The Telescope 63.4

PALOMAR COLLEGE, SAN MARCOS, CALIF.

MONDAY SEPT. 21, 2009

FOCUSED ON PALOMAR

VOL. 63, NO. 4

the-telescope.com

INSIDE

ENTERTAINMENT Diversity in dance

Palomar students showcase their skills in Polynesian dance show

PAGE 11

Verdict good Court satire offers insight into American system

PAGE 11

OPINION

Lovin’ Islam?

PAGE 7

Two views on the controversial Eastern religion

Worth the risk?

PAGE 8 Could you be risking your health when you use Palomar’s communal headphones?

FOCUS

Alternative eats PAGE 12 Fashion trends Find out the latest styles on campus

PAGE 12

SPORTS

Routing the Rams Comets defense victorious over Victor Valley

PAGE 15

Bud get surplus spar ks protest to maintain the reserve. He called on those at the forum to let Sacramento hear their voices.

“I’m hoping we can unite and not point fingers at this person and that person,” Deegan said. “Instead we should join together and go to the legislators. Members of faculty, student representatives, tell them we’re angry, upset and not going to take this anymore.”

But faculty said the issue is local.

“I don’t see that you are living up to the (Palomar College) mission statement, that you are serving the community and students,” Palomar instructor Jeanelle Higgins said at the forum.

Vice president of Instruction, Berta Cuaron, wrote in an e-mail: “Students will continue to have access to all core classes, but it may mean that only nine sections are available of one particular course instead of 10. We have been very thoughtful in this process and have not asked departments to cut where they simply could not to avoid serious impact on students.”

According to Deegan, the State Chancellor’s Office has warned community colleges to be prepared for mid-year cuts.

The college receives money for a set number of students each year.

That number is adjusted with the college’s growth.The current 19,450 could drop to 19,000 students.

“Our first goal is to always serve our students as much as we can to ensure their continued success while at Palomar but we are also expected to do this with less resources in these difficult economic constraints,” Cuaron said.

MELISSA LERAY THE TELESCOPE

Students and teachers protested a budget surplus in the face of class cuts Sept. 14 but administrative leaders maintained the savings is crucial in this economy.

About 100 people showed up to the All-College Forum to listen to a summary of the college’s financial condition for the fiscal year 20082009. Palomar showed an ending balance of almost $12 million unused funds. Of that, $5 million is required by the Palomar District Governing Board to hold as a reserve and an additional $5 million is needed to pay back a loan. That leaves almost $2 million in excess funds.

That money should go to pay for the 300 classes that could be cut this academic year, faculty argued.

“As teachers we are protesting this on the behalf of the students,” said Shannon Lienhart, Palomar Faculty Federation co-president, in an interview.“They (the administration) seem to have a higher priority of having money in the bank than serving the students.”

In the 2008-2009 school year, approximately 8,100 classes were offered, a drop from the approximate 8,500 classes offered in the 2007-2008 school year.

“The huge ending fund balance shows they could have offered those classes,” Lienhart said.

At the forum held in the Governing Board room, President Robert Deegan predicted that the next year’s budget will be worse and that is the reason the school needs

Students Eric Noriega and Claudia Arellanes hold signs during the All-Campus Forum on Monday, Sept. 14 in the Governor's Board Room.

Noriega’s sign asks “I’ve been screwed where are my classes?” and Arellanes says “Don’t panic!

My future is at stake.”

JESSICA BABCOCK | THE TELESCOPE

New prez has Group aims to help big ambitions high-risk students AMANDA MCCARTHY THE TELESCOPE

Andrew Bissell is a name that students will be hearing a lot around campus this fall.

As this year’s Associated Student Government president, Bissell will be working to give students a bigger voice at Palomar.

“Robert (Frederick, last year’s ASG president) is an awesome guy… I only hope I can live up to and surpass his legacy,” said Bissell, 27, a former U.S. Marine.

Bissell brings a lot of energy to ASG. “He has an enthusiasm for this,” said Sherry Titus, director of the Office of Student Affairs. “If he can couple the passion with knowledge of the bylaws, this could be a

great year.”

Bissell has already begun working on his goals as president. He is trying to get more students involved in ASG. He is recruiting more senators so the ASG will have a full senate. He is also keeping up to date with the latest Palomar news such as the ongoing accreditation issue. “Not everything requires our attention, but we keep our ears open… We want to know what’s going on,” he said.

One project Bissell would like to see started is the creation of dailyjolt.com. Plans for the site include quick polls, club announcements, blogs and a flier board. The site could also connect users with students from other schools for a TURN TO

ASG PRESIDENT PAGE 3

STEPHANIE DAO THE TELESCOPE

The high school drop-out rate for male Latinos is almost half of all students, 47 percent. Of those who graduate high school, 85 percent will drop out of college, both statistics according to the Encuentros Leadership of North County Web site.

Encuentros, whose goal is to fight those high drop-out rates, is hosting its sixth annual Education and Career Exploration Conference to entice young Latinos to stay in high school and aim for college.

The event will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 10 at MiraCosta College’s Oceanside campus.

Encuentros Leadership, a nonprofit organization that strives to further the educational

CAN’T GET ENOUGH?

endeavors of middle school and high school-aged Latino boys, is sponsoring the free and interactive event. “[Encuentros is] a great program where young Latino boys can look at themselves and see that by finishing high school and going to college, they can find open avenues that weren’t possible before,” said Eddie Tubbs, the Career Expo Coordinator at Palomar. Tubbs has volunteered for the Encuentros program the last three years. “Many Latino boys do not continue school long enough to realize that.”

The conference allows the participants to visit career-related workshops, attend lectures and discuss career options with TURN TO

ENCUENTROS PAGE 3

web: the-telescope.com twitter: @telescopenews search for “the telescope” on Facebook

2 | QUICK FACTS

THE TELESCOPE | MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2009

CAMPUS CALENDAR Monday, Sept. 21 • American Red Cross blood drive at 9 a.m. in parking lot 11. To sign up call Health Services at 760-744-1150 ext. 2380 or online at www.givelife.org, code Palomar SM. • Dream Street by photographer,Douglas McCulloh is on exhibit in the Boehm Gallery until Sept. 22.

• Phi Theta Kappa meeting at 1 p.m. in SU 203.

• Free HIV testing at 12 p.m. in the Health Services Building.

Tuesday, Sept. 22 • Fashion CLub meeting at 5 p.m. in Fash. #1.

• Gay/Straight Alliance at 3:30 p.m. in SU 17.

• International Club at 5 p.m. in SU 203.

• Coffee Nite at 5 p.m. in the SU building.

Wednesday, Sept. 23 • Premed Club at 4 p.m. in the TNS 217.

Thursday, Sept. 24 • Black Student Union meeting at 11:30 in SU 17.

• Fashion Club meeting at 5 p.m. in Fash. #1.

Friday, Sept. 125 • MEChA meeting at 4:30 in SU 17.

• TifaolemonaSamoan Club at 11 a.m. in SU 204.

What’s up?

• Palomar Engineering and Physics students meet in SU 255 at 2 p.m.

Do you know something we should cover? Let us know.

To submit story tips or events for the campus calendar, e-mail us at or call telescope@palomar.edu (760) 891-7865.

CAMPUS WEATHER Monday, Sept. 21

Tuesday, Sept. 22

Wednesday, Sept.23

Thursday, Sept. 24

Friday, Sept. 25

Saturday, Sept. 26

Sunday, Sept. 27

86˚/64˚

90˚/65˚

92˚/65˚

88˚/66˚

87˚/64˚

84˚/63˚

84˚/62˚

SUNNY

SUNNY

SUNNY

SUNNY

SUNNY

SUNNY

SUNNY

NEWS | 3

MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

Faculty, executive administration divided on budget JARRED POWELL THE TELESCOPE

JESSICA BABCOCK | THE TELESCOPE

History Professor Christine Moore waits to ask a question of President Deegan during a Sept. 14 forum addressing the budget issues at the college.

ENCUENTROS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

distinguished Latino industry professionals. These are just a few activities that are meant to serve to embolden the boys and help them realize the opportunities available to them.

Currently, Encuentros Leadership, Palomar College and MiraCosta College are working together to recruit additional volunteers for the conference.

Volunteers are needed to assist with registration, distribute food and to direct the boys to various workshops. They are also are seeking companies to help sponsor the event.

Businesses who can offer information about careers at their corporation are also encouraged to set up a formal workshop presentation or simply be an exhibitor at the event, where the boys can pick up flyers and ask questions.

While there are programs in place for young Latinas, Encuentros has found that for every three Latina students attending college, there is only one Latino student.

The problem involving the graduation rate of Latino students is occurring throughout the state, but Encuentros is the only organization in California that has chosen to focus on the specific issue of male Latino dropouts.

Compared to those who do graduate from high school and college, young adults who drop out of school are more likely to be unemployed, live in poverty and rely on public financial assistance, according to studies through Child Trends Data Bank. Also, dropouts are more commonly involved in crime.

The total number of Latinos in county prisons exceeds the number of those in colleges, according to Encuentros Leadership. This is a big deal when you compare it to the $43,000 taxpayers pay per inmate per year.

The organization hopes to spread awareness of the seriousness of the issue. By doing so,

Encuentros Leadership believes it will be possible to raise proactive members of society by sending the flow of money toward educational programs and preventing the rise in numbers of prison inmates in its early stages.

One of the group’s major initiatives is to create more male Latino leaders in society.

Encuentros cautions that the lack of role models within schools as well as the inferior image of Latinos often portrayed within the media serves as an unconscious indication for Latino boys telling them they don’t have a place in many societies.

“The idea of who is considered a role model is so misconstrued. The media misrepresents who role models are.

Those role models mislead our youth into believing who they should be like, for both male and females,” Palomar student and Encuentros member Armando Telles said.

Encuentros officials hope to help every student answer for themselves by asking three core questions: “Who am I?” “Where am I going?” and “How am I going to get there?”

Encuentros started off as curriculum at two Junior High Schools and is now in every Junior High school in Vista and is continuing to grow with the college chapter, Telles said.

The boys involved in Encuentros attend an early morning class. High schools are able to see an immediate change once students start attending this class: detentions go down along with the times the students are sent to the principle’s office. Schools are also seeing an increase Grade Point Average from students in the program, according to Telles.

For more information on the Encuentros program, visit www.myspace.com/palomarencuentros or www.encuentrosleadership.org. Those interested can also email Carlos Von Son at cvonson@palomar.edu.

Community colleges throughout California have felt economic strain from a strapped economy.

At Palomar, it has created problems between the faculty and the executive administration.

Faculty members believe that the administration has cut too deep into the budget and that part-time faculty and students are the people who are suffering.

“There is tension with the closing of classes,” Shannon Lienhart, co-president of the Palomar Faculty Federation said. “There should be some wiggle room in terms of closing of classes. I understand their [the executive administration’s] need to close classes because of their fiscal restraints but I would like to see them try to keep as many classes open as possible, and I’m not convinced that is what’s happening.”

The state’s strapped budget means that Palomar has had to cut classes, dock adjunct professors’ pay and enact a hiring freeze. The faculty union officials said administrators are being stingy with the budget, opting to cut classes instead of dipping into savings.

Administrators counter that they are saving now for a tougher state budget next year.

“The state budget is such that we get less revenues, which means that we cannot offer as many sections,” said Dr. Bonnie Dowd, vice president of Administrative Services. “If there are few sections offered, it impacts students [because] they will not get in classes they need and when it is convenient.”

The section cuts hurt the faculty as well, particularly parttime professors.

“All community colleges are cutting sections,” Dowd said.

“As they cut sections, a part time [faculty member], who teaches at various schools, may lose one or all of their classes from the different schools they

teach at, and that is their livelihood.”

The executive administration has agreed not to lay off permanent faculty members, whose contracts assure them a certain number of classes. So any class cuts will hurt the adjunct professors first. Leinhart doesn’t think its fair to make the adjunct professors suffer the brunt of the budget cuts, especially since they already saw a pay cut this semester of $1.37 an hour. There were no cuts to full-time faculty contracts.

“We believe in saving jobs, but if people have to take a reduction in pay, that reduction should be shared across faculty and staff,” Lienhart said. “If you have an administrator that’s making $200,000 a year, it is difficult to say that they should not take any cuts in pay, while a faculty member, who’s workload has been reduced to one-third of what it was the previous semester, has to take a cut in pay. That’s what we are fighting.”

The executive administration says that they are hurting just as much as the faculty.

“We have had a modified hiring freeze since March 2008,” Dowd said. “This means that as [faculty members] have left, we haven’t been able to replace [them].”

“My division alone is understaffed by at least 20 to 25 percent,” Dowd said. “Where I should have 8 to 10 custodians I only have half of that. From a non-instructional standpoint, there are a lot of positions that are not being replaced.”

The executive administration is trying to make a small education budget last throughout the year, according to Dowd. She explained that whatever money is left in the fund balance from one year will roll over into the next year’s balance.

Most of the faculty’s problems arise from an imbalance in power, according to Lienhart.

“The executive administration holds all the power,” she said. “The power that the faculty has is a political power. We can bring our concerns to the campus and to the community.”

The straight numbers

Part-timers •The number of part-time faculty in fall of 2008 was 958.

•The number of parttime faculty in the current semester is 944.

•These numbers don’t account for the part-time faculty whose teaching load was decreased.

Part-timer’s salary •Afull load for a parttime faculty member is generally 3 classes at 3 units each.

• Professors are paid for time spent teaching,not office hours or additional time spent teaching students.3 classes would amount to 9 paid hours per week.

•There are 17 weeks per semester,which means that a part-time faculty gets paid for 153 hours per semester.

•Ateacher with a Ph.D currently makes $54.80 per hour.

• That means that the total pay for a semester would be $8,384.40 or $16,768.80 per year.

ASG PRESIDENT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

textbook exchange.

The goal of the site is serve the students at Palomar. It could take several years to complete.

The fate of the site rests with the senate. The senators need to vote to approve the site before anything can get started. Bissell said he is fairly confident that his proposal would pass. “It’s a stronger voice for us… for the clubs and different organizations on campus. It’s a better source of feedback.”

Bissell said that feedback from students is important to him. He said e-mail is the best way for students to make their concerns known to him.

Bissell’s e-mail address is abissell@palomar.edu.

“I want lots of feedback,” he said. “I’m a tool for the students.”

Before running for president, Bissell had never been involved in ASG. “That’s the learning curve. He’s a little behind... It’s a learning process,” Titus said.

It was not until fellow classmates and veterans convinced him to get involved in ASG that Bissell decided to run for office.

They pointed out that he already had the skills necessary for the job and encouraged him to run.

According to Marilyn Lunde, Bissell is the first ASG president in more than 10 years to be elected without previous experience in ASG. Bissell attended Olympia High School in Washington.

He played tennis, soccer and ran track at the school.

He joined the Marines after graduating high school. He worked as a helicopter mechanic for five years before coming to Palomar in the fall of 2008.

Bissell is working to finish his associate’s degree in business management. He plans to transfer to in the fall of 2010 to work toward a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management.

LUCERO MARTINEZ | THE TELESCOPE

4 | NEWS

MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

Palomar appoints new chief of police ARIANNA RIVERA THE TELESCOPE

The beginning of a semester leaves students with little to no time to get to know Anthony Cruz, the new interim (temporary) chief of police and the man in charge of keeping the campus safe. Cruz was appointed as interim chief of police in September with the resignation of the previous Chief of Police.

Tom Plotts, the previous chief of police, resigned sometime over the past few months, but nobody was able to give a clear answer as to exactly why or when.

Cruz started as a private in the Marine Corps and worked his way up. In his office, displays he awards he received during his service. Cruz was also a professor and a drill instructor.

With 30 years of experience in the military and nine years of experience as a police officer, Cruz said he finds peace in keeping the students safe.

“My goal is to be proactive in the physical security and prevention of crime on campus.We must be very active, not only inside

“

campus, but also around the perimeter of campus,” Cruz said.

“As chief of police, I take safety and security very seriously in our environment educational because it makes the educational process smooth.”

Cruz has been working at Palomar College for seven years.

From 2004 to 2006, he served as chief of police on campus. Next, he was an officer for the Oceanside Police Department before returning to Palomar.

Cruz has also served as operations lieutenant. He ran day-today operations of the Police Department and answered to the Chief of Police.

Under normal circumstances, the chief of police works with the city he or she is serving.

However, it’s different in a college setting.

Cruz reports to the vice president of Student — Anthony Cruz Services.

Interim chief of police “I am here for the students,” Cruz said. He explained that his mission is not to punish students, but instead he said he wants to “work with the community to ensure that Palomar College is a safe and secure environment for learning success.”

The most important component

My goal is to be proactive. (...)

We must be very active, not only inside the campus, but also around the perimeter of campus.

”

CHRISTINA BECHTEL | THE TELESCOPE

Anthony Cruz was appointed to the interim chief of police position this month. He replaced Tom Plotts, the previous chief of police, who left Palomar for reasons unknown.

of being a chief of police is the experience, Cruz said. Another benefit is that Cruz obtains a fouryear degree in Administration of Justice.

Cruz is active with his staff as well as on campus. He makes sure to wear civilian clothes - especially when attending a committee meeting - to blend in. He said he believes that a good relationship with both the staff and the students is important.

Cruz stressed the importance of customer service. The Campus Police staff is here to keep students safe and comfortable. They provide escorts, especially at night. If a student feels threatened (such as an instance regarding a hate crime issue), Cruz said he and his staff will give the student peace of mind.

Campus Police also notifies students of any emergencies, helps students in tough situations (such as when a student locks his keys in the car or need a jumpstart) and secures student belongings in lost and found when they are lost on campus.

Cruz explained that many view the police as the ‘bad guys,’ but it is still worthwhile to be a police officer.

“The most rewarding part of my job is the ability to make a difference in terms of helping people. Understanding the needs of the community and utilizing the staff as well as the resources to meet those needs. It is a rewarding profession,” Cruz said.

High-tech gadgets can pose problems at Mexico border GRAIANNE WARD THE TELESCOPE

Going across the border will be a more high tech experience since Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will now be checking laptops, digital cameras, cell phones and any other electronic on your person or in your vehicle.

It’s not a new authority, according to Angelica De Cima, OFO Office of Public Affairs Liaison “They’ve always had the right to inspect your person, vehicle, baggage, anything on you.

Nothing has changed from before,” De Cima said.

It’s possible someone complained about having their laptop being checked and CBP officers felt there was a need to notify the public of what the border patrol is permitted to do, according to De Cima.

“I feel like it’s an invasion of privacy because you don’t know what they’re looking for and you don’t know what type of information they’ll take,” Palomar student Mario Negrete, 24, said.

“So it depends on what they’re looking for.”

Another student, Robert Alvarez, 40, simplifies the policy by saying CBP is looking for things that could threaten the country. He said anyone coming across could be a terrorist, drug dealer or someone trying to carry or take information out of the country by hiding it in a smaller device.

“We’re obviously trying to keep American’s safe,” De Cima said. “We’re screening for a digital world.”

CBP is on the lookout for cyber threats, terrorist plots, bulk cash smuggling and counterfeited trademarks as well.

“Well I know there have been a lot of murders going on,” Palomar student Brittany Piper, 18, said. “So if people record things [like ransoms] or have information about where people are who they’re looking for [that may help].”

CBP has been checking electronics since last year. From Oct. 1, 2008 to Aug. 11, 2009 they had an average of 221 million travelers and did approximately 1,000 laptop searches, with 46 in depth.

Successful screenings are already apparent Recently at the Calexico border, there was a 5-year-old boy in a vehicle with a 62-year-old man. CBP checked the man’s video camera and allegedly found videotape depicting the man engaging in explicit sexual acts with the young boy. The man was arrested and placed in federal custody on accounts of transporting child pornography.

Everyone has to go through inspection; people are routinely checked and have their vehicle x-rayed.

In-depth searches may require detaining suspects As for the duration of the lines at the border, they should be the same. If someone is a suspect they will be referred to the secondary inspection for a more in-depth search. If warranted, CBP will look more in depth into electronics. CBP is authorized to keep an item or person in question for up to 30 days, although generally this is only if

the subject is put into custody.

Palomar students had different opinions on the CBP’s inspections with the same conclusion.

“First of all I’d be kind of pissed

because I’m not going to go to down Mexico and try to do stuff, so that’d be kind of annoying,” Piper said. “I’d be angry for having to stay there when I’m innocent. On the other hand if someone was trying to do stuff I guess it’s kind of required.”

Negrete said he’d be shocked since he has nothing to hide and wouldn’t bring his computer. “I probably [would not] take embarrassing pictures of anyone, [I would] keep it clean.”

“That would really be outrageous,” Alvarez said. If they thought of him as suspicious he hoped they’d compensate him for the time he lost at work. “I’d have to question myself what was I doing, what was I carrying

that would actually have me be considered suspicious for them to even actually hold me for that amount of time. What were they thinking?” he said.

Most people will not get detained for days at a time. The duration that someone or something is kept in custody depends on what CBP finds.

If officials have a warrant, Immigration & Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) gets involved and starts preparing the case for the District Attorney and brings the suspect into custody.

Who does CBP choose to investigate?

“I can’t really tell who they’ll search for, probably just random people. Maybe they have a list of what to look for,” Negrete said.

De Cima didn’t say there was list of specifics on what to look for.

Alvarez said CBP may choose randomly, but also has his own theory.

“I’m stuck with the fact that a certain type of person looks a certain way, maybe you better search him, you know. He’s an Iranian or Arab, you know just the way they look,” said Alvarez. “I’m kind of stuck with that a little bit sometimes because, again, given what happened with 9/11 and all that

stuff I’m a little weary about certain people until I get to know them.”

How do the searches work?

When you go through customs they have x-rays on both sides of the car that scan the vehicle as you go through the checkpoint.

Piper feels that was “kind of creepy.”

All the searches of electronics will be documented in the CBP records system and will be performed in front of a supervisor.

The individual is allowed to witness the search being conducted as long as the search doesn’t reveal law enforcement techniques or potentially compromise other operational considerations.

Legal materials, medical records and journalist information will be protected from unauthorized disclosure by federal agencies.

CBP goals for the future Alvarez said the new policy might be good for our sense of security, especially after 9/11.

“If it’s intended in that direction to cut down the amount of terrorist that might be coming over here or what they may be bringing over here…I think in a sense its good for right now. I think in the long run that shouldn’t always happen.”

“Our goal is trying to help the public understand safeguards of privacy, (to) respect civil liberties, (to show) transparency and keeping the country secure,” De Cima said.

For more of a formal breakdown of the border patrol policy as it applies to electronics visit www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/cb p_directive_3340-049.pdf

MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

Reaching out Program focuses on helping young students reach their goals for the future

ver the summer the GEAR UP program held a math and science camp devoted to enhancing the education of young students and to encourage and prepare them for the next level in their education. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Math camp for GEAR UP Leaders. The camp took place at UCSD from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9.

O

The GEAR UP program is aimed toward helping schools in North County that have “pockets of poverty,” evidence of lower academic performance, high dropout/absentee rates or even low parent education and involvement.

GEAR UP works with students in the middle-school level through their high school graduation.

Along with providing an open-communication relationship between students and advisers, the program directs

events that give students the opportunity to expand their education, as well as experience a taste of future schooling.

One hundred seventy-four students from the GEAR UP program took part in the camp and spent the week in the residence halls at Warren College.

There were also 30 staff members and residential advisors, which included college students from mostly Palomar College, Cal State San Marcos and UCSD. “A majority of our … partic-

ipants are low-income and first-generation college-bound students, whom by participating and receiving this opportuare making more nity informed decisions about what to do as high school students to make their goal of going to college a reality,” said Cecilia Rocha, Supervisor of PC’s GEAR UP program.

At the camp, students were able to experience exactly what UCSD life is like.

Students and staff ate their meals from the campus cafeteria, participated in health activities and took a trip to the beach.

Students participated in hands-on activities, worked on group projects and also had time to enjoy the campus, play sports and go swimming.

Rocha said, “the Comet Academy STEM Camp is a unique summer program because it meshes an environment that promotes selfawareness of college and career options … with assignments and activities to design

UMUC

GO FURTHER. TOGETHER. EARN YOUR BACHELOR’S DEGREE FASTER WITH UMUC AND PALOMAR COLLEGE. The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and Palomar College Alliance can help you earn your bachelor’s degree easier and faster. You’ll follow one curriculum plan, so you can earn credits toward your UMUC bachelor’s degree while working on your associate’s degree at Palomar College. ;aZm^WaZ igVch[Zg eda^Xn VXXZeih je id ,% XgZY^ih [gdb Palomar College BVcn XVgZZg"VYkVcX^c\ egd\gVbh VkV^aVWaZ Zci^gZan dca^cZ! ^cXajY^c\ business and management, criminal justice and fire science HX]daVgh]^eh d[ je id (!(%% eZg nZVg VkV^aVWaZ [dg igVch[Zg hijYZcih

Enroll now. Call 800-888-UMUC or visit umuc.edu/ achievemore Copyright © 2009 University of Maryland University College

“

NEWS | 5

The students’ eyes and minds were open — and opened wider — to what possibilities exist for their future careers in Health/Medicine. a real-time plan of action to meet their … goals.”

One of the highlights of the STEM camp was that there were he science, technology, engineering, and math speakers who shared information and experiences with the students.

“The students’ eyes and minds were open — and opened wider — to what possibilities exist for their future careers in Health/Medicine,” Onedeer Gavin, Calvin Palomar college’s GEAR UP director said.

The STEM camp also had small group discussions between the students and their college advisors.

Students received college planning sessions.

In addition to understanding the importance of education, the students “also understand

”

— Calvin Onedeer Gavin GEAR UP Director

more about why high school coursework and learning is critical to their college and university options, and for STEM majors,” Gavin said.

The students from the GEAR UP program were eager to learn, and are now even more excited than ever to continue their education, said Gavin “They are more motivated to do well in school knowing they can be more successful, and less remediated, in college,” he added.

“Over the course of the last three summers, we have seen more and more teens leaving STEM Camp empowered to face the challenges of preparing for college and more proactive about getting additional resources to help them in their path to obtain a college degree,” Rocha said.

| OPINION

6

THE TELESCOPE | MONDAY SEPT. 21, 2009

OUR VIEWPOINT

Faculty, admin communication a poor example to students There is poor communication between Palomar College administrators and faculty members. This poor example was witnessed

by Palomar students at the All-College Forum on Sept. 14. NOT acceptable. The actions and the tone taken by the administrators toward the questions poised by students and faculty during the forum shows a lack of regard for those they are supposed to serve.

Students attend Palomar College for a reason, to get the classes they need to transfer, obtain a degree or a certificate. The administration has now deemed it necessary to cut about 270 classes over the course of this school year, not only are students affected but the faculty as well. It will take longer for students to get the credits they need, and with fewer classes being taught, some parttime faculty (who are paid according to how many classes they teach) will be forced to take more pay cuts.

Administrators insist the college has no choice but to make cuts, but a financial report given during the forum showed that Palomar College is not broke.

The college has an annual operating cost of just over $100 million a year. At the end of the 2008-2009 fiscal year, the college had a remaining unused balance of $12 million. The state requires community colleges to have a reserve of 3 percent at the end of each year, which for Palomar would mean $3 million.

The Palomar College Governing Board, along with the administrators, made an agreement to keep a 5 percent reserve at the end of each year. Abiding by that percentage, the college needs to keep $5 million in their reserve fund. Along with an additional $5 million to be repaid on a loan. There is an excess of $2 million.

The class cuts will save the college $810,000, not even a million dollars. That is not worth jeopardizing the education of students and the livelihood of faculty members.

“What we are protesting is that we have the money to keep these classes,” Shannon Lienhart, co-president of Palomar Faculty Federation, said at the forum.

“We advocated for consideration of students, faculty and staff.

Our concerns fell on deaf ears, and the cuts were made,” Lienhart wrote in an e-mail.

XXXXXXXX caused a loss of The lack of response from administrators have THE TELESCOPE goodwill and cast doubt on their intent. Taxpayer money should be spent on the education of the community and the educators who provide it.

During the forum, Palomar College President Robert Deegan said the cuts have to be made because of the tough economic times ahead. He said the college needs to have a reserve set aside in case the state makes more budget cuts.

Faculty and staff members unfortunately don’t have the ability to keep such a reserve for themselves. Students who may be returning to college because of the downed economy also don’t have this luxury. The United States doesn’t even have this luxury, nor does the State of California. The college is here to provide a service, and it needs to continue to do that by not cutting classes.

Deegan said the college staff and students need to unite. He said he has plans to take student and faculty representatives to the State Legislature in January to protest further budget cuts.

This type of collaboration cannot happen unless lines of communication are reopened between the administrators, faculty and students. Dismissing student and faculty comments and questions did not lend itself to the goal of unity. If the administrators truly want to come together, they need to be more open. Otherwise, mistrust and discontent will continue to grow between the faculty, administration and students.

To urge administrators to revisit the class cuts decision, send letters to President Deegan at rdeegan@palomar.edu.

To get more informed about Palomar government or to have their voices heard, students can attend Associated Student Government meetings; held at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays in room SU204. ASG leaders can be reached at (760) 744-1150, ext. 2689.

Andrew Bissell, the ASG president, can be reached directly at abissell@palomar.edu.

MONDAY SEPT. 21, 2009

FOCUSED ON PALOMAR

EDITORS IN CHIEF | KELLEY FOYT MELISSA LERAY OPINION EDITOR | MAGGIE AVANTS FOCUS EDITOR | ALEJANDRA JACKSON SPORTS EDITOR | JEREMY LEAL PHOTO EDITOR | SARA BURBIDGE ONLINE/COPY EDITOR | ERIC WALKER

Got a problem? Auntie G can help! Dating, money, school, whatever—send your questions to askauntgertie@aol.com.

Dear Aunt Gertrude:

I am a 20-year-old male looking for some advice on improving myself. Growing up, I didn't really have any friends until high school. My parents were divorced when I was a baby. My family life wasn't positive and I was bullied by my brother and uncle. My mom was the only one who protected me so I'm a pretty passive person. I've never had a girlfriend.

I have a simple job as a cashier and I've worked myself into a niche that I don't know how to get out of. I've been doing research on the Internet on becoming more assertive; the suggestions seem to be to "just do it." If it were that simple, it wouldn't be a problem. I want to be able to stand up for myself but I don't think I can do it alone. I have been trying to find courses on assertiveness. I know nothing in my life will change until I change but I just don't know how. Do you have any ideas?

Stuck in a Rut

Dear Stuck:

I am sorry your life so far has been somewhat unpleasant but it is not uncommon. There is a 50 percent divorce rate so statistically your broken home is not that unusual. As for bullies I am sorry to say you will run into them for the rest of your life. Everyone has to deal with them at one time or another but as they say, what does not kill you, makes you stronger. On the positive side you have a job. This is 2009 and to paraphrase Rudyard Kipling (author of the Jungle Book), in the land of the unemployed the employed man is king.

Self-improvement is always a good thing and the fact that you are attending college is a good start. If you made friends in high school you have an opportunity to make more here at Palomar.

Over 33,000 students attend Palomar and one of advantages of this diverse population is not just the possibility of finding people that have something in common with you, but find new interests. There are lots of clubs, campus events and opportunities to meet people with like interests.

Just keep your head up, mind and eyes open and things will be fine. Lastly, your lack of a girlfriend situation: odd as it may sound, in my experience if you look for love you will never find it.

Just relax. It will happen when it happens. Just pay attention. Be patient you already are on the right track to get out of your rut, keep it up and you will be just fine.

Aunt Gertrude

Wrong to pass rate hike on to consumers JANA ROWLAND THE TELESCOPE

In 2007, San Diegans were faced with the difficulties and losses of the wildfires that were ignited by San Diego Gas & Electric power lines. Even if we were not directly affected; it made an impact on the way that we lived our everyday lives.

Freeways were jammed; power lines were going out; schools were being closed and residential streets were blocked off. The air was getting thicker, almost making it impossible to breathe without coughing. Events like this one, in the most recent years, seem to be occurring more than ever. Unfortunately there is no way to prevent these occurrences from happening. That being said, it should not be the consumer’s obligation to pay for the fires that are ignited from power lines.

For the wildfires in 2007, SDG&E has agreed to pay $740 million to settle suits. Of course the consumers are potentially going to be the ones to foot the bill. At the beginning of next June, SDG&E is asking to raise its

VOLUME 63 NUMBER 4

CARTOONIST | JOSEPH BONNET AD MANAGER | CRYSTAL EVANS DISTRIBUTION MANAGER | KEVIN THOMPSON INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS | MATT NULL, CHARLES STEINMAN OFFICE MANAGER | SHASTA ANDERSON JOURNALISM ADVISERS | ERIN HIRO, ADRIAN VORE PHOTOJOURNALISM ADVISER | PAUL STACHELEK

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.

rates by $29 million to subsidize its higher insurance costs. The logic behind this major increase is because it is not getting any affordable insurance rates. So in dealing with this issue SDG&E felt that it was necessary for these costs to be on the shoulders of the consumers even when the company’s power lines started the fires in 2007.

“What we’re finding is our premiums are going up and the amount of insurance we can get is going down,” said Mike Niggli, SDG&E’s chief operating officer.

“Insurance and fire losses are a cost of doing business and as such should be paid for by the company’s customers.”

This means everyone using electricity in San Diego County will be charged on top of what they already pay. For college students already struggling to pay basic living expenses, this is going to hurt.

It should be SDG&E’s responsibility to pay all costs that have to do with its power lines.

Theoretically, if my child started a fire, I would be the one who had to deal with the consequences

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 STAFF WRITERS |CAMILO BERRERO,TONYCAGALA, STEPHANIE DAO,MELINAFICKAS, REBECCAFREDRICKS,BERTHANSEN,NIGELHARRIS,REBECCALEVIN, AMANDA MCCARTHY,DAN MCCARTHY,HOLLYMEZA,BECKETTMUFSON,CHRISTINA PARKER,JARRED POWELL,ARIANNARIVERA,TARASTEFANIUK,CHRISTIAN STINCHFIELD, JAVIER TOVAR,JESSICATOURINO,AMBER VARNES,GRAIANNE WARD STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS |SALVADOR AYALA,JESSICABABCOCK,STEVEN BALUBAR, CHRISTINABECHTEL,ALLEN J CARROLL,PHYLLIS CELMER,STEVEN DAVIS,KARA DONOVAN,KEN FARREN,PATTYFIETES,YSENIAGARCIA,VICTORIAHARTMAN,DEB HELLMAN,HANNAH HOUZE,DUDLEYJOHNSON, COLLEEN LANGILL,LUCERO MARTINEZ, STEVEN MCCOLLUM,CORALMCMURTRY, ASHLEYPLAYER,NATALIE PLAYER,LAURA TUCKLE, KEVIN WINTER

and pay for the damage, as should SDG&E. I can understand that in a more rural area, there will be more likelihood that a fire will ignite causing that area to be more at risk. There are always alternate options; using solar electric systems in these higherfire risk places might be the better way to go. In the long run, I am sure these systems would end up paying for themselves.

SDG&E will be the only one benefiting from the higher electricity rates. If SDG&E is actually able to make the increase in June, Palomar students and all other San Diegans will be responsible for paying the extra costs that are added to their monthly bills. In these hot months, students have been using their fans and air conditioning systems more than ever, not realizing how much they actually cost to run. It might not seem like a lot of money at first, but over the years it is going to add up.

In this recession, can people really afford to be footing the bill for a company that should have thought of this issue when it first arose?

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.

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.

ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS

CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION

CFAC CALIFORNIA FIRST AMENDMENT COALITION

JOURNALISM ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Misunderstood

MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2009| THE TELESCOPE

OPINION | 7

Reaction to Obama’s support of Islam unfounded MARY PAULET THE TELESCOPE

Since the horrific events of 9/11, much public interest has been generated on the subject of Islam. Sadly most of this has been negative and generated by fear born out of a lack of understanding of this major world religion. This prejudice was made evident by the public reaction to President Barack Obama’s acknowledgment of the contributions of Islamic Americans and stating the positive impact that Islam has had on our society during a White House dinner celebrating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The sad truth is that if it had been any other religion that Obama had done the same with, such a statement would not even have been an issue. White House celebrations of Jewish and Christian holidays are accepted as commonplace and non-contentious affairs.

Eight years after 9/11, public sentiment regarding Islam is becoming more negative.

Nearly half of those polled stated that Islam is more likely than other religions to incite violence; two years ago only 36 percent felt this way, according to USA Today. These numbers are alarming and show a deep misunderstanding of Islam, a religion which nearly one billion people worldwide practice.

According to Truthnet.com, to be Islamic is to abide by the five pillars of the faith. The first of these is the declaration of, “There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is his prophet.” The second pillar is the Salat (praying five times a day facing Mecca). The third is the giving of alms. The fourth is fasting during Ramadan, the Islamic Holy Month.

The fifth and final pillar is the making a once in a lifetime pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. Nowhere in these tenets is the demand or even suggestion of violence.

The most contentious belief is that of the jihad, or holy war. This is widely seen as a spiritual war within a person’s

soul. This can also relate to Islam when it is threatened.

However, this is not very different from the crusades when Christians took up arms to protect their communities.

When Osama bin Laden declared Jihad against the West, he referred to Christians as “crusaders” occupying Muslim lands, according to the Journal of Foreign Affairs — to him, this was a continuation of the crusades of the Middle Ages.

Throughout most of the Cold War the main combatants, the U.S. and the Soviet Union, did retain troops in Muslim lands such as Afghanistan.The U.S. originally trained many Muslim fighters including Bin Laden to wage war against the former Soviet Union.

Looking at the current situation through the lens of recent history, it is understandable why radical Islamists continue to distrust the West.

Another reason decriers of Islam give for their disdain is its treatment of women.

While it is true that in certain Muslim areas women do live lives of separation and discrimination, the same can be said for non-Muslim areas.

Historically Islam has also helped to guarantee the status of women. Before Islam, female infanticide was common in the Middle East. Islam forbade this.

Also, women are guaranteed a share in inheriting land and property.

Just as some fundamentalist Christians still believe that a woman is the purveyor of sin and inferior, there are also fundamentalist Muslims who commit human rights abuses against women in the name of Islam. It is important to judge a religion as a whole, not based on what radical fundamentalist groups do in the name of religion.

Indeed when such indiscriminate labeling of a religion is committed, it is the first step on the slippery slope of bigotry and hate. History shows us that the last time a fearbased bigotry of a religion was promoted, the architect was Hitler, and the Jewish concentration camps ensued.

PRO

Dangerous beliefs GRAPHIC BY MCT CAMPUS

Age-old religious traditions are no excuse for persecution, prejudice BERT HANSEN THE TELESCOPE

President Barack Obama’s Sept. 1 Ramadan dinner was a whitewash of Islamic practice and history, brutally ignoring many Islamic nations incompatibility with the Universal Human Rights declarations set forth by United Nations.

Obama praised Islam, describing it as “a great religion with commitment to justice and progress.”

Justice and progress are relative terms, and Islam whereas might make progress, it is in too many instances still practicing and sanctifying the same barbaric atrocities and injustices that have prevailed under its banner since the time of Muhammad.

Islamism is a term used to describe the political arm of Islam. It is a theocratic form of government based on clerical interpretations of the Quran and Muhammad’s life.

It involves a strict code of laws created by Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.

When laws are broken, harsh forms of draconian-style punishment are invoked.

Beyond this, Sharia, the name for the system of laws created by Muhammad, also creates systems of apartheid for women and nonMuslims that are comparable to what blacks suffered in South Africa. Not allowed to vote, drive, leave the house without

permission or dress how they want, women under Sharia law are unarguably forced to live the lives of second-class citizens.

Along with this, a woman’s testimony is worth only half that of a man’s in Islamic courts — which has led to some serious miscarriages of justice.

Non-Muslims in Islamic countries are faced with institutionalized forms of segregation and laws that strictly prohibit their abilities to freely propagate their faith to new converts.

They are often prohibited from erecting churches or temples of worship.

They can also be subjected to a special tax called a Jizya that seems meant to make conversion to Islam more appealing.

Couple this with capital punishment for apostasy and homosexuality, and we see a string of government and religiously sanctioned human rights violations, which have gone largely unopposed, mostly due to the fact that liberal voices in the west seem stifled by ideas about cultural relativism when it comes to criticizing Islam.

Ardent feminists who turn a blind eye to the plight of women in Islamic countries are guilty of compromising their beliefs for the sake of political correctness and as a result do an extreme disservice to their cause.

While Islamic immigrants to Europe and America complain

CON

about unfair treatment it is some of these very same immigrants who capitalize on Western ideals about free speech to advocate a system of Sharia similar to the countries that they left.

The Islamic world may indeed be worthy of praise, but it deserves far more in the way of criticism.

We must remember that Islam is the youngest of the major religions, and it was not that long ago that the Christian church was trying to rule over all aspects of life — but Islam is unique.

First, there is much more substance in the religion’s doctrine for theocratic law to be established. Second, Muhammad was

GRAPHIC BY MCT CAMPUS

one of the most documented men in history, leaving little room for conjecture on what is and is not acceptable in Islam.

We should ask ourselves whether we can accept the practices and proclamations of a sixth century Arab warrior and prophet as a basis for governing in the modern world.

8 | OPINION

MONDAY SEPT. 21, 2009| THE TELESCOPE

Shared headphones may pose health threat AMANDA MCCARTHY THE TELESCOPE

Palomar College’s library computers are a useful resource, but they come with some potential dangers.

Students can use them to put the finishing details on papers or to keep themselves entertained during breaks. While the computers can be very helpful, students should consider some potential problems that might be caused by their use before signing on.

Students should bring their own personal set of headphones to use in the computer lab in the library because of potential health problems.

The most important threat that should make students think about bringing headphones with them is the arrival of flu season.

While the Center for Disease Control’s Web site says the flu is primarily spread through person-to-person contact, it also says that flu germs can survive up to eight hours when they are deposited on the surfaces of various objects.

When a sick person coughs or sneezes, germs spray onto anything in front of the person.

Computer monitors, keyboards, and headphones can then

become contaminated.

Headphones also get germs on them when a person touches them. If a healthy person touches the infected object and then their mouth or nose, they could easily become sick.

A special concern this fall is H1N1, more commonly referred to as swine flu.

The Center for Disease Control’s Web site says that swine flu is thought to be spread in the same way as the regular seasonal flu. This makes the fear of catching swine flu the from computer labs a legitimate one.

Other illnesses, such as the common cold, may also be passed around through the use of shared headphones, so even those vaccinated against influenza should take precautions.

Another problem with the shared equipment is the presence of head lice. Students should not use the headphones in the library because lice can be spread through them.

Think about a normal day in the library. At any given time, there are usually at least two or three people waiting for computers to become available. Due to the large number of students who use them every day, the computers are in constant use.

Lice can survive up to 24 hours on headphones.

JOSEPH BONNET | THE TELESCOPE

This gives lice the opportunity to leave the head of their original host and infect the head of the next person to use the headphones.

To make matters worse, lice can survive up to 24 hours on headphones, according to headlice.org. This means that a stu-

dent is at risk because of all the people who used the headphones not only that day, but the day before as well.

While lice don’t cause any major health problems, they can be hard to get rid of. Bringing their own headphones is the only way students can protect

“

themselves against lice in the library.

Students who want to use the computer lab but want to protect themselves from germs and lice should not touch their faces until they’ve washed their hands — and make sure not to forget a pair of headphones.

”

We interrupt this broadcast to bring you reality.

We want our wars like we want our coffee A few weeks ago in my U.S. history class, the topic of discussion fell on the Afghan war. It was eye-opening.

By that, I do not mean it was elucidating in any recognizable form of the word. Quite the contrary — it was infuriating. It was cliched; it was ill-informed ranting; it was everything you could expect from a generation whose sole source of war-time information comes from a media ardent in securing the United States’ defeat in both Iraq and, as President Barack Obama called it, the “just war” — Afghanistan.

The principle gripe was time. To the majority of students who spoke out in class, this war was taking “too long.” Heck, we won World War II in less than four years, and now with the eighth anniversary of 9/11 having just past, we’re still in Afghanistan, a country we invaded in late 2001. What became clear is this: Americans want a convenient war.

They want an enemy that the U.S. military can crush in about a week; they want nice sound bytes; they want stories of heroic and humanitarian exploits; they want a clean, scandal-free conflict that engenders pride, nationalism and an enduring sense that America is the world’s protector. They want their wars like their coffee: fresh, hot, stylish and spotless, with cream and sugar to dampen the liquid’s inherent bitterness. Give them anything else, and in due time, the war they were all gung-ho about a handful of years ago becomes “not worth fighting.”

We interrupt this broadcast to bring you reality.

To the chagrin of just about everyone, it is unlikely

we will ever see another war like 1991’s Operation Desert Storm, where between a heavy bombing campaign and a 100-hour ground invasion, Iraq — which at the time had one of the largest armies in the world — was soundly trounced by Uncle Sam. Any length of detail I could go into will ultimately come back to this point, so I’ll just cut to the chase. We were engaged in the type of conflict that our military was designed from the ground up to fight: a conventional, symmetric war. By definition, it’s a conflict of juxtaposed professional militaries squaring off in conventional engagements.The focus is on tanks, air superiority, command posts, key population centers and, as a basic doctrine, maneuver-warfare (infantry spearheaded by armor with air cover). It’s also a thing of the past — at least for now. Whereas that was considered third-generation warfare, we’ve moved on to the fourth generation of conflict theory: asymmetric, unconventional warfare.

Basically, this is a conventional military fighting an insurgency. To combat this, the set of tactics and procedures used are collectively known as “counter insurgency” — CO-IN (pronounced “coin”) for short. Now, there are two basic approaches to CO-IN, each with its merits and shortcomings.

On one hand, you can use overwhelming force and utterly destroy anyone who helps the enemy. By that, I mean carpet bombing villages that have Taliban fighters firing from within. Obviously, this won’t lend itself kindly to the whole “we’re here to help you” idea that

is an integral part of our involvement in Afghanistan. It would achieve the tactical objective of killing as many of the enemy as possible, but also prompt a deep hatred toward American forces.

Conversely, you can try to tiptoe your way around the various villages and pursue a more diplomatic approach. Unfortunately, that makes you look weak, and will, by default, make the Taliban appear more able to influence the tide of conflict. Here, you would maintain a certain level of goodwill with the Afghan people and lay the groundwork for a more peaceful transfer of power to Kabul, but at the same time, lose face and most assuredly see a spike in friendly casualties. It also requires a precious commodity we do not have readily available: time.

Perhaps you can now see the catch-22 we’re in.

This war is, by all accounts, certainly winnable (however, that’s a topic in itself for another day). Scores of counter-insurgencies have ended with the host country emerging as a decent democratic state and whose citizens have a vastly better life. The only question is whether we’re ready to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve that conclusion. What is important to remember is this: Frappuccino wars are one in a million. The rest are gritty, bloody non-spectacles. The formerly-known-as-War on Terror is one of those, and just because it’s not the media glitz-a-thon like our first venture into Iraq, that doesn’t qualify the foregone conclusion that this war isn’t worth waging. Comfort levels aside, this is a war we absolutely must win.

ENTERTAINMENT | 9

MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

Sonata’s ‘Days of Grays’provides excellent variety ERIC WALKER THE TELESCOPE

Finnish power metal band Sonata Arctica has received some flak in the past for focusing too much MUSIC REVIEW on guitar solos and fast singing. Their latest album, “The Days of Grays,” features a break SONATARCTICA from this ‘DAYS OF GRAYS’ trend, offerHHH ing a set of OUT OF FOUR STARS slower-paced songs with far more vocal variety than their past albums.

Tony Kakko’s trademark falsetto singing is still present, though now interspersed with the lovely voice of Johanna Kurkela, offering a Nightwishlike touch to a few tracks.

Kakko also dabbles slightly in some more “screamo” vocals as background chanting in a few songs — though this is used sparingly and tastefully, so as not to alienate fans of his usual melodic style.

The album has a surprising lack of guitar solos, however.

Fewer than half of the tracks feature extended solos of any sort, which might disappoint fans of Elias Viljanen’s past guitar work with the band.

In fact, most of the songs are slower and more along the lines of their older ballads, like 2004’s “Shamandalie.” A few of them segue into power metal after a while, and the tracks end up feeling more complex and varied than previous all-metal outings. It’s a good thing overall, but at times leaves the listener wondering when the song will finally pick up.

Some of the singing just feels off, as well. Kurkela’s parts in “Deathaura” are oddly timed and have awkward tempo at times, for instance. But “Zeroes” ranks as one of Sonata’s best and most unique songs, largely thanks to Kakko’s surreal screamed chants in the background of the main melody at the start and end of the track.

As usual, Kakko’s lyrics are abstract yet deep, with no set meaning but easily applicable to any individual listener. One song breaks this trend — “Juliet” is, believe it or not, a metal anthem about Shakespeare’s “Romeo and

‘Artwork’ takes The Used in a new direction, succeeds

Most of the songs effectively display the singer’s true ability to carry a tune, and feature After a whole year recording plenty of crowds chanting choand almost three years after ruses, which adds amplitude their last CD, the band from and give a sense of greatness to Utah comes back with the songs.

In this album there are a lot of “Artwork,” their fourth studio pop-like and ballad intros like in album.

The Used has been classified “Born to Quit,” “Kissing You as a hard-core, screamo, metal Goodbye” and “Empty with and even pop rock band, but for You” but after that they come with a heavier sound them this is a new MUSIC REVIEW and the rage that charstage where they can acterizes them. bring to their fans a The first single of the renewed sound with album is called “Blood different features. on My Hands,” which For the first time in was released on iTunes four albums, the band June 30. didn’t work with John The album has 11 Feldmann as the proTHE USED tracks in the in-store ducer of their album, ‘Artwork’ edition, 12 in the Vinyl instead choosing Matt HHH version and 14 in the Squire, the producer of OUT OF FOUR STARS electronic version on Panic at the Disco and iTunes and Boys Like Girls, to give Amazon.com. The band is aima new feeling to the record.

This is also the first studio ing to offer different distribualbum where Dan Whitesides tion options to their fans.

The band played on Sept. 4 at features as the drummer since the Jimmy Kimmel Live show in he joined the band in 2006.

“Artwork” is loaded with pas- Hollywood where they promotsion. The album has ups and ed their new album and talked downs, and the concept of the about the tour they’re doing on songs are really different among the next months. They will be themselves but in general all coming back to California on the tracks are really good and Nov. 10 to play at The Wiltern in The Used lets us know one more Los Angeles.

This is a completely different time why they have been part of the biggest rock festivals and record that shows a new air of carry with them music awards the band — but certainly in a good way. from around the world.

CAMILO BARRERO THE TELESCOPE

COURTESY PHOTO

Tony Kakko (center), lead singer of Sonata Arctica, poses with the rest of the band to promote their latest album, “The Days of Grays.”

Juliet,” sung from the perspective of Romeo. Cheesy as it sounds, it’s actually executed very well. On the other hand, “Deathaura” is divided into sections titled after what seem to be the Salem Witch Hunts, but it feels like one song arbitrarily split apart by the liner notes.

There are also several bonus tracks, depending on the version of the CD, and all versions include both vocal and instrumental versions of the “title” song, “Everything Fades to Gray.”

All in all, while it may not please all fans of the band’s usual work, it’s an excellent change of pace, and definitely worth checking out.

facts you Sonata 8probably know Arctica didn’t about the Trivia band • The band originally formed under the name Tricky Beans, then changed to Tricky Means before settling on the current name.

• The band’s hometown of Kemi is also home to world’s largest snow castle, which is reconstructed yearly.

• “Flag in the Ground” was originally released as a single; the cover art was designed for a contest by a fan.

• In 2006, Sonata teamed up with Zelian Games to produce an as-yet unreleased action-RPG based on the album “Winterheart’s Guild.”

• Tony often ends his concerts with an improvised song about vodka.

• The band has opened for Iron Maiden and toured with both Nightwish and DragonForce.

•Tony also sings for for the Northern Kings, a Finnish group dedicated to creating heavy metal covers of classic songs, including works by Journey and Billy Idol.

• The title of “Days of Grays” was brainstormed as a last-minute change while playing the online game “World of Warcraft.”

10 | ENTERTAINMENT Kid Cudi offers a refreshing take on hip-hop lyrics

MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

WHAT’S HAPPENING Thursday, Sept. 24 Who: Pitbull What: Rap Where: House of Blues Cost: $26.50 More info: www.houseofblues.com What: Britney Spears Who: Pop Where: San Diego Sports Arena Cost: $55 More info: sandiegoarena.com

Friday, Sept. 25 What: Sugar Ray What: Alternative Where: Hard Rock Hotel Cost: $25 More info: www.hardrockhotelsd.com

Saturday, Sept. 26 Who: ArtSplash 2009 What: Chalk drawing, art demonstrations, hands-on art, music and entertainment Where: Armada Dr., Carlsbad Cost: Free More info: carlsbadartsplash.org

Sunday, Sept. 27 Who: Pink Martini What: “Vintage music” Where: Humphrey’s by the Bay Cost: $48 More info: humphreysconcerts.com

Monday, Sept. 28 Who: Crosby, Stills & Nash What: Classic Rock Where: Humphrey’s by the Bay Cost: $105 More info: humphreysconcerts.com

Tuesday, Sept. 29 Who: Shinedown w/ Sick Puppies What: Rock Where: House of Blues Cost: $25 More info: www.houseofblues.com.

NOW ON SALE

Kiss: Alive 25

Concert at the San Diego Sports Arena on Nov. 27, tickets on sale Sept. 19. sandiegoarena.com

Manhein Steamroller Concert at the San Diego Civic Theater on Dec. 3, tickets on sale Sept. 24. sandiegoarena.com

JEREMY LEAL THE TELESCOPE

Kid Cudi’s debut album, “Man on the Moon: The End of Day,” is far from the blueprint laid out for new rappers. By straying away from the norm, Cudi proves you can be different and still be successful.

In the world of hip-hop, it seems the artists who have been the most successful are the former hustlers and drug-dealers, who use their talents to maintain their hardcore image. Cudi is a very different type of rapper. Rather than a gang member, Cudi displays a young college kid persona.

This appeals to a new uprising of hip-hop fans who are neither drug-dealers nor gang members, a group of people who are challenging society’s general perception of hip-hop culture. The new generation consists mainly of young adults who have never sold drugs or even held a gun, which makes it very hard for them to connect with the material that goes into hip-hop albums.

This is where Cudi, the 25-yearold rapper/singer whose birth name is Scott Mescudi, comes into the picture.

“Man on the Moon,” which was released on Sept. 15 by Universal COURTESY PHOTO Motown Records, takes hip-hop in a direction that it has never been Focusing on emotion rather than sex and drugs, Kid Cudi’s “Man on the Moon: The End of Day” aspires to break away from rap stereotypes. before.

The focus of Kid Cudi’s album that a wide variety of listeners all of the songs are tied together. and “Make Her Say,” which feais to promote individuality. The can connect with. It tells a story of a man who tures Common, Kanye West and a title “Man on the Moon” is a per- There have been attempts at comes from the moon and visits sample from Lady Gaga’s smash fect one for this album, because “emotional hip-hop” albums Earth. With each song, Cudi single, “Poker Face.”

Cudi is simply on a different plan- prior to Cudi’s album such as chronicles the experiences of this Other songs on the album, such as et than all other rapKanye West’s most man, and through this relays his “Alive,” “Pursuit of Happiness” pers. recently released message to his listeners: embrace and “Simple As…” provide the MUSIC REVIEW Cudi not only raps, album “808’s and one’s own uniqueness, do not hide backbone of the album. These KID CUDI but also creates innoHeartbreaks.” The from it. songs touch on Cudi’s past, and ‘MAN ON THE MOON: vative melodies and difference between Veteran rapper, Common, is the how he struggled to fit in with THE END OF DAY’ memorable hooks.

West’s and Cudi’s surprise narrator of the album. society prior to his success.

His style of hip-hop albums is this: Kid He adds a cinematic effect to In the song “My World,” Cudi HHHH OUT OF FOUR STARS can be classified as Cudi can actually “Man on the Moon,” which sings in a mysterious, almost mys“emotional hip-hop,” sing. strengthens the theme of the tifying tone, “One day, this will be because the content of most of his Cudi creates a perfect blend of album. my world.” songs are about everyday human rapping and singing. His rapping “Man on the Moon” features If the world Cudi is talking feelings. These feelings, such as style itself is unique as well as his two most successful singles: about is world of hip-hop, than love, ambition, depression and fresh and enjoyable.

“Day N’ Nite” which was off of his that statement may prove true happiness, are universal feelings The album is a concept album; “A Kid Named Cudi” mix tape, sooner rather than later.

‘Whiteout’ deviates little from set formula MARK NOTARIAN THE TELESCOPE

The new Warner Bros. picture “Whiteout” has one of the most ambiguous advertising campaigns I have ever seen. From the preview you can’t tell if it’s a science-fiction film, an action-adventure or an old-fashioned murder mystery. Five minutes into “Whiteout,” the old Yogi Berra quote “This is like deja vu all over again” started rolling around my head and for the next 96 minutes it didn’t leave.

Modern Hollywood loves a formula.You add a small number of people: a stalwart but flawed hero/heroine, in this case played by Kate Beckinsale. Her trusted friend usually who is responsible for all expository information, here played by MOVIE REVIEW Tom Skerritt. The “likable guy,” played ‘WHITEOUT’

by Columbus Short.

HHHH A mysterious new OUT OF FOUR STARS comer whose motives Kate Beckinsale, are unclear, played STARRING: Gabriel Macht, Tom Skerritt

by Gabriel Macht.

RATED: R Place them in a isolated creepy environment like Antarctica. Add a situation that is over their head, an ax-wielding maniac, a few life threatening situations shake well and you get the typical modern Hollywood thriller.

Director Dominic Sena follows this formula in every respect, right down to the ax-wielding maniac. Whiteout is not a bad film, it just is not a good one either. It seems to strive for mediocrity.

The performances of the actors are at best adequate. The special effects decent enough but nothing particularly stands out.The script

COURTESY PHOTO

Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) is sent to investigate Antarctica’s first murder before the weather gets her first.

seems to have all the surprises of a daily routine.

Perhaps this planned mediocrity may not be Sena’s fault. “Whiteout” is the latest in a long line of films based on graphic novels with varying degrees of success or lack there of. It is my personal belief this come from rampant ADHD suffered by producers and their inability to actually read a real book. If you start

with Spam, you don’t get steak.The characters never had any depth in any incarnation so to expect anything but a shallow performance by the actors is unrealistic.

In short, “Whiteout” is the kind of uninspired bland thriller that you’ll find on HBO at 3 a.m. It’s marginally entertaining, but not worth the $10 admission at your local theaters.

ENTERTAINMENT | 11

MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

Polynesian Festival succeeds despite amateur cast HOLLY MEZA THE TELESCOPE

The Polynesian Drum and Dance Festival kicked off the Performing Arts Center’s 20th anniversary.

Held on Sept. 11 and 12, the festival was a demonstration of culture and the beauty held within.

Family members, friends, professors, and curious community members gathered to witness this expression of island cultures.

Each of the dances incorporated traditions from Tahiti, New Zealand and each island of Hawaii.

Accompanied by live musicians who played guitars the first half, drums the second, the dancers were all shapes and sizes, which well represented the diversity of the Polynesian cultures.

Along with costumes, dance moves, props, and song lyrics, the variations of cultures stretched as far as the eye could see.

Outdoors, the festival heated up during the prolonged intermission in the courtyard, where the merriment contin-

ued. Booths selling food, refreshments and island style jewelry were booming with business.

Drummers wowed the audience with their passionate beats.

Men in next-to-nothing culcostumes received tural applause with their New Zealand knife fire dance.

Even in the down time of the performance, the entertainment was lively and exciting.

The remainder of the performance was equally exciting — extravagant costumes and choreography to the beat of powerful drums was the perfect way to start the second half of the show.

Though it was much shorter than the first, the second half had twice the charisma and energy as the first half.

As a grand finale, the entire cast of the production presented a traditional number called “Tahiti, Tahiti,” and said their final farewell to the very appreciative audience.

Overall, the Polynesian Drum and Dance Festival reflected the sincerity, differences and beauty of the range of Polynesian cultures.

Buckley’s ‘Supreme Courtship’ satire is formulaic but worthwhile PHOTO BY YSENIA GARCIA

One of the dancers performs an elaborate routine with fire for the Polynesian Festival.

NIGEL HARRIS THE TELESCOPE

Christopher Buckley’s latest novel “Supreme Courtship,” although not his best work, still provides laughs and insight.

The story is set in Washington, D.C. The president is not wellliked due to his vetoing of every bill that would cause the United States to have to spend money, which would increase the national debt. A vacancy opens up on the Supreme Court and as an act of vengeance, Congress decides to make it its job to ruin any nominee the president can throw at it — that is, until he chooses America’s number one TV courtroom judge, Pepper Cartwright.

With a few minor adjustments to reality, Buckley makes a

Washington, D.C. that feels real, yet still offers a sense of fiction.

His descriptions of areas lead to a feeling of actually being there with the characters. At times, writers become formulaic in their writing, and many times this hinders the writer from reaching their readers. Buckley has a pattern in his writing, which he understands and uses to his advantage to further his points and hone his humor.

Buckley’s character development, though shallow, still enables a connection to be made with the characters he has created. The characters all feel as though they are human even though they are some of the most powerful people in the nation. It is this humanization of the characters that excuses

PHOTO BY DAVID ULRIGG

Two students get their groove on in traditional dress to the sounds of island music as part of the Polynesian Festival’s entertainment.

Buckley’s lack of development.

The book uses a number of legal terms; some are foot-noted and others are not. The book also uses a lot of Latin — again, sometimes foot-noted and other times forgotten, leaving room for some confusion. Some of the jokes might be lost in translation. The book is a satire on government in the United States, so there are certain liberties taken that assume readers will have knowledge of how the government in the United States Buckley’s sense of works. humor is spot on. He is witty and sarcastic where he should be and at other times he is even rude and irreverent, but it works to his advantage and drives home most of the points he is trying to make. His grip on

satire in this book, although not his best, still helps to provoke questions about the what-if situations that Buckley is presenting. The book does, despite its faults, move very quickly and has little pacing issues. There always seems to be a driving force that pushes the story along, and keeps the story interesting. The jokes are woven seamlessly into the story. The plot also leaves little room for confusion making this an easy read. Buckley displays a talent for keeping his satire relevant.

“Supreme Courtship” may not be not Buckley’s best work, but it is still among the better satires available. It is worth the time it takes to read and will provide a couple of laughs along the way.

BOOK REVIEW ‘SUPREME COURTSHIP’ BY: Christopher Buckley

HHH

OUT OF FOUR STARS

12

| FOCUS

THE TELESCOPE | MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2009

Where to go to make your food really count Swami’s Café

CHRISTINA PARKER THE TELESCOPE

Swami’s is a breakfast lunch café with a Bohemian atmosphere, where your food portions will be large and the smoothies are thick, and filled with fresh fruit. Get a natural boost by opting for bee pollen on top. Though the price on the acai bowl is pricey, you won’t regret it one bit when you realize they pack it full.

1163 S Coast Highway 101 Encinitas, CA 92024-5041 (760) 944-0612

For those who are more conscious of what they put in their bodies, North County offers plenty of alternatives to the standard mega-mart or fast food drivethru. From organic farmer’s markets to vegan and vegetarian-friendly treats there is something for almost anyone.

Farmers Markets and Grocery Stores Sprouts Farmers Market Sprouts offers a large range in wholesome organic, and nutritional food, whether you are vegan, vegetarian or just want to be a little more health aware. You can find gluten-free products, whole grain cereals, very fresh fish, and organic produce.

149 S Las Posas Rd Lake San Marcos, CA 92069

Trader Joe’s With a laid back Hawaiian surf shack theme, you can enjoy shopping here for cheep nutritious foods from kosher, low sodium and gluten-free products, to healthy microwave dinners.

A microwave may save time, but try buying a nutritious one you can feel good about and enjoy more.

2570 Vista Way Oceanside, CA 92054 (760) 433-999 951 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad, CA 92009 (760) 634-2114

Just Peachy A small quaint little grocery store with some of the cheapest and best selections around, compared to the prices of surrounding super markets and other farmers markets, Just Peachy has cheap selections of fresh bread, tasty humus flavors, ripe and juicy organic fruits and veggies and really great prices on familiar organic products like “Annie’s” “Newman-O’s” and a great selection of ethnic healthy Indian food to spice up your meals.

The Greenery

CHRISTINA PARKER | THE TELESCOPE

Encinitas-based Caribbean eatery, Mozey’s Cafe, offers affordable vegetarian fare like the “Bowl of Happiness.”

1354 N Coast Hwy 101 Encinitas, CA 92024-1484 (760) 635-3656

Jimbo’s Naturally How does barbecue turkey meatloaf sound with organic garlic fries, or Teriyaki salmon with organic veggies?

Top it off off with Jimbo’s famous vegan espresso chip cookie (don’t leave without one). Eat and shop for naturally delicious food, with no sugar synthetic sweeteners, bromated or bleached flours, additives and preservatives or growth hormones.

1923 Calle Barcelona Carlsbad, CA 92009 (760) 334-7755 1633 S. Centre City Pkwy. Escondido, CA 92025 (760) 489-7755

Eating Out Where it Won’t Hurt

this local café can cater to your vegan, vegetarian and health food needs.

Looking for a place to study with comfort and free Wi-Fi? The Old Cal Coffee House offers a Baked Tofu Wrap Salad, Vegan Chili, Apple Chicken Salad and more. Complete with outside bonfire seating, and live local music Friday, and Saturday nights, you’ll enjoy a healthy meal here.

1080 W. San Marcos Blvd., #176. San Marcos, CA 92078 (760)744-2112

Hand-crafted organic vegan food is served ready-made and raw at The Greenery. Most would think that your selections are limited when it come to raw food but not here. At The Greenery you can enjoy seaweed salad, pesto pasta, lasagna, nacho’s and even a cream cheese sandwich, all raw all organic.

(Located behind Mozy’s) 133 Daphne St, Encinitas, CA 92024 (760) 479-0996

Mozy’s Café Mozy’s Café, the beach hang out spot,where you can get delicious and fresh meals for cheap. Try a Chicken Fajita Burrito or the Caribbean Delight Plate. For the vegan diners out there, don’t leave Mozy’s without their appetizing “Bowl of Happiness” and a moist vegan cookie.

698 N Coast Hwy 101 Encinitas, CA 92024 (760) 944-9168

What’s next for fall and winter fashion Old Town California Coffee house

CHRISTINA PARKER | THE TELESCOPE

Grocery store, Just Peachy, offers organic produce.

Right down the street from Palomar,

YVONNE LANOT THE TELESCOPE

For southern California, it’s hard to predict what will be the fall and winter trends when there is sun almost all year round.

Some fashion students, like history of fashion/ Costume student Somserai Favors still believes that shorts will not remain in for the entire year; Just add a peacoat jacket, some tights and a pair of boots with those denim shorts that were worn over the summer, and you’ll have the perfect winter outfit.

Not only were shorts still going to be a big hit for these next seasons, Favors said winter will be all about the flannel.

“Flannel will be a huge hit this next season,” Favors said, “I can’t wait for it to get cooler so I can start wearing my flannel shirts out.”

Another student from the Fashion 130 class, Michele Brown, adds in that she believes, “black and red will be the new colors of the next season.” While black and red will be popular colors in the coming seasons, the classy color of white just might make another come back this season.

Beyond the classic white, fashion merchandising major Yolanda Shepherd said she believes that, “colors representing royalty, like purple and blue, will become the new colors of the season.”

Shepherd also believes that chunky accessories or jewelry that becomes “statement pieces” to a person’s style will have a big effect in the next season’s trends.

“People are starting to look up to the First Lady [Michelle Obama], as a fashion leader. The way she mixes both high priced items and low priced items together is a different approach to the fashion industry and will effect much change in the next season’s trends,” said Rachael Libolt, a wardrobe consultant as well as a professor at Palomar’s Fashion Department.

KARA DONOVAN | THE TELESCOPE

According to Yolanda Shepard, a Fashion Merchandising major, chunky accessories like Katrins Mendoza’s earring will be popular this fall.

A common theme among the Palomar Fashion students is “mixing.” People are mixing the era of 1980s fashion with 1940s fashion, while Brown believes that the 1980s and 1960s are mixing together.

Libolt’s has a much simpler take on student’s mixing of trends. She said that trends tend to recycle themselves. This is how new fashion trends come about: it is with the inspiration of old fashions in different eras.

Libolt speculated that this season’s biggest trends will include “leggings and boyfriend sweaters. Also, vintage jewelry and clothing is a big thing with these students.”

KARA DONOVAN | THE TELESCOPE

Alexis Derango’s brown handbag makes for a bold “statement piece.”

FOCUS | 13

MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

Prodigy high schooler receives prestigious award AMBER VARNES THE TELESCOPE

At age 16, Joshua Simmons has already racked up college credits from Palomar and is nearing his high school graduation.

Recently honored by the National Society of High School Scholars for superior academic achievement, Simmons first began to “double up” on his education when he was 13, attending both Palomar High School’s independent study program and Palomar Community College.

“I feel quite honored to have received recognition from (this) prestigious and exclusive society and I look forward to taking advantage of the opportunities that will come my way” Simmons said.

Along with being recognized, Simmons gained access to exclusive scholarships and credentials for the society’s Web site.

The Palomar High School and Palomar College student found doubling up on his education a way to keep himself occupied and doing something productive.

Professor Brent Gowen from Palomar’s English Department recognized his academic ability, as well.

“Josh was an excellent student. I really appreciated working with him. He wrote an especially good research essay in my class—about automobiles and energy crises. His intellectual agility was impressive!” Gowen said.

But Simmons has a lot more to him than just superior academic excellence.

When he isn’t pulling all-nighters perfecting his homework, studying for exams and maintaining his 3.69 GPA, he enjoys playing guitar, going on backpacking trips with his scout troop and spending “countless hours a week reading Wikipedia articles.”

He doesn’t let the stresses of high school or college affect his personal life, as he said he upholds a very

good social life and stays connected with friends on the weekends or through the Internet.

“Josh is a great influence for my son. He is wellrounded and motivated… but he’s also a regular teenager and knows how to have fun!” Deborah Walker, mother of David Walker who also attends Palomar High School, said.

phones/laptops/net books,” Simmons said.

But for now, Simmons is happy with where he is.

“I’m a humble person but I also acknowledge this doesn’t happen everyday,” Simmons said.

Palomar College has made a positive impact on Simmons and has been a place where he can not only come to stimulate his learning, but where he can immerse himself in a diversity of lifestyles, ages and races of the student body.

He especially recognizes the quick and easy student services that Palomar provides and graphic design classes such as Photoshop, which allows him to express his creativity.

He has also come to appreciate the impact some of the professors at Palomar have had on him, especially Gowen.

— Joshua Simmons “He has had a lasting impact on my Palomar Student interest in the art of writing. I really enjoyed taking English with him and would highly recommend him,” Simmons said.

Simmons said he is able to witness the positives “He was able to consider the subject from a numand negatives of each environment at the same time. ber of perspectives—technical, social, political, eco“I enjoy my taking part in the college curriculum nomic, even historical—and draw these perspectives better because the choice of classes allows me to pur- into relationship. It was a real achievement,” Gowen sue my interests and engage in studies I find more said. interesting than those that are presented in high Simmons has many more recommendations to go school,” he said, adding he also enjoys spending time around. He said he believes that more students his with his peers at high school. age, or younger, should begin to “double up” on their When it comes to his future, Simmons should grad- education and strive toward higher academic uate from Palomar High School’s independent study achievement. program by December, and will continue to accumu“I’ve encouraged several of my friends to do the late credits at Palomar College so that he can trans- same and have explained the advantages of doubling fer to a UC school. up on education,” he said.

There, he plans to obtain a master’s or doctorate Simmons has already had an impact on fellow degree in computer sciences.

Palomar High School classmate, David Walker.

“I hope to someday be in a lab, developing the cut“He is the reason David wants to graduate early. ting edge hardware for tomorrow’s electronics such David plows through his work now because he sees as making computers faster with improved CPU what Josh is doing. He wasn’t as motivated before,” designs and expanding the capabilities of cell Walker said.

“

I’m a humble person but I also acknowledge this doesn’t happen everyday.

”

Local pub offers up more than just wings and beer CAMILO BARRERO THE TELESCOPE

If you are looking for something to do on your weekend but you can’t decide between going out for dinner,live music, having a couple drinks or watching a game, then there’s a place with all that combined.

Hensley’s Flying Elephant Pub & Grill, is a great spot for those who enjoy excellent food and good drinks in original and laid-back environment.

Located in Carlsbad right off Interstate 5 and with less than Swim Instructors Wanted two years under its Instructors $12-19 / hour belt, Hensley’s has Customer service $10 /hour become one of the Contact Brett at (760) 744-7946 favorite establishments in the North

“

County area for various reasons, one of them diversity.

“This is the kind of place that no matter who you come with you’re going to have a good experience,” Palomar student, Nathan Field, said.

The pub was opened by Matthew Hensley, former professional skateboarder and accordionist for Irish punk rock band Flogging Molly.

The place is a collection of ideas from pubs around the world as well — Adam Shaw as Hensley’s inspiManager ration for a place where things like skateboarding and art come together to make of this an attractive place. Hensley’s family is colorful, unique, and truly a pleasure to work for.

“It’s absolutely like hanging out with your closest friends,” says Adam Shaw, a manager at Hensley’s.

“We see ourselves as more than just a typical Pub. We’re a community hangout, a family restaurant, an awesome place to see cutting edge and legendary bands, and most of all we’re Matt Hensley’s dream,” Shaw said.

The Pub offers British, Irish, and American lunch and dinner fare and a selection of vegetarian food.

Chef Frankie Villalba likes to change his menu seasonally so you can get to try new dishes every now and then.

For those with more laid-back dinner plans or just want to catch a quick bite, Hensley’s also offers a vast selection of appetizers as well as local and imported drinks. The Elephant Burger and chips as well as the curry chicken are two of the classic favorites at Hensley’s.

There’s live music almost every day and that’s one of the main attractions of the pub.

There are two performance stages and music that ranges from alternative, to punk, to gospel.

They also have pool tables, dart boards, a monthly art shows, comedy nights and Sunday night Brew N View, featuring everyone’s favorite classic movies.

So next time you and your friends find yourself debating were to spent a Saturday night, go to the place that has something for everyone.

It’s absolutely like hanging out with your closest friends.

”

Hensley’s Flying Elephant Pub & Grill 850 Tamarack Ave, Carlsbad, CA 92008 (760) 434-2660

Hours of operation •Monday-Wednesday 3-midnight •Thursday-Saturday 11:30 am-midnight

Happy Hour •Everyday 4-6 pm

Live Music •Everyday 8-11pm

Calendar •9/21 Pool Tournament •9/22 Ben Powell •9/23 Joe Wood & The Lonely Ones •9/24 Irish Night •9/25 Johnny Law & The Pistol Packin’ Daddies •9/26 Nathan James Roots Rhythm & Blues •9/29 Jukebox Night

14 | DIVERSIONS

THE TELESCOPE | MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2009

Horoscope

By Linda Black

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Aries (March 21-April 20)

Balance goes out the window. Desire Make hay while the sun shines. You walks in through the door. Grab each can pay off a few bills and get onto opportunity and make it your own. firmer ground. Draw on your energy reserves.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Taurus (April 21-May 20)

You really want to party! You buy the You're strong now, so go ahead and food and decorations, and someone else start something you've been planning. supplies the romance.

You have support from loved ones.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Gemini (May 21-June 21)

At work you sometimes feel like Keep your romance behind closed doors. Other people don't need to know you're stuck and can't make desired changes. Just keep doing the job; it gets the details, do they? easier.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Cancer (June 22-July 22)

You're moving out of your element You can rest easy knowing you're now. But you're in familiar territory, so loved. Make sure others know you love grab your partner and dance. them, too. Plan a luxurious evening at home.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

Nurture your own emotions now. Tell There's something a roommate wants others what you want and need, but be you to do. He or she has been dropping prepared to accept what they give you. hints. You'd better figure it out soon.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Magnetic attraction draws you to an You're unaware of how efficient you intriguing person. Enjoy hanging out seem to those around you. Accept the with powerful people. applause that you've earned.

COMET SPORTS |

MONDAY, SEPT. 21 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

Comets defense pushes over Victor Valley Cornerback Anthony Young returns interception for TD in fourth quarter to seal second win of season

15

SPORTS ON DECK

Tuesday, Sept. 22 MEN’S SOCCER

ROBERT HARMELING THE TELESCOPE

The Palomar Comets football team dominated the field on Sept.

12 with a 24-7 win overVictorValley in their first home game of the season.

Cornerback Anthony Young intercepted Victor Valley’s Robert Love and returned the ball 44 yards for a touchdown with 13:33 left in the fourth quarter. Young’s play gave Palomar 24 a PALOMAR 10-point 7 lead RAMS they wouldn’t give UP NEXT up.

Palomar at College The interof the Desert ception finished off the Sept. 26 at 6 p.m.

Rams’ upset chances as AT STAKE the Comets advanced to The Comets play 2-0. Palomar their final game of has outscored the preseason its two oppobefore they open up nents 79-7. league play.

Outside linebacker John Middlemas sacked Love three times as the Palomar defense limited the visitors to a mere 14 yards rushing.

“We were concerned going into the game because of worries of being let down,” Head Coach Joe Early said, referring to a previous 55-0 shutdown of Southwestern Sept. 5.

The Comets, who came into the game ranked No. 3 in the nation by

JCGridiron and eighth by J.C.GridWire, suffered a rocky start in the first half, with two penalties on the first two plays of the game,a missed field goal and an interception late in the second quarter.

Making matters worse, starting quarterback Matt Christian sprained his hand just before the half, sidelining him for the remainder of the game. Christian said he would likely be out for one game but was expecting to return.

Early attributed his teams’ performance in the first half to a lack of focus during practice earlier in the week.

“When we’re flat,we’re way flat,” Early said. “And when we’re on, we’re on!”

Christian echoed the coach’s sentiment.

“We came out flat,” the sophomore quarterback said. “We were moving the ball into the red zone but we just couldn’t score. It was a problem of execution.”

Despite the setbacks, the half was not without its high points. On the Comets third drive, Christian connected on a 43-yard pass to Mikey Head. Although Head fumbled the ball on the tackle, teammate Javon Reynolds quickly snatched it up and scored, giving the Comets a 7-0 lead.

Shortly after, Love slipped into the end zone on a 1-yard keeper to tie the score at 7-7.

While the first half was marred with miscues and mistakes, the second half was different story.

With Christian hurt, backup

Compton at Palomar, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 23 WOMEN’S SOCCER Palomar at Imperial Valley, 3 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 25 WOMEN’S SOCCER Grossmont at Palomar, 1 p.m.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Saddleback at Palomar, 6 p.m.

PHYLLIS CELMER

| THE TELESCOPE

Palomar’s Marcus Williamson (#99) sacks Ram’s quarterback Robert Love (#6). quarterback Nate Ong led the charge in the second half as the Comets offense meticulously worked the field. Ong relied heavily on running backs Tyresse Jones and Tyler Lavea, as well as receivers Martavious Lee and Reynolds.

Placekicker Kevin Ditch also contributed to the Comets victory with a 34-yard field goal in the third quarter giving Palomar a 10-7 lead.

Also on defense, linebackers John Middlemas and Tyler Seau both had one sack as did defensive lineman Marcus Williamson.

Defensive lineman Josh Marquardt assisted on two sacks.

Christian was 8-for-15 passing for 168 yards, and Ong was 7-for-9 for 79 yards, while tacking on 47 rushing yards on five carries. Lee had three catches for 82 yards. Lavea (82 yards on eight carries) and Jones (81 yards on 13 tries) led Palomar’s ground game.

Palomar’s next game is Sept. 26 versus College of the Desert at 6 p.m.

It will be the final preseason game before the Comets start league play.

MEN’S SOCCER Santa Ana at Palomar, 4 p.m.

MEN’S WATER POLO Saddleback Tournament No. 1 at Mission Viejo, Sept. 25-26, all day

WOMEN’S WATER POLO Mt.. SAC Tournament at Walnut, Sept. 25-26, all day

Saturday, Sept. 26 FOOTBALL Palomar at College of the Desert, 6 p.m.

CROSS COUNTRY Stanford Invitational at Palo Alto, All Day

Monday, Sept. 28 MEN’S SOCCER Palomar at Rio Hondo, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 30 WOMEN’S SOCCER Palomar at Miramar, 3 p.m.

| THE TELESCOPE Alex Avilez (#174) is holding the lead and eventually placed 1st at the Palomar Invitational on Sept. 11

WOMEN’S WATER POLO

DEB HELLMAN

Cross country teams win Palomar Invitational

The Palomar College men’s and women’s cross country teams won team titles Sept. 11 in the Palomar Invitational at Guajome Park.

The Comet’s men’s team, behind Alex Avilez’s winning time of 21:52 for 4 miles, finished first with 37 points, followed by Cuyamaca (48 points), Long Beach City College (80), San Diego City (136),West Los Angeles (143), College of the Desert (145), Barstow (175) and Golden West (189).

The women scored 37 points to win, followed by Rio Hondo (40), Desert (83), Cuyamaca (93), West L.A. (112) and San Diego City (142).

The Comets’ Jacqueline Kaste placed fourth with 23:26 for 5K,with Ana Nabor fifth, Jana McAdams 15th and Veronica Leon 17th.

Palomar at Miramar, 2 p.m.

MEN’S WATER POLO Palomar at Miramar, 3:15 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 3 FOOTBALL Grossmont at Palomar, 1 p.m. (homecoming)

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

16 | COMET SPORTS

MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE

| THE TELESCOPE Brice Schwab (#77), the Comets’ offensive tackle who was voted No. 2 college football prospect on Rivals.com, is commited to USC, while wide reciever Martavious Lee (#7), second-team All-Southern Conference player, will go to LSU. PHYLLIS CELMER

PALOMAR’S SHINING STARS Tackle and wide receiver will achieve their dreams next year when they play for two major college football pro grams JARRED POWELL THE TELESCOPE

Trekking across thousands of miles to play football for Palomar College, Brice Schwab and Martavious Lee arrived as two lightly recruited players trying to make a name for themselves.

Schwab, who is from Pennsylvania, and Lee, from Florida both came to the San Marcos campus hoping to earn a football scholarship to a four-year school.

What they didn’t expect was the chance to play football at two of the highest esteemed college football teams in the nation as Schwab, an offensive lineman, has committed to USC and Lee, a wide receiver, will play next fall at Louisiana State.

Both players came to Palomar under different circumstances. Schwab was declared academically ineligible and wanted a fresh start.

“I was looking for junior colleges when I found out I was a non-qualifier academically,” Schwab said. “I was looking at schools in California and called Palomar. They called me back and we went from there. I just wanted a fresh start from Pennsylvania.”

Schwab plays tackle on the offensive line and was a first team all Southern Conference player last season. This year, he is a pre-season first team junior college All-American, and was voted on Rivals.com as the No. 2 prospect at any position in community college football.

Lee was just looking for a place to play junior college football.

“We don’t have any junior colleges in Florida and it was the best school that fit me,” Lee said. “They talked about how they run a spread offense and the way the system works; it is made for me to be successful, so I gave it a try.”

Lee finished the season as a second-

PHYLLIS CELMER | THE TELESCOPE Martavious Lee (#7) breaks the tackle of cornerback Devonte Craig (#24) after he makes the reception.

team All-Southern Conference player last season and is rated the 21st best player by Rivals.com.

He also had offers from four other schools in Mississippi, Arizona, and Missouri, but followed his dream to play for the Tigers without visiting the campus.

“LSU has been my favorite school

growing up and I like how they run their football program,” Lee said. “They are always in the top five or 10 in the country and regularly have a chance at competing for a national championship.”

Lee will not have an official recruitment visit until after the season is over.

The last time Palomar had two players

attend Bowl Championship Series schools was in 2001 when quarterback Andy Goodenough went to Arizona State and David Dixon attended Oregon. A BCS school is a team that plays in one of the top five conferences in college football. Schwab is also the first Comet to go to USC since Greg Farr in 2004.

Schwab was surprised to receive his scholarship after going there to watch a scrimmage.

“I went up there to watch a scrimmage and handed the coaches my film,” Schwab said. “The following week I went up there to watch another scrimmage and they told me they liked my film and after the scrimmage, I was called in to coach (Pete) Carroll’s office and offered a scholarship and I committed.

“I never thought I was going to go to.

I didn’t have any interest in them because I didn’t think that they had any interest in me.”

Both players have enjoyed their experiences at Palomar and hope to transfer in the spring semester.

“Being here has been the best experience I have ever had,” Lee said. “The players, coaching staff — everything has been great.”

“It’s been awesome,” Schwab said.

“The coaching staff has been awesome.”

Schwab will major in business at USC while Lee will be a criminal justice major.

“We have had the luxury of having a lot of players to go on to big schools, there just another two in a long line of good tradition of good history,” Early said.

“They have been good leaders and we expect them and hope that they will to be successful,” Early said. “More than that, the thing we look at is they are getting the education paid for and they get to play at top notch programs.”