September
Vol. 41 No. 1
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News
September 2011
AVC students are finding ways to dismiss tickets By Kristi Phillips News Editor
Getting a ticket is never a good thing for anyone, whether it be speeding, running a red light, or not having a parking permit. Parking without a permit is the most common reason as to why students at Antelope Valley College get a ticket. During the first two weeks of the semester parking is free, so that hasn’t been an issue so far for most students. Mark Wasserman is a student at AVC. He may seem like your average student; he goes to class, is majoring in computer science, and is trying to figure out which university he wants to transfer to. Yet there is something about Wasserman that makes him not your Average Joe; he has appealed and dismissed not one, but two tickets that the sheriffs at AVC have given him. Something new that has happened at AVC this semester are the types of tickets that have been given out. During the first few days of the semester, students have been recieving tickets for making an illegal left
turn out of entrance G, which is the entrance in the main parking lot across the liberal studies buildings. The sheriffs this semester have really been cracking down on the parking. Deputy Ruiz says that the Lancaster sheriff motor units are currently assisting with this, which are sheriffs on motor bikes. Just in the month of August, there have been 353 tickets that were given out to students. Wasserman recieved a ticket for parking at entrance F in a “no parking zone” and was cited a ticket. “College teaches us to question authority,” says Wasserman, and that’s exactly what he did. On every ticket there is a vehicle code, which is a code that represents the California law that you broke. Wasserman reasearched his vehicle code, which was code CBC20038, and the code stated that a sign shall be executed at every entrance. At the entrance that Wasserman parked at, there was no sign stating that a permit was required to park there. Vehicle codes are to be accesible to students from the sheriffs and be presented upon request, yet when Wasserman requested to see his vehicle code, the sheriffs
stated that they did not have one. “Sheriffs cannot make up regulations and laws; they threatened to take me to the dean and said, “You have a ticket, you have to pay,” said Wasserman. Wasserman was not discouraged by the sheriffs and went to appeal his ticket. After a three day process, the ticket came back invalid. Deputy Feickert is another sheriff at AVC that has dealt with students that were attempting to appeal tickets. “The thing that’s interesting is that students were given the first two weeks of school to get a permit,” says Feickert, “that’s plenty of time and a courtesy from AVC.” Another student that has gotten out of a ticket at AVC is Timothy Carmichael. Carmichael hasn’t been very lucky with getting out of tickets on campus. Last semester he received three tickets for parking without a permit. Yet when Carmichael got his fouth ticket, he decided to try to research his ticket instead of just paying like he usually does. “The majority of the students that receive tickets on campus usually don’t even look at them,” says Carmichael, “but I’m sure that if half of them really looked
at the ticket, then they could challenge authority and appeal them.” Carmichael got his ticket on March 13, and when he was looking over his ticket, he realized that the ticket stated the wrong date, it was dated for June 13 instead. Carmichael did just as Wasserman did and appealed his ticket, and it came back valid. “Bottom line is that people feel like they are wrongly done; yet if people just did the little things then it wouldn’t be an issue,” says Feickert. “I think it’s important that college kids should know this, that they should question and challenge authority, it’s all a part of going to college,” says Wasserman. Wasserman shows that he is definitely not afraid to challenge authority and says that he also believes that the non-smoking on campus rule is not right either. He says that maybe one day, sooner than later, he might challenge that one as well! In order to get a ticket appealed, you must go to the sheriff’s office and see Deputy Ruiz. If your ticket does not get dismissed through Ruiz, then you get an administrative hearing to try to get it dismissed.
Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, resigns from his post By Maria Cortes Opinion Editor
Steve Jobs, the 14-year CEO and cofounder of Apple Inc., resigned Wednesday, Aug. 24, and handed the reins to Tim Cook, the Chief Operating Officer. The 56-yearold pancreatic cancer survivor had been on medical leave for undisclosed reasons since Jan. 17. Although this news came as a shock to the public, it’s less of a shock to the people of Apple; no one seems very concerned with the future of the company. Cook had apparently been named successor of Apple by Jobs himself. Cook has been running the day-to-day operations at Apple during Jobs’ medical leaves, which began in 2004. “The Board has complete confidence that Tim is the right person to be our next CEO. Tim’s 13 Photo Courtesy of creativecomments.org years of service to Apple have been marked Previous CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, handed the rains to the new appointed by outstanding performance, and he has CEO, Tim Cook demonstrated remarkable talent and sound judgment in everything he does,” Art Levinson, Chairman of Genetech, said in an article of Corporate Materials for Compaq’s product garage on April 1, 1976, with his partners on finance.yahoo.com. inventory. Prior to joining Compaq he was the Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. Their misTim Cook’s career at Apple has been full Chief Operating Officer for the Reseller Divi- sion was to sell the Apple 1 Personal Comof accomplishments. He was responsible for sion at Intelligent Electronics. puter Kit, which was hand-built by Wozniak all of the company’s worldwide sales and Although Jobs had been fighting pancreatic himself. operations, heads the company’s Macintosh cancer for a large part of his life, his achieveSince then Apple has been responsible for division, and serves on the Board of Direc- ments in business and technology have greatly some of the greatest achievements in techtors. Before Apple, Cook was Vice President outshined any illness. Jobs began Apple in a nology such as the iPod, iPod Touch, iPhone,
and the iPad. On finance.yahoo.com Levinson added that, “Steve’s extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world’s most innovative and valuable technology company.” There is far more to Jobs than Apple, though. He not only co-founded, but was once CEO of Pixar Animation Studios, which brought to life some of the world’s most beloved animated movies such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc. In 2006, Pixar merged with The Walt Disney Company and as a result, Jobs is now on the Disney’s Board of Directors. Jobs’ impact on Disney doesn’t stop there. His stake in Disney is twice as large as his piece of Apple. Finance.yahoo.com reported that Jobs owns 7.4% of Disney. That is 138 million shares worth roughly around $4.5 billion, making Jobs its top shareholder. His reported disclosed stakein Apple is worth $2.1 million. Jobs once said, “I have always if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know.” Apple has complete faith in Cook and his abilities to keep the company up, running, and striving for more technological breakthroughs. In an article on online.wsj.com, Michael Gartenberg, and analyst for Gartner, said, “This definitely marks the end of an era… there’s much more to Apple than Steve Jobs.”
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New pay plan and waiting list changes at AVC By Maria Cortes Opinion Editor
Antelope Valley College enlisted two new policies effective Fall 2011 at the Lancaster and Palmdale campuses. AVC announced the addition of the newest waitlist option for classes and payment plans for tuition and other fees due to the college. Antelope Valley College’s official website defined the new waitlist options as “a way for students to express interest in enrolling in a course that was closed.” It was to work in the way that if a seat were to open up before the course began students on the waitlist would be given an opportunity to register before any other student. However, students on the waitlist were not guaranteed enrollment. Students, of course, have to meet all registration requirements for the course, including prerequisites and co-requisites. When registering for classes, typically, students previously only see two options for a class- open or closed. Starting this semester, there was the addition of the “waitlisted” option, which meant the course had an active waitlist. If students clicked on the blue CRN link for any of the waitlisted courses, students were able to see both the seating and waitlist availabilities. If the course had a seat available and the waitlist was full, students were unable to add this particular course to the waitlist. If a seat opened up before the class began, waitlisted students were notified via email of the opportunity to register. Once the registration email Courtney Unander / Examiner was received, students were to register within 48 hours. AVC’s new waitlist is preventing students from crashing classes; new payment plans are helping With the addition of the waitlist came several unforeseen issues. First, if students received an email students pay for classes notification for an available seat less than 48 hours before the course began, they were required to register by 11:30 p.m. the day before the course was set to begin. reason hundreds more than average students were turned fee. If students were unable to register before the deadline away from classes, unable to be accepted by the waitlist As previously stated, the payment plans were done via passes, they were dropped from the waitlist and the or crashing classes. Overall, students, teachers, and other NBS. In order for students to have qualified this semester course altogether without any exceptions to be given. faculty members have more work to do in order to achieve and future semesters on NBS’s website, if the option stays Secondly, once courses started, all waitlists expired. On the wanted outcome of the waitlist. valid, students must have the following: AVC student ID With the second policy enlisted this Fall 2011 semester, number, the name and address of the person responsible the first day of class, students were to attend the course and their name would appear on the instructor’s roster as students were praising the newest option of payment for making such payments, and financial institution’s a “waitlist” student. If students did not attend the first plans to pay their tuition and any other outstanding routing number. However, the easiest route for students fees payable to Antelope Valley College. The payment to have taken, which most students witnessed, was by course, their name was dropped from the waitlist. These two requirements of the waitlist showed to be plan, e-Cashier Online Tuition and Fees Payment Plan, following the simple steps of logging into myAVC, an issue with many students who believe the rules were allows students to make payments to the college rather clicking on “Set up a Payment Plan,” select the term, and not thoroughly expressed and caused them to be dropped than pay the entire amount at one time. AVC offered click the “Set up Payment Plan button.” from their course waitlist. Psychology major, Noemi this option with the help of Nelnet Business Solutions/ Students around campus are praising the addition of Banuelos, was one of the several students to be dropped FACTS (NBS), said to be the most widely used tuition payment plans, especially those who are required to wait from her course waitlist for not showing up the first day management service nationwide. on the receipt of their financial aid before they are able AVC students were able to make flexible payment to purchase textbooks and supplies, let alone pay several of the course. “I wasn’t aware we were required to show up the first options to meet their needs, make regular payments, and hundred dollars for classes. day. To be honest, I really didn’t know what to do when I make changes throughout the school year if needed. With Freshman, Troy Scales, was a grateful student this didn’t get an email from anyone.” Banuelos, 24, was only this plan, there was a $20 nonrefundable payment plan semester. “My mom kept telling me through high school able to register for two out of the four courses because fee per semester it is used. AVC’s official website said, our biggest problem would be paying for these classes of the lack of communication between AVC and the “these payment plans are not a loan, do not force you to because I wasn’t qualifying for the BOG fee waiver. waitlisted students. The rules were clearly listed on the accrue a debt, there is not any interest or finance charges, When I went on myAVC and saw the payment plan, we college’s website, however, it is rare that students read the and lastly, there is not a credit card to be done prior to were thrilled! It made it so much easier for our family site unless to check their personal information in myAVC. qualifying.” since my mom’s only getting her social security now.” The terms of the payment plan were as follows: the Banuelos went on to say, “I don’t think I’ve ever really With the manner countless families are being forced to looked at the site. I just go straight to myAVC and call $20 processing fee is automatically deducted from the slash needs from wants out of their budgets, hopefully, it a day. I didn’t really think I ever needed to look at student’s account. Also, the tuition and fees payment with this payment plan, they are not forced to remove other stuff to get information. I usually get everything is automatically deducted from the account on the 5th young adult’s education and can count on the school through my emails of myAVC.” Students with the mind of each month from the student’s checking or savings to continue what many feel is the best thing to have frame shared with Banuelos and the communication that account. As with any establishment, if there is a returned happened yet at Antelope Valley College. was not given by AVC to students, may have been the check, there is to be an additional $30 returned payment
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News
September 2011
Massage your way to A’s: stress reduction available By Maria Cortes Opinion Editor
Attention Antelope Valley College students! Raise your hand if you’ve been feeling stressed these past couple school weeks. Of course you have. Most college students juggle work, bills, children and school all at the same time, leaving them feeling worn out and exhausted. Now that the recession has hit community colleges and budget cuts are taking over our lives, it’s a wonder we haven’t devoted our lives to complete anarchy yet. Well, Professors Kathy Bingham, who teaches yoga and Scott Memmer are trying to help us all out by hosting a Stress Reduction Workshop on Friday, Oct. 7, from 6–9 pm, at SSV 151. The event is entitled “Healthy Mind, Healthy Life: Teaching Our Students, Teaching Ourselves: Enhancing STUDENT Learning Outcomes through the Application of the Principles of Positive Psychology.”
“This workshop is primarily about using techniques which are backed and proven by many studies to find better ways of dealing with stress and enhance our lives as students, teachers and community members,” Professor Memmer said. The event will also include risk-assessment tips for identifying and assisting students and coworkers who may need counseling in dealing with stress. Along with Professors Bingham and Memmer, Gloria Kamler, a stress expert from UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, will also be attending as a guest speaker. In light of the events at Pima Community College, where student Jared Loughren went on a shooting spree killing 6 and wounding 13 people, this event is directed towards helping students deal with the many consequences that result from high amounts of stress. Stressmanagementtips. com reports that, “In addition to raising levels of stress hormones, adrenaline and corticosteron... a buildup of stress can
cause headaches, digestive problems, eating disorders, insomnia, fatigue, and lower our resistance to other illnesses like colds and flu.” The L.A. Times recently reported that, “A landmark Massachusetts General Hospital study has documented that the brain shows positive physical charges – in density of gray matter – after just eight weeks of meditation.” Professor Memmer believes that the prime objective of this event is to empower people through knowledge and
to provide information about these new cutting-edge approaches that people might not have had access to beforehand. Nytimes.com reported that, “The emotionahealth of college freshmen – who feel buffeted by the recession and stressed by the pressures of high school – has declined to the lowest level since an annual survey of incoming students started collecting data 25 years ago.” Don’t let yourself be ruled by stress any longer. Through this workshop we can all stop being statistics.
Brandon Bird/ Examiner
Professor Kathy Bingham, yoga teacher at AVC, promotes practicing yoga to reduce stress
Courtney Unander / Examiner
Professor Scott Memmer, one of the key people in the stress reduction workshop.
September 2011
Features
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Skull Fist; the 80s metal band 30 years too late By Omar Castellon Staff Writer
If pressed for an answer, most fans of Heavy Metal would say the peak of the genre is long gone, however Skull Fist and their debut, Head of the Pack, is here to prove otherwise. A Canadian export, Skull Fist is but one of the many bands attempting to recapture that sound pioneered by musicians such as Tony Iommi and Steve Harris. However, given the silly album cover and intentionally dated clothing, one is left wondering if they’re simply an ironic and self-parodic group. Fortunately, such concerns are dissipated the moment the play button is pressed. The album’s opening track, “Head of the Pack”, quickly establishes Skull Fist as a legitimate purveyor of Heavy Metal. As should be expected of a song crafted in this mold, it is largely driven by aggressive and hot-blooded guitar work. The riffs themselves are invigorating and memorable, accented by soaring vocals. Strangely enough, the vocals are most reminiscent to those of an individual outside the world of Metal: Geddy Lee of Rush. The composition that follows, “Ride the Beast”, is much of the same in terms of atmosphere and even resembles something Iron Maiden would have played, especially in its bass lines and percussion. At this point it becomes apparent Skull Fist is not content with being a simple homage to its forbearers. While this album is certainly a work done in the style
Metal-Archive.com/Courtesy photo
Canadian-based band Skull Fist plans to rock their audience with their classic, heavy metal sounds and looks in their debut album, “Head of The Pack.” of classic Heavy Metal, the band crafts its own identity by polishing the tropes of old. In a way, the past is used as a template, a means of delivering classic Metal with flares of modernity. Rather than resign to a rigid and forced worship of Heavy Metal, the members of Skull Fist are not afraid to let their abilities as musicians shine. Songs like “Ride the Beast” and “No False Metal” show that the band is capable of writing pieces with fluid and melodic passages. They also demonstrate surprisingly ornate and technical guitar work, especially dur-
ing solos. All of these are elements that, when combined, create segments that almost step into the bounds of Power Metal. It’s indicative of a certain level of musical maturity that is rare to find in a band so young. Similarly, the production values are excellent. Despite the obvious focus being the guitars, no part of the instrumentation is lost in the mix. Everything from the bass to drums is heard with an amazing clarity. While the music itself may be confused for something written 30 years ago, the means by which it was recorded
are undoubtedly contemporary. As with any form of human expression regardless of quality, this album contains a number of flaws. Perhaps the most noticeable of these is the vocals. For the most part they’re passable and fit the music quite well, but on occasion they’re nasally, especially when reaching the higher notes. Some may also find the overall sound a bit cheesy, a characteristic which is arguably inherent in this style of music. Likewise, those that care about lyrics will discover that they are juvenile and though possibly a nonissue for most, the total running time is rather short at just over 42 minutes. A quick listen to be sure, but one that feels incomplete as a results, especially given the level of talent on display. Head of the Pack will not be an album recognized for its originality, but it’s doubtful that was ever the point. release is not an example of progression so much as preservation. Its intention is to salvage a particular type of music for a new generation of listeners. Those familiar with Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate or early Queensryche will immediately see the appeal of this album, while the uninitiated will be drawn in by the melodic presence and clean production values. Ultimately, this is an impressive first effort from a band with enormous potential. Those interested in music that harkens back to the 1980s should not be displeased, for Skull Fist carries the proverbial torch well. Head of the Pack will see an official North American release in October, but the European version is currently available from a number of online distributors.
‘Conan the Barbarian’... more like the comedian By Joshua Sanchez Features Editor
“Conan the Barbarian” is a complete reboot of the franchise, erasing all the cheesy awesomeness that was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best movies, and I use the word “best” lightly. The movie as a whole is unfortunately a miss that doesn’t live up to the original movie with the Governator. However, I must say that this film does several things better than Schwarzenegger’s “Conan,” the actor, for Conan for example. Jason Momoa doesn’t look exactly like the Conan of the novels, but, I’d say he looks pretty close: Cro-Magnon brow, check; scars, check; impossibly muscled body, you bet. No, where this movie falls really flat on its face is the plot and the lack of any sort of character development. When I say plot I am refering to the poor script that may or may not have been penned by a team of extremely bloodthirsty chimpanzees. The ba-
sic story is a revenge quest; the best part of this film is the first act which runs about 20 minutes, when it isn’t a bloody quest.for vengeance. Actually, the first 20 minutes of the movie itself is really quite good except for the very beginning, where (spoiler alert) baby Conan’s mother is mortally wounded in battle and Ron Pearlman gives her a C-section amidst the fighting. This was so ridiculous and over the top I started to laugh in the theatre. Just see it from my perspective for a second: you’ve got a nine-month pregnant woman on the battlefield. She gets slashed from a sword blow. Her husband (Ron Pearlman) takes his dagger and cuts this baby out of her with the umbilical chord still attached, covered in blood. He raises this child into the air and scream a mighty, heavy metal scream while the battle rages around them. How could you not laugh? Long story short, we see Conan as a youngster, raised as a warrior by Corin, who also teaches him the mysteries of steel. While we don’t get a neat father-son discussion on top of a mountain,
we do get to see the awesomeness of Pearlman’s acting shine through. Corin perishes when the village is subsequently attacked and decimated by our main villain Khalar Zim, played by Stephen Lang. Zim is on a personal quest to recover the broken pieces of a MacGuffin… sorry, mask to gain unlimited power and control the universe; the mask was shattered, and the final piece lies within Conan’s village. And here’s one of the biggest plot holes in the movie; reminder, we’re less than 20 minutes in. This mask made from the bones of ancient kings was shattered in battle some hundreds of years ago, correct? Well, why didn’t the folks who broke it throw the pieces in a vat of molten lead or just throw the damn thing in fire? But alas, it seems that some barbarians are as dumb as they look. And because of it the entire world is going to be doomed to oblivion of rule by the main villain from “The Last Airbender,” Brilliant.
See Conan, page 6
Millenium Films/Courtesy photo
The 3D in this film stands for destruction, death and dumb.
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Conan Continued from 5 Well the bad guy gets the MacGuffin, Corin gets a face full of molten steel, a guy gets his nose chopped off and the entire village, save for Conan is completely decimated. All in all, I’d say it was a bad day to be a Cimmerian Flash forward some odd years and now you have the adult version of Conan played by Momoa. This is where the movie falls to pieces. The story and characters are completely transparent, and some are simply made out of thin air that we never see again. For me this is the worst thing in the
Features movie: a lack of character development. In the original “Conan,” Schwarzenegger changes and evolves. He doesn’t become a sword wielding bad ass overnight like Momoa’s Conan does. He has accomplishments and failures that make him grow into what he is at the end of the movie. Anyway, Conan ends up tracking down the people who destroyed his childhood. One by one he murders them in various and often times gruesome ways. For example, he takes one man (the same guy that had gotten a nose job earlier) and forces him to swallow a key that will allow several hundred prisoners to escape. Things don’t turn out very well for him. A little later on, we learn that the Mac-
Guffin needs the blood of one of those old kings, or a pure blood descendent of them, to even work. Now we need to have a MacGuffin for our MacGuffin, great. That MacGuffin is a beautiful woman living in a monastery being protected by monks. And once again we have another huge plot hole; if the mask will only work with her blood in it, then why the heck is she still alive? I find myself thinking of something Spock said once, “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”. And I think this is one of those situations where the loss of one life will be swept under Karma’s rug if it meant saving millions of people. Eventually all goes well; Conan kills his nemesis, gets the girl, saves the world, and
September 2011
has his revenge. Though we don’t get to see James Earl Jones’ head roll down the steps of a temple, we do at least get topless wenches. I’m not being a chauvinist either; look at the credits and that’s what the lovely ladies are listed as. In this version of “Conan the Barbarian,” you get a poor attempt at a romance side plot, people made of sand, a fight with a squid-like creature and more blood and gore than you can shake a claymore at. There are even scenes devoted entirely to pad out the main story. Why? so it can fill the run time Is it better than the original “Conan”? No. Is it better than the other old Conan movies? Yeah, but that’s like saying getting stabbed in the stomach once is better than being stabbed twice.
‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’ brings a weak payoff By Maria Cortes Staff Writer
I want to make one thing perfectly clear: I love Guillermo Del Toro. I mean that in a completely platonic yet crazily fanatical type of way. He has this tendency of making movies that give me a false sense of security then follow it up by scaring me to the brink of insanity. I always find myself asking, “Why, Guillermo? What did I do to you?” I was extremely excited when I saw the previews for “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”. I uttered a high pitched squeal when I saw that Katie Holmes was the lead actress. I all but fainted when Toro’s name flashed on the screen as the director. Not only was this on my list of movies to see, but I was three seconds away from camping out in front of the movie theater that very day. I have never been one for spoilers. I find that it completely ruins the movie experience. It’s like reading the last couple chapters of a book before you open up to the first page. Having said that, I suggest you all ignore the rest of this article or hum very loudly to yourselves if someone else is reading this to you. Let it begin. We open up on Blackwood Manor where an innocent maid is dusting off some books. Suddenly, a bell rings on the wall signaling that her boss, Lord Blackwood, is calling for her in his office. His office is ominously placed in the basement because life is cruel and wants to make us all cry at night. Unfortunately for her, it’s her job to go down there; so she walks into the darkness and dank. Low and behold, she falls. As she opens her eyes, she sees her boss on top of her with a chisel in one hand, a hammer in the other and missing almost all his front teeth. Blackwood then rambles insanely about creatures that have taken his son and that demand teeth to bring him back. He then apologizes like the English gentlemen he is and proceeds to chisel her teeth out of her
skull, put them on a plate along with his own and place them in an air vent. If you’re like me, you have already started to suspect that this man might just be insane and that there is nothing horrifyingly supernatural going on. And just like I mentioned before, you are engulfed with a sense of security that turns out to be completely false when voices that make you want to go deaf for the rest of your life ring from the bottom of the vent. They wanted children’s teeth and Blackwood has not delivered, and in a split second he gets sucked down the hole never to be heard from again. Flash to the present where we meet young Sally, a little girl from Los Angeles that has been sent to Rhode Island to live with her father, Alex, and his new girlfriend, Kim. Did I mention that Sally is taking Adderall? Sally is on Adderall. Why? Because she is from Los Angeles where they pop pills like Mentos. From the get-go, Sally is not a likable little girl. She’s actually quite rude, which makes you feel a little less sorry for her when horrible things start happening around her. In true horror movie tradition, Alex and Kim are renovating Blackwood Manor, and no one has bothered to tell them the gruesome history behind the property. But we can all rely on Sally to make things worse by befriending the horrible voices that have resurfaced from the vents, and unleashing them from the darkness that they once resided in. The folklore surrounding the movie is that of small demonic creatures who made a pact with the then Pope. Instead of feasting on children, they would only feed on their teeth; in exchange for their tiny ivories, they would leave a coin under the child’s pillow. Remind you all of anything? Safe to say Toro wasn’t a fan of the tooth fairy as a child. Sally begins to be terrorized by her “friends,” and it’s Katie Holmes to the rescue. Sally’s daddy obviously doesn’t believe her,
Miramax/Courtesy photo
Katie Holmes stars in a horror flick taking a new look at an ancient fairy tale.
and it’s up to Holmes to uncover the terrible truth and save her soon to be stepdaughter. It’s a task that becomes more and more difficult as the movie progresses. This movie contains all the materials a good horror movie should have. For example: an irresponsible father, a bathtub scene that makes you never want to bathe again, and demonic creatures that despise the light. There is also that one character which causes all the mayhem and that you inevitably hate and feel no remorse for when they get slapped in the face by Karma’s heavy hand. In this movie it’s Sally; sweet, little Sally. In the end the movie delivers with subtle scares that are more bone chilling than in-
your-face scary. The one major flaw is that Toro makes the mistake of showing the audience the creatures instead of leaving them to our imagination. At first I was picturing some sort of horrifying demon, and instead I got what looked like skeletal rats that were pretty handy with razors and tools. I can promise you all one thing though; Katie Holmes will make this movie for you. The ending scene with her made me want to stand up and applaud her for being so…so… wicked! And I don’t mean that in a dimwitted way where I want to hang ten or some other nonsense. I mean it as her being literally wicked. Keep that in mind when you go watch it, and sleep with your lights on.
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Features
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One professor slays thousands with rapier... wit By Ben Fassett Lead Writer
from my friends on campus, and I felt a little more self-conscious. But, you know, nobody cares. There’s a certain degree of narcissism about what we think other people are thinking about us. You realize that if you write something crazy, other people will read it and say ‘well, that was crazy.’ But then they’re going to say, ‘I want to go to McDonald’s for lunch today.’ So I’ve never really worried about having a weird opinion. I just say what I think. Besides, I’ve found that people think a lot of crazy things that tend to pass under the radar. Our culture is suffused with nonsense.”
For Santi Tafarella, English professor at Antelope Valley College, the desire to blog comes from a myriad of sources, and which ever one you choose will bring you to the genesis of a leviathan of a blog that, as of Aug. 31st, has over 1,044,000 views under its belt. Santi sat down with the Examiner to discuss why and how it all went down. “I love free speech, and I have always loved to write. For me, blogging sort of gave me a space where, on a daily basis, anything that happened to cross my consciousness could be given an opinion and put out to the world.” “Prometheus Unbound,” which started in late June of 2008, started off with a standard view count of about 300 after the first two weeks. But as the topics diversified from local to national politics, the arts, and issues of evolution versus creationism, it quickly picked up momentum, steamrolling into a sometimes staggering figure in the thousands per day. The measure of his success, however, occasionally comes from a sneaky place. “I have tricks, now. If you want to blog, just find something to quote and talk about it. If you want to attract narcissists, mention their name in your title – or at least mention them in your post! I’ve learned that somewhere in the world, there is someone out there with the same peculiar interest as you, and they will Mindy Simmons/ Examiner find you because they’ll Google it.” Santi Tafarella, an English professor Apparently, a lot of people share peculiar interests; and while some might balk at the at Antelope Valley College, maintains attention, Professor Tafarella shrugged it off. one of the most read blogs in the AV. “I’d gotten to where I’ve developed a routine,” he said, “and by the time the election When you get to the actual prose, it reads came around, I had about 100,000 hits. And in a thousand different ways. Sometimes, the I thought I was staying under the radar, you commentary is direct and even harsh: when know, because no one at work had said any- he poses the question, “Is it mean to suspect thing to me about it… until I’m sitting at a that Michael Jackson might have been a pestaff meeting on campus, and Charles Hood, dophile?” he lays it out bluntly. “Under norone of the English teachers here, he says, mal circumstances nobody gets to do what ‘Hey everybody, Santi’s got over 100,000 hits Michael Jackson did.” Other times, we get to on his blog.’ So then I was attracting attention see the strange and logical progression of a
man’s perspective. We get to watch how he thrilled at the prospect of President Obama’s administration, only to have his hopes dashed in later years. “I learned that I would be a terrible president,” he said, “because I would probably do exactly what Obama has done. Looking back, it might have been better for him to look at the economy rather than focus on healthcare or other issues.” Probably most interesting, however, is watching Tafarella wrestle with questions of faith and morality in a very tasteful and philosophical angle that is first and foremost open minded. Very seldom does the material ever turn towards the vulgar, which immediately sets it apart from most blogs. Tafarella, a self-proclaimed agnostic, maintains a sort of love-hate relationship with all of the religious denominations; celebrating when they rise above petty differences, expressing his discontent when the institutions fail in their tact and striking in absolutely ruthless fashion when it mixes with politics. “There is kind of a whistleblower responsibility there. Here’s an example: a while back I was… annoyed when one of the city council members here in Lancaster commented in bad taste on an incident where a Muslim man beheaded his wife in a rage in New York City. Now, the Antelope Valley Press covered it, but they don’t put much up for free online anymore. So I posted about it, and there were a lot of people within the community who found it, and it got a conversation going.” This is referencing Sherry Marquez’s 2008 Facebook post which read: “This is what the Muslim religion is all about—the beheading, honor killings are just the beginning of what is to come in the U.S.A.” The blog post drew delicious parallels to Omar Khalifa’s comments about a Christian minister in Texas who drugged his wife with sleeping pills and smothered her so that he could be with his mistress. He punctuated this with the following statement: “Hmm. If Lancaster and the Antelope Valley really are places where a collective faith in God is af-
firmed— “In God We Trust”—then should we blame the high domestic violence rate on the effects of holding to that collective faith? I think that’s an inference that Sherry Marquez wouldn’t make.” Talk about a piledriver of a point. While personal bias is sometimes impossible to avoid in blog format, it is always about what interests him and the Socratic method. Trying to keep the conversation going is key – if by nothing else, then by initiating such challenges as “Have Lunch With a Muslim Day,” or by creating a section devoted to “The Gospel of Jessica Christ,” which is a reworking of gospel passages with the main protagonist as a woman. “I’ve always been interested in gender reversal: what happens to a text (and I’ve done this in literature classes with my students) if you reverse the gender on a story. You’re reading a Hemingway story, and you have a characteristically sexist male character in the story. What happens if you change that around, how does it shift the perspective of the story? You can do the same thing with race. You switch that aspect of a character, and suddenly it takes on a whole new angle.” For an English professor, this should hardly be surprising. “I was always a reader. One of the things I would do with my dad growing up was go for walks with an adult-level book, and he would ask me to read it aloud to him and talk about it with him. So in some ways, blogging is very similar to the sort of dialogue I would have with my dad growing up. Because really, what you do when you blog about topics is find something from the internet or out of a book and you talk about it. Then someone else will come around, and keep the discussion going.” So if you feel as though you’re starving for good thinking material or just want to pass some time, you can find it readily at your fingertips at santitafarella.wordpress. com. It’ll be worth the look.
Opinion ‘It’s a bird, it’s a plane.... it’s Superman!’ Page 8
By Maria Cortes Staff Writer
I have a theory that the financial aid line might be a portal to hell. If you’ve never been, I strongly suggest you keep it that way. There is one upside to it though; you get to hear the best conversations. When I walked in last Tuesday I was lucky enough to stand behind two incredibly enthusiastic guys having a very loud and very intense argument about one of my favorite movies, Kill Bill Vol. II. Being the nosey person that I am I couldn’t help but listen in. They were arguing about a quote. A very specific quote said by Bill, played by David Carradine, where he explains his love for comic book superheroes, specifically Superman. “Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman…His alter ego is Clark Kent…Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He’s weak…Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race.” Those were the words spoken, and those were the words that sparked the argument. Who could forget the epic line, “It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman!” Of course it’s Superman. Who else could possibly defend the weak and frightened people of Metropolis? Who else could continuously save their skins from the peril that they apparently always find themselves in? The man with the S on his chest, of course! And it’s true, when Superman isn’t Superman he’s Clark Kent. He becomes that shy guy at the corner of the office hidden behind glasses and an ordinary tie. Kent is weak
September 2011
and subservient, far from his extraordinary counterpart. The official Clark Kent Wikipedia page says, “To deflect suspicion that he is Superman, Clark Kent adopted a largely passive and introverted personality with conservative mannerisms, a higher-pitched voice
photocopies? No, be the best darn reporter the Daily Planet has ever seen! Clark Kent is an alter ego. Unlike Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker who turn into Batman and Spiderman, Superman turns into Clark Kent. The glasses and tie is his dis-
Creative Commons Edited by: Roberta Springer
Faster than a speedng bullet, but slow enough to be scrutinized by popular culture buffs, Superman is the embodiment of everything we wish we could do. and a slight slouch.” Superman’s mission in life is to save the people of Metropolis from muggers, train crashes, and gross spiders maliciously scaring young woman because they can’t protect themselves from anything. Clark Kent’s mission in life is to….make
guise. Now let’s ask ourselves, is this how a superhero really sees us? Better yet, is that how Superman sees us? As weak, mildmannered, and slightly slouchy creatures that need to be protected from the horrendous and dangerous lives we lead. As small
human beings that need to be protected by someone smarter, stronger, and braver than ourselves. We obviously need to be watched over day and night. We can’t fly, so we can die. As a living, breathing, particularly ordinary human being, I find myself rather insulted. Just because I can’t fly or bench press a semi-truck doesn’t make me incapable of protecting myself against a mugger. We humans are proactive creatures with defense mechanisms hardwired into our brains just in case some sadistic psycho comes plowing through our windows at 3 am. I’m sure that the city of Metropolis would be missing a substantial amount of citizens if it hadn’t been for Superman, but really, that’s also what the police are there for. What about those superheroes who don’t have powers at all? The obvious choice would have to be the dark knight himself, Batman. Bruce Wayne is a flesh and blood, teeth and bones, capable of death citizen of Gotham City making Batman the exact same thing. Sure Batman may not be able to stop a speeding bullet with a flex of his rippling pectorals, but he’s damn well capable of protecting the people of his city. Let’s compare and contrast the two. Superman is Clark Kent. Bruce Wayne is Batman. Superman is the epitome of heroisms, while Clark Kent is often described as regular and shy, lacking any serious outstanding characteristics. Bruce Wayne is an educated, skilled, and wealthy business man in charge of Wayne Enterprises.
See Superman, page 9
Why buy textbooks when you can rent them? By Christina Myles Staff Writer
For a student, textbooks are our lifelines for four years until we are handed a degree on stage in front of our friends and family. They are supposed to be the means of us furthering our education. But with the prices of books today, they have literally instead of psychology become our life support, forcing us to make life or death decisions over their ridiculous amounts. More and more, we as students have began leaning towards no longer making these large purchases whatsoever. Then, sent from the heavens, comes the ability to rent our books. With that, there is the obvious benefit of a price cut. Prime example of a depressing time is my current abnormal psychology class. In the Antelope Valley College bookstore, the required text is only sold as the newest seventh edition (as if the year old sixth edition somehow became outdated to the point of no re-
turn) for a womping $154 before taxes, mind you. Look here, AVC, I am a full time student, part-time worker. $154 for one book?! Definitely not! In speaking to many of other students, Chegg.com has become the number one goto to allow us students to rent the exact same reading material for a mere $44! To break the rental process down, I am allowed to keep it for an entire semester and return it back to Chegg once the semester has been completed (with a provided return shipping label, so it is completely free!). But there is more. Let’s all be honest to ourselves. How many of us actually use, open, or simply stare at our old history or anthropology books when we have established a nursing career? I know I haven’t taken the time to even glance at an old textbook and I am still in school. Why clutter your house and bookshelves with unused, ten year old schoolbooks when they could have been rented and returned within a semester?
Mindy Simmons / Examiner
Stare long enough and the prices change. Smart, right? And last, we have the Antelope Valley College’s textbook buyback option. This option has become popular in the last few semesters.
Not for myself though. The AVC bookstore website says enough for me to avoid this at all costs. “New textbooks may be bought back by the book buyer at 50% of the purchase price of they have been requisitioned by the instructor for the upcoming semester. Most other books may be sold to the used book buyer for a smaller percentage.” To me, this means, professors would have to change to a newer textbook every single semester for me to be able to sell my $200 book back only to receive $100 for. Pathetic. And, if it is more than a semester old, I may only receive $50 back. It simply is not worth it for me. I cannot be the only one who finds that to be insulting and a complete waste of time. Why don’t we stop buying into the “help fund our college by purchasing overpriced textbooks” scam and look out for our own bank account and sanity? Just rent, save money, save time and I am positive our bank accounts will gloriously thank us in the end.
Opinion
September 2011
Page 9
I’m in love with a monster; he sucked me dry By Maria Cortes Opinion Editor
Dracula, Lestat de Lioncourt, Vampire Bill, and more recently Edward Cullen; They are all vampires who make teenage girls (and somewhat lonely housewives) swoon all over the world. People have always been fascinated with vampire mythology, it seems to have reached a whole new level of madness. There are vampire shows, vampire movies and vampire literature. Why the sudden uproar in vampire fads? Who can we blame for this sudden and sporadic spike? Most people would agree with me in naming author Stephanie Meyer as the culprit. In 2006 Meyer released “Twilight.” The book took the world by storm selling over 17 million copies (1.3 million in only half a day). If you ask anyone who has read
the book, the Cullen clan isn’t exactly high up on the totem pole of vampire credibility. Meyer’s vampires seem to lack certain qualities that had made the creatures so appealing in the first place. To start off, the Cullen family do not feed on human, but animal blood. Second, they can go out into the sunlight. Instead of the usual fit of fire and burned flesh, the Cullens sparkle. The authors’ description was along the lines of what gems would look like gleaming in the sunlight. That is a gigantic stray from the norm. Dracula is still crying in his crypt somewhere. But what has to be the largest stray in the book series is the lack of sex. Vampires have been known as impulsive creatures that feed on young and beautiful woman and often indulge in sex and drinking and sometimes both at the same time.
Then you have the antithesis of the “Twilight” series, “True Blood,” an HBO series about free and open vampires living and interacting with people in Louisiana. These vampires are probably the closest thing that people have to the old vampires. They drink human blood, although there is a form of synthetic blood that they can drink. They live in darkness for fear of the gruesome internal combustion that occurs when they step foot into the sunlight. They are devastatingly gorgeous, and they lack any ability to control their urges whether for sex or for food. Yes, there is a love story, as all vampire-related shows or books have, but it’s constantly filled with death, deception, and sex. Perhaps these characteristics are what draw people into the vampire world. The ability to have complete sexual
freedom and the lack of rules or control is a fascinating thought. Most people would never admit to it, but it’s the prime reason why so many people are attracted to Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” in the first place. A 2009 E! Online article discusses this: “Dracula has embedded in it a very disturbing psychosexual allegory […] that there is a demonic force at work in the world whose intent is to eroticize women, [transforming] Lucy Westenra, a beautiful 19-yearold virgin, into a shameless slut.” Is that the reason why people are so attracted to these creatures? Most people have become so wrapped up in the romantic world that is vampire loves that they have forgotten vampires are actually demonic creatures. They feed off the blood of the living and cannot die, not because they chose to
Roberta Springer / Examiner
be young forever, but because they are damned. There is no way to really pin-point just one reason for why people all over the world, of all ages have become obsessed. Is it power or youth? How about beauty? Could sex be the driving force of this obsession? Even in “Twilight,” where there is almost a complete lack of sex, it still plays a large part. It is the lack of sex that fascinates, the emo-
Who decides what is beautiful? By Mindy Simmons Staff Writer
“Men wouldn’t look at me when I was skinny. But… since I gained 10 pounds this new, easy way I have all the dates I want.” This phrase is from an old advertisement selling ironized yeast tablets marketed towards slimmer women who want to put on a few pounds to supposedly make men swoon. At first glance, you might think, “It’s shocking how things have changed!” When in reality, this message is just as harmful as our current mainstream advertisement pitch. The current idea is that thinner isn’t better in our size 0 obsessed nation. This is a flawed way of thinking, because you can’t empower women by insulting others. When someone says, “Real women have curves”, it’s belittling the thin and only empowering the curvy women. A real woman is all woman, whether she’s a size 2 or 13. Skinny isn’t bad as long as it’s healthy, and the same goes for curvy. All of us are genetically predisposed to have the body types we grow into, whether it be rail thin or extremely curvy. Let’s look at Marilyn Monroe. She was the goddess of her time, all while having boobs, a belly and a bottom. At the time the institution decided that she was pretty. Fast forward a few years to our current Courtesy Examiner files sex symbol that is the complete opposite An old ad promotes weight gain. body type, Look at tall and slim Megan Fox. Our perception of what’s “hot” and what’s
not is constantly changing. All of these ideas are shaped and molded by the media. The media is bombarding us with messages and images of a near impossible ideal of how to be sexy, young and thin. It creates an unattainable standard to reach, thanks to Photoshop, which can make even the most flawless of people prone to having insecurities. A women’s online magazine and apparel line called Off Our Chests, noticed the effect the media is having on our society. According to Teen Health and the Media, 40% of girls between the ages 9 and 10 have tried to lose weight. Statistics like these inspired them to recently launch a new campaign called The Self-Esteem Act of 2011. It’s a bill that requires labels to reveal the “truth in advertising”. This will potentially require labels that have heavily Photoshopped models to simply state that a lot of airbrushing was used to produce the image. They aren’t talking about editing out a blemish or two; they are talking about the images that have been airbrushed into submission. This is a fantastic idea; it shows girls that the current media craze is basically an unattainable approach to beauty. This is what women empowerment should look like: no one Photoshopped too thin, and no advertisement telling women to put on more weight. If you’re happy and healthy, that’s all that should matter. There’s really no use in idolizing these images, because really, they’re basically avatars.
tional and physical build up to the moment that had readers ravenous when the fourth and final installment of the series, “Breaking Dawn,” was released in 2008. In an interview with Forbes.com, social media marketer Ashley do Santos said: “There’s not necessarily anything happening within our culture. It’s just their time again.” And indeed it is.
Superman Continued from 8 When he becomes Batman he uses his skills as a regular human being to fight crime and bring an end to corruption. Notice the difference? Bruce Wayne is powerful and respected with or without the costume. As soon as Superman puts on his red cape he becomes a better version of his lowly human alter ego. He is faster, stronger, better in every way, shape, and form. Are Superman’s intentions for saving Metropolis even considered honorable? “I am going to save these people because they are too small and docile to defend themselves.” If my memory serves me correct there were other historical figures that viewed themselves as far more superior than their civilian counterparts. They were called dictators. Individuals who thought they were Adonis’s and had the right to rule over their far more unintelligent subjects. These men woke up every morning and felt as if they already knew what was better for us than we did, because they had more money, more political control, a microphone….a cape. Would this make Superman an unknowing dictator? I’ll let you figure that one out for yourselves.
Opinion
Page 10
September 2011
Keeping track of our crazy people means less dead people
Examiner editorials and editorial cartoons are the unsigned views of the editorial board. There are crazy people everywhere. We’re not talking about Charlie Sheen – that’s for a lesser paper. We’re talking about the guys who decide to snap and kill people, and otherwise just ruin our day. This year has been full of memorable shootouts, and here are a few to scare the crap out of you so that you’ll be more vigilant. They started crawling out of the woodworks early this year, too. Jan. 8 rolls around and suddenly Jared Lee Loughner, some snot-nosed looking mouth breather, guns down (9mm Glock with a 33-round magazine) House of Representatives member Gabrielle Giffords and five other bystanders. Why? It’s hard to separate all of the nonsense from fact with that one, but as far as I can tell it’s because he broke up with his girlfriend and got fired from Quiznos. Some of us have worked at Quiznos; if anything, getting fired is a relief, not an excuse to kill people. Sure, he had delusions of government conspiracy and definitely didn’t harbor fluffy feelings for Giffords herself, but let’s be honest: we’re looking for excuses. You can’t blame a Zeitgeist documentary for him. I don’t care how many times he watched it. A young guy like that doesn’t go on a killing spree because of political dilemmas or moral scruples. It’s not like there weren’t chances to arrest him, either. This guy got more complaints than cops, DMV employees or even journalists get. An example: In Sept. 2010, he was dragged by two college campus police officers to a counselor who reported there might have been “a mental health concern.” For god’s sake, he was stopped by an Arizona Game and Fish Department of-
ficer when he ran a red light ON THE WAY TO THE SHOOTING. I’m not trying to say that someone dropped the ball – I’m just saying that the opportunities were there. Honest. We managed to get as far as Jan. 28 before we suddenly have our first newsworthy shootout in a police department in Detroit. The gunman got killed, and four cops injured. Okay. That’s not so bad. Breathe a sight of relief. Our relief lasted until we found out about a lone gunman who had set off a bomb in Norway in late July, followed by a shooting spree (Ruger Mini-14, firing .223 rounds) that brought the death toll to over 70 people. So much for our winning streak. Not only did he decide to kill a bunch of innocent people for dubious reasons, but he also did it over summer break. Come on, folks. If you’re going to go nuts, at least do it when we can make comment on it. That was the light-hearted humor part of this story. The rest isn’t so pretty. This guy was a different sort of monster. An-
ders Behring Breivik was a 32 year old man who really did believe all of the crazy rhetoric he was reading up on. To be fair, this guy would have been a little harder to catch. His internet habits weren’t any
more extreme than dozens of weirdos who make absurd arguments without ever hurting a fly. He wasn’t particularly abnormal. Granted, he was a blatantly urban fellow who bought copious amounts of fertilizer for a rather dubious farming company he started as a front… but we’ll let that one be, for now. Whether he could be caught is not nearly as unsettling as why he did it. It’s not a weak theory that he may very well have killed all those people just so that we could read his Unabomber-inspired manifesto. Anyone
who has taken the time to read it knows that it’s a truly terrifying text. Of course, since the bloody thing is about 1500 pages long, you can’t be blamed if you pass on it. Suffice it to say, the man had some strong if not convoluted views on the “Islamisation” of Europe and the dangers of multiculturalism. It also reads like a memoir, though, clueing us into his feelings and planning phase. There. You’ve just been saved hours of crazy. You knew there was a reason you read this paper. In the wake of an atrocity like that which we witnessed on the island of Utøya in Norway, we are forced to take stock of our crazy people. This is never easy – there are just too many of them, and there are moral implications which we have to tread upon carefully. But if we don’t, people die. It’s an unfortunate fact that we can’t avoid. Particularly now that we’ve just gotten wind of another one. That’s right. Euardo Sencion (AK-47, firing 7.62 rounds) got up on the morning of the 6th and decided to walk into an IHOP in Carson City, Nevada so that he could shoot 12 people. That guy, at least, had the decency to shoot himself in the head. If there’s a moral or point to dredging these up for you, it is that crazy people can’t be ignored. That is not to say that we should spurn the insane, or even treat them differently. There are plenty of people with real mental health issues who will never hurt another living thing. But what we should do is keep a better watch on them – because at some point, things can go wrong. We’ve been seeing plenty of that, haven’t we?
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Sports
September 2011
AVC endures first loss of the season against COC By Codie Walsh Staff Writer
Final: 23 AVC, 44 COC Usually teams are eased into the season allowing them to find their rhythm before facing a rival. For the 2011 AVC Marauders this was not the case as they began their regular season facing their arch rival COC Cougars. Saturday was the thirteenth meeting between College of the Canyons and Antelope Valley College. The all-time record between the two teams was 9 COC, 4 AVC. Their last meeting resulted in an AVC loss, 35-7. AVC began the game forcing the Cougars to punt but immediately fumbled the ball away on the return which set a tone for the rest of the game. Cameron Coon completed 24 of 38 passes for a total of 272 yards completing two touchdowns while throwing three interceptions. He was also sacked four times. His best receiver was Brandon Buteyn who had nine receptions for a total of 101 yards and 1 touchdown catch but did drop a pass that caused one of Coon’s three picks. Buteyn also caught a lateral pass qualifying as a rush for a gain of 37 yards. The second most productive wide receiver was Jeremy Evans who had a total of 7 catches for 95 yards. AVC’s
featured running back Osuchukwu rushed 6 times for a total of 16 yards. AVC’s defense kept them in the game in the first half and the second half began with the Marauders trailing 17-7 despite four first half turnovers. Ermilo Arias was the standout defensive player for AVC ,gathering 13 solo tackles, 7 more than the next best AVC tacklers Lonnie Parish and TJ Kelly. AVC’s biggest defensive play came in the second quarter from Al Staten who intercepted a pass and ran it back 39 yards. AVC’s defense would eventually falter allowing the Cougars to score 27 points in the second half where the Cougars converted two more Marauder turnovers into touchdowns. COC’s offense dominated the ball throughout amassing a total time of possession of 38 minutes to the Marauders’s 22. This Saturday the Marauders play Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara where they hope to bounce back. The key according to Kenny Harmon will be to “execute the game plan” and “go harder in practice.” Hope to see you there!
Page 11
Mindy Simmons / Examiner
#80 (Jeremy Evans)bolts downfield, evades the COC defense.
Marcus Russell / Examiner
A few AVC track members run a vigorous 6 a.m. relay race practice.
Sports
Page 12
September 2011
AVC snags two players from rival football team is very excited for the upcoming season, “I’m from the Bay Area, and my family will be at every game.” Coon graduates in December and plans to earn a scholarship to a four-year school. He also hopes to stay in the Pac-12. After football, Coon would
but Osuchukwu remained, “I love the environment and there are nice people.” Like Coon, Osuchukwu has been playing football his entire life, “I’ve played football since I was a baby and just stayed with it.” With Ryan Zirbel, last year’s running back,
behind them I’ll have a good season,” stated Osuchukwu. His family fully supports him in pursuing his dream of playing football. Football season is here. The past months He added, “My mother loves me playing of training, conditioning and practicing football and my family fully supports me.” all boil down to how the team performs The focused running back hopes to make in the next ten games. This it into the NFL, season seems promising. but his backup is The team has most of their criminal justice. top players returning: Isaiah Both players Culver, Kenny Harmon, are confident Jeremy Evans, Al Staten, about this season. Lonnie Parish and Dakota “We’ve had two Woods (just to name a few). good scrimmages, Joining this fairly decent and I think we group of sophomores are two have the potential transfers: Cameron Coon to win all ten and Emanuel Osuchukwu. games,” said Despite being new to the Coon. “COC team, a lot is to be expected and Bakersfield from these two players. will be our Cameron Coon, a toughest games.” quarterback originally from Osuchukwu the Bay Area, has been agreed, “I am playing football for about confident we ten years. “I like that football can win all ten. is a team game and it has We have two big fewer games, so everyone games coming is important,” said Coon. up, and if we win “Ten months of practice those two we will for ten games; it keeps go undefeated.” me interested.” Coon has This Saturday transferred from College of night marks the the Canyons because of the Mindy Simmons / Examiner beginning of the greater opportunity AVC The latest transfers from the College of the Canyons are Cameron Coon (left) and Emanuel Osuchukwu (Right). season. Come and holds. With this transfer AVC support the team also benefited; the number as they go up of experienced quarterbacks doubled like to become a firefighter. gone, Osuchukwu is a decent replacement. against College of the Canyons. See you from one to two. “I was blessed with a lot Emanuel Osuchukwu is a running back Last season, Ovsuchukwu rushed for an there! of gifts a quarterback needs,” said Coon, from College of the Canyons. He originally average of 34 yards per game. He is now who averaged 10 yards per completion in came to AVC because of a former coach, looking to improve upon those statistics. the 2010 season. Like himself, his family who ended up leaving for another school, “Our offensive line is great; as long as I run By Codie Walsh Staff Writer
AVC girls volleyball team take a loss to the Lancers By Codie Walsh Staff Writer
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The first game of the regular season was against the Lancers from Pasadena City College. The Lancers already had a record of 2-0 meaning that this game was going to test the girls’ ability to play as a team. Constant blocks from Pasadena along with missed hits and missed serves equaledtrouble for The girls volleyball team going up for a block. AVC. “We’re still working practice. Sometimes you do together and trying to find was lost, 25-19. ourchemistry,” star player During the second set, AVC well and other you don’t,”said Allyson Lods said, “some was able to tie the game 12- Head Coach Jane Cwayna. errors are going to come.” 12. Pasadena wenton a run At the beginning of the This is understandable com- that cost AVC the set 25-14. “You never let teams get more third set, there was an imingfrom a predominately than twopoints, that’s what we mediate difference inhow the freshmen team. The first set
women played. The Marauders “stopped missing serves, played with moreconfidence, started hitting the ball, and started doing the right things,”according to Cwayna. They went on to win 25-20. AVC continued that confidence into the fourth set. There were a total oftwelve blocks, five more than the number of blocks in the previous game. TheMarauders were able to win this set 2523.