WEATHER
Humorous ’Paul’ puts a spin on alien film genre
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Daily
Volume 136, Issue 29
SJSU water-saving efforts make a splash with award Francisco Rendon Staff Writer
Photo: McClatchy Tribune
A rebel fighter celebrates on a smouldering tank Monday in the village of Zwinta, Libya, two days after U.S. and coalition forces imposed a no-fly zone over the country.
WORLD NEWS
U.S., coalition forces in standoff with Gadhafi supporters McClatchy Tribune BENGHAZI, Libya — Two days after U.S. and coalition forces imposed a no-fly zone over Libya, rebels moved Monday to retake the city of Ajdabiya, a crossroads in their fight to regain the territory they lost last week. Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi still held the bulk of Ajdabiya, about 50 miles south of Benghazi, but rebels said they had entered the outskirts. Rebel forces said that after Ajdabiya, they would move to the oil terminal towns of Brega and Ras Lanuf, and the village of Bin Jawad, which they lost last week to Gadhafi loyalists, and then would tackle Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte. But that seemed like an ambitious goal on Monday, for the forces in Ajdabiya were poorly armed and scattered, some coming to battle only with knives. The fall of Ajdabiya to Gadhafi’s forces Saturday triggered a wholesale exodus of Gadhafi opponents from Benghazi, which had become the rebel capital in eastern Libya. But when French fighter jets
bombed Gadhafi tanks here and the U.S. and Great Britain followed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and bomber attacks on Gadhafi’s antiaircraft defenses outside Tripoli, the rebels flooded back. The boost to rebel morale from the allied bombing strikes could be seen everywhere here. Residents who didn’t flee Saturday emerged from their homes for the first time in days. How far the allied bombers will go in supporting the rebel advance was unclear, however, and it isn’t certain that the disorganized and untrained rebel force would be able to retake the towns along Libya’s coastal highway without allied attacks on Gadhafi’s tanks and artillery. The war could well be headed to a stalemate. On Monday, the western city of Misrata sustained more attacks from pro-Gadhafi forces, which apparently were undeterred by the allies’ bombing campaign. U.S. Army Gen. Carter Ham, the commander of the U.S. Africa Command, which is responsible for Libya, told reporters Monday that the allies wouldn’t take sides in the conflict. The U.N. Security Council, which approved the imposition of the
no-fly zone last week, scheduled a closed-door session Monday to hear concerns from Russia, India and China over how the U.S., Britain and France had carried out the resolution. Despite the allied attacks, Benghazi seemed far emptier Monday than a few days ago, suggesting that not everyone is convinced the fighting here is over. The few shops that were open before the attack are now closed. Residents who remained had set up checkpoints near burned-out tanks and trucks, which rebels had abandoned as they fled Saturday. Residents took their children to the tanks and posed with them, sometimes planting a free Libya flag on the relics. Many suggested renaming the city’s main highway for French President Nicolas Sarkozy, conceding that pro-Gadhafi forces would have taken the city if France hadn’t mounted its air assault here Saturday. The road is currently named for Gamel Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian leader who supported Gadhafi’s revolt in 1969.
see LIBYA page 4
A coalition of organizations concerned with water issues in the Bay Area recently recognized SJSU with a Silicon Valley Water Conservation Award. The award, in the “organization” category, will be formally presented today at the Humane Society Silicon Valley in Milpitas. It is a recognition of SJSU’s efforts to reduce the amount of clean water wasted and to implement water recycling technology, said Peter Drekmeier, Bay Area program director for the Tuolumne River Trust, one of the organizations that presents the Silicon Valley Water Conservation Awards. “San Jose State University has done far more than any other organization to promote recycled water use,” Drekmeier said. “San Jose State University is not just one of our most impressive recipients this year, but in the history of the Silicon Valley Water Conservation Awards.” Katherine Cushing, associate professor of environmental studies and sustainability director for SJSU, said the award was a result of the attention SJSU has given this issue for some time. “We’re thrilled to have the university’s efforts be recognized,” she said. “I think that for over a decade, the university has really been a leader in recycled water.” Cushing said most of the credit should be given to Facilities Development and Operations, who put in most of the work in implementing these changes throughout the university. “It’s really our facilities people who do most of the work,” she said. In the past 10 years, SJSU has reduced its potable, or drinkable, water use by 40 percent, from 520 acre-feet per year in 2001 to 280 acre-feet per year in 2011, a difference of about 2,800 football fields, according to information from SJSU facilities and operations.
Professor fuses east and west in final art exhibition Leo Postovoit Staff Writer “I just look forward to traveling,” said Professor Arthur Kao. “I’ve been teaching too long and it’s time for me to retire.” “Miracles of Ink and Color,” on display in the second-floor exhibit gallery in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, is Kao’s last hurrah as a professor of art history. In his 22 years at SJSU and in his styling of ink paintings, his show blends the traditional influences of Eastern Asia and western Europe, borrowing from both Chinese painting and impressionism. All the paintings on display are for sale, and all proceeds will be donated to the library. “The landscapes have bright, vibrant colors,” said Natalie Panchenko, a freshman graphic design major and one of Kao’s students. “You can feel the warmth and movement in his work.”
Kao said his work blends the same type of inks used for hundreds of years in Asia on a paper made from rough rice reeds designed to free the motions that oil paintings freeze and let go the colors that watercolor paper mops up. “I layer the colors thick,” he explained. “Back home we were taught to do traditional paintings — very subtle.” A native of Taiwan, he grew up in the city of Changhua. At the age of 15, Kao began attending a local teaching college, called a normal school, in preparation for a career in education. He explained that he found his calling after meeting a mentoring professor taught him the conservative forms of Eastern art. “I fell in love with art there,” Kao said. With fundamentally different techniques from those taught in Western schools, Kao said he became an expert of the inkstick, Chinese ink and the other essential tools of the medium. After graduating from the normal school he
pursued a master’s degree in art history at National Taiwan University of Arts. The university is the oldest arts college in Taiwan and is home to many distinguished Taiwanese and Chinese alumni, including “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” Director Ang Lee. After graduating he taught at the university for several years. A visiting professor from Kansas University encouraged him to apply for a Ph.D. program in the United States. “I always wanted to go to America,” he said. “He drew up an application and then I went to Lawrence.” The export of Kao’s Asian traditional talents synergized with the Western influences in the United States produced the style that is uniquely his. “It is very zen in its nature — to have wis-
see ARTIST page 4
Energy analyst Jared Isaacson said the reduction has come largely from the campus’ efforts to use recycled water in watering the South Campus athletic fields, for flushing the toilets in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library and controlling the temperature of the chilled water tower, a part of campus cooling system. “There’s huge quantities used in these cooling applications,” he said. “Twenty million gallons (are used) in cooling campus athletic fields.” Recycled water is made available through the South Bay Water Recycling Program, which Isaacson said is an initiative brought about by the City of San Jose. The program makes available the option to pipe dirty water to the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant. From there, Isaacson said the water goes through “an extensive treatment process” and can be piped back to the university in a separate piping system and used in applications where the water will not be drunk. “We’re saving in the neighborhood of $100,000 per year in using the recycled water for these two functions, as compared to using potable water,” he said. “There’s significant cost savings.” Isaacson said the initial cost of installing a separate piping system is one of the barriers that prevent companies and organizations from using this program, as it can be expensive and time consuming. He also said the process is heavily regulated by the Department of Public Health to make sure the potable water and recycled water lines do not cross at any point. Purple signs saying “non-potable water” mark places where recycled water is being used, such as the South Campus athletic fields sprinkler system and should not be drunk, Isaacson said. The recent project to convert toilet-flushing water in the
see WATER page 2
CORRECTIONS • In Wednesday’s story titled “Presidential candidate thinks long term,” the quote “What is your stance on the importance of A1 athletics here at SJSU?” was misattributed to Shirley Reekie, chair of the kinesiology department. The quote should have been attributed to Sonja Lilienthal of the kinesiology department. • In a story from March 14 titled “Persian new year kicks off Iranian Studies Program,” Mahvash Guerami was the santour player, while Pezham Akhavass played the tombak drum.