Corsair The Santa Monica College
Informing Since 1929
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Volume C, Issue 14
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Ethical Debate
SMC defends Political Science professor after student’s accusations that his extra credit assignment was unethical. Student plans to take the issue to the state.
By Daniel Ross Staff Writer After an internal review by Santa Monica College into the conflict of interest charges made against Professor Richard TahvildaranJesswein, the college determined that no violation of institutional policy had occurred. However, Stanley Epstein, an attorney and the person responsible for registering the complaint against Tahvildaran-Jesswein, has vowed to “take the matter to Sacramento” should the college not recognize and act upon his demands concerning the way the issue is investigated. In a letter to SMC, Epstein gave the college until December 10 for “a decision on the
[See Review, page 3]
Professor Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein speaks at the Oxfam Hunger Awareness Banquet in the SMC Cafeteria on November 22, 2010.
George Mikhail Corsair
Spirituality Matters SMC cancels overseas journeys By John Stapleton IV Web Editor College life is a critical time of spiritual revelation, a recent study shows. This can be particularly evident during the religious practices students are exposed to over the course of December’s holiday season. According to a long-term investigation conducted by Alexander Astin, Professor Emeritus of Higher Education and Organized Change at UCLA, college provides an environment where many students are exposed to a reexamination of their individual spiritual beliefs for the first time. The study finds that when a student enters the independent lifestyle of college – where many young adults are separated from the supportive religious community in which they were raised for the first time – the
experience causes these people to take a deeper look into the spiritual views they long held. After surveying 112,000 American college freshmen at universities and colleges across the country in 2003, Astin found that numerous students struggled with their religious beliefs when forced to examine them on their own. Along with co-authors Helen Astin and Jennifer Lindholm, surveys were conducted on 14,000 of these students years after completing their junior years to see how their spirituality was effected by exposure to higher education. While social pressure impacted the change in perspective for many students, educational studies also resulted in a deeper analysis of one’s personal beliefs, often shattering (but sometimes reinforcing) the certainty with which they maintained their
[See Religion, page 3]
Stephanie Forshee Corsair Previous study abroad participants visited the Parthenon in Athens during the Greece trip last summer.
By Stephanie Sommer Staff Writer After months of preparation, SMC students planning to study abroad for Winter 2011 received an email in late November notifying them of the cancellation of their January trips. All three programs to Mexico, South Africa and Egypt were cancelled due to low enrollment. Whereas faculty was in charge of the trips as recently as this past summer, the programs are now standardized by the SMC Department of International
Education. Communications Professor and head of the South Africa study abroad program Frank Dawson expressed frustration with the way the standardization has complicated the programs and has halted them from moving forward. Dawson believes this process has removed much of the authority once held by faculty and has placed the power and judgment into a sole department. “It is difficult to establish something when you have a lot of responsibility and
not so much authority,” he said. Dawson has been a part of five previous SMC study abroad programs to Norway and South Africa, but found he was drawn to this South Africa trip due to the numerous community service projects available and the opportunity to explore the growing media in their country. SMC prides itself in its efforts to maximize global citizenship and promotes the importance of students studying abroad. SMC’s 2010 Institutional Effectiveness Report, released last month, found
[See Abroad, page 3]
02
THIS WEEK
Corsair Newspaper Santa Monica College
Wednesday December 8, 2010
ONLINE www.thecorsaironline.com
Social Networking By Nisha Anais Career Counsler Jenna Gausman led a workshop on the importance of social networking and getting a job using sites like Facebook and Twitter.
A Green Tomorrow By Alica Forneret Harrison Wills speaks about ideas that he had for environmentally friendly services, and how his business endeavors have improved not only hiw own life, but also the lives of others.
QR Code George Mikhail Corsair Santa Clause speaks to a young girl (name undisclosed) about her Christmas wishes on the front lawn of the California Heritage Museum of Santa Monica.
This is a QR Code, a Quick Response barcoding system made to connect print to the internet. If your phone has a camera and internet capabilities, simply load any code-scanning application and take a picture of this image.
News
Professor Tahvildaran 1 Study Abroad Cancelled & 3 Spirituality Study Care Packages for Troops
Photostory
4 Main Street Holidays
A&E
SMC Chamber Choir Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Review 6 Black Swan Review Black Eyed Peas Review Fighter Review
Opinion
7
Santa Monica Place Mall Letter to the Editor
Active Holidays Festive Fruits
Lifestyle
5
Sports
8 Athlete Profiles
NEWS
Wednesday December 8, 2010
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Religious study findings [Religion, from page 1] religious views. “I definitely think you’re faced with more truths when you enter college. It makes you question things,” said SMC student Kevin McCorkle during a group discussion Tuesday. McCorkle confesses that he wasn’t devoutly religious before college, but that studies involving cognitive analysis – like his psychology class – force students into some “really deep thinking, things you never thought to question when you were growing up.” During this time of year, many religious students are preparing for a cornucopia of “Happy Holidays” from Christmas to Chanukah, traditional celebrations that have been passed down for generations. Student Natalie Weiser finds the Albany Katz Corsair holidays to hold the most apparent Members of the Chabad Club at Santa Monica College meet on display of religion. “Maybe you pray Thursday Dec. 2, 2010 in the quad to celebrate the 2nd night of before a test or whatever. If you’re
Winter trips cancelled [Abroad, from page 1]
that students’ involvement has steadily increased each semester over the past five years – this upcoming semester now an exception. Of the 25 students required for the program to move forward, 16 students filled out the original paperwork and 12 of those 16 made their deposit payments. Due to the department’s strict deadlines, when responses did not come from 25 interested students, the program was immediately cut within a matter of hours – leaving little room for latecomers. After the 12:30 p.m. registration deadline on November 19, the email went out barely three hours later notifying students the trip was in fact cancelled. Alexis Campbell, a second year SMC student, in anticipation of her January departure to South Africa said, “I felt like [the Department] was trying to
make it not happen. They were so strict on their deadlines; I think it turned people away.” All students and faculty members alike seem to be singing the same tune. Many blame miscommunication and confusion among policies, deadlines and regulations for shutting down the progression of the program. Psychology Professor and faculty staff for the South Africa trip Dr. Karen Gunn said, “Students are last minute people. I certainly think this could have been avoided by better collaboration between faculty and the International Education Center.” After spending countless hours applying for scholarships, writing essays and requesting letters of recommendation, Stephen Olsen was awarded $1,500 by the AS and $3,500 from the Gilman International Scholarship, leaving his entire trip cost covered. ”I am sure with a little outreach we could have made
anything but Christian, pretty much our entire country revolves around that, you’re going to be effected.” But according to Astin’s study, which was published last month in the book “Cultivating the Spirit:
How College Can Enhance Students’ Inner Lives,” many college students, exposed to these religious holidays for the first time outside of conventional expectations, question the “reason for the season.” “As long as it’s celebrated to bring good unto the world, the more good in the world the better,” said Rabbi Eli Levitansky. “That’s what Chanukah is all about: to bring more light into people’s homes and the streets – that’s why we have the public menorahs,” he said referring to those displayed across campus. Whether they boycott the spirituality of the holiday season, or protesting the commercialization of these rituals
this trip happen. South Africa will always be that place I almost went, but will never go,” said Olsen. Kirsten Heckes was brought to tears with the news. Heckes completed her scholarship applications, got her shots and even ordered her malaria medication. “I was shocked because I never expected that.” Heckes said, “We want to be looked at as a global school and be able to talk about the importance of bringing all these elements together. And then they cancel the study abroad programs, how does that make sense?” Dr. Gunn said, “I’m sure [International Education] thought it was justifiable. I think there might have been more room for flexibility as for the arbitrariness of the deadlines and expectations of the deposits.” “Some call it progress with standardization, but if you look at the end result, the programs didn’t happen,” said Dawson.
– “If God exists, He’s not at Target,” said one student – college students increasingly explore secular pop culture alternatives. As part of what Astin calls a young adult’s “spiritual growth,” college students participate in satirical mockeries like Festivus, multi-cultural portmanteaus like Chrismahanukwanzadan, and superficial inventions like Grinchmas. Despite increasingly popular holiday substitutes, many SMC students agree with Astin’s findings, affirming that while higher education may inspire purely academic introspection, the individual struggles and stresses of college life also cultivate one’s spirituality. “If you’re strong in it, and believe, and ask the right questions, college education can actually reinforce your beliefs and make you stronger,” said McCorkle.
Holiday Packages
By Ayla Pound Staff Writer
While many of us at SMC are getting ready for the holidays by decking ourselves out in holiday scarves, braving the mall to find the perfect present, and attending countless holiday parties, the troops currently deployed in Afghanistan are missing out on these simple activities we tend to take for granted. And the Student Veterans Association (SVA) has decided to do something about it by sending care packages with a little taste of home to the men and women overseas. According to SVA President Alfredo De Teresa, the goal is to have 500 packages sent by the end of January, all containing items recommended by the clubs’ veterans who have previously been deployed to Afghanistan. “It will take a lot of help from our students, faculty, staff and community members to accomplish this task. We’ve had fantastic support on campus and are off to a good start, but we
need a great deal more to reach our goal,” says De Teresa. The organization’s efforts are already paying off as they have already received numerous donations. The idea to send the care packages to troops was developed by the SVA with help from their advisor Linda Sinclair. “We decided to take on a project that would really raise veteran awareness on campus, and thank our troops deployed overseas,” says De Teresa. “We’ve all served our country and know what it is like to be away from home and our families. Care packages are a great way to raise morale for our military.” De Teresa hopes that with the posters recently added around school and the community, people will continue to donate packages with abundance. “You truly do not appreciate baby wipes until you’ve gone without a shower for three or four days. Hopefully these items will bring our troops a little relief and comfort, even if it is for a short period of time.”
Professor’s ethics more closely examined [Review, from page 1] independent body proposal” to be forwarded to him. If the college fails to do this, Epstein said that he plans to take the matter to the Office of the Chancellor in Sacramento. In response to Epstein’s demands, Don Girard, SMC senior director of governmental relations and institutional communications, said that the college “intends to reject Mr. Epstein’s requests and will be prepared to respond to any inquiries from the Chancellor’s Office.” Epstein believes that an independent body should have been responsible for determining whether TahvildaranJesswein, co-chair of Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR) since June, had breached ethical codes of conduct when he set an extra credit assignment that involved work on SMRR’s political campaign trail. The extra credit assignment, offered in his Poli-Sci 1 class this fall, gave his students the opportunity to gain extra class credit by volunteering to work on a “service learning project” which
happened this year to coincide with the recent elections. Those students who volunteered were required to complete 15-20 hours of work on the local SMRR campaign, during which time they were expected to maintain a journal chronicling their experiences. According to Epstein, “It was almost as if you gave him [Tahvildaran-Jesswein] money…he got something of value in contractual terms. The students got credit. This was of value to SMRR.” Tahvildaran-Jesswein was unable to publicly comment upon the matter but Girard said that students who decided not to engage in experiential learning were given an in-class alternative that offered equal credit to the service learning project - approximately 20 percent of the overall class grade. Girard said that if any student who volunteered had not wished to work for the SMRR organization and had a particular desire to participate in another political campaign, as long as it satisfied the criteria of the project guidelines, “ They [students] could have chosen their own campaign.”
“It all followed a whole set of guidelines,” said Girard, who pointed out that this project has been part of Tahvildaran-Jesswein’s Poli-Sci 1 curriculum for ten years, during which time no student complaint has been lodged. After the complaint was registered by Epstein, Girard said that the matter was looked into by Dr. Chui L. Tsang, SMC president, Jeff Shimizu, vice-president of academic affairs, and Christine Schultz, department chair of philosophy and social sciences. In a statement by the college, their findings concluded that: “After a review of the information provided, the college does not find a violation of institutional policy. The College is reviewing whether new College policy is required in this area to address potential conflicts of interest.” Aside from Epstein’s concerns regarding the involvement of students in a SMRR political campaign, Epstein was also worried that SMRR influence within SMC’s Board of Trustees may have unduly impacted the decision
to exonerate Tahvildaran-Jesswein’s professional decisions. In his letter to the college, Epstein stated that: “The President is completely within the control of the Board of Trustees. All or nearly all members of the Board have been elected with the endorsement of SMRR. Most served for many years in the leadership of SMRR.” In regards to the part of the college statement pertaining to a possible policy review concerning conflicts of interest, Academic Senate President Eric Oifer said that because Tahvildaran-Jesswein was not found to have violated the current Academic Freedom and Responsibilities statement, and that the whole issue was so broad, he was unsure whether the Ethics Committee had the grounds to make any significant alterations to the statement. “To have one, defining policy is a real challenge,” said Oifer. “That’s why we have the Ethics Committee come up with a statement to help the professors. The thing is, no one has told Richard [Tahvildaran-Jesswein] what not to do in regards to his particular pedagogy.”
04
P H O T O S T O RY
Corsair Newspaper Santa Monica College
Holidays on Main Street
Photos and Text by George Mikhail Santa Claus made an appearance on Santa Monica’s Main Street this past Saturday. Mr. Claus arrived on the front lawn of the California Heritage Museum with a trusty elf at his side. Behind him, a row of unlit Christmas trees were waiting to be lit. Anxious children, parents in hand, lined up to visit with Santa, One by one, each little visitor whispered to Santa their holiday wishes and with a hearty laugh Santa assured each that, come Christmas day, a present would be waiting them under their tree. “I wish you all a merry Christmas,”
said Santa, as he led everyone in the tree lighting ceremony. The Santa Monica High School Choir sang a few Christmas classics finishing with “Carol of The Bells”. Afterwards, the crowd followed Santa down Main Street, candles in hand. The gathering only growing larger with every step he took down the street. A season’s greetings were offered to everyone who passed by. The trek ended at a local plaza where business owners set up cookies, coffee, hot coco, and warm eggnog and Santa, once again drew a line of holiday fans.
Rabbi Jeff Marx, who gives the service at The Santa Monica Synagogue, lights the center menorah candle on the 4th day on Hanukkah.
Wednesday December 8, 2010
Hands reach for battery powered candles on the front lawn of the California Heritage Museum of Santa Monica at a tree lighting and candle walking ceremony. As soon as the crew pulled out the candles a swarm of people came rushing to the tables to get their pick at the them.
(above) Santa Clause speaks to a young girl about her Christmas wishes on the front lawn of the California Heritage Museum of Santa Monica at a tree lighting ceremony on December 4th, 2010. Santa was seated in front of the trees where people of all ages were encouraged to sit on his lap and share their christmas wishes.
(L to R) Lilliah Rawland and Eleanor Winterer listen to Santa Clause give a speech at the tree lighting and candle walking ceremony.
LIFESTYLE
Wednesday December 8, 2010
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Skate your way into skinny jeans Kids take advantage of the holiday ice rink, ICE Santa Monica, that will be open through February 15, and take part in a fun way to stay fit during the holiday season.
By Jeremy Biglow Staff Writer Picture this: deep-fried turkey, mashed potatoes, and sweet potato pie, all of which you find yourself eating repeatedly throughout the holiday season. By New Years it’s time to stuff the extra pounds of weight you gained into your old pre-holiday jeans. Now, you’re left with the ultimatum of whether to buy new jeans or work relentlessly to lose the extra poundage. It is common for people to go through this situation countless times before deciding whether to gorge themselves as every holiday comes along, or stick to salads to
avoid gaining the extra weight. However, there has been a rise in activities that people can engage in to stay fit during these fattening times. With the economy slowly getting out of its crunch, individuals are looking for cheaper, or even free, things to do around town to stay in shape rather than join a pricey gym. Santa Monica College student Itzel Duenas, who attends school full time while working a part-time job, often finds that doing little, everyday active things help her keep off the pounds in the long run. “This time around I’ve tried to eat less instead of stuffing my face and I get a lot of activity from walking my dogs and hiking
whenever I find the time between work and school,” Duenas said. Duenas, who enjoys ice-skating, manages to find time to skate with her friends at the seasonal Santa Monica outdoor skating rink that annually appears every holiday season. “I’m always trying to go ice skating, it doesn’t matter what time of the day it is I’m ready to hit the ice!” said Duenas. Now for some, ice skating may not be the first fun holiday activity that comes to mind, and fortunately in Santa Monica the sky is the limit on things to do to stay trim. From biking down the side of the beach, to hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Monica holds numerous outdoor
George Mikhail Corsair
activities for everyone this holiday season. For SMC student Vanessa Estrada, spending a lot of time practicing yoga right in her own home and eating the right foods are the best ways to energize her body. “Just this past Thanksgiving I managed to pull off cooking an entire vegetarian dinner, it was delicious,” Estrada said. So it just goes to show that even if you’ve found yourself reaching for that extra slice of pie or taking home multiple plates of leftovers, it is never okay to give up hope because there is always a way to stop yourself from going up a dress size since there are so many fun and festive activities to do this time of year.
May your winter season be festively fruitful By Alica Forneret Staff Writer As Christmas music on every radio station becomes inescapable, knit scarves and gloves become appropriate accessories, and the smell of noble firs tickle the nostrils of children reaching under their Christmas trees for gifts, it’s clear that the end of the year is approaching. This winter season is being brought in not only by slight changes in weather and weekends spent hanging decorations, but by the crate-full at Los Angeles farmers markets every morning. The Santa Monica farmers market on Pico and Cloverfield offers many seasonal items for anyone thinking about baking holiday pies, stirring up a spiced punch, or preparing dishes appropriate for a cold night in or holiday party. As is typical with every season, winter provides a fresh selection of fruits and vegetables that thrive in the changing weather pattern that is present this time of year. Depending on the region of Southern California that the farms are located in, whether it be near the beach, the mountains, or the desert, their selection of fruits or vegetables is varying. Although this is the case, very few vendors, except for those located directly on the coast, are still carrying items like strawberries, and stone fruits have been picked clean off of the tables with the exception of those that have been dried. A popular item surviving from fall harvests are apples. Leyla Coban, an employee at Ha’s Family Farms, had an abundance of apples this past weekend, and assured customers that because of unfavorable weather this year their apples were harvested late, but will be
George Mikhail Corsair Armad R. Shaifi picks out an apple, one of the most abundant fruits of the winter season, at the Santa Monica farmers market.
available at their booth through early 2011. Once the apples finish growing on the trees, the abundance of fruit left over is placed into cold storage and sold at markets until the crop runs out. “The only time that you can’t really find apples is summer, and you have all of the other summer fruits coming in, so no one worries about eating apples anyway,” said Coban. Coban recommended that based on texture and taste, the different kinds of apples that they supply should be used for different recipes. Fuji, considered to be the sweetest with a distinct crunch, are great for simply tossing into a bag for lunch and biting straight into when the time comes. Gala, the softest apple, is typically used for applesauce. Also available from Ha’s is a selection of other popular apple-based treats, including
apple ciders, apple vinegars, and jams. “Nothing we have ever goes to waste,” said Coban. Alongside apples this time of year are persimmons. Although they became available in fall, they will be around through the winter and into January. Both sweet and deep orange in color when ripe, the most popular types are Fuya and Hachiya. When selecting persimmons one of the biggest differences between the two that shoppers should keep in mind is the texture. Fuya are characterized by being very firm as Hachiya are soft to the touch, much like an overripe tomato. Some of the most visually appealing vegetables grown on Southern California farms can be acquired during this time of year, and are available at the Pico and Cloverfield market under the Weiser Family Farms tent. Tabletops filled with carrots
ranging almost every color of the rainbow, Jerusalem artichokes, and multicolored cauliflower are all attainable, although the availability and quality depends greatly on the weather. According to Neil Ims of Weiser Family Farms, “The colder the ground, the worse the weather, the better the parsnip.” As is the case with most root foods, the colder the ground is the better quality, and sweeter fruit is going to be produced. One other similarity between these root foods is the manner in which Ims believes that they are best prepared. Chanted to any customer who questions how a potato, carrot or brussel sprout should be cooked is Ims’ motto, “bake, boil, roast, fry, or mash!” Regular to his table, Vilma Rozansky applies this to her kitchen practices regularly now. “I roast all of my vegetables now,
that’s the way,” she said. George Jimenez, of Jimenez Family Farms warns that many of the fall fruits and vegetables will be completely out soon, so the time has come to grab the last of many farm’s pumpkins as well as corn. Coming in to replace them are many different types of squash, which like apples, can all be used for different dishes that are appropriate this time of year. Jimenez recommends that Kabocha, a dark green squash with thin, dry skin, is best used for soups, and divulges his own recipe for spaghetti squash, which involves cutting the squash in half, coating the stringy insides with butter and parmesan, and baking in the oven. It becomes, what he swears, is unbelievably familiar to the texture and taste of any old fashioned spaghetti. SMC student and JJ Farms employee Amrah Hubbard recommends that even though many of the fruits and vegetables discussed above can typically be found at the market this time of year, shoppers should keep in mind that their availability will be come and go, considering many foods sensitivity to winter weather that’s just a little bit too cold, a little bit too warm, or unexpected frosts. Whether or not what customers at the farmers market are looking for is available week to week, there is bound to be something that each shopper can experiment with in the kitchen. In addition to the efforts made by Los Angeles residents to dust off winter coats and unpack Christmas lights, visitors of the market are encouraged to break out the roasting pans and pie dishes to utilize the array of seasonal vegetables and fruits found every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pico and Cloverfield farmer’ market.
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A&E
Corsair Newspaper Santa Monica College
Wednesday December 8, 2010
Chamber Choir Rings in Holidays Rosencrantz By Brandon Quin Staff Writer
In a musical realm today dominated by voice fabrication, lip-syncing and muffled babble, the purity of song was rediscovered, if only for a night, inside of a small, dimly lit room packed to the brim with no more than a hundred spectators. Excited but respectful, the audience listened intently as vocalists and musicians, young and old alike, came together to create beautiful melodies seamlessly infused with enchanting instrumentals. The Santa Monica College Chamber Choir took the stage last Friday night, introducing the holiday season, as they performed their own renditions of “Carols of Centuries,” slipping the audience into a festive Renaissance of both Jewish and Christian tradition. Directed by eight-year SMC Chamber Choir veteran Nike St. Clair, the musical ensemble put on display a wide array of numbers ranging from the universally
recognized “A Christmas Carol” arranged by Zoltan Kodaly, to the lesser known “Personent Hodie” arranged by Dean Rishel. A sterling blend of sopranos, altos, tenors, and bass, the chamber choir exuded an immediate sense of unity as they stepped together onto the platform, almost as if they had been singing together for years. A type of stability that would be deemed impossible simply because of both the musical program’s and SMC’s structure. With Santa Monica College predicated on two-year transfers, it’s expected that “a community-based choir,” according to St. Clair, siphoning members in and out could pose a problem, but luckily for any burgeoning melodist, the unabashed director leaves no doubt in who has preserved the groups’ cohesion throughout the years. “I do,” said St. Clair with a smile. “I make them cohesive.” Even with such a confident and decorated director, the constant
funneling of new vocalists into the choir every semester doesn’t make the process any easier. “It can be kind of tough, having different members come in each semester,” said first-year chamber choir member and tenor section leader Manny Sanoja Jr. “It can be hard to gel.” With that being said, time does build similarity and as the choir’s time with each other slowly reached its conclusion, it all started to come together for the ensemble. “Towards the end we were able to pull it all together and all gel as a group,” said Sanoja Jr. Seamless transitions from individual verses to harmonies in perfect unison illustrated the kind of choir cohesion evident all through out the performance, and as the production came to a close with a rousing rendition of “Born in Bethlehem” by William Billings, a small but captivated audience stood clapping in union, with the melodic music still permeating in their ears.
This Week in Entertainment: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight
Courtesy of Interscope Records
Courtesy of Paramount
By Vienna Urias Staff Writer
By Michael Santana Staff Writer
Sean Hunt Staff Writer
How far would you go to reach perfection? In Darren Aronofsky’s new film, Black Swan, Natalie Portman stars as a perfection-obsessed prima ballerina who risks her career, her role, and even her life to fill the point shoes of the dark and mysterious Black Swan. Portman plays Nina Sayers, a featured dancer in the New York City Ballet whose life like many dancers, revolves around ballet. Still living with her mother (Barbra Hershey) an overbearing, retired dancer, Nina’s safe world is challenged when rival dancer Lily, (Mila Kunis) threatens to steal her leading role as the Swan Queen in the ballets’ production of Swan Lake. Aronofsky, the director of movies such as Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler, takes the audience on another physiological thriller. With many twists and turns, Black Swan stays true to Aronofsky’s directorial style. With suspense and eerie mind-blowing scenes, as well as performances by a superb cast, Black Swan is a must see. Though Portman lost an immense amount of weight during her intense ballet training for the role of a prima ballerina, this presents the frailty and vulnerability she created for the character of Nina. With breathtaking dance numbers making her performance unforgettable, whispers of an Oscar nomination are beginning to brew and it is no coincidence. Portman’s performance as Nina, the ambitious yet tortured dancer obsessed with reaching perfection, is executed faultlessly and possibly her best performance of the year. With Aronofskys’ skillful directing skills, Portman’s masterful performance, as well as strong supporting cast, Black Swan is a movie that will leave you shocked, mystified, and doing pique turns out the theater doors.
Since they’ve reached ‘The E.N.D.”, what comes next for platinum selling artists the Black Eyed Peas? “The Beginning”,their latest album, is a mixture of futuristic beats, house influences; and a step back from any of their previous albums. “The E.N.D.” was a massive success for the group earning them four hit singles. While other artists who reach this amount of commercial success might wait a longer period of time in between records, it’s as though the Peas were in a rush to get this album out. Artists like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Flo Rida have all mastered sampling previous mega hits into their own songs. The Black Eyed Peas have attempted yet failed to achieve this task. “The Time”, the latest single from the group, takes the classic song from the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, and transforms it into what can only be described as an electro mess. The rest of the album follows the single’s formula of electro beats, heavy auto-tune, and a few borrowed samples. “XOXOXO” is the album’s catchiest track although it also has the most nonsensical lyrics, (“Girl let’s tangle up like a pretzel. Girl you stole my heart like a klepto. Butterflies in my stomach need pepto”). “Someday”, a track where group member Appl de Ap talks about leaving his family in the Philippines and following his dreams, is one of the more meaningful songs on the album. By the album’s last track, “Play it Loud”, Will. I. Am. sings “I pledge allegiance to rhythm and sound.” Listening to the album straight through, the only thing you’d like him to pledge by this point is silence. Elton John recently told Rolling Stone, “Look at the quality of songs now and ask if they will be classics. The answer for 99 percent of them is absolutely not.” Judging from ‘The Beginning’, the Black Eyed Peas are not an exception to the percent.
Inspirational families have always said keep your best interests at heart, but in reality that is not always true. David O. Russell’s “The Fighter” presents a true story about Mickey Ward, a boxer trying to make a name for himself while struggling against his family both inside and out of the ring. Taking place in Lowell, Massachusetts during the 90’s, two brothers, Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale), are in hopes of becoming boxing champions. Although Dicky nearly hits home after knocking down Sugar Ray Leonard, his hopeful career path was forgotten, and he later became a crack addict. Wahlberg did his part in beefing up for the role in order to portray a heavy weight boxer. However, Christian Bale the real star of the movie outshines Wahlberg’s character. Bale’s complete transformation into Dicky Ecklund is phenomenal. To play Dicky he had to lose a massive amount of weight and thin his hair. With a title like “The Fighter,” it is expected that there would be a standard sports underdog story. However, the story is more about the struggles outside of the ring; dealing with Dicky’s addiction, and the constant drilling from their mother (Melissa Leo) about how important family is. What’s most surprising is that the boxing sequences aren’t the main focus of the film, but they are interestingly shot. Every big fight is filmed to look like they are being broadcasted on HBO adding a rough, real touch with sound effects so genuine, it adds to the realism of the fights. Once and a while a sports movie is truly well made and deserves recognition, “The Fighter” is one of those films which we can expect to see hopeful academy nominations in the future.
and Guildenstern Fail to Impress By Guiliana Dakdouk Design Editor Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is a classic that can rarely be messed with. Tom Stoppard was able to successfully write a play based off of the two minor characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, featured in Shakespeare’s classic. Until Friday night’s debut of Santa Monica College’s production of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” the works of literature had not disastrously been tampered with. The show, directed by Terrin Adair, opened to a half filled theater on Friday night that then lost part of their audience during intermission. While the show did start with a quite clever Shakespearean inspired monologue informing audiences to turn off their cellular devices, the witty writing of Stoppard was soon put to shame as the actors seemed to have a loss of understanding with what words they were speaking. The show opens with Rosencrantz (John Gerhauser) and Guildenstern (Brock Joseph) foolishly flipping coins to see the laws of probability. Audiences take note of some comedic moments between the two characters, however throughout the entirety of the show, Gerhauser and Joseph seemed to lack chemistry. The two played well individually and made strong character choices such as illustrating proper physicality while attempting to hide out and eavesdrop on Hamlet (Carlos Padilla) and Claudius (Jason Millward) in front of the house gate. However interestingly this played out, the lack of interaction between characters made it seem as thought Gerhauser and Joseph were attempting to outshine one another as actors rather than work together to produce an enjoyable show. In addition to the poor chemistry, those who could attempt speaking with an accent regurgitated their lines rather horridly while the rest of the cast broke off in their very U.S. American accent. This, in conjunction with bland line intentions proved to bore much of the audience. While some fell asleep, others found themselves leaving at intermission and for those forced to stay to fulfill theater class requirements, simply bored. In comparison to previous productions produced by the SMC Theater Department, this was sub-par. The set was average, the acting was average and the overall direction of which the show was put out was simply average at best. Call it opening nerves if you must, but for a cast that included talent previously featured in successful shows, there was a real loss for enjoyment. Costumes deemed to be the only thing that could equate to previous productions seen at the college. They proved to be the only thing demonstrating the time period of the show next to the lines. If it weren’t for the Tragedians and Player whom are seen periodically as a comedic yet intelligent sense of relief, there would be very little that can encourage one to see such a show.
OPINION
Wednesday December 8, 2010
Corsair Newspaper Santa Monica College
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Santa Monica not the happenin’ Place The brand new Santa Monica Place Mall welcomes guests with a shiny plastic sign and a completely refurbished shopping center, packed with pricy stores.
By Jeremy Biglow Staff Writer On October 10, 2010 Santa Monica received a much-needed face-lift by improving their “Santa Monica Place” mall from a rundown shopping center, to a high-end plaza. Much to the dismay of the public, the new mall does not quite live up to the expectations viewers had, but seems more like an arbitrary expansion of higher caliber stores that are aimed at getting more money out of the average Joe’s pockets. The Third Street Promenade is known as a one-stop-shop location; a place where customers can find anything from apparel to literature, for reasonable prices. Throughout the years, the promenade has drawn people from every demographic to Santa Monica, regardless of age. It has also proved to be a great tourist hotspot while remaining equally as popular with the locals. Before its upgrade this October, the Santa Monica Place mall was routinely passed by
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by patrons who would rather spend their time on the Third Street Promenade. As the promenade gained adoration, the majority of the stores inside the mall took the leap onto the promenade in order to keep their business active, which left the mall a waste of space. However, Santa Monica recently decided to refurbish and consequently elevate their mall with higher-end stores and boutiques that would attract a different crowd to the area. They seem to be striving towards a new “clique,” which became clear after reading the list of extravagant stores that are now available like Barney’s Co-Op, Kitson, Nordstrom, and Louis Vuitton. For a few patrons, the new plaza is quite the delectable treat. However, for the average student, it’s just another place that they can “window shop.” For Santa Monica College student Natasha Haddal, while the Santa Monica Mall stores balance well with the promenade stores, and the mall’s indoor scenery compliments the promenades outdoor scenery, it doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal. “For the average
etter to the Editors
student, the mall won’t be a regular hang-out but it is a nice balance to the promenade and attracts the much needed tourists and highincome dollars,” said Haddal. Another unfortunate aspect of the new mall is the constant congestion created by the new tourists looking to spend more money. As much as Santa Monica profits from the extra dollars spent at the new mall, the once laid-back beach town is becoming just another obscene, fastpaced city like nearing locations Century City or Beverly Hills. Because Santa Monica is home to many students, hard workers, and middle-income families, the newer shops seem to be out of the average citizens price range. Of course there are wealthy people living in the city of Santa Monica, but the city contains a broader demographic than many other stereotypically “rich” Los Angeles County cities. True fact: at Nordstrom, a high-end department store, a fox fur trim cashmere blend cape costs $998, not including tax, which still will not add up to what a full time student would pay in tuition for one semester. When the new plaza was constructed with its
Jennifer Martinez Corsair
high-end shops, it’s only right that they would install a food court to match. The new food court seems to be modeling itself after what you might find smack-dab in the middle of Beverly Hills. As for SMC student Andres Castaneda, he feels that having a mall with high-end restaurants is an idiotic idea. “If someone wants good food, they would go to a restaurant, not a high-end food place in a mall. Since the promenade and its bistro is right nearby, why the hell is there a food court with overpriced restaurants?” said Castaneda. Although it seemed like a smart idea to create the impression that Santa Monica is the next affluent city by integrating the new Santa Monica Place mall with its luxurious department stores and food court, all it is doing is driving away the original clientele that started the trend of visiting the promenade; the locals of Santa Monica. Only time will tell what lies in the future for the mall, and whether they’ll create more reasonably-priced stores or end up being just as outlandish as other shopping locations.
You can always send your opinions to corsair.editorinchief@gmail.com.
Further frustrations with “A Dream or a Nightmare” More concerns, letters, and opinions from MECHA and other students can be found at http://www.thecorsaironline.com
Santa Monica College Corsair Staff, We, the members of Santa Monica College MECHA (Movimiento Estudiantial Chicano/a de Aztlan), and concerned students are outraged by the insensitive and inaccurate editorial titled “A Dream or a Nightmare” and the racist, hostile and thoughtless cartoon that accompanied the article. Our campus Latino student organization, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, represents a diverse sample of Latino students on this ethnically diverse campus. In the spirit of Global Citizenship, the Corsair newspaper should strive to bring our very diverse campus together, by highlighting the richness of cultures represented by the various ethnic groups and their contributions to the progress of this city, state
and country. Your newspaper is in a unique situation to educate SMC students and assist them to understand the comprehensive social, educational and political struggles that underrespresented students of color have to undertake in a multicultural society that is still fundamentally divided and racist. We, as members of MECHA, would like to correct three erroneous statements that were made by the reporter. First, the California State Supreme Court, ruled in favor of AB 540 students in their recent wdecision “Martinez vs. Regents of the University of California”. It was not the California State Supreme Court as was reported. Secondly, in response to the question as to why ”Joe from Massachusetts is stuck paying $50,000 to attend
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UCLA…”, All out of state students need to establish residency, in the state of California they must live for one year and then “Joe from Massachusetts” will qualify for in state tuition of $10,781 at UCLA.” Jose from Guatemala” If he can prove that he attended three years of high school in California and graduated, is eligible for in state tuition as granted by California (Assembly Bill 540 ) signed by Governor Davis in 2001. And lastly, the most attentiongrabbing question “How was Jose allowed to even attend an American high school without any proof of citizenship”, undocumented students were given the right to attend public school by a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1982, “Plyler vs. Doe”. This decision gave the children of farm
Fall 2010 Staff Jonathan Bue Guiliana Dakdouk John Stapleton IV Sal Guerra Brian White Anisa El-Khouri Stephanie Forshee Vera Hughes Miles Arnold Neelofer Lodhy Ayla Pound Alessandra Catanese Zuleima Alvarado
Editor-in-Chief Design Editor Online Editor Photo Editor Photo Editor Photo Editor News Editor Opinion Editor Sports Editor A&E Editor Lifestyle Editor Multimedia Editor Assistant Editor
Faculty Advisors Saul Rubin and Gerard Burkhart
workers in Tyler Texas, the ability to attend public school. The Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision-ruled that the children of undocumented farm workers are “humans” and are entitled to a free education, so that they do not become second class citizens in this country. We as College students and future leaders have the duty of being responsible citizens of this country and this includes being informed of and knowledgeable of state and federal laws. The fact that the reporter is not aware of the U.S. Supreme Court decision (Plyler vs. Doe) of 28 years ago – means that she is not practicing responsible journalism and perhaps should have had someone review her article before she sent it to press. From, MECHA
Reporters
Alexandra Ahneman,Zuleima Alvarado, Nisha Anais, Miles Arnold, Jonathan Bue, Alessandra Catanese, Emma Dantoft, Kevin Duncan, Alvaro Escalante, Jennifer Ferrada, Stephanie Forshee, Khalil Grier, Cyndi Gomez, Wendy Gonzalez, Matt Gottesman, Zineb Hafiz, Danny Henson, Vaimiti Herlaud, Vera Hughes, Sean Hunt, Alexandra Lazar, Neelofer Lodhy, Ariana Masters, Cristina Maxwell, Sarah McIntosh, Jonathan Mendoza, Michael Mendoza, Brandon Minikwu, Natalie Miltcharek, Julie Newsome, Wendy Ng, Ayla Pound, Adam Rubin, Laysa Quintero, Michael Santana, Stephanie Sommer, Ashli Townsend, Vienna Urias, Lauren Walsh
Photographers Anisa El-Khouri, Luana Kasahara, Albany Katz, Danyale Kotur, Konstantin Marowitz, Ariana Masters George Mikhail, Ted Olsson, Michelle Ponder, Geraldine Plachart, Laysa Quintero, Alex Rogers, Jarrad Rosson, Alex Soltes, Sara Stark, Sammy Solimon
Advertising Consultant Lisa Anderson corsair.admanager@gmail.com Computer Consultant Agnius Griskevicius Graphic Design Jhosef A. Hern Classified Ads: Daily Bruin (310) 825-2221 Letters to the editor are encouraged. They should be no longer than 250 words and must be signed by the writer. corsair.editorinchief@gmail.com
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S P O RT S
Corsair Newspaper Santa Monica College
Wednesday December 8, 2010
SMC’s Finest Athletes
Photos Taken By Alfredo LunaCorsair Dayne Contarsy, Julianne Anderson, Kelsey Keil, Spencer Hirahara, Mackenzie Lee, Haley Newell, and Deshawn Stephens (clockwise from left) posing for a group portrait on the bleachers of the Santa Monica College Football field in Santa Monica CA, on November 30, 2010. These athletes are the top performers of several of Santa Monica College’s fall sports teams including; water polo, volleyball, cross country, and basketball.
Haley Newell
Deshawn Stephens
MacKenzie Lee
Spencer Hirahara
“Everything that happens in my life always goes back to basketball.”
“I am never satisfied with where I am at.”
Just short of 5 feet 3 inches, Newell is often times the shortest player on the court. But despite the fact that some look at her height as a disadvantage, Newell had a productive year last season, leading the women’s basketball team in three pointers while shooting 73% from the free throw line and averaging 12.6 points per game.
Probably the biggest, or tallest, talent to come out of SMC in recent memory is one Deshawn Stephens. The six foot eight inch forward who, as a freshman, averaged 7.4 points and 7.3 rebounds last season has stepped up his game this season with current averages of 13.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
“When I’m running I’m more focused, It forces me to set a goal and meet it.”
“The best thing about running is that you make a lot of friends and a lot of connections, because that’s what’s most important in life. “
Julianne Allison
Dayne Contarsy
“I still have another year of water polo to get better.” Freshman Julianne Allison has been playing water polo since she was 10 years old, including three years of varsity at El Segundo High School, and now as the star of the Corsair women’s water polo team. Known to her teammates as “Juju”, Allison led her team in scoring, assists, and steals which was good enough for second in the Western State Conference in goals, and fourth in both assists and steals.
This year MacKenzie Shea Lee posted a personal best time of 20 minutes and 55 seconds in a 5k race at the Foothill CrossCountry Invitational while also qualifying for the Sothern California Community College Championship. Not only has she found success while running but she also finds that it helps her
One of the most exceptional bright spots on this season’s SMC men’s crosscountry team was sophomore Spencer Hirahara. Qualifying for the Regional Championships, Hirahara was one of few this year to represent the Corsairs in Southern California competitions.
Kelsey Keil
“I just applied to all the UC’s so hopefully I can contact to some coaches and get a spot on a squad.”
“Once you play [vollyball] though, you can’t think about anything else, which is what I love about it.”
Sophomore Dayne Contarsy emerged as a dignified leader of the men’s water polo team of SMC this year. Conquering the chlorine at a young age, he has gradually become an elitist in the pool. “My dad pushed me into swimming as an infant and forced me to stay in it as an adolescent, so that’s how I got into it.”
Although a promising up-and-coming athlete in the sport, Kiel prefers to focus only on academics next year, given that she gets accepted to UCLA. “When I switched to volleyball, it took me awhile to have the same love for it,” she said. “Once you play it though, you can’t think about anything else, which is what I love about it.”
Check out more photos and information on these athletes @ the corsaironline. com