The Daily Titan - Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012 by Daily Titan

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WHAT’S INSIDE: NEWS 2

OCTA boss announced this week OPINION 5

Leave tobacco alone FEATURES 6

Man seeks kidney donation FITNESS 8

Coffee reaps benefits

Charity - Camp Titan hosts its annual Toy Drive to help underprivileged children in Orange County.

Vo l u m e 9 2 , I s s u e 4 7

T U E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 2

LOCAL PROJECTS DRAG ALONG AFTER SETBACK

dailytitan.com LOCAL | Electricity

Edison aims to reinstate reactors at nuclear plant

Operators submit proposal to restore generators to full use depite safety concerns JONATHAN WINSLOW Daily Titan

RAE ROMERO / Daily Titan

State funds dry out

Projects like road improvements on Bradford and Placentia avenues have slowed because of state budget woes.

Construction continues after dissolution of local redevelopment agencies DANIEL HERNANDEZ

CA TAKES MONEY BACK

Daily Titan

The city of Placentia’s plans for a public train station to be built in the summer of 2013 sustained a slight blow when the state’s redevelopment agencies were dissolved last year. Like Placentia, many local cities have dealt with the windfall of the dissolution of California’s 397 municipal redevelopment agencies, and although some cities are coping with a shortage of cash for plans that were already in progress, officials said the projects are still moving forward. “We lost a very critical tool for economic development,” said Placentia assistant city administrator Ken Domer about the redevelopment agencies, which had existed for more than 40 years.

State began year with projected $26.6 billion deficit 400 redevelopment agencies dissolved Feb. 1, 2012 State expected $1.7 billion back in 2012 $400 million a year thereafter SOURCE: CALIFORNIA WATCH

SEE PLANS, 3

Students make finals at festival

Five students narrowly miss $500 prize in statewide art contest DANIEL HERNANDEZ Daily Titan

The art of creating a film and piecing together a story lies in the compelling nature of the tale and the technical abilities applied. Exhibiting their creations to an audience and a panel of judges, five Titans advanced to the final show at this year’s Media Arts Festival held at Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 10. “It’s all about the storytelling,” said Shelley Jenkins, media arts liaison and a radio-TV-film lecturer. “If the story’s compelling and it’s entertaining to the audience, those are typically the ones that get through.” Three Titans placed second in their respective categories: Kevin Lam in the animation category for his work in “Telly,” Jorge Perezchicain the experimental category for his piece called “Tragarsele La Tierra: Disappear into the Blue”; and Lauren Small in the narrative category for her piece “Grand Escape.”

They all came the closest to winning the $500 prize and the coveted Rose Bud award. Natalie Rodriguez placed fourth in the screenplay category for her work in Wilson. Scott Kazan placed third in the experimental category for his short film The War on Love. The Media Arts Festival is a CSU-wide event designed to bring together the work of its students and have their projects critiqued by a panel of industry professionals, said Joanne Sharp, director of the Media Arts Festival. “It gives students a chance to get feedback from a system-wide panel, but also to sort of see the best work being done in the CSU is,” said Sharp. The festival stems from the Summer Arts program, which is another CSU-wide program involving artists who live and work together for 12 or more hours a day, she said. This year’s keynote speaker at the event was Brannon Braga, the writer and executive producer of the Fox television series 24. SEE FESTIVAL, 6

SEE POWER, 2

LOCAL | Exercise % students who passed fitness test

CAMPUS | Media Arts

Operators of the San Onofre power plant made a case last week to bring one of its reactors back online in spite of controversies that flooded the station over the last year. The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station has had a history of safety concerns, ranging from oddities during inspections in the past to more recent suspicion of outside tampering. The major issue that has sparked so much discussion recently is the premature degradation of tubes in the steam generators in Unit 2 and Unit 3 of the plant. Each reactor unit has two steam generators. Both units have been shut down since the worn tubing was discovered in January earlier this year. The wearing was particularly bad in Unit 3, which resulted in a minor radioactive gas leak. Both units have been shut down since the problem was uncovered. Unit 1, the only other reactor ever at the plant, was permanently shut down and dismantled in 1992. Nearly a year after the shutdown, Edison has attempted to make a case that Unit 2 is now safe to operate once again. The proposed plan is to restart Unit 2 at only 70 percent power and keep it running for five months before shutting it back down to ensure it is working correctly. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is currently reviewing the plan and is expected to take months to reach a decision regard-

ing Edison’s proposal. A large number of protesters were at the hearing last week, including anti-nuclear activists as well as Buddhist monks. There is great concern from such people that reactivating the plant is a bad idea. Amanda Dusse, 23, an electrical engineering major at Cal State Fullerton, is not sure that nuclear power is the way to go in California. “I don’t feel really comfortable,” said Dusse. “I don’t know if it’s a disaster waiting to happen, but you should be careful.” Dusse said she would prefer that energy be generated from safer methods, rather than from nuclear plants. If things were to go awry in the steam generators, it is possible that radioactive material would leak into the ocean, potentially creating a scenario similar to the Fukushima Daiichi disaster that Japan suffered a year ago. At Fukushima, there was a core meltdown, and radioactive material leaked into the environment, causing a great deal of complications. Greg Childers, a CSUF physics professor, explained that a comparable disaster at the San Onofre plant is extremely unlikely, and expects that the plant should be fine as long as the new pipes are placed correctly. “You certainly can’t exclude the possibility of a disaster happening, but it’s extremely unlikely,” said Childers. Childers explained that nuclear power plants in earthquake prone areas such as California are wellbuilt to withstand earthquakes larger than the area can suffer, along with other safety considerations that make such a large scale disaster such as what happened in Chernobyl completely impossible.

FITNESS: O.C. OUTPLAYS THE STATE

40 30 20

38 25

California Orange County

10 0

Overall

Fifth graders

Seventh graders

Ninth graders

SOURCE: CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE ORANGE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OC beats average despite fitness slump Socioeconomic status found to play role in the physical education test results of local gradeschoolers KYMBERLIE ESTRADA Daily Titan

Results from the 2012 California Physical Fitness Test showed that three in five public school students in Orange County failed the fitness exam. California acquired the Fitnessgram in 1996, a fitness assessment developed in 1982 by the Cooper Institute. The test is designed to assess the Health Fitness Zone (HFZ) standards among students. The test is broken down into six fitness areas that include aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk extensor strength, upper body strength and flexibility. The Physical Fitness Test (PFT) is administered each year to public school students in

grades five, seven and nine. Under Education Code Section 60800, it is required that all California school districts administer the test. Orange County fell 1 percent in the number of students who passed the HFZ, signifying that all six tests were achieved. In 2011, 39 percent of students posted healthy scores and 38 percent passed in 2012. More than 100,000 Orange County students took the test this year out of the total 1.3 million tests issued throughout California. The 2012 PFT results show almost 30 percent of California students in grades five, seven and nine are in the high-risk category for body composition. “Students that fall into this high risk category based on body composition has to do with a number of factors,” said Chris Corliss, program coordinator for the Center for Healthy Kids & Schools at the Orange County Department of Education. According to Corliss, the factors include

schools with more socioeconomically disadvantaged students experienced lower pass rates because it is unsafe for them to play outside for students living in lower-income neighborhoods. “Less than 10 percent of public schools in Orange County have fitness education specialists,” Corliss said about lower-income school’s limited tools and resources. “There’s a much higher percent of low income kids for whom school is the only place where they might have access to physical activity,” he said. According to the Orange County Register, there are currently 53,377 socioeconomically disadvantaged students in Orange County. Among high schools in Orange County, Laguna Beach High School had the most students pass the test, with 70 percent of ninth graders passing all six areas of the assessment. SEE FITNESS, 3

NEWS

PAGE 2

THE DAILY TITAN

COUNTER OFFER:

House GOP members offer $2.2 trillion deal $800 billion

TAX REFORM

$600 billion

HEALTH CARE CUTS

$600 billion

$2.2 trillion

CUTS TO SPENDING

TOTAL

DECEMBER 4, 2012 TUESDAY

Congress: 27 days to fiscal cliff spillover The clock is ticking for Capitol Hill lawmakers to come to a tax agreement before the standstill sends the U.S. careening over the “fiscal cliff.” The Jan. 1 fiscal cliff is described as the catastrophic expiration to tax cuts employed by President George W. Bush during his presidency. If Congress and the White House are unable to come to an agreement, income taxes for the average household could spike as much as $3,500. Just before Thanksgiving, President Barack Obama met with top economists and policymakers to try and reach an agreement before Congress had a chance to devise their own plan. In the following week, Obama adamantly announced that he would not sign any bill that made it to his desk that raised taxes for earners making less than $250,000 a year. But House Republicans rejected the White House’s plan on grounds that it placed too much of the fiscal cliff burden on the most wealthy. In a deal of their own, GOP House members Monday blazoned a counter offer to the Executive Branch. They offered $2.2 trillion that would not raise tax rates on upper income Americans but would reform $800 billion in tax reform and $600 billion in health care cuts and $600 billion in cuts to discretionary and mandatory spending. Brief by DAVID HOOD

FOR THE RECORD It is Daily Titan policy to correct factual errors printed in the publication. Corrections will be published on the subsequent issue after an error is discovered and will appear on page 2. Errors on the Opinion page will be corrected on that page. Corrections will also be made to the online version of the article. Please contact Editor-in-Chief Anders Howmann at 657-2785815 or at dteditorinchief@gmail.com with issues about this policy or to report any errors.

HIT-AND-RUN IN THE RAIN

DTBRIEFS OCTA top job decided this week The board will vote again to appoint the head of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) due to a violation of state law. According to the Orange County Register, the appointment of Darrell Johnson to OCTA’s top job is up in the air because several members’ terms expire before a new vote can take place. A small committee of board members, whose terms are close to expire, selected Johnson for the job without exploring other potential candidates and sent his appointment to the board for a final vote. According to the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, local agency boards are prohibited from calling special meetings to consider the compensation of prospect agency executives. OCTA’s general counsel, Ken Smart acknowledged the infraction that took place at a special meeting at the agency’s board. The current 17-member board will get at least nine new members in December and January as representatives from city councils see their terms expire and are replaced by new members. Brief by LAUREN TORRES

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ROBERT HUSKEY / Daily Titan University Police and California Highway Patrol arrest a hit-and-run suspect at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday after he allegedly drove onto the 57 Freeway and did not stop. The victim followed the suspect onto side streets as he called police. There were no injuries.

Brief by IRMA WONG

Laguna discusses drinking laws

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The Daily Titan is a student publication, printed every Monday through Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, Inc. College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSU. 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.

Aside from the hike in gas prices during the month of October, costs have steadily dropped over the past month and a half, according to the Orange County Register. It is reported that the average cost of gas as of Monday is $3.72 a gallon, the lowest price since mid-July. The current price of gas is about four cents less than last week and 28 cents lower than last month. Although a decrease in gas prices has been evident in recent weeks, prices are still nine cents more expensive in comparison to last year. The Automobile Club of Southern California said prices may continue to decrease if wholesale prices on gas continue to fall.

Courtesy of MCT A backup emergency generator at the San Onofre nuclear plant might have been tampered with, Southern California Edison reported to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week.

POWER: Plant may recharge CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

It is worth noting that a small amount of nuclear material did seep into the seawater from San Onofre. However, the problem was quickly discovered before any major damage could occur because the outgoing water pipes are regularly inspected and monitored. Murtadha Khakoo, a physics professor, also agrees that such a disaster is very unlikely to occur at

San Onofre. “They’re not going to allow that to happen,” said Khakoo. “They’ll shut this thing off before it gets anywhere close to that.” The main benefit of nuclear power generation, compared to other forms of energy, is that it releases no carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. A minor amount of radiation is released into the environment, but causes less damage than coal burning or other methods.

Still, the possibility that something could go wrong leaves many, such as the protesters at the hearing, very uncertain. Given the fear of potential sabotage of emergency generators and the discovery of possible tampering within the last month, San Onofre remains a sensitive issue to many. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials are expected to make a decision regarding the restart in the coming months.

The Laguna Beach City Council will discuss revisions to the city’s teen-drinking ordinance at a city hall meeting Tuesday night, according to The Orange County Register. Should the ordinance pass, adults would be penalized with a $1,000 fine for knowingly providing alcohol to minors. The council had previously approved the ordinance Nov. 13. Final approval is pending revisions, however, since its initial unanimous approval. The revisions that will be presented during the meeting aim to make the ordinance more straightforward and conscious of civil rights concerns. If Laguna Beach adopts the revisions to the ordinance it could be in effect within a month. It will also make Laguna Beach the fourth city in Orange County to have a policy penalizing those serving alcohol to minors. Brief by IRMA WONG

DECEMBER 4, 2012 TUESDAY

DTBRIEFS

Year’s top Yahoo seatches Yahoo released a list of the search engine’s top searches of 2012 as a pawrt of its “Year in Review” on Monday. According to the Washington Post, the list offers a revision of the year as seen through Internet search queries. The 2012 elections, London Olympics and iPhone 5 all made the list. The term “election” was the top searched term, which makes it the third year in a row that a news event takes the top spot. The London Olympics made seventh place on the list as the preceding spots were celebrity occupied. Kim Kardashian was third on the list followed by Sports Illustrated model Kate Upton. Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, came in fifth place, followed by Whitney Houston in sixth. “iPhone 5” was the second most searched query according to Yahoo. Lindsay Lohan and Jennifer Lopez took the ninth and tenth place, respectively. Microsoft’s Bing and Ask.com shared similar results. Discrepancies and new searches included KONY 2012, the Gangnam Style Dance, Hurricane Sandy, the Aurora, Colorado shooting, and the Samsung Galaxy SlII. Brief by ARJUN MALHOTRA

Finals week allnighters return Associated Students Inc. is having its last cookout of the semester Tuesday at 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the Quad. As usual the cookout hosted by ASI is a social event that provides free food and information on the latest student government news. In preparation for finals ASI will also be promoting All Night Study. All Night Study is an event that will last all the way up to the week of finals and will allow students to have a safe and quiet work environment late into the evening. Students will be able to study in the Titan Student Union until 2 a.m. Students will also receive snacks and scantrons to help get them through a hectic finals schedule.

NEWS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

In order to redevelop urban infrastructure and property, California created the agencies in the 1940s. They were formed to acquire properties, make improvements and sell them to private owners at below-market values. They were ideal for communities to create low income housing. Funding for Placentia’s low-income housing projects are feeling the impact from the collapse of its agency. “The dissolution complicated our ability to create affordable housing,” said Domer. Domer said his plans were to build the housing in the downtown area, where the city already owns property. The Placentia train station is still progressing as planned, and the hopes are that construction will begin by the summer of 2013, Domer said. But the frustration about some money shortfalls is apparent, and with the redevelopment agencies disappearing, the city will need to generate new plans to pay for infrastructure like parking, he said. “There is probably about a $1.5 to 2.5 million gap that we would have to plug,” Domer said. One idea to bridge the funding gap for the train station is to have the public pay for parking, he said. “There were other little things like street improvements and some facade improvements to the downtown buildings that we would have loved to use redevelopment funds,” he said. But they cannot use them now and might have to be creative with other financing options. He also said the project might have experienced a setback, but assures that it is still moving forward. “The train station, you can say, is full steam ahead, because it is funded through the Orange County Transportation Authority,” Domer said. Similar to the situation in Placentia, the city of Yorba Linda also felt the stress from the elimination of a useful source of funds from the state. “That was a major blow to not only the city of Yorba Linda’s plans but every community in California that was doing redevelopment. It basically froze all of the assets,” said David Brantley, Yorba Linda city principal planner. One plan in development, which reached the specific planning stages, is the Yorba Linda Town Center. The plan is bounded by Imperial Highway to the West, Yorba Linda Boulevard to the south, Lakeview Avenue to the east, and Lemon Drive

RAE ROMERO / Daily Titan

A pedestrian footbridge located in downtown Placentia was initially built to accomodate Placentia’s proposed public train as part of the city’s redevelopment project.

to the north, according to the specific plan. “The heart and backbone of the study area is Main Street, which runs north and south between Imperial Highway and Lemon Drive,” the plan states. The downtown historic district in the city of Yorba Linda will undergo renovation as described in the specific plan, but because of the California’s budget woes and the dissolution the redevelopment agencies, the bonds used to pay for the project are suspended, Brantley said. “It really has been one of the most consuming activities for anyone connected with redevelopment and also the legislature,” he said. Brantley said the state did not adequately plan for the dissolution and brought the issue to the forefront at a quick pace because of state budget issues. “They didn’t have everything planned out on Feb. 1,” Brantley said. “It’s been an iterative process with numerous decisions that have been made since Feb. 1 until now, which are ongoing.” Brantley said the city-issued bonds would be used for putting in new utilities and realigning streets, doing mass grading in order

to prepare building sites for future development for retail commercial purposes. The city of Yorba Linda will hear soon from the oversight board about the funds to pay for some of the project’s infrastructure. An issue dealing directly with Cal State Fullerton is the CollegeTown project. Officials with the city said that the project is also making headway, but it is still in the specific planning stage. “The CollegeTown project was in place before the dissolution of the redevelopment agencies, and therefore it is recognized by the state department of finance as being an enforceable obligation,” said Charles Kovac, project manager in the redevelopment and economic department at the city of Fullerton. However, Fullerton felt some heat from the cessation of the redevelopment agency as well. “They rejected some projects that we felt were legitimate obligations, so we had to meet with the department of finance and state our case, and now we are just waiting to hear the results of our meet and confer as they call them with the department of finance,” Kovac said.

Although the CollegeTown plans are advancing, the project has been stalled for other reasons, he said. “We’re still trying to get approval from the OCTA to authorize us to close a portion of Nutwood Avenue,” Kovac said. The specific plan for CollegeTown, which directly affects CSUF and Hope International University, will be completed during the summer of 2014, he said. Kovac said he does not like the idea of the state dragging its feet with the funding for the project, but he did say he expects the funds from redevelopment for the work. “The state has been kind of a little bit crazy in sense that they need the money and they’re not getting the money that they need, so they’re looking for other funding,” Kovac said. Despite what some might say is a necessary step in fixing the unending California budget crisis, cities throughout communities are feeling the heat with the extinction of their redevelopment agencies, which were seen as valuable tools. “This was rushed through because the state wanted to grab more money because they can’t balance their own budget,” Domer said.

APPLY NOW!

Princess Kate expects baby

Brief by NEREIDA MORENO

THE DAILY TITAN

PLANS: Placentia train project in jeopardy

Brief by LAUREN TORRES

Britain’s Prince William and wife Kate Middleton have announced Monday they are are expecting their first child, according to the Huffington Post. According to a statement released by Buckingham Palace, the Duchess of Cambridge is in the very early stages of pregnancy. The news was released after Middleton was admitted to a London hospital for hyperemesis gravidarum, otherwise known as acute morning sickness. “She will be required to stay in the hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter,” said a palace spokesperson in a statement. The couple married in April 2011 after a 10-year on and off courtship, and have been the topic of media speculation ever since. There have been more than 16 tabloid covers claiming a royal pregnancy in the United States alone. The new addition to the royal family would become Queen Elizabeth II’s third great grandchild after Savannah and Isla Phillips.

PAGE 3

EDITOR POSITIONS Courtesy of MCT

Socioeconomically disadvantaged students performed poorly in the state’s Physical Fitness Test compared to students living in higher income areas.

FITNESS: Health at ‘high risk’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Valley High school in the Santa Ana school district only had 16 percent of ninth graders achieving the HFZ. The number of Orange County students passing six out of the six fitness criteria has decreased since last year. Results from 2011 show that just over 30 percent of fifth graders and less than half of seventh and ninth graders passed. Fifth graders have a pass rate of 31 percent, seventh graders at 41 percent and ninth graders at 43 percent, according to a statement released by the Orange County Department of Education. With less than impressive numbers, students in Orange County, however, performed better compared to the statewide overall test results, according to Corliss. California recorded 31 percent of students achieving the HFZ, falling seven percent short of Orange County test scores. California recorded 25 percent of fifth graders, 32 percent of seventh graders and 37 percent of ninth graders passing. Although California student fitness

test results are unimpressive, many people aren’t surprised. Cal State Fullerton business major Guadalupe Ordiano said many students failed the physical exam because they were not pushed to succeed in physical activities. Political science major Bryce Stoermer said he, too, was not surprised at the results. “Children nowadays are becoming more and more obese. People are more focused on technology instead of physical fitness,” said Stoermer. He added that the test’s criterion is not a fair way to test a student’s fitness level. “I don’t think the effectiveness of the test really shows your fitness level,” Stoermer said, adding that a physically fit person may not be flexible. The Department of Education is piloting a health and fitness education initiative called “Move More, Eat Healthy,” to provide students with more physical fitness opportunities. The plan provides training for teachers using the “Move More, Eat Healthy Classroom Fit Kit,” which features low-cost, easy to use tools to encourage healthier eating habits and an increase in physical activity.

We are currently seeking students with an interest in journalism to fill all editor positions for the Daily Titan. If interested, please pick up an application at the Daily Titan newsroom (CP 670). Applications are available now through winter break. For more information, please contact: Anders Howmann, Editor in Chief dteditorinchief@gmail.com

VISIT US AT DAILYTITAN.COM/NEWS

OPINION

PAGE 4

THE DAILY TITAN

DECEMBER 4, 2012

DEVIL’SADVOCATE

TUESDAY

Courtesy of MCT

Women make up more than 14 percent of the armed forces. Under current military policy, women aren’t placed in ground combat units, which usualy face more combat.

Should women be allowed in ground combat front lines? Women go through the same training and deserve the same treatment PRO: IRMA WONG Yet another controversial issue has dominated the American media and even reached a United States District Court in San Francisco. A federal lawsuit has been filed by four female service members Tuesday challenging the Pentagon’s 1994 combat exclusion policy that prevents women from being assigned to ground combat units, according to a Los Angeles Times article. Ground combat units are usually smaller and considered to be more dangerous since they are out of the battlefield for prolonged periods of times. As of now the policy prevents women from being recognized for their battleground experience, which could lead to promotions and higher pay. “The sweeping restriction based on

gender is unconstitutional because it is not justified by a specific governmental objective,” states the lawsuit. Unconstitutional or not, this policy should be revised to be fair to those brave women that are willing to put their lives on the line to defend our country. This policy is truly antiquated in its defense in the sense that the arguments defending it are weak. While researching this subject I came across many statements that claim women do not have the physical or mental strength to be effective in combat units. However, argument is nothing more than a cultural stereotype against the female gender. As a woman, statements that undermine our capability are highly offensive.

I have several friends that have signed up for the military and both men and women go through the same training regimen. They have told me that women shoot, exercise, develop the same combat mind-set and develop all other military skills, just as men do. There are no differences there. Physically women can be an advantage in combat because because of size and flexibility. According to an analysis on the Livestrong website “women’s bodies give them an edge in ultra endurance events and sports that emphasize flexibility.” Therefore, if ever the case came up women’s physical advantages over men could allow women to more easily fit into cramped tanks or other enclosed spaces. Then there is the argument that the pres-

ence of women will distract male troops. It is the fear of the policy supporters that male troops will not be able to perform necessary combat duties because they will be too focused on saving the women in the group. This shows a lack of confidence in our male troops and is an insult to the discipline they are taught in training. If man or woman saves a fellow soldier’s life in battle it is not because they are distracted or not focused on the task at hand; they do this because it is what they are trained to do and therefore should not be seen as a setback but a strength. If a woman’s physical strength is not capable enough for combat and male troops are too distracted then maybe the real problem is in how these soldiers are being qualified to join the military.

The claim that co-ed combat units create sexual tension is also questionable; probably as offensive to men as it is to women. Both genders work side by side in many occupations, including this one. Sexual harassment and romantic relationships are issues one can face anywhere. If this is posing an issue in the military it is not fueled by hormones but by poor leadership. The News Tribune reports that more than 14 percent of the active U.S. military are women. A revision on this policy banning women from combat zones must be revised and hopefully this lawsuit will do just that. Women are already in combat and should be entitled to receive the promotions and veterans benefits associated with combat service.

Statistics show women aren’t as physically strong as their male counterparts CON: LOREN MANNING The phrase “chivalry is dead” has been circulating throughout society for some time now, yet women still seem to make chivalry an important factor in their dating lives and admire those men who implement it. Does he open up the car door for her? Does he wait until she dishes up her dinner before proceeding with his own? Simple chivalrous gestures like these make or break a relationship in many situations. Women have been working toward better equality for ages, and in most cases, they have achieved many of their goals. More recently, women have been battling to do just that—to battle alongside men in the frontlines of war. So let’s get this straight—many women still admire men with chivalry, those who

still offer them special treatment, yet they object to being treated differently at the same time. Hypocrisy is a key player in today’s society and gender politics, more so concerning the war zone. However, the rules that have been implemented concerning combat are there for good reasons and the women who oppose them need to take a step back and re-evaluate themselves, both physically and emotionally. Concerning conflict, women have no place in the frontlines and combat situations. Their potential emotional instability as well as physical capabilities prevent them from fighting alongside men and could create possible catastrophe if given the opportunity. Regarding Marine Officer Candidate

School statistics from 2011, 14 percent of women candidates who dropped out did so due to injuries compared to only 4 percent of their male counterparts according to Capt. Katie Petronio of the Marine Corps Gazette. Women also had easier standards to meet in order to qualify, which seems completely absurd considering these potential candidates will most likely be in the middle of an extremely dangerous situation in the near future. When placed in an actual war zone, standards don’t exist for men or for women. Enemies, as well as their bullets, don’t discriminate based on gender. If someone can’t keep up, physically and mentally, that can lead to terrible situations for all involved. The data shows that men will most

likely be favored in this type of situation. Mental capabilities is another issue that women face when being compared to men, and for the most part, it’s an issue that can’t be fixed or avoided. Dr. James Hobson of My Family Talk notes that women are naturally inclined to be more concerned about different issues, such as stability and security. They are less likely to take risks if the overall costs weigh out the benefits. Women have also proven to be less competitive, while on the other hand men have an overall passion to conquer. All is not fair concerning war, and picking the militants more likely to cope with this hard truth is what makes the United States the superpower it is today. Also take into consideration the po-

tential actions that would play out on the battlefield if both men and women were fighting alongside each other. In America’s culture, most men show a significant desire to protect a woman under almost any circumstance, and war is no different. Numerous problems could arise from a single man struggling to keep a woman out of harm’s way during combat. “It’s also pretty much in guys’ nature to protect girls. That might be a distraction,” said a former soldier, Stephanie Vazquez, to the Los Angeles Times. So for those women complaining about the lack of chivalry in society, yet also complaining about the lack of equality, take into consideration that the largest chivalrous gesture a man can make may be to take the frontline in battle.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR The Daily Titan welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must include the sender’s first and last name. Students must include their majors and other writers must include their affiliation to the university, if applicable. Letters must refer to an article published within the last week. Once a letter is submitted it becomes property of the Daily Titan. Publication of letters is based on the validity of content and may be edited for length, grammar and spelling. Letters may be sent to dteditorinchief@gmail.com. CONTACT US AT DTOPINION@GMAIL.COM

OPINION

DECEMBER 4, 2012 TUESDAY

PAGE 5

THE DAILY TITAN

It is not just a matter of free speech, it’s abuse Gay “conversion therapy” isn’t safe, isn’t sane, and isn’t morally or legally defensible NICHOLAS RUIZ Daily Titan

The mental health of many gay people are in the spotlight of the courts once again as “ex-gay” clinics find themselves under fire in New Jersey and California. This comes on the heels of California’s newfound ban on conversion therapy for minors that was signed into law in September under the pen of Gov. Jerry Brown. Surprising no one, the proprietors of the therapies have challenged that law in court. It’s not everyday that child abuse of any kind is so blatantly championed in court: What happenings go on in these lovely therapies? As reported by the New York Times, the Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH) clinic resorted to “treatments,” such as having patients strip naked in front of counselors as well as beat effigies of their mothers. Freud would be pleased at the resurrection of blaming maternal units for sexual issues, but the rest of society would best leave the mama monster bash behind it. Across a political aisle so large that no shopping soccer mom could travel it, the social conservative group Family Research Council (FRC), via their president Tony Perkins, pushes the “ex-gay” conversion efforts as a “non-judgmental” path to “wholeness.” Oh Perkins, those words don’t mean what you think they mean. The phrase “non-judgmental” means accepting someone as they are, within reason. “Wholeness” is so nebulous in this context that Perkins’ definition of it is probably not in the nearest nebula. Space-case Perkins and his darkly hysterical “humor” has already earned his organization a spot on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) list of hate groups. Mark Potok, a spokesman with the SPLC, has called the FRC on its rhetoric saying, “The FRC routinely pushes out demonizing claims that gay people are child molesters and worse—claims that are provably false.” Proved by many it seems, as many psychiatric organizations shoot down “ex-gay” efforts—as well as homophobia in general—ever so elegantly. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) concluded in a 2009 study of the harms of conversion therapy that, “Same-sex sexual attractions, behavior, and orientations per se are normal and positive variants of human sexuality—in other words, they are not indicators of mental or developmental disorders.” No mention of “wholeness,” APA? Whatever will Perkins think?

Now with that out of the way, can the madness stop? It won’t, no matter what the consequences are, even when they include “depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior” and “reinforce self-hatred already experienced by the patient,” as reported by the APA. Real life examples of those are plenty, including Michael Ferguson, a former patient of JONAH who sought them out for services in 2008 when he thought that homosexuality was preventing his chance at happiness. He is one of the people named in the suit, and has told the New York Times the harrowing emotional burden the experience has given him. “I was encouraged to develop anger and rage toward my parents. The notion that your parents caused this is a horrible lie,” he said. Ferguson refers to the “non-judgemental” belief that upbringing causes homosexuality and that it can be cured. Then there are the testimonials from the teenagers that were subjected to this abuse; make no mistake, this is clearly abuse. Mathew Shurka, in a video that has gone viral, confessed to have been submitted to reparative therapy in California after coming out to his father at the age of 16. Shurka endured this for five years. “(The reparative therapist) gave my father and (me) a guarantee that I’d be straight in six weeks,” he said. “It was pretty horrible—it was basically living the life of how to become straight based off of stereotypes.” Then there is victim Jerry Spencer, who was forced to hold ice in his hands while looking at photos of men holding hands. James Guay was told by his therapist to fantasize about having sex with women. Chaim Levin’s counselor was apparently a pervert, as he had him slowly undress in front of a mirror while being watched by the so-called “life coach.” The only kind of life a coach like that could help create is a shortened one. Aaron Bitzer, a man who is suing the state of California for its aforementioned ban, seems to have loved this sort of treatment. He claims the therapy cured him, but it is unbelievable that someone can submit that these treatments are healthy, fair, or safe for minors. Has he really bought into a delusion that is only leading him astray? His attempts at bringing back these damaging practices will hurt countless gay youths, now and in the future, if said effort somehow succeeds. Even if these harmful practices somehow “cured” Bitzer like he claims, it’s short-sighted on his part to completely ignore every word of many teenagers and adults who will testify—in open court, even—that they did not buy into what he and other extremist social conservatives are selling. This is not a product that anyone should be buying for themselves—and most important of all—their defenseless young loved ones. In all seriousness and compassion, think of the children.

Taxes topple over true fiscal cliff There’s a balance between taxing too much and not enough, we haven’t found it DANIEL BARBEAU For the Daily Titan

As the media begins full-tilt coverage of the ballyhooed fiscal cliff, beltway Democrats are pitted against Republicans over proposed income, estate, capital gains and payroll tax increases. At stake is who is tagged as “wealthy” and at what percent the government is entitled to expropriate their capital. Lost within much of the bitter debate are the behavioral repercussions of taxation that rarely factor into the static assumptions made by our government overseers. Taxes affect individual behavior, and this concept seems to be understood by nearly everybody despite being selectively applied to convenient situations. An old adage perhaps says it best: Tax what you want less of. Way back in June of this year voters defeated Proposition 29 in the California primary election, which would have raised cigarette taxes by $1 per pack. Progressive groups boasted that the increased tax would be passed on to cigarette consumers via the higher prices of cigarettes, which would allegedly prevent 220,000 children from smoking and stop 100,000 adult smokers from lighting up because of higher costs associated with this activity. Proponents used a simple economic principle when crafting their argument: Higher taxes equal fewer cigarettes. Strangely, many of these same socially crusading progressives who extol the effects of higher sin taxes are incredulous when identical principles are extended to other economic activities. If higher taxes disincentive cigarette consumption, could they also discourage production, investment and labor, which is realized through profit and income? Could higher taxes also encourage other behaviors in order to escape the

taxman, such as tax evasion, smuggling, and the growth of black market activities? Across the pond, our British cousins had a similar experience with the disincentivizing effects of higher income taxes, which paradoxically led to lower government revenues. Perhaps we should be comforted to know that American politicians are not alone when presuming static human reactions to manipulated incentives. In a burst of belt-tightening austerity, British legislators decided that in order to raise government revenues, a soak-the-rich strategy would deliver the best results. In April 2010 they jacked-up the income tax to 50 percent for those earning above a threshold of £150,000 ($240,000) a year. Despite taxing at a higher percentage, the government paradoxically took in less money from Britain’s top earners in absolute terms. This new higher tax rate gave greater encouragement for wealthy Britons to use accounting tricks to obfuscate their earnings, stash their capital in overseas accounts, or relocate abroad to escape the burden. Higher taxes also discouraged labor altogether, since greater governmental expropriation necessitates less personal realization from the fruits of labor and thus fewer incentives to work. None of these reactive activities helped the British economy. Again, human behavior reacts to environmental changes and rarely follows bureaucrats’ static models. Back in the U.S., we also see the effects of looming tax increases. If politicians seek to decrease the size and frequency of dividends (the profit paid to shareholders of public companies), the best strategy is to raise taxes to disincentive such activity. When dividends were taxed at the same rate as income in the ‘80s and ‘90s, they (and tax revenue) grew slowly until the rate was cut to 15 percent in 2003. Thereafter reported dividends jumped from $103 billion in 2002

to $337 billion in 2006, dumping record revenue into government coffers. Conversely, many companies are now paying earlier and larger than expected dividends before the end of the year when such earnings will be taxed as regular income versus the current 15 percent rate. Expect both dividends and associated government tax revenues to shrink after the New Year, as companies pull back issuance in reaction to higher taxes. These actions can be best rationalized within the framework of the Laffer Curve, and a simple thought experiment helps illustrate the concept: If a government were to confiscate 1 percent of an economy, tax revenues would be low and the private economy relatively unscathed. Conversely, if a government were to confiscate 99 percent of the capital in an economy, the next year’s tax receipts would be miniscule since there would be little capital from which to produce, and people would be highly incentivized to participate in the black market or cease production altogether. Somewhere between these two extremes lies an apex where tax collection maximizes and a move toward either higher or lower tax rates lower government revenue. However, this revenue collection high point will still continue to crimp economic growth, but not enough to offset the amount of revenue left uncollected from a lower tax and a higher economic growth environment. This brief thought experiment is a grotesque simplification of an incomprehensibly complex and everchanging phenomenon, thus any attempt to identify a theoretical taxmaximization scheme is conjecture at best. Nevertheless the underlying principle is sound and useful when conceptualizing the effects of taxation on an economy. Which side of Laffer’s slope is current American taxation policy? Unknown, but enough tax hikes will eventually lead us over the peak and sliding down.

Photo illustration by VANESSA MARTINEZ / Daily Titan

Legislatures and judges are ordering tobacco companies to provide extra warning labels on their products, telling their customers that they have not been honest in cigarette advertising or packaging.

Stating the obvious Further mandates to show the danger of cigarettes are unneeded JONATHAN WINSLOW Daily Titan

Last week, a federal judge ruled that tobacco companies must admit to the public that they have been deceiving them about the dangers of smoking in both their advertising and package warnings. There’s certainly something to be said for trying to wage a war on devious corporations that deceive the public, but one can’t help but feel that this ruling is extremely outdated. It would be a fair wager to say that there’s almost nobody left on this planet who don’t know about the dangers of smoking by now; decades of nonstop bureaucratic hailing upon the tobacco industry have seen to that. One can’t help but feel that this latest ruling is just beating a dead horse. It’s honestly surprising that judges are continuing to find new ways to press tobacco companies. After the Food and Drug Administration revealed its ridiculously over-the-top new labels for cigarette packs—which included graphics of toe tags on dead bodies and people with holes in their necks—it’s surprising that we could go any further. Yes, it’s true, cigarettes are addictive and hazardous to your health. In other breaking news, staring at the sun for too long will damage your eyes, and a busy freeway might not be the best locale for a game of Red Rover. The action that has already been taken against tobacco companies in the past 20 years is more than enough.

How many people can honestly say that they’ve seen an advertisement for cigarettes recently? It’s very likely that every single person reading this article has seen more than five times as many ads about the dangers of smoking as they have actual cigarette advertisements. Putting a label on cigarette packs that says, “By the way, we’ve lied to you for decades, smoking is actually bad for you” isn’t going

“In other breaking news, staring at the sun for too long will damage your eyes...” to do anything but make people who actually choose to smoke feel miserable. Everybody knows that smoking is bad for you, and yet some people still do it. Anybody who’s still smoking in this day and age is either doing it out of a conscious decision or they are somehow addicted and already know that it’s a bad thing. Imagine if we started mandating that every can of Pepsi have a picture of a morbidly obese person sitting in a hospital bed, with a warning that reads, “We’ve been feeding you misinformation for quite some time, believe it or not, drinking Pepsi won’t actually make you popular and summon Britney Spears circa 1997 to dance for you.”

For anybody who drinks Pepsi, that would be pretty terrible, right? Well, drinking Pepsi is a life choice, just like smoking cigarettes. They’re both bad for your health, they’ll both shave years off your life if you overindulge in them, and yet only one of them is being lambasted by the media and the court systems. The excuse given for this insane abundance of legislation and action against tobacco companies is usually something along the lines of “we’ve got to protect the children!” That’s a noble goal, but you can rest assured that it’s now pretty close to impossible for any children to enter this world and not learn about the dangers of smoking. All of the colorful cartoon characters that told kids how cool smoking is were outlawed before the vast majority of Cal State Fullerton students were even old enough to watch TV. Even if children were to grow up in house where their parents smoke, they wouldn’t be able to escape the tidal wave of information that we’ve so lovingly prepared for them about how smoking can ruin your life. Wasting further legislation and effort on tobacco companies seems to be a laughable waste of time in a world that is already about as accepting of it as they are public drunkenness. Perhaps we would do better to spend our time taking action against the whole host of other corporate entities that lie to us on a daily basis, rather than treating one grain of sand on the beach like it’s the devil incarnate.

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THE DAILY TITAN

DECEMBER 4, 2012 TUESDAY

Local band manager searches for a kidney donor “Can a Brotha Get a Kidney” will be held at the Slidebar this Sunday to raise funds SIMA SARRAF Daily Titan

As he bites into his monstrous burrito at Freebirds in Orange, Calif., Sam Scarce admits with a grin that this is a major cheat day for him. He is usually forced to follow a very strict diet of chicken, rice and salad. Scarce, 27, said he lives his life as a touring band manager with the purpose of doing everything in the most structured and morally sound way possible. The purpose of the healthy lifestyle he maintains is not for the sake of fitness, but for the sake of living. Scarce has been diagnosed with stage-5 chronic kidney disease, and has lost complete function in both of his kidneys. Working and living in an industry that can quickly become unhealthy or unbearable for many, Scarce said he does not let his disease or condition stop him from living his life and pursuing his passion––music. Instead, the self-described determined, loyal and relentless man looks at his disease as a wake-up call. “I was living a life and I live in an industry where it’s really easy to get carried away,” said Scarce. “So it’s been sort of a moral check point for me.” Scarce said he hopes to bring awareness not only to his own situation, but also to chronic kidney disease, with his second fundraiser that will be held on Sunday. His event, “Can a Brotha Get a Kidney,” will be held at Fullerton’s Slidebar Rock-N-Roll Kitchen on Sunday, which in its own right has connections to the music world, as it is owned by LIT guitarist Jeremy Popoff. Attendees at his fundraiser can purchase raffle tickets for $1, $7 or a body length for $20. The raffle tickets will be used in drawings to win various items like CDs, tickets and other signed memorabilia. Some of the bands that contributed merchandise include Incubus, Slightly Stoopid, Rebelution and The Expendables. He hopes he can raise awareness of the conditions and statistics of chronic kidney disease, especially the need for healthy donors.

Danielle Agema plans to attend the fundraiser to support her long-time friend and she said she hopes he can raise awareness about the disease and raise money for his potential donor. “I hope he gains even more awareness for the disease and more support from people. I hope the event can raise money to help him as well as a donor with medical costs and other financial burdens that come with the situation,” said Agema. “Best case scenario would be for him to be blessed with a donor.” Scarce plans to use the proceeds of “Can a Brotha Get a Kidney” to help pay off medical bills and personal bills but most importantly to build a fund that will pay for his donor’s medical and travel expenses, when and if, he finally gets a transplant. David Nichols Jr. worked as an EMT and would often transport patients to and from dialysis. He will be attending the fundraiser and expects it to be filled with music, love and compassion. “I really hope he finds a match to be his donor,” said Nichols. “That’s ultimately what it’s all about.” Scarce wants his donor to have an easy recuperation and plans to pay for all medical, travel, hotel and missed work costs that his donor will likely incur. “I don’t want it to be an inconvenience, I want someone to leave (thinking) I did the right thing,” Scarce said. Nightly, Scarce hooks himself up to his dialysis machine and dozes off to bed at the beginning of the nine-hour process. Dialysis is the process of getting rid of waste and unwanted water from the blood, according to MedicalNewsToday.com. There are two types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Scarce currently undergoes the nightly peritoneal dialysis. Peritoneal dialysis is the process by where a solution rich in minerals and glucose is run through a tube into the peritoneal cavity (the abdominal lining) and left there for some time where it sits and essentially sucks up all of the toxins and waste inside the body. The fluid is then drained through a tube or a catheter, as in Scarce’s case. Scarce was unaware of his condition for most of his life. He only decided to visit the emergency room after months of problematic episodes. In October 2010, Scarce had his first of three seizures. He originally did not go to the doctor

ROBERT HUSKEY / Daily Titan

Touring band manager Scarse, 27, was diagnosed with stage-5 chronic kidney disease and has lost function in both kidneys.

or emergency room because he had no insurance and could not afford medical attention. “I had no insurance. I was just a kid, struggling and trying to make a living … I knew something was wrong … (but) I didn’t want to have $3000, $4000 in bills,” Scarce said. Meanwhile, as Scarce was trying to research and find affordable insurance, he had two more seizures. He recalls, while chuckling and shaking his head, what he did next. “Then, like a brilliant man, I went on tour with my band,” Scarce said. He returned from tour and his health continued to deteriorate; he began having severe leg pains. Scarce was bedridden for a week. The pains, mixed with his weak condition, forced him to finally visit the emergency room. After some blood tests, Scarce was given the answers to his health questions. Both of his kidneys were failing. He was in stage-5 of chronic kidney disease and would need dialysis for the rest of his life, or, until he could get a transplant. That night he had a catheter put into his chest and woke up to his blood being

pumped in and out. With the realization of his disease, Scarce was forced to make adjustments to the parts of his life that didn’t quite accommodate it. His diet and social habits had to change, but he also had to give up something he grew up with and loved dearly, the beach. With his catheter site, the beach environment could easily cause an infection, which is something he simply cannot risk. “I sacrificed all my hopes, goals and dreams for my health. I still am to be honest with you,” Scarce said. Despite having to give up some of his favorite foods, the beach and the spa, Scarce said he does not feel like his chronic kidney disease is a death sentence, as many would. He is determined to continue a life full of purpose. Scarce manages Seedless, a Southern California-based reggae band, and has even started his own management company, Four:19 Music Management. The Four:19 portion of the name came from one of his favorite bible verses, Matthew 4:19.

Scarce said he wants to use his place in the music industry to represent people of substance; the “fishers of men,” he calls them. Although he does not believe in organized religion, he said he does believe in God as well as the Bible. He said God is what keeps him going on a daily basis. “My faith is definitely elevated and my spiritual maturity has grown,” Scarce said. God, music and his mom are what help him continue his life in a positive manner each and every day, he said. Scarce’s father passed away in 2009, so music and faith guide him when he feels his support system is nearly non-existent. A life of purpose is what Scarce will continue to strive for as he waits for a kidney and continues to act as a fisher of men. Anyone who wishes to attend the event can visit the Slidebar in downtown Fullerton on Sunday, between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Or to give a donation online you can visit, Giveforward.com/canabrothagetakidneysamscarce.

WILLIAM CAMARGO / Daily Titan

Jorge Perezchica received second place in the experimental category for his work on Tragarsele La Tierra: Disappear into the Blue. He is one of many Titans who were finalists in the Media Arts Festival.

FESTIVAL: Titans recognized CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“He gave them some great info about how to get into the business and have a successful career,” Sharp said. The students at the festival also noted the benefits of hearing from a professional in the film industry. “He spoke in length about how to get your foot in the door and dispelling old hollywood myths that make it seem impossible, or by sheer luck, to get a career started,” said Perezchica, the second-place winner in the experimental category. The elite prize of the evening, which garnered a tie, went to students from other universities. Michelle Ikemoto of San Jose State University and Seth Craven of Cal State Long Beach tied for Best in Show at the event, the top honor prize of the evening that cashes in $1000. Ikemoto won for her piece titled Tule Lake and Craven won for his piece titled Un-Armed Robbery. CSUF student Scott Kazan, a senior, whose short film illustrated the challenging struggles gay couples contend against, said he relied on the talent of the actors to display emotion rather than technical special effects. The film is an abstract concept about two male lovers who have to say goodbye to each other, Kazan said. CONTACT US AT DTFEATURESDESK@GMAIL.COM

As the conversation became more intense, the editing and cuts became quicker, the film sped up. The idea was to make the audience uncomfortable while the story became more complex, he said. “It’s set against the sound design that is meant to simulate warfare, gun fighting and conflict, and so that kind of represents the prejudice and hatred of society that’s kind of pulling them apart,” said Kazan. While Kazan contends that other student’s films have more fun and use more special effects, his piece doesn’t fall short in trying to convey a serious or compassionate message. “It’s a movie that’s actually trying to say something, that has a strong message,” Kazan said. He praises the actors in his film, Adam J. Yeend and Leon Charles Farmer, who portrayed the characters in the story. What the film lacked in special effects was made up for in the emotion that was sold to the audience with the actor’s performance, Kazan said. “The way it was shot, it was pretty much two guys in a room together,” he said. “It all really depends on the actors.” Kazan graduates this spring and plans on submitting other creations to the Newport Film Festival next year.

Perezchica shared the same sentiment about the films at the festival, noting the talent from other CSUs. “Coming in second place in the experimental category was disappointing,” Perezchica said. “But overall, I felt the films that did win, deserved to win.” Perezchica’s visual short “explores the theme of other,” and some of the visual metaphors like fertility, sex and religion are topics analyzed and amplified using experimental sound, color and time-lapse photography, he said. “I wanted the film to imbue a surreal and trippy mood as if externalizing what’s going on from inside,” Perezchica wrote in an email. Also appreciating the talent level of acting in his short, Perezchica notes theater student Ruben Carbajal, a freshman, impressed him. The emotion from his performance captured the theme of the film, he said. About a week after the festival ended he received a letter from the judges, critiquing his film. “(The Media Arts Festival) gave me an opportunity to watch my film with an audience and see their reactions afterwards.” the radio-TV-film major said. “There’s no way to get that kind of experience except from doing it, going through the motions and learning from the experience.”

December 4, 2012

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Aries (March 21-April 19) Be respectful, and listen to another’s cries. Provide information. Passion requires commitment. Maintain objectivity. Let them know you appreciate the feedback. Say how you feel later. Postpone travel.

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Taurus (April 20-May 20) Conditions begin to improve, with compromise achieved. A female sets the tone and pace. Don’t ask many questions. Take coaching from an expert, and practice. It works out. Gemini (May 21-June 20) Misunderstandings are likely. Nonetheless, commit to your passions. Consult with a co-worker on a priority. Bring in more wealth. Postpone a shopping trip. Enjoy what you have.

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Cancer (June 21-July 22) Contentment reigns at home. On the spot creativity is required, and it’s fun and random. Help others generate necessary funds from available resources. Speak from your heart. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Intuition enters the picture. Don’t push too hard. Hammer out the details. New information dispels old fears. Test it before sealing up everything. A lovely moment is possible. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Your suggestions may not be immediately accepted. Don’t get intimidated. Keep planning. There could be a communications breakdown, with temporary confusion. Postpone a celebration or financial discussion. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Invest in your infrastructure. Obtain the necessary materials. Don’t celebrate by spending more. Make financial talk fun. Meticulous planning pays off. Positive numbers appear on the balance sheet. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Take care not to step on toes, and connect with the group for public success. It’s not a good time to question authority, unless hiring an expert. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Use the energy others gener ate. Don’t gossip about work. Postpone travel and expansion. It could get tense, so relax. Keep your head down. Get money for improvements now. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Follow through on your plan. Arguing just makes it take longer. Minimize financial risks and watch for hidden dangers. Work interferes with travel. Provide information. Enjoy local cuisine. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Soak up information, and let your partner do the talking. Visualize perfection. Act on profitable ideas. Expect a visitor you haven’t seen for some time. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) You can get whatever you need, and easily avoid a mistake. You’ve earned some rest. Others are drawn to you today. Bask in the glow. Postpone an outing.

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.

FITNESS

PAGE 8

THE DAILY TITAN

DECEMBER 4, 2012 TUESDAY

The benefits of coffee As finals week is rapidly approaching, for students caffeine remains a staple PETER PHAM Daily Titan

Courtesy of MCT

Most successful diets begin with a well-balanced meal. The plate above displays some chicken, wheat bread, brocolli, lettuce, tomatoes and red onions. Staying fit comes down to eating well.

Not all diets are created equally Variety of different weight loss programs makes it easier than ever to get fit JAZMIN SANCHEZ Daily Titan

With holidays in full swing, most of us are packing on the pounds and getting ready to hibernate under lots of layers of clothes for the winter. While it may not exactly be the season to diet, nutritionists and personal trainers would agree that a healthy diet and maintained fitness habits are important all year long. So let’s talk about diets. There are many diets out there that claim to be the answer to weight loss. Most of these advertise themselves as easy, fast and healthy. But ultimately, what are the differences between the most popular diets and how should you pick the one that best suits you? If you’re into group fitness, like working out with friends, then an organization like Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers might be a good choice. Weight Watchers provides a program to its dieters that includes a mix of group meetings, exercise, and nutrition. The program also includes nutrition education that teaches how to choose ingredients and about portion control. Weight Watchers helps people lose weight at a steady healthy rate; cost poses an issue as individuals have to pay for provided meals and weekly meetings. For quick results, many people have found the Atkins diet to work well. This diet involves eating lots

of protein and very low carbs. It holds the belief that your body will burn stored fat instead of carbohydrates, which will lead to fast weight loss results. The process of fat burning is called ketosis, which means burning fat for fuel. Some dieticians believe that too much protein can cause health problems. The South Beach diet is very similar to Atkins in the way that it involves eating high amounts of protein and low amounts of carbohydrates but it involves more self-motivation than other diets. Because of its lack of framed structure, this diet allows dieters to go off on their own tangent. It involves an initial phase of no carbohydrates for three to four months and then slow adding carbs back into your diet. The diet focuses on eating low amounts of glycemic carbohydrates. Low glycemic carbohydrates include whole grains, fresh fruits, legumes, nuts and other starches high in fiber. The Mediterranean diet, approved by the American Heart Association, promotes a hearthealthy diet with the use of fresh ingredients that are high in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. It includes eating lots of fruits, veggies, nuts, whole grains and fish. There is no calorie limit per day on this diet so dieters must keep track of portions and prioritize eating healthy fats. The Zone diet includes a balance of 40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat. The diet focuses on lean proteins and healthy fats and includes eating five small meals a day. It reworks your metabolism,

which leads to weight loss. Exercise and lots of water are important factors in making sure this diet works for you. Some new-age diets are also becoming more popular. These diets not only help people lose weight but improve their overall health as well. For example, the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet lowers fat and cholesterol consumption, which in turn leads to weight loss. The TLC diet also calls for increasing fiber intake. It includes lots of fruits, veggies, nonfat or low fat dairy, fish and lean chicken. The program, free to download online, teaches how to diet, exercise and manage weight. This diet works well for people who enjoy modifying their favorite meals to fit a healthier way of eating. The Paleo diet provides a new outlook on eating healthy by eating unprocessed, organic foods. This diet involves only eating food that was available to our ancestors, often eliminating grains and dairy products from consumption. It prohibits processed foods, cereal grains, dairy and starchy vegetables. This diet functions on the theory that what was good for us in the old days is better for us now. From cutting back on carbohydrates to eating smaller portions more frequently, there are many ways to help your body burn unwanted fat by keeping your metabolism up and eating healthy. Experts advise cardio, resistance training and eating balanced meals on a daily basis to increase your body’s metabolic rates.

DIET COMPARISON South Beach

Mediterranean

Weight Watchers

The Zone

TLC

Paleo

*Eating high amounts of protein *Low amounts of carbohydrates

*Meetings, exercise, and nutrition *Must pay for meals and meetings

*Lowers fat and cholesterol intake *invloves increasing fiber intake

*Ingredients high in antioxidants *No calorie limit per day

*Eating lean protein, healthy fats *Made up of five small meals a day

*Eating unprocessed, organic foods *Cuts out grain and dairy products

Coffee can be as valuable as money when it comes to students at Cal State Fullerton. With finals preparation, homework and school involvement, sleep is something students rarely get. The hot, caffeine-riddled beverage usually does the trick when it comes to waking students up and starting off their busy days, but there are also some advantages and disadvantages of coffee that students do not realize. According to the Mayo Clinic, studies have shown that coffee can protect against Type-2 Diabetes, liver cancer and Parkinson’s disease. It also contains high amounts of antioxidants. Excessive amounts, however, are known to cause sleeplessness, anxiety, irritability and restlessness. Daniel Judelson, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of kinesiology, says the amount of caffeine it takes to be productive varies with the individual body that consumes it. “There is evidence that supports small to moderate doses of caffeine are beneficial for physical exercise performance and for cognitive task performances,” said Judelson. “It’s largely based on your body mass.” According to Judelson, three to six milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body mass is a healthy and productive dose. “A strongly brewed cup of coffee has about 100 milligrams,” Judelson said. “The caveat, because I said you can drink two to four cups of coffee and get the benefits out of it, is there [are] strong inter-individual differences.” One person’s response to a given amount of caffeine might be different from another person’s response, Judelson said. “For some people, 200 milli-

PETER PHAM / Daily Titan

Starbucks is the most popular coffee chain in the world. Although there are negative effects, this drink does yield some benefits.

grams or two cups of coffee may get them in a perfect state to be exercising, may get them in the perfect state to get their work done,” Judelson said. “Others, it may have no effect for and others they may get so hopped up that they can’t sit still and they’re concerned about how they can function.”

“Two cups of coffee may get them in a perfect state to be exercising.” DANIEL JUDELSON, Ph.D Kinesiology professor In a study conducted by Judelson, eight subjects were tested on their response to purified caffeine. Small amounts of caffeine enhanced performances, moderate amounts of caffeine yields consistent results and high amounts of caffeine decreases performances, according

to the study. Maria Lourdes Garner, 22, radioTV-film major, drinks coffee three to five days a week. Garner needs to drink coffee to get her through the day and wake her mind up. “You have energy when you wake up after sleeping, but your mind is still in that sleepy mode sometimes,” said Garner. “If you have all these things to do, then coffee is kind of that extra energy boost.” Some students drink coffee strictly for the purposes of study. “I drink it more to study and wake up,” said Augustine PhamVu, a 21-year-old liberal studies major in her fourth year at CSUF. PhamVu drinks coffee every day out of a habit to focus on her academics. PhamVu began her consistent consumption of coffee at the beginning of the fall semester to keep up with her schoolwork. Before this semester, she was a tea drinker. The amount of coffee it takes to generate productivity in students varies from person to person. It’s just the matter of not overdoing the caffeine intake to the point where too much coffee can be a hinderance.