2008 05 06

NEWS: A pair of campus police officers share a part of their lives, page 3

Sports, Page 8 A pinch-hitting duo shakes and bakes

Since 1960 Volume 86, Issue 51

FEATURES: How will you spend your $300 government check? page 6

Daily Titan

Tuesday May, 6, 2008

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

DTSHORTHAND Campus Life

The Pollak Library will be hosting an event on Wednesday, to honor the winners of the 3rd Annual Library Prize for Undergraduate Research Papers and Projects.

The prize was created to honor and award the hard work of the undergraduates.

The top three winners and honorable mentions have been chosen and will be awarded at the event held at the East Atrium Gallery of the library at 6 p.m.

First place winner Jacqueline Alvarino won for her paper regarding the media’s manipulation of the Rodney King act.

StopMotion

A visual display was conducted by students

Associated Press

Illinois man orders beer can-style coffin (AP) – Bill Bramanti will love Pabst Blue Ribbon eternally, and he's got the custom-made beercan casket to prove it. "I actually fit, because I got in here," said Bramanti of South Chicago Heights. The 67-year-old does not plan on needing it anytime soon, though.

He threw a party Saturday for friends and filled his silver coffin, designed in Pabst's colors of red, white and blue, with ice and his favorite brew.

"Why put such a great novelty piece up on a shelf in storage when you could use it only the way Bill Bramanti would use it?" said Bramanti's daughter.

Bramanti ordered the casket from Panozzo Bros. Funeral Home in Chicago Heights, and Scott Sign Co. of Chicago Heights designed the beer can.

Daily Titan Video

Visit the Daily Titan Web site’s multimedia page, to watch Cal State Fullerton student Charles Dickerson transform to his alter ego, music producer Mono/poly.

When Dickerson puts on the saltshaker outfit, his creative side comes out. Watch to see how CSUF influenced his music.

Corrections:

In Monday’s edition, the sports tease on the front refers to the softball team defeating No. 7 ranked Long Beach State. The team is actually ranked No. 17.

Also, the story “Still concerned about Iraq” was written by Daniel Monzon. The Daily Titan regrets these errors.

WEATHER tuesday Partly Cloudy/High: 68, Low: 55

wednesday Partly Cloudy/High: 67, Low: 54

thursday Partly Cloudy/High: 70, Low: 55

friday Partly Cloudy/High: 70, Low: 54

saturday

Sunny/High: 75, Low: 56

CONTACT US

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Iraqi man sues U.S. contractors

By Damon Casarez/Daily Titan Photo Editor Students in Art 300, Writing in the Visual Arts, stand still for three minutes in front of the Humanities Building on Monday afternoon.

An Iraqi man sued two U.S. military contractors Monday, claiming he was repeatedly tortured while being held at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison for more than 10 months.

Emad al-Janabi’s federal lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, claims that employees of CACI International Inc. and L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. punched him, slammed him into walls, hung him from a bed frame and kept him naked and handcuffed in his cell beginning in September 2003.

Also named as a defendant is CACI interrogator Steven Stefanowicz, known as “Big Steve.” The suit claims he directed some of the torture tactics.

Phone messages left for Arlington, Va.-based CACI and New York City-based L-3 Communications, formerly Titan Corp., were not immediately returned Monday.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles because Stefanowicz lives there, seeks unspecified monetary damages. The firms provided interrogators or interpreters to assist U.S. military guards at Abu Ghraib.

Professor receives university’s highest teaching honor Stella Ting-Toomey has been a part of the CSUF faculty of nearly 20 years

By RYAN CASTLE

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

The hard work and dedication of Human Communications Professor Stella Ting-Toomey was recognized this past week when she received Cal State Fullerton’s highest honor, the Outstanding Professor Award. It is the second major honor that she has received within the past month, having also been presented with the Wang Family Excellence Award.

“Overwhelmed,” “humbled” and “honored” were some of the words Ting-Toomey used to describe her reaction to the award.

“I do feel there are so many dedicated and remarkable faculty members on campus and they all work so hard,” Ting-Toomey said. “So I’m really appreciative of the special honor and award.”

CSUF President Milton Gordon surprised Ting-Toomey with the award while she was teaching her Human Communications Intercultural Conflict class. He walked in along with several other faculty members to make the announcement that she had won the prestigious honor.

“She is a warm person who truly cares about people, but she also is devoted to ensuring that individuals of all different backgrounds feel welcome and appreciated,” TingToomey’s fellow colleague, Professor

Photo By NATHAN WHEADON/Daily Titan Features Editor Cal State Fullerton President Milton Gordon congratulates Human Communications Professor Stella Ting-Toomey.

Toya Wyatt said. “She is the same as a teacher, and she truly does put her students first.”

Ting-Toomey is in her 19th year as a member of the CSUF faculty and has impacted the lives of so many around her, professors and students alike.

“I was a student in her class for one semester and developed admiration for her ability to help her students feel secure in our learning environment even when faced with examining such a challenging topic as conflict,” said Kate Stone, a student assistant from the human com-

munications department.

Considered an expert by many in the field of intercultural communication, cross-cultural conflict management and intercultural identity competence, Ting-Toomey has also proved to be a very established writer. She is the author and editor of 17 books, several of which she co-wrote with students of hers. She said she most enjoys writing about intercultural theory and cultural issues.

“She was a key reason that I made the decision to join the Cal State Fullerton faculty. She was so

Health care groups sue the state of California for planned cuts Associated Press

A coalition of health care groups sued the state Monday to prevent pay cuts to doctors, dentists, pharmacists and others who treat the poor, elderly and disabled.

The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of California health care providers seeks an injunction to halt 10 percent cuts to Medi-Cal and DentiCal reimbursements scheduled to take effect July 1.

“These specific cuts strike at the core of the safety net,” said Erica Murray, vice president of the California Association of Public Hospi-

tals and Health Systems. “These are the trauma centers, the burn units, the places where people go not only when they don’t have insurance or they have Medi-Cal, but if they have an automobile accident, their house burns down or another tragic event.”

The state Legislature approved the cuts in February as part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan to trim a $16 billion budget deficit. Health care providers objected and said reimbursements already fell short of their costs for treating 6.7 million Medi-Cal patients.

The governor’s office projected in January that the program would

cost $36 billion, including $13.6 billion from the state’s general fund, but health care associations expect those numbers to grow by the time a budget is passed. Most of the program is paid for by the federal government.

“The governor fully understands the devastating impact of these cuts, which is why he continues to push for comprehensive health care reform and structural budget reform,” said Lisa Page, a spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger. “Together these will bring stability to Medi-Cal budgeting and ensure that the state never has to make such drastic cuts again.”

warm and yet so accomplished,” Wyatt said of Ting-Toomey. “I felt that any department with a faculty member like her had to be an awesome place.”

Despite all the honors and success that she has recently received, Ting-Toomey derives most joy from seeing her students and co-worker’s happiness for her. Similarly, she said her greatest joy from teaching comes when students “really appreciate the beauty of a well-designed, well-tested intercultural theory and really are able to connect that with their own research,” or as she refers

to them, the “a-ha” moments.

“Students keep me fresh, inspire me to move forward, to really try to connect all the intercultural theories with different application directions,” Ting-Toomey said.

Born in a very traditional Chinese environment in Hong Kong, Ting-Toomey was raised on very strict Confucian values. She said it was quite a culture shock for her when she moved to Iowa, where she studied at the University of Iowa as an international student. It is due to these personal experiences that Ting-Toomey is so understanding and warm to all kinds of students, especially those studying as international students. Ting-Toomey said she gives credit to Mae Bell, her dissertation advisor from the University of Washington. She also points to her late colleagues, Professor William Gudykunst and Professor Richard Wiseman as major inspirational figures in her life.

“I would encourage every student to enroll in one of her courses. Professor Ting-Toomey is a superior instructor who challenges students to understand the pragmatic application of course materials,” Jeanine Congalton, an associate professor of human communications studies, said. “I can guarantee that she is an amazing classroom instructor.”

With so much already accomplished, Ting-Toomey has no plans to slow down, citing that many books need to be revised in second edition and many chapters still need to be written. She said she continues to look forward to continue doing more of what she’s been doing the past 19 years.

Page Two

2

May, 6, 2008

IN OTHER NEWS

Over 6,000 people run/walk for organ donation

Saddam feared disease in prison, kept a diary

Participants show their support by attending sixth annual event

INTERNATIONAL

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) – Saddam Hussein feared catching AIDS or other diseases during his U.S.-supervised captivity, a leading Arab newspaper said Monday in publishing excerpts of his prison writings.

The London-based Al-Hayat said the comments came in portions of Hussein’s prison dairies that it obtained from U.S. authorities. The U.S. military confirmed some of the late Iraqi leader’s writings had been released.

When Hussein found out his U.S. military guards were also using his laundry line to dry clothes, he wrote that he demanded they stop, according to the excerpts.

“I explained to them that they are young and they could have young people’s diseases,” Hussein wrote. “My main concern was to not catch a venereal disease, an HIV disease, in this place.” He said some soldiers ignored his request.

A U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, Maj. Matthew Morgan, declined to describe the writings as a formal diary, but said the former Iraqi president produced thousands of pages of writing while in custody.

NATIONAL

Commander sees demand for elite forces in Iraq

WASHINGTON (AP) – Even as the overall U.S. force in Iraq shrinks, the number of elite troops known as special operations forces is likely to grow, the military’s top commando told The Associated Press on Monday.

More of these specially trained, often secretive forces may be required in Iraq in order to fill a niche role in the development of Iraqi security forces as the number of conventional Army troops goes down, Adm. Eric T. Olson, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, said in an interview.

The total U.S. force in Iraq of about 158,000 troops – including about 5,000 special operations troops – is scheduled to drop to about 140,000 by the end of July as two more Army combat brigades leave.

In addition to their role in training, U.S. special operations forces perform small-scale raids, long-range reconnaissance and other secretive operations in search of al-Qaida and other terrorist suspects. They also work quietly with Iraqi tribal leaders to undermine the insurgency.

STATE

Yahoo Inc.’s stock drops as Microsoft withdraws

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Yahoo Inc.’s stock took a beating Monday after Microsoft Corp. withdrew its $47.5 billion takeover bid, but the punishment was not as severe as many analysts anticipated because investors suspect the rivals eventually will renew their mating dance.

Although Microsoft has publicly indicated it will focus on measures besides buying Yahoo in its bid to make its Internet division profitable, several analysts predicted the software maker will revive its bid in the summer or fall if Yahoo cannot snap out of a two-year funk that exposed it to an unwanted takeover in the first place.

“Should the frustration of (Yahoo) shareholders come to a boil, we believe (Microsoft) could re-enter the picture, essentially playing the role of the white knight,” analyst David Hilal of Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. wrote in a Friday research note.

With similar opinions reverberating through the stock market, Yahoo shares shed $4.30, or 15 percent, to close Monday at $24.37. That wiped out nearly half the gain they made since Microsoft made its bid Jan. 31. The drop left the Sunnyvale-based company’s market value about $12.5 billion below Microsoft’s last offer.

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 executive editor Ian Hamilton at 714-278-5815 or at ihamilton@dailytitan.com with issues about this policy or to report any errors.

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Copyright ©2006 Daily Titan

By DANIEL MONZON

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

A wide and varied collection of organizations joined with thousands of donor family members at the sixth annual Donate Life Run/ Walk at Cal State Fullerton to support the life-saving cause of organ and tissue donation.

Last year more than 8,000 deceased donors made more than 22,000 organ transplants possible.

There were nearly 7,000 transplants from living donors.

However, “demand for organ, eye and tissue transplants continues to grow unmet,” according to Donate Life America, “a not-for-profit alliance of national organizations and local coalitions across the United States dedicated to inspiring all people to save and enhance lives through organ, eye and tissue donation,” at http://www.donatelife.net.

“We have already put it in our wills, so that our children know [our wishes]” said Gerrie Karczynski, who works at St. Joseph’s Hospital and was there with her husband.

She attends organ donation consultations and renal transplants meetings.

“It’s very important to donate because it saves people’s lives by giving

them life,” Karczynski said.

Her husband Stan Karczynski, who works for St. Joseph’s Home Health, reiterated those same sentiments.

“If you can save a life through something that happens to me or my wife, it feels good to know ahead of time that I might be able to help somebody,” Stan said.

The Karczynskis said anyone of any age can participate in organ donation.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are. Older people think that their organs are useless ... don’t hesitate because you think you’re too old,” Karczynski said.

Sandra Ho, Asian Community Development Coordinator for OneLegacy, a Donate Life America organization, is working to motivate people to donate their organs and help and save someone’s life. “[Today] We have more than 6,000 people participating,” Ho said. “It gets bigger every year.”

There are close to 100,000 people, of all ages awaiting transplants to help them continue their life, according to a One Legacy pamphlet given at the event on April 26.

While the number of participants grows yearly, the message of organ donation is always foremost on the minds of the organizers.

“It’s very important because [more than] 13 people die every day while waiting, but these people can be saved,” Ho said.

Ho also said that traditionally, Asian Americans do not donate as

much as Caucasians, so she is actively seeking to increase organ donation awareness among Asian Americans.

One person who is grateful for organ donation is Todd Sato, the ambassador for Donate Life America.

As of this July, he will have had a transplanted heart for 10 years.

Sato said he had heart surgery when he was three months old and doctors had to switch his aortic valves.

He continued with his life as normal, until he found out during his junior year in high school that he would have to get a heart transplant.

“I graduated high school and two weeks later, I had a heart transplant,” Sato said.

This heart transplant saved his life and touched the lives of his family.

“I’m the only one [in his family] who has gone through an ordeal like this,” Sato said. “For them to see me every day ... in a way, I’m a walking miracle.”

Sato said he is grateful to the donor and the donor’s family who gave him the heart.

He said he would be happy to meet the donor’s family to thank them for giving him a second chance to live.

“The one thing I would like to say to students is that donating life to someone else is not only a gift to the recipient, but to their family,” Sato said.

April was National Donate Life

BY THE NUMBERS Number of National Organ Transplant Waitlist Candidates in California

20,829 All organs

16,029 Kidney

3,705 Liver

SOURCE: Source: United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) as of 05/05/08

Month, which was established in 2003 to celebrate organ donation.

Americans who have not donated are encouraged to do so, according to the OrganDonor.gov Web site at: http://www.organdonor.gov/get_ involved/donatelifemonth.htm and at http://organdonor.gov/donation/ index.htm.

“We think at 18 or 22 we know what we’re doing or what lies ahead,” Sato said. “Honestly, we don’t know what tomorrow’s going to be like.

Don’t take life for granted. Live each day to the fullest.”

Obama and Clinton continue fishing for votes Associated Press

Dueling over gas prices, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama strained for every last vote on Monday, the eve of the Indiana and North Carolina primaries that are the biggest prizes left in their epic Democratic nomination fight.

Her TV ads promoted her plan for a summer-long gas-tax holiday and contended she was the candidate who “gets it.” He said the plan was just another Washington stunt.

A combined 187 delegates are at stake in the two states, nearly half of

the pledged delegates left with eight primaries to go before voting ends in a month.

Obama was the favorite in North Carolina, but both candidates campaigned vigorously there with polls showing a tightening race since Clinton’s win in Pennsylvania two weeks ago.

Indiana was considered tighter, with most polls in the final days showing Clinton taking the lead.

Obama hurried back and forth between the two states, pleading for votes. “I want your vote. I want it badly,” he said on a factory floor in

Durham, one of many stops aimed at winning over working-class voters.

He is hoping to gain support from a group that has not greeted his candidacy enthusiastically – white, mostly male construction and factory workers.

Clinton, also campaigning in North Carolina, campaigned for blue-collar votes, too, talking about the hard times the country faces.

“It’s time to quit wringing our hands and start rolling up our sleeves,” she said.

Pain at the gas pump has become a big issue in the long campaign that started out focusing on the Iraq war.

Oil futures reached a record of more than $120 a barrel Monday, raising concerns about even higher prices for gasoline.

In a new 30-second ad featuring drivers complaining about the price of filling up, Clinton touted her plan to cut gas taxes over the summer and said Obama was just attacking her idea “because he doesn’t

have one.”

“Barack Obama wants you to keep paying, $8 billion in all,” an announcer says. “Hillary is the one who gets it.”

Obama responded with his own spot that said Clinton was offering “more of the same old negative politics.” It points out a New York Times editorial that said she’s taking “the low road” and that her criticism does “nothing but harm.”

The ad didn’t point out that the same editorial said Obama is contributing to the negative nature of the campaign by “increasingly rising to Mrs. Clinton’s bait, undercutting his own claims that he is offering a higher, more inclusive form of politics.”

Obama said the proposal to suspend the 18.4 cents-a-gallon gasoline tax and the 24.4-cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day would provide little in actual savings to motorists.

He said oil companies would quickly raise prices to make up for the difference.

Breaking traditional barriers Officer Eva Ku never expected to be a police officer, but a teacher

By Heather perry

news@dailytitan.com

Photo By ERIKA Carmona/Daily Titan Staff Writer Officer Eva Ku was honored as the Employee of the Quarter. She was an art major before working with campus police.

“She was like all the others – real quiet, scared,” Dejong said. “It’s nerve-wracking having someone sitting next to you in the car just nitpicking at every little thing you do.

But she got through training without any problems.”

Today Ku is dealing not only with the physical demand of her job, but also with society’s expectations as an Asian woman.

“It’s funny that I have encountered more trouble with people of my own race,” Ku said. “The culture itself is that you respect your elders and it’s a male-dominated society.

It’s really strange for them to hear a younger female of their own race to give them commands.”

Standing at a petite 5-foot-3inches, Ku may not appear to be tough and aggressive. However, she runs a self-defense class called R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense) and said she takes great pride in informing women that it is OK to be something other than “nice.”

“What’s important about that program for me is to re-socialize women,” Ku said. “Especially with being a sociology major, I have come to learn that women in our society are taught to be nice. We always try to not make people feel bad, always try to be the mediator.

Sometimes when our space or privacy is invaded, we’re still trying to be nice about it. We let them know, ‘It’s OK to say ‘no.’”

Ku’s mother has even attended the class with Eva’s younger sister, Ivy. “At her job, it’s not all about being physically strong, but mentally strong,” Michelle said. “Taking the class helped me get to know her job a little better. I was shocked to see the equipment and car though.”

Men in society usually are not OK with a woman being a cop. Ku said mentioning her job is a “conversation-stopper.”

“My friend works for the Anaheim PD and we were talking to a

couple of guys and she told them we were cops and they just stopped,” Ku said. “They tried to steer the conversation away and then they just walked away. They said, ‘Uh, I think we have to go.’”

Ku said she has no hard feelings about how men react, though.

“I mostly think that they’re not worth talking to anyway if that stops them from talking to me because it’s not who I am. It’s what I do,” Ku said. “I love my job, but at the end of the day, that’s all it is. It’s not who Eva is.”

Ku does not worry about losing her art skills. She said she utilizes them to this day.

“It’s still a big hobby of mine,” Ku said. “I just finished designing [campus police’s] fishing trip T-shirt. If I must say so myself, it looks great.”

With graduation coming up, Ku has one sentence to sum up her future: “So many things to do, so little time.”

A Massachusetts study suggests that restaurant smoking bans may play a big role in persuading teens not to become smokers.

Youths who lived in towns with strict bans were 40 percent less likely to become regular smokers than those in communities with no bans or weak ones, the researchers reported in the May issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

The findings back up the idea that smoking bans discourage tobacco use in teens by sending the message that smoking is frowned upon in the community, as well as simply by reducing their exposure to smokers in public places, said Dr. Michael Siegel, of Boston University School of Public Health, and the study’s lead author.

“When kids grow up in an environment where they don’t see smok-

ing, they are going to think it’s not socially acceptable,” he said. “If they perceive a lot of other people are smoking, they think it’s the norm.”

Siegel and his colleagues tracked 2,791 children between ages 12 and 17 who lived throughout Massachusetts. There were no statewide restrictions when the study began in 2001 but about 100 cities and towns had enacted a hodgepodge of laws restricting smoking in workplaces, bars or restaurants. The teens were followed for four years to see how many tried smoking and how many eventually became smokers.

Overall, about 9 percent became smokers – defined as smoking more than 100 cigarettes.

In towns without bans or where smoking was restricted to a designated area, that rate was nearly 10 percent. But in places with tough bans prohibiting smoking in restaurants, just under 8 percent of the teens became smokers. The study found that having a smoker as a parent or a close friend was a factor in predicting whether children experiment with cigarettes. But strong bans had a bigger influence on

whether smoking grew into a habit, reducing their chances of becoming smokers by 40 percent.

“There is really no other smoking intervention program that could cut almost in half the rate of smoking,” Siegel said.

Age was also a factor. Smoking bans had a greater effect on younger teens than on older teens. The researchers said it’s not clear whether strong bans would have the same effect in other states since local towns adopted their restrictions as part of an aggressive anti-smoking campaign throughout the state.

A statewide workplace smoking ban that included restaurants went into effect in mid-2004. Since then, high school smoking rates in Massachusetts have continued to decline, from about 21 percent of students in 2005 to about 18 percent in 2007.

Many restaurant owners fought the ban, saying it could drive away diners, according to Janine Harrod, director of government affairs for the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, which represents 2,000 restaurant owners.

While some restaurants were hurt

initially, the effects have eased over time since the ban applies to everyone, she said.

Bill Phelps, a spokesman for Altria, parent company of cigarettemaker Philip Morris USA, said the study shows that the reasons teens take up smoking are complex.

“There is no single reason why young people engage in risky behaviors like smoking,” he said. “We believe that there should be a multifaceted approach to address youth smoking.”

At least 23 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico require most public places and workplaces, including restaurants and bars, to be smoke free, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Another nine states ban smoking in workplaces but have various exemptions for restaurants or bars.

“We already have more than enough evidence why we should pass these smoke-free laws, but certainly this study should help push them along,” said Danny McGoldick of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

“

I took this job because I wanted to be outdoors, but initially, I didn’t know what it entailed. But I grew to like it.

“

Associated Press

zones, enforce the car pool lots and help handle security and parking during special events.

On a sweltering Thursday afternoon during his ticketing route on

By Nate Jackson campus, Feng slows down a little to point out some skills needed to Daily Titan Staff Writer keep a sharp eye when it comes to news@dailytitan.com catching parking violators.

He pointed to the windshield of f there is one thing 22-yearold Tony Feng hates, it’s wast- a car with a small daily parking pass ing time. As a full-time col- receipt on the dashboard.

“We’ll have a lot of students try lege student, he can’t really afford to change the date on the daily perto.

The echoes of his footsteps were mits to try and trick us,” Feng said. light and brisk as he quickly and “But that’s a $240.00 fine for forgquietly made his way toward cam- ing a state document. Sometimes pus through Cal State Fullerton’s there’s fewer leniencies because it’s State College parking structure. an insult to us.”

During his time as an officer, Weaving through the shadowy rows of parked cars, all that was heard Feng has just about seen it all when was the ghostly jangling of his keys. it comes to fake parking passes: cutThey were attached to his rear belt and-paste forgeries, lines colored in with lipstick and Sharpie markers loop. with the changing semesters, even Not a word was spoken.

He had a schedule to keep and he students trying to use bogus handiwas ready to take on another school cap placards.

“One time I found a car in the day.

All of a sudden, there was a pause handicapped zone that was tricked out and modiin his stride. The fied. I looked soles of his polinside and there ished Stacy Adwere basketball ams’ shoes rustled shoes and hipthe loose pebbles hop CDs,” Feng on the concrete said. “I didn’t floor under his want to jump to 6-foot-1-inch conclusions so I bulky frame. He radioed the placshuffled his feet ard ID number toward the windto dispatch. It shield of a silver Honda CR-V. – Tony Feng, turned out that the placard beNo parking pass.

CSUF Parking and longed to an 82Beep, beep, Transportation Officer year-old man. [It beep. ZZZZZZ. was] pretty susRip. He tore a picious. I caught small sheet of paper from his hand-held printer, the guy using his grandfather’s placslipped the blue $40 ticket under ard.”

Despite the fact that he ended up the left wiper and moved on.

Feng, a senior business finance writing the placard abuser a ticket, major at CSUF, has been working Feng still sees himself as Mr. Nice as a Parking and Transportation Of- guy when it comes to the hefty ficer for about two and a half years fines.

“Most people freak out when you and “enforcement” routes like the parking structure have become sec- catch them and tell them it’s a $325 ond nature since his first day on the fine, but we’re actually being nice,” Feng said. “On the street that fine is job.

“I took this job because I wanted at least $1,500.”

Besides planning his route on to be outdoors, but initially, I didn’t know what it entailed,” Feng said. parking patrol, Feng also has to plan his day around getting to class.

“But I grew to like it.”

Though their presence is usually Sometimes, whether he likes it or felt in the wallets of many students not, the job finds a way of followon campus every day, student Park- ing him.

“When other students ask me ing and Transportation Officers (PTOs) like Feng have taken cam- what I do, at first I just tell them pus jobs that few people notice and I work for the school,” Feng said. when they do, it usually is not in a “But when they keep asking what I do here and I tell them, then all positive light.

“I see those [student officers] a the questions come out. Everyone lot on campus,” said ethnic studies wants to know what they can get major Abe Appel, 29. “They’re like away with.”

Though he is still a student in robots just going from car to car to car. They don’t seem like people that a virtually thankless job, there are you’d want to talk to and they al- some times when student officers like Feng encounter life-saving opways have short hair.”

But few get a chance to really see portunities in the field.

Cars swooshed by as Feng went the PTOs in action. So what are the jobs and the people who take them up the stairs to the top level of the parking structure. The air was still really like?

“I guess most of them just want warm as he surveyed the cars.

He remembered one of his biggest to be cops and don’t mind writing tickets to people,” said business ma- close calls on this roof last semester jor Dave Saavedra, 21. “They prob- when he and his partner assisted poably each give 10 to 15 tickets a day lice in helping a troubled girl sitting on the ledge of the stairwell facing or something.”

Armed with a hand-held com- the school.

She was contemplating suicide. puter called a “recon unit,” a travel printer strapped to his belt and a Feng and his partner radioed police walkie-talkie, Feng starts his day who responded quickly to deal with the girl and ended up pulling her off around 7:30 a.m.

One of the PTO’s daily duties is the ledge.

“That’s one kind of thing people “service calls.” When a student buys a parking pass, they are entitled to really don’t know we do,” Feng said. services like unlocking their car, “We’re always in the field ... we’re kind of like the eyes and ears [on jump-start, etc.

They also enforce 30-minute campus].”

I

Smoking bans may hinder teen smoking Studies in Massachusetts were conducted over four years to see the effects

Cracking down on delinquent motorists Tony Feng does not waste much time looking to enforce parking laws

Daily Titan Staff Writer

Officer Eva Ku traded in her sketch pad for an officer’s notebook, and with an upcoming graduation, she said she is ready to pursue her unexpected career as an officer for campus police. Ku is also being honored as Employee of the Quarter.

“I’m usually the trouble maker, the leader of the pack,” said Ku, a 24-year-old sociology major. “I led the clan of kids to get in trouble growing up.”

Ku immigrated to the U.S. in 1996 from Taiwan. Although her family is not “super-strict” or traditional, she said she still faced some adversity when she announced her decision to become a police officer.

“My mom said, ‘Are you sure?

This is not what we usually expect an Asian female to do,’” Ku said. “‘Why don’t you go pursue your art?’ ‘Go be a teacher because that’s a traditional female role.’”

Ku’s mother, Michelle, said she knew Eva was sensitive to her environment at a young age, but said it was hard to accept that her “little girl” wanted to become a police woman.

“In the beginning, when she was younger, she was a good leader in our family,” Michelle said. “She had a good sense for people and could communicate well with the kids, so I told her to become a teacher.”

Eva entered CSUF as an art major, but soon found that her life would change drastically as she began working with campus police.

“The first day that I met her she was one of our CSOs, community service officers,” said Cpl. Stewart Dejong, watch commander for campus police. “I wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. But soon after meeting her, she was one that always wanted to go on ride-alongs.

She developed a desire to learn about the job.”

Ku took a year and a half off of school to complete her police training. Dejong was one of the officers who trained her.

3

NEWS

May, 6, 2008

NEWS

May, 6, 2008

CLIPART.com

Project Read helps them up Volunteers read and give support to children who are looking for stability

By Marissa willman

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

Every Monday night a group of Cal State Fullerton volunteers dedicate their time to strengthen the reading skills of underprivileged children at Project Read, a program focusing on promoting literacy among children living in a transitional home.

“Project Read works to promote literacy and provide mentors for these kids,” said Jo Laurista, a senior and psychology major who is one of the project’s directors.

The volunteers work at the Anaheim Interfaith Shelter, a transitional housing project providing assistance to families that are facing homelessness.

“These children are in very unstable environments because of their living situations and the nature of their daily lives,” Laurista said.

“We’re here to give them a stable and comfortable environment.”

The shelter provides a ninemonth transitional housing program along with other services such as child care.

“They have really tough lives because they’re moving around all the time,” said Alisa Contreras, a sophomore biology major and project director. “Their lives are so unstable and yet they’re so happy and they stay positive.”

Despite their positivity, the

children often fall behind in their schoolwork.

“What I’ve noticed from children I’ve worked with in the past from the project is that they tend to be behind in their academics,” Laurista said.

The volunteers reserve time to help the children with their homework from all subjects before focusing on reading.

“A day at Project Read includes homework time, 15 minutes for a break where the kids get to stretch and play a game and then ‘storytime’ and a related activity,” Con-

“

Project Read works to promote literacy and provide mentors for these kids.

“

4

– Jo Laurista, Project Read Director

treras said.

One night, after reading poetry aloud from a book in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series, the children were instructed in how to write poems that reflected themselves.

“It’s a great program because a lot of these students don’t have a person in their life who encourages them to grab a book and learn new things,” said Susana Lagarde, a volunteer and undeclared freshman.

“These children are willing to learn

but they need to be guided in the right direction.”

Volunteers have learned the young students they work with can range from having some difficulty reading and writing to being illiterate, but the children are often eager to better their education.

“I was working with one of the students and he told me, ‘I want to learn to read.’ I hope that by the end of the semester he is able to learn more about reading,” said Stephanie Chavez, a volunteer.

The project also aims to help children consider a college education, something the volunteers said many of the children did not think was possible for them.

“They’re starting to look forward to college,” Lagarde said. “I think that’s a really good sign that they’re willing to learn and to get there.”

Volunteer Lorena Lopez said her own experiences with a college-aged mentor as a child influenced her decision to seek higher education and today she wants to continue the cycle.

“I remember being in YMCA when I was younger and hearing our tutors talk about college encouraged me to want to go to college,” Lopez, a freshman math major, said. “I’m hoping these students get that impact as well.”

Though the project focuses primarily on academics, the volunteers hope to build character in the students as well.

“Our ultimate goal is to instill self-confidence into these children,” Laurista said. “We do believe that the ability to read is very essential in instilling that confidence.”

The United States is forced to wait in giving aid to Myanmar cyclone victims Associated Press

First lady Laura Bush on Monday said the United States stands ready to pump more aid into Myanmar to help its recovery from a cyclone so devastating the death toll could top 10,000.

But that help is conditioned, she said, on a U.S. disaster response team being allowed into the country. Bush also rebuked Myanmar’s ruling junta on other fronts in a rare appearance at the White House press briefing room.

She faulted the junta for proceeding with a May 10 constitutional referendum that she described as a sham, and criticized government leaders for not warning citizens about the storm.

“We know already that they are very inept,” she said.

The first lady has been a vocal spokeswoman for the administration about Myanmar, also known as Burma, which has been under military rule since the early 1960s. Both Bush and President George Bush have criticized the current junta for repressing human rights. Now the country is coping with disaster.

Tropical Cyclone Nargis hit the Southeast Asian country early Saturday with winds of up to 120 mph.

Almost 4,000 people were killed, and the Myanmar government fears the actual death toll could surpass 10,000. Almost 3,000 other peo-

ple remain unaccounted for so far.

Hundreds of thousands of people are homeless.

The U.S. Embassy in Myanmar is immediately providing $250,000 in aid from an existing emergency fund to humanitarian organizations working on the ground, Bush said.

The United States “stands prepared” to provide broader help, but it cannot do so until the government grants permission for a U.S. disaster assistance response team to enter the country and assess the needs, she said. The State Department says that permission has been denied.

“I’m worried that they won’t even accept U.S. aid,” Bush said. “And I urge the government to accept aid from the United States and from the entire international community right now while the needs of their people are so critical.”

The European Union said it was providing $3 million in urgent humanitarian aid for cyclone victims.

U.N. agencies and independent humanitarian groups also were rushing to prepare assistance for victims, while awaiting a formal go-ahead from the military regime.

Bush did not cite specifics when asked how much disaster aid the Bush administration was willing to provide if it gets cooperation.

“I feel assured that it would be substantial, if we can give it,” she said.

The first lady sharply criticized

Myanmar’s regime for its handling of the cyclone. She suggested it kept critical, live-saving information from its people.

The disastrous storm came as Myanmar nears a May 10 constitutional referendum vote that the Bush administration calls seriously flawed. Dissidents in Myanmar and exile groups say it is merely a ploy to perpetuate more than four decades of military rule.

Bush agreed, saying military leaders have “orchestrated this vote to give false legitimacy to their continued rule.”

The first lady has been the administration’s chief voice on human rights and political conditions in Myanmar. She said she felt compelled to comment about the U.S. response to the cyclone before leaving for Texas on Tuesday for the wedding of her daughter Jenna this weekend.

Bush also announced that the President on Tuesday will sign legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Myanmar democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi. The awarding of the medal, Congress’ highest civilian honor, may further stoke tensions between the U.S. and Myanmar’s junta.

President Bush just last week signed an order to freeze the assets of state-owned companies in Myanmar propping up the government there.

May 6, 2008

FEATURES

‘On Your Feet’ draws standing ovation

5

Student playwrights read their scripts off the page in front of a live audience

BY Nate Jackson

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

With only minutes until crowds flood out for intermission, play writing student Jesse Glick only has a few precious moments before his play “Off Your Cloud” debuts in front of a live audience.

For any aspiring playwright, this experience can be a little nervewracking.

But the fact that the play is not totally finished brings a different element to this production.

Fortunately, working out the kinks in a dark room full of spectators is what the theater department’s latest exhibition is all about.

Last week marked the opening of “On Your Feet: Staged readings of new plays,” by Cal State Fullerton playwrights.

This festival of new plays will be running Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, with different plays being performed each night.

Plays start at 8 p.m. and seating is free.

Unlike many polished productions put on by the CSUF theater department, this event showcases a raw element of script-in-hand acting.

It is a chance for student playwrights of the 2007-08 semester to see their works brought to life in front of a real theater audience.

It also gives audiences a sneak peek into part of the building-fromthe-ground-up process of several of CSUF’s future productions.

“If the faculty and the department likes it enough, they might make it into a main stage show,” Glick, 22, said. “It’s happened with other playwright’s works before ... it’s a pretty good process.”

Most of the plays showcased are works-in-progress.

The playwrights showcasing their unfinished work are part of Advanced Playwrighting, a theatre class in which the students take a semester developing their own original scripts.

CSUF professor Susan Merson is in charge of guiding these young playwrights toward a finished production.

“The process of developing a new play needs an audience,” Merson said. “So [the students] bring in plays, we develop them and then they put them in front of an audience. They’re not finished yet, but now they have an opportunity to see if they work.”

According to Merson, the development process of each play is different depending on the student.

Some have taken over a year to prepare their scripts and some have just started writing and revising at the beginning of the current semester.

The opening night of this festival literally got the audience on their feet and clapping.

During the performance of “Off Your Cloud,” the audience was immediately drawn in by the intensity

Left: Actor and playwright Jesse Glick, left, reads the part of Burl alongside Rachel Cohen, right, in the play “Beyond the Sea” by professor Susan Merson.

This script-in-hand acting method gives audiences a chance to see a dialogue from a page come to life.

Below:Theater professors Larry Peters, front right, and Susan Merson, front left, run through the opening scene of “Beyond the Sea” with students Jesse Glick, back left and Rachel Cohen, back right.

Photos By Nate Jackson/Daily Titan Staff Writer

of the story about a doctor named Paul who is forced to deal with the haunting memory of a high school athlete who died on his operating table. Ironically, the doctor is forced to come to grips with his mistakes when he dies from an alcohol overdose and finds himself in limbo, a place between death and the afterlife.

Though he may be a good person at heart, Paul, played by actor Andy Scott, is a cocky, self-destructive surgeon who tries his hardest to numb his depressed, unsatisfied emotions stemming from his career as he revisits the surgery that ruined his ambition in life.

Kirshon Asborno, 23, an Ameri-

can Studies major, acted the part of Robert Dillard, the All-American high school football player who dies on Paul’s operating table. As a fan of theater productions, Asborno agreed to take part in the rough draft version of the play directed by Glick, who is a fellow member of his fraternity on campus.

“I’ve always been a fan of theater,” Asborno said. “It brings literature and creativity to life. You get to go into the mind of the writers and the actors and it really opens you up to a different world.”

Between Wednesday and Saturday of last week, the class put on eight plays of varying lengths. So far, the

class has read mostly short plays that range from 10 minutes to an hour in length.

This week focuses on some of the longer productions that students have written. Many of the students from the theater department come out to support their fellow acting and playwrighting majors.

However, the audience also got the chance to watch Merson and fellow acting professor Larry Peters exercise their acting skills in the play “Beyond the Sea” written by Merson.

The story follows the comic misadventures of a Jewish family vacationing in Las Vegas in 1964. Peters and Merson played Irv and Ida, a classic

couple of bickering parents who, despite their shortcomings, do their best to take care of their daughter, Shana, and their nephew, Burl, who join them on the trip. Rachel Sarah Cohen, a freshman musical theater major at CSUF, played the part of the couple’s daughter, Shana. The impromtu style of acting and script reading also provides an interesting dynamic for the actors who participate in the festival.

“I didn’t even get to meet the cast until I got to the theater [today], so it’s pretty raw and it really tests your improv skills,” Cohen said.

Though the writers and actors in the festival may be works in progress

themselves, the most important part of “On Your Feet” is to allow these students to develop the craft they have devoted themselves to studying.

“The work of the theater is to move people’s souls,” Merson said.

“So students get to see the result of their commitment and their passion and we need people in society who are passionate about their feelings.

And if a student can put that into a play and communicate that to an audience, he’s [or she’s] learned how to be a better member of society.

He’s [or she’s] learned how to communicate his passion to a larger audience.”

Pollak Library is forum for ‘many voices’ Professionals, amateurs and everyone in between enjoys poetry readings

BY Steven Martinez

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

The East Atrium Gallery of the Pollak Library is an unusual place to host a poetry reading.

The nearby library entrance brings with it the hushed conversations and syncopated foot traffic of students coming in to beat the heat and check their MySpace pages.

There are models of futuristic buildings and pictures of diverse people enjoying life. It seems more like a long-lost Tomorrowland exhibit than a stage for moody, introspective poets. However, during the “One Earth, One Sky, Many Voices,” the gallery became the platform for live poetry, both professional and

amateur.

“One Earth, One Sky, Many Voices” was a day-long poetry reading that was part of CSUF’s contribution to the celebration of National Poetry Month.

The event included readings by two professional poets, lectures on poetry and open microphone readings by any amateur poets willing to participate.

One of the biggest events of the day was a reading by poet Marilyn Chin.

A renowned artist known for her voice as an activist poet, Chin has authored many poetry books and teaches in the Master of Fine Arts Program at UC San Diego as a professor of English.

She is a short, middle-aged woman with the tired appearance of a world-weary sage. After being introduced, she approached the lectern and began addressing the room with a short introduction to the reading.

“As you all know, I’m a flaming

feminist,” Chin said.

After the prologue, she went into her first reading, a poem titled “How I Got That Name: An Essay on Assimilation,” a work she used in readings as a way to give her own background.

Reciting the poem from memory, Chin’s demeanor immediately changed into one of grandiose gesturing and sharp enunciation.

Her voice boomed three times louder than before as she told the story of how her father renamed her Marilyn from Mei Ling because of his infatuation with the famous Hollywood beauty.

The audience fell completely silent as she commanded their attention with imagery and humor and anger and all the things which transformed the young Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong into the poet she is now.

Applause erupted from the gallery as she completed her first poem, indicated by her humble smile and

a transformation back to a subdued English teacher, a cycle which would repeat many times in that hour.

“It’s an undefinable experience to hear it in her voice,” said senior English major Tony Lau of the reading.

“I’m very impressed by it.”

Lau, who is Asian American, “felt a strong connection to her works” because Chin’s poetry often deals with the conflicted identity of an immigrant in America.

Chin is also a staunch feminist and many of her poems addressed those issues. During a reading of a particularly biting poem, she momentarily paused after a line and humorously commented that “You know it’s a feminist poem when you rhyme penis with unhappiness.”

Chin closed her reading by answering questions from the audience and giving advice to any aspiring artists.

“It’s about loving the genre and being engaged,” Chin said. “Immerse your life with poetry.”

Later in the day, the CSUF and Community Reading took place, featuring a tapestry of amateur poets baring their souls for strangers, some for the first time.

The gallery, which was so full for Marilyn Chin, was now reduced to just a few dozen people scattered sporadically amongst the empty seats.

A few minutes after the allotted start time, the session finally began and the first poet quietly made his way up to the microphone.

In the same way Chin became powerful through her poetry, this person went into another voice that demanded attention.

“It’s a really intimate thing to do,” said Raul Alvarez, a senior English major. “An event like this necessitates a bond between you and the audience.”

Alvarez was the first student to recite his poetry that night.

He set the stage for a variety of poetry that matched the diversity in

the room.

Older, younger, male, female, white, Hispanic – all brought a different edge to their art.

Some wrote about love, others hate.

Some prefaced their poems with Bible verses, others challenged God to accept them.

“There is such a broad spectrum of souls and it’s always a beautiful thing,” said Robert Piluso, an English major and writer for Script Magazine.

He would always start the applause after a reading and often quietly offered words of encouragement to the poets who had just finished their poems.

Not even the incessant beeping of the nearby theft detector could cut into the mood of the room.

An hour later, the last poet had read the last line for the day and the event was over, the sun was low in the sky and the library was once again a quiet study haven.

OPINION

6

Titan Editorial Providing insight, analysis and perspective since 1960

Parental misguidance Clearly, our kids are crazy.

They must be. In fact, if it weren’t for the anti-psych meds being shoveled down their gullets, America’s children would probably be lighting fires and bouncing off walls right now.

Yes, U.S. parents are now feeding their kids more pills than cereal flakes. According to a study by the Associated Press, children in the U.S. are taking six times more antipsychotic medication than their counterparts in the U.K. Some might argue that this is coincidence, that we simply have a larger population and naturally will have more children in need of help in pill form.

But this is a false argument.

Most kids don’t need pills, they need parents.

It has become a sad tradition in this country to rely on pharmacists and therapists to deal with our kids instead of making parents take responsibility.

Bratty kids don’t need Ritalin, they need a stern parent.

They need a parent who cares enough to take a vested interest in their well-being.

It’s too easy for parents who are frustrated by an unruly child to stick some drugs down their child’s throats and sit them in front of the television to mellow out.

If we’re to believe the numbers, our children are sick – really sick.

In 2005, nearly three out of 10 kids were prescribed medication to treat autism or hyperactivity at a rate of around seven per child, ac-

Letters to the Editor:

cording to the AP’s findings.

At this rate, they’ll be in a medicine-induced coma by age 30.

Those who survive the coma won’t be much better off.

Numbers like those in the AP’s study would normally describe a massive epidemic except for one simple fact: Our children aren’t that sick.

But doctors and healthcare workers across the country have convinced American parents that their kids’ unruly behavior is the result of mental illness.

But we are overlooking the obvious culprit: Kids are hyper. They throw crayons, dig into cabinets and play in mud puddles.

It’s just who they are and that doesn’t make them candidates for the next clinical drug trial for chill pills.

By treating children with prescriptions rather than parenting, we are failing them in a very serious way. We are teaching our kids their problems are not really their fault.

How can we expect them to improve their obnoxious behaviors when all we do is chalk those behaviors up to attention deficit disorder?

And how can we expect parents to be anything but nurses when drug companies convince them their children are not bad, just ill?

Until we learn to ignore drug dealers in white coats and take responsibility for our shoddy parenting, look for the prescription drug use among children to continue rising.

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 Opinion Editor Johnathan Kroncke at jkroncke@dailytitan.com

y t i l a e r f o e s o d y h t l A hea n g i a p m a c a m a b O e h t m o r f

May, 6, 2008

With crucial primaries looming ahead, Clinton has begun to viciously attack her Democratic opponent

By Joshua Burton

Daily Titan Staff Writer opinion@dailytitan.com

As American Gladiators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama spar on their podiums for the Democratic nomination, it looks like Obama has a chance of falling.

Poll numbers differ when it comes to the closeness of the primary elections in North Carolina and Indiana after a week of troublesome press for the Obama campaign.

North Carolina is supposedly in the bag, but support for Obama has wavered under the constant deluge of things he needs to react to. The Illinois senator is still wavering after the Rev. Jeremiah Wright spoke out defending his own career while at the same time upsetting Obama's campaign again.

The merest hint of blood in the water attracted the media sharks, as usual.

This ache appears in Obama's bones every time the temperature surrounding this issue starts to cool, and he is having a hard time keeping up with his competition.

Clinton, on the other hand, isn't feeling nearly as beleaguered and has been putting in 15-hour days in her on-the-ground campaign. With the number of homes she has eaten at, she is certainly able to keep up her strength.

With all this religious banter swirling around and with his preference for bigger cities where his urban vote lies, Obama is under accusation of being too academic and out of sync with suburbanites.

Clinton, with her outspoken sup-

port of a gas tax holiday for the everyman, is hitting hard as a person who speaks for the people. Obama has shrugged off such a holiday as a Band-Aid for a broken bone.

With these factors working against him as the primaries draw to a close, Obama has every right to sweat, especially if he fails to be specific about what he plans to do in areas where Clinton has been vague.

The problem is, the issues on the table right now really aren't things that should be as troublesome as the media and the Clintonites have made them out to be.

Obama's old pastor popping up to defend his tattered legacy shouldn't have as much bearing on public opinion as it has. Rev. Wright says his words were taken grossly out of context.

Some say that any anti-white rhetoric the reverend may have spouted could have been imprinted on an impressionable young Obama.

However, he hasn't shown a shred of hostility toward any particular ethnic group before these sermons were broadcast and there is no reason anyone has to expect them in the future.

The issue seems to be the product of fear mongers who wonder what the effects of having a new ethnic race in the White House could be. Besides, it's not like our nation hasn't seen a racist in the White House before.

Obama doesn't seem like he would value one race over another in the same way, say, Andrew Jackson or Thomas Jefferson did in letting slavery continue.

If anything, his nomination would

be a big step i n t h e right direction toward a cemented unification of the races in the U.S. Beyond race, Obama has had to unnecessarily sweat his relation to the working class, the everyman.

Clinton likes to tout her ability to sympathize with and listen to the downtrodden suburban worker. She shows this by suggesting such things as her health care plan – something Obama has selectively agreed with – and gas tax shelters. Her supporters say her rival is too elitist and out of touch.

Obama doesn't have any flashy ideas for the problems of the country. His solutions aren't pithy oneliners that always fit in a headline.

His health care suggestions aren't "universal" and his ideas on gas prices aren't able to be turned into a name with the word "holiday" in them.

This, of course, means that people

need to read an entire newspaper article to understand his views.

This isn't a bad thing, it just shows he knows these issues are too complex to encapsulate into a ready-to-market package. The fact that he doesn't talk down to people shouldn't mean that he is academic or out of touch.

What Obama needs to do, and quickly, is to let the people know what he plans to do about the lagging economy.

Hillary has been telling people that she will help them, but Obama could one-up her by being specific. He needs to offer a real difference in the issues, not just the practice.

So while Obama is sweating his political future, he really shouldn't have to.

The pressure put on him is artificial, manufactured by a rival campaign that is doing nothing more than providing a testing ground for his mettle.

If he comes out of this intact, he will no doubt be the better for it.

If Hillary Clinton is trying to show that strength and brass is what it takes to run a country, then perhaps she and George W. Bush are not as dissimilar as they appear

Stimulation costs more than $300

By Dawn Pettit

Daily Titan Staff Writer opinion@dailytitan.com

For once, I don’t owe the government, the government owes me!

I found out about the economic stimulus package a month ago. Everyone else I’ve talked to heard about it in January.

I would have found out about it sooner, but I never received a postcard in the mail from the federal government.

I also didn’t pay any attention to the announcement that was made by Bush administration officials back in January, or the blurbs on the Internet that followed thereafter.

There’s been a lot of confusion surrounding this refund.

One friend told me she was getting $600 back, another friend said she was receiving $300, and apparently it makes a difference if you are

married. Then my parents told me they weren’t getting anything back from the government.

The one thing that is clear is that taxpayers are getting checks in the mail from the federal government.

Americans should expect to receive their checks as soon as this week.

The purpose of the package is to stimulate the economy by getting Americans to spend money.

Before deciding how to spend mine, I had to find out exactly how much I was getting back because $300 makes a huge difference.

I fall under the category of individuals who paid their income taxes and my yearly income is less than $3,000, so I should be receiving $300 from the federal government.

If I was completely unaware of the refund and it came to me in the mail as a surprise, I would have spent it right away.

Most likely I’d spend my refund on something unpractical.

A couple hundred dollars could get me a brand new pair of True Religion jeans, and since I’ve gone four months now without jean shopping, I owe it to myself.

Then again, summer is right around the corner so I should plan ahead and spend it on a new bikini.

I just found out Journey is going on tour in July, so setting money aside for concert tickets isn’t such a bad idea either.

The list goes on and on.

The truth is I’ve had plenty of time to decide how to spend money that essentially isn’t even mine yet, since I actually haven’t received the check. I’d feel guilty if I didn’t spend it wisely.

My car registration is due next month, my tires probably need to be rotated and I still need to pay for my cap and gown for graduation.

I commute from Rancho Santa Margarita to school every day. I used to spend about $40 filling up my tank each week.

Now I’m paying double.

This doesn’t mean I’m not thankful for my refund.

The plan is supposed to lead to higher consumer spending and increased business investments.

But I can’t afford to spend my refund on going out to eat, traveling or whatever else the government had in mind.

Giving Americans hundreds of dollars doesn’t change the fact that gas prices are increasing, unemployment rates are up so more people are out of work and the housing market is down so rent is high.

There’s no doubt that consumers will be spending money.

But oil companies will be the only ones that will truly benefit from the stimulus package.

CLAssifieds

May 6, 2008

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Humorscopes brought to you by humorscope.com

Aries (March 21 - April 19) Benjamin Franklin said: “If you would like to know the value of money, go and try to borrow some.” You’re not sure this is an accurate indicator of the value of things, however. At least not after having tried to borrow a toothbrush...

Taurus (April 20 - May 20) You will be “on the move”, soon. Especially movements of a gastrointestinal nature, as it turns out. Good day to stay close to home.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20) You will become unwittingly embroiled in a turf war between rival Chinese restaurants, today, as you step off the sidewalk to avoid a person wearing an extremely large hat.

Before the day is over, you’ll find yourself angrily hurling potstickers at people you’ve never met.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) Good day to take up Rap music as a career.

Either that or plumbing. (Most people are strangely unaware of the similarities.)

Leo (July 23 - August 22)

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People are starting to take you a bit too seri ously. Try wearing your bunny slippers to work.

Libra (September 22 - October 22) Privacy will be an issue today. This may pos sibly be because a group of foreign tourists will follow you everywhere, smiling and nod ding the entire time.

• 24 Hr. Emergency Service • 30 years experience • Licensed & bonded • No job too big or too small

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) Today is the second-to-last day, of the 19th segment of your life. Time to learn to appre ciate tofu (bean curd).

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) You will discover that you’ve always had the power to go home, simply by tapping the heels of your bunny slippers together.

Unfortunately, as you will also soon discover, it’s not your home.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 20)

Dogs barking. Can’t fly without umbrella.

Pisces (February 19 - March 20) Today you will overhear people talking about you, and realize that you’re an incredible bore who nobody likes.

Go to the library and ask the librarian for advice.

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Beware of turnips.

Aquarius (January 21 - February 18)

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HAVE A HOME DISASTER?

Virgo (August 23 - September 22)

It’s time to move on to bigger and bet ter opportunities. Be sure to be outrageously nice to everyone until you leave - they’ll only remember the last bit, anyway.

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sports

8

May 6, 2008

‘Shake ‘n’ Bake’ dishes it out Wilhite, Fahey pinchhitting duo share laughs and late-inning hits

No Canada, No Success NHL commissioner’s decision to expand league kills the sport by michal olszewski

by Ericka Santos

Daily Titan Staff Writer

Daily Titan Staff Writer

sports@dailytitan.com

sports@dailytitan.com

While the trio formally known as “the Morticianers” was laid to rest with the departure of pinch hitter Chris Jones, Cal State Fullerton’s remaining “pinch hitting professionals” Matthew Fahey and Jon Wilhite have created a new dynamic duo.

Stepping up to the plate in what Wilhite describes as “the most important parts of the game during the seventh and eighth innings,” a team within a team is called upon to make pivotal plays that help the Titans win games.

Brought together by baseball and bound strongly through friendship, this charismatic duo have christened themselves “Shake ‘n’ Bake.”

“Jon goes in to shake it. I cook it By damon casarez/Daily Titan Photo Editor and serve it up,” Fahey said with a The Titan’s Matthew Fahey and Jon Wilhite can blend into the dugout, but the two pinch-hitting specialists step up when called upon. smile.

“Even if we sit out most of the The pair borrows their name together is a genuine connection three runs, putting the Titan’s back game, we’re still there for the team,” straight from the NASCAR racing stretching beyond the bright lights in the game and up by one. comedy, “Talladega Nights: The and green grass of Goodwin Field.

“We didn’t end up winning that Wilhite said. “But when it’s our time Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” They share “I deal with Shake ‘n’ Bake on a game,” Fahey laughed. “But it was to go in, we know to be mentally ready.” a sense of humor that rivals that of daily basis and they really are each still a climax for Shake ‘n’ Bake.” their on-screen other’s yin and Keeping in line with his athletic counterparts. yang,” teammate inclinations, Fahey’s majoring in ki“In certain situand junior Jake nesiology at CSUF and would not ations we still ‘lock Silverman said. mind pursuing baseball if the oppor- Some interesting 2008 season statistics it in’ off the field,” “They always tunity was right. For now, he said for the members of “Shake ‘n’ Bake” Wilhite laughed have each other’s he’s just enjoying his time on the as he extended his backs and they baseball team. arm and clenched take what they do As a media relations intern for his fist to turn the very seriously.” http://fullertontitans.cstv.com, Wilkeys of his imagiA memorable hite currently hosts his own blog The number of combined RBIs – Matthew Fahey, experience fresh titled “Talkin with Jon Wilhite.” nary ignition. the two have hit this year Titan pinch-hitter The two athin the minds of Like Fahey, Wilhite said he is takletes met at CSUF the Shake ‘n’ Bake ing life as it comes, with no direct in 2005 and have played together for pair happened against the Arizona path as to where his degree or aththree years. After becoming room- Wildcats this season. As reported in letic skills may take him. Yet a sense mates two years ago, Fahey said they the play-by-play on the Fullerton Ti- of optimism still emanated from his The on-base-percentage of Wilhite, have learned a lot about what makes tan’s Web site (http://fullertontitans. uncertainty. just .015 below the teams’ the other one tick. cstv.com), the Titan’s were off to a In 2005, Fahey was just a fresh“I know to stare him down and bad start, down by two at the end man from Oakland on the Titan look him straight in the eye. Like of the first inning. With the score baseball field along with Long Beach I’m trying to pierce into his soul,” stalled at 2-0 in the eighth, CSUF’s native and sophomore Jon Wilhite.

Fahey chuckled. “He hates when I pinch hitters were given a chance Individually they were stars and over Number of times they’ve been do that, but it gets him going.” to work their magic. With some time they created a bond. Together hit by a pitch in 45 at-bats For those who know the Shake ‘n’ of Wilhite’s “shaking” and Fahey’s they formed a comedic collaboration SOURCE: Titan Media Relations Bake pair, the bond that holds them “baking,” they helped to bring in of unpretentious talent.

“

I know to stare him down and look him straight in the eye. Like I’m trying to pierce into his soul.

BY THE NUMBERS

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So long, Montreal. Thanks for showing up, Ottawa. Wait till next year, Calgary. Good luck in the draft, Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton.

Since the Montreal Canadiens hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup in 1993, no Canadian National Hockey League team has won the Stanley Cup – and Canada is the country that hails the sport as its national pastime.

Now, the casual fan may think this is a simple drought, such as the kind that many franchises go through, but a more precise reason is that the NHL has a worthless commissioner – a commissioner who has an agenda of globalizing the sport rather than sticking with what made hockey a major sport to begin with. Hockey is a bluecollar sport, not a white-collar business meeting.

Gary Bettman took over the NHL in 1993. Two years before he was named the league commissioner there were only 22 teams in the league. The talent pool was such that any team could make the playoffs in any given season.

But when he began marketing the great players in the league (Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, etc.), Bettman saw fit to expand the league and capitalize on the success that Gretzky brought to a non-traditional hockey area like California.

The result was an expansion that led the league to balloon to 30 teams and Bettman’s singlehanded attempt to assassinate the NHL in Canada, leading to the slow death of hockey in America.

In 1992 the league was booming with nine Canadian teams and 15 in the United States. Today?

There are now 24 franchises in the U.S. and six in Canada.

How can Bettman believe that moving teams from Canada into the U.S. will help save the sport?

Or that adding new franchises in hockey “hotbeds” such as Nashville, Columbus, Miami and Tampa Bay is a good idea?

And how can the owners continually support the commissioner when at one point during the last playoffs, their sport lost a ratings battle with The Food Network’s “Build a Better Burger?”

When Bettman took over the league in 1993, he could have turned the emerging league into a top-two sport in the country. With the NBA losing Michael Jordan to retirement and the MLB headed for a strike, Bettman did something no rational person would: alienate an entire fan base by sending his league into its own lockout and over-expanding and diluting a league full of world class athletes.

Getting back to the point, the NHL needs Canada to save itself.

As of December 2007, there were 733 players in the league.

Out of that number, 377 of those players were Canadians.

The league gets most of its talent from up North, where the sport seems to mean more to most people than the NBA, MLB and the NFL combined.

A market cornered by the NHL, almost untouched by the other three sports and a way to gain revenue that would be more than enough, seeing as the Canadian dollar was worth more than its American counterpart, the solution is simple: contraction and the relocation of teams to Canada.

The league doesn’t need this many teams. It may work for the other major sports, but it doesn’t work for the NHL. The sport was able to survive for so long because of the great rivalries it accumulated over the years.

The NHL may be on the rise again, but this is clearly in spite of Bettman. And until he is taken out of power, it seems that without Canadian success, hockey will be an afterthought in mainstream America.

“