2008 11 03

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Dark history comes full circle in Main Art Gallery

Since 1960 Volume 87, Issue 35

OPINION: Columnist says, “I’m ‘Gossip Girl’ not ‘Stalker Girl’,” page 5 SPORTS: Basketball team discusses the upcoming season at Media Day, page 6

Daily Titan

Monday November 3, 2008

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

DTSHORTHAND Campus Life Every winter, the Titan Student Union hosts a toy drive for underprivileged children between the ages of 7 and 12. There is a display in the lobby in front of the Information and Services desk. Participants can pick up names cards with the age of the child so the right toy is picked out. Gifts must be unwrapped when the toys are given to the Information and Services manager. The deadline for the donations are Friday, Dec. 12.

What’s the secret behind Palin’s appeal? RALEIGH, N.C. (MCT) – There’s a moment during each of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s stump speeches when the Republican vice presidential candidate utters the “S” word, the one word that can fire up crowds almost as much as her favorite chant, “drill, baby, drill.” The word is “socialism.” And as Palin has made her way across the battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia and North Carolina for Republican John McCain in the final days of the presidential campaign, she has used the word to stir fear that a vote for Democratic Barack Obama is a vote for higher taxes. Or even worse, Palin warns in her stump speeches, a vote for Obama means “spreading your wealth.” “Now is not the time to experiment with that,” Palin told voters in Latrobe, Pa., on Friday. “They do that in other countries where people are not free and where work ethic is not rewarded. And when an entrepreneurial spirit is absolutely stifled. And that’s exactly what his plan will do to Americans and to the children who we are trying to teach work ethic and the reward for hard work.” It’s an argument that resonates with many of the voters at her rallies, especially the working class Republican men whom Palin attracts in droves. Palin makes much of “Joe the Plumber” in her stump speech, who has become such a part of the McCain-Pain campaign that volunteers pass out oval-shaped “Joe” stickers at rallies.

You think you can dance, not in “Dance Fail”

Pumpkins go flying Contestants compete in the first annual Pumpkin Launch Festival on Saturday at the Titan Stadium By Meghan Alfano

For The Daily Titan news@dailytitan.com

It is not typical to see pumpkins flying hundreds of feet into the air. Such was the case, however, in the first-ever Pumpkin Launch Festival on Saturday, Nov. 1, at Titan Stadium. The event was put on by the Cal State Fullerton College of Engineering and Computer Science, along with the Discovery Center in Santa Ana and the Future Scientists and Engineers of America. “We hope to motivate students to pursue careers in engineering while giving them an opportunity to interact with activities involving engineering,” said Sergio Guerra, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for the College of Engineering and Computer Science. The pumpkin launch competition was open to anyone able to build a trebuchet (a medieval catapult) for the event. The teams would then launch 15-pound pumpkins onto the field. Different targets allotted different points and the team with the most points after three shots won the competition. Six teams competed in the pumpkin launch, with competitors ranging in ages from ages 12 to 50. Names of the members from the winning team were then entered in a drawing and two of its members’ names were drawn and awarded internships. Fred Hogarth, who was a member of CSUF’s Society of Automotive Engineer’s winning team, said that it took the team about three weeks to complete their trebuchet. “It’s a big deal because the winners receive two internships,” he said. The smell of kettle corn filled

TODAY

TOMorrow

By Laura Olsen

The unstable economy has created a “once in a lifetime credit-tsunami,” former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan told Congress last Thursday. Experts reiterated the seriousness of the nation’s credit problems at the 2009 Economic Forecast Conference on Oct. 30 at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine. The 14th annual event hosted by the Orange County Business Council and Cal State Fullerton’s Mihaylo College of Business and Economics, featured analysis of the current economic state as well as a predication for what is to come in 2009. Dean of the College of Business

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and Economics and keynote speaker Anil Puri predicts a half-percent gross domestic product growth in 2009 (the lowest rate of growth since the 2001 recession), and a national unemployment rate of 6.8 percent. He predicts housing values to continue to decline over the next six months before stabilizing in the second half of 2009. The economic downfall began first in Orange County and spread rapidly throughout the nation. Because it hit California first, it is logical that we will be the first to recover from this financial disaster, Joseph Otting, vice chairman of U.S. Bancorp, said. In the past, California has always been the first to pull the nation out of a financial crisis, Otting added. Fortunately, the election will be over in a matter of hours and we will

have a new president to take control of the problem, Puri said. The nation can expect more aggressive action by the government with controlling spending, although it will be at least six months before we see the effects of decisions made by the new president. “From a student’s perspective it makes you want to network as much as you can now and stay in school longer,” Elise Lopez, president of the Business Inter-Club Council, said. “It is going to be harder for us to get jobs after we graduate now. But there is a lot to learn from this situation.” Puri said the government will still provide student loans – although it will be cutting back in other areas – but student loans is one area of financial support that will continue to be available to students.

traffic violation. Esha Momeni, 28, a mass communications graduate student from Los Angeles, arrived in Iran two months ago to visit her family and conduct research for her thesis. According to the Free Esha community formed on Facebook, Momeni was arrested on Oct. 15 in an unusual manner after being pulled over on Moddaress highway for an alleged traffic violation by individuals who identified themselves as undercover traffic police. She was taken to Evin prison and has remained there in custody.

“She was working on a master’s thesis project about the Iranian women’s movement. She is a videographer who was simply interviewing Iranian women and has broken no laws (and) has not done anything wrong,” Momeni’s thesis adviser and director of the mass communications graduate program, Melissa Wall, said in a blog post. Following her arrest, authorities entered her parents’ house and removed items such as books, camera footage, and computers, according to for-esha. blogspot.com, a blog dedicated to reflect news on Momeni and statements

By Brad Goldman/For The Daily Titan Thomas Phelps, Vice Chair of Investor Relations for the OCBC, speaks on the state of the Orange County economy.

The Oct. 13 cover of Time magazine displays iconic images of the Great Depression, with the cover story titled, “The New Hard Times.” This may prompt some students to ask if this scenario could reoccur, affecting them as they venture out into the business world. See FORECAST, Page 2

Campaigning for freedom A Cal State Northridge student was arrested in Iran and is still being held

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Trick or treat for charity

Speakers from the O.C. Business Council along with CSUF’s College of Business and Economics, analyze, discuss and predict what the economy has is store new@dailytitan.com

WEATHER

By Joe Von Regius/Daily Titan Staff Photographer Engineers of Booz Allen Hamilton Consulting Firm work together to compete in the Pumpkin Launch contest with their machine designed to launch a pumpkin 100-150 feet.

Experts look ahead Daily Titan Staff Writer

“The Price is Right” has been around for years and mistakes are bound to happen. Drew Carey host of the show, continued to laugh while the tape was rolling, but it was something that could not be avoided. The mistake was too big to hold back a laugh. “The Price is Right” fail.

the stadium as families gathered to partake in the day’s events, which included music, food, a pumpkin carving contest, a miniature catapulting game and, of course, the main pumpkin launch. Booths were set up from various engineering clubs on campus to promote the department. There were also presentations given by the Discovery Center throughout the day. Adrian Empire, a medieval and renaissance recreation society, was also present and informed event goers about the history of the trebuchet and it’s use in medieval times. C.J. Bibolet, of Corona, thought the event was a great opportunity for families to learn together. “I heard about the event through the Discovery Center and thought it would be great for my kids to learn about the mechanics of the catapult,” he said. His 6-year-old daughter, Bianca Bibolet, was enthusiastic about the mini launch game that was set up for participants. “Catapulting is cool,” she said. “I like shooting it into the bucket. It’s my favorite thing, ever.” May Oo, a senior at CSUF who helped the Discovery Science Center with publicity for the event, was happy about the turnout of approximately 500 people. “It’s a really cool event, and it will get better and better every year,” she said. The department plans to hold the event annually, either on Halloween or the day after. “We want to give people the opportunity to gain experience with engineering, but we also want to make this a fun event for families to come to,” Guerra added. “We hope that families will keep it in mind for next year.”

By Bahar Ansari

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

Activists, friends and family across the United States are campaigning for the release of a 28-year-old Cal State Northridge graduate student and member of the group “Campaign for Equality,” who has been imprisoned in Iran after being pulled over for a

by her family, friends and professors. Momeni is a member and volunteer for the One Million Signatures Campaign, a movement that has emerged inside Iran to reform laws and gain equality for women in Iran, Sussan Tahmasebi, a member of the Iranian chapter of the campaign, said in an e-mail. It is a very public group based on signing a petition addressed to Parliament representatives of Iran, another campaign member, Roja Bandari, said in an e-mail interview. “Here in Iran, I, you, and our See MOMENI, Page 3

CSUF students: ‘Trick or treat, please give the hungry something to eat’ By Fryda Gonzales

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

To kick off the Volunteer and Service Center’s annual November month-long food drive and fundraiser, 35 students dressed up on Friday to trick-or-treat in a local neighborhood for three hours, near State College Boulevard and Dorothy Lane. “Trick -or-treat please give the hungry something to eat,” chanted the costumed Cal State Fullerton students while collecting canned food instead of candy on Halloween night. The event was organized by the Volunteer and Service Center and supervised by the center’s coordinator, Amy Mattern. An estimated 420 cans of food were donated during the event and an official count will be done on Monday morning. According to Mattern, it was a very successful night when compared to last year’s total count of 900 cans for the entire month of November. “Great turnover for this new type of event,” Mattern said. “Every one See CHARITY, Page 2


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