Vol. LIX, Issue 831
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ASI ELECTION APPROACHES
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DAILY 49ER California State University, Long Beach
Thursday, March 12, 2015
“My goals are basically to streamline processes, especially requesting money from ASI…I have experience and I also have the empathy for our students.”
“… I will never give up on students... That’s the one thing I want all students to know. I’m always here for them, and I will never take no for an answer.” -Marilyn Meza , ASI Treasurer Candidate
-Wendy Lewis, ASI Treasurer Candidate
“I actually want to achieve major goals here at Cal State Long Beach. I’m not here to just promote small issues.”
“As Vice President I will have more power… to advocate for all students. I know that with this position, I’ll get all of the things I am currently working on…done.”
-Scott Schultz, ASI Vice Presidential Candidate
-Miriam Hernandez, ASI Vice Presidential Candidate
“I want to be that representative of other students to look up to. I want other students to see that and relate to seeing an undocumented president and having that sense of feeling within the school.” -Jose Salazar, ASI Presidential Candidate
Bobby Yagake | Daily 49er
Long Beach State designated hitter Luke Rasmussen awaits a pitch against San Diego State on Tuesday at Blair Field. Rasmussen had one hit and two walks.
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“I’m pretty good at what I do in government, and I’m passionate about it. I think that’s the biggest reason. I think I can make the biggest difference because with my experience, I don’t need to learn a whole lot of things I can hit the ground running.”
“The difference that I can offer is that I’m really well connected to all the students on campus already… I feel like I can adapt better than my competitors because I know what people really want to have out of this school.”
-Dale Lendrum, ASI Presidential Candidate
-Todd Schurr, ASI Presidential Candidate
LBSU splits two-game home stand The Dirtbags lost on Tuesday, but turned the week around for a shutout game on Wednesday. By Eddie Rivera Contributing Writer
The Long Beach State baseball team completed an up-and-down week with a 6-0 win Wednesday night over George Washington at Blair Field. The Aztecs (14-3) crushed the Dirt-
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bags (10-7) 16-1 Tuesday night. Too many early mistakes, including five errors, quickly put the game out of reach for the Dirtbags. Head coach Troy Buckley said it was a “good old fashioned butt-kicking.” “We had issues with lead off walks,” Buckely said. “[We had issues] with controlling the running game and we gave them 12 free opportunities. I think they exposed the issues we have.” Junior right-hander Ryan Cruz got the start Tuesday night, but only made it midway through the fourth before
being pulled. Cruz had his worst night as a Dirtbag with five earned runs and four walks and just one strikeout. Cruz started off the game by retiring the first three batters he faced before giving up a hit and a walk in the second. The Aztecs took advantage of an error and wild pitch to score two runs and take the lead 2-0 in the second inning. The sloppy play continued in the third inning when junior second basemen Zack Domingues committed a fielding error that put runners at second and first. A failed pick-off attempt by Cruz let the runners advance and
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the Aztecs took advantage to go up 3-1. The game went from bad to worse for the Dirtbags in the fourth inning. Cruz walked two and hit one in his first three to make it bases loaded with no outs. A fielder’s choice let in another run and a ground ball slipped past Domingues to put two more runs on the board for San Diego who took the lead 6-1. “It was Cruz’s worst outing of the year,” Buckley said. “He was behind the count all night and got completely hammered for it.”
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PANEL DISCUSSES NET NEUTRALITY Panelists urge students to continue to fight for internet justice. By Kevin Flores Video Producer
From the podium at the front of the University Student Union Ballroom, journalism professor John Shrader announced: “Net neutrality may be the most important issue of [students’] lives.” Moderating a panel discussion of net neutrality on Wednesday, Shrader began the discussion with a comedic video that demonstrated the complexity of the topic by showing a handful of people who could not explain it. The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication and USU Program Council hosted the discussion in order to provide students with a deeper understanding of net neutrality. The forum came two weeks after the Federal Communication Commission voted 3-2 to pass net neutrality regulations that prohibit Internet providers from manipulating Internet traffic speeds. At the time, Verizon called the decision misguided, regrettable and wholly unnecessary. AT&T said it was not “healthy for the Internet ecosystem.” Comcast expressed concern and disappointment. While the telecoms were crushed, broadband consumers rejoiced—four million whom had contacted the FCC in support of net neutrality. “Nobody should be allowed to pay more for their content to travel faster,” assistant journalism professor and panelist Gwen Shaffer said. She used the example of somebody who uses Comcast as his or her Internet service provider and also subscribes to Netflix. Under the new net neutrality rules, Comcast cannot slow down Net-
John Shrader Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism & Mass Communication
K athay Feng Executive Director of California Common Cause P hotos by Bobby Yagake | Daily 49er
The USU Program Council and the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication hosted a panel discussing the issue of net neutrality in the USU Ballroom on Wednesday. flix to the point where customers start switching over to Comcast’s own video streaming service, Xfinity. Panelist Kathay Feng, the executive director of California Common Cause, said that students rely on the Internet to find jobs, take courses, communicate with their professors and many other things. For that reason net neutrality has the potential to greatly affect them, she said. Under the new FCC regulations, providers are considered common carriers, and are under the same rules as telephone companies who must provide non-discriminatory service. “The [telecommunication] industry was already self-governed by its own knowledge of anti-trust laws,” economics professor at Pepperdine University
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Dr. James Prieger said speaking via prerecorded video at the forum. He said he believes the new net neutrality rules will only stunt innovation by removing financial incentive to companies who invest in broadband infrastructure. Panelist Kathay Feng, the executive director of California Common Cause, said that the Internet should be treated as a public utility. Shaffer said that much of the infrastructure was built with the help of tax subsidies. Panelist Arturo Carmona, the executive director at Presente.org, said that FCC’s decision is a critical civil rights issue. “Net neutrality allows unrepresented communities and working-class communities, communities that are often
ignored by the mainstream media, to have a means of communication,” Carmona said. Since FCC’s passing of the regulations, telecommunications companies have already mobilized their lobbyists on Capital Hill in order to fight these new rules, Carmona said. In 2014, Comcast spent more on lobbying than Google and Koch Industries, which is some of the biggest corporations in the world according to opensecrets.com. “You vote, Comcast doesn’t,” Shaffer said. “The scary, cynical thing is that [telecommunication companies] are counting on millennials not to vote. So if you don’t show up to vote, it is absolutely true that outside donations that come from Comcast and Verizon will make a difference.”
A rturo C armon Executive Director of Presente.org
Gwen Shaffer Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism & Mass Communication
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Students studying overseas
A study abroad expo on Wednesday encouraged students to study abroad By Gene Kumagai contributing writer
Overseas education is becoming a larger factor for students’ competitiveness in the job market, according to Cecilia Fidora, the assistant director of California State University, Long Beach’s Study Abroad Programs. The Center for International Education hosted a study abroad expo this Wednesday that 15 affiliated organizations and 10 on-campus services helping students go abroad attended. The Institute of International Education’s 2013-2014 Open Doors report showed that 289,408 students in the United States studied abroad. CSULB ranked sixth nationwide among campuses offering master’s degrees in terms of number of students sent abroad for long-term study. “[Studying abroad] is a career-enhancing necessity for college students,” Fidora said. IIE is asking colleges in the U.S. to promote the Generation Study Abroad Initiative, which aims to double the number of students studying abroad by 2020. According to the Open Doors report, this would bring CSULB’s total from 684 students to 1368. “We offer personalized programs
across 12 different locations,” said Danielle Minkler, a study abroad alumna with Education First. The organization focuses on helping students learn through immersion in foreign cultures. According to IIE’s Generation Abroad website, 61 percent of employers said that study abroad experience was a positive addition to resumes, and 72 percent agreed that knowing a second language was favorable. Studying abroad either costs the same as or is cheaper than studying at CSULB, according to the Center for International Education. Students pay CSU tuition while studying abroad through CSU programs. Linda Olson Levy, the international scholarship adviser for CSULB, said that students have access to federally funded scholarships. The David Boren Scholarship, in particular, offers students with full funding for language study in unconventional areas of the globe. Other scholarships may offer as much as $8,000 for at least one semester of study. “Bottom line, we want people to go,” Fidora said. “It doesn’t matter whether they go through us or another agency.”
Jovanna M adrigal | Daily 49er
TOP: Freshman and business management major Raquel Umvarila visits the booths in the Study Abroad Expo in Maxson Plaza on Wednesday. RIGHT: International Studies majors Miranda Ortiz, left, and Kori Endo, right, represent the International Studies Association in the Study Expo in Maxson Plaza on Wednesday.
Pow wow celebrates its 45th year The American Indian culture will be celebrated in a two-day event on campus this weekend. By Josh Barajas Contributing writer
The 45th annual Pow Wow is coming to California State University, Long Beach as it f lexes its
strong American Indian presence on campus this weekend. The American Indian Student Service’s website describes the celebration as the largest spring event of its kind in Southern California, and consists of native foods, dancing, arts and crafts put out on display in celebration of the American Indian culture. “[The Pow Wow] allows us to have a little understanding of people who have been part of the history of [CSULB] before it was a university,” Craig Stone, CSULB’s American In-
dian Studies Program Director, said. According to a CSULB press release, native foods like mutton, beef stew, fry bread, Indian burgers and Navajo tacos will be available throughout the event. Traditional and contemporary American Indian art will also be on sale. Gourd dancing, a popular Native American celebration dance and ceremony, will feature in the Pow Wow. All dancers and drummers who wish to join the celebration are encouraged to register by 2 p.m. on Saturday to be a part of the ceremo-
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nies. This year’s celebration will feature head dancers J. R. La Plante and Natalie Weeks, and head singer Herschel Kaulaity, among others. Stone mentions that some of the focus will be on these people because they have found a balance between “two worlds.” “Our head dancers and head southern singer are people who have found that balance in life of knowing who they are,” Stone said. “They’re helping to assure that [American Indian] traditions carry on through
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their actions, [and will] be carried on to the future.” The Pow Wow will feel like an enormous family reunion to Native Americans, but non-natives are always welcome to attend and ask questions, Stone said. The two-day event will be held central quad on upper campus at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, ending at 10 p.m. on Saturday and 7 p.m. on Sunday. Admission and parking are free for students and visitors who wish to attend the Pow Wow.
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Selling cigarettes, punishable by death? Jacob Yungman Contributing Writer
The murder video of Charley “Africa” Keunang, a homeless man who was shot multiple times by three LAPD officers in Downtown Los Angeles’s Skid Row neighborhood on March 1, instantly went viral. Within days, Africa’s murder became headline news in international media outlets like BBC and Al-Jazeera.
Law enforcement should retrain officers on how and when to use their guns.
Alongside the Department of Justice’s decision not to charge Officer Darren Wilson for the murder of Michael Brown, the murder of Africa has only added to the world’s perception that the U.S. allows it’s police to shoot unarmed civilians without consequences. Compared to other similarly developed countries, the U.S. has one of the highest murder rates against civilians by the police by far.
The FBI’s “Crime in the United States” report concludes that law enforcement committed 410 “ justifiable” murders in 2012, and this is the most recently released data. However, this does not account for any “unjustifiable murders,” so one must assume the actual number of murders is higher. Additionally, “only 750 of the nation’s 17,000-plus law enforcement agencies contribute data to the FBI’s justifiable homicide database,” according to the Washington Post in Aug. 2014. In the UK, Channel 4 news reported that there were only two police-related fatalities in 2011-2012, while according to The Wire, German law enforcement only killed six people in 2011. According to Deutsche Welle, a German broadcast news source, German police are trained extensively on how and when to use a gun. With courses titled “Don’t Shoot,” students at German police academies are told to avoid reaching for their gun at almost all costs. Furthermore, training with guns not only includes target practice, but also several hours of role-playing exercises that teach students how to handle highstress scenarios without utilizing a firearm. It is a rare and tragic incident when police in western European countries have to resort to murder as a means of public safety. In the U.S., it is relatively common,
Opinions
A l Seib | L os A ngeles Times | TNS
Victor Africa, right, holding a sign with his arms in the air as protestors chant at the front door of the LAPD Headquarters after they marched Tuesday, March 3, 2015, from the downtown Los Angeles site where a homeless man was killed by officers Sunday afternoon. and not many people are shocked when these incidents happen. The Ferguson incident sparked much debate in the U.S. about whether Officer Wilson legally used his gun as a means of self-defense when he killed Brown, an unarmed black teenager. Still, it took the video of NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo putting Eric Garner into a lethal chokehold to convince Americans that excessive force by law enforcement is a structural problem in the country. Police confronted Garner because he was selling untaxed cigarettes on a side-
walk in Staten Island, New York. Another factor that differentiates the U.S. from other developed countries is that the U.S. has some of the most lax gun ownership laws. In Australia, where gun ownership is heavily regulated, only 5.2 percent of the population possesses a firearm according to a Licenses and Registered Firearms in Australia report. This leads to less crimes that involve firearms and police who are less inclined to use guns to protect themselves. Meanwhile, in the U.S, one third of the population owns a gun, according to
Pew Research. Overall, Americans need to realize that police murders should not be considered a standard approach to defending themselves and the public. Rather, police need to be better trained to ensure that those convicted of a crime are detained without the risk of death while the country reconsiders its current stance on firearms. Had such measures been taken in the past, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Africa and countless others would not have had to face such a tragic, premature end to their lives.
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V ote J ose s alazar and s cott s chultz Lower Tuition End the Madness Parking Campaign Fight Sexual Assaults Support LGBT community
Suicide Prevention Promote Military Resources Bike Rentals and Student Nap rooms Increase Parking/Ticket Forgiveness
Hello 49ers, I am Jose Salazar, and I am running for ASI President.
Hello 49ers. I am Scott Schultz, a graduate student running for Vice President
Family is everything to me. I am the oldest child, growing up undocumented, and being the first to pursue a bachelor’s degree in my family. I transferred from LBCC where I served as Director of Communications for the Associated Student Body and am currently Senator for the College of Engineering at CSULB. As a student leader, I’ve been involved in many important decisions. Being a voice for the students is very rewarding to me. If elected, I will be the first Undocumented President from the College of Engineering in our school’s history. Please support my running mate Scott Schultz and the 49ers United Coalition.
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UniTed
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legacy! let’s Make history! go Beach!
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Graduated Magna Cum Laude in Political Science PAUSE Sexual Assault Prevention Program Advocate College Advocate at State Capital Property Manager Campaign Coordinator
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think Big! Build
Qualifications:
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Over 4 years of managerial experience Property Manager Written and Proposed Resolutions as ASI Senator Active in many student organizations Salsa Dancer
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with Jose Salazar and 49ers United to help students have the best possible college experience. As a child, I attended 49er camp, Kaleidoscope, and The Isabelle Patterson Child Development Center. My Mom served as an ASI Senator here while she studied Nursing and left a lasting legacy at CSULB. I hope to continue her legacy as Vice President. Following my undergraduate studies here, I’m earning my Masters in Public Policy Administration and have the experience and know how to best serve this University.
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Thursday, March 12, 2015
Love your body Debby Vasquez Contributing Writer
Flabby, saggy and discolored. Those were the adjectives typed and tweeted about an untouched photo of Cindy Crawford in lingerie when it was leaked online. Many people praised the photo of the 48-year-old former supermodel for representing the reality of aging. “You are beautiful and you only get more beautiful, and seriously, your skin flawless!” according to lapiduschick8 on Twitter last month. Some people made negative and judgmental comments. “I think I crushed my husband’s spirit by showing him the Cindy Crawford untouched photo, #ItHadToBeDone,” wrote KathyLynnHarris on Twitter. Since the photos were for well-known publication Marie Claire, the debate about the use of Photoshop in fashion magazines and what affect that has on body image has grown larger in mainstream social media. Ultimately, celebrities should be role models for people all over the world, not idols. They are just people like everyone else. In this day and age, there is so much support for positive body images, so shouldn’t magazines follow suit and leave Photoshop to the advertisers? Women all over praised Dove’s positive body image campaign for showing realistic images of women and promoting body confidence in a healthy example of what kinds of models people should be looking at. Their photos depict women of all shapes, colors and sizes with healthy skin and glowing smiles. New York’s Fashion Week featured model Winnie Harlow who has a skin condition known as vitiligo, which causes pigmentation loss resulting in splotches of colorless flesh all over the body. Vogue put “Girls” creator Lena Dun-
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Events By the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation
ham on the cover last year in an effort to depict healthy body images, which it promised to do in 2012. Dunham is not typical of the size 0 models or actresses that usually grace the cover of Vogue. Immediately afterward, feminist blog Jezebel offered $10,000 to anyone who had the untouched pictures of Dunham’s photo shoot in January 2014. Within two hours, the untouched photos were published online, revealing more unrealistic photo editing where Dunham’s features were generally sharpened. The editors lifted her waistline, shored up her hip width and elongated her neck. “It’s clearer than ever what kind of
Super models are real people with real bodies, and magazines should accurately represent that.
woman Vogue finds Vogue-worthy: The taller, longer-limbed, svelter version of reality.” Jezebel writer Max Read wrote. “Vogue is not interested in reality, of course.” Dunham said that Jezebel’s act was, “a monumental error in their approach to feminism… It felt gross,” in an interview with Grantland a month later. There is truth in both Dunham and Jezebel’s arguments, but ultimately, both sides should put the ego away and team up. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, 42 percent of girls from the first through the third grade want to be thinner, and 81 percent of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat. Do Something, an organization of young people for social change, reported that 91 percent of women are unhappy with their bodies and re-
Jay L. Clendenin | L os A ngeles Times | TNS
Cindy Crawford arrives at the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on Sunday, Jan. 11. sort to dieting to achieve their ideal body shape. From elementary school, to junior high and high school, young people are susceptible to every type of influence possible. When they see these images as real representations of reality, they think they are not good enough or else they begin judging other people’s bodies, and this is where body image and bullying issues begin. Media literacy classes that analyze the complex messages from media are not an option for students until the college level, but they should be a requirement for elementary school students.
If schools made media literacy a mandatory course, children would realize that what the media portrays is not the reality of how someone should look. They would be able to develop healthier body images at younger ages. Furthermore, magazines should reduce their use of Photoshop, only using it out of the utmost necessity. They should be using Photoshop to take out the bird that ruined a photo, not to minimize thighs and create higher cheekbones. With these changes, perhaps there can be a future for healthy body images, as well as decreased instances of eating disorders.
Driving while black should not be an offense The Justice Department’s report on Ferguson, Mo., reveals a major problem. It describes how a predominately white police department waved off offenses by friends and family, all the while hounding the city’s black residents and running a moneymaking scheme to protect officers’ jobs and power. Even for the St. Louis region, what happened in Ferguson is eye-popping. But it is also part of a larger pattern. In the 1990s, the Belleville, Ill., News-Democrat analyzed 175,000 traffic tickets to expose an organized attempt to harass black drivers from the nearby city of East St. Louis. In fact,
police departments nationwide have targeted black motorists. The dangers of driving while black are so well known in American culture that we all are familiar with the catchphrase. Black people are pulled over more often and are far more likely to be searched by police than white drivers, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Blacks are also twice as likely to experience the threat or use of violence at the hands of an officer. Let’s take the New Jersey Turnpike. “Racial minorities made up 15 percent of drivers on the New Jersey Turnpike, yet 42 percent of stops and 73 percent
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of arrests made by police were of black drivers – even though white drivers and racial minorities violated traffic laws at almost identical rates,” says a 2013 Sentencing Project report. The same report showed that “whites were less likely to be viewed as suspicious by police – even though stopped white drivers were twice as likely to be carrying illegal drugs as stopped black drivers and five times as likely to be carrying contraband as stopped Hispanic drivers.” The situation in Ferguson was like a giant speed trap that can be shut down. The city of Waldo, Fla., disbanded its
police department after the media reported that the city received one-third of its revenue from traffic violations. Five Waldo officers blew the whistle on the operation. Unfortunately, no such group emerged from Ferguson. If such a group had arisen, the solidarity between black residents and white officers would have been a formidable force, and a welcome sight to see. Unless we all work together to unearth police biases, cops throughout the country will continue to hassle black drivers. -Fred McKissack Jr., Tribune News Service
1) “Venezuela - What’s really going on?” Featuring special guest speaker Gloria La Riva When: 2pm, Sat., March 14, public forum, Meet: at the First Unitarian Church, 2936 W. 8th St., Koreatown, between Vermont & Westmoreland Aves. on 8th Street. Venezuela’s Bolivarian movement is resisting the moves of the U.S. and the right-wing opposition, which include the U.S. government’s most recent sanctions and right-wing coup attempt against the current revolutionary government. Come learn the facts about what is really going on in Venezuela, and why people in the United States must oppose U.S. hostilities and aggression against the Venezuelan government. Guest speaker Gloria La Riva has been interviewed about the unfolding events in Venezuela on: Pacifica -KPFA, Telesur, Russia Today, Radio Nacional de Venezuela among others. She has traveled and written extensively on Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia and elsewhere in Latin America. For more information, call the Party for Socialism and Liberation at 323810-3380 or email la@pslweb.org 2.) “Stop the U.S. Policy of ‘Endless War’” When: 12-Noon, Sat., March 21, street protest & march, Meet: at the CNN Building in Hollywood, 6430 Sunset Blvd, 90028 to march to the near-by military recruiting center. Oppose the policy of “endless war” in Iraq, Libya, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East on the 13-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. This is part of a nationwide day of protest including a march to the White House in Washington, D.C. For more information, call 323-3943611 or visit www.AnswerLA.ORG Volunteers are needed immediately to help build this event. 3.) “Full Rights for ALL Immigrants” When: 12-Noon, Sat., March, 28 Meet: at Olympic and Broadway, downtown Los Angeles for a street protest & march For more information, call 323-3943611 or visit www.AnswerLA.ORG
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Diversions
Whodunit: mystery novels Upcoming novelist Blair London writes about common social crimes facing American society. By Josie Mandala Contributing writer
Courtesy of Blair L ondon
Minnesota-based mystery novelist Blair London’s “Airport Staling” released in January.
Thrill and suspense have seized readers for decades. From the late 1880s spyglass-equipped boxer in a floppy deerstalker, to the modern maven of mystery as the lead role of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” mystery novels seem to have an eerie way of keeping a dedicated audience. Blair London, an upcoming author from Northwestern Minnesota, keeps the mystery genre alive with her latest release “Airport Stalking,” which hit shelves in January. “My books are kind of a mystery-thriller, a little bit on the dark side,” she said. London said that her story ideas are a compilation of scenes from her dreams, crime that frequently plagues the news and experiences from her own life. Authors such as Stephen King, John Grisham and California State University, Long Beach alumna Jan Burke, Edgar Award winner for Best Novel in 2000 and author of 14 critically acclaimed novels, are known for concocting the perfect balance of imagination and suspense to keep the pages turning. London sets herself apart from other mystery writers by addressing modern day crime that is relatable in contemporary times. Her four most popular novels address airport stalking, child trafficking, veteran’s PTSD nightmares and social media horrors. The Daily 49er spoke with Lon-
don about her novels and opinion of why mystery has managed to remain prominent over the years. What first inspired you to write? What really got me started on these types of modern day crime books is that a lot of them began with me having dreams. I kept dreaming about missing children and that I find them. You know, I grew up in a small town and I remember things like cellars in the basement of vacant properties around here. The children in “Children Below Us” are found in a basement, so I really drew on that. I watch a lot of crime movies and I see a lot of this on the news. I just wish I could change the world with my books.
book, “Airport Stalking”, is a new crime. A lot of people look at that and want to learn, especially if they can relate. If they can relate, not maybe by experience, but by news stories or what they see, it intrigues them. It’s kind of why crime shows are so popular. A lot of them capitalize on what’s in the media so people are invested.
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Do you have a process that you go through when deciding what to write about? I never think of the title first. If I did that, I would never start writing. All of a sudden, I start writing and then I have to go back and add stuff in the beginning. I just keep going and the words just seem to keep coming. I mean, even for my dissertation, I ended up having to cut it in half. How do mystery novels speak to an audience and keep them coming back for more? I think that even people who don’t read a lot are so invested in these topics. Like my latest
What can your readers expect from you in the future? Right now, I’m working on books about a pedophile and sociopath, squatting and scamming. The one about the sociopathic pedophile started as being about my ex-husband. He was a sociopath. I combined that with what I saw on the news to build up the character. I also started it about Robin Williams killing himself, so I pulled on that as well for the main role.
they’re interested in these topics and these books—they care. What is it about mystery that keeps it so alive and prominent? I think a lot of people like to read in that genre and I think that with the new e-readers, people can read much easier. I find that when I read on e-readers, I don’t get as tired. Plus a lot of other things are factors. I know a lot of the time I purchase books on marketing or something and I think ‘what a waste of money’, even if it was only like $2.99. I could finish those in one sitting, so I like reading something I can put down and come back to. Just like a movie, you need a pause button. People are invested in these stories and the convenience helps.
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Are any of your books going to make it to the big screen? Oh, I’m just hoping and waiting for somebody to pick them up to buy the movie rights! I just try to do what I can on my end to put them out there. I actually have a lot of endorsements and actors interested. Matthew McConaughey has said he can’t wait to play a role in a movie adaption. Connie Britton, Patricia Heaton and John Walsh have also expressed an interest. John Walsh has said that every parent should read “Children Below Us”. You know,
Just for fun, what is your alltime favorite book? “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë. I have it in Spanish, leather bound and many other versions. So, what about “Jane Eyre” makes it your favorite? The drama in it! It just kept me reading. I even wrote my dissertation on it. All of London’s books are available on Amazon and are currently being produced as audiobooks.
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Freshmen righty Darren McCaughan came in for Cruz to finish out the fourth. McCaughan promptly gave up a double down the right-field line to put runners at third and second. McCaughan threw a wild pitch which brought in the seventh run for the Aztecs 7-1 lead. McCaughan struck out the side in the fifth and collected a quick two outs in the sixth before getting into more trouble. A single to left-field and a walk put runners in scoring position. A double to left center brought in two more runs for the Aztecs and a fielding error brought in another run giving the Aztecs the lead 10-1 in the sixth inning. Aztecs senior outfielder Steven Pallares drilled a two-run homer in the eighth. He drove in four runs on two hits and scored four runs. Pallares was recently named the Mountain West Player of the Week. “Errors and mistakes are big in baseball,” Pallares said. “Good teams are go-
ing to capitalize to those errors and that’s what we were able to do tonight.” The Dirtbags looked like a different team with renewed pitching and hitting in Wednesday night’s 6-0 victory over George Washington. Senior right-hander Kyle Friedrichs was in complete control on the mound and dominated the Colonials offense through six innings. He allowed only three men on base and threw six strikeouts. “The position players scuffled at the plate and it gave me a lot of confidence on the mound because I knew we were going to score at some point,” Friedrichs said. The Dirtbags finally got going in the eighth. With two outs and runners at first and second, freshman pitcher Chris Mathewson came through with a pinchhit single to give LBSU the lead 1-0. “[Mathewson] kept asking me for the last ten days to come in and hit,” Buckley “The guy wanted to be up there and was ready to embrace failure or success in that situation.” The Dirtbags will have eight days off before hosting conference rivals Cal State Fullerton for a weekend series at Blair Field.
Classifieds
Bobby Yagake | Daily 49er
Long Beach State infielder Zack Domingues attempts to throw a San Diego State runner at first base on Tuesday at Blair Field.
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Sports
Thursday, March 12, 2015
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The final run for LBSU great
Mike Caffey sets his sights on NCA A glor y and beyond. By Oscar Terrones Sports Editor
Mike Caffey’s journey from promising prospect to one of the best players in Long Beach State basketball history began like many others – in the backyard, shooting hoops with one of his biggest influences. Caffey was three when he started following his older brother, Mitch Jr., everywhere. Mike’s love of basketball solidified with the release of Space Jam in 1996, a year before he began playing organized ball. “My grandma had a court in the front and the back [yard],” Caffey said. “[My brother and I] used to always play. Then I got involved in the YMCA team when I was five years old; that’s when I started playing with an organization.” Caffey finished his junior year of high school as a relatively unknown. That all changed when he started playing for the Compton Magic the summer going into his senior year. The Compton Magic is part of the Amateur Athletic Union, one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. “[I was] playing with the top guys [in the state],” Caffey said. “I went to an All-American camp and was hanging out with the big guys. That’s probably when I really felt that I could be a high level Division I player.” Despite having success with a high profile AAU team, college programs only had limited opportunities to watch him play because of the presence of Jahii Carson, one of the top point guard prospects in the country. LBSU head coach Dan Monson knew a lot of schools didn’t have the chance to watch Caffey play, which Monson said hurt Caffey’s recruitment. Monson immediately pounced at the opportunity to sign the talented point guard. “The amazing thing that I was so
Home for the long haul The 49ers take a break from league play to host Harvard and Penn St. in the Asics Tournament. By Kayce Contatore Contributing Writer
Michael Ares | Daily 49er
Long Beach State guard Mike Caffey brings the ball up court for the Beach on March 5 against Cal State Northridge in the Walter Pyramid. impressed by was he hardly played the whole summer, but when he came in he just did his thing,” Monson said. “He never had one turnover all summer when I watched him play. He came in the first week of August when it was
The No. 8 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team will take on Harvard and No.15 Penn St. Friday and Saturday without its top kill earner Cody Martin and top dig leader Ryan Windisch. Windisch injured his big toe after crashing into the bleachers during the matchup against Hawaii on Feb. 27. Martin suffered an injury to his abdomen in a 3-1 loss to Hawaii on Feb. 2. The 49ers will miss Windisch’s leadership, both on and off the court. “He has great spirit on the court,” freshman outside hitter Bjarne Nikolai Huus said. “When I saw him get injured, I played a little bit for him because I felt like this was his [best] year.” Head coach Alan Knipe said Windisch is feeling better and is expecting him back on the court soon. The 49ers (10-8, 7-8 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) made an impressive statement, despite missing two of their top players, with backto-back wins against No. 9 UC Santa Barbara and No. 10 UCLA. Huus made his first career start at Libero for LBSU in place of senior Windisch against the Gauchos on March 4. His effective communication allowed him to be successful despite not having much experience at the position.
over and committed before he took any other visits or talked to anybody else because we were the ones that were really on him.” Caffey had more interest in him from college programs than his head
coach initially thought. In addition to all the Big West schools, UTEP and Boston College all showed strong interest in the Corona native, but none of them could have provided the opportunity Caffey was seeking. “I felt like a freshman coming in I would play a lot of minutes,” Caffey said. “Everybody wants to go to the big schools, but they don’t play a lot. I figured coming here, mid-major, playing [against] the level [of competition] we play, I felt like it was good for me.” Caffey was far from a finished product when he arrived in the 201112 season. He joined a team that had established starters in Casper Ware, Larry Anderson and James Ennis. Caffey said he was always nervous because he didn’t want to mess up and have the seniors yell at him. “I was always on edge to do the right thing,” Caffey said. “Casper [Ware] and Larry [Anderson] helped me out. They helped me become a better basketball player and leader by watching what they did their senior year.” Caffey’s development as a player has been evident both in his stats and his demeanor on the court. He learned the importance of setting the right example from Mitch and the upperclassman he played with. He understands it is imperative to set the right example for young players like freshman Justin Bibbins and sophomores Travis Hammonds and Branford Jones, his roommate on road games. The fact that most of the players either live together or in the same vicinity certainly helps strengthen that bond. Caffey admits he is not a vocal leader like his predecessors, and it is something he has to improve. Still, senior guard Tyler Lamb appreciates and admires Caffey’s style of play. “I love watching Mike play,” Lamb said. “We live together, so we go home and watch film. We’ll talk about some plays from games and stuff like that. He’s able to lead with his words but also go out there and lead by example.” Caffey worked hard to improve the weakest area of his game: shooting, particularly from three-point range.
Michael Ares | Daily 49er
Long Beach State opposite hitter Cody Martin attacks the ball against two Hawaii defenders on Feb. 27 in the Walter Pyramid.
“I think the guys helped me a lot on the court,” Huus said. “I felt like they took care of me and I felt like I was playing with guys that I had known all my life.” LBSU stayed strong at the net against UCSB totaling a season high of 20 blocks, 15 of which came from senior middle blocker Taylor Gregory.
After his performance, a career best, Gregory moved into a tie for fourth place in LBSU history for total blocks. “We’ve been working a lot on blocking with [assistant coach] Hildebrand in seeing the ball and getting a hand on the ball,” Gregory said. The 49ers defeated the Bruins in a tight five set thriller at Pauley Pavilion on March 6. Junior outside hitters Dan
He shot poorly from deep the last two years (32 and 29 percent, respectively). He hovered around 40 percent for much of the season until his recent shooting slump. During summer school in 2014, Caffey went to the gym along with a few other coaches and players to put up shots, sometimes up to 1000 per day. “[I would] Just work on my form,” Caffey said. “Last year I would kick my feet out when I shot or my elbow would be out, stuff like that. Shooting game speed reps and shooting more shots helped me out this year.” Now as he gets set for the final few games of his career, Caffey can’t help but think about his future, and he is not referring to his degree in Africana Studies. “I came here because I wanted to get a degree to have that by my name, but the goal is to play basketball for money after [college],” Caffey said. “The goal is to play in the NBA. I don’t know how long it’ll take or if it’ll be right away, but that’s the goal. It’s either NBA or overseas. I’m going to do something after this.” Monson said he believes Caffey, much like former Big West Player of the Year Casper Ware, can play in the NBA, but maybe for only five teams. “He’s got to get with the right team,” Monson said. “He’s got to get with the right coach who appreciates his game. He’s not a no-brainer that is going to make it on any roster. His margin for error in the NBA will be small, but I’d much rather have that than not have any opportunity.” Caffey will leave LBSU with a laundry list of accolades and records, but his best memory to date is making it to the NCAA Tournament his freshman season, being in awe of charter planes and NBA arenas. His last chance to make new LBSU memories will in the Big West Tournament. He has been there before and failed to lead the 49ers to the NCAA Tournament. He’s aware of the pressure and accepts the challenge. “I’m ready for it,” Caffey said. “TV. Big games. Big players are supposed to shine in these situations, so I’m ready for it big time.”
Glamack and John La Rusch earned their first career double-doubles with 15 and 14 kills, respectively, and 12 digs each. LBSU will start its longest home stand of the season on Friday when it takes on Harvard inside the Walter Pyramid. Last season, the 49ers defeated Harvard (8-5, 3-2 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) to claim the UC Santa Barbara Invitational title before the start of league play. The 49ers also took down Penn St. (7-9, 4-0 EIVA) in three-sets during the Active Ankle Tournament. LBSU dominated the Nittany Lions sweeping the match 3-0 in front of the 1991 National Championship team. The 49ers welcome the chance for the school to host a tournament and compete against schools they would typically only see during post-season matches. Knipe said he embraces the opportunity for his team to play against opponents who play a different style of volleyball than what they are used to, and to switch around the line-up for the team on the court. “It gives you an opportunity to give some guys a chance who haven’t had many chances to play,” Knipe said. LBSU kicks off its six-game home stand Friday night against Harvard at 7 p.m.