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WEEK OF JUNE 14-21, 2006
VOLUME 03, EDITION 02
NEWS:
Put a Really Good Teaser Here Pg. 4
OPINION:
Put a Really Good Teaser Here Pg. 4
Omaha Bound World Series hopes run high for Titans
Page 12 INSIDE: The Technology Issue
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WEATHER 7-DAY FORECAST
NEWS
WEEK OF JUNE 14- 21, 2006
CALENDAR
BRIGHT EYED, BUSHY TAILED
TODAY Cloudy / High: 80, Low: 67
THURSDAY Sunny / High: 70s, Low: 60s Sunny / High: 70s, Low: mid-60s
SATURDAY Sunny / High: 70s, Low: 60s
SUNDAY
JUNE 15: Fullerton Market Night.
Sunny / High: 70s, Low: 60s
Beginning at 4 p.m. on Wilshire Ave. Parking available in the parking structure on the corner of Harbor Blvd and Wilshire. Free and open to the public.
MONDAY Sunny / High: 70s, Low: mid-60s
TUESDAY Sunny / High: 70s, Low: mid-60s
JUNE 16: Watch CSUFʼs baseball team play in the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. See local television listings for game times.
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JUNE 18: Organist Chris Elliott in
Main Line: 714.278.3373 E DI TOR IA L Fax: 714.278.4415 news@dailytitan.com News Editor
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KEVIN ROGERS / Summer Titan Photo Editor
Asst. News Editor
Adam Levy Sports Editor
Laurens Ong
SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Animal Ambassador Julie Scardina holds a black and white ruffed Lemur named “Bakari” Monday in front of the TSU. Lemurs were the first primates successfully bred and put into the wild. Other animals featured at the event were a kangaroo, vulture, porcupine and black bears.
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Compiled from the Associated Press
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rlsage@fullerton -.com The Summer Titan is a student publication, printed every Wednesday from June 8 through Aug 17. The Summer Titan is a subsidiary of the Daily Titan, which operates independently of Associated Students, Inc., College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSU system. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in The Daily Titan is inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises. The Daily Titan allocates one issue to each student for free.. Copyright � 2006 Daily Titan
JUNE 19: Business College Hosts Golf Tournament to Support Student Scholarships. 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m at the Mesa Verde Country Club. For more information contact Ginny Pace at 714-278-2566.
LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL, WORLD
Internet Editor
Faculty Adviser
Concert. Plummer Auditorium, 201 E. Chapman Ave.; program will include full feature-length film “Peter Pan;” sponsored by Orange County Theatre Organ Society; tickets 870-2813; information 529-5594.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Photo Editors
Songha Lee & Kevin Rogers
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JUNE 4-18: Major Art/Minor Artists Exhibition. Grand Central Gallery 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, Calif. 92701. UNTIL JULY 19: Designed to Sell: The Art of Advertising Gallery Apr. 3 – July 19, 2006. Atrium Gallery. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 12 p.m. -5 p.m.
FRIDAY
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WEEK OF JUNE 14-21
NATIONAL
The government wrongly paid for football tickets, a divorce lawyer, vacations after hurricanes. It doled out as much as $1.4 billion in bogus assistance to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, getting hoodwinked to pay for season football tickets, a tropical vacation and even a divorce lawyer, congressional investigators have found. House panel recommends minimum
wage boost In a surprise move, a House panel voted Tuesday for a hike in the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25, which would be the first increase in a decade. But the move by the Appropriations Committee, as an amendment to a bill funding health and education programs, is likely to be stripped out when the measure comes to the House floor.
STATE
The state board that oversees flood control in the Central Valley plans to meet in a closed session Friday to discuss whether it violated an open meetings law. The California Reclamation Board has been criticized for approving a permit for 11,000 luxury homes near Lathrop even though the boardʼs attorney warned that the action was illegal because the project wasnʼt on the
agenda for that April 21 meeting. A Fresno County teacher who hosted a white supremacist rally was arrested on a hate crime charge stemming from a 2005 fight in which she allegedly yelled ethnic slurs at a Jewish woman. Donna Jean Hubbard, 45, was released on $10,000 bail following her arrest Monday. She previously pleaded not guilty to an illegal weapons charge stemming from the rally.
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NEWS
WEEK OF JUNE 14- 21, 2006
Cell Phone Bill May Cost Drivers California motorists soon may have to hold the phone
BY JICKIE TORRES Summer Titan Staff
It is a familiar sight on the California roads. Cars drift from lane to lane with no signals; a driver erratically turns right, almost hitting pedestrians; or a sloppy U-turn results in a near-miss collision. Inevitably, someone at the helm of these vehicles is insisting on driving while talking into a cell phone. The hazardous road conditions arising from cellphone-related issues have made their way to Californiaʼs legislation in the form of SB1613. The bill, which passed in Californiaʼs senate May 26 and is currently being debated in the stateʼs assembly, would make talking into a cell phone while driving a legal infraction that would garner a $20 fine on its first offense and $50 for each one thereafter. “Cell phones are the No. 1 cause of distracted-driving accidents in California,” said Sen. Joe Simitian, the billsʼ author, in an e-mail interview. Simitian said he hopes to cut down on cell-phone related accidents. The bill would require people who do choose to stay on the phone while driving to at least implement the use of a hands-free device. “Accidents by drivers using handheld cell phones outnumber those driving hands-free by a ratio of 25 to one,” Simitian said in an e-mail interview. “The difference between hands-free and hand-held is life and death.” The California Highway Patrol has statistics that support Simitianʼs claim with a five-year log of cell-phone related accidents. Every traffic citation can have driver inattention marked as a contributing factor by the investigating officer. In situations where cell phone use is considered to have been a factor in the crash, handheld units are more likely to be marked than hands-free phones, said CHP representative Fran Clayder. “I would say that at least 20 to 30 percent of my reports will have a statement about a cell phone being used at the time of an accident,” said Karl Schmider, an Allstate insurance agent. “And thatʼs not even including
people who obviously withhold that information because itʼs incriminating.” Still, the insurance agent is skeptical that distracted driving will be eliminated if the bill is passed. “You have to keep in mind that there are all sorts of reasons for drivers to become distracted,” Clayder said. “It could be a cute guy walking down the street or your kids in the back seat, but a cell phone is easy to see. Officers can usually tell right away if a driver is on the phone.” The bigger message is to pay attention regardless of the distraction, said Clayder. “We would prefer that drivers concentrate or focus on their driving,” she said. “They should pay attention to the road, other drivers, and the traffic around them. If there is something else that needs their attention, then pull off the road, use the phone or read the map.” Irma Pena, a junior criminal justice major, said that the bill could curb the tendency to indulge in phoning while driving. “I already have friends now that will put down the phone when they see a cop,” Pena said. “If there was a law like that I donʼt see how it could hurt, but I know Iʼd probably still use my phone when itʼs really important.” Critics of SB1613 say itʼs an ineffective remedy to a much bigger problem. In an article reported by the Monterey Herald, Sen. Kevin Murray openly opposed the bill. He said that holding a phone that isnʼt dangerous, but that using one is. However, Simitian and his camp said SB1613 would be a good start. “No one would argue that just because we canʼt eliminate all the distractions affecting driver safety, we shouldnʼt eliminate the ones we can,” said Simitian in an e-mail interview. “We have a readily available technology that costs next to nothing and saves lives, why on earth wouldnʼt we use it?”
The Cell Phone Bill Stripped Down Situation 1. CA Senate Bill 1613 banning hand-held cell phone use while driving moved to state Assembly 2. If passes, CA would join states trying to limit driver distraction by regulating cell phone use 3. Bill supported by police, firefightersʼ unions, insurance companies, Verizon Wireless 4. Governor hasnʼt taken position on legislation 5. Measure opposed by Sprint Nextel, claims talking on cell phone not most common distraction Significant Points 1. If bill passes, rules effective July 1, 2008 2. Fines of $20 for first offense, $50 for each subsequent offense 3. Emergency calls would be exempt 4. NHTSA estimates driver
Sourced From: Sacramento Bee, via AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, May 26, 2006
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NEWS
WEEK OF JUNE 14- 21, 2006
Net Neutrality Internet watchdogs worry as Senate prepares to review regulation bill BY JICKIE TORRES Summer Titan Staff
For well over a decade, Internet surfers have enjoyed the freedoms of the digital waves, searching for any source of information available at their whim. According to supporters of Internet neutrality, all of that may change if the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2006, which failed to pass in the U.S. house last week, does not pass through the U.S. Senate floor at the end of June. In 1996, the Telecommunications Act deregulated service standards for the television, radio, cable, satellite and phone industries in an effort to foster a balanced market of competition. The result was a wave of major mergers in the communications arena that produced such corporate communication behemoths as Verizon, NYNEX and a now-larger AT&T. These same companies are now proposing a new service system for the internet which would be governed by “access tiering,” a concept where Web sites that pay a premium for service would be accessible at a faster rate than those that pay second- or thirdrate fees. Those in favor of the act say that theyʼre preserving a level playing field for all Web sites. Savetheinternet.com is one of many organizations working to preserve Internet neutrality. Frannie Wellings, of Savetheinter-
net.com, said that losing Internet neu- prevent improvements in speed and the trality may have more consequences ability to choose from more options. Joseph Cheng, a junior computer that people may realize. “When it comes to information science major, explained how he could online, the Internet has been this me- see why the large telephone and cable dium without censorship,” Wellings companies would favor deregulation. said. “The Internet had been seen as “It makes sense that they would want sites to a medium that is an alternative to radio pay for a better “[I]f we don’t protect and television. It is a service, because forum where people our Internet freedom, they are all uscan exchange ideas, ing their lines art, information and a handful of people are and networks,” Cheng said. dialogue.” Wellings offered in control of what gets “People pay preexamples of indusmiums all the time for better tries she already feels access online.” to be endangered by service. Better seats to a show, monopoly-like busiFRANNIE WELLINGS better gas, faster ness practices. SavetheInternet.com shipping. I donʼt “Think about Clear see why this is Channel, who owns 1,200 radio stations,” said Wellings. really so different.” Geoff Ryan, a senior business ma“They control whatʼs on thousands of airwaves and now nobody likes the ra- jor, thinks that the Internet is the last dio. If you have Comcast, who poten- frontier of free speech. “I think the tially can form an exclusive deal with most valuable thing about the Internet iTunes, now they will pick the top mu- now is that it doesnʼt discriminate,” sic, the music that is played the most, Ryan said. “I can have my blog read by as many people and as fast as The or the promoted the most.” Clear Channel and Comcast are L.A. Times can have its story read.” The debate over Internet neutrality both some of the largest media companies in America. “The question is has attracted strange bedfellows. Prowhat will happen to those alternative gressives like MoveOn.org have found providers when it costs extra money to themselves on the same side of the get their information to run at the same fence as the Christian Coalition. quality as the ones who pay more,” Wellings said the fight for Internet said Wellings. freedom has attracted a multitude of Those who defend the FCCʼs de- cross-demographic followers because regulation policy changes say that the of what is at the core of the issue. government should leave the Internet “All of those voices are concerned to the people. Neither representatives that if we donʼt protect our Internet from Verizon nor Comcast could be freedom, a handful of people are in reached for comment. However, ac- control of what gets access online,” cording to sites like Handsofftheinter- Wellings said. “We all want to keep net.com, regulating the Internet would the Internet as we know it.”
Female Engineer Honored Alumna credits faculty for its teachings, praises online course for versatility BY ADAM LEVY Summer Titan Asst. News Editor
Laurie Haack, an Anaheim Hills software engineer and 2006 Cal State Fullerton graduate with her masterʼs degree, has received the honor of “Best Master of Science in Software Engineering Graduate Student.” “She is creative, disciplined and has a strong technical background,” said Dorota Huizinga, associate dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “She serves as a mentor to the female students in a male dominated program.” Haack, CSUF alumni from the class of 1979, returned to get her masters in the first graduating class of the online masterʼs degree program in software engineering. She has worked 27 years at Raytheon in Fullerton as a senior principal software engineer. The honored graduate credits the online program for its multifaceted educational approach. “Iʼve learned from the professors, textbooks, fellow students, research projects and papers,” Haack said in a written statement. “We interacted with our instructors and fellow students through audio lectures and online.” The CSUF alumni claimed to have been enlightened to cutting-edge vocational strategies after nearly three decades in the profession. “It gave me a new perspective beyond my workplace,” Haack said. “I have been able to apply numerous items I have learned directly to
LAURIE HAACK Software Engineer
my work.” Lauded as an inspiration to working students, Haackʼs strong work ethic outdistanced her competition. “Laurie is clearly the best student in this graduating class,” said Bin Cong, professor of computer science and the programʼs coordinator in a written statement. “She was able to apply what she learned in class and made a great contribution to the MSE curriculum, based on her experience. I always looked forward to reading her assignment solutions, project work and comments.” Another asset to Haackʼs credit is the relative scarcity of women in the computer science program. In 2006, 15 percent of the graduates were female. Huizinga believes that the system,
SEE SOFTWARE = PAGE 6
Verizon Seeks to Enhance Its Service With the Speed of Light Boasting TV, phone and Net service, optical fiber is slated to replace traditional cable BY PETER SVENSSON Associated Press
MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. (AP) Lisa Donohue squats on the floor with her 2-year-old son Calum in front of their high-definition TV, watching a childrenʼs cartoon. “What kind of animal is Franklin?” she asks him. Calum is a little under the weather and his eyes droop a bit, but they stay fixated on the turtle on
the screen. Calum probably doesnʼt know, but the image of Franklinʼs bright green skin is brought to him not by cable, satellite, or broadcast, but by pulses of light that go straight to his home here on suburban Long Island from a telephone-company building miles away, via optical fiber. Optical fiber, strands of glass 15 times thinner than a human hair, have been used by telecommunications companies over long-haul routes since the 1980s. Now, Verizon Communications Inc., is making a big and expensive bet on replacing the network of copper
wires that has provided phone service Donohue, however, is happy with since the 19th century with fiber, giv- the service Verizon calls FiOS. ing it the capabil“With cable, the picture would stop. ity to carry TV and Or weʼd have light speed Inter“It comes as one bill, those digital things net service in the bargain. which is nice because I going,” Donohue said, gesturing to Investors have been skeptical of don’t have to remember mimic the picture the plans, sending breaking up. Verizonʼs stock “We could get to pay four times. ” down by about satellite, but our 20 percent since only tree in the LISA DONOHUE the rollout started garden is in the Verizon Cable Subscriber last year, as other southwest corner, phone companies so weʼd have to chop our only tree down” to get a clear have not made the same gamble. line of sight to the satellite,” Donohue said. The family pays about $220 a month for TV, phone, high-speed Internet service and two cell phones, at a much lower rate of when they just
had cable. “It comes as one bill, which is nice because I donʼt have to remember to pay four times,” Donohue said. Factors like that have made Verizonʼs FiOS TV a success in the few areas where itʼs available, judging by Verizonʼs data. It has said that 6.5 percent of households in Massapequa Park signed up for TV in the first three months after its launch on Jan. 24. That figure is disputed by Cablevision Systems Corp., the incumbent cable company, which claims to have had a net loss of less than two percent in the area. Verizon has authorization to sell TV service in about 80 communities in New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland and Virginia.
SEE WIRE = PAGE 6
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NEWS
WEEK OF JUNE 14- 21, 2006
Fundraiser for The Fox Theatre Pays Off
Fundraiser for the Fox supports restoration and brings community together BY KATY FRENCH Summer Titan Staff
The third annual “Hollywood in Fullerton” gala was held Saturday night at the Imperial Ballroom in downtown Fullerton. The fundraiser was held by the Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation to attract community support and increase funds for the restoration of the historic Fox Theatre in downtown Fullerton. The theatre was saved from destruction last year by individual donations and support from the Fullerton city council.
Over 325 individuals attended the gala, following a red carpet up to the ballroom set for an evening of drinking, dining and dancing. The evening had a dual theme of 1930s Hollywood glamour while concurrently paying tribute to the female work force that sustained the American economy during World War II. The Fox Theatre played a key role in these eras, informing the public of news abroad and employing local citizens participating in the war effort. Many attendees got into the spirit of the era, showing up adorned in vintage attire. “I love a chance to support the Fox,” said attendee Charles Peccarero, who was actively involved in the campaign to save the Fox. “To get dressed up, have a drink and have some fun for a good cause? Of
course Iʼm there.” The band Jazz for J played swing music for guests while others sampled appetizers catered by local vendors. Guests also rubbed elbows with character actors depicting famous stars of the “Hollywood Glamour” era such as Lucille Ball and Mae West. Character actors Vicki Sky and Kelly Sue Eder, as Ava Gardner and Scarlett OʼHara respectively, said they enjoyed performing for the guests and are already chomping at the bit for next yearʼs event. “The Fox is really a landmark and so I think itʼs really important to help out,” said Eder. On the upper level, a lounge offered a respite from the packed main room. Projectors were also set up on both levels to allow guests to view the action on the dance floor, participate in
the live auction, and watch the musical revue. Bob Hope impersonator Dan Lorge opened the floor show with a monologue, then awards were given to individuals who had contributed to the restoration of the Fox. Silent and live auctions were held, offering items and packages such as a fishing trip in Costa Rica and four original front-row seats from the Fox to be reserved for a yearʼs worth of outdoor film screenings. Auctioneer Dawn Marie Kotsonis petitioned the audience to support the Fox by opening their hearts and wallets. “We should all be very proud of what weʼve accomplished,” said Kotsonis at the start of the live auction. “But weʼve still got a ways to go,” Kotsonis said.
The highest bid of the evening was $3,500 for a Stratocaster guitar signed by Jackson Browne. The evening was topped off with a preview of the Fullerton College production of “Rosie the Riveter: A Musical Salute.” Organizers were very happy with the event, saying that this yearʼs gala was more financially successful than last yearʼs. The Fox Theatre restoration project has recently entered its next phase of construction with the selection of the architecture firm Westlake Reed Leskosky. The total cost of the project is still unknown. The theatre must be brought up to current structure regulations before major construction can begin, with a projected reopening coming in 2009.
Radio-TV-Film Major Balances Books and Wedding Bells Student Clara Lopez learns to juggle education and her engagement BY CRISTINA RODRIGUEZ For the Summer Titan
It can be very difficult trying to plan a wedding on top of studying for exams and working. Clara Lopez, 22, Radio-TV-Film major, knows just exactly how frustrating it can be. Lopez has one semester left before she graduates and is focusing all her energy on school right now. The blushing future bride has had no time to plan the enchanting wedding that every girl dreams about. Her engagement came as quite a surprise. After dating her boyfriend Guillermo Aceves for four years, Lopez became engaged in October 2005. She giggled as she recounted her engagement night. “I was surprised because it was the day before my birthday,” she said. “He took me to Benihanaʼs for my
birthday.”Lopez remembers she was mad at him because he was late in picking her up. “He was late because he was actually picking up my ring and I had no clue,” she said. He wanted to propose at the restaurant but was too nervous. Instead her boyfriend took her to the park where they first met, she said. “It was dark and you could see the stars,” Lopez said. “We walked under the moonlight. I was getting kind of nervous.” Aceves read her a poem in which he said she had qualities of his mother and was always there for him. “He said you are one of two women I love,” she said. “Then he asked me to be his wife and I said yes.” Lopez said the later returned to her home and told her family, who were extremely happy and excited for her. Lopez has not had much time to plan her wedding. She is focused on finishing school, and plans on graduating in fall of 2006, she said. “My fiance knew that I wanted to finish school and that is our agree-
Clara Lopez snuggles up to her fiance and flashes her engagement ring . ment,” she said. “We hope to have our wedding on July 7, 2007.” Lopez said that there is a tradition in the Latino community where the family or friends help pay for a wedding, called having “padrinos.” “We donʼt want to do that,” she
said. “We really want to pay for our own wedding.” Lopez said she wants a 50s-themed wedding with mint green bridesmaidsʼ dresses. “I want to get married in a beautiful garden,” she said. “But Iʼm Catholic so
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I donʼt know if they will allow that.” She is also afraid that she wonʼt have the time to plan a good wedding by the date. “I know you have to plan at least a year in advance to have a great wedding,” she said. “My main focus right now though is school.” Lopez said she already feels like she is living like a married woman because she lives with her Aceves. “I feel stressed sometimes when I have to cook or clean, but he is very helpful and very understanding. If I canʼt cook heʼll offer to cook or pick something up,” she said. “We are very supportive of each other. He helps me with my homework and I help him.” Lopezʼs fiance wants to break into the music industry and is currently studying business at El Camino College.Although Lopez will be taking two summer school classes she plans to use the summer to focus on planning her wedding. “I want to get another job on the weekends so I can start saving up for the wedding,” she said. “I might have to move the date back so I can plan it properly.”
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ENTERTAINMENT
CONCERT CALENDAR JUNE 15 & 16 DJ Quik with live band House of Blues Anaheim JUNE 16 She Wants Revenge The Grove of Anaheim
SOFTWARE FROM PAGE 4
though making progress, is still largely a male-dominated field, as dictated by cultural conditioning that starts with Barbie dolls and Easy Bake ovens. “It starts early in elementary school where gender images and peer pressure stereotype women onto certain career paths,” said Huniziga. “Girls are often placed in group projects, so computer science, being very solitary in nature, does not appeal to them. Weʼre in the process of trying to change that, as Iʼm working on some grants specifically for female computer science students.” The fourth in a series of online programs offered by CSUF, the masters of science in software engineering
$18 JUNE 16 Chicago & Huey Lewis & the News Irvine Meadows/ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Irvine program has caught fire as a popular choice amongst professionals looking to expand upon their educational resumes. “The students came primarily from local companies, such as Raytheon, Thales Raytheon Systems, Northrop Grumman and Boeing,” said Raman Unnikrishnan, dean of the universityʼs College of Engineering and Computer Science in a written statement. “The class filled up very quickly.” For her efforts, Haack will receive a cash dowry of $1,500 courtesy of Parasoft Corporation of Monrovia. The company has donated a grand total of $30,000 towards CSUFʼs College of Engineering and Computer Science. Runner-ups Artur Bagumyan of Burbank, Brook Gonsowski of Huntington Beach and Leslie Johnson of
$16.50-76.50 JUNE 16 INXS Greek Theatre, Los Angeles $39.50-79.50 JUNE 17 Gin Blossom The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano $29.50
WIRE FROM PAGE 4 It has fiber optics available for phone and Internet service to connect more than 3 million homes. Verizon doesnʼt say how many homes are connected, but analysis of a tally by research firm RVA LLC indicates that Verizon had about 400,000 homes connected as of April. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime project,” said Paul Lacouture, Verizonʼs vice-president of engineering and technology. Chief among fiberʼs advantages is its almost unlimited capacity to carry information, which Verizon only nibbles at with its current system. It lights fiber to the home with just three laser beams, though the fiber can carry a much heavier work load. The single beam that carries video has more capacity than an entire coaxial cable of the kind used by cable companies. In practical terms, that means better image quality, because the digital TV channels donʼt need to be degraded to save bandwidth. “If youʼre watching a program, you see the faces elongate, smear out” on digital cable, says Alex Fazi, an owner of a videography studio in nearby Wantagh. He said he will sign up for fiber TV once it becomes available in his area. In a similar way, fiber provides almost limitless Internet connection speeds. With current technology, Verizon could provide download speeds of 644 megabits per second, a bigger step up from DSL at 1.5 mbps than DSL is a step up from dial-up. But for now, the maximum speed Verizon sells is 30 mbps for small businesses, or 20 mbps for homes. “Right now there are not a lot of applications online that demand 100 megabits,” Lacouture said. Thatʼs true, but probably in large part due to the lack of home connections at that speed , a chicken and egg conundrum. Speeds may be going up soon,
WEEK OF JUNE 14- 21, 2006
JUNE 17 U.S. Bombs Galaxy Theatre, Santa Ana $14.50 JUNE 17 & 18 Playboy Jazz Festival Hollywood Bowl $17.50-125 JUNE 19 The Futureheads
Henry Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles $15 JUNE 19 & 20 Snow Patrol The Wiltern LG $25.50 JUNE 21 Keane Henry Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles $23
though. Verizon already raised them once (from 5 mbps to 10 mbps at the lowest tier) in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – the three states where it competes with Cablevision, a technologically sophisticated company that provides downloads at up to 30 mbps.Apart from capacity, fiber has the advantage of being immune to interference and crosstalk, and is nearly immune to rain, which can cause problems on the phone network. Verizon expects to cut costs for its outside equipment by 40 percent by switching to fiber. But to get there, it has to spend big. Verizonʼs average cost of pulling fiber down a street was $1,400 per home at the beginning of last year, not including the cost of actually connecting the homes. The target cost this year is $890 per home, reflecting improvements in materials and techniques. If it reaches its target of laying fiber by another 3 million homes by the end of the year, thatʼs a cost of $2.7 billion – about half of Verizonʼs annual earnings. Verizon is in essence taking the lumps as it blazes a trail for large-scale fiber deployment in the United States across its 28-state territory. Itʼs creating the demand for equipment that allows manufacturers like Motorola Inc. and Tellabs Inc. to bring down costs. “Every month that goes by we see another improvement,” Lacouture said. However, a large part of the cost is labor, which doesnʼt get cheaper by the month. Drawing fiber along a street involves digging a trench to lay it, or putting up plastic tubes on the utility poles, then pulling the fiber through the tubes. Paul McIlrary, Verizonʼs area manager for outside plant construction around Massapequa, says his teams of about three people lay fiber at a speed of 25 feet to 35 feet per day in the dense Long Island suburbs. That may sound slow, but McIlrary has 90-110 linemen working to lay fiber just in Freeport, which has 45,000 inhabitants.
“With fiber, itʼs a light source, and any bend can distort the signal,” McIlrary says. “So we have to be careful that we donʼt bend or kink it.” Other than that, the actual placing operation isnʼt much different from copper, which Verizonʼs people have a lot of experience with. Home installation is another cost. The target here is $715 this year, but Verizon has acknowledged that costs are running above that target. Itʼs a big job, at least if TV service is involved. It took the installer all day to get the Donohues up and running, for instance. Getting a “drop cable” with fiber to the home from the nearest utility pole is the small part. The installer then attaches a large box, called an Optical Networking Terminal, to the side of the house. On the other side of the wall, he installs a backup battery, which should keep the ONT running for six hours if there is a blackout. Then he strings coaxial cable from the box to the TV sets (Verizon will use existing coax if itʼs not substandard), Ethernet cable to an Internet router, and a phone line to handsets. In addition, a small box called a Network Interface Module is installed inside that needs to connect both to the coaxial and Ethernet cables. With costs like that, itʼs perhaps no mystery why the other big telephone companies, like AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp., are focusing on upgrading their copper DSL lines rather than bringing fiber to the home, though they do draw fiber in new subdivisions. But analysts believe the DSL upgrades are stopgaps, and that the other companies will eventually move to fiber in a few years. By that time, Verizonʼs efforts may have made the process simpler and cheaper. “People talk about the risks of doing this,” says Michael Render, who tracks fiber build outs for RVA, the research firm. What they should be talking about, he says, is the risk of not building out fiber. “The world is changing very rapidly.”
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ENTERTAINMENT
WEEK OF JUNE 14- 21, 2006
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IN MOVIES This Week
Compiled by Jackie Kimmel / The Summer Titan
THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT (PG-13)
Directed by Justin Lin, and starring Lucas Black, Shad ʻBow Wowʼ Gregory Moss, Nathalie Kelley, Sung Kung, and Brian Tee.
Sean Boswell is an outsider who attempts to define himself as a hot-headed, underdog street racer. Although racing provides a temporary escape from an unhappy home and the superficial world around him, it has also made Sean unpopular with the local authorities.
NACHO LIBRE (PG) Google Images
Directed by Jared Hess and starring Jack Black, Hector Jimenez, Troy Gentile, Moises Arias, and Richard Montoya.
Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn play a feuding pair in The Break Up, the not-quite-classic romantic comedy.
Ignacio, a.k.a. ʻNachoʼ, a cook by day in a Mexican orphanage, moonlights as a masked Lucha Libre wrestler to raise money for the orphans.
Crack Up at ʻThe Break Upʼ
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (PG-13)
BY CINDY TULLUES For the Summer Titan
To be honest, The Break Up is exactly as it sounds: a classic romantic comedy — or anti-romantic comedy — that confirms the theory that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Vince Vaughn stars as Gary Grobowski, a Chicago bus tour guide who is dating an art dealer named Brooke Meyers, played by Jennifer Aniston. The couple met at a ball game after Gary pursued Brooke “Vaughn style.” The two appeared to be the cookie cutter of the happy couple. But soon, the lovebirds end up driving each other crazy and to the point of breaking up. While breakups are generally a sore topic for most people, Brooke and Garyʼs breakup turns into a vivid game of love, revenge and the occasional backstabbing, which makes watching the movie delightfully entertaining. Brooke is the breakup initiator. Gary, who spends much of his quality time playing video games or watching
sports rather than with Brooke, strikes a sore spot when he adamantly proclaims that he does not want to wash the dishes. Brooke quickly escalates the conversation into a bitter, fiery argument, which ultimately leads to their breakup. Watching these two bicker and bite at each other while screaming nonsense about appreciating each other is almost like watching your best friend fight with their significant other. The point is, this comedy presents an element of reality. The movie is a classic portrayal of things couples usually argue about. Most men would agree that they have heard their wives or girlfriends say things like, “Why donʼt you take me to the ballet?” or “I donʼt feel that you appreciate me.” These are classic examples of what many couples go though. It is great for a movie to be able to capture that element of reality. While The Break Up is by no means a masterpiece, watching the bitter fights between two people who really seem to share love is devilishly cap-
tivating. Jennifer Aniston never gets enough credit as a talented Hollywood actress. Aniston is deserving of some praise for her performance in The Break Up. She really seems to be motivated by her character. But I canʼt help but ask myself if perhaps her break up with hunky Brad Pitt fueled her performance? Vince Vaughn, the satirical actor, has proven to be one of the funniest on-screen actors, but his performance as Gary was not one of his best. Vaughn is far too talented to play in sweet comedies, but should instead stick with roles like Beanie in Old School (2003) and Jeremy Grey in Wedding Crashers (2005). Hollywood gossip magazines like Star and People have reported that Vaughn and Aniston are a couple offscreen. Some of these allegations have been confirmed, while others have been denied. But regardless of the recent Hollywood gossip, this acting duo undoubtedly has chemistry, making them a great on-screen couple.
Directed by David Frankel and starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tacci, Tracie Thoms. Based on the best-selling novel, ʻThe Devil Wears Pradaʼ stars Meryl Streep as high-powered fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly. Anne Hathaway also stars as Mirandaʼs new assistant, a small-town girl in her first job out of college, trying to navigate a world sheʼs only glimpsed in print - while surviving her impossibly demanding new boss.
GARFIELD: A TAIL OF TWO KITTIES (PG)
Directed by Tim Hill (III) and starring Bill Murray, Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lucy Davis, Billy Connolly. When Garfield follows his owner, Jon Arbuckle, to England, the U.K. may never recover, as Garfield is mistaken for a look-alike, regal cat who has inherited a castle. Garfield savors the royal treatment afforded by his loyal four-legged subjects, but his reign is in jeopardy.