The Telescope 62.13

PALOMAR COLLEGE, SAN MARCOS, CALIF.

MONDAY FEB. 2, 2009

FOCUSED ON PALOMAR

VOL. 62, NO. 13

the-telescope.com

Flu season peaks in February

Softball sneak peek

KELLEY FOYT THE TELESCOPE

JAVIER TOVAR THE TELESCOPE

With the winter holidays over, few students have the flu on their minds. But flu season continues through March and students need to take precautions to prevent catching the virus.

“The greatest misconception that people have when they sneeze or cough is that they should cover their nose and mouth with their hands,” said Sue Mayfield, a Registered Nurse at Palomar College.

Coughing or sneezing into hands allows those germs to then be spread to door handles, books, desks and others.

“Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue every time you cough or sneeze.Throw the used tissue in a waste basket. If you don’t have a tissue, sneeze or cough into your sleeve,” a brochure by the Washington State Department of Health advises.

In order to help reduce risk of contracting influenza it is important to wash hands regularly and work to reduce stress Mayfield said.

Stress is a factor that contributes not only to influenza, but to several other infections.

Students at Palomar College have several options in deciding how to

Graduates fare better in recession

ROB BACON

| THE TELESCOPE

Comets begin practice for the 2009 softball season under returning coach Mark Eldridge who took the Comets to the Conference Championships for 22 years straight. The team looks forward to starting a new Conference Championship steak this season.

California is ranked the fourth highest unemployment rate in the nation last November.

The national unemployment rate has increased to 7.2 percent.

In comparison, although the unemployment rate of workers with a college degree has increased, it is still drastically lower, at 3.7 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A college degree generally leads to a higher-paying and more stable career. Therefore, it acts as a sort of “buffer” against the current recession.

“I’m here full time [because I want a career,]” Palomar Freshman Evan Spencer said.

“The way society is and our economy, you’ve gotta separate yourself from the norm. You’ve gotta at least be a part of the big group of people who are going to school full time and making something of themselves.”

Regardless, the college graduate population has no immunity to the economic crisis and has still suffered. Unemployment rates remain at a record high.

College graduates “have a privileged position in the labor market,” said Lawrence Mishel, Economic Policy Institute President. However, he predicts that the unemployment rate for both college graduates and the

Future Palomar students Gear Up for college TURN TO FLU

SEASON PAGE 3

MELISSA LERAY THE TELESCOPE

Local high school students receive help preparing for college through Palomar College’s program Gear Up. The program specifically focuses on young students to prepare them for college. They offer programs starting in sixth and seventh grades, continuing until their senior year in high school.

Gear Up hires about 100 Palomar students to tutor and mentor these students. They also PAT CUBEL | THE TELESCOPE chaperone when the group visits different colleges.

Palomar student Claudia Duran asks outreach coordinator Joe Vasquez about Gear Up.

OPINION

ENTERTAINMENT Black boxes: The unknown car spy PAGE 4

Spring festival preview PAGE 8

Staff and the tutors/mentors go into middle schools where they tutor one-on-one with students.

After middle school the program follows students to high school.

Throughout the process the tutor/mentors and staff work with parents and teachers.

A goal of the program is to create, “More of an expectation that more students can go to college,” said Cecilia Rocha, Gear Up program coordinator.

“Every student can go to college regardless of their background or situation,” she added.

One other goal of the program is to connect present choices to

TURN TO GRADUATES PAGE 3

future college, and future college with future careers, according to Calvin One Deer Gavin, Palomar’s Gear Up director.

Gear Up does this by focusing on four areas; parent involvement and education, advanced academic achievement, college knowledge and planning and career awareness and planning.

Palomar students working in the program, tend to be more confident in their own careers according to Gavin.

Cindy Fowles a Gear Up tutor/mentor is using the program TURN TO GEAR

UP PAGE 6

SPORTS

FOCUS Practical tips to save money PAGE 11

Comets stay unbeaten in conference PAGE 12

2 | CAMPUS BEAT

THE TELESCOPE | MONDAY, FEB. 2, 2009

CAMPUS CALENDAR

New option for multicultural class

“Little Miss Sunshine,”“Kill Bill,” and “Horton Hears a Who!” are a few of the films students will study in Cinema 122, Identity in American Film.

The three credit class meets on Mondays from 1 to 3:50 p.m. and fulfills the Palomar College multicultural requirement.

The main focus of the class is to identify the characteristics that make an American and examine them through the lens of current movies.

According to course instructor Garrett Chaffin-Quiray, this is a cool class for people who enjoy watching movies and more importantly, talking about them.

Chaffin-Quiray attended film school at the University of Southern California where he received a bachelor’s and master’s degree.

The class will consist of a brief lecture,movie screening, and group discussion led by Chaffin-Quiray. Course work includes five essays of 250 words plus and a term paper, 1000 words and up.There is also required textbook reading.

The movies selected for the class are either widely popular or artistically significant in the way they touch on the issues of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and age. Titles include: “High Noon,” “Gone Baby Gone,” “The Kingdom,”“Over the Hedge,”“Volume 1,”“StopLoss,” “Murderball,” “Hedwig and The Angry Inch,” “Transamerica,” and “No Country for Old Men.” Enrollment is limited to 60 students. For more information, contact Professor ChaffinQuiray at gchaffinquiray@palomar.edu.

February is Healthy Heart Month February is Healthy Heart Month and Health Services is doing screening cholesterol at a reduced fee for the whole month.

The fee is $10 for Palomar students and $15 for Palomar employees.

According to the Center for Disease Controls Web site, about every 26 seconds an American will have a coronary event,and about one every minute will die from one.

Appointments must be made for the screenings,which take about thirty minutes. They can be made at either the San Marcos or Escondido campuses.

There is a required fasting period starting at midnight the night before a scheduled appointment, which allows no food- only water during this time.

During February, Health Services will also be offering free blood pressure screenings by appointment only.

For further information contact Health Services at (760) 744-1150 ext. 2380.

Scholarships and Financial Aid due With the spring semester under way, financial aid and scholarship opportunity deadlines for school money are fast approaching.

According to the Palomar Web site, a financial aid deadline of immediate concern for students is March 2, which is the deadline to apply for the first round of 2009-2010 Cal Grants.

Students must have their Free Application for Federal Student Aid submitted to the federal processor and their grade point average transmitted electronically by the school. They may also choose to submit their grades via the GPAVerification form to the California Student Aid Commission by March 2.

March 14 is the deadline for all federal financial aid applications to finalize their spring 2009 schedules.

Feb. 17 is the scholarship deadline for the 2009-2010 school year. According to Mary S. San Agustin,Palomar’s director of Financial Aid

CAMPUS WEATHER

Tuesday, Feb. 3 FLU SHOTS Health Services still has flu shots available. The shots are $15 for students and $20 for staff. They are available on a walk-in basis from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Monday through Thursday and until 3:30 p.m. on Friday.

Students must bring a valid student I.D. For more information, please contact the Health Services Department at (760) 744-1150, ext. 2380. Shots will be available on an ongoing basis while supplies last.

Wednesday, Feb. 4 ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASG will hold its weekly meeting from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in SU-204. It is a student organization made up of 16 elected officials who serve on campus-wide shared governance, as well as lobby State and Federal representatives on student issues.

Elections are held in May of each year. For more information call the Office of Student Affairs at (760) 744-1150, ext. 2594.

Thursday, Feb. 5 CONCERT HOUR

ROB BACON | THE TELESCOPE

Browsing for Bargains Palomar student Caitlin Steinman searches for deals at the giant book sale held in front of the Student Union on the San Marcos Campus on a cold, but sunny, Jan. 27.

and Scholarships, “Our students need to go to our financial aid home page and see the scholarships that are available and then fill out the scholarship form after they sign in to the student e-services section.”

According to San Agustin, the Financial Aid Office will work with students to help them apply for the available scholarships that they are eligible to receive.

Veterans and their dependents are eligible to apply for the Education for Heroes Fund Scholarship. More information will be made available in the following weeks concerning this scholarship opportunity.

For more information visit the Financial Aid Office or the Palomar Web site at www.palomar.edu/fa.

Police Blotter

VEHICLE THEFT RECOVERY

Two teens were arrested after Palomar police received a LoJack activation signal that indicated that a stolen vehicle was in the immediate vicinity.

The two 17-year-old boys had stolen a 1995 Nissan Maxima earlier that day in Los Angeles. The two are expected to be taken to juvenile hall.

Chinese to debate Palomar students Palomar College’s debate team will be hosting the Chinese National Traveling Debate Team at 6 p.m. on Feb. 9 in the P-32 auditorium at the San Marcos campus.

There will be two debates that take place.

One will be a traditional debate, while the other will be a friendship debate. The friendship debate is done as a mixed team,which will consist of both Chinese and Palomar students.

For more information call the Forensics department (760) 744-1150, ext. 2794 or visit www.palomar.edu/speech_and_asl/speech_fo rensics.

Sheriff's Department and the girl was returned safely to her parents.

OFFICER USES AED TO SAVE LIFE An elderly man’s life was saved by a Palomar officer after the victim passed out in the baseball bleachers. The victim, who is not a student, possibly suffered from a stroke.

Officer Harun arrived at the scene to find the man unresponsive.

With the help of a Palomar College athletic trainer, Officer Harun used an AED, an automated external defibrillator. The subject was later transported by paramedics to Palomar Hospital.

VEHICLE THEFT RECOVERY

ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING A suspect was taken into custody for an alleged kidnapping attempt. Officer So'oto saw a man driving a vehicle slowly with his flashers on next to a young girl on Mission Road.

The officer found it suspicious and went to investigate. He found the young girl to be extremely distressed. The police notified the

A golf cart belonging to Palomar College’s Facilities Department was stolen on Jan. 5 in front of the Wellness Center. It has since been recovered. It was found abandoned on Borden Road. However, no suspects have been apprehended in this matter. Please contact Campus Police with any information at (760) 744-1150, ext. 2289.

The Performing Arts Department will host soloist Amadou Fall on the Kora, a 21-string West African flute-harp, at 12:30 p.m. in the Performance Lab, room D-10. Concert Hour is an ongoing free event throughout the semester.

For more information on upcoming events, call (760) 744-1150, ext. 2316. Concert Hour can also be watched live via a link on Performing Arts’ Web site, palomar.edu/performingarts.

Friday, Feb. 6 LAST DAY FOR TEXTBOOK REFUNDS This is the last day to return textbooks to the Bookstore and receive a full refund. According to the Bookstore, all returns must be in the same condition as when purchased for a refund, including CD’s and discs. Writing in textbooks will result in a 25 percent refund reduction.

Students must have receipt and credit card to complete all transactions. Shrink-wrapped packages are not returnable if the original wrapping is broken.

Please call the Bookstore at (760) 744-1150, ext.

2682 with any additional questions.

Saturday, Feb. 7 IMAGES OF THE FIGURE Boehm Gallery is hosting its sixth annual exhibition of West Coast Drawing, entitled “Images of the Figure.” A reception for the artists will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the gallery. The exhibition will run from Feb. 10 to April 4.

West Coast Drawing features San Diego area artists, and “promotes respect for drawing as an art form.” For more information, call (760) 744-1150, ext.

2304.

What’s up?

Do you know something we should cover? Let us know. To submit story tips or events for the campus calendar, e-mail us at telescope@palomar.edu or call (760) 891-7865.

Wednesday, Feb. 4

Thursday, Feb. 5

Friday, Feb. 6

Saturday, Feb. 7

Sunday, Feb. 8

72˚/45˚

69˚/43˚

71˚/44˚

72˚/42˚

71˚/44˚

73˚/43˚

RAIN

PARTLY CLOUDY

SUNNY

SUNNY

SUNNY

Monday, Feb. 2

Tuesday, Feb. 3

72˚/44˚ SUNNY

SUNNY

NEWS | 3

MONDAY, FEB. 2, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

GRADUATES

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

rest of the population will continue to increase.

College graduates have increasingly become susceptible to unemployment. The current recession is proving to affect a wider range of industries and workers than the previous recessions since 1990.

Older and higher educated workers are losing their jobs at higher rates than before. Younger, less-educated workers remain at the highest risk for job losses, according to research by P r i n c e t o n University economics professor Henry Farber.

“It makes a lot of sense. […]

You have to go through college to get a career. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work that way,” student Steve Dale said. “My goal is get a degree to get a career, just laying out the tools that I need to have a successful life.”

“I feel like I need to jump on college because of the economic situation,” student Cal Revier said. “I had to apply for months just to get the $9-an-hour job that I have now.”

College degrees not only assist

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people in maintaining a career, but also with earning a higher income.

In the U.S., people with college degrees earned 30 percent more than those with high school degrees, according to a briefing paper on the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development Web site.

“If you don’t go to college, you can’t really expect to make much. It makes sense,” Berani Hull, Palomar student said.

The unemployment rate remains the highest for those without a high school diploma, at 10.5 percent.

— CAL REVIER “A high Palomar Student s c h o o l degree is almost useless at this point,” Dale said.

The United States have the third greatest income disparity in the world between those with college degrees and those without. According to the OECD Web site, a person with a degree earns more than 30 percent more than someone without.

“You work for your degree and you put more time and commitment into that,” Lauren Saric, Palomar student said. “Society respects that, because you take your life more seriously when you have to work.”

I feel like I need to jump on college because of the economic situation.

”

FLU SEASON CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

deal with stress in college.

Palomar student Joseph Murrays said he tries to sleep eight hours a night, avoids fast food and sweets, does yoga every morning, and reads to deal with stress and stay healthy throughout the semester.

Catching the flu may seem like a minor sickness, but it has the capability to take students away from school and work for up to eight weeks.

For students in contact with elderly people, newborn babies, and those with chronic illness, the flu and its complications can be life threatening.

One contributing factor to the influenza virus is that people are not listening to their bodies according to Maria Monsalud, a Registered Nurse at Palomar College.

“If people would focus on their own health, the over all health of the campus would better,” Palomar student Alberto Carmona said. He added that he thinks college students need to adopt healthier practices and quit depending on caffeine for energy.

Palomar College football player Ben Fanene said along with working out, he plays football and stays active to help relieve stress.

ROB BACON| THE TELESCOPE

Sue Mayfield, a registered nurse at Palomar Health Services, prepares to give flu shots to Palomar students. The shots cost $15 for students and $20 for faculty.

If students and staff take responsibility of their individual health, then everyone can enjoy a safer and healthier community here at Palomar College.

“Palomar in general is moving to be a healthier campus, and I’m exited about that,” Murray said.

The Student Health Services still has flu shots available to students. For more information please visit www.palomar.edu/healthservices or visit the Student Health Services Department.

4

| OPINION

OUR VIEWPOINT

College students need to be more involved It is all too often that the average college student complains of being unable to get needed classes, the parking situation on campus, the economy and a host of other problems they face daily. However it is all too rare that a college student takes action to fix these problems.

Between work, school and home responsibilities, many college students complain they don’t have time to get involved, claim they don’t know how or simply resign, believing they can’t make a difference by themselves.

This is all too similar an argument to those who believe their vote doesn’t count, and therefore choose not to vote. True, one vote will probably never be a deciding factor in a presidential race, however the culmination of student votes add up to a number that can severely impact results.

Getting involved doesn’t have to be time consuming; it can be as easy as getting informed and then voting, writing a letter or making a simple phone call.

Start by becoming informed. Read a newspaper to keep up with what is going on locally, nationally and globally, and if there is something that doesn’t seem right, get involved.

If the current economic situation is weighing down and the seemingly never ending stream of bailouts are a concern contact the offices of Senator Barbara Boxer at (202) 2243553 and Senator Dianne Feinstein at (202) 224-3841.

Senators make $116,208 a year and spend most of their time in Washington D.C., making it easy for them to loose touch with the concerns of Californians who aren’t quite so privileged.

If unable to get classes because of class cuts, contact Palomar President Robert Deegan at rdeegan@palomar.edu or at (760) 744-1150, ext. 2104. Make sure Deegan knows what classes Palomar needs more of.

Deegan may be sympathetic to the plight of a student trying to get necessary classes for graduation or transfer, but unless he knows exactly which classes students are in the most need of, it is nearly impossible to remediate the situation when the current economic crisis forces class cuts.

So get involved and effect change. One person can make a difference and if you don’t do anything to fix the problem, you have no right to complain.

MONDAY FEB. 2, 2009

FOCUSED ON PALOMAR

The Telescope is published 11 times per semester. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily represent those of the entire newspaper staff, Palomar faculty and staff members or the governing board trustees.

ADDRESS | The Telescope, Palomar College 1140 W. Mission Road, San Marcos, CA 92069 NEWSROOM | Room MB-1 PHONE | (760) 891-7865 FAX| (760) 891-3401 E-MAIL | telescope@palomar.edu ADVERTISING E-MAIL | telescopead@palomar.edu

THE TELESCOPE | MONDAY, FEB. 2, 2009

Uncle Sam hitching a ride?

Black boxes give “Big Brother” an inside look at personal driving habits CRYSTAL EVANS THE TELESCOPE

Pleading the fifth has long been a right guaranteed to all citizens of the United States, but there will be no need to plead the fifth when the black boxes hitching a ride under their front seat testify against them.

Event data recorders, more commonly known as black boxes, control the deployment of airbags in a vehicle, according to Injury Sciences LLC, and these black boxes record driving habits unbeknownst to many vehicle owners.

Black boxes come in almost every vehicle that has airbags.

However, the types and amount of information stored varies greatly from car to car.

The boxes can collect a variety of information including speed, if the car was braking or accelerating, stopping distance, intensity of impact, if the driver and passengers were wearing seatbelts, and even the number and sequence of collisions if more than two cars were involved, according to the Injury Sciences. However, the boxes have limited memory and only maintain the last two to 20 seconds of data.

Black boxes began as a simple device that controlled the deployment of airbags.

However, the government is now using this information to

indict drivers.

It is becoming increasingly popular for the data from black boxes to be presented in court as evidence when trying to decide what occurred in an accident, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. Thus we have reached an era in which your own car can testify against you.

And now insurance companies want access to the information that black boxes are collecting. According to Injury Sciences, the technology exists to increase the amount and kinds of data black boxes collect, and insurance companies are fighting to gain access to this information, even when an accident hasn’t occurred.

If insurance companies were to gain access to this information, premiums could potentially increase based on driving habits including speed, amount of driving, times of driving, rate of acceleration and deceleration and whether the vehicle occupants wear their seatbelts.

In fact, a program was introduced by Progressive late last year that based premiums on driving habits, and there is not yet any feedback on the

“

program.

Insurance companies already have access to driving records.

Those who drive unsafely get tickets or get into car accidents and pay for their unsafe habits with premium increases. With these steps already in place, there is no need to allow insurance companies to invade our privacy.

Currently California is one of only 12 states with laws protecting the information contained within black boxes, according to Injury Services, however the law states that information can be collected with owner consent or by court order. This isn’t much of a comfort as insurance companies can bully their clients into granting them permission and court orders would be easy to obtain in the event of an accident.

And who is to say where this invasion of privacy will stop, once insurance companies gain access to this information, who is to say the police won’t be the next to go after it in order to ticket drivers who are not driving “safely?”

The time has come to stop Big Brother’s ever-encroaching policies and retain the rights we have.

We have reached an era in which your own car can testify against you.

”

JOSEPH BONNET | THE TELESCOPE

The Telescope welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters must be typewritten, under 300 words and include the author’s first and last names, major and phone number. Phone numbers will not be published. Letters can be e-mailed to telescope@palomar.edu or delivered to the newsroom in Room MB-1.

VOLUME 62 NUMBER 13

EDITOR IN CHIEF | CRYSTAL EVANS NEWS EDITOR | MELISSA LERAY ASST. NEWS EDITOR | MAGGIE AVANTS OPINION EDITOR | ERIC WALKER ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR | ALEJANDRA JACKSON FOCUS EDITOR | KELLEY FOYT SPORTS EDITOR | JARRED POWELL PHOTO EDITOR | ROBERT BACON COPY EDITOR | ERIC WALKER AD MANAGER | CRYSTAL EVANS DISTRIBUTION MANAGER | KEVIN THOMPSON INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS | CHARLES STEINMAN | MATT NULL JOURNALISM ADVISER | ERIN HIRO PHOTOJOURNALISM ADVISER | PAUL STACHELEK

STAFF WRITERS | HEATHER CAMERON, SHAWNNA CLEARY, ANDRE COLEY, PAT CUBEL, SHOKO HACHIYA, NIGEL HARRIS, MELISSA JARRETT, SHAUN KAHMANN, BARBARA ANN MAC LAREN, CHRIS MEYER, CASEY OLAYA, CYRILA RICHARDSON, TYPHANIE SHARFNER, JAVIER TOVAR, LESETT TUNNELL, KARA VERMULEN, MATT WADLEIGH, GRAIANNE WARD, ROBIN WITT STAFF CARTOONISTS | JOSEPH BONNET

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS | HUGH COX, PATRICK CUBEL, CIARA KEITH

The Telescope reserves the right to edit letters for space and grammatical errors and not to print lewd or libelous letters. Letters must be received one week prior to the newspaper’s publication to be considered for inclusion.

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MONDAY, FEB. 2, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

Next time they may come for you ROD DREHER MCT CAMPUS

If you gave money to the successful Proposition 8 campaign to outlaw same-sex marriage in California, you'd better watch out. Anonymous gay-marriage activists have mashed up public data with Google mapping technology to create Eightmaps.com, an online map to your home. And it’s perfectly legal.

Alarmed Prop 8 backers recently filed a federal lawsuit seeking an injunction against a state law forcing citizens who give $100 or more to campaigns to disclose their names and addresses.

“I don’t get the fear,” gay-marriage campaigner Andrew Sullivan disingenuously wrote on his popular blog. “If Prop 8 supporters truly feel that barring equality for gay couples is vital for saving civilization, shouldn’t they be proud of their financial support?”

This is why people are frightened by Eightmaps: •Margie Christofferson, a manager of a popular Hollywood restaurant, did not talk about her politics or her religion but quietly gave $100 to the Prop 8 campaign.

Activists swarmed the restaurant, with a mob getting so out of hand that riot police had to be called.

•A man who wrote a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle supporting Prop 8 soon found that gay activists posted to the Web personal information about him and, as appalled Chronicle columnist John Diaz noted, urged “in ugly language, retribution against

the author’s business and its identified clients.”

•In Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, someone sent mysterious white powder to Mormon temples, apparently to protest the Latter-day Saints Church’s role in passing Prop 8.

•In Fresno, Calif., police said the city’s mayor and a local pastor received death threats over their support for Prop 8.Vandals pelted the pastor’s church with eggs.

There’s more where this came from. Given what gay-rights fanatics have shown themselves capable of, who can blame traditional marriage supporters for being afraid?

In online Eightmaps discussion, gays typically take the line that anyone who would vote to take away their marriage rights deserves what he gets. Extremism in the defense of gay marriage, therefore, is no vice. Let this be a lesson about the tolerance those who do not support same-sex marriage will receive if it becomes legal.

Eightmaps.commies are so caught up in their own revenge drama that they don’t understand how this technique can be used against homosexuals. It won’t be long before far-right radicals draw on publicly available data to create an online map to gay-rights supporters’ homes. How safe will gay folks in small towns feel if gay bashers are one click away from a map to their house?

For that matter, anyone who wants to give money to a candidate or cause will wonder if it’s worth taking the risk of being

eightmapped by radicals. Would you give to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, La Raza or Planned Parenthood if you thought right-wing goons would eightmap you, as these leftwing goons have eightmapped social conservatives? Could you afford to put your family at risk?

And that’s the only conceivable point of Eightmaps: to intimidate ordinary people into political docility.

Eightmaps is a vicious cultural gauge. It rips apart a common understanding that makes it possible for us to live together in a diverse democracy. Today, technology makes a great deal of personal information about each of us publicly available. We therefore depend more than ever on the restraining power of custom – such as the shared sense that people have the right to feel safe in their own home – to keep that information from misuse.

Substitute the phrase “custom” for “law,” and you have captured the danger of what the Eightmaps people have done.

They may believe Prop 8 backers are devils, but they ought to give the devils the benefit of custom for their own safety’s sake _ especially given the vulnerability homosexuals have always had to gay-bashers.

When some techno-savvy barbarians turn this technique against them, remember Sullivan’s snide brush-off to Eightmaps’ potential victims: “Cry me a river.”

He’ll regret that one day. We all will.

SPEAK OUT!

How Has The Economy Affected Your Daily Life?

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Not much. I’m here playing football for Palomar. I have financial aid.

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”

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The economy sucks! I’m broke! I had to change my schedule so I can take the Sprinter to save gas money.

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— Claudia Duran

I work in the restaurant business and it’s a lot slower. Tips are smaller.

People spend a lot less money.

”

—Guy Robinson

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I carpool every day I come to school and I cut corners wherever is needed.

I am taking 18 units this semester so I have had to cut back hours at work. I still live at home and my parents cover my school costs; my recreational money is limited. That is the problem. I have been going out with a great girl and she offers to help pay for dates but both of my parents, particularly my mom think that’s wrong. “If you can’t pay for your date you can’t afford to be going out,” she says, and my dad sort of agrees. I am not sure what to do.

Buy your mom a calendar! Back in the dark ages of dating, when she and I were young, floor tickets to a Led Zeppelin concert were $6. Dinner for two at a coffee shop was around $12. Gasoline was 29 cents a gallon. Why, I remember seeing the Beatles at Dodgers Stadium for $3.50. But times have changed! An evening out seeing a concert may run $200 just for tickets. If your girlfriend wants to help with the costs, LET HER! That is not to say you should not step up, if you can afford it pay when you can.

—Martavious Lee

— Hilary Hill

Dear Aunt Gertrude:

Dear Counting:

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A lot, which is part of the reason why I am going to Palomar — to offset the cost. I’m going to USC in the fall.

Ask Aunt Gertrude Counting Pennies

OPINION | 5

“

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—Randy Brady

It’s really hard to find a job. Everyone is after the same job.

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—Koral Aguilar

Dear Aunt Gertrude:

I have been going with my girl for three years and I realize we have nothing in common. Sure she is a hottie but aside from the sex she is so boring! Everything she does out of the bedroom annoys me. Sometimes I just want to jump out of the car and run down the street screaming! I don’t want to hurt her but I don’t know how much more I can take!

“

Trapped!

Dear Trapped: How can I put this dear…? Are you challenged or just a moron? My dear boy I am sure you think of yourself as a treasure beyond measure. But if what you wrote is any indication a walk through the ocean of your soul would scarcely get my socks damp! Let me get this straight: You have been using this girl you have nothing in common with like a porno magazine that cooks for three years. I am not sure whether that speaks to your desperation or her lack of taste. So let me be blunt… TELL HER THE TRUTH, SPARKY! Will she be hurt?

Possibly, people who find out they’ve been lied to for three years are usually upset — but I suspect she will not only survive but TRADE UP! If you would like to Ask Aunt Gertrude send your question to askauntgertie@aol.com

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Not much. I live at home.

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It’s made me scared. I don’t have an income but disability. It’s affected my income, my transportation, my housing.

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—Deidre Hershberger

—Brad Monture

OPINION | 6

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

Obama shines a light on the darker corners of the government THE FRESNO BEE MCT CAMPUS

Eight years of stultifying secrecy by the Bush administration was swept away by President Obama on his first day in office, when he issued a memo ordering federal agencies to be more forthcoming with information when the public asks for it.

It's a much-needed step toward restoring citizens' trust in their government.

Shortly after 9/11, thenAttorney General John Ashcroft ordered government agencies to pull back from public access to information, promising to defend any government employee who said “no” to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Not surprisingly, the number of outright denials of such requests ballooned in the Bush years.

Obama turned that policy around 180 degrees Wednesday, ordering agencies to err on the side of disclosure.

The move should prove popular. A poll last March during the annual Sunshine Week found

that 74 percent of Americans believed the federal government was too secretive. That was up a dozen points from just two years earlier.

Obama made it clear he means to reverse that trend. He called the FOIA “the most prominent expression of a profound national commitment to ensuring an open government,” and quoted former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, who once bluntly opined that sunlight is the “best of disinfectants.”

The Bush regime's love of secrecy was bad enough at the federal level, but its example was followed by state and local governments. We hope that tendency is soon consigned to the dustbin as well.

Representative democracy cannot function without an informed public.

That doesn't mean divulging information that would create a genuine threat to national security.

But all too often, information is bottled up because its release would embarrass inept officials

JOSEPH BONNET | THE TELESCOPE

or reveal malfeasance, not because there is a real risk to the nation and its people.

The American people have a

PTSD victims need treatment more than medals CHICAGO TRIBUNE MCT CAMPUS

The Pentagon’s decision not to award the Purple Heart to troops who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder was a tough call — but the right one. Now the federal government should follow up that good call with another one: making sure that troops who suffer with PTSD get the support and help they need.

This won’t be easy because many with PTSD, an anxiety disorder caused by experiencing traumatic events, are reluctant to seek treatment. It is this stigma that led the Pentagon to consider awarding the Purple Heart to PTSD sufferers in the first place. At a news conference last year, the director of a Texas PTSD treatment center asked Defense

Secretary Robert Gates if he would support giving the award to victims of PTSD. Gates wasn’t dismissive. Instead, he said it was “clearly something that needs to be looked at.” Military experts studied the issue and concluded recently that PTSD sufferers didn’t qualify for the medal.

The Purple Heart is awarded to troops killed or injured in action during warfare.While PTSD is often triggered by the stress of combat, it isn’t a physical wound and therefore doesn’t qualify for the medal. It is seen as a “secondary effect” of the situations that soldiers endure during fighting.

The distinction isn’t meant to minimize the damage of PTSD, but to clearly define what the medal is for.

Doctors classify PTSD as a mental disorder, a

designation that can be highly subjective. There is no blood test for PTSD, and “no neurological map clearly defines it,” one doctor said. It is well known that there are wide discrepancies among Purple Heart recipients. One soldier might get the medal for courageously risking his life to defend others, while another soldier gets it for being injured while sheltering in a foxhole.

The Pentagon decided that the distinction between physical and emotional injuries should be maintained in part because of the great subjectivity of PTSD. More to the point, though, is that those who want the Purple Heart for PTSD sufferers say they do so as a way to erase the stigma associated with the disorder. If the medal is awarded to PTSD suffer-

ers, these critics argue, more PTSD sufferers would seek treatment voluntarily.

This is the crux of the matter. But the solution isn’t to give these troops a medal. A better answer is to erase the stigma by treating the disorder. But some caregivers deny that PTSD is real and avoid treating it. Worse, the government fails to adequately fund PTSD treatment, even when soldiers are brave enough to seek help.

Awarding the Purple Heart to people with PTSD would be a false solution to a real and vexing problem. The Pentagon has done well to determine the right answer to the first part of the dilemma — but all will be for naught if the government doesn’t put all of the pieces in place to solve the whole problem.

College, university budgets need rethinking MARK NOTARIAN THE TELESCOPE

As California moves into the eighth year of deficit spending we as college and university students are being told that tuitions must be raised and classes and admissions must be cut. There is simply not enough money in the budget.

The administrators universally chant they have no other choice.

Or do they? The California state educational budget is $55 billion annually with a constitutionally mandated increase which will make it $58 billion in the next fiscal year.

In this world of billion-dollar bailouts, let me try to put this into perspective for you. Every year in California we spend almost five times more than the U.S. Auto Bailout.

Where is the money going? The majority is going to K through 12 despite the fact that the fastest growing segment of the student population is here in the college and university campuses.

State Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth and State Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries’ offices were aware that there is no mandated education budget audit even though there is clearly a need for one.

However, they can do nothing to bring it to the floor of either house as they are in the political minority.

As a second-time student who attended K through 12 in the 1960s and ‘70s, schools were well maintained, you had take-home text books, and music, theater, art, sports and after-school activities were included for no extra charge.

Today one can’t go to the market without passing some school group trying to raise money for their beleaguered programs.

College cost about $1,800 a semester to go to Sonoma State University in the ‘70s — and that

right to know who is making decisions for them, and how those decisions are reached.

Obama's swift action in revers-

ing the policy of secrecy that spread during the Bush years is a welcome move into the cleansing sunlight.

POLLING PALOMAR

What’s your favorite cuisine in the cafeteria?

• • • •

• Home Zone • Kettle Classics • Grab-N-Go

Subway Grille Works Bene Pizza Salad Express Zone

To participate in polls, go to www.the-telescope.com.

Results from last poll (as of Jan. 28)

included books, food, dorm and all the university activities. When my cousin Dennis went to UCLA in the ‘60s it was free.You bought books, that was it.

What is wrong with this picture? How could things have gone so terribly wrong, and what can be done about it? Schools right here in San Diego are literally falling apart. Some students have never even had a take-home textbook. And tuition costs on Campuses all over California continue to rise.

We as California taxpayers pay the highest taxes in every category except property taxes (because of the Proposition 13 voter revolt

of the 1970s). And since the recall of Gov. Gray Davis, revenues in California have gone up by 40 percent, yet the only answer the legislature can come up with is to raise taxes.

Are these the only alternatives, raise tuition, cut classes and cut admissions? This is our education! School administrators are here to serve us it is time that our needs come first.

Students must rally together and demand an audit of the educational budget by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, then review that budget and find out where the money is going.

MONDAY, FEB. 2, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

Co-founder of Faculty Senate dies his studies at Stanford, where he received a bachelor’s degree in psychology, as well as a bachelor’s Physics and Engineering of science degree in chemistry Department Professor William and engineering. According to a “Bill” Lyman Bedford, 79, died on press release, before coming to Jan. 15 after a brief battle with Palomar, he spent time as a cancer of the esophagus that was research assistant at University of diagnosed in the summer of 2008. California, Berkeley, as well as He taught at the college for a teaching English, Russian and total of 47 years.

German grammar while in the Bedford, who retired with military. emeritus status in 1996, continBob Larson, a Palomar counued to teach Engineering classes selor from 1965 to 1998 who is at Palomar College up until he now retired, was at the college for was too ill to work anymore. He many of the same years as started teaching at the college in Bedford.

1961. A former co-worker Mary “His longevity was astoundMillet recalls him telling her, he ing,” said Larson. “After he hitchhiked to campus to apply for retired in 1996, he worked anoththe position. er dozen years. He outlived many Millet, a retired Palomar of the people here.”

English professor, worked closely According to Larson, in the with Bedford when the Palomar mid-1960s, Bedford was largely Faculty Federation (the school’s responsible for the formation of first faculty union) was formed in one of the first Faculty Senates 2000. They were co-presidents of on a college campus, as well as its the PFF, and she had the pleasure constitution. Palomar’s senate of working with him on union would later be used as a model COURTESY PHOTO| PALOMAR COLLEGE issues for almost ten years. for other community colleges. He William “Bill” Lyman Bedford, a professor at Palomar College for 47 years in the Physics Before PFF, he had been trying to was also instrumental in creating and Engineering department, died on Jan. 15 after a battle with cancer of the esophagus. organize a union since the 1990s. the college’s grievance policy; in “He had more integrity than which students or faculty could Perry Snyder, a part-time “He was devoted to Palomar, anyone I’ve ever known,” Millet file a grievance that the senate faculty member in the Physics to his students and to engineersaid. “He could tell what people’s would then attempt to resolve. and Engineering Department, ing,” he said. motivations were and size up a “He had a great voice at said he never heard a bad To celebrate his life and accomsituation and tell whether or not Palomar College,” Larson said, word uttered about Bedford. plishments, there will be a memoit was worth getting involved in.” “and everything he did was appli- If fact, he said, he was still list- rial service at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Bedford’s skill of reading peo- cable to the Palomar community ed as the instructor for Feb. 7, at the Palomar Unitarian ple may have come in part from as a whole.”

Introduction to Engineering Universalist Fellowship, located when he at 1660 Buena Vista Drive in passed away. Vista, Calif.

JML Copyediting/Proofreading Snyder and The family has not designated others in the a specific charity for donations to Hand in written workwith perfect Instructors $12-19/hour d e p a r t m e n t go. Instead, they simply ask that punctuation,spelling,grammar. had been donors choose a charity in his Customer service $10/ hour s u b b i n g honor. For more information on j.logue@cox.net (760) 732-1380 Contact Brett at (760) 744-7946 for him. the service, call (760) 941-4319.

MAGGIE AVANTS THE TELESCOPE

Swim Instructors Wanted

NEWS|7 GEAR UP

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

to prepare for her ultimate goal of being a high school teacher.

“I learned a better understanding of how to present academics to them,” she said.

High school students that go through Gear up come to Palomar and California State University in greater numbers and with greater diversity. They also matriculate faster, transfer or graduate faster.

“They are taking the right classes to graduate because students in Gear Up have more college knowledge,” said Gavin. “They use (their knowledge) independently to navigate college.

The Vista Unified School District and the San Marcos Unified School District have classes going through the program.

“A specific grant makes the program possible to serve the whole grade level and in turn the belief is that it will impact the (other) students,” said Gavin.

The grant was drafted by President Clinton before he left office.

“We got the first grant in 1999.

This is our tenth year,” said Gavin.

The Gear Up program is national and differs from program to program but Palomar is a program model, according to Gavin.

On Feb. 2 from 8:30 to 11:30 at the Quantum Learning Network campus, Gear Up and QLN are putting on a workshop for students and their parents. The Campus is located at 1938 Avendia del Oro in Oceanside.

For more information on positions and the program itself go to www.palomar.edu/gearup.

“As with 2008, 2009 will go by just as fast, so be sure to invest your time in each of the 365 days,” said Gavin.

8

| ENTERTAINMENT

WHAT’S HAPPENING Monday, Feb. 2

Who: Meshuggah w/ Cynic, The Faceless What: Heavy Metal Where: House of Blues San Diego Cost: $17.50 - $20.00 More info: (619) 299-BLUE

Monday, Feb. 2 Who: Motley Crue w/ Hinder and Theory of a Deadman What: Rock Where: Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl Cost: $29.50-$95.00 More info: www.livenation.com

Tuesday, Feb. 3 Who: NOFX w/ Smoke or Fire and Poor Habit What: Punk Where: House of Blues San Diego Cost: $17.50 - $27.50 More info: (619) 299-BLUE

Tuesday, Feb. 3 Who: Eagles of Death Metal What: Rock Where: Belly Up Tavern Cost: $15-17 More info: (858) 481-8140

Thursday, Feb. 5 Who: Katy Perry w/ The Daylights What: Rock/Pop Where: House of Blues San Diego Cost: $15.50 - $17.50 More info: (619) 299-BLUE

Friday, Feb. 6 Who: Blessed By A Broken Heart w/ LoveHateHero and Karate High School What: Metal/Rock Where: Soma Cost: $12 More info: www.somasd.com

Sunday, Feb. 8 Who: Voodoo Glow Skulls w/ The Toaster’s, Buck-ONine and The Skank Agents What: Ska Where: House of Blues San Diego Cost: $14-16.50 More info: (619) 299-BLUE

THE TELESCOPE | MONDAY, FEB. 2, 2009

Nothing new about ‘New In Town’ KARA VERMEULEN THE TELESCOPE

It’s clear from the beginning that “New in Town” is another highly predictable romantic comedy.

“Sweet Home Alabama” has moved north, and Lucy Hill, played by Renee Zellweger, is one more career-driven woman who has yet to find love.

Lucy reluctantly offers to take an assignment managing a food manufacturing plant before she knows it’s located in Minnesota, and that means leaving the warmth of Miami behind. Lucy is annoyed by everything in New Ulm, Minn. including her secretary’s attempt to give her a warm welcome, but it’s apparent the town and people just may grow on her.

Lucy meets Ted (Harry Connick Jr.) on her first night in COURTESY PHOTO | LIONSGATE town and their encounter gets Harry Connick Jr. (left) and Renee Zellweger (right) star as Ted and Lucy, polar opposites and unlikely lovers in the film “New In Town.” off to a rocky start over an unappetizing meatloaf dinThe most enjoyable booking and baking talents, and It is unfortunate to see the ner. Lucy is forced to MOVIE REVIEW part of the movie never fail to add in a “dontcha accomplished Zellweger and continue to meet with Ted as he is the union ‘New In Town’ comes from the know,” “betcha” or other cliché Connick Jr. in a repeat romantic comedic representa- northern phrase. comedy. The only thing that may leader representing the tion of the townspeoThe men live for ice fishing save this movie is its release workers of her plant. ple of northern state. and hunting, and hockey is the shortly before Valentine’s Day. A The ensuing comedic H OUT OF FOUR STARS The audience can get king of all sports. The weather nice dinner and a light-hearted courtship lacks any pasa few good laughs out provides a continuum of humor- romance movie is usually a safe sionate chemistry, but at Renee of the culture of ous inconveniences that would bet to celebrate the most romanleast the two make an STARRING: Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr small-town Minnesota make any San Diegan appreciate tic holiday of the year, but be attractive couple. Each RATED: PG and the trials of living our year-round mild climate all warned, watching 90 minutes of comes to the others aid in an artic environ- over again. Plowing into a snow icy weather and barely lukein a time of need and the ment. The women bank is a hazard that would warm chemistry may freeze all bond solidifies the relapride themselves on their scrap- never occur on Interstate 5. the romance out of the night. tionship.

Festivals coming to San Diego this spring KARA VERMEULEN THE TELESCOPE

With winter nearing its close and warmer weather on its way the time is finally right for outdoor festivals and concerts so put away your jackets and scarves and get out and enjoy some of the best that San Diego has to offer.

Mardi Gras T h e Gaslamp quarter hosts its biggest event of the year on Tuesday, February 24th to celebrate Mardi Gras. The party takes over six blocks of downtown San Diego along 5th Avenue with dancing, live entertainment, carnival games and rides. The parade runs down 5th Avenue twice, once at 7:30 p.m. and again at 10:30 p.m. as attendees can vie for beads from the entertainers on the floats.

Gates open at 6 and guests must be 21 years old. Tickets start at $15 with many Gaslamp restaurants and nightclubs offering special packages for the event.

For more information visit www.gaslamp.org.

St.Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival The 29th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival hosted by the Irish Congress of Southern California will be held on March 14th in Balboa Park.

This family friendly event has a kid’s zone with games and rides, a Celtic village and a beer garden. The parade starts at 11 a.m. and proceeds on 5th and 6th Avenues on the West side of Balboa Park.

T w o stages host Irish bands and dancers through out the day.

F o r more information on the parade visit www.stpatsparade.org ShamROCK Downtown San Diego turns into an emerald city on St. Patrick’s Day as ShamROCK covers the Gaslamp quarter with 60,000 square feet of AstroTurf. The 21 and up event kicks off at 4 p.m. and lasts until midnight. Two stages host five live bands, and a disc jockey entertains on an additional stage. Go-go girls are also on hand to entertain partygoers.

For more information visit www.gaslamp.org or www.mcfarlanepromotions.com.

and specialty shopping.

Mariachi music fills the air, dancers perform traditional Mexican dances and Old Town restaurants provide authentic Mexican cuisine to dine on.

For more information visit www.fiestaoldtown.com.

IndieFest Celebrating its 5th year on March 28, San Diego’s IndieFest offers listeners of all ages a chance to experience independent music from a myriad of different genres.

This year’s festival, held in the neighborhood of Northpark, will feature more than 80 different acts spread out over seven stages. The line-up will include Juliette and the New Romatiques, The Burning of Rome, Alicia

Champion, Adam Joseph, MC Flow, Saucy Monky, Lee Coulter and many more.

Bands will begin taking the stage at 11 am.

Admission for students is $20 and $23 for general admission.

For more information visit www.sdindiefest.com

Cinco de Mayo

Art Walk

Celebrate the history and culture of Cinco de Mayo in San Diego’s birthplace at Fiesta de Old Town. This free event has something for all ages including a hands-on children’s area, entertainment stages, museums

ArtWalk 2009 takes over Little Italy on April 25 and 26 from noon to 6 p.m. This free event has a variety of mediums on display including paint, sculpture, photography and performance art. Dancers and musicians put

on shows at the stages lining India Street. Guest also have the opportunity to meet many well know and up and coming artists participating in the event.

For more information visit http://www.missionfederalartwalk.org/.

Latino Film Festival The 16th Annual Latino Film Festival will feature 165 films from March 16 – 22 at the Ultra Star Cinema in Mission Valley.

Three galas will be held in conjunction with the festival. An official line-up of this year’s schedule will be released on February 15th.

For more information visit www.sdlatinofilm.com

Spirit West Coast This three day Christian music festival comes to the Del Mar Fair Ground on May 22 – 24. Gates will open at 1 p.m. for the general public.

Fifty artists on 8 stages will be performing at the event including San Diegans Phil Wickham & Sara MacIntosh.

Other entertainment features include comedy shows, an indie artist competition, a skate park, a sports center and a children’s area.

For more information visit www.delmar.spiritwestcoast.org.

ENTERTAINMENT | 9

MONDAY, FEB. 2, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

Will the ‘Obama effect’ bring change to TV? CHUCK BARNEY MCT CAMPUS

Barack Obama brought change to Washington. Now, can he bring change to our television sets?

The new president and his family have barely settled into their new Washington digs, but that question is already being pondered by members of the entertainment community. They cling to the hope that an “Obama effect” eventually will lead to richer and more varied depictions of black Americans on the small screen and more opportunities in front of, and behind, the camera.

“The fact that we now have people who we traditionally haven't seen in these kinds of roles should open Hollywood's minds to all kinds of possibilities,” says comedian D.L. Hughley. “Hopefully we'll see a case of art imitating life.”

Hughley, who dabbles in political humor as the host of CNN's “D.L. Hughley Breaks the News,” headlined a family sitcom (“The Hughleys”) on ABC and UPN from 1998-2002. It has the dubious distinction of being among the last wave of predominantly black TV shows before the current drought hit prime time.

This fall, even as Obama was becoming the biggest TV star on the planet, the out-of-step broadcasters unveiled a roster of new shows stocked with casts that were alarmingly pale.

The drop-off came after a period in which the networks seemed to making a move toward more diversity a move spurred by harsh public criticism in 1999 by the NAACP. “I was shocked to see that not a single pilot had an AfricanAmerican family or protagonist,” says Elvis Mitchell, a popculture critic and film producer.

“It just seemed obvious. Why not? It's what everybody was talking about. On the other

hand, there was no shortage of shows about the travails of rich white kids.”

In 1997, the broadcast networks offered 15 black comedies, albeit mostly on the nowdefunct WB and UPN, which relied on the genre to carve out an audience.

Today, that number is down to two: “Everybody Hates Chris” and “The Game.” They air on the smallest network The CW where they have been banished to the dead zone known as Friday nights. In addition, basiccable station TBS offers a pair of black sitcoms “House of Payne” and “Meet the Browns,” both from Tyler Perry.

When it comes to black dramas, television's track record is even more abysmal. The most recent predominantly black network drama was Steven Bochco's short-lived “City of Angels,” which aired on CBS in 2000. These days, the only black actors who headline network dramas are Dennis Haysbert on “The Unit” and Laurence Fishburne, who just took over “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” Both shows air on CBS. Mara Brock Akil, the creator and executive producer of “The Game” and the recently departed “Girlfriends,” deplores the trend.

“I have a theory: Everyone wants to see themselves in storytelling, whether it be TV, stage, movies or books,” she says. “It's like a validation of their humanity. And black people really haven't had that on television at a high-profile level since 'The Cosby Show.'”

“The Cosby Show,” starring Bill Cosby as pediatrician Cliff Huxtable, aired on NBC from 1984 to '92 and can still be seen in syndication. One of the most popular programs in television history, it was a warmhearted sitcom free of street conflicts and ghetto stereotypes that broke ground for its depiction of

COURTESY PHOTO | MCT CAMPUS

Barack Obama, with his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha at his side, is sworn in as the country's 44th president by Chief Justice John Roberts, front, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2009 an upwardly mobile black family. In the weeks following Obama's election, the “Huxtable effect” was cited by some as a factor in his victory.

Cosby, for one, downplays the show's influence on the election (“It was, perhaps, one of many spokes in the wheel,” he says).

Moreover, he's not all that optimistic that Obama's presidency will make a major difference in terms of onscreen diversity.

“No, because these people are stupid,” he says, referring to network bosses. “Look at how NBC is struggling. You would think they would make some changes and be talking about

trying to get another ‘Cosby’ kind of show. But they would probably die before putting another show on about a black family and black pride.”

Brock Akil, however, has a bit more hope for the network that also aired the groundbreaking show “Julia” (1968-71), with Diahann Carroll; and “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990-96), with Will Smith.

NBC recently bought from her a script based on a book by Nick Adams called “Making Friends With Black People.” It's a buddy comedy that focuses on the state of race relations in the U.S.

“In our pitch to NBC, we referenced Obama,” says Brock Akil, who is awaiting word on whether the project will be turned into a pilot. “We talked about how he has gotten us to the table to talk about race in a meaningful way and it's time to continue the discussion. So our new president has already had an impact.”

Some believe that impact will take on additional power as the nation including Hollywood is exposed to countless images of Obama along with wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha as they hold court in the White House.

10 | DIVERSIONS

THE TELESCOPE | MONDAY, FEB. 2, 2009

Horoscopes

By Linda C. Black

Feb. 2 - Feb. 8

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

It’s back to the same old, same old: Do the work and earn the money.The good news is that you can, and thebad news is that you must. Turn it intoa game so it’s more fun.

You can get what you need for your home at a pretty good price, so do it. Don't wait until something breaks down. Fix it before that happens.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

If you hang out with knowlYou’re stronger now, but can edgeable people, you get a lot youstand up to powerful opposi- smarter yourself. Some people tion? Sure you can. You’re stub- don't talk about what they know. born. You never give up. Besides, Then you have to watch. That's you have friends that will help. the situation now.

Gemini (May 21-June 21) Sagittarius (Nov.22-Dec.21) Something you’ve been avoiding is lurking there in your inbox.

You know what it is. There’s a financial benefit when you get it done, so stop procrastinating.

The work's going well and the money appears to be coming in.

How much seems to depend on you. Are you in sales? If not, you should find something to sell.

Cancer (June 22-July 22) Capricorn (Dec.22-Jan.19) Friends can help you find the perfect person for the job. That applies to everything from anteater to zebra tamer. It might even work for a soul mate, if you need one of those.

Your motivation is good and the path ahead is clear. You've been thinking about doing something especially romantic, and now is the time to act. Really mean it, though. This could last.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Cast caution to the winds and forge ahead with enthusiasm.

This advice pertains to your work, not to your entertainment.

Follow it and you'll earn a decent living.

You've been very busy lately.

Make time to kick back and relax. There are plenty of quiet things to do at home like taking an extra nap. Don't do that at work, however.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) When you're working with people you love, you get a lot more done.You talk about places you'd like to go and things you'd like to see. Save your money so you can.

It's getting easier to bring the money in.You'll notice that more and more over the next few weeks. This alleviates the stress you’ve been under.

FOCUS |

MONDAY, FEB 2, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

11

Simple, effective money saving tips HEATHER CAMERON THE TELESCOPE

It’s surprising how many students don’t know the opportunities that they have to save money. With the economy in a recession, money is becoming hard to come by. There are an abundance of money saving tips to live by.

One of the easiest money saving tips a student can do is to buy used books. Students can also go to off campus bookstores and get books at lower prices.

Students can find deals for books online at sites like half.com, a website that allows you to buy and sell used books. At the end of the semester, students can sell their used books, or keep them for a friend to use if they need the same book.

Instead of driving to school, students can take the Sprinter or the bus. Fee for the Sprinter is reasonably inexpensive. It costs $2 for a one way trip and $5 for all day round trips that include bus transportation as well.

Palomar offers monthly passes at $47 for both the Sprinter and the bus.

Students can also carpool. As an added bonus, these transportation tips are eco-friendly.

“I live in Temecula so I carpool with a PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY PAT CUBEL | THE TELESCOPE big group of people,” said sophomore art Students are faced with the current economic recession, which is making it increasingly difficult to find and keep a job. Students are increasingly faced major CJ Peterson. with the challenge of learning how to budget their money effectively, which can be a challenge at the beginning of a new semester.

Attending Palomar is a money saver in so there’s a good opportunity to upgrade my skills […] You offer much cheaper school supplies than an office store itself.

Students have to look for opportunities where ever you can find like Staples. attending a commu- them,” said Jerry Moore, a returning freshman with a To save money on clothes, students can shop at second — Jerry Moore nity don’t have major in business management. hand stores. Goodwill has a radio campaign to draw cusBusiness management major tuition as costly as a When students are at school, there are simple things tomers in with their deals. Designer stores are expensive, university. that can be done to save money. Instead of buying food, but the latest fashion trends are sometimes an eclectic In the current economic climate, many students have students can bring their lunch from home. Students can assortment from vintage stores. been laid off. also reuse old backpacks to carry books instead of buying “You can always find cute clothes that are cheap,” said “Me and my dad own our own contracting company and a new one. Three-ring binders can last longer if treated Lauren Horner, communications major. She also recomjobs are hard to come by right now, so that’s why I’m back right, and only buy notebooks for classes that require mended going to Plato’s Closet. at school,” said Peterson. them.

Students shouldn’t forget to apply for every grant and Older students are taking the opportunity to go back to Students are also given lots of discounts when they go scholarship they can. Remember to keep grades up school to get a higher education for their jobs as well. shopping. Apple has discounts for students on computers because a student’s GPA matters when transferring to a 4“As an older returning student, [the recession] makes it and software. Stores like Rite Aid or Wal-Mart sometimes year college.

“

You have to look for opportunities where ever you can find them.

”

Rising popularity of hookah pipes across nation LISA BLACK MCT CAMPUS

Despite notorious links to the drug culture, the hookah is enjoying a whiff of mainstream popularity as college students flock to new cafes, where it's become trendy to spend the evening puffing on the exotic water pipes.

Concerns about the danger of smoking have not dampened the appeal of restaurants like Evanston's (Ill.) Cafe Hookah, which offers dozens of fruity tobacco blends in a rekindling of a centuries-old Middle Eastern tradition.

“It's neat because it's ancient,” said Luke Griffiths, 20, a Northwestern University student from Athens, Ill. “You can sit here and imagine not being in yuppie Evanston but in Turkey.”

Nationally, health officials are worried about the trend, saying the hookah hangouts popping up across the country are just another way to entice young people to smoke. And federal customs officials are concerned that water pipes are still used to smoke hashish and marijuana.

Although not specifically targeted in U.S. drug laws, the hookah could be deemed illegal under federal drug paraphernalia prohibitions if used to smoke illicit substances, officials said.

“From the tobacco-control perspective, this is just another clever, devious manipulation of people's social desires,” said Peter Jacobson, associate professor at the University of Michigan

PHOTO BY DEAN COPPOLA| MCT CAMPUS

At least 200 to 300 new hookah houses have opened in the United States in the last three to five years. A hookah pipe is not specifically targeted in U.S. drug laws, but could be deemed illegal if used to smoke illicit substances.

School of Public Health. “To see this as anything other than a gateway back to cigarette smoking is very naive.”

The hookah's growing popularity is difficult to measure, but at least 200 to 300 new hookah houses have opened throughout the United States in the last three to five years, according to industry estimates. Dozens are concentrated in California, while others dot the East Coast, mostly near college campuses.

The revival of the water pipe as a chic

pastime is relatively new to the Midwest. In countries such as Lebanon or Turkey, smoking a hookah is a social activity usually shared after dinner or at a cafe over a cup of coffee or tea.

Some Middle Eastern restaurants in the Chicago area have long offered the pipe, but the practice has been geared more toward cultural tradition, not as an American fad akin to oxygen bars and chocolate martinis.

The water pipe, often nearly 3 feet

high or taller, also is called a “nargileh” or “shisha.” They use charcoal to heat the tobacco, which is soaked in molasses or honey and mixed with fruit pulp for flavor. Smokers inhale from long fabric hoses, using disposable plastic mouthpieces.

The smoke is filtered through water, giving it a smooth, sweet taste without a burning feeling, enthusiasts say.

A manager for Hookah Brothers, which markets water pipes, estimated the company will finish the year with $2.5 million in sales, marking a dramatic increase from its humble origins.

The Los Angeles-based company got its start seven years ago on Venice Beach, where its founder displayed 10 water pipes on a blanket, general manager Ahmed Roushdy said.

In Ann Arbor, Mich., the Rendezvous Cafe by the University of Michigan recently began offering the water pipes.

“Usually it's not the (cigarette) smokers who like hookah,” manager Jamil Hamady said. “Just certain people. You get used to it, like cigarettes.”

In the United States, young smokers don't always realize that hookahs have been associated with using marijuana a fact that escapes few among the middle-age set.

“I still get people who walk past me and say, `What is that?' and `What are you smoking?' “Roushdy said. “The older generation, they have a big smile on their face.”

COMET SPORTS |

MONDAY, FEB. 2, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

12

SPORTS Comets look to top last seasons success ON DECK

Tuesday, Feb. 3 SOFTBALL Palomar vs Cerritos 3 p.m. at Palomar

BASEBALL Saddleback vs Palomar 2 p.m. at Palomar

Wednesday, Feb.4 MEN BASKETBALL Palomar vs San Diego Mesa 5 p.m. at the Dome

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Palomar vs Grossmont 7 p.m. at Grossmont

Thursday, Feb. 5 SOFTBALL Mt. San Antonio College Tournament at 2 p.m. at Mt. SAC

Friday, Feb. 6 SOFTBALL Mt. San Antonio College Tournament Cont. at Mt. SAC TBD

Saturday, Feb. 7 SOFTBALL Palomar vs Cypress 1 p.m. at Palomar Dome

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL San Diego Mesa vs Palomar at 3 p.m. at Palomar Dome

Monday, Feb. 9 BASEBALL Palomar vs Orange Coast 2 p.m. at Palomar

For updated Comet scores, go to www.the-telescope.com.

CHRIS MEYER THE TELESCOPE

After the Palomar Comets men's baseball team went 25 -19 and 18-7 in conference last year the team looks to have an even better 2009 season.

But, they will have to do so with the arguably the toughest schedule to begin its season in years. The Comets open against five of the top 15 ranked schools in the first two weeks of the season, with No. 2ranked Cypress in their season opener Jan. 27 and number 1ranked Santa Ana in their home opener on Jan. 29 at 2 pm.

In his third year as head coach, Buck Taylor has continued to demand a great deal. Last year, the Comets came in second place in the Pacific Coast conference and were eliminated in the regional first round. Joining Taylor on his coaching staff are hitting and infield coach Ben Adams, pitching coach Tyler Kincaid,and outfield and first base coach Rich Graves.

The Comets have retained a few of their big producing pitchers from last season including right-handed pitcher Bobby Shore, left-handed pitcher Shawn Sanford and lefthanded pitcher Matt Strom. They also have returning shortstop Tyler Saladino who will likely be moved over to play third base this season and was a first team All-Pacific Coast Conference selection, and left-handed pitcher and outfielder Matt Frankfurth. Left fielder Anthony Renteria will also be returning with the Comets.

Renteria lead in home runs in 2008

and is the son of Padres first-base coach Rick Renteria.

The Palomar coaching staff does a great job placing their players at other colleges and helping them with the process in bettering themselves both academically and as a players.

“I think we've placed everyone the last three years,”Taylor said.

The Comets hold an open tryout that anyone can sign up for as a class in the fall semester. It draws anywhere from 100 to 120 students.

From those students about 30 to 35 of them are recruited by the Palomar coaching staff. Taylor said that usually there is a 5 percent dropout rate among those players.

The hardest thing for new players is the constant demand the coaches put on them. Practices are held five or more times a week and some students are not used to that kind of structure, Taylor said. The players who are recruited have an excellent chance of making the team, but they are never given a spot on the team in the fall. They have to work for it.

The players who are in the class as well as who are recruited by Palomar compete for a chance to make it on the spring roster. The team is in constant competition for spots and the Comets are strong enough to have three players deep in many positions that allows them the options when selecting their starters. Often the coaching staff believes the second player on the depth chart is just as capable of producing as the player in front of him, he added.

If the potential baseball players

Comets cruise to another win

TIM STANCZAK| THE TELESCOPE Matt Strom returns to anchor a strong Comets team that hopes to win a conference title.

are not what Palomar is looking for, the coaches often will help the play-

ers find a home at colleges elsewhere.

The pep talk Jennum used was simpler than one two games ago.

“We were going up against The Palomar College women’s Southwestern at the time. They basketball team beat Cuyamaca were 4-0 and we were 4-0. So it 79-30 Jan. 24. With the win the was for first place in our conferComets run their winning streak ence and I actually had Sherri to 23 games in conference going Titus come in and give a talk to back to last season. The Comets them about changing our course. improve to 6-0 in conference and And it worked, and we’ve been 5th in the state according to the playing well ever since. So we’ve California Community College got two really good wins.” Jennum state poll. said.

The team was energetic from “Well we’re a confident team the start. They set but coach always 79 screens, controlled COMETS tells us not to get too 30 the tempo of the COYOTES ahead of ourselves. game and played so For example, at half UP NEXT aggressively they time we come out Palomar vs Grossmont gained two team fouls playing as if the in the first minute. score is 0-0 again!”

Feb.4 “I have to be careHoller said. ful because we could The Comets pres7 p.m. have (the refs) again. sured the Coyotes to AT STAKE I thought some of the the point that they calls were interestbegan taking outing,” Coach Sherri Comets look to continue side shots. The their dominance in the Jennum said. crowd helped out in “I think one of the Pacific Coast Conference. annoying the things that we get in Coyotes by making trouble with is we noise during their play aggressive defense. We tend free throws. One rowdy father on to get more calls right now than I the Comet’s side got kicked out think maybe we should. So the for stomping his feet and yelling politically correct answer is no, “Call it both ways” . not really, but it’s ok cause we got With this game behind them, a good win anyway.” Jennum said. the Comet’s are looking forward “We’re very fortunate to have a to future conference games with deep bench. Everyone on our optimism. team is able to contribute and we “We’re moving in the right all play well together, so it doesn’t direction and hopefully we’ll affect us if she switches the first peak, Jennum said.” and second string,” JaDawn The Comets will play Holler said.

Grossmont on Feb. 4 at 5 p.m. at TIM STANCZAK| THE TELESCOPE By the end of the first half, the Grossmont.

Palomar’s Jasmine Rice (42) shoots a tough contested layup while surrounded by three Comets lead the Coyotes 38-13.

Cuyamaca defenders. This was the toughest shot that the Comets had all game.

GRAIANNE WARD THE TELESCOPE