2007 11 01

OPINION Page 4

SPORTS: Men’s basketball ranks third in the Big West Conference, page 12

No condoms in the paper - CSUF FEATURES: Cal State Fullerton play thinks coupons are better opens in Hallberg Theatre, page 9

Since 1960 Volume 85, Issue 36

Daily Titan

Thursday November 1, 2007

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

DTSHORTHAND More students than ever before at CSUF Fullerton Inside–A record 37,130 students are enrolled in classes this fall, according to census figures compiled by Admissions and Records and the university’s office of Institutional Research and Analytical Studies.

CSUF enrollment increased by 1,209 from the fall 2006. Firsttime freshmen increased to 4,028 this fall, an increase of 358 from last year. This fall, 3,991 new upper-division transfer students – up 112 from last fall–joined the student body.

Workers help pitch a tent measuring 167 feet in diameter for Cirque du Soleil, which returns to Orange County after two years.

Loud music warrants a two-day jail stint YORK, Pa. (AP) – A mistake in court records led to a twonight jail stay for a woman being investigated by police for playing music too loud.

Andrea Conn was jailed Saturday night after an officer looking into the noise complaint discovered she was wanted for failing to appear in court in 2003.

But the warrant should not have been in the county’s system.

The warrant was issued after Conn missed a court hearing on failure to pay court costs associated with seeking a protectionfrom-abuse order, York County Prothonotary Pamela Lee said.

Conn was jailed briefly four years ago, but was released after someone else paid the court costs for her.

Conn was released Monday.

PHOTOS By DAMON CESAREZ/For the Daily Titan

Cirque du Soleil visits the OC

By JENNIFER CHURCH

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

How many people does it take to pitch a tent? In Cirque du Soleil’s case, between 150 and 200 people said Rick Lopez, operations director for Cirque du Soleil.

Cirque du Soleil marked its return to

Orange County after two years with its North American tour, “Corteo,” by raising its trademark blue and yellow big top, the Grand Chapiteau, Wednesday.

Sixty-six feet high and 167 feet in diameter, the Grand Chapiteau seats about 2,700 people said Jessica Le Boeuf, assistant to the General Manager.

The Chapiteau, which contains a lot of the show’s lighting, is the size of a

flathead truck.

“We have a little bit of a delay because we have to clean the tent from the ashes of the fires two weeks ago,” Le Boeuf said. “Corteo” and its crew recently finished a stint in Inglewood, next to the Forum.

It takes two and a half days to take everything down and seven days to put the “Corteo” village together, General

Manager Heather Reilly said.

“We would’ve liked to be able to put it on some sort of pallet and just float it down the coast,” Reilly said. “To move 45 miles for all of that – it’s just a lot of work for a short travel.”

Cirque du Soleil has been in California for 20 years, Reilly said. “Corteo” is one of six shows touring world-wide.

See CIRCUS Page 3

“

Because we check to make sure every person that buys a ticket is a student, the airlines are willing to offer us lower prices because they know that students won’t fly unless the price is right.

– Caroline Pierce,

“

studentuniverse.com representative See Features, page 5

YOUTUBE: Tai Chi Masters’ slo-mo dojo

Immigrant lives out her American dream Grieving father gets a payoff Kylie T. Nguyen is the first recipient of a $6,000 CSU scholarship award

By JOY ALICIA

WEATHER

TODAY

High: 77 Low: 56 SUNNY

CONTACT US

TOMorrow

High: 79 Low: 58 SUNNY

Main line: (714) 278-3373 News desk: (714) 278-4415 Advertising: (714) 278-4411 E-mail: news@dailytitan.com

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

Vietnamese immigrant Kylie T. Nguyen strives to improve the lives of strangers.

While growing up in the States, Nguyen felt like a stranger herself.

“I didn’t fit in until I got into high school because I was always the target where NGUYEN I was picked on, and to be honest, I really hated the English language because I couldn’t speak it properly. I didn’t

Nguyen doesn’t mind that she’s fit in during my elementary and been working as free labor for junior high school.

It wasn’t until high school that nearly one-third of her lifetime.

I finally began to speak English She claims she’s a better person bewell. Before I didn’t have friends so cause of it.

“Volunteering has shaped me I didn’t use the language,” Nguyen and given me experiences that I said. cherish,” Nguyen After Nguyen said. “Through it graduated from I’ve learned perhigh school, she severance.

I’ve volunteered for learned a lot about nonprofit orgahuman brokennizations around ness. Ultimately, the country for it’s made me more 12 years, primara compassionate ily working with – Kylie T. Nguyen, of person.” Nguyen at-risk youth and CSUF graduate said. the elderly. Her student In September, community sershe received the vice experience Trustee Murray also impressed her teacher Christine Ford. The L. Galinson award. The Galinson teacher said one of the things she Scholar award is a top honor among looks for in the Field Study admis- recipients of the 2007-08 William sions process is that students have R. Hearst/CSU Trustees’ Award for at least one year’s experience in hu- Outstanding Achievement. As part of her award, Nguyen receives a man services.

“

Volunteering has shaped me and given me experiences that I cherish.

“

Sumo, karate and mixed martial arts, all fall short compared to the one true martial art of rest and relaxation in this video. In a contest between great Tai Chi Masters, these masters may move slowly but what they lack in speed they make up in pure force. The Tai Chi masters use traditional forms known for its extremely slow movements and organ damage.

Duration: 2:47

$6,000 scholarship.

“What is categorized as ‘success’ in the world doesn’t hold as much value,” Nguyen said. “Success isn’t exterior, it’s being able to change a life and letting someone know they’re worthwhile.”

In addition to her research with the McNair Scholars Program, Nguyen’s remarkable record of volunteering around the country for over 12 years helped her earn the award. The scholarship award is given to those who exemplify extraordinary public service. In addition to the lives Nguyen has touched, the grad student has had a positive effect on CSUF teachers, colleagues and student volunteers.

She began working with CSUF’s Volunteer Center in the spring of 2006, as one of the project directors on the Hunger Coalition. She began as an intern, and then found herself coordinating projects for three semesters.

See NGUYEN, Page 3

The Associated Press

A grieving father won a nearly $11 million verdict Wednesday against a fundamentalist Kansas church that pickets military funerals out of a belief that the war in Iraq is a punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality.

Albert Snyder of York, Pa., sued the Westboro Baptist Church for unspecified damages after members demonstrated at the March 2006 funeral of his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq. The federal jury first awarded $2.9 million in compensatory damages. It returned in the afternoon with its decision to award $6 million in punitive damages for invasion of privacy and $2 million for causing emotional distress.

Page Two

2

November 1, 2007

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Finding different ways to maintain good credit

OTASH CAMP, Sudan (AP) – Sudanese officials have been pressuring people to leave refugee camps in its war-torn Darfur province in recent weeks, and United Nations officials say the regime has even forcibly loaded some civilians onto trucks to clear them out. Rights activists say Sudan hopes to empty the camps before January, when a U.N.-African Union force of 26,000 peacekeepers is to deploy in Darfur. Some refugee leaders think the Arab-dominated regime wants to scatter the ethnic African refugees before a national census. Sudanese officials agree they want the camps to close, saying the camps have become too big, squalid and dangerous and have made refugees too dependent on humanitarian aid. They insist, however, that no one is being forced to leave. About 209,000 have headed home in south Darfur alone, said Jamal Youssef, secretary-general of the Humanitarian Affairs Commission, a Sudanese government body that controls all humanitarian access to the camps. Some human rights groups say the government is racing to empty camps before the joint U.N.-African Union force arrives in Darfur to replace a smaller, poorly equipped AU mission that has been unable to quell fighting.

Many students struggle with debt incurred by reckless credit card use

Refugees forced to vacate Darfur camps before census

NATIONAL NEWS Drought causes drinking water shortage in Atlanta ATLANTA (AP) – A reservoir supplying the region’s water could be within three months of drying out amid a historic regional drought, or it could still have enough water to last until next summer. It just depends on who is asked. The debate is taking center stage as Georgia fights for a greater share of the region’s water supply. State officials said there’s about 80 days’ worth of drinking water left in Lake Lanier, which supplies 3 million people with water. But the Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the region’s water sources, contends there’s enough left for about 280 days, with more than half of it stored in the so-called “dead pool” — inactive storage at the bottom of the lake. The pool is below the level of most water system intake pipes, and accessing it would be time consuming and expensive, state environmental officials said. The governors of the three states are slated for a three-hour meeting with Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and other Bush administration officials in an effort to reach a temporary agreement.

STATE NEWS Authorities undecided on punishment for fire starter LOS ANGELES (AP) – Authorities said Wednesday they had not decided whether to charge a 12-year-old boy, who while playing with matches, started a blaze that ripped through 38,000 acres and destroyed 21 homes.

Authorities said the boy, whose name has not been released, admitted to starting the fire in north Los Angeles County during interviews with investigators. The district attorney’s office was “not sure whether they’ll bring any charges, given that it was an accidental fire,” said Los Angeles County fire Capt. Michael Brown. Downed power lines, arson and construction workers have been blamed with starting other fires that destroyed some 2,100 homes and blackened 809 square miles from Los Angeles County to the Mexican border the last 10 days. Investigators initially considered a downed power line as the source of the Buckweed Fire but never officially listed it as the cause. State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner estimated Wednesday that damage from the fires, most of which were contained by Wednesday afternoon, would exceed $1.5 billion. Investigators also blamed an arsonist for setting the Santiago Fire in Orange County.

By KARL ZYNDA

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

Credit cards can be very useful to people who are traveling, experiencing temporary shortages of cash, or who are trying to build credit in order to purchase a car or a home.

But the dangers hidden in high interest rates and fees can be significant.

“I had a friend who declared bankruptcy shortly after college because of credit card debt,” said Larry Martin, senior coordinator of Cal State Fullerton New Student Orientations.

“Her one credit card for emergencies quickly turned into 13.”

Martin’s friend’s debt peaked at between $23,000 and $25,000. She ultimately declared bankruptcy. She also had student loans she could not default on. Martin thinks she was about 23 when she declared bankruptcy.

Serena Cline, a coordinator for New Student Orientations, said she knew someone who used a credit card to pay for what she needed for college.

Her debt increased to $15,000 before she used her retirement fund to pay it down to a manageable amount.

Martin and Cline use these stories to warn new students at CSUF of how credit card debt can get out of control.

Across the nation, concern over the marketing of credit cards to students is growing. Fifteen states already ban or restrict credit card marketing to

For the Record It is the policy of the Daily Titan to correct any inaccurate information printed in the publication as soon as the error is discovered. Any incorrect information printed on the front page will result in a correction printed on the front page. Any incorrect information printed on any other page will be corrected on page 2. Errors on the Opinion page will be corrected on that page. Corrections also will be noted on the online version of the Daily Titan.

Please contact managing editor Julianna Crisalli at (714) 278-5693 or at jcrisalli@dailytitan.com with issues about this policy or to report any errors.

Daily Titan Editorial Executive Editor Managing Editor News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor Photo Editor Photo Editor Sports Editor Entertainment Editor Opinion Editor Special Projects Editor Copy Chief Copy Editor Copy Editor Internet Editor Multimedia Editor Adviser Main Line (714) 278-3373 News Line (714) 278-4415

Ian Hamilton Julianna Crisalli Laurens Ong Johnathan Kroncke John Sakata Cameron Pemstein Karl Thunman Shawn Trondsen Jennifer Caddick Bram Makonda Erin Tobin Ellice Soliven Sofia Arvidson Robert Moran Jake Kilroy Jazmine Graza Tom Clanin Editorial Fax (714) 278-4473 E-mail: news@dailytitan.com

Advertising Director of Advertising Asst. Director of Advertising Ad Production Manager Production Designer Classified Manager National Sales Promotions Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Web Master Distribution Business Manager/Adviser Main Line (714) 278-3373 Advertising (714) 278-4411

Stephanie Birditt Sarah Oak Keith Hansen Steve Kendall Glen Monroe Jackie Kimmel Jackie Kimmel Ailin Buigues Chad Cisneros Elizabeth Hernandez Juliet Roberts Helen Sim Dmitriy Filchenko Santana Ramos Robert Sage Advertising Fax (714) 278-2702 E-mail: ads@dailytitan.com

The Daily Titan is a student publication, printed every Monday through Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSUF System. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the 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

Exp 11/30/07

Exp 11/30/07

Exp 11/30/07

CLIPART.com

students on campus, according to the Associated Press.

The last national survey on students and credit cards was conducted

by Nellie Mae, a student loan company, in 2004, according to the Associated Press.

The survey reported that 91 percent of students had credit cards by their final year in college, and that the average outstanding balance of all student credit cards was $2,169.

More than half carried balances of

less than $1,000.

Aggressive marketing of credit cards on the campus at CSUF used to be commonplace several years ago, said Associate Dean of Students Esiquio Uballe.

“Some time ago, the credit card companies were doing willy-nilly credit card marketing,” Uballe said.

Offering free gifts to students, such as a T-shirt, in exchange for filling out a credit card application, was a regular practice, he said.

The California Student Financial Responsibility Act of 2001 put an end to that.

A part of California’s education code, the law caused changes in the university policies regulating the marketing practices used by credit card companies while on campuses.

Sites where credit cards are marketed on campus must be registered, and campuses were told to consider limiting the number of sites. Gifts in exchange for filling out credit card applications were prohibited.

Education about credit cards and debt became a regular part of the campus orientation of new students.

The law made a big difference in how credit cards are marketed on the CSUF campus.

Before the law, Uballe said, five to 10 credit card companies and banks would request spaces for marketing credit cards in a week.

In the last two years, that number has dwindled to about one a week.

Uballe credits the end of gift offers for the slowdown. He recalled the response of one credit card company after learning about the new rule.

The company told Uballe “that’s how we get them to [fill out applications]. If we can’t get them to do that, then it’s not worth our time.” The company did not return to CSUF. The legislation also called for credit and debt education to become a regular part of the campus orientation of new students. CSUF fulfills its obligation by giving a seminar that teaches about credit and debt during New Student Orientation.

During the optional part of the orientation, workshops are offered, including one in financial management, that is taught by Martin and See CREDIT CARDS, Page 3

3

NEWS

November 1, 2007

CREDIT CARDs: SAVING YOURSELF FROM DEBT

Day of the Dead celebration

(from Page 2)

NGUYEN: PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF FOR CSUF STUDENT (from Page 1)

A team player, Nguyen didn’t hesitate to bring her ideas to the table.

CSUF Volunteer Center Coordinator Amy Mattern said she has learned a lot from Nguyen.

“Kylie is really creative,” Mattern said. “For example, in fall of ’06 she thought of the idea to bring homeless children to campus. From that perspective, she’s also brought innovative programming.”

Mattern also said part of the rea-

son why the volunteer center has such a strong program is partly because of students like Nguyen.

“She challenges me to think about things in a new way and consider things I haven’t before,” Mattern said. “But also, her ability to connect with the homeless population [is impressive]. She’s a mentor for our volunteers. She’s able to go up to people in challenging situations and give.”

While Nguyen inspires others, her parents have been ideal role

models for her.

“My parents are amazing. They sacrifice everything to give their children a future. Work is very important to them because it meant the future for their children,” Nguyen said.

Academic Coordinator Neda Tavassoli said Nguyen’s focus was working with disadvantaged youth.

“What sets her apart is she has always committed her time to work as somewhat of an activist to

bring attention to meet the needs of mostly children in southern California,” Tavassoli said.

Ford said Nguyen has a quiet demeanor but adds a lot to her course.

“She’s not afraid to speak up, and when she speaks, it’s very substantive,” Ford said. “Kylie’s been active on campus and her varied interests throughout the community. She has a wide breadth of experience, and her intellect and drive are impressive.”

CIRCUS: A SPECIAL EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED (from Page 1)

“All of the shows are different from one another – different make up, completely different music, different story lines,” Reilly said. “Ours is an old world Italian theme … it doesn’t have a lot of the heavy make up and the wild space-age costumes.”

The “Corteo” stage is also different because instead of a typical stage that juts into the audience, its stage splits the audience in half so that it’s a theater in the round, Reilly said.

“We try not to close the shows,” Reilly said. “We revamp them to go into arenas or to go into smaller venues, but the idea is to have it run 10 to 15 years under a big top.”

Cirque du Soleil shows have itineraries planned up to two years ahead, Reilly said.

The shows run no shorter than three and a half weeks at every city.

“Corteo’s” next stop is San Diego.

“It is really expensive to move [the show] around,” Reilly said.

“Depending on where the next show is at, it can cost up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Reilly said she has been with “Corteo” since its inception, years before its world premiere in 2005 in Montreal, Canada.

Since then, she has traveled to many cities. However, Reilly said she is hardly a “carnie.”

“I have all my teeth and we stay in corporate apartments,” Reilly said as she laughed.

After the North American tour in 2008, “Corteo’s” next stop is Japan.

The show opens on Nov. 8 in the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center. For ticket information, log on to www.cirquedusoleil.com.

“

We don’t want people to be scared of credit cards, but we do want them to be careful.

“

By JOHN SAKATA/Daily Titan Assistant News Editor Blowing on a atekokoli, Huiitzi Arteaga, 14, and Tananzin Arteaga, 17 ring in Day of the Dead during a MEChA-sponsored event in the Quad Monday afternoon.

had initially with ones that offered her better rates.

Cline.

Origel purchased her motorcycle, The Financial Management seminar topics are budget creation, edu- a Kawasaki Ninja, using her credit. cation financing and credit manage- “It was more than I should have ment. The workshop teaches that the paid for it,” she said. She is still payway to establish credit is by starting ing down the motorcycle, but she is a savings account and a checking building up her credit.

Origel had advice for other stuaccount, paying bills, applying for secured loans, having a co-signer dents who want to establish credit.

“Choose wisely,” she said. “Try to and applying for a credit card. The things that impact credit scores, such keep a good record for the first two as credit inquiries, delinquencies years on a credit card, because that’s and bankruptcies, are also discussed. when you’re building credit.”

Truth About Credit is a project Credit scores can be improved by paying off credit cards, keeping some of the U.S. Public Internet Research credit cards open, making timely Group Education Fund and the Stupayments, opening new accounts dent PIRG’s. At its Web site, http:// slowly and resolving past bad credit. truthaboutcredit.org/consumer-tips, “We don’t want people to be scared it offered the following six tips to of credit cards, but we do want them avoid getting stuck with deep credit to be cautious,” Ryan Alcantara, as- card debt: 1. Shop Around. Look for an ansociate dean of students, New Student Programs, said. “Making the nual percentage rate of 15 percent or minimum payment is never going lower and no annual fees. Read the to pay off your balance, and I don’t fine print to make sure they cannot impose penalty think all students rates for being understand that.” late paying to a Vice Presidifferent creditor dent for Student or utility compaAffairs Robert ny, or change the Palmer also beterms of the conlieves students tract at any time must be careful for any reason. when acquiring – Ryan Alcantara, 2. Use credit credit cards.

“Unless it is Associate dean of cards sparingly.

If you can’t pay absolutely neces- students, new student programs off the balance sary, I oppose stueach month, then dents getting sevdon’t use them eral credit cards,” he said. “They can get themselves in for day-to-day purchases.

3. Pay off balances in full each a lot of trouble pretty quick.”

Many CSUF students replied that month. If you can’t, then make the they got their first credit cards from largest payment each month.

4. Make payments as early as postheir banks for the sake of convesible every month. nience.

5. Call your credit card company “It was the bank my parents used, and I set up a student checking ac- and ask for a lower rate. It is cheaper count in high school,” said Alicia for a credit card company to keep Haneiwich, 23, a theater arts major. you as a customer than to find a new one. In a recent U.S. PIRG study, “I just went in and asked for it.”

Giovanna Origel, 22, a child de- over half of the consumers who called velopment major, has worked at their credit card companies lowered building up her credit. She received their rates by a third or more.

6. If you have problems paying, many credit card offers in the mail, and chose the ones with the low- seek help. Talk to a credit card counest interest rates. As her credit im- seling service or a financial counproved, she replaced the cards she selor.

OPINION

4

Titan Editorial

Providing insight, analysis and perspective since 1960

No free condoms in the Daily Titan Early in the semester, the Daily Titan entered into a promotional agreement with the Student Health and Counseling Center.

Together, we wanted to help prevent unplanned pregnancies and reduce the risk of college students contracting sexually transmitted diseases by inserting one condom into each of the 4,500 copies of the Nov. 14 Daily Titan.

This would be beneficial to all involved – the center would receive publicity for the many services it provides and the Daily Titan would provide something more tangible than words and photos.

Now, the center seems to be backing out of the agreement.

Earlier this week, someone complained to the university’s Student Affairs about our relatively innocuous promotion for the event featuring stick figures having sex in the missionary position. It’s amazing how such a small thing can create such a big problem.

Tuesday, Howard Wang, associate vice president for Student Affairs and acting executive director for the center, said, “We will not have the Health Center associated with that particular advertisement.”

Well, Wang, your wish has been granted.

Less than 24 hours after that statement, the management of the center, including Wang and Vice President for Student Affairs Robert Palmer, decided to distance themselves from the Daily Titan.

They tried to alter the agreement and offer a “coupon” you can redeem at the center on Nov. 14 only, instead of actually providing condoms in the paper. They believe it is a better campaign to recruit students to visit their facility directly. What’s more, they feel it will be less offensive.

Those in charge of the center are sorely mistaken. They are adopting a very dangerous philosophy that denies a person the ability to protect themselves simply because that protection may offend some people. The bottom line is that fewer students will take the condoms. Out of the 4,500 condoms the Daily Titan was going to distribute to students by way of impulse grabs, only a small fraction will take the trip with their coupon to the center and get their free condom. Rather than 4,500 condoms in the pockets, wallets, purses and backpacks of students all over campus, the center will only give out a small fraction of this number through their coupon system. Some will be embarrassed, some will forget, some will be lazy and, thanks to the management

of the center, these students will be more likely to get pregnant or contract AIDS. After a month of posting signs promoting the event, signs which bear the same stamp of approval from the Dean of Students office that every other piece of “free speech” on campus has, the administration is now afraid of offending a few people. How could those who run the center not have thought of any of this before they entered into an agreement? Is the center really run that poorly? How could our poster be approved by the Dean of Students office, then retroactively censored? Is it the stick figures, or is it the condom that’s offensive?

The center should be offering the Daily Titan a full refund for the cost of advertisements that are now irrelevant. The management of the center can’t do something like this at the last minute and not suffer consequences. If it can somehow escape financial consequences, then it should expect its reputation to be tarnished. The reluctant attitude of the university in the simple act of condom distribution should have every student questioning the credibility of the center.

The Daily Titan apologizes for being unable to provide what we promised weeks ago.

November 1, 2007

Been there, heard that line before

By Nikki Donahue

Daily Titan Staff Writer opinion@dailytitan.com

Here’s the thing, I’m a female so that automatically makes me a prime victim for the worst pick up lines ever to grace the face of this planet. Let me start with an example.

I was at a poetry reading.

OK, that right there is inevitably a red flag. Poetry readings spawn some of society’s worst repeat offenders in the jerk-off come-on department. It’s a common misconception that men who hang out at coffee houses have absorbed enough vowel-chiming to swoon, well, anyone.

Let’s continue.

Some random guy with bad highlights and trash monster boots took the vacant seat next to me and started wielding the “I’m going to try my hardest to get in your jeans” conversation. Let me offer a few hints. One, “Are you a model?” is a great line if the girl is tall enough to touch street lights and can survive off the remnants of cocaine at the bottom of her Prada handbag. It’s not a good line if she’s 5-foot-nothing and sporting knock-offs, which I am and was doing. Am I model?

What, for Baby Gap? Try again, home slice.

Two, when it’s obvious I’m forcing myself to compliment the hideous multi-colored scarf this guy adorned his neck with, a smart response isn’t that his mother bought it for him because it “looked” foreign and he likes that sort of thing.

Sir, you’re 40-something, you

should never admit to liking things that are fabricated to look foreign, and I was lying when I said I liked it. Note for the future: People’s eyes dilate when they fib. I looked like I’d gotten fitted for trifocals.

Another thing, pretending to be elated when I express that I don’t drink is alright. But acting like a giggling little school girl who finally found his nonalcoholic soul mate is about as becoming as getting maced in the face. Seriously, that sort of thing is embarrassing.

And let me just say, using the world’s supply of hair gel is reserved only for men named Rico. He looked like his name should have been Chad.

And we all know Chads aren’t allowed to wet comb their semi-wave back. It’s somewhere in the Constitution. This guy thought he was Adonis.

I understand Halloween was just around the corner, but I’m willing to bet my life that the mid-life-crisis costume didn’t take the gold at this year’s office party. And if it did, we will take the medal away if you’re caught still wearing acid-wash jeans weeks later. For the sanctity of all that is righteous in the world, this

guy’s pants were so high-waisted I felt 1990 all over again. And I never liked being that proximal to the 90’s in the first place. Dare I looked at the floor ... were they tapered too?

Yes. Yes they were. Granted, Miami Vice fashion had its appeal. But unless this guy had an awesome Ferrari hood to slide across out in the parking lot, he and his racially profiled scarf were going home alone.

Men, I feel their pain. Women can be a tough breed of human to hunt unless you’re the reincarnation of Clark Gable, wearing a nicely tailored suit woven out of hundred dollar bills and the manifestation of charm. But maybe we’ve become so good at dodging blatant attempts of getting “some,” whatever that all encompassing term includes, because those pick-up lines being fired off like a Dick Cheney manned rifle are not only completely missing the target, but horribly lame.

The key is to aim for flattery, not regurgitated introductions that, oh I don’t know, maybe one out of a million men actually successfully have used.

Polish up the sycophant ways because it’s starting to be insulting, not to mention really annoying.

Jake’s Take

Torture porns are torturing cinema (Part I) AUTHOR’S DISCLAIMER: I love generalizations. I love hating things. And I generally hate torture films.

The horror film genre is a staple in American cinema.

Was that a generic enough lead?

Good, because so is the genre. Zing!

Actually, I should explain. My grief isn’t so much with horror films, but I’m instead upset about the subgenre of horror known as “torture porn,” a movement popularizing the graphic depiction of serious torture as the single main theme and “plot.”

Films included in this category: “Hostel” I & II, “Turistas,” “Captivity” and the “Saw” franchise.

Some of these misguided misadventures are now slowly being passed off as box office gold and are being defended as if these films are more than they appear.

Torture porn has as thorough a plot line as actual pornos. An impressive number of viewers defend these torture films with some mumbled excuse of a plot. Of course it has a plot line. But so do pornos. Which plot sounds more ridiculous: “American tourists get trapped in Europe and are tortured for the film’s duration” or “newlyweds travel to Las Vegas, where the husband loses all the money, so the wife must have sex with an entire casino to pay off debts for the film’s duration?” The difference between the two is that pornos play off their cartoonish atmosphere and ridiculous dialogue, which are two of the characteristics of good horror. Torture porns don’t do that.

Pornos are written with the sex scenes planned out first. “We’re going to stick this thing in that girl and make her scream,” says some schmuck with a ponytail. Then, they write a thin plot to connect the scenes (i.e: some hot busty teacher must teach boys how to be good by showing them how to be bad).

Torture porns are written with the violent scenes planned out first.

“We’re going to stick this thing in that girl and make her scream,” says some schmuck with a goatee. Then, they write a thin plot to connect the scenes (i.e: some deranged psychopath must teach hostages why they aren’t good by treating them badly).

Also known as “gornos” (a sly combo of “gore” and “porno”), these films exist with realistic mindless graphic torture as its central theme.

Films like “Syriana” and “Rendition” both include torture as a theme, but the topic is discussed academi-

5

OPINION

November 1, 2007

cally. And yes, those two films present political torture instead of the sadistic torture that the horror subgenre provides. I understand there’s a difference. But look at Quentin Tarantino’s knack for slipping in a quick scene of sadistic torture in “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction.” Observe that the scenes didn’t swallow the entire film’s structure.

Also, take notice of “Pulp Fiction” winning an Oscar for “Best Original Screenplay.” And, for the record, a person wanting to escape from being tortured isn’t character development.

I just want to make that clear before I keep marching on with this tirade.

I can’t fathom getting ready, picking up my friends, driving to a theater, paying $10 and spending two hours of my time to watch numerous innocent and harmless characters be graphically tortured on a big screen in front of me with other people sitting in the same dark room. But that’s just me. Well, actually, this is all me. This entire box of words is all me, since, you know, it’s my column.

A select number of my friends defend these films, saying that people are paying to be scared. However, I believe that there is a massive difference between being “scared” and being “shocked.” I don’t think the sentence “I can’t believe they’re showing that” counts as fear. That’s shock in my book. Fear requires compassion for characters. Watching a hand being graphically sawed in half or a face being melted off without much care for the victims doesn’t drive fear.

It motivates shock. It’s not fear being instilled in viewers like good horror does.

Torture porn just flashes shock over and over until the credits run.

The biggest joker using shock as a substitute for creativity is “Splat Pack” loudmouth Eli Roth. Instead of simply admitting he made “Hostel” to bank off of young adults’ interests in voyeurism and torture, he declared his film was showing America’s ignorance of the world around.

Roth later said, “I want to make movies that are interesting and different, and that make people think.”

Stop it, Roth. You have to stop this crap now. Stop bothering to justify your films. You’re almost as infuriating as your films. Almost.

Roth’s an idiot. Straight up, flat

TAKE THE HIGHER GROUND

The Higher Ground

Bush learned Katrina lessons Jake Kilroy take.kilroy@gmail.com

out. The guy’s a total moron. He’s like Tarantino’s annoying wannabe cousin, riding Tarantino’s coattails and ruining his name. I never took statistics, but I think I can wage an estimate that a hefty percentage of those who saw “Hostel” in theaters did so because Tarantino’s name was listed on the poster as one of the producers. That’s why “Hostel II” did so terrible in comparison.

So (justifiably) fed up with Roth, my friend Bret created the Facebook group “Someone is going to pay for what ‘Hostel’ did to American cinema” and gave me an officer position.

I have long been dormant in the forum, but now with the recent release of “Saw IV,” I feel an urgent need to return to the discussion, dancing my hands on the keyboard faster than ever.

What will our society reflect when a good number of movie-goers pay to see different scenes of torture in different theaters?

Picture this: Crowds of couples and friends buying popcorn and laughing before making an evening of torture; posters of nothing but blood and fearful wide eyes and ticket-takers telling you to enjoy your film, knowing full-well you’re about to sit and revel in the portrayal of innocent groups of people strapped down and slowly, relentlessly and graphically murdered.

Doesn’t that sound like a sick, sadistic and bleak look at the future?

Since these films love sequels and look-a-likes, I’m going to keep this going. Read Jake’s Take next week for Part II of “Torture porns are torturing cinema.”

As flames burned throughout Southern California last week, President Bush was quick to respond to the flaming “state of emergency” that engulfed the area; a complete turnaround from his and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005.

What motivated the president to fly so quickly to California to meet the hundreds of displaced fire victims in the San Diego area, while when water flooded New Orleans, the president’s initial response was to just get an aerial view of the scene?

As talks regarding the fire circulated around campus, I overheard that Bush came to California so fast because rich white people were being affected, not the poor, like the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I think that reason is highly doubtful.

Hurricane Katrina was a devastation that hit a poor area of the country, and the president’s response, or lack here of, to that catastrophe was due to its own set of reasons, for which he received a large amount of criticism for. So now, with another disaster burning, the President received another chance to redeem himself.

He learned his lesson after Hurricane Katrina. His response to Katrina was wretched and poorly

Letters to the Editor:

organized. To make the same mistake twice would be a critical blow to his presidency.

As I watched Bush mingle with the fire victims and thank the firefighters for doing a wonderful job, I was impressed with his actions.

Although the fires in the Southland were devastating, they were not as devastating as Hurricane Katrina.

Residents in both areas lost homes, loved ones and property, yet the importance and necessity of quick relief and funding were more important for Katrina victims due to the extent of the damage.

Citizens of California could drive out of the area to a nearby city and get fresh food, water and supplies. Katrina victims, stuck in a flooded city, could not.

But one cannot turn back time.

One can only learn from the past.

So although Bush’s reaction to Katrina was unfortunate, the only thing left for him to do was to learn from the disaster and the criticisms he received during Katrina.

And that is what he did. The president signed a declaration last week for federal funds for families affected by the fires. This aid will be in the forms of grants for home repairs and temporary housing, as well as loans to cover property losses.

During the Katrina tragedy, the government was criticized for the

by Aleksandra Wojtalewicz insufficient number of National Guard troops to help out in the flooded city. This time, the military became involved by sending aircraft and having more than 17,000 National Guardsmen and 550 marines ready to help put out the fires.

Most importantly, the president made a presence at the disaster site.

Although monetary aid relieves property damage and provides staples to victims, the actual presence of the president does wonders to boost the spirits of those who lost their homes and valuables to a natural disaster.

The mayor of New Orleans, the governor of Louisiana and the president pointed fingers at one another in 2005. Two years later, representatives of the local city governments, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the president stepped up to the plate.

They reached out to those in need right away with comforting words of support.

Any feedback, positive or negative, is encouraged, as we strive to keep an open dialogue with our readership. The Daily Titan reserves the right to edit letters for length, grammar and spelling. Direct all comments, questions or concerns along with your full name and major to Executive Editor Ian Hamilton at ihamilton@dailytitan.com

6

FEATURES

Halloween Snapshots

November 1, 2007

Moda Diba and Natasha Levesque dressed as a rocker and a cop.

Alex Avila and Tony Baek dressed as Mario and his friend.

Left to Right - Mai Hayakawa, Caroline Esparza, Andrea Ramirez Martinez and Jayson Telles.

Daniel Ponciano dressed as a pimp.

Chris Ford and Noelle Aguirre dressed as a buccaneer and Hogwarts student.

Kevin Lim.

Amanda Perez dressed as a Bumblebee.

Left to right - London Outlaw, Natali Tangherlini, Lynsie Haley, Bekah Walsten, and Jenilee McCoy dressed as the Spice Girls.

Lisa Watson dressed as Strawberry Girl.

Tung Nguyen dressed as a Team Fortress II Assassin.

Stefany Mandup as a workout girl.

Joslyn Hernandez dressed as a cop.

Left to Right - Carlin Ocean and Brandon Thomas dressed as basketball players.

Kris Wimberly dressed as a ghost.

FEATURES

Phlogging

November 1, 2007

7

By Cameron Pemstein

I gave all of you the opportunity to be captured by my costume (a camera), and it was a HUGE SUCCESS. Many of you were skeptical with a giant black box approaching you while I said, “Let me shoot you!� But after all was said and done, following the comfort of my flash popping, you realized that I am not so crazy. Enjoy your photos, Titans.

MULTIMEDIA

o Check out dailytitan.com for a video slideshow of Halloween snapshots.

Photos by Cameron Pemstein/ Daily Titan Photo Editor

Lauren Scott dressed as a deviled egg.

Eric Kuong and Antona Vega.

Elizabeth Robles dressed as a cop.

Akuma Ukpo dressed as Black Suit Spiderman.

Richard Barnwell dressed as a Ding Dong cup cake.

Crystal Rincon dressed as Tigger.

Marlean Marquez dressed as a geisha.

Stephanie Bailey dressed as a pirate.

Left to Right - Nick Rocz, Lauren King and Nico Ramirez.

Megan Edwards dressed as a witch.

Mike Harper and Dasha Shleyva.

Sam Doan dressed as a warrior.

Daivd Perez dressed as a skeleton.

8

FEATURES

November 1, 2007

Phlogging

By Cameron Pemstein

Arttoday.com

Finding flights for fewer dollars Cheap, easy travel is available with a little planning

By Sarah Mosqueda

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

Thanksgiving break may have students thankful for some much deserved time off, but those forced to shell out cash for expensive airfares home for the holidays may feel more like a turkey.

Students spend an average of $1,200 a year on travel, with 40 percent going to Thanksgiving travel expenses, according to a survey conducted by Studentuniverse.com.

However, traveling by plane doesn’t have to cost a small fortune.

Getting the best deal takes some research, but Cal State Fullerton students have a few options to make the holiday travel season as easy as pumpkin pie.

Studentuniverse.com is a travel site catering exclusively to students.

“

Their pull-tab fliWednesday. ers can be found “The more posted all over flexible you can campus.

Like be,” Pierce said. many student “The better discount sites, fares you’ll be Studentuniverse. able to find.” com brings stuThe cheapest dents and faculty round-trip fare – Sandee Lewis the lowest prices the site offers travel agent by working with from Orange Universal Travel Agency airlines directly.

County to New “StudentuvniYork City is verse.com negoti$334. ates directly with the airlines to get Priceline.com, a travel site that alspecial discounts just for students,” lows customers to name their own said Caroline Hardy Pierce, public price, isn’t exclusively for students relations representative for Studen- but also offers some great deals. tuniverse.com. “Because we check Priceline.com offers searches acto make sure every person that buys cording to price range. The discount a ticket is a student, the airlines are is made possible by fudging your dewilling to offer us lower prices be- parture date or time. cause they know that students won’t With Priceline.com, custumers fly unless the price is right.” choose departure and arrival days, The Web site requires customers but what time those flights leave is to open an account with them in left to the agency. order to verify their status as a curThe lowest round-trip ticket from rently enrolled student. Their rates Orange County to New York City can be low, but pickings are slim. this site offers is $388.

Many of Studentuniverse.com’s CSUF students also have STA deals are only available Monday to travel, a full service travel agency, available at their disposal. STA, located in the Titan Student Union, is equipped to help students with travel needs ranging from weekend getaways or trips overseas.

Marleen Martinez, a travel agent at STA, said the easiest way for students to save money is to book early.

“You can get the best deal if you book like, two months in advance,” Martinez said. “You can’t do it a few weeks before.”

For Thanksgiving travel, Martinez also recommends traveling early along with booking early.

“Leaving the Thursday before Thanksgiving can save you money too,” Martinez said.

Student Travel Agency can help students find reasonable air fares and also assist in finding rental cars and hotels. The agency books group tours and can issue international student ID cards and hostel youth cards as well.

The lowest round-trip ticket from Orange County to New York City STA offers is $327.

As a general rule, traveling on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday is usually cheaper than flying on Thursday, Friday or over the weekend. But since Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday, flying Tuesday will be the cheapest, Martinez explained.

Then there’s always “turkey fares.”

“A turkey fare is a low price ticket, generally in the $100 price range, that airlines offer for flying roundtrip on Thanksgiving day, or with a return the following day,” Pierce said.

Don’t depend too much on the release of turkey fares, however, because airlines don’t always offer them.

“I haven’t seen too many turkey fares in recent years,” said Sandee Lewis , a travel agent at University Travel Agency in Fullerton. “Airlines used to offer them for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I did it once and it was dirt cheap.”

If you aren’t lucky enough to find a turkey fare, Lewis recommends being open to alternative travel dates.

“Be flexible, that’s my big advice,” Lewis said. “There are still cheap flights out there, you just have to be flexible.”

Be flexible, that’s my best advice. There are still cheap flights out there but you have to be flexible.

“

The California fires caused a great deal of havoc during the month of October. The damage ruined lives, homes, the environment and air quality.

Though these fires were the force behind relentless destruction, they were also responsible for creating one thing that seemed nice to look at: an orange moon. During the day, the sun hung low as a bright red spot against a background of the dirty yellow sky. However, once the sun set, a moon rarely ever seen crept above our homes.

Therefore, I played off a different perspective to lighten up the situation (literally) by turning the orange moon [unfortunately it’s black and white here, but check it out online] into a jack-o-lantern. Instead of reflecting on what has burned, maybe we should consider the rarity of what loomed in the sky.

9

FEATURES

November 1, 2007

‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’ explore life, death on CSUF stage

By Laura Burrows

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

It goes against all logic for a coin to circle and writhe in the air, only to land in the “heads” position after every toss, but it is in this very lunacy that the stage is set.

“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” is the celebrated tale born of the juxtaposition of life and death, reality and romanticism by writer/ playwright Tom Stoppard.

Stoppard, award-winning writer of “Shakespeare in Love,” tells the tale of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, childhood friends of the young prince of Denmark, Hamlet, as it occurs through their eyes.

Cal State Fullerton opens its adaptation on Friday in the Hallberg Theatre under the direction of graduate student Kevin Slay. Slay’s vision of the play is one of morbid idiosyncrasies. The cast understands his vision as “the lost theater storage-space for all Hamlets.”

In this adaptation, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are not only dead, but walk among the culmination of hundreds of performers who have ever played a role in “Hamlet.” The idea is that if life is a stage, then limbo is the players’ playhouse once the curtain closes.

“I approached the play with the question of where do the people of theater go after a play ‘dies,’” Slay said. “The setting is a metaphor for the sad reality that once a play closes and fades from memory, it dies.”

The metaphor of the play as a living organism extends to say that the playwright births the play in its initial form, molding it from conception and watching it grow into adolescence and adulthood.

As the actors begin rehearsals, the play reaches full maturity. It reaches its peak with the heightened emotion emanating from the audience.

Sadly, as the last groundling exits the theater, the play enters into degradation. As the cast strikes the set, the play loses itself and already is nearly forgotten.

“My goal is that the audience remembers this production, this version,” Slay said. “If it is remembered it will always be alive and will never be sent to ‘storage.’”

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern do not acknowledge themselves as in “storage” for most of the play; rather they use clever banter and insidious humor to deny their fates.

Eventually the pair must come

Photos By Damon Casarez /For the Daily Titan Cal State Fullerton’s production of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” turns the popular Shakespeare tale of “Hamlet” on its head.

to terms with being dead, and this clever commentary on death and existentialism climaxes with uproarious humor and morbid cynicism.

The two leads, played by senior musical theater major Louis Pardo as Rosencrantz and junior acting student Eric Czuleger as Guildenstern, have a working chemistry both on and off stage. The pair, clad in heavy coats and wild hair, looked to each other for much of the direction and characterization as their characters strongly resemble the ensemble’s own clever and curious nature.

“Eric is the cerebral one and I am visceral, so we used each other to discern our characters,” Pardo said.

“We used what [director] Kevin called ‘organic staging.’ We had to play off each other until we found the right staging for each scene.”

Many of the original characters from “Hamlet” make an appearance in “Rosencrantz.” Ophelia, Polonius, King Claudius and Horatio are just a few of the signature characters who

Time and Ticket Information Showings at 8 p.m. on

Nov. 2, 3 8-10, 15-17 Additional 2 p.m. showings

Nov. 4, 10, 11, 17, 18 Tickets are

$8 in advance w/ Titan I.D. $9 at the door are re-vamped for this production.

Lauren Harry, an international student originating from Trinity College in Carmarthen, South Wales, plays Queen Gertrude in the show.

Her experiences with the cast far exceeded her expectations prior to her arrival to the States.

“It is worth the experience just to audition, but getting a role was overwhelming,” Harry said.

CANCELED

SPORTS

10

November 1, 2007

BIG WEST: Titans’ competition looking strong Men’s Media Poll Results

1. UC Santa Barbara (13) - 152 2. Cal Poly SLO (2) - 138 3. Cal State Fullerton (1) - 114 4. UC Irvine - 109 5. Pacific - 92 6. Cal State Northridge - 76 7. Long Beach State (2) - 52 7. Cal State Northridge - 30 8. UC Davis - 43 9. UC Riverside - 34

Men’s Coaches Poll Results 1. UC Santa Barbara (4) - 58 2. Cal Poly SLO (1) - 52 t3. Pacific (3) - 48 t3. Cal State Fullerton (1) - 48 5. UC Irvine - 42 6. Cal State Northridge - 31 7. UC Davis - 20 8. Long Beach State - 14 9. UC Riverside - 11

(from Page 12) Williams said Cal Poly SLO, Pacific, CSUF and UC Irvine are all legitimate title contenders, but declined to place his own team in any particular position when asked. But he did say he thought they should be mentioned.

“We legitimately should be one of the teams that people are worried, concerned with or think have a shot at winning this league,” Williams said.

Cal Poly SLO is among the top teams in the conference as well because of the experience it gained from winning 10 of its last 12 games to end the season, and finishing No. 2 in the conference. The Mustangs also have key returning contributors, Dawin Whiten and Trae Clark, who are expected to lead the team this year in scoring.

The Mustang defense will once again be anchored by Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year Titus Shelton. Shelton led the team with 38 total blocked shots.

Cal Poly SLO Head Coach Kevin Bromley said he wants to see more of an all-around game from Shelton this year.

“’I’ve put a little pressure on him, I want him to be not just the Defensive Player of the Year, but in rebounding. He’s got to get more rebounds for us,” Bromley said. “He’s going to defend you now. He only knows one way to play the game.

He’s [over 6’7], he’s 272 pounds of nothing but muscle and [has a] quick first step.”

Other teams showing promise this year are UCI and University of the Pacific. Both teams are returning key starters and came off sub-par seasons.

UCI will be relying on Patrick Sanders, who led the Anteaters in scoring last year. They finished 1518 last season, but with four returning starters, they are looking to improve that record with the help of experience.

Pacific is also returning many key players from last year’s team.

Anthony Brown is expected to lead the team as he ranked seventh in the conference in scoring last year.

Junior guard Steffan Johnson and senior guard Solomon Horsechief will both be contributing to their point guard positions as they did last year.

Futures undecided for high-profile baseball free agents Schilling files for free agency, blogs wish-list of possible future teams The Associated Press

Although his first choice remains Boston, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling said on his blog that he would consider a dozen other teams for a “last year” based on quality of life and a chance to make it back to the playoffs.

Schilling previously said he would only rule out the rival New York Yankees.

On Tuesday evening, Schilling posted on his blog, 38pitches.com, the following list: “Cleveland, Detroit, Anaheim, New York Mets, Philadelphia, Atlanta, L.A., S.D., Arizona, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis, Milwaukee.”

“Teams we didn’t include aren’t for any one reason,” he wrote.

“There are a million little things that go into this from stadiums to school districts to travel to spring training to etc. etc. etc. but the list represents the teams after Boston that have some of the off the field things that are big to us, plus the potential to go into October next year.”

Only the Red Sox can sign the right-hander, who turns 41 this month, until Nov. 13; other teams can express an interest but not negotiate over money.

Schilling, who isn’t represented by an agent, said he called the baseball players’ association and told them he wanted to file for free agency.

“Weird,” Schilling wrote. “Something that can be so life altering was pretty much a 48-second phone call.”

6

Agent says A-Rod should be treated the same as other Yankees free agents The Associated Press

Scott Boras says the New York Yankees could still negotiate with Alex Rodriguez if they wanted to.

Boras maintained Wednesday that the Yankees should treat A-Rod the same way they deal with reliever Mariano Rivera and catcher Jorge Posada, who also are free agents.

“Why is it that Alex is the only Yankee who can’t become a free agent?” Boras said Wednesday. “That question was not answered, and we think it’s a question that’s going to be asked for years to come.”

The Yankees had repeatedly said that they wouldn’t negotiate with Rodriguez if he opted out because

they would lose the subsidy the Texas Rangers agreed to as part of the 2004 trade that sent A-Rod to New York. Rodriguez terminated his contract on Sunday.

“We were very sincere and honest and direct with Scott Boras. ... It’s a lot of money — to any franchise, even the New York Yankees,” general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday.

“It was just a representation of simple economics: $30 million is nothing to sneeze at.”

Boras, Rodriguez’s longtime agent, said the Yankees knew Rodriguez was planning to opt out.

“On Thursday we had two extended conversation with Cash discussing a number of variables regarding the Yankees and Alex,” Boras said. “We advised the Yankees that Alex, like other Yankee players, had the right to elect free agency.

Bram’s Breakdown

Bram Makonda

The breaking down of Los Angeles sports I purely and utterly despise you, Boston Nation.

The New England Patriots are 8-0 and obliterating anyone and everyone in their path to a sure Super Bowl title. The Boston Red Sox swept the unmatched Colorado Rockies to win their second title in three years. The Boston Celtics opened their season with three superstars and are favored to win the East. Boston College is ranked No. 2 in the nation in college football in its current undefeated season. Oh yeah, even the Bruins aren’t bad this season.

I may be a hater, but we Los Angeles fans have good reasons to give up in our hopes as loyal supporters of sports. Our teams are in disarray and we are losing the most gifted basketball player the NBA has ever seen in Kobe Bryant. Their joy is our sorrow and their gain is our deep loss.

This is why I’m taking a week off my fantasy column (because frankly, fantasy is just that – fantasy of how our teams should be out here) to discuss a more pressing matter: the disintegration of sports in L.A. as we know it.

Bram’s Breakdown of the breaking down of sports in L.A. Confused yet?

I am, and I offer no explanation of the state of our sports future, but I offer you this hope L.A. fans: the Dodgers are close to – if they haven’t already – signing one of the greatest managers in baseball history, Joe Torre. Torre’s arrival will mean a return to dignity and class to a franchise who desperately needs it. Dodgers fans have witnessed general managers come and go, and bad trades after bad trades. But we do have good, young players who will want to play for Torre because of his pro-

fessional approach to the game. It may not be everything, but it’s a very good start to bring the Dodgers back to elite status.

Kobe is leaving and all I have to say is: Don’t let the door hit you on your way out. The team is not as ready as he wants it to be. For that alone, trade him now so the Lakers can get the best value for pieces to build around Bynum and Crittenton. Kobe will be a huge loss, but did you see the opener?

Kobe’s presence does not allow for other Lakers to grow as basketball players and will only thrive with other players whom he respects. He doesn’t have any respect for this Lakers team and his coach has lost faith in him. The best thing the Lakers can do is move forward and get players who will want to play in Los Angeles.

And as for football, wait what’s football? We haven’t had an NFL team since ... forever. What happened to USC and their JV team UCLA? Another Rose Parade boys, maybe.

The latest news comes out of the City of Industry, where a land-developer instrumental in building the Staples Center, is set to develop a stadium. It’s not monumental, but at least the NFL realizes it cannot ignore one of the most marketable cities on the planet. Roger Goodell should not concentrate on the growth of the NFL in Europe before establishing a team in Los Angeles. He knows it’s not smart business.

While the spotlight may be on Boston now, L.A. fans have to be patient and hopeful that Los Angeles will return to the center of attention in the sporting world. So enjoy your heyday now Boston, it was well-deserved, but it won’t last forever.

CLASSIFIEDS

November 1, 2001

Index Announcements 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100

Campus Events/Services Campus Organizations Greeks Legal Notices Lost and Found Miscellaneous Personals Pregnancy Research Subjects Sperm/ Egg Donors Tickets Offered / wanted

Merchandise 2200 2300 2400 2500 2600 2700 2800 2900 3000 3100 3200 3300 3400 3500

Appliances Art/Painting/Collectibles Books Computers/Software Electronics Furniture Garage/Yard Sales Health Products Miscellaneous Musical Instruments Office Equipment Pets Rentals Sports Equipment

Transportation 3600 3700 3800 3900

Auto Accessories/Repair Auto Insurance Miscellaneous Vehicles For sale/Rent

Travel 4000 4100 4200 4300

Resorts/Hotels Rides Offered/Wanted Travel Tickets Vacation Packages

Services 4400 4500 4600 4700 4800 4900 5000 5100 5200 5300 5400 5500 5600 5700 5800 5900 6000

1-900 Numbers Financial Aid Insurance Computer/Internet Foreign Languages Health/Beauty Services Acting/Modeling Classes Legal Advice/Attorneys Movers/Storage Music Lessons Personal Services Professional Services Resumes Telecommunications Tutoring Offered/Wanted Typing Writing Help

Employment 6100 6200 6300 6400 6500 6600 6700 6800 6900 7000 7100

Business Opportunities Career Opportunities P/T Career Opportunities F/T Child Care Offered/Wanted Help Wanted Actors/Extras Wanted Housesitting Internship Personal Assistance Temporary Employment Volunteer

Housing 7200 7300 7400 7500 7600 7700 7800 7900

Apartments for Rent Apartments to Share Houses for Rent/Sale Guest House for Rent Room for Rent Roommates - Private Room Roommates - Shared Room Vacation Rentals

Advertising Information To place a classified ad, call

714.278.4453

By Fax: 714.278.2702

By Email: classified@dailytitan.com

By Mail: The Daily Titan College Park Bldg.

2600 E. Nutwood Ave. Suite 660 Fullerton, CA. 92831-3110 Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9 am - 5 pm Rates: One insertion, up to 20 words .........................................$5.50 each additional word........$0.39 12pt Headline...................$1.75 16pt Headline...................$2.50 Border..............................$5.50 • Weekly and monthly rates are also available.

• For classified display ads, please see our rate card for rate information.

Deadlines: Classified Line Ads: 3 Business days before printing @ 12 noon.

Classified Display Ads: 3 Business days before printing @ 12 noon.

Payment: Please make checks payable to: "The Daily Titan" We also accept Visa and Mastercard Read the Daily Titan online @

www.dailytitan.com

11

1600

6100

6200

6500

Miscellaneous Cellular Phones & Accessories All CSUF students receive 30% off all cellular and ipod accessories and 50% off if you upgrade or activate a new cellphone line. We carry charms, cases, ipod accessories, Bluetooth, Chargers. If we don’t have it we’ll give you an addition 5% off. Next to Fullerton AMC Theaters 446-6341

Business Opportunities

Career Opportunities P/T

Help Wanted

Real Estate Development/Pre School Management Company located in Fullerton. This office needs a candidate proficient in Word & Excel.College level classes in Business or Accounting.

Part time position, flexible hours.

Good pay package.

Call 714-323-9632

PART/TIME Private Gym Receptionist Looking for a customer service oriented and motivated individual.

Shifts available: 11am-4:30pm $8/hour. Applications required and available at 5325 Village Center Drive, Yorba Linda. Just minutes from CSUF. Questions - please contact Susan or Jeff at 714-779-0657.

www.felicewear.com handbags, T-shirts, tote bags price from $5.00 dlls. a bag (213) 612-0968

5500 Professional Services

Bar1 Credit Services

**Credit Repair** We legally remove negative information from your credit report. Honest and affordable. Call Now! 877-2271243 or check out www.bar1creditservices.com Fiscal audits of the Associated Students and Titan Students Union for the year ending 6/30/07 may be reviewed in TSU-218 during business hours.

Graduate student available for evening and weekend private tutoring in English, Reading, EWP, History and Research Skills. Call (714) 726-4132.

Math, Science, English, and Education majors to tutor younger students (k-8). Call (714) 5778540

6100 Business Opportunities 53 Full & Part-Time Jobs Sodexho to manage employee food service at DISNEYLAND starting now. We will coordinate with your school schedule, offering days, afternoons, evenings and weekends. Full-Time (over 30 hrs/wk) Benefits: Free Parking, Disneyland park pass for all employees. Sodexho (www.sodexho.com) is a global food service company in over 80 countries. For immediate consideration, call 714524-4529.

Make Big Dollers

Become A GoYin Founding Distributor Before 2007 Launch.

Call Local Director For Details.

Jesse: (714) 234-6475

6200 Career Opportunities P/T Hotel bellman/guest services wanted. Full/Part time positions available incl. weekends.

Starting wage $10/hr + tips and extras. Award winning family hotel across from Disneyland.

Applicants must be CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERTS, upbeat, outgoing & active. Apply in person 9am - 5pm any day of the week.

Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel, 1380 S. Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, CA 92802. www.hojoanaheim.com.

Get Paid To Play Video Games!

Earn $25 - $120 to test and play new video games. www.videogamepay.com.

PR Job For Artist/Designer Caly Design Research, a toyota company, is seeking PR/ Media Relations Coordinator at our Newport Beach Design Studio.

Candidate must posses a dynamic and engaging personality; design/ visual art education and/or exp; and professional writing experience. Responsibility will be to represent and promote Toyota’s automotive designs to the public and media. For more information and to apply, visit www.toyota. com/talentlink. No Calls please.

Clerical full time position for small size construction company.

Must possess excellent computer and phone skills. Call 714 9782500.

Earn $800-$3200 a month to drive brand new cars with ads placed on them. www.adcarclub.com.

Real Estate Investor Seeks Students Earn a potential $15k-$20k month while we coach and mentor you Jeffery (951) 813-2554 set4lifeinvestments@yahoo.com

Administration Assistant Needed

6400 Child Care Offered/Wanted Sitters Wanted! $10 or more per hour. Register free for jobs near campus or home. www.student-sitters.com.

6500 Help Wanted PART TIME Work at private lake w/boating in Yorba Linda. Boathouse positions available. Will train. Must be customer service oriented, motivated, w/CA Drivers license. $8.00/hour. Minutes from CSUF. Shifts available: Sundays 7am – 3:30pm and 12pm-7:30pm. East Lake Village, 5325 Village Center Drive. 779-0657. Applications required. Ask for Jeff or Susan.

Are you depressed for more than two weeks?

The University of California, Irvine and the University of California, San Diego Psychiatry Departments are recruiting patients for a study of sleep deprivation as a potential treatment for depression. We will also study how other changes of the sleeping time might affect depressed mood.

Subjects will be compensated for their time and inconvenience. If you are interested, please call us at (949) 824-3362.

Pre School Teacher/ Tutor Needed Preferably with ECE units Full-time or Part-time position.

Flexible hours and a good pay package. Pre School located in Fullerton & Tustin.

Pls. Call 562-631-4788

Humorscopes brought to you by humorscope.com

Aries (March 21 - April 19) You may have to share a hotel room with a business colleague, to save travel expenses.

Here’s a tip to keep them from talking all night: bring along a teddy bear, and punch it really hard in the head a few times at bedtime, screaming “Shut up, Mr. Teddy! Shut up!.”

Taurus (April 20 - May 20) An old flame will call today, and invite you to lunch. It’s actually a trick to try to get you involved with AmWay. Also, check page 5 of the newspaper for something you’ve been wait ing for.

SUDOKU

Gemini (May 21 - June 20) Slow day today. Surprisingly, it will be due to a time/space anomaly caused by a localized anti-tachyon surge, and will mainly occur in your neighborhood. Time-flow should return to normal soon.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) About your new idea... Sure, I’ll bet you could sell your handmade voodoo dolls by market ing them over the Internet. The competition, however, can be “fierce.”

Leo (July 23 - August 22) Today you will be seized by inspiration, and shaken like a rat in the jaws of a terrier. You will wax poetic, assuming that “poetic” is the name of your car.

Virgo (August 23 - September 22) You will have a visit from “The Scourge of Valderia.” He’s thin, small, balding, wears little round glasses, and dresses in a rumpled blue suit. Still you don’t want to cross him.

Libra (September 22 - October 22) Today you will flip a coin 4 times, and it will come up “heads”, “tails”, “heads”, “heads.”

Then someone will come up and say “hey, whatcha doing?” Then the phone will ring. Just a coincidence, though, in this case.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) Excellent day to make strange mouth noises, particularly in a crowded elevator.

Previous Puzzle

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) Someone will give you a card, today. It’ll be nice.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 20) You will find an alien artifact behind the cush ion in the sofa. Point the pointy end away from you, if you push the little bumpy thing.

Personally, I’d just leave it alone.

Aquarius (January 21 - February 18) You will have trouble with the telephone, in which, no matter what number you call, you reach “Mo’s Leather Emporium.” Don’t take it lightly.

HOW TO PLAY: Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9: and each set of boxes must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

Pisces (February 19 - March 20) You will soon send off for plans to build your own hovercraft. Your scheme to disguise it as a giant floating eyeball is a bit silly, though.

Personally, I’d make it look like you were wear ing a giant hoop-skirt, in which case the engine sound and levitation might easily be passed off as a rather unfortunate case of intestinal gas.

Sudoku is made possible by the people at www.dailysudoku.com

7400

Houses for Rent/Sale

Attn: Fine Art Grad Students CSUF Grand Central Art Center located in downtown Santa Anna’s Artist Village has one studio apartments for rent ($700.00 per month) that will be available the second week of october. Included in the rent are all the utilities (excluding phone), monthly parking pass, internet access, and a studio space. Please contact Tracey Gayer at (714) 567-7238.

12

Dodgers and Torre talking The Associated Press

General manager Ned Colletti acknowledged Wednesday he had spoken with Joe Torre about managing the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While Colletti insisted they had not agreed on a contract, he indicated the former New York Yankees manager was the leading candidate to replace Grady Little, who resigned on Tuesday.

“We’ve had some conversations with him very recently,” Colletti said.

“Certainly as you look at his resume and what he’s done and the market he’s done it in, you’ve certainly got to start there.”

Having said that, Colletti was quick to point out that other candidates were also being considered.

“We’re talking about a number of people,” Colletti said. “We’re crossing off names. It may be a very short list.”

Colletti said he was aware of baseball’s directive regarding minorities being interviewed for open managerial jobs, but wouldn’t say whether the Dodgers will honor the request.

“We’re taking it into consideration. We’ll see how things go,” he said. “I’d rather look at what we’ve done. What we’ve done speaks well.

I think it’s pretty indicative of a thorough thought process.”

By any reasonable gauge, Torre’s name is at the top of the Dodgers’ list. However, when asked whether the parties had discussed money and if they were close to a deal, Colletti retreated.

“We have interest,” he said. “It may be mutual, that’s really a question for the other side.

“I don’t categorize anything as close, far. It’s either done or it’s not done. We’re still trying to learn about each other. There’s been some light discussions to try and get a feel.

I’m not going to get into where the negotiations are. It’s still early in the process in some ways.”

Torre’s agent, Maury Gostfrand, declined comment Wednesday.

Soon after Little resigned Tuesday, published reports said Torre and the Dodgers had already reached a deal, some claiming he had agreed in principle to a three-year contract worth $14.5 million.

“I’ve watched stuff in the last 72 hours that I can’t believe I’m watching,” Colletti said. “I can tell you we do not have an agreement. I’ve seen more inaccuracy than I can ever remember.”

Still, it would be a surprise at this stage if Torre doesn’t follow in the footsteps of Hall of Famers Walter Alston and Tom Lasorda in what would likely be the final chapter of his own Hall of Fame career.

Colletti acknowledged the buzz surrounding Torre might cause other potential candidates to decline to be interviewed.

“That’s certainly a factor,” Colletti said. “I believe it will play a role.”

The 67-year-old Torre, who managed the Yankees to four World Series titles and 12 playoff appearances in 12 seasons, completed a $19.2 million, three-year contract this year.

He ranks eighth on baseball’s career list with 2,067 victories and has won a record 76 postseason games.

On Oct. 18, Torre rejected a $5 million, one-year offer from the Yankees with an additional $3 million in performance bonuses. He earned $7.5 million this season, by far the most of any manager.

Colletti said he sensed Little was leaning toward stepping down, so he began discussing the job recently with potential replacements. One of those candidates, the GM acknowledged, was Joe Girardi, hired by the Yankees as Torre’s successor earlier Tuesday.

The Dodgers entered this season as the clear-cut favorite to win the NL West. They had the league’s best record in mid-July, but lost 11 of their last 14 games to fade out of contention, finishing at 82-80.

Once one of baseball’s glamour franchises, the Dodgers have struggled in recent years, failing to win a single playoff series since winning the 1988 World Series. In fact, they’ve won only one playoff game since winning their sixth Series championship.

The Dodgers won the NL wild card in 2006, Little’s first year as their manager, but were swept by the New York Mets in the first round of the playoffs.

Torre and his former bench coach, Don Mattingly, have discussed the possibility of joining the Dodgers together, according to a person with knowledge of those talks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the manager’s position in Los Angeles was vacant.

SPORTS

November 1, 2007

CSUF men’s basketball ranks third in conference

Big West coaches vote Titans behind Cal Poly and ranked Gauchos in a competitive Big West by siamak djahanshahi Daily Titan Staff Writer sports@dailytitan.com

With the 2007-08 college basketball season tipping off tonight, it’s time to take a look at some of the top teams in the Big West Conference. UC Santa Barbara tops the Big West Conference coaches’ preseason poll while Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are not far behind.

Coming off a successful season, CSUF brings back most of its impact players. CSUF narrowly missed being ranked in the Top 25 of the CollegeInsider.com Preseason MidMajor poll, but did receive 89 votes placing it No. 30 in the country.

The Titans find themselves as a legitimate contender this year after completing their second 20-win season in three years.

Since Bobby Brown – the Titans’ all-time top scorer and one of the most potent shooters in all of the conference – graduated this past year, the Titans have a lot of scoring to replace.

Scott Cutley, if healthy, is going to have an opportunity to fill the void of the number one option on offense. Returning impact players Marcus Crenshaw and Frank Robinson are going to be essential to their success if the fractured ankle of Cutley keeps him out longer than December. Junior college transfer Junior Russell and red shirt junior Josh Akognon will both be expected to contribute

a lot this season.

Head Coach Bob Burton said depth was his team’s strength this year, something they lacked in the past.

“I thought that’s been our problem the last few years is these kids had to play so many minutes and we just didn’t have the depth to come in with it,” Burton said. “I think we have that now especially on the perimeter because we have two very good point guards.”

Cutley’s injury will pose as an obstacle for the Titans if he is unable to come back. Burton said they still are not sure whether Cutley will be out until mid-December or later.

“November fifth he’ll go in for X-Rays.

If it’s healing then we’re right on the right course,” Burton said.

“Worst case scenario is that [doctors] would go in and they put a screw in there to make sure that they stabilize it, and then he wouldn’t play.”

The UCSB Gauchos are coming into this

season ranked No. 21 by the CollegeInsider. com Preseason Mid-Major Poll. Returning senior Alex Harris, who averaged 21.1 points per game and won the Big West Conference scoring title, makes them an instant favorite to win the conference. He is also one of two returning 2006-07 All-Conference First Team players (the other being CSUF’s Cutley).

Gauchos Head Coach Bob Williams said Harris can influence a game in multiple ways with his assists, scoring, posting up and getting to the free throw line.

“There’s such a variety of ways he can affect the game. And his ability to do all those things is what I’ve challenged, the challenge to [Alex] in terms of this year and his development,” UCSB Head Coach Bob Williams said.

“To make him the best player he can be helps make us the best team we can be.”

See BIG WEST, Page 10