The Corsair Vol. D issue 8

WEDNESDAY . OCTOBER 26, 2011 . VOLUME D ISSUE 8

what’s inside news Pg.3 opinion Pg.4 photostory Pg.5 health+life pg.6 a+e Pg.7 Sports Pg.8

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Calacas Raves Tricks and Treats

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS PG. 5 HALLOWEEN CONCERTS PG.7

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2|CONTENTS

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 26, 2011 - SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Corrections from last issue:

EDITORIAL STAFF Jonathan Bue············· Editor-in-Chief c o rs a i r. e d i t o r i n c h i e f @ g m a i l . c o m Nathan Gawronsky·····Managing Editor c o rs a i r. m a n a g i n g @ g m a i l . c o m Cathy Arias········· Life & Health Editor c o rs a i r. l i f e s t y l e p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Regan Dyl····················· News Editor c o rs a i r. n e w s p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Juan Lopez··················· A & E Editor c o rs a i r. c a l e n d a r p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Muna Cosic················Opinion Editor c o rs a i r. o p i n i o n p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m William Courtney··········· Sports Editor c o rs a i r. s p o r t s p a g e @ g m a i l . c o m Hector Mejia··········Multimedia Editor c o rs a i r. m u l t i m e d i a @ g m a i l . c o m Anisa El-Khouri··············Photo Editor Amanda Bojorquez··········Photo Editor c o rs a i r p h o t o e d i t o r @ g m a i l . c o m Jenya Romanovsky··········· Copy Editor c o rs a i r. c o p y e d i t s @ g m a i l . c o m Roger Morante················ Web Editor David J. Hawkins····· Web Administrator c o rs a i r. w e b e d i t o r @ g m a i l . c o m Nathalyd Meza··············Design Editor Genesis Baltazar············· Design Staff Alfredo Avila·················· Design Staff c o rs a i r. d e s i g n t e a m @ g m a i l . c o m

The article “Late professor honored by guild” incorrectly stated the name of the award honoring former SMC professor Evan Somers. The correct name of the award is the Evan Somers Memorial award. Additionally, contributions can be made at the corrected e-mail address: bergaust@me.com.

The article “Homecoming activities give weeklong variety”

W R I T E R S Amber Antonopoulos, Vanessa Barajas, Eva Boguslawski, Jay Be Brookman, Aubryanna DiStefano, Maria Dimera, Morgan Doyle, Alyson Feldman, Janae Franklin, Jonathan Ghattas, Tabetha Harris, Myles Johnson, Luana Kasahara, Samanta Kubon, Jahnny Lee, Keijo Liimatainen, Zoie Matthew, Michael Mejia, Ashley Metcalf, Wayne Neal, Tatianna Paredes, Michelle Ponder, Melanie Rudkiewicz, Katherine Ruiz, Fatou Samb, Valerie Serrano, Mia Shilpi, Mai Sims, Ryan Sinko, Christina Sziatinszky PHOTOGRAPHERS Paul Alvarez, Chris Alves, Marisa Bojiuc, Jeannie Cole, Ryan Cook, Reynal Guillen, Tiahna Hale, Cristina Maxwell, Marie Perez, Scott Smith, Silvia Spross, Lisa Weingarten, Michael Yanow, Sequoia Ziff FAC U LT Y A DV I S E R S S a u l Ru b i n Gerard Burkhart A d I n q uiries : corsair.adconsultant@gmail.com

contained a number of factual inaccuracies. Homecoming week officially began on Oct. 25, not Oct. 21. The “Huff and Puff ” football game took place on the quad, not the Corsair Field. The first 300 students to arrive will not receive a gift bag with a free t-shirt and sandwich coupon, but students will receive a gift bag at the Homecoming football game. Lastly, there will be no pirate costume contest, or chance to win iPads, laptops, or other Apple products.

Chris Alves Corsair John Busse, a 3-D design student of Santa Monica College stands inside an inflated 3-D wave on Thursday, Oct. 20.

The design class inflated 3-D objects on SMC’s main quad as a contribution to this year’s globalship theme of “Health, Wellness and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

HOMECOMING WEEK! FRIDAY, OCT 21

student Homecoming Poster Contest

Campus-­wide Potluck in Calebration of National Food Day

TUESDAY, OCT 25

11:30am-­1pm @ SMC quad

Huff and Puff Games

TUE, OCT 25

11:30am Faculty/Staff vs. Students. Sign up in A.S. Office to play FREE ice cream for any student wearing SMC attire!

SMC Athletic Attire Sale

OCT 24-

27

2011

11:30am-­1pm @ Garden in front of Art Building

WED, OCT 26

THURSDAY, OCT 27

Urban Roots movie screening with Q and A from producers and directors

SMC Homecoming IDOL and Club Row

Sign up starting Oct. 12 for a chance to sing the National Anthem at the game FREE ice cream for any student wearing SMC attire FREE face painting (presented by Cosmetology Dept)

4pm-­6pm @ HSS 165

THUR, OCT 27

GAME DAY! SAT, OCT 29 @ 1pm

-­ Keynote speaker Andy Revkin: 9 billion people + One Planet =?

HALF TIME KICK CONTEST-­-­-­1st prize= $10,000!!! + drawing

11am-­12:30pm @ Theatre Arts Building

$5 FREE food coupon to FIRST 300 Students Buy one get one Chiptole coupons for first 75 students Parade and Homecoming Idol performance

on campus!

WEEK

SMC Organic Learning Garden Grand Opening!

WEDNESDAY, OCT 26

CELEBRITY

SUSTAINABILITY MON, OCT 24

All submissions are due by 9am in the A.S. Office. Students can pick up supplies and instructions in A.S. Office starting Oct. 12 PRIZE: 300$ to the winning club

There’s a

CAMPUS

-­ SMC Climate Action Plan lunch 5:30pm-­7pm @ Business 111

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NEWS|3

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 26, 2011 - SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Seeds of urban forest take root

By Zoie Matthew - Staff Writer

Jeannie Cole Corsair Walt Warriner, the Community Forest and Public Landscape superintendent discusses the Urban Forest Master plan on Monday, Oct. 24. The next public meeting will be Oct.26 at 6:30 p.m. in the Martin Luther King Jr. auditorium located on the Santa Monica College campus.

Sports

Walt Warriner, the City of Santa Monica’s Community Forest and Public Landscape superintendent, sees the arboreal landscape of a community as an essential part of how citizens perceive and experience the world around them.

“The trees are the community. People see them, they live with them, they walk under them every day,” said Warriner.

“Sociologically, people become very attached to their trees.”

As the deadline for the completion of Santa Monica’s urban forest master plan draws closer, citizens are running out of opportunities to offer their input on a plan that will affect the next 50 years of tree planting and maintenance in the city.

This Wednesday’s meeting of the Urban Master Plan Task Force, plus a few more public meetings scheduled throughout the month of November, will allow for a final few alterations to be made before the document’s final draft is presented to city council on Dec. 13.

The plan, which has been in the works since Oct. 2009, seeks to broaden the range of tree species found in the Santa Monica area, as well as to increase the attention given to the renewal and care of our “urban forest,” and will serve as an update to the plan that has been in use since 2000, called the Community Forest Management Plan.

“We have an aging forest. We have trees that are old and starting to decline, and we had no replacement plan in place,” said Warriner. “Some of our policies were outdated, so what we needed to do was to bring some of our policies in line with new and current industry standards, and we needed to designate the appropriate species of trees for all the various street segments throughout the city.”

The first draft of the plan, which the task force officially approved at their Oct. 5 meeting, takes a comprehensive look at the factors that affect tree growth in Santa Monica, including varying microclimates, the shape of urban growth spaces, and the spread of topographies and soils. It also lists environmentally appropriate replacement trees on a street-by-street basis.

The plan claims that 30 percent of Santa Monica’s trees are planted in inappropriate places, and that these poorly located trees can result in “damage to streets, sidewalks or utilities that ultimately increase maintenance costs.”

The initiative also seeks to increase the amount of canopy growth in trees, which it claims can reduce pollution, lessen the heat island effect (the tendency of metropolitan areas to be warmer then surrounding rural ones) and decrease the need for air

bar serves up

By Amber Antonopoulos - Staff Writer Aside from the living-room ambiance of leather couches, beaded lamps and blackand-white photographs, something sets South apart from the rest of the other crowded, trendy bars that line Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica.

The popular sports bar, located at 3001 Wilshire Blvd., has installed a groundbreaking 3-D setup, enabling patrons to watch sporting events in a novel way.

“We have been fortunate enough to team up with Vizio in marketing South as the first fully 3-D-capable bar in the country,” said Robyn Landrum, one of South’s four owner-operators. According to a press release, Vizio has furnished the bar with

33 high-definition 3-D-ready televisions, ranging from 42 to 65 inches in size.

“We are really excited to have Vizio on board, and more excited that we get to share this technology with our patrons in a social setting,” said co-owner and operator Philip Boyd. “It’s the future of sports bars, and we’re a step ahead.”

South’s new televisions utilize Passive 3-D technology, which “provides viewers with a bright, crystal clear, flicker-free 3-D picture using battery-free, stylish eyewear,” as stated in the press release. In contrast to Active 3-D, Passive 3-D is more suitable for operation in a bar because not only is the eyewear lightweight and less expensive, but patrons will be able to see multiple

3-D

entertainment

television screens in 3-D, without waiting for the picture to adjust. South provides complimentary 3-D eyewear to all patrons who submit identification as collateral.

According to Landrum, the unobtrusive 3-D glasses resemble stylish sunglasses.

In addition to showing sporting events on ESPN 3-D, the bar also holds 3-D movie nights, and showcases a 3-D gaming room equipped with Sony Playstations, according to Landrum.

According to Boyd, the 3-D programming shown at South is only limited by the number of 3-D channels currently available.

At the moment, South’s provider, DirecTV, only offers five 3-D channels.

All televisions located throughout the bar are not continually on 3-D format.

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conditioning and heating.

Warriner expects that this plan will save money not only for individual residents, but for local businesses too. He said the new trees would make shopping areas more visually appealing, and that they will eventually increase the city’s carbon credit allowance.

“We’re working with the U.S. Forest Service to plant a thousand trees that we’ll record the growth of over a hundred-year period of time, and over that hundred year period of time, the city will report to the U.S. Forest Service the growth of the trees,” he said.

“The U.S. Forest Service then extrapolates that number over the entire forest, and we will start to develop carbon credits that can be traded out on the open market. So that’s the big-picture economic benefit of the urban forest.”

Warriner said that a majority of the financial backing for the project is slated to come from city funding, but there is opportunity for citizens to aid in external funding through the Give Santa Monica program.

“If people want to donate money in memory of a loved one or in memorial of somebody, they can donate money to Give Santa Monica,” he said.

“We take that money and add it to our annual tree planting program, and we plant trees for them.”

Community outreach has been a major focus of the project. Since 2010, there have been a number of community workshops, surveys, and opportunities for residents to involve themselves in meetings.

According to Warriner, the community’s response has been fairly strong.

“We sent postcards to every resident in the city, and we got probably seven hundred some odd emails back about the proposed plan,” Warriner said.

The public is welcome to voice opinions in the plan’s polishing phase. There will be two more open meetings of the Task Force, one on Oct. 26 and one on Nov. 8.

The plan will then circulate through the Landmarks Commission, the Recreation and Parks Commission, and lastly the Task Force on the Environment for review and approval. Citizens are welcome to attend those meetings, and a schedule can be found online.

“This is a long range plan—it’s a 50-yearplan. It’s going to outlive me,” he said.

“The forest program becomes bigger than one person. The forest is part of the city.”

Wednesday’s meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium of the Santa Monica Main Library.

TV sets not tuned into 3-D programming display channels in standard 2-D highdefinition. According to both Boyd and Landrum, patrons have been markedly enthusiastic about the change.

“Business before the 3-D TVs came in was great,” Boyd said. “After the TVs, it has become phenomenal. I can only see us expanding from here.”

Santa Monica College alum, Tedd Sievers, who frequently watches sports at South, expressed his excitement about the 3-D overhaul over a game of “Angry Birds” and a pitcher of beer.

“I think 3-D is fantastic,” Sievers said. “I can’t wait for it to be employed across the board, and I’m really looking forward to the day when we won’t have to wear the funky glasses.”

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4|OPINION

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 26, 2011 - SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Too occupied with demands to occupy

By Mia Shilpi - Staff Writer

From a national movement to a worldwide uprising, the Occupy Wall Street protests have spread rapidly to more than 1,500 cities globally and in excess of 100 cities in the U.S., according to the Occupy Wall Street website. Initially, the publicity was meager, but the Occupy movement has since sparked a storm of debate among the thinking public. What are the Occupy protests really about? What’s the focus of the movement? It seems the demands of the people, worldwide, range so widely, that it is hard to decide what they are occupying.

Inspired by public protests across the world - from the riots in Europe to the rebellions in the recent Arab Spring of the Middle East - the Occupy protesters have been swarming over the nation with the intent to be heard as the “99 percent,” and demands of disparate issues to be resolved.

Earlier this month, the Occupy movement took over Santa Monica College, aiming to inspire students to join Occupy Los Angeles. Mike Feinstein, former mayor of Santa Monica, said that regarding America’s economic strife, “It’s not a recession, it was a robbery.”

James Ayer, an Occupy SMC rally attendee, said that “Our economy is driven

by greed, you can’t get rid of it.” He addressed more than one rally leader about that, but while all of them had solutions on how to take away power from the wealthy, many were focused on limitations, rather than regulations.

While unregulated greed has skewered the American economy, greed itself, a human instinct, is not to blame.

The idea of the Occupy movement is brilliant, since there is certainly much wrong with the nation on all governing and financial levels. The country teems with wrongs that beg to be admonished and addressed. America is in desperate need of a revolution, and many protesters are hoping for a societal change parallel to the ones wrought by our parents’ youth in the volatile era of the 1960s. Protesters know that this is their time to speak and sow the seeds of dissent in people’s minds about political and economic issues.

But despite all the optimism the Occupy movement has brought, it has not yet brought forth the revolution that it wanted, nor the recognition from those who should have heard them out.

What the protesters have not noticed of their predecessors is that they had a goal – a specific goal with a specific solution.

The Occupy movement protesters seek to bring about a massive societal change, which is not a bad thing on its own, but it is destructive for the movement.

The protesters have been quick to blame corporate greed and yes—corporate greed is a major factor in America’s current downward spiral. But greed is a necessary evil in America’s capitalist system. It is not the corporate greed, but the unregulated corporate greed that is the problem and the cause for people’s discontent.

The Occupy Wall Street protesters shouldn’t be marching along Wall Street, but in Washington D.C., where moneyobsessed politicians have worked to remove the regulations put in place to protect the working American people, while letting the one percent wreak havoc on the nation’s economy.

The movement also lacks a specific focus.

The Occupy Wall Street Declaration, which mirrors America’s Declaration of Independence, lists a wide variety of grievances that demand swift admonition, ranging from corporate infiltration of politics, to civil rights, to discrimination, to animal cruelty.

Those are all serious issues, but they are not the ones to be addressed by this

movement, and are best fixed in the wake of a singular goal.

Many claim the movement is meant to be spread out with all kinds of issues being protested against, but that isn’t the case.

The idea of fixing all of America’s woes at once would be commendable, but it is impractical. It leaves many bemused by the thought of supporting a movement that cannot even decide which of their demands is truly paramount to their mission, and just what actions are most important. One focused movement speaks louder than a mixture of issues combined.

The single most important goal is separating corporate greed from politics and ending the privilege of the wealthy to manipulate the rest of America to suit their ends at our expense.

This will take care of many of the problems Americans face that the Occupy movement lists as its grievances and goals.

But if they continue to think of all these issues and focus their strengths in the wrong places as they have done so far, then the strength of the thousands upon thousands of people in these protests will be too diluted to get anything done, and the movement will fade into history with nary a change to its name.

Welfare benefits shouldn’t be decided through drug testing

By Christina Sziatinszky Staff Writer A few months ago, Florida Governor Rick Scott passed a bill that requires that all welfare applicants be drug-tested. This drastic measure seems like a good way to ensure that taxpayers’ dollars are not being used to buy drugs, but it is pointless, and serves only to discriminate against the poor.

Why is it that only those on welfare are being tested? For this to be a fair policy, all residents who receive government aid should be included in the bill.

They should be testing recipients of financial aid, loans, and grants in addition to those on welfare.

According to the bill, if the applicants test negative, the state will pay for the test. If the applicant tests positive, then he or she will have to obtain proof of self-funded drug treatment and reapply in six months or wait a year before reapplying, That kind of wait could be a lifetime for someone who relies on government aid to survive.

Drug tests prove to be effective and reasonable, especially in the workforce, so there are a lot of positives that come from them. But the negatives can be found with

Illustration by Darin Geesey

the initiation of Governor Scott’s bill. It is not the drug testing requirement that is a problem, but the discrimination toward the downtrodden that is unjust.

No other state currently requires drug testing for welfare benefits, because it is difficult to avoid the debate that the drug tests violate the Fourth Amendment, which protects citizens against unreasonable searches. There is no reason to administer these tests to welfare recipients, since it does not change the fact that they truly are in need of government aid.

If recipients are using drugs, it is probably because they are trying to cope with the difficulties in their lives, which further proves how much they need government help.

The American Civil Liberties Union made a valid point to the Huffington Post that, not only is it unconstitutional, “but it is a policy that rests on ugly stereotypes.”

The bill assumes that someone who needs government help is a drug user. The ACLU filed a lawsuit against the bill after its implementation in July.

If the government really cared about the poor, then it would be enforcing laws in their favor, not just laws that will save a bit of money for the state. Drug tests are not cheap, and can cost anywhere from $15 to $35 for each test; so how much money are they really expecting to save? If states are seeking a way to diminish drug use, then they should pass a law to better enforce drug laws, not threaten welfare for the impoverished.

There aren’t many applicants under the influence of drugs to begin with, so this law seems pointless and degrading. A recent report done by the Department of Children and Families showed that since July 1, 2011, when the law was enforced, only 2.5 percent of the welfare applicants tested positive for drugs.

The number is extremely low, and it seems as though there was no need to administer this policy in the first place, which further proves how the government does not carry the best interests of the impoverished.

I can only hope that this law does not expand to other states. If California

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passes this law as well, it would only make matters worse. According to the 2011 Los Angeles Almanac, about 42 to 77 percent of individuals do not receive the public benefits to which they are entitled to receive.

If California administers drug tests as well, this number would only increase, with more people ending up on the streets. The Almanac also states that 33 to 66 percent of single-individuals have substance abuse issues, and it can be assumed that not all of them are seeking government aid.

Florida’s government should really reconsider this bill because it doesn’t seem to be making much of a difference in regards to saving money or reducing drug usage. Michigan has attempted to create a drug testing program back in 1999 for welfare recipients, but it only lasted about five weeks before it was appealed and ruled unconstitutional. This suggests that, hopefully, the new Florida law won’t last long, that welfare recipients can get their aid with less hassle, and that other states will scrap their plans to implement similar laws as well.

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WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 26, 2011 - SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Dia de los muertos

PHOTOSTORY|5

Jojo Cheung Contributor Artist Mariposa Curios works on adorning Kat Durnbaugh’s face with a skull design. The process takes about 30 minutes to complete. Facepainting is a big part of the Dia De Los Muertos.

By Silvia Spross

Crossing the threshold of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, this past weekend, one enters a different world, a world with intricate and artful altars, where the bridge between life and death is viewed not with sorrow or mourning, but with celebration and vitality.

Many of the visitors have their faces painted white, with blacked-out eyes in the tradition of Mexican “calacas.”

If one were to arrive unadorned, there’s a good chance one may leave with a painted face. In Spanish, this is the celebration of “Dia de Los Muertos,” or the Day Of The Dead, a time of celebration and remembrance for the departed.

Angel Acordagoitia is one of many visitors who decorated altars with flowers and photographs. “I’m here because of my grandma, uncle, and aunt, but especially for my

grandma,” says Acordagoitia.

“It’s a traditional altar. In Mexico we bring real food and drinks, and make a little party of that.”

In the center of his altar lies a painting of Marilyn Monroe.

“At night, when it gets dark, the face of Marilyn Monroe turns into a skull. I painted it myself,” says Acordagoitia One altar shows a woman on a bicycle adorned with flowers set against a skyscraper. It is there to commemorate the victims of fatal cycling crashes, and a note on the side reads: “May their lives serve as a constant reminder that the roads we commute everyday must be shared equally and respectfully.”

Along with the art, there are musical and dance-related performances, an Aztec ritual cleansing, meditation, and Mayan blessing rituals like the “Transformation of the Souls.”

Jeannie Cole Corsair A young girl at an altar during the Dia de Los Muertos held at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary.

Silvia Spross Corsair Aztec dancer with his traditional feather headdress performing at the Dia De Los Muertos celebration.

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Daniela Berzuni Contributor Skulls for sale at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

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6|HEALTH + LIFE

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 26, 2011 - SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Club Grow adviser Dana Morgan speaks at the opening of the Organic Learning Garden at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, Calif. Oct. 25.

Scott Smith Corsair

SMC’s Organic Learning Garden springs lush

By Cathy Arias Three years ago, during Santa Monica College’s Club Row, student Eric Zavala, 21, approached the Club Grow tent hoping to win a tomato plant in a raffle the club held for new members. Their mission then was to teach people how to grow their own food. Little did Zavala know, winning that tomato plant would change his educational path, leading him to choose Political Science as a major with a focus on Environmental Politics.

Zavala was one of the many attendees at Tuesday’s grand opening of the SMC Organic Learning Garden, a project directed toward raising awareness of organic farming, sustainability, food origins, and both plant and cultural diversity at the college. The event took place during SMC’s Sustainability Week, though its unveiling was originally intended to be in November.

As assistant to the garden’s coordinator, Dana Morgan, Zavala is part of the large team responsible for the completion of this project. He said: “Before the garden, when people asked what we did, we’d tell them that we were trying to learn how to grow our own food.”

The reality was that the club was in the works of fulfilling a dream that a small group of students first formed five years ago. “Up until now, it was all administrative work, getting our foot through the door and turning in paperwork. Now when someone tells us, ‘I want to grow this,’ I can say,

‘Alright, let me show you,’” said Zavala.

The 3,200-square-foot garden is filled with plot bins, each maintained by different groups throughout campus who applied for some land to plant in. It is equipped with a weather station, an underground, 22,000-gallon cistern, and a keyholeshaped planter, designed to facilitate teaching as people gather around it.

The $200,000 project was funded in part by the Associated Students, but mostly by a bond issue approved by the administration of SMC and Santa Monica residents. The bond also included the funding for the future SMC Student Services building and the outdoor classroom, just west of the garden. The Organic Learning Garden will serve as an entryway for the Student Services building, the construction of which is expected to begin next year. Building the garden proved to be an obstacle for the leaders of the project, who faced many challenges throughout the process.

Union issues, lack of funding, and students transferring too quickly to see the fruits of their labor, were just some of the hurdles Morgan and her team had to overcome.

Director of Sustainability at SMC, Genevieve Bertone, said, “Dana Morgan has really been the consistent voice, and has stayed on as the adviser to Club Grow. Between her and where I work, the Center for Environmental Studies, it really provided a physical space for the students

to come in. She provided the leadership.

So I think those two ingredients, the center and Dana, were really essential for those seeds to keep growing to the project that it is today.”

Bertone also illustrated the garden’s commitment to diversity with a wide variety of plants and a broad group of people—from administrators to students working the gardens.

SMC’s president and superintendent, Chui L. Tsang, said: “There were a lot of desires to have this place. A lot of people and a lot of thoughts went into how it ought

to be done. Now we actually get something here meeting all the different desires and needs. It represents the heart of the college.

That’s what we want to do.”

As Morgan stated in her address at the grand opening, “This is really about the students.”

Zavala hopes to transfer into a four-year university that does not have a farm, so that he can start one. As for SMC, he wishes to leave behind the idea of a student-run, cooperative farm. Organic horticulture is an undertaking that future students can turn into a school tradition.

Scott Smith Corsair Santa Monica College president and superintendent Chui L. Tsang and Dana Morgan take time to enjoy the moment during the opening of the SMC Organic Learning Garden.

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A + E|7

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 26, 2011 - SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Global Motion moves to cross cultures

By Tabetha Harris · Staff Writer As Armenian music and contemporary pop intertwine and tumble through the halls, the Kinesiology building is far from peaceful. In two separate rooms, Global Motion dancers are preparing for their performance that’s less than a week away.

One of the dancers, Sophia Leung, sits on the side of the room with her ankle in a brace.

Keenly, she looks on as her troupe-mates practice.

Following this year’s Global Citizenship theme of “Health, Wellness, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” the Santa Monica College world dance company, Global Motion, will be performing “The Pursuit of Happiness” at the Broad Stage on Oct. 27 and 28.

The company’s oeuvre is an amalgamation of various dance styles representing many world cultures.

“When we teach Global Motion, we are teaching dances in a cultural art form.

They are not skits or routines, but pieces and works of art,” said Judith Douglas, founder of Global Motion and Dance Department chair. ”We feel that the best way to learn about and appreciate a culture is to learn their dance. Everything from politics, to religion, geography, and the climate of a certain country affects the way that people dance.”

Under the artistic direction of Raquel Ramirez and Sri Susilowati, their dancers

come together to learn and perform dance styles of the world. Leung herself emigrated to the United States from Hong Kong to seriously pursue dance.

Joshua Bergeron is a Synapse student choreographer who is working with Global Motion for this performance. “I am of Colombian, French Canadian, and Mexican descent,” said Bergeron. “I am also in the Armenian piece, which is also a joy because I am getting to learn a lot more about another culture.”

The choreographers are SMC students, faculty, and guests who are experts in the field. The performers are advanced-level dance students who have successfully auditioned and spent most of the semester rehearsing.

“This is my first time working with Global Motion because I am a classically trained ballet dancer,” Bergeron said. “I started doing Global Motion specifically because there was a ballet piece. I have done world dance before, but not on a great stage, so this is going to be a great experience for me.”

Not all of the dancers have been practicing for many years. Biomedical engineering major Glenn Rodriguez has been dancing for only two years. Despite the initial resistance from his traditionally-minded father, Rodriguez chose to pursue dance after recreational lessons.

Chris Alves Corsair Anna Wichert sets her pose for the finale of the African dance piece during runthrough at Santa Monica College. Wichert is also participating as one of the student choreographers In the Global Motion Dance concert.

He saw the joy of being a male dancer, and so he practiced and learned until he finally auditioned for Global Motion earlier this semester. In reference to the program, Rodriguez said: “There is Cumbia, which is something like my dad dances at every single party. It was a good way to connect with my cultural background.”

“The piece is especially close to me because it is about the civil war that hap-

pened in El Salvador, and it’s something that happened to my parents,” said Rodriguez. “Just being in that moment, I think it’s something special.”

Global Motion will be performing “The Pursuit of Happiness” Thursday and Friday Oct. 27-28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Broad Stage with a 4 p.m. matinee performance on Friday.

Halloween events to haunt after Massive mix-up

By Janae Franklin · Staff Writer The whirring chaos of outrageous costumes, thumping music, and bewildered characters is typical of Monster Massive, a rave that has taken place annually in Los Angeles since 1998. This year’s event has been cancelled due to a miscommunication between prospective venues and the event promoter, Go Ventures.

Monster Massive advertised the Coliseum as its venue, but abruptly changed it to Oak Canyon Park in Orange, Calif. The fact of cancellation didn’t become public until two headline performers, Armin Van Buuren and Erick Morillo, announced withdrawal through their websites.

Revelers need not worry, as there are many alternatives to fill the void.

A similar production that is still on schedule is the HARD Haunted Mansion, at the Shrine Expo Hall on Friday and Saturday Oct. 28 and 29.

Fatboy Slim, Skrillex, and Soulwax will feature along with over 32 other artists.

Tickets start at $70 for one-day admittance and $125 for both days. For tickets or more information, visit www.hardfest.com.

This Friday Oct. 28, The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach will be open late for their Night Dive, where costumed patrons can explore all exhibits while enjoying food, drinks and music from several bands

Lauren Weedman reaches out to theater kids

and DJs. Tickets are $12.95 and alcoholic beverages will be available to those over the age of 21. For further inquiries, visit www. aquariumofpacific.org.

On Saturday Oct. 29, KCRW will be hosting Masquerade, their third annual Halloween costume ball, located at the Legendary Park Plaza in L.A. Moby will DJ along with 17 of KCRW’s own DJs. In addition, KCRW’s “Masquerade” will also include four different stages, five themed ballrooms, and vaudeville circus troupe Lucent Dossier. This is a 21-and-up event and tickets are $75 presale and $85 at the door. More information, is available at www.kcrw.com.

That same night, The Hollywood Palladium will be hosting 97.1 AMP Radio’s Pink at the Palladium Masquerade, featuring LMFAO and the Far East Movement. The concert’s pink theme supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

One who walks in with the best costume, gets the chance to win $10,000. Tickets start at $39.50. For further information, go to www.amp.radio.com.

For those just looking to show off their costumes in a noncompetitive environment, the annual West Hollywood Costume Carnaval takes place Oct. 31 on Santa Monica Boulevard. This event allows

its attendees to express their eccentricity and appreciate the elaborate costumes and traditions of Halloween. For more information about this free event, go to www. westhollywoodhalloween. com.

These are just some of the larger gatherings offering a good time this Halloween weekend, on through All Hallows’ Eve itself. Many local establishments are holding their own celebrations, one needs only to look around to find them.

HARD Haunted Mansion-Oct. 28/29 Shrine Expo Hall KCRW MasqueradeOct. 29-Legendary Park Plaza-( 21+) Aquarium of the Pacific “Night Dive”Oct. 28 West Hollywood Halloween carnaval - Oct. 31 (free) LA Haunted Hayride-LA Zoo -$25 for Hayride and $35 for Hayride and maze LA Haunted Hayride-LA Zoo -$25 for Hayride and $35 for Hayride and maze

Illustration by David J. Hawkins

By Myles Johnson and Juan Lopez · Staff Writer and A&E Editor She likes to approach the stage like an athlete. Getting her focus on what she needs to do, she listens to dance music to get herself psyched.

She does everything she can to resist drinking a Red Bull. ‘’I get physically ready to just get my body pumping, do some push-ups here and there,’’ said Lauren Weedman.

The comedian-writer-performer is bringing her bag of treats to the Broad Stage in the form of a one-woman show. “No... You Shut Up!”, a walk through her life as an adopted daughter, and her relationship troubles later in life. ”I had to come up with a title [that] would show that it was comedy, but it was also

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about family and, to me, it was like a ‘no, you shut up’ family,’’ said Weedman. “It’s never really been easy for me to be in a family, or to be in a group. Like, I wish you guys were all gone right now, in this room.”

READ MORE AT thecorsaironline.com

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8|SPORTS

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 26, 2011 - SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

F TE O E EEK L H T E A TH W

a edin ack o M s n rterb a o u q f Al otball ir fo

corsa

Photo by

Michael

Yanow

SMC Freshman from Venice, CA Greatest sports memory?

I would say my greatest sports memory is probably beating Santa Monica in high school. It was at the Santa Monica College field right here. We won in a last-second field goal. It was awesome.

Are any colleges looking at you?

I will know more after this season, but as of right now, I haven’t talked to any other colleges. I’m not really sure yet.

What advice about football and playing at this level do you wish someone gave you before you started?

I wish someone pushed me to really continue working harder and harder.

You have to keep getting better and working really hard at your sport for this level. But also, just know that grades come first. That’s very important.

Who influences you and why?

Definitely Angelo Gasca [head coach at Venice High School]. He’s my coach, and he’s the one that really made me into the player I am now. I look up to him so much.

Favorite hobby outside of sports?

Outside of football, I just like to relax and hang out with my friends or my girlfriend.

Most embarrassing moment on the field during a game?

It was right after a touchdown, and I was running off the field to go to our bench, and I just tripped and fell right in front of everyone.

The Corsairs have a 5-2 record this season and have three games remaining. Medina is a big reason for the team’s success, and is averaging almost 246 yards passing and three passing touchdowns per game. On the season, he has accumulated 1,721 passing yards and has 21 passing touchdowns.

The Corsairs’ play their annual Homecoming game, is against LA Valley College this Saturday at 1 p.m.

defense key to victory

by wayne neal staff writer

Santa Monica College (5-2) held off a the extra-point. The Corsairs eventually catch. “I didn’t want my quarterback to late rally from Pierce College (3-3) this past returned the favor, recovering a Pierce get an interception.” He finished the game, Saturday, to seal the 37-31 victory. botched punt-return. The Corsairs hauling in three passes for 63 yards with On Pierce’s final drive, they would make capitalized on the turnover with a two-yard two touchdowns. it all the way to the Corsair 26-yard line touchdown run by running back Myles Pierce came out of the half down 28before a low, angled pass from 14, but continued quickly found quarterback Jake Basmagian to momentum on their side. They wide receiver Joseph Morris fell scored on their first possession to the turf, giving the ball back to with a 5-yard touchdown run by the Corsairs. With 51 seconds left Wanamaker, then capitalized on on the clock, the Corsairs simply a Medina interception, kicking ran out the clock. a field goal to pull Pierce within While the offense put up the 4 points going into the fourth points, it was ultimately the quarter 28-24. defense that sealed victory for the Corsairs’ defensive lineman Corsairs. Head Coach Gifford Martin Perry stopped a potential Lindheim felt confident in the scoring drive by Pierce after defense’s ability, as he would intercepting Basmagian. The give the ball back to Pierce interception would lead to after punting on a fourth and another field goal by kicker one situation early in the fourth Trevor Dionne, giving the quarter.

Corsairs a 31-24 lead.

Michael Yanow Corsair In the end, the defense made Pierce took no time in the stops that mattered. “I just Head Coach Gifford Lindheim of Santa Monica College responding to their previous speaks to his team at halftime in their game against Pierce knew our defense was going to College at Corsair Field on Saturday, Oct. 22. The halftime mishap, scoring off a 29-yard come through at some point in score is 28-14 SMC. touchdown pass that evened the the second half,” Lindheim said. game at 31.

“When it counted the most, we After kicking two fourth quarter stopped them.” field goals, the Corsairs would The defense forced six turnovers, Johnson, who had 122 yards rushing on 23 take a 37-31 lead with two minutes and 37 including four fumbles. Pierce would strike carries and the lone touchdown. seconds remaining. Pierce would get the first, scoring on a 46-yard touchdown pass Comas, who had been suspended in the ball back on their 32-yard and drive the from Basmagian to Morris, giving them a Corsairs’ last game, showed why he is a key length of the field, only to be stopped by 7-0 advantage. player in the offense. He snatched a Medina the Corsair defense.

After some stagnant drives from both pass away from a Pierce defender for his Next week, the Corsairs battle the sides, SMC quarterback Alfonso Medina second score of the day to put the Corsairs defending champions, L.A. Valley College connected with wide receiver Kriss Comas up 21-7 after a two-point conversion. in SMC’s Homecoming game. “That’s the for a 14 yard touchdown pass that would “I know I didn’t play last game, so I was champion,” Lindheim said “if you want to have tied the game, but Pierce blocked coming back hard,” Comas said on his be the best you have to beat the best.”

Shallow Depth Sinks Corsairs by jonathan ghattas - staff writer

The Santa Monica College men’s water polo team lost their first home game of the season this past Wednesday against L.A. Valley College by 24-8. The game was the first of only two Western State Conference games that the Corsairs will play at home all season.

Without a bench, the Corsairs looked completely winded from four periods of play, and the scene in the pool spoke even louder than the final score.

The LAVC team looked fresh for another game, while the Corsairs appeared completely worn out.

First-year SMC Head Coach Brian Eskridge was well aware of his team’s lack of reserves.

“We’re not very deep, so we can’t get into a swim meet back and forth,” Eskridge said. “So we’re trying to control the ball on offensive, get that set up, get a good shot off, then get back on defense.”

The Corsairs’ depleted bench was their downfall throughout the game. SMC allowed multiple breakaway goals, leaving freshman goalie Kevin Basurto alone to defend the net.

During the first period, LAVC controlled the ball well offensively, scoring four goals.

LAVC goalie Rane Colvin stopped every shot attempted by SMC, including two from Myers.

Colvin currently leads all California community college goalies with 263 saves.

As all four goals came from wide-open shots, Eskridge emphasized the need for defense during halftime.

In the second period, LAVC picked up where they left off in the first, scoring two quick unanswered goals.

The Corsairs finally responded with a goal by Kyle Charmit at the 6:33 mark, but LAVC soon fired back with two more

goals.

With his team down 8-1, Eskridge called another timeout, hoping to refocus his team. During the timeout, the home team seemed frustrated, and argued among themselves.

SMC captain Alex Myers felt that his teammates lacked alertness on defense.

“No one’s looking around,” Myers said.

“No one is helping other players, no one is picking up people on defense. The main thing is definitely just awareness.”

Myers finished the game with two goals and one assist, keeping with the season’s tally of 35 goals and 13 assists so far.

His assist set up teammate Austin Shahari, who led the team with three goals in the

game. Shahari is second in goals scored with 29 so far this season.

Heading into the final period down 195, the Corsairs concentrated on offensive ball movement and defensive adjustments, hoping to gain momentum for their next game against Citrus College on Wednesday Oct. 26 at 3 p.m. in the SMC pool.

Eskridge feels his team can win against Citrus, despite having fallen to them in their previous meeting by the score of 1610.

“Now with our full team, I think it will be a real close, competitive game,” said Eskridge.

With the loss, the Corsairs drop to 0-3 in conference play, and to 1-12 overall.

Michael Yanow Corsair Santa Monica College’s goalie Kevin Basurto, left, goes for the block during a Western State Conference match in men’s water polo against Los Angeles Valley College at the Santa Monica Aquatics Center on Wednesday, Oct.19. L.A. Valley won 24-8.

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