C a l i f o r n i a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y, F u l l e r t o n
DAILY TITAN
Tu e s d a y, O c t o b e r 11 , 2 0 0 5
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Walking to combat rare disease Event unites people with blood illness, raises research funds By ISAAC FABELA Daily Titan Staff
When people are diagnosed with a rare disease, itʼs easy for them to feel alone and helpless. Some
dwell on that feeling. Others use it to motivate themselves to fight the illness and to create awareness of it. Greg Yorba, 48, a library assistant at Cal Sate Fullerton, has chosen the active route and is heavily involved in getting people informed about Langerhans cell histiocytosis, a disease he has. Greg was diagnosed with the disease in 2002. Since then he has
been working to raise awareness and money for research. The SoCal HistioWalk, being held Sunday at Robert Gross Park in Burbank, is one of the biggest events in Southern California for those working to fight the disease. The walk is occurring for its fifth consecutive year and not only serves as a fundraiser event, but also as a chance for people affected by the disease to meet others
dealing with the same illness. The rare blood disease is hard to diagnose because no two cases are the same, and doctors arenʼt quite sure what to look for or how to fight it. Symptoms include skin rash, ear infections, vision problems, teeth and gum complications, and lung, liver and spleen dysfunctions. The treatments for this illness are similar to the ones for people
with cancer. Chemotherapy and steroid supplements are just some of the tools used to combat the illness. Yorbaʼs case is rare because he is an adult suffering from an illness mostly seen in children. In children, the disease strikes one in every 200,000. In adults, the number is one in every 500,000. DISEASE 3
Gas prices, bicycle sales rise Gift Students switch to less expenisve mode of transportation
Bike styles Mountain
• Where: Off-road use only • Features: Durable, strong, good over big obstacles, less maneuverability • Gears: Up to 27 • Price: $100 to $2,900
By DANIELLE TORRICELLI Daily Titan Staff
Win sends Halos to Chicago to play White Sox for American League Championship 6
News Katina Napper is director of Faculty Affairs and Records 2
News Many students don’t know all of TitanCard’s benefits 3
Surf Report Huntington
2-4 ft. knee- to shoulder-high with occasional 5 ft. and fair-good conditions.
San Clemente
3-4 ft. waist- to chest-high and fair conditions.
Compiled from www.surfline.com
Weather Tuesday Sunny 80º/55º
“Emissions blow,” reads a billboard promoting hybrid vehicles off of the 57 Freeway. Many Americans seem to agree. According to a KTLA report, hybrid vehicle sales and bicycle sales have increased in recent months. Fullerton students have hopped on the bicycle trend, switching from car to bicycle as a mode of transportation. Students cite high gas prices and time management as factors in making the switch from a four- to two-wheel ride. Mike Whetham, general manager of Jax Bicycle Center on East Chapman Avenue in Fullerton, said overall bicycle sales are on the rise. “Road bike sales are 10 percent higher now than this time last year,” Whetham said. He also said bicycle repair sales are up. There are four general types of bicycles: mountain, road, hybrid and cruiser. For everyday commuting, road and hybrid bicycles are the most efficient. Road bicycles, as their name states, can only be ridden on roads, which is the most popular form of cycling. These high performance bicycles have high handlebars, giving the cyclist an aerodynamic posture. They arenʼt as strong or durable as mountain bikes, but mountain bikes are only used for off-road riding. Whetham said the store sold an above-average number of Trek
Road
• Where: Paved roads only • Features: Lightweight, aerodynamic, turns quickly, less durable and less strong than mountain bikes • Gears: Up to 21 • Price: $300 to $9,500
Hybrid
• Where: On- and off-road • Use: Cross between mountain and road bicycles • Features: Lighter than a mountain bike, slower than a road bike • Gears: About 21 • Price: $220 to $4,000
Cruiser
JAMIE FLANAGAN/Daily Titan
Cal State Fullerton students are hopping on the bicycle trend as the cost of operating an automobile continues to increase. 1500s, a popular road bike that costs $1,050. Six of these bicycles were sold in the first four days of October – a number that usually takes one month to reach, Whetham said.
The Trek 1500 is the most popular road bike on the market, according to www.roadbikereview.com. Treks cost anywhere from $300 to $4,000, depending on the bicy-
cleʼs purpose. Erin Gibson, 24, decided to save the money on gas and insurance and
sells or rents such a video game to people under 18. The legislation defines a violent video game as a game with player options such as “killing, maiming, dismembering, or sexually assaulting an image of a human being … in a manner which is especially heinous, cruel, or depraved in that it involves torture or serious physical abuse to the victim.” “Many of these games are made for adults, and choosing games that are appropriate for kids should be a decision made by their parents,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
The bill was passed with other bills regarding childrenʼs safety – an effort that may be designed to bring Schwarzenegger some applause from Californians during his time of political uncertainty. “It could be an appeal to the great middle, to the parents protecting their kids, to make him look like a moderate, like when he was strong,” said Stephen Stambough, Cal State Fullerton assistant professor of political science. Also included in the bill is the explanation as to why the bill was pursued. It states, “The legislation finds
and declares all of the following … Exposing minors to depictions of violence in video games, including sexual and heinous violence, makes those minors more likely to experience feelings of aggression, to experience a reduction of activity in the frontal lobes of the brain, and to exhibit violent antisocial or aggressive behavior.” The language of the explanation comes from studies on the exposure to violent video games, most widely noted is the American Psychological Associationʼs studies.
Governor signs bill to curb minorsʼ ability to buy, rent some titles By ERIC SANDERS Daily Titan Staff
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation Friday that will prohibit the sale or rental of violent video games to minors. The bill requires a label on the front of every violent video game sold in California and provides a fine of up to $1,000 for anyone who
VIDEO GAMES 3
Company donates $30K to engineering, computer science By RORY JURNECKA Daily Titan Staff
Education has teamed with industry in a recent nod toward improving standards in engineering and computer science. Parasoft Corp., a Monroviabased business, donated $30,000 to Cal State Fullertonʼs College of Engineering and Computer Sciences. Fifteen thousand dollars of the sum is for the research and development of a textbook – which will be co-written by Parasoft CEO Adam Kolawa and Associate Dean Dorota Huizinga. The book will focus on furthering the field Parasoft specializes in, automated prevention of developmental errors in software engineering. “The approach weʼve taken in the book is how we can bring the software industry to the maturity level that you have in other industries, like the auto industry,” Huizinga said. The gap between management and engineering that is found in software development is often problematic. Huizinga said highly sophisticated software and misunderstandings between management and engineering combine to create development errors that can be prevented with appropriate training. “The complexity is huge and the management does not really understand the complexity of the software,” Huizinga said. “On the other hand, the software engineers do not have the management training to undertake the projects. What weʼre trying to do with this program is try to meet the need of the middle management for software.” DONATION 3
Preparing for next Mrs. O’Leary
High note
Fire prevention event offers demonstrations, tips, fun in Fullerton By MARIE O’NEIL Daily Titan Staff
Thursday Sunny 89º/59º Friday Sunny 86º/58º
Compiled from The Weather Channel
BICYCLE 3
Law limits sale of violent video games
Wednesday Sunny 84º/57º
Saturday Partly Cloudy 83º/57º
• Where: Paved roads • Use: For comfort and leisurely pace • Features: Commonly with shock absorbers • Gears: About 8 • Price: $150 to $800
to help develop text
JAMIE FLANAGAN/Daily Titan
Nick Cooper and Christian Haerens perform with their band, Parker, at the Plush Cafe in Downtown Fullerton Friday night.
As legend has it, it all began with Mrs. OʼLeary and a cow that kicked over an oil lamp and started what became the Great Chicago Fire. Around the anniversary of that fire, the Fire Marshals Association of North America decided that the day should be remembered with informing the public about fire prevention, according to a Web site sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association. And Fullerton will be a part of the educational festivities for
National Fire Prevention Week. On Oct. 15, the Fullerton Fire Department will host a pancake breakfast starting at 7 a.m., and afterwards there will be an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The breakfast and admission to the open house costs just $3 per person, and all proceeds will go directly to the Fullerton Boys and Girls Club. Julie Kunze, a fire marshal for the Fullerton Fire Department, is expecting a large turnout. “At least 1,000 [people] will show up,” Kunze said. “A lot of children come along with their families.” There will be activities, such as interactive games, for the children, she said. “When they complete the task [in the game] we give them a sticker, fake tattoo or pencil topper
… things like that,” Kunze said. Emergency preparedness, such as planning household escaperoutes, will also be available for attendees, she said. Firefighters will also demonstrate how fire truck equipment works – such as how the hoses work and which are used during a fire. The fire truck ladder will be showed as well. Steve Long, hazardous materials specialist for the Fullerton Fire Department, will be there to operate Freddy the Fire Truck – a small, remote controlled fire truck equipped with sirens and flashing red lights – which sings about not touching matches and about dialing 911. There will also be a pollution prevention kit that demonstrates FIRE 3