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Since 1960 Volume 84, Issue 15
Just Say “Ohm”
Student Organization Profile
Meditation and flexibility taught STUDENT BODY, p. 3 on campus
TV Film Society activities NEWS, p. 2 spotlighted
Daily Titan
Wednesday February 28, 2007
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
The Dangers Titans Outslug Aztecs Wall Street of Diamonds Blues By raquel stratton
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents recovered more than 11,000 carats of rough diamonds earlier this month in Tucson, Ariz., according to an ICE report. The two men arrested for smuggling the diamonds were from Guinea and Sierra Leon. Last week, Global Witness, an organization working to end the use of natural resources to fund corruption, reported that the arrests in Arizona highlight the loopholes in the diamond regulation system, indicating that conflict diamonds are still entering the international market. Conflict diamonds, according to a U.N. definition, originate from areas controlled by forces opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments. Corinna Gilfillan of Global Witness said the problem is some governments don’t have a strong control which allows loopholes. However, the World Diamond Council said the arrests are evidence that diamond regulations are having an impact on stopping the illegal smuggling of diamonds. In response to the injustices and violence over diamonds occurring in war-torn African countries, the council was created in 2000. The council then created the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which regulates the diamond industry by preventing the trade of conflict diamonds while protecting the legitimate trade of diamonds. “Just because the diamonds are certified doesn’t mean they are conflict free,” said Gilfillan. Gilfillan said Global Witness supports the Kimberly Process and they are trying to strengthen it. She said the Kimberly Process is not perfect and it is not stopping the traffic of
conflict diamonds. There has to be more government insight and enforcement to be more effective, she said The U.N. reported in October that $23 million in conflict diamonds from the Ivory Coast are entering the diamond trade via Ghana, where they are certified conflict-free. In response the Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines of Ghana said to the press in October that Ghana is fully committed to the Kimberly Process and that they are applying all procedures and processes to assure its territory won’t be used as a conduit for the export of rough diamonds from rebel-held areas. Wacira Gethaiga, department chair and professor of Afro-Ethnic studies, said diamonds have funded most African wars. “The diamond has fermented civil war,” he said. According to Gethaiga the selling of diamonds in the international underground market does not bring wealth for the countries they come from. Instead he said the money made from selling the diamonds is used to buy weapons that are used by rebels to overturn governments. He said it’s not an easy situation, but he said he believes the locals and producers should get their fair share in return for their work. “Until you remove the inequalities of producer and seller you’ll always have a problem,” Gethaiga said. Dasha Sheyeya, 21, psychology and English major, said most people probably don’t think about where diamonds come from. “People should take an extra step to be aware where the diamonds are coming from, otherwise they may be indirectly support exploitation of humans,” Sheyeya said. According to diamondfacts.org, in 2004, 99.8 percent of the world’s rough diamonds are certified conflict-free. However, nongovernment organizations say conflict diamonds are still being smuggled and getting certified.
By Madlen read Associated Press
By Carlos delgado/Daily Titan Staff Photographer
Curve Ball - Cal State Fullerton’s Adam Jorgenson got the save during the Titan’s 9-8 win over San
Diego State at Goodwin Field. The junior righthander allowed two hits and one earned run while striking out a batter in his inning of work. See more of this story on Sports, p. 6
NEW YORK (AP) - The numbers look terrible: The Dow Jones industrials down more than 400 points. The Nasdaq composite index off nearly 100. Traders and investors who gave the stock market its worst day since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on Tuesday decided it was time to bail amid signs that the U.S. economy might be headed for recession and that the Chinese government will clamp down on its runaway growth. But market analysts say Tuesday’s retreat, after a huge rally that stretched back to October, was a long time coming. “It’s my belief that the economy is going to be fine,” said Ed Keon, chief investment strategist with Prudential Equity Group in New York. “We’ve just fallen back to where we were in the latter part of 2006. Markets go through these corrective processes time to time, and you can’t say exactly when they’re going to occur. Today was our day.” Some investors were equally unfazed. Edwin Dean, a retired economist for the federal government, agreed that one bad day for the market is no reason for the average investor to panic. “Do I think it’s going to stay down this low for a long time? No, I don’t,” said 73-year-old Dean. “I won’t be calling my mutual fund company tomorrow and saying, ‘Sell half of what we have in equities.’” The decline was nonetheless explosive, sending the Dow briefly down more than 546 points during afternoon trading. It was sparked by a sudden 9 percent slide in Chinese stocks, a report that a warning by SEE STOCKS - PAGE 2
Titan Munchies Fulbright Recipients to Teach Abroad By Jenn brown
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
By jazzy graza/Daily Titan Staff Photographer
yummy eats - Students waiting in line to get food at the Busy Bee at the Titan Student Union on Feb. 22. By ashley johnson sandwiches, Mexican food, Asian For the Daily Titan food and pizza – sandwiches were news@dailytitan.com overwhelmingly preferred. Togo’s was the most popular with Carl’s Jr. Between classes students make not too far behind. their phones calls, try to cram for What is the special ingredient that their next class, or choose a place to Togo’s has over the others? fill their empty stomachs. A student “Togo’s is healthy and good. on campus can choose from a variety They’re quick at making it, and the of eateries. servers are nice,” said Cobi Brandel, The Daily Titan conducted a sur- 22, a communications major. vey of 100 students around the Cal The Togo’s location on campus is State Fullerton campus to figure out which place on campus is preferred. SEE FOOD - PAGE 2 Of the five main categories of food that the campus provides – burgers,
Cal State Fullerton is home to some of the most distinguished scholars in the U.S. This year, CSUF is sending four professors and one student abroad to teach through the Fulbright Program. The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and sends students, scholars and professionals to various countries for study, instruction or research. CSUF’s award recipients this year are Tony Fellow, chair of the Department of Communications Department, Denise Stanley, assistant professor of economics, Dr. Kazi Islam, a visiting fellow from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Andrea Cano, graduate student of TESOL, Teaching English To Speakers of Other Languages. Political science professor Yuan Ting also received an award but
had to cancel his planned trip to China due to a family emergency. He could not be reached for comment. Fellow received the award of Vercelli Chair, which is a title that is only given to one scholar each year and is the highest award in Italy, Fellow said. “Europe is the most competitive area. To teach there is a great honor,” he said. While in Italy, Fellow will be teaching Italian students at the University of Piemonte for four weeks, and then he will continue to CSUF’s summer abroad program in Florence. “I’m anxious to see how students differ,” Fellow said. “I think they’re very serious students.” Fellow said he plans to research the relationship between Catholics and Muslims while abroad. “It’s important to have students and teachers go abroad and expand international consciousness,” Fellow said. “We sometimes don’t understand other cultures and that’s why
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we have problems.” Stanley is currently in Honduras, studying its economy and teaching a class on social economic indicators at the National Autonomous University of Honduras. “[I applied to Fulbright] to build up my links with Honduran scholars working on similar research and to provide funding for travel to the country,” Stanley said in an e-mail interview. The focus of her research is the effect of worker remittances, or money earned by migrant workers that is sent back home to family. Stanley is excited to gain insight from local Hondurans and work closely with other researchers interested in this research topic. “I will be able to share the results of my research in my classes [at CSUF], and I will share some of the participative training exercises that I find successful here in Honduras.” Cano, a recent graduate from CSUF’s TESOL program, received a student fellowship to Chile, where she will teach English to students at
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the university level. “I have wanted to apply for the Fulbright my whole life,” Cano said. She was inspired by her parents, who were both Fulbright fellows, and her godparents, who went on Fulbright commissions as well. While in Chile, Cano must choose a topic of research. She hopes to find a women’s group or program for underprivileged students that she can devote time to. Cano is no stranger to travel; she has spent time in Brazil, Argentina and Spain through various exchange programs. “You learn about yourself when you travel,” she said. “I’m looking for a new environment traveling to Chile.” In addition to her research, Cano is teaching three classes and tutoring about 20 hours each week. “It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be really interesting,” she said. Islam is visiting from Bangladesh as a guest lecturer in the Department SEE SCHOLARS - PAGE 2
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