OPINION: Health in a Handbasket: the ins and outs of the flu shot, page 5
SPORTS: Page 10
Two Titans move into record book despite loss Since 1960 Volume 87, Issue 38
FEATURES: Student makes a name for himself as a playwright, page 4
Daily Titan
Thursday November 6, 2008
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
DTSHORTHAND Campus Life Dr. Goldstein will discuss how human embryonic stem cells can be used to develop new systems for understanding, and eventually treating Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS), Huntington’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease by generating new approaches for drug discovery or therapy. Goldstein’s presentation will be held in the Titan Student Union Pavillions today at 5:30 p.m. For more information about this free public presentation, please contact Nilay Patel at (714) 278 2483. The presentation is free for the public.
Weightless inspiration
Improbable march into history is major (MCT) – Rosa Parks sat down. Martin Luther King Jr. marched. Barack Obama ran. And on Tuesday night, Obama’s marathon reached an unprecedented place in American history. The president-elect is an African-American, one whose face and words have come to define not just an election but a time in history. A nation dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal has elevated that principle to its highest office. “This is a central moment in American history,” said Michael Dawson, one of the nation’s leading authors and scholars on race and politics. “America’s reputation in the world is at its lowest point, maybe since the end of World War II. “Obama is an important signal to the world about the ability to overcome such a wretched history of conflict and hatred,” he said, “and to build a more democratic society through the sweat and tears of its people.” On its face, the achievement is plain. An African-American will soon be sworn in as president of a country built partly with the forced labor of black slaves. Michelle Obama, who unlike her husband is a descendant of American slaves, will become first lady.
The people who are suppose to take care of us are in a ‘fire truck fail’
Many cars pull aside for fire trucks when it’s on the road. Unfortunately, the communication between these two fire trucks was a complete fail. Imagine the emergency that these trucks are trying to reach and they caused their own emergency. Fire truck fail!
WEATHER
TODAY
High: 80˚ Low: 53˚ Sunny
TOMorrow
High: 80˚ Low: 55˚ Sunny
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Photo by Michael Tercha/Courtesy of MCT Linda Hogan, a science teacher at Lake Ridge Middle School in Gary, Indiana, is weightless with about 30 other science teachers, Oct. 21 during the Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery training program aboard G-Force One, Zero Gravity Corporation’s parabolic flying Boeing 727-200.
Read the story on page 4
Violent video games still debated By EUI-jo Marquez
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
An appeal challenging the preliminary injunction against California’s failed violent video game law was held Oct. 29 in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Sacramento. The law, authored by Senator Leland Yee (D- San Francisco), was created to prevent the sale and rental of violent video games to minors, and to enforce the labeling of such games. Yee’s bill became a law in 2005 but was stopped from going into effect for being unconstitutional by U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Whyte. Whyte objected to the law on the grounds that it violated the First Amendment rights of minors to information, according to CNET news. The lawsuit challenging the law was brought by video game in-
After California judge Ronald Whyte ruled the original 2005 law unconstitutional, Sen. Leland Yee is still moving forward with proposed legislation that would restrict minors from purchasing/renting such games
dustry associations, according to msnbc.com. “California’s violent video game law properly seeks to protect children from the harmful effects of interactive, ultra-violent video games,” Yee said in a recent press release. “Our efforts to assist parents in the fight to keep these harmful video games out of the hands of children should survive constitutional challenge under all levels of judicial review.” In his bill, Yee declared that violent video games lead to feelings of aggression and violent anti-social behavior in minors, and that even minors who do not commit such acts suffer psychological harm. He defined a violent video game as a game in which the player participates in
“killing, maiming, dismembering, or sexually assaulting an image of a human being.” These acts must meet conditions to be considered violent. They must seem “deviant or morbid” to a “reasonable person,” are offensive to the “prevailing standards in a community” and must “(lack) serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.” The game must also be “especially heinous, cruel, or depraved in that it involves torture or serious physical abuse to the victim” to be considered violent. These terms are defined in detail in the text of the law. Children traditionally have less rights under the First Amendment in order to protect them from harm, communications law professor
Genelle Belmas said in an e-mail interview. The problem with this law, according to Belmas, is that whether or not violent games provoke children to “imminent” violence has not been proven, meaning that children who play violent video games do not necessarily commit violent acts immediately after playing the games. “Most of the research suggest that watching a video game is not going to make a kid go out and kill somebody,” communications professor Cynthia King said. But studies have found that playing violent games can increase aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior, and that games are more harmful than violent television and movies, because they are “interactive, very
engrossing and require the player to identify with the aggressor,” according to the second edition of King’s and Shay Sayre’s book “Entertainment and Society.” These games also reward players for violent actions, and show players that aggressive behavior is a solution to conflict, but no research has shown that violent video games lead to major violent crime, according to King’s book. Sociology professor Connie Brewer feels that such research findings make no difference. “It is illogical to deduce that an interactive game-playing experience does not also affect behavior,” she said. See VIDEO GAMES, Page 2
Obama won ... what now? ‘Roots & shoots,’ By Daniel Xu
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
Behind President-elect Barack Obama’s crushing victory in the electoral college stands, the comparatively much less one-sided national popular vote between him and conceded opponent Sen. John McCain (Obama’s 53 percent to McCain’s 46), and beyond the historic moment with the new leader declaring anything is possible lies the record national debt and grave economic crisis. America’s 44th President announced to the crowd of 200,000 in Grant Park, Chicago and millions of others around the country, “this victory alone is not the change we seek.” After a bitter primary and even nastier general election campaign, what happens now could still be more meaningful than any monumental episode in Obama’s 21-month marathon. In a sobering message to his giddy supporters, Obama recognized those who have not voted for him. “I will be your president too,” he declared. Matthew Jarvis, political science professor at Cal State Fullerton, saw the potential of a favorable Obama administration. However, Jarvis said Obama must learn one critical lesson from President George W. Bush’s last eight years. He attributed the reason for the extreme partisanship in today’s government to Bush’s alienation of Congress. “Bush treated Congress like (an unwanted) red-haired stepchild. He basically comes up with a policy and tells them to pass it,” Jarvis said. For Obama to bring positive
CSUF professor says new generation of voters have more work ahead of them
change in the federal government, “he needs to hold big meetings, give his suggestions, and let the Congress work out the details.” Jarvis recalled when – decades ago – policies could receive passing votes from 90 percent of Congressional members. The professor said he couldn’t say how Obama will use his executive powers, but it should soon be apparent if the Democratic President will keep his promise and make efforts to reach across the aisle. Jarvis added that the policy making process is slow, and Obama’s campaign commitments will not come through the day after his inauguration. The Presidentelect himself acknowledged the hard work ahead in Tuesday night’s speech, preparing all in the audience for sacrifices they will have to make. Courtney Baxter, president of College Democrats at CSUF, said bipartisanship also depends on the Republicans. She said she heard McCain supporters gathered in rallies on Election Day boo when they heard Obama’s victory speech, and she was “disgusted” by their disapproval of Obama’s call for unity. “Even I don’t agree with some of Obama’s stands on certain issues,” Baxter said. “However, America has spoken (with their votes). Now, we should all support our new president and make changes come true.” She admitted to being a realist, saying she doesn’t See WHAT NOW?, Page 2
more than a club
Campus organization ties the community together by offering services and assistance for those in need By Allison Griggs
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
Roots and Shoots is tying it all together. The anthropology club is made up of a small group of less than 10 selforganized students who participate in a program that is recognized on a worldwide level. The Jane Goodall-founded organization is geared at bringing people together; within the anthropology department, Cal State Fullerton, the community, the nation and ultimately the world. Alia Aynes, club president, is a senior studying cultural anthropology. She takes her role seriously not only within her department but the community as a whole.
“We’re taking a more community service-oriented approach this year,” Aynes said. The group is taking on multiple projects this year that intend to have a positive impact on the school as well as the surrounding community. The club has recently participated in the Anthropology Student Association’s fundraiser for AIDS Walk in Los Angeles, for which the ASA was able to raise a total of $1,579.55 for AIDS research, Aynes said. Roots and Shoots has also participated in the San Diego Zoo’s Walk on the Wild Side to raise awareness of, and money for, endangered animals. See ROOTS & SHOOTS, Page 2