The Skyline View Fall 2012

Entertainment

Call Of Duty Game Review page 5

Features

Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Sports

Harer to retire

Fantasy

Teacher Profile page 4

Week 12 Highlights page 12

The

Skyline View

@TheSkylineView

The Voice of Skyline College, San Bruno, California

Volume XXXI - Issue 7

www.theskylineview.com

November 29, 2012

New financial benefits program at Sparkpoint Students may be eligible for financial resources.

by Sarah Yiu TSV Graphic Editor

Daniel Chee / The Skyline View

Transfer Ambassador Victor Moran (left) and Transfer Center volunteer Sevhel Raqupiso transfer

Transfer rates increasing

Report shows 2010 senate bill taking effect

by Aaron Washington TSV Entertainment Editor

Students who are looking to transfer to four year universities may have a better opportunity going forward because of Senate Bill 1440.

In an article by the Contra Costa Times, community colleges are showing progress in improving their transfer rates, regarding a report by the Campaign for College Opportunity. The Campaign for College Opportunity is a nonprofit organization designed to improve access to higher education.

The report, titled “Meeting Compliance, but Missing the Mark”, was released as a progress report on the passing of Senate Bill 1440, which was created as an easier path

for community college students to transfer to four year universities.

The bill was passed in 2010 and aimed to shorten students’ time to transfer while also reducing the cost of degree completion.

A study by the Campaign for College Opportunity found some hopeful aspects concerning how Senate Bill 1440 has been implemented since its passing in 2010; •System leaders at California Community Colleges and California State Colleges have established a committee to oversee the implementation of SB 1440.

•18 community colleges have taken the lead in implementing SB 1440, developing between 9 and 18 new Associate Degrees for transfer.

•49 community colleges have only developed 2-4 Associate de-

grees for transfer, just meeting compliance.

•Individual California State Universities have also shown variance in the acceptance of SB 1440 transfer pathways.

The report also gave a list of all California community colleges and the number of degrees the schools offers, the highest was Fullerton College with 18. Seventeen schools were tied for the lowest with two Associated Degrees. Skyline has seven degrees offered.

A common feeling among students is that the increased transfer rates would provide a possible backup plan for students who are aiming for one school in particular.

First year student Jerrald Anicete, Transfer continued on Page 2

A new financial program by SparkPoint has been introduced to further assist the student body. Skyline College partnered with San Mateo County Human Services Agency (SMCHSA) in order to connect students with financial resources that they may be eligible to receive.

The new program SMCHSA introduced is called Benefits Access for College Completion. It offers workshops for public benefits application completion for students. If students are challenged with paying for school as well as living expenses, then this program is worth checking out.

Students can expect incredible assistance from these free workshops that are provided by SparkPoint (located in Building 1 on the 2nd floor in Room 1219.) The public benefits application can be a hassle for some.

Some students can fill out the forms on their own just fine. But others may require more assistance to help them in a step-by-step process.

"We have people willing to meet with those students who are very welcoming, friendly, and helpful,” says Heather D. Smith, AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer here at the SparkPoint Center at Skyline College.

When inquired about the space remaining in the program, Smith promptly answers, “There is a lot of

space left. Over 80 students have registered for the program so far and 4 requested one on one assistance.”

The group workshops that meet next month have plenty of room left for students to reap the free benefits.

“BACC is actually our newest program at SparkPoint,” Smith said.

“SparkPoint offers services for both the students and the communities.”

SparkPoint has many other programs besides financial aid and student help. SparkPoint partners with the food pantry, a non-profit financial coaching organization, growth scholarship, San Mateo's Credit Union to provide access to banking services, and they now also look over the career center here at Skyline College.

SparkPoint is a one-stop student resource that has their door opened and is more than willing to welcome students to utilize their facilities.

Most of these programs are absolutely free to use. All a student needs to do is dedicate some time into a program to listen and receive any range of assistance that they may need.

BACC takes place in the Library Computer Lab Classroom in Building 5 on the 2nd floor.

Future dates include: Dec. 4th: 12:00 pm-3:00 pm Dec. 5th: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Dec. 11th:10:00 am-1:00 pm Dec. 12th: 1:00 pm-4:00 pm.

Grades are now due within a fixed time

Brand new system stabilizes the final grade deadline

by Reynaldo Garcia TSV Opinions Editor

Teachers are now required to submit grades promptly after finals in compliance with a decision on Monday, Nov. 19 in a meeting between the district’s school’s senates.

Final grades are now due in 5 working days after finals. The move was by the academic senates of the district’s three schools on Monday in a meeting at College of San Mateo. This change to the amount

of days when final grades roll was discussed in a previous meeting and then approved on the meeting Monday. This only affects Fall and Spring semesters; the plan for the Summer semester is still being negotiated.

“The District Academic Senate and the VP Council have agreed to set the grades due date to be fixed at 5 working days from the end of finals,” said Leigh Anne Shaw, the Vice President of the Academic Senate. “It extends the gap time for students to register”

Previously, the system of when final grade rolls was inconsistent. This new system will help stabilize it.

“It wasn’t consistent,” said Shaw, “One semester, it was 4 days when final grades were due and another it was 2 days. That’s been the issue.”

The due date for final grades for this semester was originally on December 28th, but it was pushed back because it was during Winter recess, when teachers weren’t working.

This new system was actually something that the teachers re-

quested; it provides ample time to finish grading.

“For example, a math teacher would need to grade around 50 tests or an English teacher would need to grade a stack of essays,” said Shaw, “Faculty is just happy for the breathing room. Faculty needed more time; we were not able to plan well, so the fixed grading day is a win-win.”

In the past, both teachers and administration were out of sync on when grades roll out, so the pay-

to-stay, which is when a student would need to pay in order to be part of the class they registered for, would often overlap with the time grades are suppose to be available for students to see, and mess up the student’s schedule.

“The most important thing is that administration now knows when to extend the pay-to-stay for students to register,” said Shaw, “Administration can now plan accordingly; The student’s rely on knowing what their grades were to register.”

Skyline View

The

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The Staff Editor In Chief Lauren Concon News Editor Renee Abu-Zaghibra Features Editor Justine Abellana Opinions Editor Reynaldo Garcia Entertainment Editor Aaron Washington Sports Editor Megan Benveniste Chief Copy Editor Vince Biancalana Online Editor Will Nacouzi Multimedia Editor Haider Mashal Photo Editor Daniel Chee Social Media Editor Diane Thao circulation manager Eric Wong graphic editor Sarah Yiu Editors at large Marc Arguello Jay Johnson Stephen Benoit JJ Valdez Staff Writers Christopher Korp Richard Estrada Anacani Serrato Patrick Esguerra Cartoonists JJ Valdez Alyssa Koszis Faculty Adviser Nancy Kaplan-Biegel

Want more news? www.theskylineview.com Or maybe you have news for us?

(650) 738-4377 Want to yell at us? theskylineview@gmail.com Or use snail mail: The Skyline View c/o Language Arts Room 8-8110 Skyline College 3300 College Drive

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November 29, 2012

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Transfer rates grow, but work is yet to be done continued from Page 1

who is majoring in Fine Arts, feels the increase in transfer rates is a good thing for students.

“I feel it is a good thing right now because if I want to get into the college that I want to go to, then that would be good for me. I have one college set in mind right now, and

then I would have to look at a school that I wouldn’t even like.”

Another aspect that students consider is the finances it takes to transfer to a four year university. Second year student Dominic Biancalana, a Liberal Studies major, understands the possible financial ramifications that come with transferring.

“It’s good that people can come to this school and take it easy and figure it out and not spend as much money on a state school,” said Biancalana. “If I would have originally enrolled at San Francisco State, then it would have been more expensive.”

While there has been progress concerning the implementation of

SB 1440 and increased transfer rates, there is still work to be done.

Some universities are meeting the minimum compliance by creating just two degrees. The report calls for California State Universities to “have greater accountability, share information, and adopt better practices.”

Board of trustees approve salary cut

Incoming CSU Chancellor requests salary reduction

by Lauren Concon TSV Editor In Chief

A 10 percent pay cut was approved as requested by incoming CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White as an example of his support for higher education.

In a letter to the CSU Board of Trustees, White requested the pay cut with understanding that although it will not be enough to cover all that is needed by California Universities, he believes it must be done. Especially with the passing of Proposition 30, White agrees with voters and feels he must follow suit.

“I [also] recognize that Californians expect me to properly steward

these resources. Consequently, as I join the faculty, staff and students who have experienced cuts, salary freezes, and increased fees, I too must do my part,” said White.

In July this year, the Board of Trustees approved salary increases to 3 different campus presidents despite student protests. California students have criticized the administration’s decisions to increase tuition, reduce enrollment, cut teachers’ salaries and increase layoffs while executive salaries increase.

“It’s a good step towards rebuilding the CSU system,” said student Darrell Hong, “He recognizes the responsibility to serve the students’

and universities’ best interests.”

Coming into his new position in office, White’s salary was recommended for $421,500 which had already been consented for approval by the CSU Board of Trustees. Now with the pay cut his salary is set at $380,000.

“I think it’s selfless. He wants to do what is best for CSUs and the students,” said transferring Skyline student Vince Chan, “He did what others wouldn’t even consider doing especially during the hard economy California has been facing.”

The passing of Proposition 30 has saved California’s higher education system from $250 million

in budget cuts as well as promising about $125 million in additional funding next year. White believes that voters have spoken and he should follow to show suit as an example of solidarity in his support.

“Despite the passage of Proposition 30, there remain grave economic issues to solve in California and the California State University,” White said in a statement. “The success of the measure was the voice of the voters and taxpayers of California to start to reinvest in education.”

White is set to take over as chancellor after current chancellor Charles Reed retires at the end of this year on Dec. 31.

District approves possible new district map

The board of trustees welcomes public input on the new election map

by Will Nacouzi TSV Online Editor

After months of discussion between members of the board, the district board voted on Nov. 14 to approve a possible new district map for 90 days of public comment period, in which the public is free to look over and share their thoughts with the board.

The posting of the map is part of the district’s continuing consideration of whether they should switch from the current “at-large” to “bydistrict” election system for choosing members of the district board.

It should be noted, as pointed out by Student Trustee for the district Bailey Girard, the map is not a final approved map. At the end of the 90 day public comment period, the board will consider the public comments and the options of each member of the board before finally making a decision.

“The map that was posted for public comment is a map that was drawn by the demographer we hired to be in compliances with the California Voting Right Act and the Federate Voting Right Act. It had been discussed by the entire board and incorporates comments from the

two public hearing that we held... and that now is posted online for 90 days of public comment to see what the general public thinks of it.” said Board President Dave Mandelkern.

The map posted to the district website places Daly City, Brisbane, and Colma by themselves forming a district of their own in the northern parts of the county. San Bruno, Millbrae, Pacifica, and South San Francisco form the next district to the south, which Skyline College falls under.

Burlingame, San Mateo, and Hillsborough is next located just south and to the east of the district

made up of Half Moon Bay, Belmont, and Foster City.

The last two districts on the map can be found at the southern tip of the county. San Carlos, Redwood City, Menlo Park, and East Palo Alto compose their own district and finally the fifth and final district contains Atherton, Woodside, and Portola Valley at the south-western corner of the county.

“It (the map) also took into account, but not specifically about ethnicity, school districts, cities, and local communities” wrote Student Trustee Bailey Girard via email.

AB 109 realignment law set to reduce prison sizes

Realignment law set to shift prison inmates to meet Supreme Court order

by Haider Mashal

TSV Online Editor

The Skyline View is a First Amendment Publication. The Skyline View is published bi-weekly during the spring and fall semesters by the journalism students at Skyline College. The Skyline View is a member of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges.

Opinions expressed in the paper are those of the writers and should not be interpreted as the views of Skyline College, SMCCCD, the faculty, administrators or the newspaper adviser. Additionally, the paper does not endorse any of the products or services advertised.

The Skyline View welcomes Letters to the Editors; letters must include full name, address, and phone number for verification. The Skyline View reserves the right to edit letters for length, libel, clarity, and taste.

News

AB 109, a statewide effort to reduce prison size and overcrowding, has been linked to recent break-ins in Skyline College.

AB 109 is a realignment law signed in by Governor Brown in September 2011 to meet the US Supreme Court’s decision to reduce the prison sizes in the state of California.

The law moves prisoners from the state level and shifts responsibility down to the county level.

Laurence Lamont Boone was arrested for stealing textbooks from Skyline College, as well as from Foothill College and College of San Mateo. He was a low level offender who was released from prison because of the AB 109 realignment law.

“Criminal Justice does not have a crystal ball, you don’t know who’s going to reoffend and who’s not,” said Steven Aurilio, professor in the Administration of Justice depart-

ment. “It’s a risk, it’s a chance.”

Because of the AB 109 law, some offenders are released on parole, but there is no guarantee that they will be an upstanding citizen once they are back on the streets.

It is too early to tell as to whether or not AB 109 will be beneficial for the state of California, but there the cons are already beginning to sprout, one of which being the overcrowding of jails.

“Legislation came out doing a couple things, one is removing the cap for the county jails that says that you can only hold people for one year per offense,” says Aurillo.

“Because people sentenced under felonies, they’re going to have 2 year, 5 year, 20 year sentences, so you’re going to have to remove that cap.”

The inmates that get transferred to these county jails are felons who’s sentences are non-serious, non-violent or non-sex offenses (non

non non), like Laurence Boone. As felons move into the county system with sentences of over the one year cap, jails will eventually begin to fill as prisons sizes hopefully begin to lessen.

Another possible problem is if we begin to fill up our county jails with low-level felons and state prisons still begin to fill up, where do you go next? Eventually prisons will begin to become overcrowded and they will not be fit to accommodate the amount of people in them, bringing a risk of in-adequate living conditions and medical care. There would be a possibility of breaching the 8th amendment at that point.

"For too long, the state’s prison system has been a revolving door for lower-level offenders and parole violators who are released within months,” said Governor Brown during a press conference. “Cycling these offenders through state prisons wastes money, aggravates crowded

conditions, thwarts rehabilitation, and impedes local law enforcement supervision."

According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s website as of November 2012, the population in the 33 adult California institutions is at 120,124 inmates, which is way above the court-ordered benchmark of 117,009. So at this point the state of California has not is not even close to meeting the Supreme Court’s order to fix its prison overcrowding.

“I feel as though as though this law won’t be effective in the long term,” said Avery Chua, student at Skyline College. “There is no guarantee that our state prisons still won’t be filled up after all of this.”

It is still too early to tell as to whether this realignment law will be effective in meeting the Supreme Court’s order to reduce prison sizes by 33,000 inmates by 2013.

The

page 4

Skyline View

November 29, 2012

features.tsv@gmail.com

Harer to retire teaching

by Will Nacouzi

TSV Online Editor

Katharine Harer, a long-time member of the faculty here Skyline College, plans to retire from full time teaching and from her position as the Honors Program Coordinator in order to focus on her own personal projects which range from novels to poem’s that she hopes to publish.

“I knew about five years that I was going to retire sooner or later so I started looking at the numbers to see if I could afford it” said Professor Harer.

“Every day is a highlight with the Honor’s Program because I like the students so much, I like helping them” she said “but there a certain things which are more highlighted.

I think our tenth anniversary celebration was really fun, the student’s cooked all the food, they planned the whole event, we got cosmetology students to give massages to faculty members…We honored faculty members and it was just a really cool event and we made a movie of our honors faculty singing a Beatles’ song” said Professor Harer.

Another highlight for her is during Spring when every honors student graduates and come onto the stage at the recognition ceremony, where she had a chance to see all their hard work pay off by giving them their certificate. Another highlight for her is working with honors student and helping them develop a personal statement. Although it has been a hard task, she enjoys getting

We all get tired of listening to the same music over and over again, especially on the radio. With the app “Band of the Day,” you can be assisted to stray away from the Billboard Top Hits that the radio constantly repeats over and over again each day. We all know it can get old very quickly.

This is an app that introduces you to new artists and songs every day.

Each day of the week/month it will give you a new song to listen from an artist. Most of the time they are from artists all over the world to give you an added variety.

“Band of the Day” can open your horizons to new artists or songs that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. When first opening the app, it is going to ask you if it can use your location to find you better options and

if they can send you notifications for the different days and different songs each day. You can easily change these in your settings if you change your mind later on.

After that there is a “take a tour” feature which shows how everything works in the app. My favorite feature of the app is that any day you click on it allows you to see the artist and song title. From there you can click play if you choose to listen to it. This will bring you to a new screen where it gives you a description of the artist, origin of the artist and what genre of music they are cast in.

After that screen, keep scrolling over to the right to find a feature screen-which is what is continued from the previous page; the next screen is the “Buzz” screen where it shows different tweets about that artist; the next screen is the whole album by that artist that allows you to either listen or buy and the final screen is to find similar bands that you might enjoy.

With the “Take the Tour” feature they have this calendar at the bottom that is really helpful to those new to the app. It is an easy way to be able to navigate your way through the app.

“Band of the Day” is an app for music lovers everywhere. If you want to broaden your horizon on music, download this app, it’s well worth it.

Download it for free on the Apple App Store.

that the difference between dating girls I just meet and becoming randomly attracted to someone I’ve known are two different things. I’m a huge advocate for dating someone you know you can be friends with.

I’ve been in a relationship that I jumped into, and her feelings were a lot less important to me than my girlfriend’s feelings are now. My relationship now started primarily as a friendship, eventually we became best friends. Her feelings are important to me because of our friendship.

Communication is important to build a foundation of trust and comfort. It also helps you understand your partner, and can strengthen any relationship. What’s most important is knowing how to handle a discussion.

It’s easy to talk about an issue, but it’s not easy to not argue about the issue. Warning: this is what takes a lot of patience. If you don’t like something they say to you, try to be empathetic. They are obviously having negative feelings about something and whether its wrong or right, true or false, you have to understand. Let your partner talk and in the end reassure them on the facts.

Talk to your significant other. Please, please, please do this.

Always communicate, it’s the only way you can keep a relationship healthy. A lot of young people play games.

It’s the whole he said, she said stuff. The “I won’t call him because

he hasn’t called me.” Even if they are 3 years deep into a relationship.

It’s not hard to be open, and if you can’t be comfortable enough to not play games, maybe this particular relationship isn’t for you.

I know a lot of people always worry about what to criticize and what to hold back when it comes to sharing with their partner. I believe the way to have a healthy relationship is to always speak our mind, but you of course have to speak it in a respectable manner. Always approach a sticky topic carefully. I’ve recently found an easy way to do it.

Go into the conversation saying that its nothing needed to argue about, just an issue you’ve been having and want to find a solution that works for the two of you. Compromise is the easiest way to avoid conflict, and if you state in the beginning that that is what you want in a resolution then it’s easier for your partner to not be on the defense so much. They wont feel attacked or reprimanded.

Lastly, sex is a big thing to communicate about. If you want to experience something new in the bedroom, you better had tell our partner what you want or you’ll never be pleased the way you need, or think you need it. Or if something doesn’t work, you most definitely need to speak up. You can’t get choked and not like it and just let it happen.

That’s bad for everyone! Talk about your turn ons and turn offs, what gets you going and expect a heightened sexual experience. If you can’t talk about sex, maybe the two of you shouldn’t be having it. It’s normal, and a great part of your relationship, so why not make it better?

Communication is the same all around. It may appear in different aspects of a relationship, but in the end it’s the key to make yours prosper.

TSV Sports Editor

to know students and working with them.

“I didn’t really want to step down from the Honors Program but I really wanted to cut back on the amount of time I spent at school to work on some creative projects of my own” said Professor Katharine Harer “I just have a lot of creative energy that I’m not getting a lot of time to do anything with, I mean, as much as i love been here and all the difference things i do at Skyline. It doesn’t leave (me) a lot of time.”

She has a number of projects which she hopes to pursue. One of

these projects is a novel which she wrote while she was in Chile for month, to learn more about Poet Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto or better known by his pen name Pablo Neruda. She also has a travel article and plenty of poetry which she hopes to gather into one whole book. She also wants to learn to play the piano.

Speaking with a smile on her face, she said that she may be willing to try her hand at painting too.

“It’s been an adventure. I’m going to miss been her assistant” said Honors Program Coordinator Assistant Min Tan on Harer’s retirement.

The J-SpotCommunication!

Communication is one of the most important things in a relationship, in any relationship actually. To be frank, I’ve had a difficult time writing this article for multiple reasons. It’s a topic that’s a lot easier said than done and has a lot of aspects that go into it. Everybody miscommunicates, and yes, it is even important for those couples with fairy tale endings. (Shoot, that’s probably how they got to that point.)

There are so many reasons as to why communication is hard. We tend to not want to hurt our partners’ feelings, or we know we can do it too easily. We have a hard time finding the words to put to our emotions, or someone gets misinterpreted in the process and all hell breaks loose. But these are all reasons to why we should communicate.

A lot of the time, the effort isn’t even there to do so. I know many people that tell me “Why should I have to tell them, they should know!”. Get real, nobody is a mind reader. Put your pride aside and talk, don’t yell,

D a n i e l Chee/TSV Photo Editor

Band of the Day

by Megan Benveniste

Will Nacouzi/The Skyline View

don’t scream, don’t demean, talk.

If there is no communication, then you and your partner are lacking a connection needed to be successful together. And yeah, I’m not one to talk. I’m not saying me and my girlfriend communicate perfectly, but we do recognize the importance of communication between the two of us.

The best relationships are the ones that two people can talk openly between each other. When you’re comfortable with your man or woman is when communication is a lot easier.

Comfort reflects in each aspect of a relationship, physically, sexually, and emotionally. I’ve come to learn

entertainment.tsv@gmail.com

Apps

Megan Benveniste/The Skyline View

Honors Program Coordinator Katharine Harer

Entertainment Skyline View

The

Features

November 29, 2012

page 5

Video Games

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 satisfies shooter fans The future will be filled with drones and dubstep

by Marc Arguello TSV Editor At Large

Black Ops 2 is 2012's installment of the yearly Call of Duty franchise.

The franchise gets handed off every year to one of two studios. One of those studios is Infinity Ward. Their last game, Modern Warfare 3, was mediocre and did nothing to innovate or update the series. However Treyarch, the developers of World at War (2008) and Black Ops (2010) made it clear with their newest outing that they are the superior Call of Duty development team.

The game's events take place mostly in the near future of 2025 (with many flashback sequences taking place in the 80's). The U.S.A. is locked in a new cold war with China over the earth's dwindlingsupplies of rare earth metals, and there is a Nicaraguan narco-terrorist with billions of social network followers who is preparing for war. I won't go into too many details as not to spoil the many twists and turns of the plot, but I will say that the campaign's story was actually thought provoking, but nothing revolutionary. It's a fairly typical action movie plot, but it also gives a very contemporary and bleak look at the near future.

The production values are insanely good, and with it, the voice actors are as well. Some of the big name stars include Michael

Rooker and Sam Worthington, with the supporting voice cast doing an admirable job.

Black Ops 2 is very clearly a Call of Duty game, and it doesn't have any delusions about it. The core appeal of the series is here in full. You will be running around exotic environments fighting with and against various armed forces.

However, unlike every other Call of Duty game before it, Black Ops 2 gives players options on how you approach every mission, and if they want to do a mission at all. It's the first game in the series to feature open world environments with multiple paths. You also get to select your equipment before every mission, so you can always bring your favorite weapons and gear with you.

There are multiple endings to the game based on decisions you make. You will want to play through the entire game twice just to make certain decisions differently. Certain characters, even important main characters, will live or die based on your actions. It's extremely refreshing to veterans of the series. Actually having a choice in how the plot progresses makes getting invested in the story much easier, and overall makes playing the campaign a more enjoyable experience.

The competitive multiplayer is the most refined it has ever been in the series. If you played any previ-

photo courtesy of Treyarch ous Call of Duty mulitplayer and didn't like it for whatever reason, your opinion probably won't be changed with this one. Fans of the series however, will find the most competitively-balanced game to date. Many of the things that players have considered overpowered or not fun are completely gone; it's obvious that a lot of work has been done to make sure that the weapons and the gear in the game are all appropriately strong and useful. Players that want to improve at the game in a safe environment can team up with

human opponents vs A.I. controlled bots. There are so many game types that you are likely to find something that you enjoy.

Also included in Blops2 (short for Black Ops) is the much loved zombie mode. The new zombie map is huge and has a lot of secrets to find. The difficulty is what players should expect from a zombies game; if you don't use teamwork and know what you're doing, you're going to die. However, new players can play on Easy mode, which makes the zombies much less aggressive. The

new cast of survivors lack creative writing and make many pretty bland jokes, which is a shame because the cast of the previous zombie games have been so witty.

If you have ever been a fan of the series, you will find something to like in Black Ops 2. The campaign is actually worth playing, and is usually around 10 hours to complete. The multiplayer is extremely competitive, but also much more strategic and focused. Zombies is a new experience that veterans of the series will definitely want to try out.

Movies

Director Ang Lee delivers visual masterpiece with Life of Pi

by Diane Thao TSV Social media Editor

The Academy Award-Winning director Ang Lee returns with another cinema masterpiece to add to his collection. The best selling novel is now a highly raved film known as Life of Pi which has everyone worldwide talking.

This oscar-buzzed film is an epic majestic adventure about a boy on a lifeboat with a bengal tiger and how their companionship led to their survival.

The story is told in a flashback from the protagonist Piscine Molitor better known through the film as Pi Patel. Pi is approached by an author who is intrigued to hear his story in hopes of being inspired to write again. Pi begins his story from before he was born and how he was named after a swimming pool in France known as Piscine Auteuil-Molitor. Pi's family owned a zoo in Pondicherry, India. He shares his childhood with the writer because it is important to know the foundation to why he is Hindu, Catholic and Muslim. Young Pi is content with how each religion has spiritually made him feel within and felt he was finding meaning to life. Being the enlightened and curious young boy that he is, he hopes to see the family's own bengal tiger, known as Richard Parker, up close

Richard Parker and Pi stand on their boat by feeding it raw meat with his hands out. Pi peered into Richard Parker's eyes believing for a second that the bengal tiger had a soul. His father catches him right before the tiger takes the blood dripping meat from the hands of Pi and scares the big cat away. The furious father decides to teach Pi a life lesson that leaves him scarred and spiritually broken.

Years go by and teenage Pi is still seeking for a meaning in life and God. His family decides to sell their animals abroad and plans to move to Canada away from the Indian politics. The family is to travel with their

photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

animals on a Japanese freighter but they encounter a destructive thunder storm. The ship sinks and Pi is able to escape on a lifeboat. Frightened by the tiger, he swims away only to be thrashed under the water and into the ocean. There he witnesses the ship sink lower and lower. This scene is one of my favorites, as Pi eagerly swims back to the surface he halts at the sight of the sinking ship. In that moment everything he knows had just been taken away from him. The computer graphics of the sinking ship is so breathtaking and believable at the same time. Pi

swims back to the boat and survives the night by strapping his body through ropes on the boat.

The epic adventure centers on the survival of Pi and Richard Parker who are left on the lifeboat for several days. The two must compromise with each other in order to live. The hostile situation eventually becomes a friendship once they realize they rely on one another. As the film progresses you watch desperation and death sweep over the two characters, this shows in their face, body and spirit. Hundreds of days pass and as each hardship approach Pi finds

himself praying to God to guide him into the right path.

The story of Pi will touch everyone even if you're not spiritual or religious. Almost every scene is just beautiful, filled with radiant colors.

The CGI (computer-generated imagery) was surprisingly not obnoxious.

When the majority of a film is shot on green screen one of the biggest concerns would be if it is realistic enough. What's great is that they didn't exaggerate too much, especially with Richard Parker. It was a good choice to blend a real tiger with CGI, but it was done so well that you were sure it was real throughout the movie.

This film is more than a visual masterpiece. It is a heart-warming story that is sure to make you walk out of the cinema blown away.

Thinking along the lines "amazing" "brilliant" and "magnificent."

Overall director Ang Lee is a genius for the Life of Pi contains all components that makes a movie revolutionary. Great storyline with a compelling meaning, strong acting, beautiful pictures, uplifting scores and outstanding visual effects. It's one of those must see movies that will change your life, similar to the impact "The Matrix" "Titanic" and "Avatar" had. Life of Pi is sure to take home many Academy Awards.

It is unlike anything we've seen in the last couple of years.

November 29, 2012

Skyline View

The

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editorial

Potential pet owners: adopt!

opinions.tsv@gmail.com

On student’s intent to transfer

Pets in shelters are just as healthy as a newborn pup

Keep the eyes on the prize

S tudents

who are interested in transfer are encouraged to make use of the resources Skyline provides.

by Eric Wong

Those who wish to transfer over to a four-year college are considered suitable to do so once they have obtained 60 transferable units. These units are easily achievable within two years and you will not be behind the regular juniors that started from the four-year college.

Skyline helps you prepare to transfer to the school of your choice. The class catalogue clearly states whether or not the class’s units are transferable to a four-year college. Utilize the opportunities here at our campus, from the Transfer Center to even Transfer Day. You are encouraged to talk to a counselor about paving your college path. With guidance you can determine if transfer is right for you or not in your current position.

If you are attending Skyline with the intent to transfer, you already know the benefits of taking general education here. College tuition price keeps on rising out of our control.

There is about a $5000 difference in tuition for the same type of general education. In fact, because Skyline has a smaller population with a wellseasoned faculty, the experience of learning here is more personal and attentive. Basically, for less money

Over 6 million dogs and cats are brought into animal shelters each year and roughly half of them end up being euthanized. The main problem isn’t an insufficient amount of people that are able to adopt a pet, but it’s that there isn’t enough people that choose to adopt.

All too often, people that are willing to become pet owners are more determined to buy a puppy or kitten at a pet shop.

Every animal bought is just another that is put to death in a shelter simply for existing.

Additionally, there’s a good chance that the animals bought in stores were raised in commercial kennels which feature crowded, poorly kept enclosures

you are getting general classes with an experience that contrasts sitting in a large auditorium with the professor on speaker and barely in sight.

So then, why make the transfer at all? The general education at Skyline beats a crowded four-year college or university. However, the difference is made when you go into your major.

Majors are where you hone specialized skills that determine the field you’ll work in, in the future. There’s a limited amount of majors here at Skyline, and so it is better to transfer to a four-year college for your focus.

Transfer may be encouraged by someone besides you. If you are a student who knows they want to transfer, but are not quite sure what the true benefits are—then an explanation is needed. It simply isn’t enough to do so because your parents just tell you so or even because of pressure from your peers. You need to find your own reasons for doing what you do.

Academic continuity into a fouryear college is important. Four-year colleges and universities aid in academic and career opportunities. They only get more focused when you transfer and continue your studies deep into your major. Academic facilities there

TSV Circulation Manager

offer a wider range of outstanding resources. There are libraries, learning centers, performing arts centers and health clinics etc. The engagement will encourage a student to learn in a suiting environment and pave the road to lifetime success.

Four-year colleges tend to have larger career centers. College is there for you to discover what you want to do for the rest of your life, so anything that goes toward your career would be more than welcomed. Many people graduate with one to several internship experiences, which provides you security in your career path and paves your way to a professional environment.

If you are still unconvinced as to whether you wish to transfer or if you are sure you are going to get an associate’s degree here at Skyline, it is advised to keep your options open regardless. Seek the counselor at least once to surface up every option you have and can make. Don’t stunt your college growth and even transfer students should go seek guidance to see if they are doing the right things for the right schools or doing the right things for what they want to do as their career.

Who knows? Perhaps your mind will be changed by the end of the semester.

by Megan Benveniste TSV Sports Editor

on San Francisco banning public nudity

“I can see how it can be an issue but I don’t like the people being denied their freedom.

I don’t like the legislature but I can understand the concept.”

- Dane Burns

Heal

Hurt

Who cares it’s harmless

Heal

Think about the children

“It’s not really hurting anyone, so why would you care about it? There’s nothing really bad about being naked in public.”

“I don’t think it’s okay to be naked in public, not everyone approves of that. I feel like it’s not a good thing for the children to be seeing.”

- Michael Sherrod

- Sylvia Lopez

Heal

might approach a lack of space differently, the one thing they all share in common is that they make sure that all the animals up for adoption are completely healthy in terms of physical condition and behavior.

The American Humane Society says many of the animals in shelters escaped from their homes and only 15 percent of dogs and 2 percent of cats ever see their owners again.

It should be no surprise that an ID tag is one of the best ways get a lost pet back.

A good portion of the animals are escaped indoor pets, so all pets should be properly identifiable.

Every responsible pet owner should be able to do a part in keeping extra animals out of shelters.

In the famous words of Bob Barker, “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.”

Teach healthy eating and exercising habits

by JJ Valdez

Hurt

for the animals being sold as well as their parents.

According to the American Humane Society, three to four million animals are euthanized annually. Even no-kill shelters have their drawbacks despite sounding more kind. In order to keep their assurance of not killing healthy animals, they may need to turn down animals if they run out of space. Shelters that euthanize are at least able to take in every animal but at the cost of others’ lives.

Although cats and dogs make up the majority of animals in shelters, you can never be sure what you might see. I’ve seen turtles and ducks before and I’ve even adopted a couple of snakes that escaped from their former owners. They were actually in fairly good health too.

A little misconception about adopting from shelters is that the animals there aren’t entirely healthy. Although shelters

Be happy with yourself

Hurt & Heal Likes the letter not the spirit

Skyline View

The

Opinions

Opinions

opinions.tsv@gmail.com

Heal

Heal

No junk please

“I don’t want to see everyone’s junk. It’s also better for families, like mother who don’t want their children, especially little girls, to see some guy’s junk when they’re that young.”

- Monica de la Mora

Hurt

Children won’t understand

Unacceptable to society

Unnecessary in most cases

Government should stay out

“I don’t think it’s nice to go out in public naked when there are kids who don’t know how to express themselves about it.”

“That is a privacy issue, you don’t need to show that to other people. It’s uncomfortable for them to see.”

“This is just another form of government control. They should stay out of it because it’s none of their business.”

- Florence Osuagw

- Brenda Lima

“Unless it’s a special event, you don’t need to be naked in the first place. There are kids and family walking around who don’t need to see that. I mean, why would you even want to be naked in San Francisco anyway?”

- Davante Cade

- Patrick Evanglista

We are all born with different hair color, different eye color, different nails, different shapes and different sizes. Bottom line-we are all different.

What if we lived in a world, similar to the movie The Stepford Wives, where we were all the same; same hair, same eye color, same body type, same jobs, same cars, same everything? I don’t know about you but that doesn’t sound or seem like a very exciting or fulfilling life. What’s the world without diversity?

That’s the beautiful thing about our society we live in is that everybody is an individual. We are all unique in our way.

For women of any age, body image is something that can be a real struggle.

Struggling to fit in with peers and struggling to find their own voice amongst all the critics. Magazines are everywhere we go and everyday they are reminding us all of which celebrity is the “fat” one, the one

that just tried some new “diet” to get skinnier for a role, or the one that has cellulite.

There is no way to escape the criticism, especially when you are a celebrity or living in the public eye and people are constantly judging you.

No one is perfect and nobody has the “perfect” body. Many celebrities are told to get down to a certain weight when auditioning for a role and many times they go on “crash” diets. They want to land that role and will do anything to get it, but those diets are unsafe. Diets in general aren’t safe for your body.

Not only are the diets unsafe for the body, but those that are asking the celebrities to be down to a certain weight are asking too much of the stars. That weight may not be right for every single actor/actress. That’s because we are all different and there is a lot more to weight than just a number. Most of these stars going on these “crash” diets don’t realize they are: 1. Harmful for their bodies and 2. They’re giving people the notion that

they really look like that and what they are doing is ok.

In the U.S. obesity has been the center of attention over the past few years. It has been watched very closely because there are numerous health affects that can hurt your body. So getting overweight is bad and being skinny is good in the eyes of our society. Making people believe the notion that being healthy and skinny are the same thing is absurd.

What people see on the magazines isn’t even the true person that they are representing. Often times those women that are on the cover of the magazines have been airbrushed to reduce pimples, redness and give them shape.

Being skinny doesn’t mean that a person is healthy. As Americans if we want to see the number in diseases go down then we need to change how we address them. Instead of teaching “skinniness” as the cure of obesity we should be teaching the youth about eating and exercising in a healthy way.

The The uncertainty cancer brings View Chuckstrong an inspiration from Here

by Megan Benveniste TSV Sports Editor

We’re finally coming up to December, which means the we’re almost at the finish line. I’m sure many of you, like me, are finding it more difficult to get out of bed and get to school.

I look at the semester like a race. It always difficult at first to step up to starting line and it’s a bit of a struggle to get your body back in the motion of things. But between the start to finish you find your familiar pace. At the finish, you end the race with every ounce of strength you have left.

Motivation could be hard to find but just remember winter break is only 3 weeks away.

You’ve worked hard to get here and no final project or exam is going to ruin your hard work or get in the way of the holidays.

I, for one, will relish in the weekdays I wake up and have the option to immediately fall back asleep. But in the mean time, I plan on finishing the semester strong, keeping my head will be in the books and out of the clouds.

These days it seems that cancer is everywhere. It’s almost as if more people are having loved ones, know someone who or who have been diagnosed themselves.

Cancer is all around us. It’s on the news and the internet for people to read about. When someone hears the word “cancer” it can be a very difficult thing to comprehend. There is only so much research out there.

When the football season began earlier this year, Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with Leukemia. He had to a leave from the team to get treatment.

On Nov. 7 (via Twitter) the Colts players revealed they had shaved their heads in solidarity with coach Pagaono.

Then on Nov. 26, YAHOO! published an article about two of the Colts cheerleaders (one of whom overcame leukemia as a child) who shaved their heads in an event to raise

money for the “Blue’s Chuckstrong Challenge” charity. They raised $22,000 for leukemia research.

Cancer is not an easy thing to deal with. It’s difficult for the patient in so many different ways. What they are going through is a long process that is ultimately putting their bodies through a great deal of strain.

It can also be a hard time for the family. The uncertainty of cancer is probably the scariest and hardest part of all. Not knowing exactly what is going to happen next can be difficult. New developments/research is ongoing with cancer and it seems like there are new/different cancers being announced all the time.

Even through the tough times, many patients find ways to cope with the news. The most important thing to do for them is to be there for them and support them as much as you can. It is the little things in life that really matter and count. Spend as much time with them as you can, and make memories that are going to last forever while you can.

November 29, 2012

Cartoon

7

Skyline

Sports

Upcoming Games Women’s Basketball

Men’s Basketball

Dec. 6-8 @ Fresno State Tournament TBA Dec. 14-16 @ CCSF Tournament TBA Dec. 19 v Hartnell 5 p.m.

Dec. 28-30 @ De Anza Tournament TBA Jan. 4 v Butte College 5 p.m.

Jan. 9 @ Gavilan College (DH) 7 p.m.

Nov. 29 v College of Marin 7 p.m.

Dec. 1 v William Jessup University 3 p.m.

Dec. 7-9 Skyline College Classic TBA Dec. 14 v Solano College 6 p.m.

Dec. 21 v College of the Redwoods 5 p.m.

Dec. 28 Diablo Valley College Classic 5 p.m.

NFL Fantasy: Week 12 Top Players

by Megan Benveniste TSV Sports Editor

Last week’s headlines in fantasy were about how the quarterbacks’ injuries were hurting the team; that wasn’t the case this week, the quarterbacks were the highlight of this week’s fantasy and game highlights.

Monday Night Football on Nov. 26 Cam Newton was back to his old self. Early struggles this season left many in doubt about his demeanor, character and if he was really ready to play in the NFL. Over the course of the game, Newton proved why he was the first overall draft pick in 2011. He showcased all his superior athletic talent. The combination of his running ability and throwing with strength and accuracy showed why he had earned himself the nickname “Superman.”

With Alex Smith being sidelined on Sun. Nov. 25 due to a concussion it was backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s time to start in his first professional football game.

Kaepernick played in other games this season but had never started

Screenshot Megan Benveniste/The Skyline View a game before, and was set to take on the Saints. Kaepernick displayed his athletic abilities and proved that he can be an NFL quarterback. The combination of offense and defense proved to be too much for the Saints in a 31-21 loss.

According to YAHOO! Sports these were the top three athletes in their respective positions: QB: •Cam Newton (Car) 306

Pass yds, 2 Pass TD •Tom Brady (NE) 323 Pass

yds, 3 Pass TD •Tony Romo (Dal) 441 Pass

yds, 3 Pass TD WR: •Dez Bryant (Dal) 6 Rush

yds, 145 Rec yds •Julio Jones (Atl) 147 Rec

yds, 1 Rec TD •Calvin Johnson (Det) 140

Rec yds, 1 Rec TD RB: •Bryce Brown (Phi) 178

Rush yds, 2 Rush TD •Arian Foster (Hou) 102

Rush yds, 2 Rush TD •BenJarvus Green-Ellis (Cin)

129 Rush yds, 1 Rush TD TE: •Charles Clay (Mia) 84 Rec

yds, 1 Rec TD •Dustin Keller (NYJ) 64 Rec

yds, 1 Rec TD •Kyle Rudolph (Min) 55 Rec

yds, 1 Rec TD K: •Rob Bironas (Ten) 4 FG •Dan Bailey (Dal) 3 FG •Connor Barth (TB) 3 FG Def: •New England, 17 points

allowed, 2 sacks •St. Louis, 17 points

allowed, 2 sacks •San Francisco, 21 points

allowed, 5 sacks

Kayla Crittendon

Back at Skyline as an Athletic Trainer

Photo provided by Crittendon.

“SparkPoint … helped me financially..."

SparkPoint client SG

Kayla Crittendon, athletic trainer, walks on the field during a SJSU football game.

by Daniel Chee

TSV Photo Editor

Get Your FREE Credit Report!

Call Today!

650‐738‐7035 – Bldg. 1, Room 1222 SkylineSparkPoint@smccd.edu

Kayla Crittendon is a certified athletic trainer and former Skyline College student. After earning her B.S. in athletic training at San Jose State University, Crittendon returned to Skyline where she works for the athletics department.

She was quite active during her time as a Skyline student; Crittendon played women’s volleyball and basketball from 2007-2008. In addition, she interned at Skyline’s athletic training room before transferring with her A.A to SJSU. “In high school, I had a bad athletic trainer,” said Crittendon. “I am working to be a better athletic

trainer than he ever was.”

Becoming an athletic trainer was not without difficulty.

“Maybe it’s the fact I’m a girl in a male dominated field, but it’s hard to obtain jobs over people that have more experience or are male,” she said.

Crittendon also cited the challenge of being female in a world of male sports.

Athletic training has had its bright sides as well, however.

One such incident is when Crittendon was interning at College of San Mateo. She worked with an athlete who had broken his arm; a year later, she met him at SJSU where both of them had transferred.

“He thanked me for helping him when he got injured and he gave me the biggest hug,” said Crittendon.