

6-0 6-0 5-1 5-1 4-2 3-3

Standings provided by California community college athletic association

RAMSEY EL QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

Defensivte back Allen Champan comes down with an interception late in the fourth quarter to clitch a victory for the Rams against Butte, 37-34.

complete your

Bachelor’s degree When you’ve completed your associate degree you’ll have many great options ahead of you and one is DeVry University. We work with community college students to make sure qualifying credits transfer seamlessly and that you have everything you need, including: • Access to required courses • Financial aid • Lifetime Career Services for all graduates

4 Bay Area Locations Including Daly City | Oakland | Fremont

For more information on earning your bachelor’s degree, please visit DeVry.edu/cc.

Program availability varies by location. ©2010 DeVry Educational Development Corp. All rights reserved.