Daily Titan: Thursday, April 15, 2010

April 15, 2010

Vol. 87 Issue 35

This week at the Becker: The 88

Los Angeles-based band The 88 lured a sizeable crowd to the Becker Amphitheatre Wednesday afternoon.

SOUND-OFF, Page 6

Multimedia

THURSDAY

Spring Concert is coming up this weekend, find out more about the concert and performers at: www.dailytitan.com/springconcert10 Learn more about what could happen after graduation at Senior Dis-orientation, only on: www.dailytitan.com/seniordisorientation

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Azerbaijan

Ukraine

Kyrgyzstan

Dominican Republic Moldova

Honduras Bulgaria

Nicaragua

Micronesia

Survivor shares Holocaust story with students

Peru

Gambia

Paraguay

Zambia

*each Tuffy represents one graduate

Number of CSUF alumni volunteering in the Peace Corps

graphic By Kristen hulsey/Daily Titan Design Editor

Titans travel for peace Cal State Fullerton alumni have a long history of donating their time and effort to the Peace Corps after graduation By lauren Mccann

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

Established March 1, 1961, the Peace Corps, a volunteer program, and United States governmental agency has served 139 host countries, with 310 Cal State Fullerton alumni contributing to the count of nearly 200 thousand Peace Corps volunteers.

In 1960, then Sen. John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country by delivering peace efforts in developing countries. Through this, the inception of an agency devoted to world peace and friendship was born.

The Peace Corps requires a volunteer to be committed for 27 months in a foreign country. Peace Corps is working towards three simple goals: 1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women. 2. Helping promote a better understanding of

Americans on the part of the peoples served. 3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

Also established in 1961, the CSU system has been a significant contributor, with 8,747 Peace Corps volunteers from all 23 campuses.

“Cal State University, Fullerton students have always had a strong commitment to community service.

More and more college students are realizing that the marketplace is global. This has spurred increased interest in the Peace Corps,” said Kate Kuykendall, Peace Corps public affairs specialist.

Today, there are 7,671 volunteers and trainees involved with the Peace Corps. Of that number, 920 are from California, 22 of which are CSUF alumni. Currently, California has the most serving volunteers in the U.S. In 2009, there were 15 alumni who served in the Peace Corps and in 2008 there were 11.

“I asked myself, how can I get more global experience, travel more and benefit myself, while investing in my future? With the chronic unemployment of young people today, there’s no other option,” said Jeffrey Sigler, 27, a CSUF economics alumnus of ’07.

After examining options and choices for his future, Sigler chose Peace Corps as the clear path. Two weeks ago he was told his departure date is June 10. In Peru, Sigler will serve as a small business promoter.

“I’m so blessed and fortunate to be going somewhere that I love,” Sigler said. “To have the experience of the Peace Corps, it opens all the doors.

It’s the most incredible decision you can make. I dare anyone to find anything like it.”

The Peace Corps requires volunteers to be at least 18 years of age.

Varying education levels are acceptable, however, 95 percent of volunteers have at least an undergraduate

degree. The other five percent have three to five years of full-time work experience in qualifying fields.

The application process is something that takes patience, and focus typically ranges from nine to 12 months. After receiving an invitation, most people depart for their country assignment within two to three months.

Ultimately, the placement of a volunteer depends on where their qualifications and skills match the needs of countries requesting assistance.

The fields in which volunteers are placed in ranges from education, health and HIV/AIDS, business development, environment, agriculture and youth development.

“We really ask that applicants be as flexible as possible about where they serve so that we can do our best to meet the needs of the host countries we serve,” Kuykendall said.

See PEACE CORPS, Page 2

‘CSI’ films ‘They All Fall Down’

photo By christa connelly/Daily Titan Photo Editor Mary Bauer, a survivor of the Holocaust, tells her life story to a crowded room full of students in the Pollack Library.

By Zam Anwar

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

The students of Cal State Fullerton’s European studies society presented speaker Mary Bauer, a survivor of the Holocaust, who shared her personal experiences during the war and after with students, faulty and community members at the Pollack Library, Wednesday evening.

According to literature posted by the students of the European studies society, Bauer was born in Budapest, Hungary, on May 29, 1927.

When she was a teenager, Bauer was deported to Auschwitz, along with her mother and grandparents, in the spring of 1944. In prison, Bauer was forced to work as a weaver, converting the shorn hair of prisoners into items necessary for the Nazi war effort.

In January 1945, Bauer and her mother were forcibly marched from Auschwitz, Poland, to Ravensbruck, Germany.

Liberated by the Russian Red Army in the spring of 1945, she returned to Hungary with her mother, only to find their home looted, and antisemitism as strong as ever. Realizing there was no future for her daughter in postwar Hungary, Bauer’s mother sent her to Berlin. Bauer sailed to the United States soon after and settled in Los Angeles with her husband.

See HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, Page 2

Rally ignites week of Greek

By Christine Amarantus

Daily Titan Editor at Large news@dailytitan.com

Investigators who rushed to Dade University’s pool were greeted with a grisly crime scene. A murder has taken place. The seasoned Lieutenant Horatio Caine arrives, checks out the unlucky corpse, and delivers a notorious one-liner while dramatically removing his shades.

Cal State Fullerton doubled as the fictitious institution Dade University for the television drama “CSI: Miami” on Wednesday, with the shoot resuming today. Cast and crew are filming the season finale set to air May 24 at 10 p.m. on CBS. “This campus was the best. We shoot the whole show in Los Angeles,” said the episode’s director, Joe Chapelle, regarding CSUF’s selection to pose as a college in Florida. “What’s great about Cal State Fullerton is with all the palm trees and the expanse it really feels like Dade County. The look of the show is very modern and high-tech, and a lot of the buildings here, especially the newer buildings, fit the look of the show perfectly.”

Executive Producers Barry O’Brien and Marc Dube wrote the episode being shot, “They All Fall Down.”

“We basically chose Fullerton State because of the pool,” O’Brien said. “There’s a murder, unfortunately for the guy who dies, that happens in the

photo By Nick marley/Daily Titan Photo Editor Cast and crew film a scene for the season finale of ‘CSI: Miami’ outside of the Performing Arts building.

pool. (CSUF has) a fantastic pool area down there.

We shot near your music hall. Beautiful, beautiful facility. We turned that into our behavioral psychology wing.”

“The school was very accommodating, too. We’re going to spend three days here,” Dube added. “We have Horatio Caine interviewing professors, a grad student – they’re all suspects – so we’re near classrooms getting shots.”

The two commented on the episode’s storyline.

“There’s a terrifying incident in the lab where one by one, all of our CSIs lose consciousness. It’s a cliffhanger,” O’Brien said.

“All of our characters all fall down,” Dube said.

“We don’t know who gets up until the premiere of next season.”

Kinesiology major Alanna Meek, 20, stepped in to assist with the production.

photo By nick marley/Daily Titan Photo Editor Sorority sisters cheer wildly in preparation for can castle building and chalk murals.

“I just overheard them talking to another student asking around if someone knew Tai Chi,” the Delta Zeta member said.

Meek came forward and showed the crew what she could do before she was placed as a coach for one of the actors who was playing a suspect in the episode who practiced the Chinese martial art form.

“I went over it with the actor, he had done it when he was 17 and so it was kind of familiar to him,” she said. “And he said it seemed a bit right and that he just needed enough to make it look good on camera and that he only needed four movements.”

O’Brien was pleased with Meek’s help.

“She was just plucked from walking past our shoot in the music hall. She’s proving to be quite an expert,” he said.

About 500 members from Cal State Fullerton’s Greek organizations celebrated the first evening of Greek Week by jumping on moonwalks, air-filled slides and partying to music supplied by Michael Olivares, also known as DJ Mikey O, Wednesday starting at 6 p.m. in front of the Titan Gym. “Oh my God! This was amazing. I’ve never seen the student body party like we did today,” said 28-year-old Olivares, also a fraternity member. “There is nothing like partying with the Greeks here at Cal State Fullerton.”

Olivares, a senior in Delta Chi, started winding down the entertainment at 8 p.m.

See ‘CSI,’ Page 3

See GREEK WEEK, Page 3

By Charles Purnell

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

2

April 15, 2010

IN OTHER NEWS Peace Corps: volunteers globally

INTERNATIONAL

7.1 quake in China leaves 400 dead, 8,000 injured BEIJING – Chinese authorities raced against time, distance and wind in a remote corner of the Tibetan plateau as they tried to rescue victims from a 7.1 magnitude earthquake that killed at least 400 people and injured more than 8,000 others.

The earthquake struck Wednesday morning in one of the most inaccessible reaches of China, Qinghai province’s Yushu county. The 100,000 people in the area are mostly Tibetan, many of them making their living herding yaks and sheep. Houses of mud and wooden beams gave way almost immediately when the tremor struck at 7:49 a.m. in the county seat of Jiegu.

A series of aftershocks collapsed schools built of concrete and a pagoda in the main park. The school collapses evoked painful memories of the Sichuan province earthquake of 2008 in which, by the official count, 5,335 children were crushed to death in their classrooms.

NATIONAL Senator Todd blasts Republican leader WASHINGTON – The architect of sweeping legislation that would revamp financial regulation took the Senate floor on Wednesday to accuse the Senate Republican leader of lying about the bill and being in Wall Street’s back pocket. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, DConn., delivered a blistering 20-minute speech that included the revelation of a political talking points memo from a Republican strategist that was virtually verbatim to the criticism voiced Tuesday by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. McConnell had accused Dodd of drafting partisan legislation, even though the Banking Committee chairman has worked for roughly half a year with key Senate Republicans and incorporated many of their ideas into his bill.

STATE

Residents air grievances over San Juan project

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – A standing-room-only crowd Tuesday night gave San Juan Capistrano planning commissioners a list of complaints about the planned Distrito La Novia/Meadows residential and commercial project, despite concessions the site’s developer made in 2008 to scale it back.

Ira Rosenbaum worried that the project’s planned space for 775 horses would bring flies and bad smells.

“When the wind blows, where will those flies be? On my front door, and I don’t want any of it,” he said.

The Meadows plan includes 94 houses and 90 acres of open space along La Novia Avenue. Distrito La Novia across the street would add 90 condominiums and 50 apartments, with 68,200 net square feet of shops and restaurants and 27,500 net square feet of office space.

There also would be room for the 775 horses, down from 950 proposed in 2008.

Planning Commissioner Gene Ratcliffe said the proposals are so large and have so many parts that their effects are hard to predict.

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 Sergio Cabaruvias at 657-278-5815 or at execeditor@dailytitan.com with issues about this policy or to report any errors.

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Copyright ©2010 Daily Titan

From Page 1

Amber Valenzuela, 27, a CSUF communication and sociology alumna of ’05, departs May 10 to Bulgaria as a business developer. While at CSUF, Valenzuela served on the legislative board as the vice chair of SOAR, where she first heard of the Peace Corps from SOAR Chair Brittany Kuhn.

“I used to look at CSUF as just my commuter school. Through volunteer and student leadership work with Public Relations Student Society (of America) and SOAR, I saw that CSUF was open to student leaders and it opened my eyes to non-profit and volunteer work. I am a huge advocate of getting involved when you are there,” Valenzuela said.

Located in the Titan Student Union, the Volunteer Center has a plethora of information on volunteer opportunities.Volunteer Center Coordinator Amy Mattern said that even though the Volunteer Center is not a concrete resource for getting involved with the Peace Corps, it is a great place to come and gather materials.

Mattern urges students to get involved and ask questions. Updated Peace Corps pamphlets are readily available in the office. Johann D’Agostino, the current Regional Recruiter for CSUF, can be contacted at 310-356-1110.

“At this time, I feel very excited to go for the adventure and nervous because I might be homesick. It’s time to go out and do it. It’s time to live life,” Valenzuela said.

When Valenzuela graduated from CSUF, she applied for the Peace Corps and different jobs pertaining to her majors. Both opportunities progressed simultaneously. She opted for the path of a marketing and communication career. Over three and a half years, she gained valuable knowledge in business through her work experiences.

In March 2009, like thousands of other Americans, Valenzuela was laid off.

The Peace Corps was the first thing on her mind. She re-applied and was sent an invitation letter in July 2009.

From requesting a Spanish-speaking country, to potentially being placed in

Captured above is the United States Peace Corps logo.

Africa, to being assigned environmental education in Bulgaria, to being told that a new opportunity in business development was open in Bulgaria, Valenzuela put her belongings in storage, gave her roommate 30 days notice and accepted the invitation. She is ready to go.“Whatever happens, happens for a reason,” is a motto Valenzuela lives by.

To follow Valenzuela’s journey go to her blog at: Amberintransit.blogspot. com.

“I think that CSUF students, like all prospective volunteers, are driven to apply to the Peace Corps because it’s a wonderful opportunity to live in

Photo courtesy Hyrck flickr.com

another culture, learn a new language and help an overseas community at the same time,” Kuykendall said.

“I am entering a new realm of discovery within myself. I don’t mean to make this sound romantic because it is quite challenging. There are many days that I cry and question my motives, ambitions and goals; however the moments that balance these out are so powerful,” writes Jenae Woodward on her blog: Jenaeinsenegal.blogspot.com.

Woodward, a CSUF geography alumna is currently in Sengal, West Africa, with the Peace Corps, where she has served over a month doing health and environmental education.

Holocaust Survivor: shares her story From Page 1

During an introductory speech, Steve Jobbit, assistant professor of modern history at CSUF, spoke about the universal elements that Bauer managed to bring out through her stories. Jobbit introduced the audience to her particular story in the context of the Hungarian Jewish history and the Holocaust; a story that he said played different than it did elsewhere in Europe.

Jobbit also presented a slideshow that chronicled Bauer’s journey throughout her ordeal that showcased pictures of Bauer, her family and the house she lived in before she was deported.

Bauer, who lives in LA, is a passionate critic of racism and intolerance and continues to work toward educating people not only about the Holocaust, but also about the horrors of genocide and ethnic cleansing around the world.

“I’m here to tell you why I’m alive, because strangely enough, except the hidden children, I am the youngest survivor...” Bauer said. She said that even though people have seen enough, and there are books and movies about the Holocaust, there are also distorted stories that deny the truth of what happened with her and other survivors.

Bauer spoke about her life in Hungary; a life she described as “normal;” a life that soon escalated, in a matter of weeks, to one

filled with uncertainty and threat when Jews began to be subject to persecution.

“It was too fast to absorb, indignancies were occurring at a fast pace,” Bauer said, describing how Jews were forbidden to attend public schools and had to wear yellow stars stitched onto their clothing.

“It is very ugly when a government can sanction such things,” she said.

Bauer went on to chronicle her journey, describing her deportation to Auschwitz, her work in the weaveries, the march from Auschwitz to Ravensbruck and the Liberation by the Russian Red army in the spring of 1945. Bauer recalled many of the atrocities committed on the Jews, many of them that she was an eyewitness to.

Finally, Bauer recalled the events that led to her immigration to the United States in 1951 and recalled how horrified she was when she encountered racism still prevalent, especially against black people in New Orleans.

When she tried to raise her voice against the discrimination, Bauer said she was threatened with deportation for being a communist.

“All of a sudden, I was accused of being a communist, just because I had a social conscience?” Bauer remembers thinking.

“There are no differences,” Bauer said. “If you don’t like someone, well, that is your privilege, but don’t dislike groups, that is very unjust,” Bauer told the audience.

photo By Christa Connelly/Daily Titan Photo Editor Mary Bauer reminisces about her father (seen in the background projection) before he was killed during the Holocaust. Bauer spoke Wednesday in the Pollack Library.

Bauer emphasized to students that it was important for them to be aware of their rights.

“Don’t you forget that you have rights, use it, but use it in the right sense,” she said.

When asked why she thought she had survived the Holocaust, Bauer said that there were no wits, no smarts and no intelligence involved in her survival.

“It was just chance that they did not have enough time to kill us,” she said.

Michael Willliam Lopez, junior kinesiology major, said that he really enjoyed the talk.

“It was really powerful and it scares me that anti-semitism is still so prevalent today,” he said. Lopez

said that he was particularly moved by the stories about Bauer immigrating to the U.S. and having to encounter openly racist people.

Cara Rosen, a history and women’s studies major and the president of the European studies society who organized the event, said that more people showed up at the event than expected, but it was good because people needed to be aware that racism was still a prevalent issue in today’s society.

“Being a student, I am astounded by her story – I’m in awe,” Rosen said after hearing Bauer’s story.

“We need to be aware that stuff like ethnic cleansing and genocide is still out there, it is still happening,” she said.

3

April 15, 2010

GREEK WEEK: KICKED OFF

tee and member of Alpha Delta Pi. “That’s, like, the sole purpose for this week.

Greek Week, according to So everyone just comes toPi Kappa Phi member Max gether to raise money to Hassenstein, 20, is a week of send them to camp.” competitions between fraterniThursday’s competities and sororities where funds tions are softball and socare raised for Camp Titan. Ev- cer. They will be played in ery year, between $25,000 and the field north of the Titan $30,000 is raised, he said.

Gym. The Greek teams will Hassenstein, one of the man- compete in football and agers of Greek Week, is on the basketball on Friday. On planning committee. One rep- Saturday, a lip-sync contest resentative from each sorority will be held in the Titan and each fraternity on campus Gym. forms the committee that plans In the lip-sync contest, every detail of Greek Week. It the teams will dress up in is a year-long commitment, he costumes and perform musaid. sical skits.

Wednesday at noon, the fraMaricela Alverado, coorternities and sororities com- dinator for Greek Life, said posed chalk murals on the Ti- Greek Week is all about tan Walk that will be judged spirit unity and team work later. Next, they built can for the Greeks. castles, which are small castles “Greek Life is more than built from cans that the orga- what people think it is,” photo By christa connelly/Daily Titan Photo Editor nizations later A l v e r a - Members of the CSUF Greek community donated. do said. create ‘can castles’ on Titan Walk ,Wednesday.

Through“ Pe o p l e out the week, have this fear of and sisterhood, according to the Greek orthe Greek mean- Alverado. It’s a collective work ganizations To see more of CSUF ing. So this is effort and Alverado said she will compete making them- hopes the fraternities and soGreek Week, go to: in both indoor selves aware and rorities understand that. www.dailytitan.com/ the community and outdoor Greek Week is for the six sports. aware that they Inter-Fraternity houses and six GreekWeek10 “This week are beyond the Panhellenic houses on campus. is all about the sterotypes.”

The winners and the amount kids. It’s about One fraternity of money raised will be anraising money for Camp Titan,” joins up with one sorority dur- nounced at the awards ceremosaid Karen Langer, 21, a co- ing Greek Week. The pairing up ny Sunday in the Titan Student chair on the planning commit- festers networking, brotherhood Union Pavillion.

From Page 1

IMAGE COURTESY OF surveyMonkey.com A screeenshot of the survey circulated via Facebook by a group of students concerned with the use of $100,000 annually for the Spring Concert.The studetns believe the funds could be better spent on scholarships and other programs to benefit students.

Survey questions ASI’s concert cash

By Serena whitecotton

exactly how ASI works and wishes they would learn more about the news@dailytitan.com government.

“People are angry, and I underA group of unsatisfied Cal State Fullerton students conducted a stand that – I mean I’m not intersurvey questioning the motives be- ested in LMFAO particularly – but hind the use of student funds from there’s a lot of information behind Associated Students Inc. The sur- the scenes that most students don’t vey has been circulating on Face- see … because within the CSU book, asking whether or not ASI is system and the country, we have spending too much money on this an amazingly structured ASI,” year’s Spring Concert. The bud- Borden said. “We are very lucky get for the concert is an estimated to have such a strong student/staff $100,000, acpartnership and cording to the have our voices survey’s coordiso well heard. nators.

Many, many American universities do studies major not function Maria Cortes, that way and I 24, one of the wish that stucoordinators dents would behind the surtake the time to vey, said she learn about ASI thought ASI’s – Annora Borden instead of just vice chair, budget for the being angry at TSU governing board Spring Concert us when what was “ridiculous” we want to do is and wanted to support them.” know if other students felt the Cortes involves herself by regusame way.

“Taking into consideration the larly attending the ASI board of whole economic crisis, we can use directors meeting and has spoken $100,000 more effectively to ac- with “various people” there.

“Not too many of them have tively support students,” Cortes taken the initiative in getting the said. “ASI’s effort of understandstudent voice,” Cortes said. “I ing the student body consists of haven’t even seen them post the just posting up fliers, but aside from that, no grassroots organiz- survey on their Facebook.”

Cortes said the response to the ing ever occurs.” survey has been “really great.”

Cortes believes that the funds “A lot of people are curious and can be used to distribute scholarships, open more job opportuni- want to be a part of the process,” ties on campus for professors and Cortes said. “Students do care!”

The results of the survey are students alike, or go to ASI events that “actually try to engage stu- leaning toward the side of Cortes.

“Most students have felt that we dents in real conversations and could use the money more wisely,” dialogues.”

Annora Borden, vice chair of Cortes said. the TSU governing board, believes “They are extremely happy that that many people don’t understand finally someone is taking the iniDaily Titan Staff Writer

“

People are angry, and I understand that ... but there’s a lot of information behind the scenes that most students don’t see...

tiative to get the student voice.”

Borden is concerned with the results of the survey, since Cortes is only passing out the survey to friends.

“As for the survey itself, I would be interested in knowing more about the questions that they’re placing on the survey. It sounds like a snowball sample, where you just tell three people and they tell three people and it just gets out but that’s not exactly representative of the students at the university,” Borden said. “You can draw some conclusions from that sample but not necessarily ones that include the entire population.”

When asked if he was going to attend the concert, a colleague of Cortes, 33-year-old human services major, Dameion Renault said, “No, no, no.”

“It should not be happening.

Worried about contacts? How about explaining to the band that you have spent our money on something that although fun and relaxation luring, is not the best thing to have done with it,” Renault said.

Cortes hopes to achieve a greater student collective and to open ASI’s eyes to the student body’s concerns through this survey.

“I hope to get the real student voice, all those who go unrepresented and unheard,” Cortes said.

“To get ASI to open up their eyes and see beyond their own experiences on campus, and to have them really think about representing their student body. We are here to learn!”

Multimedia

‘CSI:’ CSUF’S PRIMETIME DEBUT From Page 1

Dube said that using CSUF students for the shoot was definitely something the crew wanted to do.

“Part of the plan in our production meeting was to recruit,” he said.

Meek said she thought the whole process was interesting.

“Everyone is so down-toearth and I’m so shy and scared of doing the wrong thing,” she said. “Everyone’s really friendly.

I’ve never seen a movie or a show being shot before.”

Assistant Vice President of Academic Operations and Finance Lisa Kopecky was contacted by the show’s location manager, interested in using CSUF for the scene of the crime.

“It came together very quickly,” she said. “The money we’re getting (from the studio) will cover the out-of-pocket expenses and the rest will go to ASI,” Kopecky said.

The money will be divided among the areas of the school that

were used for the shoot with a good portion going to the Student Recreation Center, as the pool would be used for the murder, Kopecky said as she watched the crew work on Titan Walk.

“I absolutely love the show,” she said.

“I was watching the students to see how they reacted. Some were saying, ‘Oh my gosh, is that David Caruso?’ And they’d pick up the phone and call their friends.”

“

4

April 15, 2010

Underground Sounds

Soundoff@dailytitan.com

For fans of: U2, The Killers, Duran Duran

By Skyler blair

“

By Cameron Harp

For The Daily Titan

Anarchy in the OC blurry from what I could see after getting knocked in the eye by a drunken For The Daily Titan Soundoff@dailytitan.com hipster with pointy elbows.

Best as I can tell, they were dressed On April 8, Malcolm McLar- as Louisiana well-to-do freshly raised en, the manager of the Sex Pis- from the grave. Sleazy P’s drumming tols, died following a long battle sounds like he is throwing a tantrum with cancer. His influence and in a junk pile and Frack ‘Em’s riffs are the Sex Pistols punk movement just as relentless; as they both tear it in the U.K. inspired musicians all up on stage while the crowd tears it up over the world. It can be argued on the dance floor. It’s only going to that the birthplace of hardcore get more interesting now that the duo punk was in Orange County, and have “got a singer, shitheads!” accordsome of the first to burst from ing to their Facebook. the womb were from Fullerton.

Look up the song “I Reckon You Bands such as The Adolescents, Gonna Die” and punch a hipster in Agent Orange, Social Distortion the face for me next time you see one. and D.I. all hail Fullerton as their Up the road a ways in Long Beach hometown. are the Gestapo Khazi. Listening to Since then, local musicians their self titled EP, you may feel like have been modifying this fast and your stereo has just sent you back in furious style of of rock ‘n’ roll, and time to the golden days of ’80s angst continue to break down the genre punk – what a great idea for a movie! while more and more creative This album has more than enough remonikers are needed to describe verb to go around and is filled with them. From psychobilly cowpunk bona fide throwbacks reminiscent of to emocore thrashmetal, the real True Sounds of Liberty and all those beauty of it is that you can find all other great pioneers of the OC and the trendsetters of this ever-diver- LA-punk emergence. sifying musical style close by.

The group consists of ex-Geisha W h e n Girl guitarzombies walk ist John Holy the earth, Roller, who is From psychobilly they will be now the vocalist cowpunk to emocore laying waste for Khazi, Stark thrash-metal, the real to humanity Raving Erik on to the tune guitar, Gestapo beauty of it is that of Death Grazi on bass you can find all the Hymn Numand Third Retrendsetters of this ever- ich Meich on ber 9. If you wandered in diversifying musical style drums. These to their last guys really know close by. show at the how to emulate Continenthe classics and tal Room, already have a unaware of what was going on, big following in Long Beach. you probably would have been Murder By Death is a group from very confused and frightened. Indiana that made a stop by Detroit It was the first time I saw them Bar last weekend to showcase songs live after hearing so much of this from their new album, Good Morngimmicky rock group and they ing, Magpie. The ‘death folk’ group certainly lived up to the hype. It features Adam Turla on vocals/guitar, was truly otherworldly and a bit the lovely Sarah Balliet on cello/key-

Local band beats big names for award

boards, Matt Armstrong on bass and Dagan Thogerson on drums.

The show at Detroit was so packed you could throw a bottle of Stella Artois and easily nail two to three dudes sporting greased-up mustaches.

Good Morning, Magpie has quite a few upbeat songs for a typical MBD record, but is still infused with plenty of the dark Cash-esque lyricism Turla is renowned for.

They do an amazing job of serenading the audience with vaudevillian ballads of remorse that crescendo to an upbeat foot-stomper.

The song “You Don’t Miss Twice (When Shaving With A Knife)” has a ‘rink-a-dink’ feel and has an ironic likening to the tune of Fred Astaire’s “Puttin’ On the Ritz.” It was written about Turla’s retreat into the Tennessee woods where he wrote all 11 songs on the album in seclusion.

During their performance of “Foxglove,” Balliet stole my heart while playing the opening cello riff. It might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn she looked up and winked at me.

Maybe she felt my longing gaze and knew I had a soft spot for beautiful female musicians that play instruments with a low key signature ever since the days of D’arcy Wretzky of the Smashing Pumpkins.

I’d also like to add a few honorable mentions to some local bands for most interesting/ridiculous punk cover band: Yeastie Boys; and the band that is really rockin’ but has a crappy name: Poop. If you’re in Fullerton, you should see one of these groups and really see how punk has historically made it’s planted its roots in this city. Plus, it feels good to unleash a little anarchy once in a while.

After taking home “Best Alternative” at the OC Music Awards and finishing up a month-long residency at the Gypsy Lounge, Orange County rock band Stereofix is on the verge of conquering the rock music scene.

After spending the end of 2009 opening for acts like Everclear, Three 6 Mafia and DJ Reflex, the self-proclaimed ’80s-influenced rock quartet has now earned enough of a fan base to headline. Stereofix will headline the Music for Meals concert to aid impoverished children in Orange County at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana on April 25.

Lead singer and former student at California State Fullerton, Ray Alexander, and his younger brother Kamren formed Stereofix three years ago. Ray is responsible for influencing his brother to pick up music while attending Fountain Valley High School.

“He has always been really interested in music. I was always into other things, like chicks and just doing the normal guy stuff,” Kamren said. “He really pursued music.

(Ray) handed me a guitar and it was history after that.”

The band eventually became quartet when the brothers recruited Mark Allan to play bass and found drummer Anthony Hainsworth through an advertisement placed in the Recycler. With the band complete, Sterofix established their signature sound.

“I define our sound as anything we got a hold of,” Kameren said.

“You know, our parents had really great ’80s records. So, it was a heavy influence on us and when we picked up the instruments, it seemed so natural to play that kind of music.”

Stereofix released their first album Warning Sign in the summer of 2008 with the help of engineer Mark Needham, who has worked with The Academy Is ..., The Killers, Cake, Chris Isaak, Lindsey Buckingham and Michelle Branch. The band re-

Photo By Carlos Roberto Sanchez/Courtesy of Sterofic Stereofix, from left: Kamren Alexander, Ray Alexander, Anthony Hainsworth and Mark Allan. The Orange County band won “Best Alternative” at the OC Music Awards.

cently returned to the studio to plan the release of a sophomore album.

“We have about 40 new songs and so we are kind of slowly bringing them out,” Kamren said.

On March 6, Stereofix won “Best Alternative” at the OC Music Awards over Aushua, Eye Alaska, Thrice and Saosin. As the band accepted their award, Allan said his band-mates were speechless.

“We were 100 percent sure that all the important people, the people who were going to win, actually have seats right up front,” Allan said comparing their “nosebleed seats” to the front row. “They called our name and we were like, wide-eyed. Just, wow.”

Stereofix wrapped up their monthlong Thursday night residency at the Gypsy Lounge in Lake Forest on March 25.

On their last night, the band played 12 songs before they were persuaded to do an encore by screaming fans. Allan says that the atmosphere of the show led the band to throw all the energy they had into their performance.

“It was amazing,” Allan said. “I love it. It was a great time tonight.

Leave it all onstage and with everybody that’s there.”

After playing their upcoming local shows at DiPiazza’s in Long Beach on April 17 and the Galaxy on April 25, Stereofix is looking forward to hitting the road this summer for their first headlining tour. The tour will venture North from California to Seattle, East to Reno and Las Vegas and back home.

“We played South By Southwest (last year) and that was cool, but this one is going to be more kind of strategic with a lot of production, a lot of promoting,” said the elder Alexander. “This is the one where it is just about us.”

Once their west coast tour ends, Stereofix’s ultimate ambition is a headlining tour of Europe.

“I think what is special about our band is that we are all like brothers and there is nothing else we want to do,” Kamren said.

“We love what we are doing and we are just going to continue doing it until we reach our goals.”

“

5

April 15, 2010

Dr. Dog – Shame, Shame

The Menzingers – Chaimberlain Waits

By meghan alfano

Daily Titan Sound-Off Editor Soundoff@dailytitan.com

By Matthew Baldwin

For fans of: The Beatles, M. Ward, Wilco, Born Ruffians, Fruit Bats

For The Daily Titan

Soundoff@dailytitan.com

For fans of: The Lawrence Arms, Against Me!, Broadway Calls There seems to be a stigma in music that pop-punk is reserved for radio-friendly bands such as Blink-182, Fall Out Boy and All Time Low. Greg Barnett, guitarist and co-vocalist of The Menzingers, isn’t really a fan of that stigma.

“That’s the thing with the term poppunk, it’s been abused so much…”

Barnett said. “I don’t care about (The Menzingers) getting grouped in with those types of bands, but I think it’s irritating when the term gets thrown around and bands that are essentially pop bands are claiming to be a poppunk band. They’re not a pop-punk band, they’re a pop band.”

With Chamberlain Waits, The Menzingers are out to show everyone that pop-punk doesn’t have to be friendly.

From Scranton, Pa., (“like The Of-

fice,” Barnett sarcastically added) The Menzingers have caught the attention of the punk community with both their debut A Lesson in the Abuse of Information Technology and follow up EP Hold On, Dodge. The band enlisted Matt Allison (The Alkaline Trio, Less than Jake, The Lawrence Arms) to produce Chamberlain Waits, their follow up LP, and first full-length on Red Scare Records.

While their first album had its moments, it was ultimately uneven.

Chamberlain Waits, however, is a solid, if not spectacular sophomore fulllength release. Drawing influences from contemporaries such as Against Me!, The Lawrence Arms and The Gaslight Anthem, among others, the album has no track worth skipping.

The album opens with “Who’s Your Partner,” featuring a chorus of “so let these simple songs get caught in our heads,” which the album is sure do to. The track also sounds a bit

Courtesy Mutiny PR Scranton-based band The Menzingers :Greg Barnett (vocals/guitar), Tom May (guitar/ vocals), Eric Keen (Bass) and Joe Godino (drums).

like Combat Rock-era Clash. In fact, Chamberlain Waits sounds much like a pop-punk Combat Rock. “(The Clash) are definitely our biggest influence. We pretty much base everything around if the Clash would do it, we would do it,” Barnett said.

“I think with a lot of the songs on (Chamberlain Waits), we found ourselves before we were going downstairs to practice we would throw on Sandinista or Combat Rock and try to see what they were doing there and try to go with it.”

The influence of The Clash is also apparent on tracks like “Tasker-Morris Station” and “Deep Sleep.”

And while Chamberlain Waits is sonically similar to their previous

Editors’ Playlist

Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here

By Danny Chau

For The Daily Titan

Soundoff@dailytitan.com

For fans of: Bobby Womack, Donny Hathaway, Burial, Portishead It’s been nearly three decades since Gil Scott-Heron released his debut studio record, Pieces of a Man. It was a progressive mix of soul, jazz and spoken word that was unlike anything that era had ever heard.

Fast-forwarding to today, ScottHeron’s influence is inescapable. In his lifetime, Scott-Heron has been a crusader, a voice for those yearning for social equality, but moreover, liberation.

He has endured two polarizing wars and has come to see the iniquity of his heyday fade into a looming shadow over today. And most recently, he’s become a spectator. Observing rappers and poets; children in the same vein, aiming to eliminate remnants of the shadow lingering.

Scott-Heron’s latest effort, I’m New Here, marks the end of a 15-year hiatus. The 2010 release brings ScottHeron to the forefront once more, this time, however, emerging as a sagacious figure clearly weathered from the passing years. Scott-Heron’s voice, once soothing and vibrant, has eroded.

Raspy and coarse, Scott-Heron’s voice has undergone a stark evolution, but the emotional resonance behind it has remained intact.

The album opens with “On Coming From A Broken Home (Part 1),” a brief homage to Scott-Heron’s grandmother, Lily Scott, set to the instrumentals of Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights.” Scott-Heron sets the agenda from the get-go. I’m New Here is a compilation of past stories, set in music’s ever-evolving present and future.

I’m New Here is largely an introspective. Naturally, Scott-Heron looks back upon what has brought him this far: his upbringing, family and the reality of death. It’s a frightening combination, but it echoes Scott-Heron’s poised audacity, a time-tested trait.

I’m New Here employs a great deal of minimalism, allowing for ScottHeron’s voice to speak for itself upon dreary atmospherics. The bleak, postmodernity painted in I’m New Here

Photo courtesy XL Recordings Gil Scorr-Heron’s ‘I’m New Here’ is out now. The artists’ latest effort is his first release in almost 30 years.

work, it is also much more melodic.

“Male Call” is a guitar-driven folkpunk barroom sing-a-long, much like a stripped down Nothington track.

“Rivalries” has a Green Day Warningera sound. And “Come Here Often” and “No We Didn’t” are much heavier and melodic then anything The Menzingers have previously recorded.

However, tracks like “Home Outgrown,” “Time Tables” and “I Was Born” all have that familiar Menzingers sound; a mixture of catchy, melodic punk rock and honest lyrics.

Chamberlain Waits is a must have for any fan of pop-punk, whether it be the fans of MTV-friendly punk flavored pop or Fat Wreck Chords style pop-tinged punk.

With each release, Dr. Dog has shown extensive growth, and the band’s sixth album, Shame, Shame, is no exception.

Their first release on Antirecords, the album contains 11 sunny-pop songs that fans of the band are sure to enjoy. However, the band has cleaned up its sound, moving away from lo-fi indie-rock recordings and instead, recording all of their tracks live. Dr. Dog continues what they started on their previous release, Fate, creating a more modern sounding ‘60s revival sound, and use heavy electric guitar rifts, combining their Beatle-esque sound with a harder edge.

The Philadelphia natives have also seemed to place a much stronger emphasis on vocals and harmonies, especially in opening track “Stranger,” and title track “Shame,

Shame,” the band is able to layer and arrange vocals in a way that is pleasing for the listener.

Another element the band has been able to maintain is its impeccable capability to go back and forth between trippy psychedelic beats and twangy folk-rock rhythm from song to song. Tracks “Where’d All The Time Go?” and “I Only Wear Blue” are reminiscent of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, while tracks “Station,” “Jackie Wants a Black Eye” and “Shadow People” seem to take elements from alt-folk band Wilco.

Overall, Shame, Shame is nothing you haven’t heard before, and you probably will hear this album again, however it is a great poprock album sure to please even the most pretentious music aficionados.

You can catch Dr. Dog perform April 27 at The Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood.

Favorite background music is exemplified in the lead single, “Me and the Devil.” A congregation of haunting sounds and patterns are led

by Scott-Heron’s wailing. The song is both soulful and soulless at the same time.

Yet, the most fascinating part of the album isn’t audible. The album cover is straightforward and minimalist, a brief look at what’s in store. However, it gets a little more interesting once you figure out what it’s reminiscent of. The color scheme is a duplicate of iconic album artwork from The Clash’s London Calling, and Elvis Presley’s self-titled debut, to which London Calling was based off of. Both were groundbreaking albums from progressive artists.

Both albums broke barriers, and bestowed upon all artists a civic duty to address problems plaguing our society, not unlike what Scott-Heron has done in his longevity.

I’m New Here is a salute to past acts.

Nearly 30 years after Scott-Heron’s first album, he solidifies his legacy by recalling that of others, be it from music’s finest, or from his own ‘broken home.’

Sergio Cabaruvias – Executive Editor Elliott Smith

April Ehrlich – Features Editor Real Estate

Jeremiah Magan – Managing Editor Minus the Bear

Meghan Alfano – Sound-Off Editor Broken Social Scene

Kristen Hulsey – Design Editor Tom Petty

Adrian Gaitan – Copy Editor The Fray

Bianca De La Rosa – Design Editor The Beatles or Radiohead

Danielle Flint – Copy Editor The Album: Snow Goose – Camel

Nick Marley – Photo Editor Explosions in the Sky

Gilbert Guitierrez III – Asst. Sports Editor “I Ran” – A Flock Of Seagulls

Christa Connelly – Photo Editor American Analog Set

Damon Lowney – Online Editor Don Carlos

6

April 15, 2010

This Week at the Becker: The 88

“I wanted to see them because “Since I have class today at twelve, I kind of skipped it and they’re from the theme song of just came here,” she admitted. “The Community,” Espinoza said. Both show was awesome,” she added, said that they enjoyed The 88’s perBy tanya Ghahremani formance. “(On a scale of ) 1 to Daily Titan Staff Writer The band re10?

Ten. I really liked Soundoff@dailytitan.com cently released them.” a track, “Love is A cool mix of groovy pop and The band has been the Thing,” that electric rock filled Cal State Ful- around for a while, To see Tyler Matthew was completely lerton’s Becker Amphitheatre on though many people Smith perform, go to: recorded on the Wednesday when Los Angeles- would most likely only Apple iPhone app based band The 88 performed in a recognize them from FourTrack. noon show hosted by ASI Produc- the numerous songs of “It was really tions. theirs that have been easy to use – anyThe band gave a lively show that features in television body could do it. engaged an audience filled with shows. Most recently, We had actually students, faculty and devoted fans. they recorded the discussed getting Band member Keith Slettehdahl theme song for NBC’s w w w. d a i l y t i t a n . c o m / it as a great thing was energetic with his vocals and Community, “At Least the88 to use when we guitar, and Adam Merrin was un- It Was Here.” were on tour just deniably vivacious on keyboard.

Students like ento record ideas,” Film major Rocio Bueno, 18, gineering major Col Merrin said of hadn’t heard of the band prior to Kuy, 21, and liberal studies major their performance, but was pleas- Carolyna Espinoza, 19, recognized the app.

“I have a friend that I went to antly surprised after hearing them. them from the theme song. high school with that works at Apple,” he continued, “and he said ‘you know, I don’t think any band has recorded on that program before, you guys should do it, you’ll be the first band to do it’ – so we did. One thing led to another, all these people started writing about it, it got featured on YouTube…it definitely went way beyond what we ever thought it was going to be.”

Members describe the experience as any other studio performance.

“It was fun doing something different,” said drummer Anthony Zimmitti. According the Merrin, the band all went over to Zimmitti’s home to record the song, and it took about two days – a half-day for recording, another day for mixing and producing – to finish.

This was the second time The 88 has performed at CSUF, the first being “four or five years ago,” according to Merrin. When asked how this performance compared to the last one, bassist Todd O’Keefe joked, “we were better (this time).”

It’s this kind of laid back, relaxed vibe that resonates in the bands music, which Merrin describes as having an older style, referencing The Beatles as a major influence.

“We treat each live show kind of like it’s our last,” Merrin said, “bePhoto by lucio villa/For The Daily Titan cause you never know what’s going The 88’s Kieth Slettehdahl sang to a pleased crowd during most recent Wednesday to happen tomorrow.”

Concert at the Becker Amphitheatre. It was the band’s second time performing at CSUF.

Multimedia

Photo courtesy fingerprints records Singer-songwriter Matt Costa performed a free in-store set at Fingerprints Records in Long Beach for last year’s Record Store Day.

Music fans come together for annual Record Store Day By stephanie raygoza For The Daily Titan

Soundoff@dailytitan.com

Music enthusiasts and vinyl junkies rummage through several racks of vinyls and CDs to get their hands on the prized gem of a new album to enlighten their musical taste buds.

Independent record stores strike a chord in the hearts of its several dwellers as a place where they can discover new sounds and where many first fall in love with the medium that will spark a passion in their lives like no other.

Record Store Day brings together musicians, artists and people from across the country to these independent record stores to celebrate music and the release of various limited edition vinyls and CDs. Several stores will host in-store performances and appearances by musicians, live shows, DJ sets and offer giveaways Saturday, April 17, and even plan small events in the days leading up to Record Store Day. Pepperland Music in

Orange, Amoeba Music in Hol- There’s a really good energy and it’s lywood and Fingerprints in Long a really positive experience for us Beach are some of the familiar at the store and the shoppers that locations where music enthusiasts come out”, said Kara Lane, who can get their hands on rare and is responsible for Amoeba Hollypromotional wood’s inproducts. store bookAmoeba ing.

Music in This Hollywood year’s Reis celebratcord Store 7:00a.m. – Open ing their Day ambas11:00a.m. – Hole Pre-sale starts, third annual sador is Josh includes a free ticket to see them Record Store Homme, play the Outdoor Stage at the Jimmy Day with front man of Kimmel Show hundreds of the Queens 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. - Keith limited ediof the Stone Morris (Circle Jerks / Black Flag) tion vinyl Age and suworking the counter and signing releases from per group 4:00 p.m. – Gary Calamar (KCRW a long list of T h e m DJ & music supervisor for Dexter, artists availCrooked Six Feet Under, House, True Blood, able on their Vu l t u r e s , and more) book signing for Record Web site, where he Store Days book an exclusive performs 6:00 p.m. – Dios (Formerly Dios show by the alongside Malos) In-store (Free, with RSVP) Smashing Dave Grohl Pumpkins and John and a CD Paul Jones. signing by Slash.

Last year’s festivities for Fin“The first two years of Record gerprints in Long Beach included Store Day have gone really well. a listening party for Bob Dylan’s new material and performances by Matt Costa and The Bird and The Bee. This year, Fingerprints promises a large selection of exclusive seven-inch vinyl titles and has chosen to keep quiet about who it has booked for a signing and performance.

“There’ll be giveaways, mixed CDs, compilations, all kinds of stuff,” said Dustin Rodriguez, a clerk at Fingerprints. “There is not that many of us out there, and I’m glad we get to be a part of it. It’s a focus on independent record stores and a celebration of them.”

Lovell’s Records, located in the historic Uptown Whittier district, has been around for 50 years and will be participating in Record Store Day for the second time this year.

Lovell’s clerk Brian Hidalgo expects a good amount of traffic to come in and for all limited edition merchandise to sell out quickly, but says they look to mainly capitalize on what they offer to the public everyday.

“We’re just a local mom and pop and we have locals that come everyday so that’s more of our bread and butter,” Hidalgo said.

Record Store Day’s Web site offers a full list of participating stores throughout the U.S. and posts updates leading up to the big day.

Record Store Day started out as an idea conceived by Chris Brown, marketing vice president for Bull Moose Music, to help market the independent record stores around the country. The idea was later implemented and founded in 2007

by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Cleave and Brian Poehner.

Advertising major Matthew Lopez has played guitar for several bands and looks forward to the limited edition merchandise he knows he won’t be able to snag elsewhere.

“For Josh Homme to be promoting this and lending his voice out to the small record stores that distribute his music shows a passion for the trade that I rarely see artists exemplify,” Lopez said.

Many artists that have come out to show support and appreciation for Record Store Day include Tom Waits, Jack White, Booker T, Billy Corgan, Paul McCartney and many others.

Fingerprints’ Record Store Day Schedule

7

April 15, 2010

Shades of Green “Made from 100% allnatural opinion” Would requiring Americans to use Biometric ID cards be an invasion of privacy?

By MICHAEL ARELLANO

Daily Titan Staff Writer opinion@dailytitan.com

President Obama is pushing for the United States to start using Biometric ID cards in order to better keep track of legal workers. In theory, these cards will be similar to a driver license, except for one added feature. These cards will either have fingerprint or retinal information stored on them so that the card can more accurately represent the user. Both fingerprints and retinal information are thought to be unique to each human being, and could easily be stored on a magnetic strip or chip inserted into a card.

People across the country see this initiative as an encroachment on privacy laws. They believe that because their information will be on this card that it will be stored in a database, and thus make it possible to identify a person when the card is used. Because of this, people think that the government is going to somehow, someday, make it mandatory to scan these IDs for everything from purchasing groceries to traveling.

And if this happens it will allow “Big Brother” to track the whereabouts of every American citizen.

This is textbook example of

snowball thinking.

Just because one event happens does not mean that the next will fall into place just like that. People limit their thinking to encompass only the possibilities they believe are possible. In reality, these cards would only affect immigrant workers.

Currently, there are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. With this policy, it would make it much easier to track undocumented workers, and simplify the process for immigrants to obtain legal working status.

It also solves the problem of America’s workers being outsourced by cheap labor from illegal immigrants. If these immigrants are give legal status they must be paid minimum wage. This will not only help the American workforce, but better the quality of life for many immigrants. This could, in turn, decrease the demand for the country’s safety net services for homelessness, hunger and healthcare saving the country money on its social service programs.

I don’t understand why some people automatically jump to the worst-case scenario when a new policy is about to be passed. This sort of fear of the unknown has caused the country to be in a state of paralysis. A country needs to change its policies to match the changing future. Citizens shouldn’t always be in conflict with their government. Every action taken by our policy-makers does not have evil underderlying controlling factors.

People need to be educated about what the government is doing, but they also need to trust that their government is working in their best interests and not its own.

By ASHLEY LUU

Daily Titan Staff Writer opinion@dailytitan.com

Legal immigrants and United States citizens – be aware that as soon as you swipe your Biometric ID cards as you enter the workforce, “Big Brother is watching you.”

The “enhanced Social Security card” reminds me of George Orwell’s novel “1984,” which consists of a society that is under complete surveillance by authorities. The people are reminded that their dictator, “Big Brother,” is always watching them.With the swipe of a card, the government will have the ability to track citizens, according to a Christian Science Monitor article.

In case we forget where we’ve been on which day at what time, have no fear! We can ask the government to check our records on those lovely ID cards. Chris Calabrese, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, said that Biometric ID cards are a massive invasion of people’s privacy.

“We’re not only talking about fingerprinting every American …

We’re also talking about a card that would quickly spread from work to voting to travel to pretty

much every aspect of American life that requires identification,” Calabrese said.

The government wants to spend more effort and manpower by placing Americans underneath a looking glass. That sounds familiar.

Does the Patriot Act ring a bell? As a reminder, the act allows law enforcement agencies to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical and financial documents.

Great. If implemented, Biometric IDs can be added to the list of reasons why Americans should be concerned, suspicious and paranoid about what they do and where they go.

Groups like the American Library Association and Americans for Tax Reform oppose the plan because the broken immigration system harms both immigrants and non-immigrants. The ID would violate privacy, facilitate tracking of individuals and would serve as a government permission slip needed by everyone in order to work.

The proposal would require the development of a national database and could cost $285 million, according to Tech Daily Dose. Let’s not forget that the national deficit will nearly reach the record of $1.4 trillion achieved in 2009. I figured the government’s priority would be to decrease unemployment.

It seems like these controversial ID cards are going to add daily doses of trouble as people are wrongfully denied work because average officials, and some FBI experts, are not equipped to determine if two fingerprints are a match, according to a Time magazine article.

What can I say, government?

You’ve done it again. Thanks for helping the U.S.

Green Dog Food

by April Ehrlich

Daily Titan Features Editor opinion@dailytitan.com

If you’re a dog owner, your little pooch is doing more damage to this earth than a Toyota Sequoia guzzling gas from one freeway to the next.

Believe it or not, dogs are worse to the environment than SUVs, at least according to Robert and Brenda Vale, authors of “Time to Eat the Dog? The Real Guide to Sustainable Living,” in which they revealed that a mediumsized dog has twice the impact of driving a luxury SUV 10,000 miles.

Why? Because we are feeding our dogs pounds and pounds of carnivorous food, which takes a lot of land to provide. And seeing as there are more than 160 million owned dogs and cats in the United States, maybe we should start considering greener ways to raise our pets.

First off, despite the Vales’ estimations, dog food production is not at fault destroying cattle land. In fact, dog food could be considered a mode of recycling, seeing as all the spare meat parts that aren’t consumed by humans get ground up and made into kibbles and bits for our furry friends, who graciously gobble up everything we provide.

Little to our awareness, dog food provides a convenient way for slaughterhouses to make money off wastes considered “unfit for human consumption,” according to Born Free USA. This waste includes intestines, udders, heads, hooves and possibly diseased and cancerous animal parts.

So, as you are feeding happy-golucky Sparky some lamb heads and infected pig intestines, you might also like to know that pet food manufacturers do not test their products for bacterial endotoxins.

Because sick or dead animals can be processed as pet foods, the drugs that were used to treat or euthanize them may still be present in the end product.

The presence of these toxins, including penicillin and various antibiotics, are increasing your dog’s risk of attaining urinary tract disease, chronic digestive problems and obesity.

About 45 percent of dogs in the U.S. are overweight or obese. That means you, as a pet owner, are at fault for Fido’s ecological damage. You are the one choosing the food he will eat, and you are the one overfilling the dog bowl every day, once a day.

Just like humans, dogs need to eat several small meals. That means only filling the bowl halfway two to three times a day. And seeing as Scruffy isn’t going to head over to Ralph’s and choose his preferred dietary brand, you are responsible for steering clear of dog foods that might be made of meat “byproducts,” which is a euphemism for heads, feet, blood, fat trimmings, unborn babies and other parts usually not consumed by humans.

Instead, shoot for organic or natural brands of chow, those that avoid pesticides, artificial colors, flavor enhancers, chemical fertilizers and chemical preservatives.

Green pet foods are produced from free-range, lean meat and poultry and don’t contain such unmentionable meat byproducts.

Although your dog may happily inhale any type of food in one gulp without any signs of preferring organic over a standard brand, he won’t be so happy as he is dying from acute renal failure, which killed 20 percent of dogs who ate Purina, Iams and other such brands in 2007.

So, in this case, it might be well worth the extra buck or two to go organic, for Fido’s sake.

Letter to the Editor To the Editor of the Daily Titan,

Let me first say that I am writing this letter from my own perspective as Genevieve, the student who happens to be the ASI elections commissioner. In no way do I want my opinion to be taken as the general opinion of ASI. Let me also be frank in saying that I am completely fed up with the Daily Titan, and its coverage of the voting booths.

To clear up the issue of the polling stations, I think it is important to know how this issue was brought to the Daily Titan. Last Wednesday during the regular election, I was called by a reporter on Wednesday night asking who was winning and how many people had voted.

Unfortunately for her, I am prohibited from giving out any interim results by the ASI bylaws. She then asked me what other issues were going on with the election.

This is where it gets interesting. I told her that some students had told me that they were not aware of where the official ASI polling locations were located, and silly me, was led to believe that she was writing an objective article to update students about the election.

Imagine my surprise the next day when I saw the front page with an article about confusion at the polling booths with quotes given by my adviser and myself misconstrued with wrong information. Then on April 14, I see an editorial about the very same issue criticizing allowing the candidates to have laptops.

Now, if the Daily Titan wants to criticize this, that’s fine. However, if this is as big an issue to the editorial staff as it seems, why did it take me saying something about it for them to even notice?

Let me throw this out there: I have only been in this position since the beginning of fall and this issue was only brought to my attention last Wednesday. The Daily Titan has covered the elections, quite biasedly, I might add, for years and this only becomes an issue to them now? We have had electronic voting for 10 years, and the practice of candidates having their own laptops has existed just as long.

If the editorial staff, whom have seemed to hold the same general opinion about ASI elections since I was a freshman, believe that elections are so flawed, why did they not choose to report it until now? If it had been reported when the issue started several years ago, I can guarantee that it would not be an issue now. So why is it that year after year, semester after semester, the Daily Titan only focuses on writing ang-

Letters to the Editor:

sty, issue-driven articles about the elections instead of being proactive?

Maybe if they would take the time to brief their reporters (and in my time as commissioner, only one reporter out of five knew anything about elections that was sent to me), and if coverage of elections started sooner with objective articles giving students the information they need, then we wouldn’t be complaining about people voting blindly. There is only one reporter that I have talked to that encouraged students to vote in a non-passive aggressive way.

Every other article has been extremely negative, and I personally feel, contributed to making people want to stay away from the voting booths.

To address the facts and figures in the editorial from April 14, let me say there is an inherent flaw that the Daily Titan did not bring to its readers’ attention.

You cannot please everyone.

If we were to only have that one percent of students vote, then ASI could not possibly claim to represent everyone and students who are unhappy with ASI would constantly bring that to their attention.

Who is to blame for having such a small percentage of people voting? There are certainly many reasons, but I believe the Daily Titan and its continuous negative coverage of the elections is a contributing factor.

To get back to the point of the polling stations, I have been working with a few students since last week on the ASI University Affairs committee to change the bylaws so we can fix this issue.

Had the issue been brought to my attention before then, we would have solved it before the election began.

Personally, I agree that candidates shouldn’t have laptops. I don’t think blind voting is good, but then again, how can students vote when very little objective information is provided by the best media outlet for Titans to access, our own Daily Titan?

Since I began as a student at this university, I have heard the Daily Titan called several different names, none of them respectful, but I have always kept in mind that this was an award-winning paper. Let me leave you with the thought that I wish I could have respect for the Daily Titan, but I have been disappointed time and time again.

Sincerely, Genevieve Eldred Subject: Daily Titan ASI election coverage Submitted: April 14, 2010

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 the Daily Titan Opinion Desk at opinion@dailytitan.com.

8

April 15, 2010

Think Different. Think Simon.

‘Durantula’ will cause all kinds of problems for the No. 1 team in the West

By simon liang

Daily Titan Sports Editor sports@dailytitan.com

Can everyone shut up about the Los Angeles Lakers struggling?

Seriously, it’s almost as annoying as “Bieber Fever.”

The Lakers are still the number one seed in the Western Conference and they have two all-NBA players, who will surely make ABC’s Mark Jackson say, “Momma there goes that man!”

Of course, getting healthy will be crucial, but a daunting task lies ahead. They will have their hands full preparing for some kid from the

Oklahoma City Thunder.

Can you name the top-five players in the NBA? Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard and ... ? Kevin Durant.

Yes, there are plenty of viable candidates to fill the last spot in my “Fave 5,” but Durant has been a leading candidate for MVP all season, and the scary thing is, at the age of 21, he already has an NBA scoring title.

After attending the Lakers’ 111108 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 22, 2009, I have developed a bit of a “man crush” for “Durantula.”

The first round matchup between the Thunder and Lakers has me as giddy as a little school girl.

I would compare this to the first round of the 1986 NBA Playoffs where 23-year-old Chicago Bulls’ guard Michael Jordan faced off against the powerful Boston Celtics and three-time MVP, 29-year-old Larry Bird.

In game two, Jordan walked into Boston Garden and lit up the Celtics for an NBA record for points scored in a playoff game (63).

The record still stands, but it could really be in danger if Durant goes “Call of Duty 4” on the Lakers.

Fast forward 24 years and Durant – who reminds me of a taller Clyde Drexler – has led a young Thunder squad into the playoffs when everyone and their mom had counted them out.

However, he is going up against a Lakers team that has been to the last two NBA Finals and 31-year-old Bryant is still the best closer in the game.

Lakers’ Head Coach Phil Jackson has even called Durant a “special player,” but like every star, he will need some help.

Second-year guard Russell Westbrook will be able to use his explosiveness to exploit the Lake Show’s most obvious weakness – the inept point guard position.

His backcourt mate, Thabo Sefolosha, is becoming one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.

Thabo who? Sefolosha, it’s pronounced ‘sef-a-low-sha.’

You can thank me later, you’ll hear about him for the next 10 years.

Sefolosha will make it painfully difficult on Bryant, but that will not be enough.

Outside of forwards Jeff Green and Serge Ibaka, the Thunder have a bunch of nobodies who will not be able to contain Pau Gasol, Lamar

Odom and even an Andrew Bynum on one leg.

As good as Gasol is, he still does not get half the credit he deserves.

He will be dominant in this series as he shows the world why he instantly made the Lakers a contender two years ago.

Let’s not forget about “Mr. Kardashian.” He is the key to the Lakers’ success, especially with Bynum coming back from yet another injury.

And of course there is the enigma that is Ron Artest, who will be given the assignment of guarding 6-foot9-inch Durant.

Will he be up for the challenge?

We shall see.

As sexy as OKC’s young talent is, they will be too inexperienced to handle the playoff pressure and stop LA’s talented personnel.

“Durantula” may be able to win one game by himself, but that’s as far as it will go. (Portland Trailblazers’ general manager Kevin Pritchard will restrain from shooting himself; after all, he picked injury-prone Greg Oden over Durant in the 2007 NBA Draft).

The “Purple and Gold” will take the series 4-1.

Yes, Laker fans, you can breathe again ... until the next round.

photo courtesy mct Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant tries to block Kobe Bryant’s shot.

The Walk-Off: Pro athletes should be more responsible

By brian whitehead

Daily Titan Staff Writer sports@dailytitan.com

photo courtesy mct Ex-New Orleans Sanits’ receiver Donte Stallworth was recently charged with a DUI.

Drunk driving.

Simply put, driving under the influence of alcohol is an ever-growing epidemic that has been plaguing streets everywhere for decades.

Families have been torn apart, loved ones have been lost, lives have been shattered, yet, the pain will never cease.

You’ll turn on the news and hear about a DUI arrest tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after that, or the day after that.

Some people just don’t get it.

If time has taught us anything, it’s that professional athletes are not immune to such recklessness and

idiocy. In fact, if time has taught us anything, it’s that professional athletes are often the most blatant perpetrators.

Let’s say tomorrow you sign a multi-million-dollar deal with Subway to appear in 10 commercials over the next three months.

Within hours, a ten-figure paycheck is going to be deposited straight into your bank account, essentially changing life as you know it.

Here’s the multi-million-dollar question: Now that money isn’t an issue, what are you going to buy?

Welcome to the world of professional athletes. A world with bottomless pockets and fat paychecks.

A world with Mercedes-Benzes and Porsches, fine dining and carefree living. A world the majority of us can’t relate to. A world the majority of us can only dream about.

Yet, for all the ways the “professional athlete lifestyle” varies from the “ordinary person lifestyle,” athletes themselves aren’t much different. In essence, athletes are just like you and me, only richer – and in better shape.

For athletes who rise to prominence overnight, the problem with

inheriting the title “Pro” at such a young age is the involuntary assumption of the responsibility such a title demands.

Professional athletes – regardless of sport, notoriety – are public figures that don’t only represent themselves.

They’re role-models, larger-thanlife figures who represent their team, family, sponsors and profession.

That’s why every time an athlete is busted for driving under the influence, the repercussions are extensive and unforgiving.

It’s no secret, athletes splurge.

They spend money on 10-bedroom palaces, six-figure cars, private jets, jewelry and all sorts of extraneous things. They pay their entourage, family, friends and agents absurd amounts of money to keep them company.

You think they’d spend a couple thousand dollars on a designated driver. Sure, it wouldn’t be the sexiest purchase, but it’d certainly be the safest.

In this day and age where nightlife is as much a part of everyday life as playing, hiring a designated driver would not only reduce the chances of an athlete driving under the influ-

ence, it’d eliminate them completely.

Frankly, paying for personal security isn’t enough. Security is responsible for preventing any outside force from endangering an athlete’s safety, but who protects these athletes from themselves?

Who tells “Athlete X,” “You know what, you’ve had too much to drink tonight, you probably shouldn’t drive home.”

Six-figure luxury cars can’t prevent accidents, they can only manage them. Inevitably, it’s the athletes who need to do the preventing.

So hire a personal driver. Not a childhood friend who doesn’t have the courage to say, “No.” Not a family member who’s just happy to be living such a luxurious lifestyle. And certainly not an agent who only cares about performance on the field.

Hire someone who grabs the keys at the beginning of the night. Someone not concerned with having a good time or enjoying a night with the fellas. Someone trustworthy.

Someone who has the courage to humble athletes when necessary.

Someone who’s job is to prevent accidents from happening, because, believe me, we haven’t seen the last – or worst – of athlete DUIs.

9

April 15, 2010

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April 15, 2010

Baseball sits atop the Big West, Gauchos await By brian Whitehead

Softball looks to break three-way first place tie By james gobee

Daily Titan Staff Writer

Daily Titan Staff Writer

If you’re the Cal State Fullerton baseball team, what do you do after taking two of three games from division rival and nationally ranked UC Irvine? Naturally, you head up Highway 101 to UC Santa Barbara for a three-game set against the third place Gauchos, who are fresh off their own Big West series win against Cal Poly.

In other words, it’s just another tough weekend in the Big West Conference.

“I don’t think there’s a team you can let up on,” Titan Head Coach Dave Serrano said. “This weekend is just another roadblock on our way to what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Though the Gauchos head into the weekend with a 6-8 record over their last 14 games, Serrano isn’t underestimating the power of UCSB’s home-field advantage.

“From my time at Irvine to my time here at Fullerton, it’s never been easy to play at UCSB,” he said.

“We’re well aware of how well they play up there in that ballpark in front of those fans.”

Conversely, the Titans go into the weekend winners of 11 of their last 14, including an impressive 6-1 drumming of then-No. 3 UCLA (handing the Bruins their second loss of the season) and a pair of convincing away-from-home wins against then-No. 18 UCI. But the season is far from over.

“Nobody’s ever been crowned champions after two weekends of league play,” Serrano said. “Six games is only a small portion of the schedule. It’s going to be a continuous grind over the rest of the season to reach our goal of being the Big West champs.”

The Titans will also go into the weekend series armed with Big West Player of the Week sophomore first baseman Nick Ramirez, who earned the honor by hitting .333 with three home runs and six RBIs in four games last week.

“Nick was a big part of our success last year as a freshman and he’s a big part of our success now,” Serrano said. “He started the season in a bit of a slump, but he’s come around as

Two of the three teams tied for first place in the Big West Conference will battle at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo starting Saturday and continuing until Sunday.

The Cal State Fullerton softball team travels to the home of the Mustangs hoping to tarnish the Mustangs’ record and remain seated atop the Big West.

On April 10, CSUF played host to the UC Riverside Highlanders, the third team tied in the race for first place, and the Highlanders won the series against the Titans for the first time in history.

“Our team got involved into playing emotionally against Riverside instead of preparing and playing Titan Softball like we had been planning the week before that,” Titan Head Coach Michelle Gromacki said.

The week prior to facing UCR, the Titans swept the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, earning a total of 27 runs in all three games.

“I think we wanted to beat UCR really bad so it was a lot of try-hard instead of playing the game natural like we know how,” said junior pitcher Ari Cervantes.

This was the Highlanders’ firstever series victory over the Titans.

The rivalry and distaste between UCR and CSUF was evident in the Titans’ play and was thought to be their downfall.

Even after suffering the losses to UCR, the Titans stand in a threeway tie for first place with Cal Poly and UCR. Prior to conference play, the Titans had a rough start with a long and torturous 14-game losing streak that they broke against the Texas Longhorns at Anderson Family Field in the Judi Garman Classic on March 19.

“We need to work on cutting out bad innings because as we saw this past weekend, against UCR, one bad inning can lose a game,” Cervantes said.

The team’s rise to success from what some would call a slump, is no surprise to junior first base K.C. Craddick.

sports@dailytitan.com

sports@dailytitan.com

photo By David Munoz/For the Daily Titan Senior catcher Billy Marcoe looks to the dugout for signals from the coaching staff.

the season’s progressed. We’re going to need him to continue to produce in our lineup. It’s no coincidence that once he and Christian (Colon) started heating up, we as a team started hitting again.”

Over the last month, the Titans have shown why they were touted as one of the best teams in the country. During their current hot-streak, they’ve averaged over nine runs a game, beating opponents, on average, by almost seven runs.

“We’re thinking positive things,” said junior center fielder Gary Brown. “We know we’re a good team and we plan on beating any team that’s in the other dugout. We just have to keep the good feelings coming.”

Brown, arguably the nation’s top outfielder, leads the Big West in batting average (.443), slugging percentage (.672), runs scored (37),

hits (58), triples (7) and stolen bases (20).

The No. 22 Titans will begin the series behind the power arm of Friday starter, sophomore righty Noe Ramirez. Ramirez has been on a roll as of late, winning his last five decisions which includes a marvelous 14-strikeout, complete game shutout against Hawai’i on March 26.

“Our fate is in our hands. We know how to play and what to do,” said senior third baseman Joey Siddons.

“A lot of it is on us. If we come out lazy, (UCSB) will snipe us.

We’ve been picking through all the little things we saw in the series against UCI to make sure we have no hiccups in the next series.”

The first game of the weekend will take place April 16 at 2 p.m. at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

photo By christa Connelly/Daily Titan Photo Editor Junior second baseman Natalie DeLeese sprints to first base against UC Riverside.

“I am not surprised at all. We are tied for first place because I knew this team was going to have a turning-point this season and that game was against Texas,” Craddick said.

“We are just as good, if not better, than any other team in our conference.”

The Titans are determined to continue their success and remain number one in the Big West with constant and vigorous preparation.

“We are planning on (junior) Anna Cahn and (freshman) Rebecca Patton to pitch (for Cal Poly this weekend),” Gromacki said. “We want to get ready for that and strategically pitch to a few of their bigger hitters. We talked about our mission to get back on sticking with the process and what was working for us the week before we played UCR.” The Mustangs took on the Highlanders on April 2 and 3. The Mustangs also fell victim to the High-

landers in a 2-1 series loss. The Mustangs only scored a total of three runs against UCR and allowed 18 runs total.

“Our focus right now is to stay in the present moment and focus on Cal Poly, no one else,” Craddick said. “UCSB and UCR are a series that we all have forgotten now. We are going into this series with clear and focused minds.”

A determined, dedicated and ready Titan squad is anxious for the Cal Poly series.

“I feel motivated to get the first win, start the series off right,” redshirt freshman pitcher Katey Laban said. “We have no other option.”

The series against the Mustangs kicks off April 17 at noon at Campus Diamond.

“Coach has really motivated us to focus on SLO and to let go of all the other series in the past,” Craddick said.