Oct. 15, 2008

El Vaquero October 15, 2008

Glendale College

Steven Ferguson

Student president has passion for politics See story, page 5 Photo by Allan Beglarian

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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EDITORIAL

Economy Goes From Bad to El Vaquero Worse With No End in Sight Glendale Community College

editor in chief

By Jessica Bourse

Jessica Bourse SPORTS EDITOR

Ross Coleman

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

PHOTO EDITOR

Jane Pojawa

STAFF WRITERS

Claudia Anaya Ani Khashadoorian

Kenneth Malate Fabiola Prieto Brandon Hensley Isiah Reyes Corinna Scott

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

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faculty adviser

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mmoreau@glendale.edu (818) 551-5214

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issue in this 8 r 15, 200 Octobe mber 3

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he U.S. economy sat on a wall. Then, Wall Street had a great fall. Chairman Ben Bernanke and the president’s men, can they put our economy back together again?

Maybe my version doesn’t sound as cute as the original — but there’s nothing cute about watching the world economy take a dive into chaos, while the rest of us hold our breaths, waiting for it to resurface.

Whether or not you find the subject of the economy interesting, it affects your entire life. After all, only two things are certain in life: death and taxes.

Our national debt is at a staggering $10.1 trillion, the unemployment rate is 6.1 percent, and consumer confidence hit the lowest it had been since the 1987 stock market crash.

On Oct. 3, Congress passed a $700 billion bailout bill, which President Bush immediately signed into law.

The bill grants Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson the authority to purchase bad loans from financial institutions, using $250 billion that are made available instantaneously.

Many companies, such as American International Group Inc (AIG), have already received their bailout funds. Last Wednesday, the Federal Reserve granted AIG a $37.8 billion loan.

Prior to that, on Sept. 17, the government (and taxpayers) rescued AIG with an $85 billion check, in exchange of 80 percent of company ownership.

AIG then spent $443,343.71 of American tax dollars at the St. Regis Resort, where about 70 of the company’s employees were

rewarded for their “hard work” while racking up a total of $23,380 at the spa.

I can’t even remember the last time I went to get a manicure.

Here’s the best part — AIG could have avoided its near-fall if it had paid a little more attention to its now-former auditor, who warned that certain methods used to value derivatives were flawed, and some credit-default swaps were possibly set-up for losses.

Joseph St. Denis, the ex-auditor, also alleges that Joseph Cassano blocked his report.

Cassano is the financial products manager whose “investments” nearly led to AIG’s collapse. Until last week, Cassano was receiving $1 million per month in consulting fees, and has received more than $280 million over the past eight years.

On Oct. 8, Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, joined the world’s leading economies and announced a half percentage point cut in prime interest rates, bringing the new rate to 1.5 percent. The prime rate is the rate at which banks lend money to customers.

Despite the interest rate cut, bailout bill, and the billions the Fed has pumped into the economy, stocks plummeted.

On Oct. 9, the Dow Jones index closed below 9,000 points — the lowest since 2003.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has plunged 40 percent from the all-time high it had a year ago. Last week alone, the Dow fell 22 percent.

However, on Monday the Dow Jones took a turn, closing at more than 9,000 points. The 936-point jump was a record point gain in a single day.

On Tuesday, President Bush announced a new $250 billion plan, allowing the government to

directly purchase shares from nine of the nation’s top banks.

Several of the banks involved include Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Wells Fargo & Co. If the plan works and the economy stabilizes, the banks will buy the stocks back from the government, creating a profit, which in turn will benefit taxpayers.

While the president’s men are hard at work, putting the pieces of our economy back together, we are left with one question: when will this financial nightmare end?

I’m not entirely sure anyone really knows; all we can do is wait.

However, what I do know is that we allowed the crisis to go too far. The state of our economy is unacceptable.

Never again should the government have to bailout independent financial institutions — companies that are enveloped in their greed — too busy screwing the American people with bad loans and rewarding themselves with luxurious vacations.

Jessica Bourse can be reached at jessica_bourse@elvaq.com

Correction A September 17 article “Study Abroad Offers International Opportunities, page 9) stated the trip to Italy was priced at $4999 and did NOT include airfare.

This price DOES include airfare. Also the phone extension is ext. 5718. El Vaquero apologizes for the inaccuracies.

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NEWS

Computer Labs Struggle With First Amendment Rights

By Claudia Anaya

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

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any students have been distracted in the computer rooms by cell phones, the sound of music, or people next to them looking at their Myspace page or even at sexually explicit material.

Yes, people have been caught looking at sexual content in the computer labs and in the library, but what happens when they’re caught?

Nune Coe, senior instructional lab tech has asked students to leave the computer room because of their Internet viewing.

“If I’m offended, I take them [students] out,” she said.

“Anything that’s sexual or naked, sexual acts, not just a lady in a bathing suit on a car, but they [students] come in and look at [pornographic] movies or pictures.”

“If someone is accessing adult Web sites, there could be some serious sexual harassment issues.

We’ve dealt with it in the past,” said Paul Schlossman, dean of student services, who says that if anyone is uncomfortable with what another person is viewing in the computer labs and it’s brought to a lab tech’s attention, the person may be told to leave or just stop viewing the content.

“It should not be uncomfortable for other students to sit here and do homework,” said Coe. But some students may have homework that requires them to look at material that some may consider offensive.

John Fox, 27, a 3D animation fine art major, had an assignment to modernize a master painter’s artwork last semester and he researched vintage pornography from the 1920s to fit into his piece.

“No one ever said anything and everyone loved the piece that I did (entitled “Da Vinci’s Wet

Dream”). When you’re a student you need access to the labs; that’s what the school is here for, resources,” said Fox. Joseph Mendez, 22, a student worker in the English lab and communications major, said that even though he has not experienced anyone viewing anything inappropriate, he would ask them to leave but would not find it offensive if it’s for artistic purposes.

Some things that would be inappropriate were mentioned by some as sexual acts and nudity.

Even though nudity was seen as inappropriate to some people, it would not necessarily be a cause for making a person leave a computer room unless it was making someone uncomfortable.

Schlossman stated that the lab techs use their own discretion and make choices on how to handle a situation on a case-by-case basis.

Nudity could include paintings by classical artists or famous art photographers, which are not banned, but if someone was offended by them, the person viewing them would be told to stop.

“If it was to happen, and it’s making someone uncomfortable, I would tell them to not look at it, or go to a different station,” said Theoden Jones-Pike, 24, a student worker at an art lab.

There are instances when a student will continue to view material that others consider offensive and be sent to Schlossman, where further action is taken.

“They could be reprimanded, lose certain privileges, for a certain period of time and could be suspended, from a class, an activity, from the college all together,” said Schlossman.

“They could be suspended for a semester or more, and with the most serious cases, they could be permanently expelled from the college. Some have a history of

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“Sexually explicit material” is difficult to define and unevenly enforced; “comfort” is one guideline.

misconduct. It depends on the case.”

Some students “don’t come back and we have their IDs, letting the student workers know not to let those students in until it’s clear, said Coe. “The supervisor has e-mailed the labs to let them know what is going on.”

If workers feel that rules are violated, they can open up the page a student is viewing on a master computer and freeze the frame as proof of the viewing.

“If someone brings it to attention of the lab staff, the image may be brought up in the back room but it’s not brought up unless it’s brought to the attention of staff. If you walk behind someone they might kill it,” said Reed Anderson, director of IT operations.

If the student has damaged

hardware or software by acquiring viruses from visiting explicit sites, they would have to pay for the damages.

The lab staff that manages the labs put out the signs that are consistent with the college policy.

All the labs have the same rules.

GCC’s district board policy states that “behavior including verbalization or gestures that has the purpose or effect of substantially inferring with an individual’s work, academic, or other educational performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment” constitutes sexual harassment.

The policy on sexual harassment enforced by the school is based on Title VII Civil Rights Act, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and other human rights and equal

opportunity laws that focus on sexual harassment as an unlawful practice and prohibitions of discrimination.

The violations of code of conduct violated are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Anderson said that “we’re not going to look at everything to see what students are doing unless someone sees it and complains about it.”

“Every one has their own different level of comfort but sometimes a student needs to get their work done. In my case, I needed the material and the school was my only source to get that done, if someone finds that offensive it’s their problem,” said Fox. Claudia Anaya can be reached at claudia_anaya@elvaq.com

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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FEATURES

Montrose Oktoberfest a Success Despite Rain

By Fabiola Prieto

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

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little drizzle couldn’t dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm at the 31st annual Oktoberfest celebration on Oct. 4 in Montrose.

The festival, which was scheduled to start at noon, had a slow beginning due to the lack of tents in the audience area where two stages were set up. But, as the showers came and went and the sun shined in between, people acclimatized and the joy became evident.

“I live in [UC Irvine] and I look forward to [Oktoberfest] because I like to see the community getting together and I get to see all my old friends,” said Shelby Pock, 19, who helped with the sale of “brats” and “bier” that the festival offers every year.

The original Oktoberfest is celebrated every year in Munich, Germany. According to Oktoberfest.de, it was first held for five days in 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.

Because of its popularity, the festival was lengthened to 16 days and has become the world’s largest fair. Now, many cities hold Bavarian-themed celebrations modeled after this event.

“I think it’s just a reason to drink beer. Most people who come to the festival aren’t German...It’s like Saint Patrick’s Day; you’re Irish for a day,” said Harry Tamme, a first-generation German-American who has attended the local festival ever since he was a boy.

One of the main attractions of Oktoberfest is the availability of alcohol and food.

Sale of wine and beer began at 2 pm. German dishes such as bratwurst, sauerkraut, and strudel, as well as many carnival-type snacks were available all day.

Despite the alcohol, the festival remains family-oriented.

The live entertainment included 12-year-old singer Blake Marie Lindsey from 3-2-1 Talent Show Studios in La Crescenta, a karate showcase by the students of USA Martial Arts, dance performances by the Kids on Stage from the Church of Scientology, and music by the German-American Brass Band, among others.

“I know that the bands are really awesome here and there are a lot of games and kids have fun,” said Tania Leder, 22. Leder, a festival volunteer, wore a traditional Bavarian gown which was passed on to her by her Austrian grandmother and was eager to see others in costume.

“My husband and I were in

Photo by Fabiola Prieto

Harry and Carolyn Tamme, in Bavarian costume, brave the rain at Montrose’s annual Oktoberfest.

Germany for our honeymoon and I actually purchased [my garments] in Titisee, Germany — outside of the Black Forest,” said Carolyn Tamme, who was there with her husband, Harry, and mother-in-law, Lidia.

Lidia Tamme, an immigrant from Germany, has attended the event ever since it started.

Apart from performances, there were other kinds of entertainment such as bingo, rides and fair games. There were

also contests for coloring, bestdressed dogs, and Master and Little Miss Oktoberfest, as well as the traditional stein-holding and sausage-eating contests.

Oktoberfest is coordinated by the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber as a community activity

and fundraiser. According to officials, the money collected will go to other community events and scholarship programs in Glendale.

Fabiola Prieto can be reached at fabiola_prieto@elvaq.com

‘Women and Work’ Subject of Lecture

By Claudia Anaya

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

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eggy Renner, a history professor, spoke about “Women and Work” on Oct. 9 as part of a series of lectures leading to a book signing next month by Sonia Nazario, the Pulitzerprize winning author of “Enrique’s Journey.”

More than 60 people attended the lecture in Kreider Hall at noon where Renner related the issue of women, work, and the progress that women have made in the work force to “Enrique’s Journey.”

Renner spoke of the choice that Enrique’s mother, Lourdes, made to leave her family in Honduras and venture to the United States to find work.

Lourdes finds work as a nanny and then a domestic servant.

Renner states that Lourdes was able to perform the job

of a nanny because that’s what she knew, just as women in the 1900s would perform work that they were able to do since women weren’t thought of as capable of having an education.

“She dreamed of a better life for her children,” said Renner speaking of Lourdes. “She got work as a domestic servant, which was an important job for American women in the 1900s and it still is today. Those are the skills she knew even though she did not speak the language.”

“The domestic jobs in the 1900s and now share something in common. They required skills that women learned at home,” said Renner.

In 1940, the job of a domestic servant was the most important job that a woman could do without the need for education said Renner.

[See Work, page 5]

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008 5

FEATURES

Steve Ferguson has a Passion for Politics

By Brandon Hensley EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

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very political season, America is inundated with phrases or labels each candidate either likes to frame their opponent with, to use against them, or self ascribe one that may boost their own image in hopes of gaining public

support. It may not be a stretch to say America at the moment may be tired of hearing nicknames like “maverick” or slogans such as “hope” and “change.”

If such a term were to be applied to Steven Ferguson, the word “unopposed” might be the best choice.

It’s not the sexiest choice of

Lecture Alludes to ‘Enrique’s Journey’ [Work, from Page 4] With education, women can be found in all categories of work now; in manufacturing, trades, service work, hard labor, although not equally distributed, but doors have been opened.

“The top 10 paying jobs held by women require education.

Women are going to school longer, getting an education, giving them an important step up,” said Renner.

Some of the top jobs include: nursing, accounting, teaching, bookkeeping, and office clerk as stated by Renner during the lecture.

“Not only are we employed in greater numbers, and in a wider range of jobs with better pay, but some of us have risen to positions where we are recognized,” said Renner.

Renner said that women now hold half of the management positions in the country and now make 80 cents on a man’s dollar, when five years ago it was 70 cents and five years before that it was 62 cents; women’s pay is increasing.

Diana Markosian, 17, a political science major, said she “never realized that to this day that there’s so many separations

between the work of men and women and how we need further change to make things equal.”

Although women have made advancements, full equality remains to be seen in the work force.

Renner advised attendees of the lecture to read “Enrique’s Journey,” which is relevant to the issues of working women.

“It’s a really powerful book,” said Renner.

Renner’s advises women to most importantly “figure out what you love to do and find a job that will allow you to do that. If you enjoy doing it, you’ll get up everyday and say I want to go do it and if you don’t enjoy doing it, at some point you’ll say: I don’t care how much it pays me, it’s boring or it’s tedious.”

Nazario will be at GCC on Nov. 6 in Kreider Hall at noon.

Richard Kamei, associate professor of sociology, and Nathan Sheets, Glendale College and UC Berkeley alum, will hold the next in the series of lectures in Kreider Hall at noon, tomorrow.

Claudia Anaya can be reached at claudia_anaya@elvaq.com

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words, but it does accurately describe how the 19-year-old sophomore became the current president of ASGCC (Associated Students of Glendale Community College).

Ferguson also serves as a student trustee, representing GCC students on a wide range of issues affecting the campus.

But since he ran unopposed last spring to win the election, what do we really know about Ferguson, both personally and as president/trustee?

There’s a lot to him, as it turns out. Having already lived a roller coaster of a life, he may already be years ahead of his peers in life experience, so coming up with the right slogan or description of him might go a long way in solidifying his image.

Steven Ferguson has the experience. He’s been serving you since 2001.

Well, if you have lived in Burbank since then anyway.

Ferguson grew up in Burbank, graduating Burbank High School as a member of many school activities, such as yearbook, student newspaper, student body and the speech and debate team.

But he started making his mark in the city at 11-years-old,

where he helped start a program called Burbank Youth for Youth, which surveyed teens on pressing issues, and later created a group called Teens in Action.

In 2004 Ferguson was appointed by the Burbank city council to help create a program recognizing outstanding teens in the community.

Last year he was appointed to the park and recreation community services board in Burbank. “I was the first person to ever be appointed to that board of commission,” he said.

Steven Ferguson is willing to take on responsibility…lots of it.

As a freshman last year, Ferguson served as a senator of campus relations. Last spring he was elected senator of administration. His days are long, meeting with the school board for several hours some days.

“I have an executive meeting every Monday, where I meet with the dean of student affairs (Paul Schlossman) as with our other two advisors,” Ferguson said.

“Just to see where things are in the legislature.”

Ferguson also routinely meets with super intendent president Dr. Audre Levy to ensure students have input on current issues.

Ferguson has a vote, only, its power is limited. “I can move and second. I can’t vote – or, my vote is an advisory vote.”

That doesn’t seem to bother him. “I have a unique responsibility where I represent 19,000 students,” he said. “I take it very seriously.”

Steven Ferguson doesn’t mind ruffling feathers if it means getting the job done.

“I’ve taken the hits,” he said.

“When I voted no on the budget I took a hit.”

The budget is an issue that will always take center stage in a national election, but at GCC it’s been a hot button issue as well.

Ferguson opposed the recent budget proposal. “I cast three no votes on the budget. Many people disagreed with me, including some of our faculty, and that’s fine. But I didn’t feel…that this budget reflected the college’s priorities.”

Priorities that included a pay raise for the faculty and higher ups, which meant cuts for the ASGCC budget, but Ferguson let his opinions on the matter be known.

[See Ferguson, page 6]

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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FEATURES

Ferguson Strives to Make Student Govt. More Accessible [Ferguson, from Page 5] The school board wanted to cut $60,000 from the ASGCC budget, which would have affected programs such as the athletic department and El Vaquero, which ASGCC funds, but Ferguson helped talk the board down to only a $30,000 cut.

Ferguson explained his feelings on playing the man in between the students and the board of trustees.

“It’s hard because as a dual role it’s my job to be out there and really advocating on behalf of the students on a policy level with the trustees but then back here making sure this whole thing is still working.”

For what it’s worth, Ferguson’s peers think highly of him, including sophomore Joey Roszhart, a senator of campus relations.

“He’s really here to help the students,” said Roszhart, noting that Ferguson doesn’t get a big head around the office.

“He’s a down to earth person.”

There’s no “I” in team with Ferguson.

Ferguson isn’t interested in taking sole credit in affecting campus decisions. “Do I personally have influence? I would say we as a legislature have influence,” he said. “I go in there and act as their bulldog, and I absolutely speak with 19,000 student voices behind me.”

Ferguson does have kind words for the board, including Dr. Levy. “The board members… they listen to the students. They really do,” adding, “we have a very friendly super intendant president, Dr. Levy.”

Steven Ferguson knows what it’s like to deal with personal tragedy.

This is where things get somber, as Ferguson described his family-life growing up.

His parents divorced when he was in the third grade, and his father, as Ferguson put it, “just kind of took off. It was a messy divorce.”

His father battled substance

abuse, and that will always take a toll on a family. “I was raised by a single mom who dealt with the best and worst of the world,” Ferguson said.

His relationship with his father now is nonexistent. “I don’t really speak to him,” he said. After the divorce, he and his mother, Laurie, went from living in a small apartment to living with his grandparents, until Laurie eventually remarried.

But in late 2006, Laurie was diagnosed with skin cancer, and lost her battle with it last December. Ferguson said he does not have much of a support system now. Some relatives are out of state, and he and his stepfather did not keep their relationship after his mother passed. “We’re done,” he said shortly.

Ferguson’s tone is matterof-fact, showing little emotion either way. “I’ve learned more and more to live life the best I can. I’m out on my own. I’m independent,” he said. Ferguson lives with roommates in a Burbank apartment.

The sudden loss of his mother has made Ferguson more reflective. “I’m grateful for the time I have,” he said, which may sound odd coming from a 19-year-old, but he knows that things can change quickly. “I’m trying to do everything I can with the time I have.”

Sophmore senator of campus relations Milton Alvarez admires Ferguson’s perserverence. “His journey through his life has been really hard on him. I think he’s a great person...he treats you as a friend,” said Alvarez.

Steven Ferguson: making the most out of his responsibilities.

Of his job as a president, Ferguson said, “you can make it something incredible. Or you can do just what’s required of you…that’s not what I’m about.

I’m about reaching out to my vice presidents, seeing if they need help…helping them become better leaders, just as they’re making me a better leader.”

Ferguson knows that his fellow officers have been battling an image problem for a while, being viewed as aloof by other students, and he’s trying to change the perception of ASGCC has a giant clique. “For the last few semesters has it been fair to see that from the outsider’s point of view? I think so, but we’re trying to reach out like never before,” he said.

Reaching out means members of the legislature coming into classrooms and asking students what they want for their school, something ASGCC has planned for this semester.

What about the issue of no parking, something Glendale is notorious for having?

“There are absolutely plenty of parking spaces on campus. But, you can’t get here five minutes before class, and you have to be willing to go across the street and walk,” he said.

Steven Ferguson: advocate for walking for a healthier America?

That one may be spin that Republican and Democratic handlers would admire, but Ferguson apparently isn’t shy about giving students the straight talk.

Steven Ferguson has tasted life in the big leagues.

Ferguson was on hand this summer for the Democratic National Convention in Denver serving as a delegate, including being witnessng Barrack Obama’s acceptance speech.

He called it a “humbling experience” and described the joy he felt of being around top members of the Democratic Party.

“I sat there and I said, ‘if I can only do that, and be able to serve people just like they do.’”

Ferguson expresses a desire to serve in public office on a national level someday, but acknowledged, “those are blessings for a very few individuals in this country.”

But that’s later in his life.

Much later. For now, Ferguson is focused on serving on the Burbank city council, and has his sights set on USC or Occidental College next year when he transfers.

Some public figures seem to care too much about their image, some not enough. How does Ferguson want to be viewed?

“I want to be viewed as accessible. I really do have an open door policy, and I try my best to reach out…I’ve been through a lot, and to me that’s blessing, everyday, that I can sit there and listen to people with a trained ear. I think taking all those experiences and having people understand that I’m available…I think that’s the person that I want to be to people.”

Levy herself has nothing but glowing praise for Ferguson.

“He’s phenomal,” she said, and called him “articulate in his advocacy of [students].”

Levy said Ferguson has gained the respect of the school board, citing an instance where one member chided Ferguson for speaking out on an issue and the board came to Ferguson’s defense in the way he was spoken to. Levy describes Ferguson as “outspoken and dynamic.”

Most college sophomores are still unsure of their goals and vision for their future, but despite the obstacles he’s overcome, Ferguson seems to be on the right path and is happy for the opportunity afforded to him. “[Running for Burbank city council], plus applying to schools, plus running in ASGCC, plus serving on the board of trustees is a lot of fun,” he said.

Steven Ferguson: living his American dream and having a blast.

That one sounds about right.

Brandon Hensley can be reached at brandon_hensley @elvaq.com

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

7

COLUMN/OPINION

Columnist Muses on Purity Rings, 8-year Plan and Celebs

By Graig Agop

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER/ PHOTOGRAPHER

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uestion: How many Jonas brothers does it take to screw in a light bulb? Answer: the Jonas brothers can’t screw anything until they’re married.

That’s because the Jonas Brothers are pure. “Purity” is a concept invented by the Puritans who believed no man should be left without a nice piece of jewelry. But since rings only came in women’s sizes, Peter, king of the Puritans, prayed to Tiffany & Co. to create rings for men, and in return he would give up sexual penetration until marriage.

When it comes to getting high GPA’s, the Jonas brothers do it!

It’s simple, no sex life means better scores. In fact, all three Joe-mo’s excel when it comes to their education. Though they choose not to get it up, they do keep their grades up and so can you! I believe the secret is in the rings. They have power and more purity rings are something we can all benefit from. There would be higher test scores and less STD’s from vending machines on campus. They say, “One ring to rule them all” but all I know is that ring had to be manufactured

by Disney.

I have realized that the exciting life of the Jonas Brothers: Kevin, Nick, and Joe-mo, is very similar to the bisexual hobbits in The “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

At the end of the day, aren’t they all just three little boys on an excursion to spread joy while protecting their “preciouses”

from women and men who aren’t their type. So back off Selena Gomez, I ain’t telling you thrice.

Nick Jonas is getting his wand nowhere near your “Waverly Place.”

But what I don’t get is how you can wear a purity ring, and then call a press conference to just talk about how much you like muffins, yeah, “blueberry ones.”

Whatever! These Jomoes are kinky as hell, but can they fight the urge? Even Charlie Sheen can fight temptation if the only woman he’s around is singer, actress, and pony Demi Lavato.

No one want’s to blueberry muffin her.

Speaking of blueberry muffins, I like mine the old fashion way and with caffeine, but when I ordered a tall coffee from a barista at The Coffee Bean and she was being a Venti Bee-atch.

I’m sorry I confused your 8ounce cup of coffee for a 8-ounce cup of coffee, but everyone knows I like Starbucks in the morning and Coffee Bean at night. I should warn the Latinos about “grande.”

It’s not what they think.

And I need coffee! When students ask me what academic plan I’m on here at Glendale College, I tell them I’m on the IGETC, because I want to “get C” hell out of here. But don’t get me wrong, I feel blessed to be at such a prestigious and pure campus as this.

However, I wasn’t informed that the IGETC is a gateway drug to the dreaded eight-year plan which, unfortunately, seems to be the right plan for me. On the bright side, with experience comes

Illustration by Corinna Scott

wisdom - thirteen semesters of freaking wisdom. Wisdom I will now share with you! No, I insist — sit down and take notes!

If GCC was a brothel, math would be the biggest b*tch here.

Is your math class not adding up?

Well, I have found the secret to passing any math class at GCC: just take it twice and you’re welcome!

Speaking of taking classes twice, anthropology is worse than math. Three times is the charm for this one.

As we reach mid-semester you should know that the chances of you failing your English class is actually the same percentage, statistically proven, that Michael

Phelps has of breaking into Sea World and mating with Dolly the dolphin; a solid 50 percent.

Someone should tell Phelps that there is no gold medal in dolphin sex, averting one disastrous scenario. As for English class, just keep in mind that if you slip up once you will end up on the streets, like Tori Spelling.

Thanks for playing with me though even though I’m sure your

mother forced you. By the way, am I the only one who goes to church for celebrity sightings?

Next time we will talk politics!

Also – please don’t smoke on campus. It doesn’t bother me, but it kind of makes you look like a cow. Bye! Stay pure!

Graig Agop can be reached at Graig_Agop@elvaq.com

Purity Ring Contest - You don’t have to embrace celebacy, but Purity Ring Contest - You don’t need to embrace celibacy, but you do need to promise to clean up your act! The “one ring” goes to the most pure, and we’ll publish the best letter Online.

http://www.elvaq.com/

Software Piracy, a Common Crime with Repercussions

By Fabiola Prieto

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

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oftware piracy sounds like a crime akin to boarding a ship and forcing innocent people to walk the plank.

Nonetheless, it is very common, and in many cases, unintentional. Most people do not realize that every time they download a version of iTunes or any other type of software, that they are signing a contract.

This isn’t a big secret. At the beginning of the download process, the user is asked to agree to the terms and conditions that the provider lists.

In theory, this long block of

tiny letters is read and agreed upon, but unless the person has a lot of spare time, the tendency is to click away and move on to the fun part. All those terms seem like gibberish legalese, especially when there’s no premeditation of doing something illegal.

In fact, illegal usage of software is quite common. A study made in 2007 by the Business Software Alliance (B.S.A.) indicates that even though the United States had the lowest piracy rate in the world, one out of five software downloads are still illegal. This means that the manufacturer did not issue licenses for the installment of every program.

Students are most likely to use pirated software in an attempt to circumvent the high cost of “industry standard” applications.

That is, the software that a person must use in order to compete in the professional world.

“Software prices are really up there right now. You either have to really need the stuff and take care of it right then or it’s a drag to pay the money,” said Matt Boulais, 21, film major.

“How do you think we survive?” said Steven Starr, 20, another film major who was asked about students using unlicensed software.

According to David Glover,

instructor of various desktop publishing courses in GCC, “You can certainly go to Craigslist.com and pirate [software]...really, this is not honest, but a lot of people do it. Everybody knows it.”

At GCC, software piracy is an issue when “during a course... students don’t use our labs because they have the software at home. When they leave early, the administrators get upset because we need contact hours for the labs to stay open,” said Glover.

This semester, the media arts laboratories are open fewer hours than in previous terms.

Pirating software also has industry-wide economic

repercussions. According to B.S.A’s statistics, California was above the national average for piracy in 2007. Their study indicates that, in this state only, piracy costs software vendors an estimated $1.36 billion and an additional $3.88 billion to distributors and service providers.

To put this in perspective, $5.24 billion is enough to hire nearly 16,000 tech workers.

In order to prevent students from using software illegally, software companies and education institutions have made agreements to provide student discounts of up to 85 percent in software prices.

[See Software, page 10]

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NEWS

Blood DonationS Help

Community Prevent Holiday Shortages

By Corinna Scott

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

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eople helping people was the focus of a blood drive held in Plaza Vaquero on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The blood drive, promoted by the Associated Students of Glendale Community College and collected

by USC, goes to the Verdugo Hills Hospital.

Marie Triggs, senior field recruiter for USC, said the difference between a Red Cross blood drive and the USC blood drive is that this blood is used only for the community, whereas Red Cross donations are used all over the world.

Chris Duplessis, an undecided major, decided to stop by the blood mobile. “I’ve donated once before in high school. I had spare time and I figured why not?”

Luis Para, a mechanical engineer major, who’s been donating blood

since his sophomore year of high school in 2006 was told about the blood drive by a professor. He also had the spare time to donate the much needed blood.

Triggs said the donation of one person, which is one pint, can save up to three lives. She said the three people may have three separate needs that are found in the blood: the platelets, the plasma and the red blood cells.

Sean Incontro, nursing major, who is finishing up an emergency medical technician program, gave his time and donation of blood.

Incontro said he has firefighters and paramedics in his family.

“In the emergency room there’s always a need for blood,” said Incontro, “We had a gentleman who was shot. He lost a lot of blood and we ended up going through 50 units of blood and he ended up passing.

There’s a great need for blood and that’s just in the emergency room.

It’s needed throughout the hospital for various reasons.”

Photo by Allan Beglarian

The final product, collected, processed and ready for use, all done inside the USC’s special mobil blood collection units.

Triggs said the goal of the drive was to collect 48 units or pints a day and, by the end of the drive, they had collected 150, 54 more units than they originally expected.

Before a person can donate blood, they must meet certain criteria: • F irst, they must be at least 17 years old and weigh a minimum of 110 pounds.

• Donors must wait at least 12 months after receiving a tattoo and three days after dental procedures before making a donation.

• All donors must be in good health and cannot have taken antibiotics within the 72 hours prior to donation. People with colds and sore throats should not donate.

• All donors must drink plenty of fluids, eat a nutritious meal and

show a valid photo ID before donating.

After qualifying for donation, the donor fills out paper work and waits to be called.

The donor goes through what is called a mini-history to check blood pressure, iron level, temperature and pulse.

If all are vitals are normal, the blood is drawn using new, clean, disposable instruments that are never used on anyone else. The process takes from five to 10 minutes, while the donor squeezes a rubber ball similar to a stress-ball.

After the blood is drawn, the donor is told to wait 15 minutes while snacks like juice and cookies are provided.

The blood collected in the blood-mobile is put into a special cold container and then it goes to four labs to be tested. When the

Photo by Allan Beglarian

Glendale College students donated blood on Sept. 30 at Plaza Vaquero. Lab technicians assist student donors inside the mobile unit specifically designed to accommodate blood collections at the location.

results come back approving the blood for use, the blood is used on patients.

It is a felony to donate blood if the donor has HIV or AIDS and knowingly donates blood. False

positives may occur in the lab; in that case, the donor is notified and has to check with their physician to retest.

For this blood drive, donors were offered a T-shirt with a Superman

logo reading “Super Donor,” a sticker and the choice between a $5 Starbucks or In-n-Out gift card.

Corinna Scott can be reached at Corinna_Scott@elvaq.com

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‘Valhalla Knights 2’ Is One Slow Dungeon Crawler

By Brent Wallace

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

“V

alhalla Knights 2” is a role-playing game (RPG) for the Playstation Portable released by Xseed games and is the sequel to 2007s “Valhalla Knights.” Despite the many flaws it had, the original “Valhalla Knights” became a popular roleplaying game (RPG).

While “Valhalla Knights 2” does show some improvements over the original game, it still suffers from a number of boneheaded design choices that will undoubtedly ruin the game for people who did not play the original game.

However, those who are willing to give the game some time will likely find that its strong character creation and customization system mostly makes up for the game’s major shortcomings.

Unlike the original Valhalla Knights, “Valhalla Knights 2” has a story that gives a premise to all the dungeon-crawling you get to do in the game. The story tells of

a wrathful goddess who besieged the world with destruction and chaos. Fortunately, before the goddess can completely destroy the world, a witch known simply as the Witch of the Crystal manages to drive back the goddess and gives the world time to rebuild until it can grow strong enough to finish the goddess off.

Years later, the main character, which you create from scratch at the start of the game, has his or her orphanage burned down by soldiers looking for heretics, that is, those who still worship the goddess. After being saved by the Lactroci, who are adventurers who work for the government, the main character gains the desire to join the Lactroci ranks, become a hero, and assist in defeating the goddess.

The story material used here is far from the best seen in RPGs, but ultimately “Valhalla Knights 2’s” story is a decent one, and is an improvement over its predecessor.

If there is any major flaw with the story, it is the pace at which

Stealing Programs Creates Problems [Software, from Page 7] “There are a lot of academic sites that will sell you software cheaper; and hardware too,” Glover said.

Among these Web sites are: foundationccc.org, campustech. com, creationengine.com, and journeyed.com.

Some students win software in competitions.

“The Media Arts Awards Competition...put on by an organization that represents all of the digital arts areas in community colleges in California...is sponsored by companies such as Adobe,” said Michael Petros, media arts instructor.

This organization is called the Multimedia & Entertainment Initiative and every year they offer software and other incentives to students who submit their best work.

The fight against the illegal use of software is far from being won. Pirating software is stealing, and besides being illegal, it is also morally wrong.

It is easy to lose sight of the fact that a person or team of developers worked to create the product. It isn’t “free”; their labor and ideas should be compensated. If you worked a certain number of hours, you would expect to be paid for all your time and not just a fraction of it.

Although they are difficult to enforce, the laws protecting a person’s “intellectual property,” or copyright, serve as an incentive for gifted individuals to invent new things and push the margins of creative possibility. When that occurs, we all benefit from the progress of technology.

Fabiola Prieto can be reached at fabiola_prieto@elvaq.com

“Valhalla Knights 2,” though not without flaws, is the newest role-playing game made for the Playstation Portable.

it moves. This is because many of the quests in the game have absolutely no relation to the main storyline. As a result, the story generally moves as slow as molasses.

When you first start the game, you are swiftly introduced to “Valhalla Knights 2’s” character creation and customization system, which is unquestionably the game’s strongest aspect. The game offers seven races to choose from, including humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, machines, and more. The game also offers 10 job classes, including fighter, mage, thief, advanced jobs like knight and enchanter and more.

The character customization in “Valhalla Knights 2” is quite robust. Given enough time and experience, all of your characters can take up to three jobs to change what abilities they have at their disposal, which gives you a lot of freedom in how your characters develop. The game even lets you edit and improve each character’s artificial intelligence (AI), which is a nice touch.

The best thing about “Valhalla Knights 2’s” character creation and customization is that, with only a few exceptions, all of the characters you enlist into your party are created using this

versatile system. This means that your party, which can have up to six active members at any time, can be completely customtailored to how you want to play the game. The character customization goes a long way to making the dungeon-crawling much more endearing.

“Valhalla Knights 2” is a “dungeon crawler,” so the bulk of your time in the game will be spent accepting quests and then entering the various dungeons in the game to complete them.

Unlike many other RPGs, “Valhalla Knights 2” has no random encounters. Instead, all enemy encounters are visible in the world and can be walked into to initiate combat, or can be avoided all together.

The combat in “Valhalla Knights 2” is done completely in real time. Your party faces enemy groups containing up to six enemies. In combat, you control one party member of your choice while all your other party members are controlled by the AI. This is a very simple system that works well enough and can be enjoyable due to its blisteringly fast pace. Ultimately, the combat system is probably too fast for its own good. Battles move so

quickly that basic actions such as item usage and even spell usage are a bit too sluggish in practice, despite the fact that shortcuts are provided. Unless you quickly memorize these shortcuts and the game’s clunky combat interface, you will probably find yourself leaving these actions to the AI. “Valhalla Knights 2” also suffers from a number of major shortcomings with the game’s quest structure. The majority of the quests task you to defeat a specific amount of enemies, find a specific item, and more. But the game also includes a bevy of pointless fetch quests which are completely devoid of any dungeon exploration and combat.

These quests would have been more bearable if they advanced the storyline more often, but most of them do not, leaving the question of why Xseed decided to include them in the game.

Along with the single player story, “Valhalla Knights 2” also offers ad-hoc multiplayer modes for up to two players. The multiplayer uses the characters that players have created during the single player and allows players to either pit their parties against each other, or play through [See Video, page 11]

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

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‘How to Lose Friends’ ‘Alienates’ Audiences

By Ani Khashadoorian EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

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lthough not many people are willing to admit to this, unofficial statistics show that more than half of American subscribers to the BBC network do it for two reasons: either to appear intellectual and worldly or for those delightful accents.

Our neighbors from across the pond have offered us various entertainment treasures e throughout the years — from Duran Duran to “Harry Potter.”

The English often embed themselves into our culture with their standout performers and narratives. Their most recent offering comes in the form of the movie “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People,” based on the 2001 memoir of the same name by British journalist Toby Young (also a parody title of the best-selling book “How to Win

Friends and Influence People”).

Actor Simon Pegg (“Hot Fuzz,” 2007) stars as Sidney Young, an awkward (deliberately or not is up to debate) journalist who is well-known for his outrageous escapades and outlandish behavior. Generally mocked and looked down upon, even in his own country, Young escapes to New York in a seemingly dream opportunity to work for a highprofile magazine.

The movie chronicles Young’s shaky and humorous stint as a writer for the magazine Sharps, a widely acclaimed high society publication that deals with overzealous publicists, conniving actresses and narcissistic directors.

Young starts out his first evening in the Big Apple at a bar.

A chance meeting with fellow writer Alison Olsen (Kristen Dunst, “Spider-Man 3,” 2007) results in a humorous sequence

that ends up with a transsexual stripper dancing with Young until 3 a.m. — only a few hours before Young begins his job at Sharps.

What follows is Young’s quest to bed the newest starlet on the scene — Sophie Mayes (Megan Fox, “Transformers,” 2007). Mayes becomes Young’s obsession as well as his rival editor Lawrence Maddox’s (Danny Huston, “30 Days of Night,” 2007).

“How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” is one of those movies that makes you laugh when you least expect it. From Young’s outfit on his first day at work (a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Young, Dumb and Full of Come”) to the same transsexual stripper showing up on Take Your Daughter To Work Day, the movie delivers the comedy.

The acting isn’t Oscar worthy from the entire cast, but

Video Game Is Slow Moving [Video, from Page 10] a variety of cooperative missions.

The big show stopper for the multiplayer is a complete lack of balance for parties of different levels. The difficulty in multiplayer is set by the highest levels of the characters being used. So if someone uses a party at a much lower level than someone else’s, they are guaranteed to have a hard time.

An even more serious issue with “Valhalla Knights 2” is with the dungeons themselves and the complete lack of a reliable teleport system.

Since you are forced to travel through earlier dungeons to reach the more advanced ones, there are plenty of long and boring walks in the game. You also have to tolerate this when going back to town, since the item that allows you to teleport back to town is expensive and relatively rare. It is also incredibly unfortunate that the game only has one lone save slot for saved data.

The graphics in “Valhalla Knights 2” are below par, although there are a few graphical aspects that are done well.

The character models have a decent amount of detail to them, especially considering that their appearance changes depending on their equipment. The animation however, ranges from decent to laughably bad. The game includes a wide variety of environments, including a forest, a swamp, caves, and more, but they all suffer from hordes of low-resolution textures.

Matters are only made worse by the fact that there can also be large amounts of slowdown during battles in certain environments.

The audio in “Valhalla Knights 2” is more consistent than the graphics, though this unfortunately does not amount to much. The music in the game is unimpressive, though it fortunately never gets annoying either. The sound effects also fail to stand out, but are still decent.

Whether “Valhalla Knights 2” is worth checking out ultimately depends on whether or not you are willing to put some time into playing it and experiencing

the character creation and customization systems used.

People who are willing to do this may find that the character customization in the game is capable of single-handedly making up for most of the game’s flaws.

If you are a fan of the original game, or want a dungeon crawler that you can really sink some time into, Valhalla Knights 2 is ultimately worth a look. Anyone else interested in the game however should rent it first to see how they like the character customization before dedicating themselves to a purchase.

Release Date: Oct 1.

ESRB Rating: E 10+ for everyone 10 and older, alcohol and tobacco reference, mild language, violence Retail Price: $29.99 Availability: Retail stores and online vendors.

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

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Brent Wallace can be reached at brent_wallace@elvaq.com

passable. Pegg really carries the entire movie (as he should) and everyone else pales in comparison to him.

The soundtrack is a concoction of Duffy, Scissor Sisters, The Killers, and “La Dolce Vita” from Nino Rota. Young enjoys his music quite a bit, as evidenced by the multiple dance sequences throughout the movie (all tying in to a blossoming romance subplot).

Possibly the biggest problem with “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” is how dull and predictable the plot quickly becomes. It starts off well, but soon falls into a story we all know too well — the cheesy romantic comedy with the eggheaded fool and the gorgeous woman he is after.

Directing by Robert B. Weide is well done — the movie is colorful in every respect and moves along quickly, even though

the final half of the plot brings the entire movie down in a blazing crash vaguely reminiscent of Britney Spears’s 2007 “Gimme More” performance at the Video Music Awards.

Pegg fans will find themselves disappointed as this movie does not come close to Pegg’s previous movies. Although a fun comedy, “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” loses its spark and ends up leaving as bland a taste as dry chicken that at first sight appeared to be very juicy.

“How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” runs at 110 minutes and is rated R for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug material.

My rating – 2 out of 5 stars.

 Ani Khashadoorian can be reached at ani_khashadoorian@elvaq.com

‘Blindness’ Is Contagious

By Isiah Reyes

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

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icture a city where panic, destruction and fear unexpectedly arise as everyone suddenly goes blind.

Welcome to “Blindness,” based on Nobel-prize winner Jose Saramago’s 1995 book, “Ensaio Sobre a Ceguerira” (Essay on Blindness). The film illustrates a scenario in which an entire city is stricken with a plague of contagious white blindness from an unknown source followed by swift government intervention to quarantine the infected.

Director Fernando Meirelles (“City of God,” 2003) found it appropriate to follow the book’s format and not give any of the characters a past or even a name. Starring Doctor’s Wife (Julianne Moore, “I’m Not There” 2007), Doctor (Mark Ruffalo, “Reservation Road,” 2007) and Bartender / King of Ward Three (Gael Garcia

Bernal, “Babel,” 2006), the movie shows how people would interact with one another if a sense so vital to everyday life were to suddenly disappear.

In the beginning of the movie, the first victim abruptly goes blind in his car with no explanation. Soon after, human nature begins to show its ugly side as people start honking and shouting at the man to either “move it or lose it”. A “courteous” man known as Thief (Don McKellar) tries to help the blind man only for the purpose of stealing his car.

This type of behavior is believable and is portrayed very convincingly. Another believable aspect of the plot is how the government would step in and try to resolve the problem by transporting all the infected people to a ward to be concealed. This action reflects today’s government where problems are kept hidden rather [See Blindness, page 12]

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

‘Savage in Limbo’ Brings the Bronx to Glendale

By Isiah Reyes

EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER

“S

avage in Limbo” delivered authentic Bronx characters with compelling acting in Glendale Community College’s studio theater Oct. 9.

Directed by Melissa Randel, the play was written by John Patrick Shanley and tells the story of a group of five Bronx regulars at a bar who express the issues over their love lives, or lack there of.

Opening with the bartender Murk (Jordan Grout), the tone is set as a somewhat comical tale as his most important job is to maintain full glasses for his unstable and alleged girlfriend, April White (Ashley Ratcliffe).

The ambiance quickly changes as Denise Savage (Meagon Ligons) bursts into the bar exclaiming that she needs a sudden change in her miserable virginal life. She is soon re-united with childhood classmate Linda Rotunda (Lauren Hamrick), who sobs her way into the bar and is struggling to hold onto the loudmouthed Tony Aronica (Chris Beltran).

As Tony enters the bar, a mixture of humor, profanity, and attention-grabbing acting fills the scene as he admits his newfound attractiveness to “ugly girls,” leaving Linda to freak out within the tight boundaries that the studio

theater provides.

With all the actors on stage, literally within reach, viewing the performance feels as if one is actually sitting in the bar witnessing the events, rather than watching the play from a safe distance.

Similarly, within the tight quarters, the actors’ voices boom and roar as tensions flare between the many conflicts sown into this intricate plot.

Other than the main quarrel between Linda and Tony, Denise decides to move out of her place and invites April and Linda to do the same. It doesn’t take long for Denise to invite Tony as well, and this infuriates Linda to no end.

The plot continues to wrap around itself creating more complexities that do not resolve until the very end.

Besides the storyline and the actors’ performances, there were other positive aspects of the production.

The costumes, designed by costume supervisor Royce Herron, were appropriate for their characters. For example, Tony walks around boasting in a leather jacket and tight pants while Denise is tightly fastened up, perhaps revealing why she is still a virgin.

The lighting arrangement was also fitting. The lights slowly shine on at the beginning and slowly fade away at the end,

almost as if the play takes hold of you, shows you what it needs to show, then slowly releases you back into the real world.

In terms of storytelling, the plot is somewhat believable.

There is no mention of when this takes place and the only bit of information provided about the characters is that they’re all 32 years old. Perhaps that is the only shortcoming of the play; however, the missing blanks in the plot do not interfere with the actual problems presented in the play, which are indeed believable.

For instance, one problem that can happen to almost anyone is the fact that Denise wants to move out of her house but is always pulled back by her needy mother. This is only what she claims, because the truth is that she is too afraid to move out, and thus is trapped in the very thing she longs to escape.

Overall, director Randell, who has experience as an actress, dancer, and choreographer, has directed a fine interpretation of playwright Shanley’s work.

Aside from “Savage in Limbo,” Shanley has written “Moonstruck” (1987), which won the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay; “Doubt” (2004), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2005; and a musical entitled “Romantic Poetry” (2007), co-written with Henry Krieger, an Academy

Photo by Ismael Reyes

Linda Rotunda (Lauren Hamrick) confronts Denise Savage (Meagon Ligons) over Savages’ attempts to sabatoge her romantic relationship.

Award-nominated American composer.

So, if you want to see an exceptional performance by actors who bring their characters to life (complete with Bronx accents), then be sure to check out “Savage in Limbo,” recommended for your viewing pleasure.

Upcoming shows will be on October 16, 17 and 18 at 8 p.m. and on Oct. 19 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for the general audience, $6 for students and

seniors and $4 for groups of 10 or more. Seating is limited and reservations are strongly advised.

There is no late seating and this play is not recommended for children. For reservations, call 818-240-1000 ext. 5612.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

 Isiah Reyes can be reached at isiah_reyes@elvaq.com

‘Blindness’ Shocks, But Fails to Fulfill Promise [Blindness, from Page 11] than dealt with head-on.

The people who are sent to the ward do not see or understand what is going on, so they rely on the Doctor’s Wife, who is the only person who has not gone blind (for reasons unexplained). There is mounting tension between the characters at first, but they realize that they must learn to cope with each other in order to survive.

The characters in the film act accordingly to their blindness as they stumble into chairs, walk with arms ahead of themselves and most of the time they have expressionless faces.

The cinematography in this film is also well done. Most scenes try to manipulate the feeling of blindness by using

certain visual effects to create scenes that suddenly blank out to whiteness, and other times it is so dark that you can only hear what people are saying.

However, the cons outweigh the pros in this movie.

One of the main aspects that drags the rating down are the characters. They’re very bland and uninspired. The only memorable character after seeing the movie was Bartender / King of Ward Three because of his evil, childlike behavior which was quite humorous to watch. Other than his performance, the other actors such as Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo were very stale and forgettable.

The sex scenes create another problem for this movie. There’s too many of them and they abrupt

the flow of the story. There’s one that shows the prostitute character doing her work, then there’s the one with the Doctor when he’s in the ward, then there’s a massive rape scene and so on. It gets to the point where the movie is well directed in terms of being a great adaptation of the book, but for the mainstream audience, you’ll either cringe, cry, or both as you sit through the grittiness.

Also, the nudity in the film doesn’t really match with what’s going on; it’s just sprinkled in random places for shock value.

The last thing that dips the rating down is the fact that almost all the main points to the plot are left blank. The cause for the blindness epidemic is unknown, the reason why the Doctor’s Wife can see while everyone else

cannot is left unanswered and how the rest of the world reacts to this outbreak is, you guessed it, also unexplained.

Apparently, the movie was meant to use blindness as a vehicle which would lead to society’s downfall and would cause the anarchy and fear needed for the story. That is why the origin of the blindness plague is never explained. But still, by the end of the movie, these answers float around the viewer’s head and no sufficient closure is offered. You never learn more than what you knew at the start of the movie.

Overall, “Blindness” is a good movie if you want something new and exciting that will leave you jarred, but otherwise, the average moviegoer may find this movie a bit too uncensored for a

casual viewing.

So if you would like to see how a city would react to a newly disabled fear of the unknown and all the chaos that would ensue, then be sure to see “Blindness,” a film that isn’t afraid to expose its bare nature.

Distributed by Miramax Films, the full runtime for “Blindness” is 120 minutes and is rated R for violence (including sexual assaults), language, sexuality and nudity.

My rating is 2 out of 5 stars.

 Isiah Reyes can be reached at isiah_reyes@elvaq.com

www.elvaq.com

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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SPORTS

Vaqs Rise as Rain Falls on WSC Competition

By Ross Coleman

EL VAQUERO SPORTS EDITOR

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ven a cold and rainy night couldn’t dampen the excitement felt by the Vaqs after their 17-14 victory against a talented Ventura College Oct. 1 at Sartoris Field.

Coming into the game, the Pirates from Ventura were ranked as the number two defense in the state. The Vaqueros were coming off a tough loss at home to Orange Coast College.

The win brings the Vaqs record to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in WSC conference play.

Because of the heavy rains that fell for most of the game, the Vaqs had to rely heavily on their talented rushing attack.

Jason McNeil paced the Vaqs on the ground with 92 yards on 11 carries. Lavelle Peterson finished with 69 yards on 13 carries and Willie Youngblood helped the effort rushing for 52 yards on 15 carries.

While the passing game was where most of the points came from for the Vaqs, the rain frequently deterred the Vaqs from throwing the ball. Quarterback Dylan Martinez completed 11 of 20 passes for 153 yards two touchdowns and an interception.

“We don’t want to have to relay too heavily on [Martinez] when we don’t have too,” said head coach John Rome.

However the game was really won on the defensive side of the ball. The Vaqs held the Pirates to only 14 first downs, four in the first half, and only giving up 14 points all in the second half. The defense also forced two turnovers, interceptions by Kalii Robinson and Max Williams. Michael Klintworth also played well for the defense, recording six tackles including two sacks and one more tackle for loss.

“The defense just played phenomenally,” said Rome.

“When you only give up only 14 points, that’s a fantastic effort.”

The game wasn’t without controversy though.

After the game, it was apparent that Ventura was quite angry and looked for others to blame. One Ventura player got into a shouting match with a Vaquero supporter after the post-game handshake.

“They may have taken us a little lightly,” said Rome of Ventura.

While this win could be called a signature win against a very good football team, they Vaqs didn’t play a perfect game by any means.

“I think we surprised them offensively with the way we moved the ball initially, but we gave away great scoring opportunities early,” explained Rome. “We probably could have scored a few more touchdowns early.”

The Vaqs failed on a fourth down conversion on their opening

drive, missed a field goal on their third drive and turned the ball over deep in Ventura territory on their opening drive of the second half.

Despite these miscues, the Vaqs still came up with a win against a very talented team.

“It was a good win, a great team effort,” said Rome happily.

The Vaqs are off until Saturday at 7 p.m. at Sartoris field when they continue WSC play against the very talented and undefeated College of the Canyons.

Ross Coleman can be reached at Ross_Coleman@elvaq.com

Photo by Allan Beglarian

Glendale College Vaqueros overcome bad weather and a staunch oppenent to win by a 17-14 score at their home turf, Satoris Field, on Saturday, Oct. 4.

Lady Vaqueros Volleyball Loses Two in WSC

By Ken Juaner Malate EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER/ PHOTOGRAPHER

G

lendale College Lady Vaqueros went down 0-2 in the first round of the Western State Conference after losing two consecutive games to Pierce College and more recently, to College of the Canyons by 3-0.

After losing a devastating game on Friday against College of the Canyons, the frustration was evident in the eyes of the players and the coaches. Glendale went down 10-2 early in the first set — and it didn’t get any better from there.

“We definitely didn’t come out with the right mindset,” said assistant coach Lucinda Bucan. “We didn’t come out as aggressively as we should.

We ended up putting ourselves in a hole that we couldn’t dig ourselves out of.”

Throughout the game, it was

apparent that the Lady Vaqs were unfocused with the way they performed. They were missing returns and digs; balls were dropping right in front of the players. Balls were being hit and flung all over the place. The scene can only be described as chaos.

“I feel we started out kind of shaky, and our passing was off,” said sophomore Isabelle Carter.

It would not be fair to blame the loss entirely on the Lady Vaqs.

College of the Canyons played a superb game. Their blocking and returns were on point. They left little room for error and definitely capitalized on every single Glendale mistake.

It’s not that Glendale didn’t prepare for this game, said coach Yvette Ybarra.

“We had a good practice yesterday, they [Vaqs] seemed prepared, they just didn’t show it tonight,” said Ybarra. “I’m really just mad and upset; they didn’t

look like they were prepared to play.”

It is definitely “crunch-time” for the Lady Vaqs. Even though it is early in the first round, it is crucial for them to win the next game, for momentum’s sake.

There is palpable need for change in Glendale’s game play, and that needs to happen now.

“There was real lack of communication,” said sophomore Aya Nakano, who led the team with nine kills. “We just need to work hard… we need to win.”

Before the start of every set, the team would huddle and yell “COMMUNICATION!” Some things are better done than said.

Freshman Carissa Mathijssen, spoke after the game about team communication. “We needed to talk more out there. We need to work on passing errors and communication.

Ken Juaner Malate can be reached at ken_malate@elvaq.com

Photo by Ken Juaner Malate

Isabell Carter puts forth a valiant effort in their 3-0 loss against COC.

14

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

www.elvaq.com

SPORTS COLUMN

The One Big Thing: Bring the NFL Back to L.A.?

By Ross Coleman

EL VAQUERO SPORTS EDITOR

L

os Angeles has been devoid of NFL football since the Rams moved to St. Louis and the Raiders moved to Oakland in 1995. However, local real estate developer Edward Roski hopes to change that in the near future.

In April, Roski unveiled his plans to lure an existing NFL team to the Los Angeles area by building a new state-of-theart NFL specific stadium in the City of Industry, just north of the interchange of the 57 and 60 freeways.

If completed, the proposed 75,000-seat stadium would be ready for the 2011 season.

Roski, who helped fund the Staples Center, said the stadium would be privately funded, much like the Staples Center Project.

Also he expects the stadium to bring in at least $400 million annually in revenues and create nearly 3,000 jobs in the area.

The Stadium plans show an open-air stadium that would be surrounded by shops and restaurants. All in all, the stadium would be the most luxurious and state-of-the-art stadium ever built and every new sports complex would be compared to it.

But the NFL has no desire to expand the league past the 32 teams that it already consists of.

So in order for a team to come to Los Angeles it would mean the

relocation of one of the existing teams.

The teams that have been mentioned as the tenants of what is tentatively called the Los Angeles Stadium are the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, and the St. Louis Rams.

Most of the teams that have been rumored as possible tenants happen to be looking for new stadiums in the cities in which they currently reside. The fact that the Los Angeles is the second largest media market in the country is being used as a bargaining chip by teams to force the cities they do reside in to build new stadiums for them.

However, the NFL has always planned on bringing the NFL back to the LA area. In 1999, NFL owners awarded the 32nd NFL franchise to the city of Los Angeles on the condition that a new stadium be built that could house a team. When the agreement broke down, Houston was awarded the franchise instead and the Houston Texans were born.

The Los Angeles Stadium proposal is very impressive and it would mean a possible upsurge in the Southern California economy.

But does Los Angeles need an NFL team?

There are a few advantages the fact that the NFL has vacated

the area. First is the fact that people can root for any team in the NFL without being tied down to a specific region. Also many people that live in Los Angeles are transplants from all areas of the country — many already have their own favorite teams that they root for.

Secondly, it would take away from the fun college rivalry that has been bred throughout Los Angeles. USC is the preeminent college football program in the country and there are some very exciting things happening at

UCLA to revamp that program.

Lastly, there would be very few people that would be willing to adopt an existing team. Many cities that get teams to relocate from existing fan bases don’t really accept the team as part of the framework of the city. I know that I wouldn’t. Especially teams like the 49ers that have had a lot of success in the city that they come from.

So, with all that being said, I think the plans for the new stadium look incredible and I would love to be able to see

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Ross Coleman can be reached at Ross_Coleman@elvaq.com

Vaquero Sports Summaries Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Oct. 10: WSC Preview Meet Men — finished first in team results Women — finished first in team results

Scores

Women’s Volleyball: Sept. 30: lost to Ventura College 3-0 Oct. 3: defeated Oxnard College 3-0 Oct. 7: lost to L.A. Pierce 3-0 Oct. 10: lost to College of the Canyons 3-0 Women’s Soccer: Sept 30: defeated Citrus College 2-1

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a sporting event at a place as luxurious and inventive as that, but I am a little more skeptical of the idea that NFL cities would allow a team to move away. Yes, it has happened in the past but I just don’t see any teams that are in desperation to get out of the city they are currently in.

The plans for the new Los Angeles Stadium can be seen at the Web site http://www. losangelesfootballstadium.com/.

Oct. 3: lost to Santa Monica College 3-1 Oct. 7: tied L.A. Mission College 1-1 Oct. 10: defeated L.A. Valley College 2-1 Men’s Soccer: Sept. 30: defeated Allan Hancock College 7-2 Oct. 3: lost to Moorpark College 1-0 Oct. 7: defeated College of the Canyons 3-0 Oct. 10: tied Santa Barbara College 1-1 Football: Oct. 4: defeated Ventura College 17-14

Upcoming Events Men’s and Women’s Cross Country: Saturday: Santa Barbara Invitational Santa Barbara College time TBA Tuesday: WSC Championships Allan Hancock College time TBA

Women’s Soccer: Friday: vs. L.A. Pierce at GCC 5 p.m. (DH) Tuesday: at Bakersfield College 7 p.m.

Oct. 24: vs. Citrus College at GCC 7 p.m.

Oct. 28: at Santa Monica College 2 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball: Tuesday: at Bakersfield College 7 p.m.

Oct. 24: vs. West L.A. College at GCC 7 p.m.

Oct. 28: vs. Santa Monica College at GCC

7 p.m.

Men’s Soccer: Friday: vs. Citrus College 7 p.m. (DH) Tuesday: at L.A. Mission College time TBA Oct. 24: at Allan Hancock College 4 p.m.

Oct. 28: vs. Moorpark College 7 p.m.

Football: Saturday: vs. College of the Canyons at GCC

7 p.m.

Oct. 25: at Bakersfield College 7 p.m.

For more information visit: www.glendale.edu/athletics/

www.elvaq.com

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

15

Calendar On Campus events Tupperware Sale — Classified Council will sponsor a scholarship fundraiser today from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Library patio. There will be raffle tickets sold for a Tupperware prize.

Swap Meet — Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the upper campus lot. Free admission. For details, call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5805.

Student Services Assembly — The meeting will include a budget update and presentations

by Outreach, the Assessment Center, and the Transfer Center.

Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Student Center.

AESA Engineering and Sciences Job Fair — The Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America will be hosting a job fair Oct. 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Plaza Vaquero. Admission is free.

For more information, visit www. aesa.org or call (626) 376-7420.

a member, visit www.glendale. edu/pyschologyclub.

www.glendale.edu/planetarium or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5612.

Toy Drive — Glendale Community College and Fred Jordan Missions present their annual Christmas Toy Giveaway. New and unwrapped toys will be collected now through Nov. 20. Toys may be dropped off in bins around campus. Monetary donations will also be accepted. For more information, visit www.fjm.org or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5789.

theater

exhibitions

“Savage in Limbo” — Written by John Patrick Shanley and presented by the Theatre Arts Department. The story focuses on five Bronx acquaintances who question the meanings of their lives. Now through Oct. 19. General admission is $10 and $6 for students. Limited seating. Showtimes vary. For more information, visit www.glendale.edu/theatre or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5612.

“The Whole World is Watching” — Art Gallery. Curator Irene Tsatsos presents an art exhibition that is a pre-election response to current political events. Work by 16 artists relates to the idea of taking matters into ones own hands to effect change. Now through Nov. 8. Gallery hours are noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.glendale. edu/artgallery or (818) 240-1000, ext. 5663.

clubs Psychology Club — Guest speaker and club advisor Daphne Dionisio will discuss the Ph.D., Psy.D., MFT, and MA Programs of Southern California universities including UCLA, USC, CSUN, CSULA, and Pepperdine.

Oct. 23 from noon to 1 p.m. in AA 108. Only club members will be allowed to attend. For more information including how to become

planetarium “Evening with the Stars” — This show introduces the stars, constellations and planets visible in the night sky during fall. Friday at 7 and 8:30 p.m. in the GCC planetarium. General admission is $10 and $6 for students. Limited seating. For information, visit

workshops UC Personal Statement Workshop — The Transfer Center will have a workshop to help students learn to write college essays for admission and scholarships. Oct. 22 from 5 to 6 p.m. in SF 107. No

appointment is needed to attend.

For more information, visit www. glendale.edu/transfercenter or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5442.

Transfer Center — UCLA will have a transfer workshop Oct. 20 from noon to 1 p.m. Cal State Long Beach will have a university admission workshop Oct. 22 from noon to 1 p.m. in SF 107.

By appoinment only. For more information, visit www.glendale. edu/transfercenter or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5442.

Career Center — This workshop will focus on essential resumewriting principles. Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m. For more information, call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5407.

lectures Migration: Why Groups Move — Speakers Richard Kamei and Nathan Sheets. Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. in Kreider Hall.

Around Town events Halloween Harvest Festival — Pierce College Farm Market, 20800 Victory Blvd., Woodland Hills. The festival features pumpkins, kids activities and rides, corn maze, a haunted house and trail, farm animals, food and more. For more information, visit www.halloweenharvestfestival.com or call (818) 999-6300.

Pumpkin Roundup — Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge. Descanso Gardens presents a community celebration featuring many different activities including a costume parade and a “Rodeo” dance performance. Oct. 25 and 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the event is free with paid garden admission. For more information, including the times of each event, visit www.descansogardens.org or call (818) 949-4200.

Spooky House — 21512 Nordhoff St., Chatsworth. Spooky House features three expanded and uniquely haunted and scary attractions. Not recommended for children under 10. General

admission is $20. Oct. 23 through Nov. 2. For more information, visit www.spookyhouse.com or call (818) 882-3327.

Ghost Train — 5202 Zoo Drive, Griffith Park, Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum presents playful spooks on the mini-trains. Evening rides feature 30 displays around the track. Oct. 17 to Oct. 19 and Oct. 24 to Oct. 26. from 7 to 10 p.m. Admission is free. A donation of $5 is suggested. For more information, visit www.lals. org or call (323) 661-8958.

exhibitions Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913–2008 — Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. The exhibition explores the ways in which photography and celebrity have interacted and changed, with portraits from the magazine’s early period. Oct. 26 through March 1. Admission is $12 for adults and $8 for students with I.D. Museum hours vary. For more information, visit www.lacma.org or call (323) 857-6000.

The Art of War — Norton Simon Museum of Art, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. This exhibition features 33 works chosen from the Museum’s extensive collection of American posters from World War I and World War II. Now through Jan. 26. Admission is free for students with I.D. Museum hours vary. For more information, visit www.nortonsimon. org or call (626) 449-6840.

Confucius: Shaping Values Through Art — Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. The exhibition will include Chinese ink rubbings, folk paintings, silk embroideries and Japanese woodblock prints. Now through Jan. 11. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for students. Museum hours vary. For more information, visit www.pacificasiamuseum.org or call (626) 449-2742, ext. 10.

In Focus: The Landscape — The Getty, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. This exhibition, drawn exclusively from the Getty Museum’s collection, brings together the work of more than 25 innovative photographers. Now through Jan. 11. Admission is

free. Parking is $10 per car. Museum hours vary. For information, visit www.getty.edu or call (310) 440-7300.

music Baroque Variations — Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. Pianist Piotr Anderszewski plays Bach. Saturday at 8 p.m. Admission prices vary. For more information, visit www.laphil.com or call (323) 850-2000.

theater “Hamlet” — A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd. Director Michael Michetti presents William Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy. Now through Dec. 7. Showtimes and ticket prices vary. For more information, visit www.anoisewithin. org or call (818) 240-0826.

“King Kong” — Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd. The Alex Film Society and Carl Denham present the classic monster picture on the big screen with a vintage newsreel. Authors Ray Bradbury and Forrest Ackerman will be present

to discuss the film and its affect on science fiction and fantasy films. Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. Admission is $13.50. Students with I.D. may purchse discounted tickets at the box office. For more information, visit www.alextheatre.org or call (818) 243-2539.

wellness Meditations for a Happy Life — Neighborhood Church of Pasadena, 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Room 23, Pasadena. The Kadampa Meditation Center California presents meditation classes. Mondays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. with instructor Amy Peng.

Admission is $12 per class. For more information, visit www. meditateinla.org.

Free Health Clinic — Open Tuesdays 6 to 8:30 p.m. On a first-come, first-served basis.

Located at 134 N. Kenwood St. Third floor, Room 330, Glendale.

No job related physical exams offered. For more information visit www.glendaleclinic.org or call (818) 243-2105, ext. 202.

Compiled by Tina Hagopian

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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