Daily Titan: Wednesday, September 9, 2009

OPINION: Nerdgasm imagines the future of Disney/Marvel, page 7

INSIDE: FEATURES The do’s and don’ts for road trips, page 5

SPORTS: Alumnus Bruce Bowen retires from NBA, page 10

Since 1960 Volume 85, Issue 4

Wednesday September 9, 2009

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Coffee and opportunity to study abroad The Study Abroad Office is offering its weekly international coffee break Wednesday starting at 1 p.m. at Aloha Java between the Humanities and University Hall buildings.

The event is open to everyone and is a place for prospective study abroad students, study abroad returnees, and international students to interact during the school week.

The Study Abroad Office encourages all students that are interested in the study abroad process to join them in enjoying a universal treat.

So you think you can dance?

CSUF Dance Team tryouts are tomorrow from 7 to 10 p.m., room 203 of the kinesiology and health science building.

If you want to cheer on the basketball team with style, and you have a background in competitive hip-hop and jazz dancing, then the dance team might be just what the doctor ordered.

The team also performs at various other events on and off campus. The team was the national champion for five consecutive years, from 2000-2004, taking the top spot again in 2006. So strap on your dance shoes and get ready to boogie!

Obama urges students to stay in school (MCT) – Though it inspired a swirling controversy about politics in the classroom over the past week, President Barack Obama’s back-to-school address to America’s students on Tuesday ended up being decidedly motivational rather than political – and even won praise from some Republicans.

Speaking to students in a nationwide broadcast from a suburban D.C. high school, the Democratic president urged school children to rise above their mistakes and challenges to succeed in school, offering himself as an example of “a goof-off” who went on to make good.

“You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job,” Obama said. “You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.”

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H1N1 plagues campuses

By Patrick Cowles

Daily Titan Assistant News Editor news@dailytitan.com

Out breaks of H1N1, also known as the “swine flu,” have begun to infect college campuses across the nation. Washington State University has reported 9.5 percent of their student body displays symptoms of H1N1. Cal State Fullerton officials have been preparing for the event of a local outbreak.

“We’re gearing up,” Dr. Richard Boucher, chief staff physician for the Student Health and Counselling Center said.

The World Health Organization has deemed the current swine flu, H1N1, a pandemic. However, this does not mean it’s time to panic, just that the virus has spread globally; ‘pandemic’ has no connotations of lethality.

For the first week of the fall semester, more than 1,600 college students at 165 colleges and universities reported having H1N1-like symptoms, the American College Health Association’s Web site states.

In response, college campuses across the United States have prepared for the return of students amidst this pandemic. For resident students returning to school, many campuses have set aside rooms to “isolate” ill students from healthy students.

“The whole idea is to create a social distance,” Dr. Howard Wang, vice president of Student Affairs said. “If they can, we encourage the students to go home.”

Thus far, CSUF has fared well.

Only five out of the 213 students

who visited the student health center in the first three weeks of August had flu symptoms, Tom Whitfield, director of Environmental Health and Safety said. In July, only six out of 475 students came with flu symptoms, added Whitfield.

In Orange County, there have been 223 people hospitalized with suspected H1N1, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency’s Web site. The site reports that 19 people have died in Orange County because of H1N1-relatBy TODD BARNES/Daily Titan Photo Editor ed problems.

Whitfield is Purell hand sanitizers placed in College Park are more important leading CSUF’s than ever as a new strain of flu spreads panic across America once again. pandemic planning, and says the university is pay- Todd Cohen, director of University ing increasing attention to the issue Relations at Kansas. They have also now that students are back. The uni- set aside rooms to “isolate” ill stuversity has maintained a committee dents from the healthy. However, in on pandemic planning which meets some cases the healthy students will once a week, said Wang. be moved out if most of the residents Kansas University has also geared in a room are ill, added Cohen. up against the flu. So far, 75 resident See SWINE FLU, Page 3 students have contracted the flu, said

Group likens Obama to Hitler

By Damon Lowney

Daily Titan Assistant News Editor news@dailytitan.com

Members of LaRouche Political Action Committee (LPAC) visited Cal State Fullerton’s campus yesterday to protest President Obama’s proposed health care bill. They related it to Hitler’s Action T4 health policy, a plan that supported euthanasia, or as Nazis called it, “destruction of life unworthy of life” for people who were sickly.

“It’s a carbon copy of Hitler’s T4 health program,” Lugina Qhespe, organizer for LPAC said. She said that LaRouche believes that Obama’s health care bill is a consequence of the snowballing economic crisis.

“Hitler started to eliminate people who were sickly,” Qhespe said about Action T4.

Action T4 was a program headed by physicians and psychiatrists that aimed to get rid of disabled people by way of starvation, sedatives, sleeping pills. Legal drugs were used in the killings so physicians could claim that patients died of natural causes, states “Medicine and Medical Ethics in Nazi Germany,” a book

by Francis R. Nicosia and Jonathan Huener.

The essence of Obama’s proposed health care plan is cost effectiveness, said Nick Walsh, an organizer for LPAC. He said Obama’s idea is that the government needs to get rid of sickly people to save money. If Obama’s plan is passed, the government would review the costs of treating injuries and illnesses and make a decision based off the cost.

LPAC wants a single-payer, universal health care system, which means that it wants health care to be fully subsidized by the government

Nursing mothers in need of facilities

By Lauren Felechner

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

The first day of school for Sirena Ramirez proved to be filled with long hours and pain as she struggled to find a designated area at Cal State Fullerton to utilize her breast pump.

Ramirez, 28, a senior at CSUF and a public administration major, is the mother of an eightmonth-old son, and she spends eight hours a day on campus. She was quick to find out that pumping her breast milk while on campus would be a more difficult task than she had anticipated.

Ramirez called the Disabled Student’s Center and the Health Center inquiring if there were any facilities on campus where she could use her pump. With no luck, she was – directed to the Children’s Center.

Although the Children’s Center accommodates breastfeeding mothers with a room with rocking chairs, there are no proper outlets available for the breast pump. However, Ramirez was offered to use the men’s restroom inside the center where there is no proper place for her to sit, and where there may or may not have been a proper lock for privacy.

“What was I supposed to do,” said Ramirez, “Sit in the stall and pump the milk?”

She was also offered a source of ‘privacy’ by putting a chair in front of the restroom door.

“It was a little bit discouraging,” said Ramirez, “I was kind of upset because the school can accommodate someone with learning disabilities but can’t accommodate me for 15 minutes.”

After being given the runaround on the telephone, Ramirez reached out to her former professor, Pamela Fiber-Ostrow, who is the assistant professor for political science, for help. FiberOstrow, who has a 17-month-old son herself, understood the physical pain Ramirez was experienc-

“

ing, so she took sympathy on the student’s situation.

“I just want to be able to go and ask a question and be sent to the right place,” said Ramirez.

Fiber-Ostrow offered Ramirez her office as a private and safe space, but with conflicting schedules, she instead looked into the Women’s Center on campus.

When that didn’t work, Fiber-Ostrow reached out to other faculty mothers who lent leads on other avenues of help for Ramirez.

“I think ... as new moms who breastfed, we have a better understanding of the physical pain of not being able to express milk and needing to pump,” said Fiber-Ostrow.

The problem was addressed within 24 hours once Ramirez got in contact with the Dean of Sirena Ramirez S t u d e n t s , Kandy Mink Salas, FiberOstrow said.

“I think there needs to be a more permanent and generally available option for students,” Fiber-Ostrow said.

A more general and permanent option would be helpful since Ramirez hasn’t been the only student-mother on campus that inquired about this matter.

Fiber-Ostrow isn’t the only faculty member that believes there should be a solution in this matter for the students either.

Betsy Gibbs, the director of the Children’s Center said, “I really see this as something the students, faculty and staff should work on to find a solution.”

Gibbs added that she believes that faculty members should lobby for the notion as well since the matter affects them just as much, if not more, than students.

In regards to the importance of benefiting the students of CSUF, Salas was able to find a private office on campus for Ramirez. “(If there is) any student that needs help and wants to facilitate their education, we will find a place to accommodate them,” said Salas.

What was I supposed to do ... sit in the stall and pump the milk?

By Ron Fu/Daily Titan Staff Photographer Chris Roque, 27, (center) debates President Obama’s health care issue with Nick Walsh at the Titan Walk on Tuesday Sept. 8, 2009.

and available to anyone at anytime, Walsh said.

Chris Roque, a senior theater major, passed by the booth early in the afternoon and was shocked by a poster of Obama with a Hitler mustache hanging from the LPAC booth. The poster said: “I’ve Changed.” Roque stood next to LPAC’s booth to offer his opinion to passing students.

Roque said that the current health care system isn’t good because a lot of people can’t pay for it, including himself. When forced to pick between health care and school, he picked school. He said he doesn’t believe in a fully subsidized health care system, like what LPAC advocates, but would like to see a balance between a single-payer system and the current system.

Steve Jobbitt, a history professor at CSUF, said he disagrees with LPAC’s view that Obama’s proposed health care system mirrors that of Hitler’s because their motives are different.

“Hitler wanted to build a racially pure state. Obama is completely different,” said Jobbitt. In Obama’s plan, “everyone’s life is worth living.”

The only comparison that one could make to relate Obama’s health care plan to Hitler’s is that they would both be state run, he said.

“Most societies have moved toward some state-centered health care.”

Jobbitt, who is from Canada, said he supports universal health care, having lived with it most of his life.

As a professor, he said he has seen how the current health care system has affected his students. One of his past students was injured and had to skip a semester to pay for his medical bill, he said. If there was universal health care, students wouldn’t have to make that decision, Jobbitt said.

For a slide show on this news story go to: http://www.dailytitan.com/2009/09/news

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DTSHORTHAND

Page Two

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IN OTHER NEWS INTERNATIONAL Afghan insurgents kill 12 in ambush

GANGIGAL, Afghanistan (MCT) – Four U.S. Marines died Tuesday when they walked into a well-laid ambush by insurgents in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province. Seven Afghan troops and an interpreter for the Marine commander also died in the ambush and the subsequent battle, which lasted seven hours.

Three American service members and 14 Afghan security force members were wounded.

It was the largest number of American military trainers to die in a single incident since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

The battle took place around the remote hamlet of Gangigal, in a valley about six miles from the Pakistani border, after local elders invited the U.S. and Afghan forces for a meeting.

American officers said there was no doubt that they’d walked into a trap, as the insurgents were dug in at the village, and had preset their weapons and their fields of fire.

NATIONAL

Obama: Time to end health care debate CINCINNATI (MCT) – In a combative Labor Day speech, President Barack Obama said that the health care debate had gone on too long and accused opponents of spreading “lies” meant to convince Americans that his proposed overhaul would deny care to the elderly.

The president, speaking at an AFL-CIO picnic, said that “special interests” were determined to “scare the heck out of people.”

“I’ve got a question for all these folks who say, you know, we’re going to pull the plug on Grandma and this is all about illegal immigrants – you’ve heard all the lies,” Obama said. “I’ve got a question for all those folks: What are you going to do? What’s your answer? What’s your solution?

And you know what? They don’t have one.”

STATE

Death from radio station contest goes to trial SACRAMENTO (MCT) – The radio station made up the contest rules “on the spot,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys said, in pursuit of “sheer entertainment value” and top ratings in the Sacramento market. The young mom died trying to win a video game for her family.

But if the outcome was tragic, defense lawyers argued, still far from predictable was that anybody could die in a water-drinking contest.

And if anybody was negligent, they said some of the responsibility has to be placed on the victim herself.

More than two years after 31-year-old Jennifer Strange succumbed from the contest put on by the country’s eighth-largest broadcasting company, jury selection in the wrongful death trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court.

It’s a case that will determine if Philadelphia-based Entercom Communications Corp. is responsible for the death that left three children motherless and a husband a widower, and if so, how much the company should pay.

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

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Copyright ©2006 Daily Titan

September 9, 2009

Health care compared (MCT) – A general look at the similarities and differences between legislation from House and Senate committees aiming to reform the nation’s health care system.

CONSUMER CHOICE ■ House: A new “health insurance exchange” would allow people without other health insurance to comparison shop among private and public insurers for coverage. While it would be a national exchange, states could choose to operate their own if they follow federal rules.

■ The “affordable health benefit gateway” will allow comparison shopping for people without other coverage. The gateways can be established by the federal government or states, which also can form regional gateways.

PUBLIC OPTION ■ Consumers eligible for the exchange – generally people without coverage – will be able to choose insurance from the private sector or a government-run plan, subject to the same standards and consumer protections as private plans.

■ Virtually the same as the House.

CONSUMER OPTIONS ■ Most consumers must choose an insurance plan. If not, they will pay a penalty of 2.5 percent of their adjusted gross income above a certain level. If a consumer can demonstrate financial hardship, they would not be penalized.

■ Most consumers must choose a plan.

Exemptions would be available for people with no access to affordable coverage or those who would incur “exceptional financial hardship.” Minimum penalty for not getting coverage would be $750 per year.

EMPLOYER RESPONSIBILITY ■ Employers with payrolls of more than $500,000 must provide coverage to employees and meet minimum benefit and contribution standards. Or they can contribute funds to the Health Insurance Exchange Trust Fund, which provides subsidies to people having trouble affording coverage.

■ Employers with more than 25 workers must offer coverage. If they do not, or if they pay less than 60 percent of employees’ monthly premiums, they would be hit with a $750 annual fee per uninsured full-time employee and $375 per uninsured part-time employee.

AFFORDABILITY ■ Would offer credits to low- and moderate- income people. Credits would decline with income, and would end when income hits 400 percent of federal poverty level, or $43,000 per individual or $88,000 for a family of four.

■ Provides credits similar to those in House bill.

■ About $1.04 trillion over then next 10 years, according to Congressional Budget Office.

■ CBO estimates cost at $615 billion over 10 years.

COST

TAXES AND SAVINGS ■ $544 billion would come from a health care surcharge, or tax. For married couples, the surcharge would be 1 percent of income between $350,000 and $500,000; 1.5 percent for income between $500,000 and $1 million and 5.4 percent above $1 million. Other savings are projected to come from reduced health care costs.

■ Not clear precisely how bill would be funded; still under consideration by the Finance Committee.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Here are a few online resources for additional information on the health care debate: - Kaiser Family Foundation: http://healthreform. kff.org/ - Families USA: www.familiesusa.org/august-recess-tool-kit/ ARTICLE AND GRAPHICS COURTESY MCT

NEWS

September 9, 2009

Too expensive to stay healthy at CSUF

Student health insurance is proving to be a hard pill to swallow as prices rise

By Jamie Iglesias

Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com

Having health insurance is essential, yet the high prices keep many from having it.

However, Associated Students Inc. student health insurance is available to make plans affordable to students.

ASI student health insurance is offered by Blue Cross; students may sign-up for it in Titan Student Union room 218 until Oct. 15.

The price of the Premium depends on a student's age and the time that they wish to be covered.

A student who is 24 years old or younger will pay $1,015 for an entire year or $448 for the fall and $571 for the spring/summer period under the medical plan.

“I have looked into other plans, and it’s really expensive. They expected me to pay $400 to $500 per month or bimonthly compared to the student health insurance where it is a one-time fee. It works with my income because I am a student and I hardly get any income,” Sobuon Leng, 21, a sociology and anthropol-

ogy major said.

“Blue cross tries to make it affordable to students. A disadvantage is that students cannot pay per month, but they can break payments up each semester.

The coverage maxes out at $100,000, which is plenty for anybody,” Heather Sutherland, 42, executive assistant for ASI said.

Sutherland recommends that students who are looking for insurance look at both the premium and deductible costs because students could end up paying high deductibles.

The student health insurance covers 80 percent if it is through a network doctor, and the student is responsible to pay the 20 percent deductible.

Leng struggled trying to find insurance that would provide her with enough coverage for her needs.

“This insurance provides more coverage than say Kaiser Permanente, which would cost me, to say bluntly, a liver and a heart just to afford health insurance for little necessities. It’s kind of your last resort because you cannot afford other insurances. It benefits you because you have at your disposal medical, dental and vision care.”

Dental coverage is a separate plan.

“What I run into often with students is that if they need to get their

wisdom teeth out, it is not covered under this plan. It is a surgical procedure; it is not a simple extraction,” Sutherland said.

Since the student health insurance is provided by Blue Cross, it falls under a group plan, and anyone is accepted despite having pre-existing conditions.

“If you went out to apply for individual insurance and said you were diabetic and HIV positive, they would deny you because you are considered a huge risk,” Sutherland said.

The student health insurance is separate from the CSUF system; therefore, it has not been affected by financial difficulties.

The premium prices rise when there is an increase in claims, Sutherland said.

During Sutherland's two years of working for ASI, she has seen an increase in the number of students that apply for health insurance.

"In the 2007-2008 year, there were approximately 550 students insured. This last year approximately 700 students signed up,” Sutherland

said.

“What I find is that students that come to me at 23 or 24 years of age ... are just getting dropped from their parent’s coverage. It’s a good starting place to them,” Sutherland said.

“It is a pretty good deal if I did not have health insurance coverage under my parents,” Alexis Draper, 17, an undeclared major said.

Undergraduate students need to be enrolled in at least nine units to qualify, and undergraduate students just have to be enrolled, Sutherland said.

3

Extended education students and open enrollment students do not qualify.

According to Sutherland, the application takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Since the first day of coverage has passed, Sutherland advises students to use a credit card to receive coverage the next day once the payment has been processed.

Students can apply for insurance online at www.csuhealthlink.com, or they can go to TSU room 218 to talk to Sutherland for additional information.

Graph By todd barnes/Daily Titan Photo Editor

Swine flu: students take precautions to ward off sickness From Page 1

Kansas University brings the ill students food to reduce the necessity for them to leave their rooms. No students have required hospitalization.

Vince Avila, associate director of Maintenance at Kansas, said that all rooms on campus recycle their own air, so contaminated air from ill-student rooms stays in that room.

In an effort to best raise H1N1 awareness on campus, information regarding the flu has been added to all syllabi; the university's goal is to stop the spread, said Cohen.

This has led to no required attendance in Kansas University classes

for ill students. Professors have been informed to give ill students no incentive to come to class.

In the dorms at CSUF, there are a number of scenarios the administration has prepared for. Student housing offers two room layouts.

Phase One residents live in a "doubles" room set-up, where two students share one bedroom. Phase Two residents live in a single room set-up, where each student has their own bedroom. How an ill student is moved depends on their rooms' layout.

For students in the Phase Two, or the singles, "students should iso-

late themselves in their room," said Wang.

As for Phase One residents, or the doubles, rooms have been prepared downstairs for both healthy and ill students, added Wang. Similar to Kansas' response, administrators expect some rooms to have more ill students than healthy; in which case, the healthy students would be moved to a downstairs room.

“If a student is too sick to move, they are allowed to stay,” said Wang.

But with any disease, the best defense is discipline in hygiene.

Wang mentioned the university has put hand sanitizer dispensers

inside main campus buildings. All students, faculty, and visitors are encouraged to use the dispensers.

Wang also encouraged the use of the "Dracula sneeze," or sneezing into the crease of your elbow as you bring your arm to your face.

At the Student Health Center, a triage room has been prepared for students that display flu symptoms; the nursing supervisor has outfitted the room with plastic chairs that are quickly and easily sanitized, said Boucher.

“Protocols have been set for triage nurses,” added Boucher.

The Student Health Center does

have some medication for those that are ill and have other underlying medical conditions.

However, Tamiflu, which the Health Center has, is quite expensive, said Boucher. One 75 mg dose, to be imbibed twice a day for five days, costs about $90; the Health Center currently has four doses. Yet, "not everyone should be receiving this," said Boucher. "Only the seriously infected."

When asked about surgical masks being readied to hand out, Boucher mentioned they have not yet done so.

"But I would ask, why do you

want one?" said Boucher.

The surgical mask was designed to halt particles released by the surgeon's mouth during regular breathing from infecting the patient.

They were not designed as a viral filtering mask, said Boucher. For potentially ill students wearing a mask, "if you cough or sneeze, cover your mask!" warned Boucher.

For the dorms here at CSUF, no resident students questioned have heard of any ill residents with H1N1.

One student even mentioned no briefing was given at the beginning of the semester by housing staff or resident advisers on the flu.

FEATURES

4

September 9, 2009

One on one with the Blonde Baller of ‘Real Chance of Love 2’ Graduate tells all about her time on the VH1 reality show

Daily Titan Assistant News Editor features@dailytitan.com

Reality Television has been a favorite form of entertainment for 23year-old Cal State Fullerton alumna Kip Force.

Although Force never imagined herself appearing in a reality television show, she soon became known as “Blonde Baller,” a character name given to her in VH1’s reality show, “Real Chance of Love 2: Back in the Saddle.”

Force is among the 20 women chosen to be in the running for the hearts of Ahmad and Kamal Givens,

nicknamed Real and Chance respectively, former “I Love New York” contestants.

The bachelor brothers are back for a second try to find the women of their dreams.

Force hopes to be the lucky one they fall in love with this season.

“You learn how to embrace yourself and take care of yourself,” Force said in regards to being on a reality show.

As contestants, the women were isolated from the world and kept in

a mansion with little to do.

No cell phones, music, clocks or any form of entertainment was allowed, so the cat fights began and the competition grew stronger between the women in hopes to win the most dates with the brothers.

“We were cut off from the world during the taping of the show,” Force said. “You have nothing to do all day, so when we get a date we are just so excited to get out of the house for five minutes.”

Force came to Fullerton after graduating from Cathedral High School in Palm Springs to pursue her passion for acting.

“I won a date for

As a “Chance” girl, Force got her chance to go on a date to a “pretend” prom.

Among some of the competitions the women facedoff in, Force and the others had to give a door-to-door pitch selling their personalities to the brothers in the Ding Dong Challenge.

“I won a date for missing my graduation at CSUF,” Force said. “The girls on the show gave me crap for missing my own graduation.”

Force said she did not mind missing standing out in the heat while the list of graduates was read aloud.

Force was a psychology major with a minor in criminal justice.

Week after week, fewer and fewer chains are given to the ladies who the brothers want to stay on the show.

Through all the fights, challenges and dates that are aired, the women are constantly learning something new about the brothers that could potentially make or break their , chance for real love.

Force reminds reality TV show fans to not be fooled

missing my graduation at CSUF. – Kip

“

By Kymberly Snew

This year she got her opportunity to be a part of the entertainment industry.

She was asked if she wanted to appear in a reality show by the casting director of “Real Chance of Love 2.”

Having watched past VH1 reality shows, “you never think you can be one of the girls on the show,” Force said. “In the first season of ‘Real Chance of Love,’ I thought the girls were nuts and the boys were rude.”

Force took the opportunity as a learning experience and did not mind being treated like a celebrity while getting paid to live in a house with many women, some of whom eventually becoming her good friends after the taping.

As the women compete for their chance to be Ms. Right, the various challenges they are asked to take part in determine who wins dates with the brothers.

From booty-shaking contests where the women had to make their own music video, to being taught by professional wrestlers and competing in wrestling matches, the women did whatever it took to be the winner to spend quality time with Real or Chance.

Force

CSUF alumna

Kip Force by the word “reality” that tags the genre.

A lot of editing goes into the process.

The 42-minute show excludes full conversations.

“You do not realize the things you say, and the way they edit it, could make you look pretty bad,” Force said. “Editing makes your character on the show.”

Force concluded, the show “is reality with a lot of manipulation to it.”

Photos courtesy of kip force

September 9, 2009

Brides make weddings lovelier with less money (MCT) – Andrea Guzman chucked the sit-down dinner for a cocktail reception.

Marie Williams Barnes recruited a friend to design her wedding invitations. And Cindy Rodriguez won’t be hosting her party at the hotel she first chose but at a less expensive clubhouse.

As the recession lingers, brides are trimming guest lists, crafting their own favors, slashing flower budgets and doing without the open bar.

Sure, love blooms in hard times, but nuptials are less lavish.

“Since last year we’ve seen more and more girls cutting back or preparing more of their own things for their weddings,” says Monica Vega of Sapore Group, a wedding and events planner in Miami. “They’re looking at their budget and thinking that’s money that can go for their mortgage or used to buy a house.”

Tying the knot has never been cheap, but spending for The Big Day is falling. The average U.S. wedding cost about $21,800 in 2008, a drop of almost $7,000 from the year before, according to the market research company Wedding Report.

Of course, spending varies widely, and a splurge in one community may be considered thriftiness in another.

For example: Outlays compiled by costofwedding.com have ranged from $10,609 to $17,848 so far this year in Hialeah, Fla., while in Key Biscayne, Fla., couples have spent as much as $99,695.

Even if a family can afford a sixfigure wedding, over-the-top festivities are out of fashion.

“You can’t be too lavish in these times,” says Steve Levine, business manager for Jose Graterol Designs, which does high-end flower arrangements. “Even if the bride wants certain arrangements and has the money to spend, it can’t LOOK over the top.”

Bill Hansen of Bill Hansen Catering says business is down, the worst since he launched his business in 1980. While bookings remain strong, the average price per plate has dropped by about 20 percent. Couples are choosing chicken instead of beef and opting out of more expensive venues.

“Brides,” he says, “are very much in the driver’s seat.”

Photographer Michael Murphy, who has run his own studio and gallery in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for 19 years, echoes the sentiment.

As competition turned fierce, he dropped his prices by 20 percent in January and restructured his packages so couples can make an initial commitment and decide later whether to buy an album.

“I don’t want money to be an issue and I wanted to be preemptive,” Murphy says. “Couples are more budget-conscious these days.”

They have to be; love offers no immunity from layoffs or salary cuts.

Just ask Cindy Rodriguez of Miami. Soon after Kenneth Reyes popped the question in February, he was laid off from his construction job.

They had to drop their first reception choice, the Mayfair in Coconut Grove, Fla., for a less expensive venue in North Miami Beach.

Though the wedding isn’t until May 2010 and Reyes hopes to land a job well before then, the couple is trimming back on everything from the open bar to the party favors.

“Prices are a reality check,” Rodriguez says. “But we want to stay within our means. We don’t want to go into debt for a party.”

As weddings are downsized, cou-

ples are forced to be more creative, a trend wedding planner Vega says can actually make things more fun.

Brides no longer balk at the idea of searching pawn shops for wedding bands or buying a used wedding dress at a thrift store.

In fact, while some wedding industry professionals lament slowing sales, Josie Daga, founder of preownedweddingdresses.com, reports traffic to her Web site is up 200 percent from last year.

“There’s a new consciousness, an awareness, that there are other options,” Daga says. “People are looking for different ways to save.”

When wedding planner Vega first meets with a couple, she asks them to fashion a reasonable budget.

She then has them rank their priorities.

One couple may want a lavish meal but may be willing to skimp on the flowers. Another might choose fabulous photographs over an open bar.

The key is to keep an open mind.

“You can have a very nice wedding on a strict budget,” Vega says. “But you shouldn’t go into debt for it.”

Soon after Andrea Guzman began planning her December 2008 wedding, she realized her budget wouldn’t allow for the 200-person guest list she and groom Hernando Vega had put together. The couple, as well as both sets of parents, were contributing to the cost.

So Guzman slashed the list to 80, scheduled the reception for a Saturday afternoon and made it a cocktail party instead of a dinner.

She didn’t hire a DJ either, but used a friend’s sound system to hook up her iPod. She also trimmed back on the photographer, opting for a CD with photos but no album.

“It was either a big reception or the honeymoon,” says Guzman, who went off to San Francisco and the Napa Valley with Vega. “And we really wanted the honeymoon.”

Cost-conscious couples learn quickly what’s important to them.

When Marie Williams married Jeff Barnes last summer, they decided to splurge on a party at the Marriott Dadeland for about 100 guests.

Everything else was open to negotiation.

“We looked around and decided whose talents we could use and who we could network with to get better deals,” Barnes says.

Aside from recruiting a friend who is a graphic designer to print her invitations, she enlisted her creative chums’ help for trinkets and seating charts.

Always on the lookout for sales, she scored a few good ones — the flower girl’s basket was on clearance at the Rag Shop, her shoes at DSW. She borrowed the ring pillow, the cake cutter and drink flutes and got “a great deal” for the limo through a friend.

“Together as a couple we decided what’s important and we kept our focus on that,” she says. “I think you have to pick one or two things that will really make it for you and let go of the rest.”

That’s what Mindy Edsall did for her Aug. 1 nuptials to David Rosenthal. The special-education teacher from Margate said she pared down her wish list by choosing buffet rather than sit-down meal service and simple candle centerpieces instead of flowers. She splurged on the photographer, however.

“That’s the one thing both of us knew was important for us,” she says.

“In some areas it was OK to do without or with less.”

5

FEATURES

The road trip: Taking part in a college rite of passage

By Jonathan Montgomery Daily Titan Staff Writer features@dailytitan.com

I returned exhausted, starving and with a certain stench that can only be acquired by traveling in a car for hours.

To top it off, I was even missing one of my brand-new shoes.

I learned a lot driving from Burbank, Calif., to Portland, Ore. Taking a road trip, especially with some good friends, can be a very fulfilling, bonding and growing experience.

However, there are some do’s and don’ts when it comes to hitting the road.

Before leaving, don’t put trust into the method of spontaneity.

Be a planner. Booking hotels early will save money, and making itineraries will save time.

Travelers should also aim to pack light, focusing heavily on the necessities.

Pants and shirts can be worn more than once, but a traveler should have enough socks and underwear to last the trip.

Planning ahead isn’t solely restricted to what travelers are bringing with them either.

“Main thing, make sure the car is in good shape,” said Tom Rush, 57, a member service and travel consultant for AAA. Fix all the bugs and make sure it is working properly or risk having a potentially short-lived road trip.

Keeping basic safety items such as a blanket, first aid kit, spare tires, and flashlights in the car are also vital.

If you are a AAA member, make sure your card is valid and up to date. “ Tr y to anticipate weather conditions,” said Rush. This is one piece of advice I evidently didn’t consider.

Our first night camping in Crater Lake, Ore., left us freezing cold and huddled together in a small sleeping bag.

I hazily remember being awake the entire night, shiv-

ering and searching desperately for something warm.

Bringing extra blankets and sleeping bags can be a lifesaver when in the high altitude wilderness.

Now Departing Waking up at 4:30 a.m. and anticipating the 11hour drive in front of us was intimidating.

Driving such distances can be daunting, but taking precautions will change the drive from hell into something manageable.

We took the I-5 North, a straight shot that looked oddly familiar the longer we drove on it.

It moved away from cities and buildings and

changed into an agricultural wasteland of cows, grass and some crops.

Needless to say, it was long and boring.

“Have an idea of how far you want to go each day,” said Rush. “And don’t try to do too much.”

Take breaks and switch between drivers when needed.

If the driver is tired, pull over to rest, stretch, and to get blood flowing through the body.

With good planning, travelers won’t feel rushed on a road trip, thus, pulling over to recuperate won’t feel like a waste of time.

“The tunes have to be good,” said Julian Lopez, 19, an English major.

Music selection selfishness will probably only make one person happy.

Try to select music that will appeal to everyone in the car; it will prevent many headaches and harbored feelings of hatred.

Once we made it to Portland, we were high-spirited once again.

I faced a small setback when realized I had forgotten both my electric razor and my toothbrush somewhere.

But fear not forgetful travelers, no one has to go hairy and with rotten teeth.

Hotels usually offer small packs of toothbrushes as well as small shaving kits.

After reaching the destination, Web sites like Yelp.com can be very helpful when traveling unfamiliar areas.

In bigger cities, Internet sources are easily accessible, and we were able to locate cheap restaurants offering quality food within minutes.

Some restaurants and tourist spots even offer great deals and discounts if you are a member of AAA, so be on the lookout for those.

For any new travelers anxious about planning a road trip, rest assured because people are there to help.

Eileen Rivera, 30, a member service representative of AAA, said first time travelers and members of AAA can actually sit down with a representative who will help highlight exact routes on a map by hand, marking rest stops and hotels along the way.

Mystery can be exciting for some, but knowing where you’re going is smart and efficient.

Plan thoroughly, be safe and have fun.

6

OPINION Titan Editorial Providing insight, analysis and perspective since 1960

Health care reform: It’s good for you There are many issues that divide Americans, and none are currently more controversial and divisive than health care.

“I don’t have a right to health care ... I have a right to life, liberty and to keep the fruits of my labor,” Rep. Ron Paul of Texas said to Business Insider. The former presidential candidate has frequently argued that health care is not a right, but a privilege, like a cellphone.

Congressional bill H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act 2009, was introduced July 14. Along with promising that those with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied health insurance, H.R. 3200 exempts “grandfathered health insurance coverage from requirements of this Act; ... (provides) guaranteed coverage to all individuals and employers and automatic renewal of coverage; ... (prohibits) premium variances, except for reasons of age, area, or family enrollment and ... (prohibits) rescission of health insurance coverage without clear and convincing evidence of fraud,” a summary of the bill on the Library of Congress’ Web site reads.

With free clinics booked up for months, and the economy sucking every dime from the population’s pocket, both sides are pushed to the extremes on this bill.

LaRouche Political Action Committee members Lugina Qhespe and Nick Walsh passed out fliers on Titan Walk yesterday. Posters of President Obama hung from one of the concrete tables with a Hitler-like mustache superimposed above the president’s upper lip. The group’s leaflet attacks Obama and his “Nazi health care

plan,” showing a picture of a protest sign which reads, “Kill the HMO’s before Obama let’s them kill you!”

They, like many misinformed, insist Obama is out for blood.

One of the most commonly spread fallacies of the proposed health care reform is “death panels,” in which a group of people is imagined to discuss whether a person should live or die based

“False ‘Death Panel’ Rumor Has Some Familiar Roots.”

H.R. 3200 can be seen on OpenCongress.org, where there is also a poll for visitors of the site to voice their opinion on the proposed bill.

While no one can be denied service at an emergency room, the costs incurred by a visit to the E.R. would surely put a major dent in any student’s already thin wallet; therefore, it is not a feasible option.

Cal State Fullerton’s Associated Students Inc. offers its own health care plan for students in conjunction with Blue Cross.

Students can pay $1,015 per year for $100,000 worth of medical care, though students are still responsible for paying a 20 percent deductible.

This is actually one of the best options for students who are not otherwise covered, at least until health care reform has been resolved and finalized.

We at the Daily Titan unanimously support health care reform. As students, we are among those who would most benefit from health care reform.

Many students, if they are not insured under Illustration By Jon Harguindeguy/For the Daily Titan their parents or employers, on their well-being. Rumor has it this panel have no form of assistance when they become would recommend euthanasia if a person is just ill. too old or sickly to continue existing by their While the Student Health and Counseling standards.

Center on campus is at student’s disposal, it is “There is nothing in any of the legislative not equipped to treat conditions that would othproposals that would call for the creation of erwise be covered by health insurance and nordeath panels or any other governmental body mally treated at hospitals. that would cut off care for the critically ill as a This is part of the “change” that America votcost-cutting measure,” Jim Rutenberg and Jackie ed for in November; isn’t it time we start letting Calmes wrote in their New York Times article, Obama fulfill his campaign promises?

September 9, 2009

‘Say What’s Real’

By Brian Whitehead For the Daily Titan

opinion@dailytitan.com

Type “Say What’s Real” into a search engine. Just do it. You’ll thank me later, I promise.

There’s nothing like watching an entertainer glide effortlessly into the prime of their career. You know, the five to eight year span of invincibility where they can grow a Fu-Manchu, date both Olson twins and appear on “The Hills” and it wouldn’t take away from their greatness.

These are the years said entertainer cements their place in the upper echelon of entertainers ever to do their respective craft.

In the last five years, I’ve had the privilege of watching a handful of entertainers embark upon their respective primes: Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Seth Rogan, Will Smith, LeBron James, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and Albert Pujols.

With the help of DVDs I’ve seen “That ’70s Show” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” at their absolute best. Lastly, I will never forget watching Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson every Monday night from 1998-2003.

Not everyone has a prime, that’s what makes it so special. But all good things, even primes, must come to an end.

In the entertainment business, you can always tell when an entertainer is ready to pass the torch. In the music industry, it’s usually around the time your favorite artist has a cameo on “Hannah Montana” or a small role in the most recent crappy Jennifer Aniston movie.

If it’s an aging athlete, it’s usually around the time their failures and shortcomings don’t arouse the same hellish fury they once did. If it’s an actor, it’s usually around the time they get caught soliciting a prostitute when dating an international supermodel.

With all this said, we’ve seen and heard the future of mainstream hiphop in the form of Canadian rapper and former “Degrassi” star, Aubrey Graham aka Drake.

If you’ve listened to the radio in the last three months, there’s a 99.9 percent chance you’ve heard “Best I

Ever Had.” Likewise, if you’ve listened to anything other than Lady Gaga and Pitbull this summer, there’s a good chance you’ve heard Drake on a featured spot or remix.

Drake’s transformation from underground apprentice to mainstream star can be credited to his impeccable wordplay, Erick Sermon-smooth voice and mysterious yet undeniable aura. His swagger rivals that of a young Kanye West, and his metaphors are straight out of Lil’ Wayne’s rhymebook.

Seriously, we haven’t heard someone this good around words since former President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

The 22-year-old’s ceiling is higher than any rapper since Jay-Z; and other than Lupe Fiasco and Bobby Ray, there is no other artist I’d rather listen to right now - that has to count for something, right?

The most fascinating thing about Drake’s sudden rise to super-stardom has been his ability to get airplay without recycling old, playedout, fictional bars. In a generation bombarded with narratives of crime and violence, Drake has proven that superficial raps glorifying guns, drugs and money aren’t necessary for success. A breath of fresh air to say the least. He’s rejected the gangster masquerade for a more humble and level-headed image, inspiring others to do the same.

Drake has a total of four mixtapes floating around the Internet waiting for you to download: “Comeback Season,” “Heartbreak Drake,” “Heartbreak Drake 2” and the most recent and successful, “So Far Gone.” His much-anticipated album, “Thank Me Later,” is due out in 2010.

The future of mainstream hiphop is riding on Drake’s success. If he proves to be a formidable ambassador, his success will rejuvenate the hip-hop genre as a whole and breathe some much needed life into the music industry.

Then again, with a song like “Say What’s Real,” who’s to argue Drake hasn’t already accomplished all that and more?

See, you want to download it now, don’t you? You’re welcome.

7

OPINION

September 9, 2009

Nerdgasm “Exploring the highs and lows of nerd culture”

Disney + Marvel = TV magic by ashleigh johnson

Daily Titan Copy Editor opinion@dailytitan.com

Unless you’re a time-traveling wizard from medieval England, you’ve probably heard of Disney’s acquisition of Marvel.

And if you are, I congratulate you on your ability to bend the spacetime continuum.

Visit your nearest devil box and write “2girls1cup” into the querybox of the great oracle known as “Google” — the resulting information will allow you to transcend worlds and achieve enlightenment.

Is he gone?

Good, I hated that guy. Always mocking me with his pointy hat and long beard. Get a haircut, hippie!

Anyway, so yes, Disney now owns Marvel and over 5,000 of its characters. Of those 5,000, Marvel has its fair share of classic plots and characters, Spiderman, Thor, the X-men– all household names.

Needless to say, some folks have grown attached to the classic Marvel universe and, as such, have mixed feelings about the sale, but I couldn’t be more thrilled. In fact, when I first heard about the sale, I dashed straightaway to my doom fortress (cardboard box. A really big cardboard box. Jealous?) and penned what will surely be hailed as the next great piece of television history.

First, allow me to say that I have thoroughly analyzed the Disney channel’s trends over the years, from finding its core demographic, to researching the subtle nuances of its high-quality programming (or I briefly scanned Wikipedia for, like, 10 minutes. Same thing.).

The results were nothing short of startling.

My findings were then applied to my screenplay, and I’m fairly confident in the results. It is, I daresay, the

perfect mix of Marvel’s iconic characters fused with the wholesome, upbeat plots that tweens love.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to present to you some excerpts from the pilot episode of the soonto-be hit Disney channel show I’m working on.

The script is still in need of some polishing, so bear with me. But most of all, please enjoy “The Punisher and Hannah Montana Save the Unicorns from Mecha-Hitler: The Musical!” (working title).

(Scene 1: Fade in: it’s a dark and stormy night. Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher, slowly fades into view.)

Frank: (kneeling to examine something on the ground) Hmmmm… (A rainbow-hued, glittery substance coats his fingers. Frank’s eyes narrow because he is a total badass.) I’m close.

(Cut to a typical, all-American, high school cafeteria. Miley Cyrus a.k.a. Hannah Montana is conversing with her friends: Generic Friend One and Vaguely Ethnic Friend Two.) Miley: OMG! Guys, I’m, like, totally crushing on this guy!

(They all squeal in unison.)

Generic Friend One: OMG! Who?!

Miley: Frank, obviously.

Vaguley Ethnic Friend Two: Bbut he is like the hottest guy in the whole school!

(Cue audience laughter) (The camera pans in on Frank Castle while a Hannah Montana song plays in the background so the audience knows that he’s dreamy.)

(Note: The Punisher should be played by Zac Efron, but if he’s busy, get that one Jonas brother who doesn’t look like a hamster. I don’t know their names. Do I look like I care about this crap?)

Miley: (contented sigh) Yeah, him…

(An explosion shakes the building.

As the smoke clears, a large, gaping hole can be seen, but it’s almost completely blocked by Mecha-Hitler!)

Mecha-Hitler: Where is the foolish mortal who calls himself The Punisher?

Frank: Right here, robo-sucker!

(They fight, and an epic rock song plays in the background. Now, when I say “epic,” I mean that the song still keeps to the ideals of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.)

(Five minutes later … The battle ends, and The Punisher is rendered unconscious. Mecha-Hitler stands triumphantly over him, ready to strike a finishing blow.)

Mecha-Hitler: You have done well, brave warrior. Now die!

Miley: Noooooooo!

(She jumps, in slow motion, on top of Frank’s unconscious body, narrowly saving him. Mecha-Hitler’s robotic eye widens.)

Mecha-Hitler: The fatherland be praised! It is the chosen one!

(A song about friendship begins to play.)

Mecha-Hitler: You have taught me much, young one. Here, I shall bestow unto you and The Punisher the gift of the unicorn. Use it wisely.

(He hands Miley a vial of unicorn scat. The Punisher reawakens somehow.)

Frank: My quest is over. Come, Miley. Let us journey to the unicorn forest. At long last we will be able to cure the unicorns of AIDS. Fin. Well, I hope you all enjoyed the preview. I didn’t want to give too much away, but (spoiler alert!) Hannah Montana and The Punisher totally learn about friendship and safe sex.

Also, did I mention they each get ponies?

I’ll send you the bill in the mail, Disney.

Technophiles turn gaze to printed word

By Rachel David

Daily Titan Copy Editor opinion@dailytitan.com

As a lover of reading and someone who wants to have a career in the world of print one day, i.e. newspapers or book publishing, I am disheartened by the latest technology which has set its sights on my beloved world of print: video advertisements in print sources and e-readers.

In mid-September, Entertainment Weekly will be unveiling the first ever video advertisement in a print magazine.

There is a small speaker below the screen that will allow the reader and all those around them, whether they like it or not, to listen to a Pepsi Max commercial and the CBS fall line-up.

As if there aren’t enough distractions when it comes to reading, we now have to endure the incessant white noise of commercials when trying to read the latest celebrity gossip. Outrageous!

Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t commercials things we try to avoid at all costs, even going as far to press mute when an overly annoying one comes on TV. Anyone seen the Mary J. Blige AT&T commercial? I rest my case.

So now when you’re sitting in the doctor’s office and trying to tune out the crying kids that the lady next to you has brought

along with her, or Dr. Phil on the TV in the waiting room yelling in his southern drawl at the latest dysfunctional family to cross his path, you now have to block out the person next to you who’s reading a magazine with a built-in screen.

Is there nowhere safe from the constant bombardment of advertisements? We now have to have it embedded in our reading material?

No wonder we are breeding a generation of children who can’t focus on a task before them for longer than two minutes.

How can we expect them to when white noise invades every aspect of their existence? How can the printed word compete with a loud, flashy video screen placed directly within the text?

And for those of you gung-ho about the latest technological annoyance to hit the market, don’t worry about the advertisement’s batteries dying; they are rechargeable. Yes, can you believe it, you can watch that same Pepsi Max ad over and over until your heart’s content.

Also disrupting the sacred world of print are e-reading devices, most notably Amazon’s “Kindle.”

By no means is the Kindle the sole murderer of print sources; other devices, such as Sony’s Reader, iRex’s iLiad and Jinke Electronic’s Hanlin eReader are just a few companies and devices that also believe in robbing individuals of the pleasure of browsing a bookstore or booksale

and smelling the unique, welcoming scent of a new or old book.

Say goodbye to the days of waking up, drinking a cup of coffee and walking to the end of the driveway to pick up the newspaper.

Not only are these e-reading device companies putting countless individuals out of business and denying readers the aesthetic pleasure of reading, they are doing away with a cultural tradition: reading a tangible newspaper with a cup of coffee.

Now, I’m fully aware of the benefits of technology as a whole, and am not completely immune to it myself: I just bought a BlackBerry Curve; however, must technology infringe on every aspect of our lives?

Just because we have the know-how and tools to create “bigger and better” things or “smaller and sleeker” things, doesn’t mean we have to.

Some things are just sacred.

There is nothing stuffy or static about enjoying the peace and quiet that can come from reading or the feel of actually flipping through pages of a newspaper or book.

How sad to think that one day future generations may walk into a library with e-readers sitting on the shelf, where beautiful hardbound books once resided, how sterile.

I can’t imagine looking up at the various bookshelves throughout my house and seeing one lone e-reading device in place of my sundry and alluring book collection.

Fossil fuels approaching extinction

By Damon Lowney

Daily Titan Assistant News Editor opinion@dailytitan.com

The only sound that could pull me out of this green haze is the sound of 10 miles per gallon and 0-60 in 3.6 seconds. But this same sound is why I must accept the next generation of transportation.

The automotive industry is focusing on alternative fuels these days, and it’s not hard to see why.

Internal combustion engines that use gasoline and diesel pollute our air and are contributors to global warming.

There are alternative fuels that can be used in place of them, and the antiquated form of propulsion is nearing its end.

We are being weaned off engines with hybrids, but electricity will be the main form of mass propulsion in the future.

Toyota seems to be sticking to its guns with their hybrids for now, according to the New York Times, but electric vehicles, whether charged at stations or powered by hydrogen fuel cells, will be the future.

The development of EVs and fuel cell cars is well underway with many already on the road or scheduled to come out within the next year.

Mitsubishi already has a small electric vehicle for lease, the i-MiEV, and Silicon Valley-based company, Tesla, is selling an all-electric sports car based on the Lotus Elise, which is a gas-powered sports car that has been out since the 1990s.

I’ve already seen a Tesla Roadster careening down the I-5. Honda has its fuel cell powered FCX Clarity, which is being tested by 200 lucky Southern California drivers who are leasing the cars for two years at $600 per month.

This is the beginning of a new era.

It’s scary thinking about our precious internal combustion engines being replaced by the silent whirring of electric motors.

I’m a skeptic.

I don’t want to embrace the electric car because of selfish reasons.

I like the smell of gasoline and the thrashing metallic sounds that contemporary cars produce.

Engines have souls. I would even stretch it and say they have personalities, but electric motors seem quiet and gutless to me.

The internal combustion engine is a savage yet refined device after all these years, and the car guy in me doesn’t want it to end.

The advantages of electric cars far outweigh the price we pay in more ways than one. Electric cars are “green” and produce no hazardous gases such as carbon monoxide or nitrogen oxide, or any other hazardous substances that spew out of tailpipes.

We won’t have to pay for gas at the end of every tank; we can just plug the car into a wall. There are also the performance benefits of the electric motor.

Because there are very few moving parts in an electric motor, an electric car’s drive train provides drivers with instantaneous throttle response. We won’t have to wait for gasoline to be injected into each cylinder and then ignited by a spark any longer.

After combustion, drivers won’t have to wait for the power to be transferred from the engine to the flywheel, to the clutch then the drive shaft and, finally, to the rear wheels (in a rear-wheel-drive car at least).

Power is instantaneous.

Press your heavy foot into the pedal and, in an electric car, you will feel a great surge of torque and power throughout the whole rev range.

Los Angeles Times columnist Dan Neil sums it up in his review of the all-electric Tesla Roadster: “At about 20 mph I nail the go pedal, and the power electronics module summons a ferocious torrent of amps, energizing the windings of the 375-volt AC-induction motor. Instantly – I mean right now, like, what the heck

hit me? – the motor’s 276 poundfeet of torque is converted to dumbfounding acceleration. Total number of moving parts: one.”

I can’t help but be curious about the performance potential of EVs. They might save our planet, but the reason they will succeed as an “everyman’s car” is because they will appeal to the car nut in us, as well as our conscience. There is simply no other alternative if you want instant torque and massive power rolled into one.

Sure, people can talk about how hydrogen is a stellar alternative to gasoline, but we won’t be seeing it powering cars with current internal combustion engines.

There is too much that can go wrong.

Hydrogen is too combustible at ambient temperatures, which means that hot spots in the cylinders could prematurely ignite the hydrogen before the spark plug could.

This means the hydrogen would have to be diluted with air to raise the engines ignition energy level, which would cause the engines to make half the power they could on gasoline, according to a study by the College of the Desert on the use of hydrogen in internal combustion engines.

Mazda has proven this with a hydrogen powered RX-8 that makes only 110 horsepower, which is less than half of its 236 horsepower running on gasoline, according to Brian Alexander of the LA Times.

This is not good for American drivers who demand power and torque for quick acceleration.

This is the reason foreign vehicle manufacturers traditionally don’t import vehicles with their most frugal and least powerful engine options.

So here it is. I’ll say it, just like many before me and many after me: Unless the automotive industry takes a mad 180 degree turn, electric cars are here to stay.

For the record Articles written for the Daily Titan by columnists, other Cal State Fullerton students or guests do not necessarily reflect the view of the Daily Titan or Daily Titan Editorial Board. Only the editorials are representative of the views of the Daily Titan Editorial Board.

Letters to the Editor:

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.

THE DAILY TITAN CARES Do you need the answers to your burning questions ... in a somewhat-timely fashion?

If you answered “yes” the Daily Titan wants to help you.

Be the first to ask the editors of the Daily Titan about all of your problems.

Send your questions to opinion@dailytitan.com with “Advice” in the subject line.

8

Men’s soccer 1-1, Lady Titans 0-4

SPORTS

September 9, 2009

Football fantasies return With the NFL back in full swing, fantasy football leagues will be alive all across the country.

By gilbert gutierrez III Daily Titan Staff Writer sports@dailytitan.com

By juan saucedo

Daily Titan Staff Writer sports@dailytitan.com

The Cal State Fullerton men’s soccer team started on the right foot by winning its season opener against Penn State, 2-1, in overtime on Friday.

However, the Titans fell to Ohio State, 1-0, on Sunday, in a second game at the Wolstein Classic in Columbus, Ohio.

Forward Jamall Farquharson became the hero of the first match, scoring the game-winning goal in the eighth minute of overtime.

The Titans, which opened the season on the road for only the third time since 1991, trailed 1-0 at the half on a goal by Penn State’s Jason Yeisley.

Titan Head Coach Bob Ammann said he thought his team was lucky to be down by just one goal at halftime.

“We were a little anxious,” said Ammann, when asked about the first game in a telephone interview.

“I thought we were a little too amped up.”

Celso Alvarez tied the game 1-1 for the Titans on a 15-yard shot that came off a rebound on the 48th minute of the match, sending the hard-fought game into overtime.

Both teams had 20 fouls and three Penn State players received yellow cards, while two Titans also received warnings.

Farquharson said scoring the winning goal felt great.

“Everyone was excited because I kind of scored a scrappy goal,” Farquharson said of his goal that bounced off the poll after he had taken the initial shot.

In the second match at the tournament, the Titans (1-1) were shutout by Ohio State in a close game.

“The game started off as a disappointment,” Ammann said. “Mark Nelson was injured at the beginning

of the game.”

Nelson, a defender, has a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and will be out for the season, he said.

Ohio State’s Eric Shrigley scored the game’s only goal on a header that went into the left side of the net, set up on a cross in the 90th minute.

Ammann said his team had a good chance to score in the first half but wasted the opportunity. Yet, he said some positive things did come out of the weekend.

Alvarez, Bobby Reiss and Justin Burney were selected to the all-tournament team for the Titans.

Reiss, who transferred from the University of Evansville, Illinois, said that although he’s happy he made the all-tournament team, he likes to focus on the Titan’s results.

“I felt good to get in the game and help the team out as a transfer,” Reiss said.

Reiss said the team chemistry is good and that he sees the team improving.

“We don’t want to gauge our success in the last 14 seconds of the Ohio game because we want to look at the positives,” Reiss said.

Women’s soccer falls to 0-4 The Cal State Fullerton women’s soccer team was shutout twice at the University of San Diego Tournament, failing to pick up its first win of the season.

The University of Southern California routed the Titans 4-0 on Friday on goals by Courtney Garcia, Megan Ohai, Samantha Johnson and Alyssa Davila.

In the Titan’s second game at the tourney on Sunday, it fell to the University of San Diego, 2-0.

Jacku Zinke scored a goal in each half for San Diego, which outshot the Titans 10-5.

The Titans have scored just one goal in four games of this season.

The Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson has been nearly every fantasy football leagues top draft pick in 2009.

being a sports fan and enjoys the knowledge gained from this experience. However, he doesn’t feel that the league that he is currently involved in is as intensive as others.

kinesiology major, said it’s better to get players that don’t have a history of getting injured.

“If you lose a player due to injury, then there goes your first-round pick, and he’s out Hernandez for the whole season,” Barsaid there is a ron said. competitive urge Barron is to win within also one who him, though. His tries to go for favorite players players that to draft are run– Fernando Hernandez, are classified ning back Marias sleepers beSenior Business on Barber of the cause it gives Administraion Major Dallas Cowboys the owner a and wide receivbetter opporer Randy Moss tunity to win. of the New England Patriots. He The less popular teams in the also feels that he can find a sleeper NFL that Barron would choose from in Green Bay Packer quarterback would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Aaron Rodgers. or the Houston Texans.

Junior Robert Barron, 20, a junior “It really depends on who your

“

For me, it’s the rivalry between my cousins that keeps me interested.

“

By chad Uemera/Daily Titan Staff Photographer The Titans returned with a 1-1 record following their opening season roadtrip in Ohio.

As the 2009 National Football League season kicks off Thursday night, it also comes with a “fantasy.”

Fantasy football leagues allow loyal fans to make believe that they are in control of their very own football team.

Thousands of people all across the country, including many Cal State Fullerton students, take part in the festivities to know what it feels like to be in control of some of the world’s greatest football players.

Depending on how well a player performs in real life allows the owner of the team to earn a certain number of points.

Those points are updated at the end of each game, and the person with the most points at the end of each week in head-to-head matchups wins, said Edgar Ortiz, 18, a freshman kinesiology major that enjoys taking part in the fun.

One of the highlights of fantasy football leagues are the drafts themselves, which include highs and lows when missing out on a coveted player.

“Sure, sometimes you get upset when an opponent drafts a player that you wanted,” Chuong Nguyen, a freshman pre-business major said.

Nguyen, 18, said there is a lot of analysis of player’s stats, and watching how well the players do in games allows participants to make the best choices when managing their team.

Fantasy leagues are generally done between friends, family or coworkers, which makes it a little more competitive.

“For me, it’s the rivalry between my cousins that keeps me interested,” Fernando Hernandez, a senior business administration major said.

Hernandez, 22, takes pride in

photo courtesy mct

players are going against every week if you want to win,” Barron said. “It’s like a competition to see who knows more about the NFL.” In a nutshell, the purpose of fantasy football is to allow anyone to draft players and make trades based on a player’s performance each week and every game during the regular season to make it to the post season.

It can be compared to an NFL owner who is on a quest to reach the playoffs.

To some, it’s about the love of the sport and accumulated bets at the end of the season.

Overall, most who participate in fantasy football do it for the bragging rights among the opponents in their league.

Whether its among relatives, friends or fellow football fans, in the end, it’s about making the wisest decisions in order to win.

Sanchez ready say former Jets’ (MCT) - Had the Jets not passed up a chance to draft Dan Marino in 1983, they might not be 41 years removed from their moment of Super Bowl III glory with glamour quarterback Joe Namath.

But they did ignore Marino, and so there was the 66-year-old Namath at a news conference Tuesday offering his thoughts about rookie Mark Sanchez and whether he might prove a worthy successor to Broadway Joe’s legacy.

Namath praised Sanchez for his “spark and fire” and cited the opening touchdown drive he led in the final exhibition against the Eagles as evidence.

“That first series last week showed me some stuff I hadn’t seen,” Namath said. “It looked like he can do everything as far as movement and finding the receivers. He looked at the chains to see where he had to go a couple of times, he moved his feet well. He impressed me big-time with that series.”

Sharing the stage with Namath for the announcement of jetBlue as

the team’s official airline were former Jets Curtis Martin, Marty Lyons and Wayne Chrebet.

They were there to promote the team, but their optimism regarding Sanchez seemed genuine.

What struck Lyons and Martin is the rookie’s commanding carriage.

hand, look him in the eye. He seems like an assertive, mature guy for his age. He has to have that thing that makes people want to follow him, and I believe he has it.” “ M o s t people don’t realize it, but that’s more important a photo courtesy mct lot of times “I’ve always Sanchez’s play in preseason has made him a starter. than ability.”

Lyons said been skeptical of rookies,” said Martin, the Jets’ playing for former Jets coach Pete all-time rushing leader. “But there Carroll in an NFL-style offense at is something I like about Sanchez. I USC helped prepare Sanchez for the had a chance to meet him, shake his pressure he faces.

Chrebet suggested Sanchez is better equipped to handle the growing pains Giants quarterback Eli Manning endured before maturing into a Super Bowl winner.

“He played for a great school in a big market, so I think he’ll adjust fine,” the former wide receiver said.

“Sanchez is a little ahead of the curve compared to what Eli did. I don’t think he dealt with (pressure) at Ole Miss compared to what (Sanchez) dealt with at Southern Cal. Look at the expectations there, carrying the torch from the previous quarterbacks there. It seems like he’s the perfect fit.”

Sanchez’s Jets teammates busted his chops about the Namath-style GQ magazine photo spread he did, and he handled the ribbing well. But the real test begins with Sunday’s season opener in Houston.

As Chrebet said: “They have to see what happens that first bad play or that first bad game, how he reacts to his teammates or the media. I don’t think he’ll have a problem with it.”

Classifieds

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SPORTS

September 9, 2009

Think Different. Think Simon.

NBA veteran, defensive ace Bowen hangs up sneakers.

By Simon Liang

Daily Titan Assistant Sports Editor sports@dailytitan.com

Former Cal State Fullerton basketball great Bruce Bowen retired from the National Basketball Association last week.

From 1989-93, Bowen was a star for the Titans, and left ranked the top 10 all time in both rebounds and blocked shots. His specialty was doing the little things to win; he was never flashy or exuberant, just highly effective.

He might not have been a superstar, but he was one of the best perimeter defenders in the last decade. It is remarkable considering he went un-drafted in the 1993 NBA Draft.

Bowen was a journeyman who bounced around the international basketball scene before he made his NBA debut with the Miami Heat in 1997. He also went on to play for the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs.

His most famous stint was also his longest. His run with Tim Duncan and the Spurs was extremely memorable for many Los Angeles fans because the Spurs would always face the Lakers in the playoffs year after year.

Always being assigned the opposing team’s best player is a daunting task, but Bowen was always up for the task. Whether it was Kobe Bryant or Vince Carter, he did not let up. He was hard-nosed and pesky.

However, his defensive mechanisms have not always come without controversy. Bowen was constantly labeled as a dirty player. But what does that even mean?

Photo courtesy mct Bruce Bowen’s relentless defense earned him the nickname “Edward Scissorhands.”

To me, a dirty player has the intent on hurting another player, one who never admits wrong doing. A dirty player has no conscience or regard for other players’ well-being.

OK, I don’t think that Bowen fits that criteria. We all know that he kicked Wally Szczerbiak, Ray Allen and Chris Paul. He was promptly fined for that. He was out of line, but it was in the heat of the moment, so one can’t be too angry.

It’s clear that Bowen was definitely not the cleanest player in the league, but his style of play was just misinterpreted. His effort on the defensive end was second to none.

He made eight NBA All-Defensive teams. His world class defense was outstanding as he helped the Spurs win three NBA titles.

Duncan and Tony Parker were the superstars on that team, no doubt, but Bowen was the most important piece of the puzzle. His

lockdown ‘D’ on numerous players who could take over a game by themselves was crucial.

With the announcement of his retirement, many players can now let out a sigh of relief because they will no longer be pestered when they try to score.

Jump shooters will no longer have to worry about where they are going to land. Slashers will no longer have to worry about getting pushed around.

As a Lakers fan, I had hatred for Bowen and his physical defense.

But as a fan of all things basketball, I look back on his career and appreciate what he brought to the game.

Bowen will be missed; he showed that if you give your all, you can succeed at anything you set your mind to.

In the end, Bowen is a Titan, so it makes him one of us. We all have royal blue and white pumping through our veins.