EL VAQUERO November 10, 2 0 1 0
Glendale College
Power Soccer! Glendale’s two power soccer teams host an invitational tournament drawing teams from as far as Hollister, Calif. and Mesa, Ariz. Ariz. See related story and photos pages 8-10.
Photo by Louis Roche
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010
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NEWS
California Voters Stick With EL VAQUERO Incumbents, Simplify Budget Glendale Community College
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Louis Roche Jr.
By Adriana Orellana EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
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alifornia voters chose Attorney General Jerry Brown governor for the third time Nov. 2, in an election which also returned to office incumbents Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Adam Schiff. Brown previously served as governor from 1975 to 1983. Mike Gatto was reelected in the 43rd Assembly District and Anthony Portantino in the 44th. After months of campaigning, Brown defeated Republican Meg Whitman by a margin of 53.4 percent to 41.5 percent. With many issues facing California, the new governor will have to make decisions dealing with the state’s economy, creating jobs and reducing the unemployment rate, immigration, health care, as well as the budget and California’s fiscal crisis. In debates with Whitman, Brown said he would begin to balance the budget this month, as well as find ways to improve the economy. In regards to immigration policies, Brown proposed an immigration reform bill to be implemented on a federal level that would offer a path to citizenship, but that business that hired undocumented workers should be held responsible for hiring illegal immigrants. “Brown’s election will make it a little easier for bills that pass the legislature to be signed into law, since he is a Democrat as is the majority of both houses of the legislature,” said John Queen, political science professor at Glendale Community College. “Brown, however, is not predictably liberal on all issues,” Queen said. “The budget will be easier to adopt since now it only requires a majority vote from both houses, but raising taxes still requires two thirds of each chamber, so it will be hard to match tax revenue to the state’s budgetary expenses.” Brown also intends to work with California’s
community college system and has said he will try to keep the burdens on students graduating at a minimum. “Transfer courses should be closely aligned with, and accepted by, the CSU and UC systems,” said Brown. “Students are often forced to take redundant courses to graduate from the CSU and UC systems, although they have completed the coursework at community colleges.” “Brown said that when he was governor in the ’70s and ’80s, funding was increased for the community colleges, but also said that money can be saved by ‘prudent management,’ ” said Queen. “Given that the economy is still weak, I don’t expect to see a flood of money go into community colleges. I do think that he will be less inclined than the Schwarzenegger administration to cut Cal Grants,” said Queen. Queen also said that Brown had resisted taking specific positions on a lot of issues including community colleges. For more of Brown’s proposals and solutions as governor visit www.jerrybrown.org U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer was re-elected with 51.8 percent of the votes to her Republican challenger Carly Fiorina’s 42.8 percent. Democrat, and San Francisco mayor, Gavin Newsom was elected Lieutenant Governor with 49.9 percent of the votes over Republican incumbent Abel Maldonado’s 39.6 percent. Democratic incumbent Debra Bowen was reelected Secretary of State with 53.6 percent of the votes to Republican Damon Dunn’s 38.8 percent of votes. The election result for Attorney General was still undecided at the time of print due to the tight race of the candidates and the uncounted votes. The state ballot measures that passed included [See Election Results, page 3]
IN THIS ISSUE
Letter to the Editor:
NOVEMBER 10, 2010 VOLUME 96 News
Don’t Forget Third-Party Candidates
NUMBER 5
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Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 -7 Center Spread
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Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 -11 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-14 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
El Vaquero is always looking for interesting story ideas. Do you know of anyone on campus with a compelling life story? Are you involved with an innovative campus program that the whole campus should know about? Do you have any ideas for improving the campus experience? Have you witnessed a possible news story that we may not know about? Please contact us at:
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In the last issue of the El Vaquero, there was an article about the race for Congress in California’s 29th Congressional district. I took issue with the article, because it only mentioned two out of the three candidates who were looking to represent Glendale and surrounding cities in the House of Representatives. While it mentioned Democratic incumbent Adam Schiff and his Republican challenger John Colbert, it made no mention of the Libertarian candidate, William “Bill” Cushing. I know it is common to assume that third-party candidates aren’t worth mentioning because they
“won’t win anyways,” but that is a silly thing to think, when you consider the fact that a Republican has not represented CA-29 since 1957, and the Democratic candidate has not won under sixty percent of the vote since 1968. — Morgan Brykein Ed: Libertarian candidate, William “Bill” Cushing received 4,313 votes or 3.1 percent of the total vote. Incumbent Adam Schiff was the winner with 89,863 votes or 65.1 percent of the total vote and John P. Colbert followed with 44,001 votes or 31.8 percent of the total vote.
On the Cover: Glendale held its first-ever Invitational Power Soccer Tournament last weekend. Local teams the Glendale Rough Riders and the Glendale Wild Wheelers played host to teams from Hollister, Santa Barbara and Mesa, Arizona. Rough Riders Captian Joey Wells, No. 22, rolls in for a goal as the crowd cheers. See story and more photos pages 7-9.
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NEWS
Mid-Term Election Results [Election Results, from page 2] 20, 22, 25 and 26. Prop. 22 will prohibit the state from taking local funds and from delaying the distribution of tax revenues during times of severe fiscal hardship. The passing of Prop. 25 means a simple majority vote is needed to pass the state budget, and through Prop. 26 a two-thirds vote is needed to pass some state and local fees. The propositions that did not pass include Prop. 19, which would have legalized marijuana in California; Prop. 21, which would have added an $18 vehicle license surcharge to obtain money for state park funding; Prop. 23, which would have suspended the Air Pollution Control Law (AB 32), which will reduce the state’s level of greenhouse gases emission by 2020; Prop. 24, which would have repealed the allowance of lower business tax liability and stopped corporate
tax breaks; and, Prop. 27, which would have eliminated the state redistricting commission. On the State Assembly level, incumbent Anthony Portantino (D) won for the 44th District with 64.2 percent over Anthony Day’s (R.) 32.3 percent. Portantino, who is very active in public education, opposes raising community college fees. Portantino wants to raise the minimum wage to help low and middle-class workers, and believes in families having affordable health care. The 43rd State Assembly District, composed of Glendale, Burbank, and parts of North Hollywood, was won by Democratic incumbent Mike Gatto, who obtained 66 percent of the votes, while his Republican challenger, Sunder Ramani, obtained 34 percent of the votes. Gatto, who feels that the involvement of small businesses growing in California will help fix the economy, said, “The big issue
And the winner is... Governor Jerry Brown
(DEMOCRAT) U.S. Senator
Barbara Boxer
(DEMOCRAT) Lieutenant Governor
Gavin Newsom
(DEMOCRAT) Secretary of State
Debra Bowen
(DEMOCRAT) Controller
John Chiang
(DEMOCRAT) Treasurer
Bill Lockyer (DEMOCRAT) Attorney General (Still Counting) Kamala D. Harris (D) Steve Cooley (R) Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson (DEMOCRAT) Congressman for District 29 Adam Schiff (DEMOCRAT) Assembly Member for District 43 Mike Gatto
(DEMOCRAT)
Assembly Member for District 44 Anthony Portantino
(DEMOCRAT)
NO -PROP 19: Legalize and Regulate Marijuana YES - PROP 20: Redistricting of Congressional Districts NO - PROP 21: $18 Vehicle License Fee for State Parks and Wildlife Programs YES - PROP 22: State Government Prohibited from Taking Local Funds NO - PROP 23: Suspends Clean Energy and Air Pollution Standards NO - PROP 24: Repeal Allowances of Lower Owner Business Tax YES - PROP 25: Simple Majority Vote for Budget YES - PROP 26” Two-Thirds Vote for Some State/Local Fees NO - PROP 27: Eliminates State Commission on Redistricting
is a difference in fighting for the good government reforms that we need against the problems that have marked government in the past years.” Democratic incumbent Adam Schiff won the 29th Congressional District, which comprises Glendale, Burbank, and Pasadena, with 65.1 percent of the votes over 31.8 percent received by Republican challenger John Colbert. One of Schiff’s main goals is to have more efficient and cleaner sources of energy, which will also create more jobs, as well as reduced energy costs. “Unless action is taken soon we will lose the treasure of California’s environmental beauty,” said Schiff. For more information on the Nov. 2 election results visit www.vote.sos.ca.gov. Adriana Orellana can be reached at adriana_orellana@elvaq.com
Photo by Louis Roche
LOVE RIDE: Jay Leno, right, and Lorenzo Lamas check out a twowheeled rocket at Sunday’s Harley-Davidson Love Ride. Founded in 1984, the annual event raises money for children’s charities. This year more than a thousand riders are expected to ride from Glendale to Malibu.
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010
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NEWS / FEATURES
Federal Student Aid Gets an Overhaul By Adriana Orellana EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
T
he United States Department of Education issued on Oct. 28 a set of rules that will strengthen federal student aid programs, ensure only eligible students and programs receive aid, and will protect students from misleading recruiting practices to obtain loans. The statement released by the Obama administration said the strengthening of federal student aid programs will be aimed at all institutions. Students at for-profit institutions represent 11 percent of all higher education students, 26 percent of all student loans, and 43 percent of all loan defaulters. The median federal student loan debt carried by students earning associates degrees at for-profit institutions is about $14,000. The majority of community college students do not take out loans. The Department of Education also worked on the development of proposals around 14 specific issues that will strengthen the integrity of the federal student aid program that will also ensure that taxpayer funds are being used properly. More than a quarter of the for-profit institutions receive 80 percent of their revenues from taxpayer money financed federal student aid. “This new set of student aid rules will protect the students and the taxpayers because there won’t be any more false promises for students who take out high amount loans, which are often unnecessary,” said Sara Gast, U.S. Department of Education spokeswoman. The rules, which go into effect July 1, 2011, will target bad recruiting practices aimed at students who take out loans. Gast said there is pressure on recruiters to enroll students so that students have to take out a loan. Recruiters do not give students the complete information of how the career they are choosing is doing in relation to job placement and payment, and just enroll students because recruiters receive a bonus for however many students they enroll. “These new rules will help ensure that students are getting from schools what they pay for: solid preparation for a good job,” said Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, in a Department of Education press release.
The rules will require institutions of higher education and postsecondary vocational institutions to provide prospective students with each eligible program’s graduation and current job placement rates. Colleges will also be required to provide the Department of Education with information that will allow it to determine the levels of student debt and the students’ incomes after they complete the program. It will also protect consumers from overly aggressive and misleading practices. The new regulations will strengthen requirements designed to protect students and taxpayers. The Department of Education has received many complaints from students who were enrolled in programs where they felt they had been misled on what was and was not being offered, the way the programs could be paid for, and the jobs prospects offered upon completion. “Colleges and universities will have to release the data about their programs and the students will be able to make informed decisions
about the careers and programs that they choose to obtain,” said Gast. “The current law has too many loopholes where recruiters rush students into loans just to obtain a bonus. We intend on setting the blueprint so that these problems stop and help students, rather than take advantage of them taking out unnecessary amounts in loans, and have the state and local institutions enforce this so that it stops.” Gast said that currently some students aren’t obtaining their degrees and drop out, not paying back their loans that they took out. When students do not pay their loans back, it is a loss of taxpayers’ money, and the new regulations will make more reasonable loans that students will be able to pay, and if they stop paying will be a smaller loss of unused money. The Department of Education was also informed of aggressive recruiting practices that resulted in students taking out loans that they could not afford or enroll in programs where they were unqualified or could not succeed in. Current laws prohibit
institutions from compensating recruiters, but there are provisions known as “safe harbors,” which allow for questionable practices. Currently, students are eligible to obtain financial aid if they have a high school diploma or pass an “ability to benefit” test, and are required to have satisfactory academic standing. The regulation will require institutions to develop and follow the procedures and evaluate the validity of a student’s high school diploma, if there is reason to believe that the diploma is not valid. The regulations will also extend eligibility for federal student aid to students without high school diplomas after successful completion of six credits of college work. Loopholes also complicate the measure of how much federal funding must be paid back if a student drops out of a program, and the regulations will eliminate the problems and clarify the calculation of returning the funds to the Department of Education. For many students, receiving their federal student aid funds late does not give them enough time to buy their books, especially
before school starts, and the ruling will make sure that the neediest students, mainly Pell Grant recipients, can get books and supplies by the seventh day of their payment period. “We are taking additional time to strike the right balance between holding these programs accountable to protect students and taxpayers from abuse and making sure we keep whole those programs that are doing a good job,” said Duncan in a statement. One of the biggest picture changes that this regulation will make is that students will be able to make informed decisions about the programs that choose and that will lead to their employment. Institutions will be required to report information about students who started and completed the program, as well as the costs, debt levels, graduation rates, and placement rates. For more information on the new regulations, visit www. ed.gov.
Adriana Orellana can be reached at adriana_orellana@elvaq.com
Around Town...
BETTER OFF DEAD: Olvera Street was the place to be for Los Dias de Los Muertos, Nov. 1 and 2, the Mexican Day of the Dead. Crowds thronged to see the calavera, like the Vaquero at right, who return to visit the living when the margin between the two worlds is at its thinnest point — or so the belief goes. Families traditionally build altars to honor their deceased relatives.
Photos by Louis Roche
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FEATURES
Denise Hamilton Takes Command of L.A.’s Dark Side By Derek Stowe
EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
A
ward-winning author-editor Denise Hamilton articulated how she compiled her collection of 17 noir fiction short stories, “Los Angeles Noir,” to a receptive auditorium on Oct. 27. In this One Book/One Glendale series lecture, Hamilton, a former Los Angeles Times journalist who authored six noir novels, won the Edgar Allen Poe award for best first novel “The Jasmine Trade” (2001), and was a finalist for the WILLA (Willa Cather) Award in contemporary fiction. A Fulbright Scholar, she has also received the Macavity Award and the Anthony Award. “Los Angeles is indeed a city of angels and demons,” said Hamilton. Journalism gave her a reason to survey the inner workings of the city, go behind the scenes of the crimes, and interview everyone who wanted to talk and anyone who didn’t. As a child, Hamilton was a voracious reader and fond of writing. She wrote about her dog, finding Atlantis, and traveling to Mars. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in economics from Loyola Marymount, she knew what she wanted: a master’s degree in journalism, which she earned at Cal State Northridge. As an L.A. Times intern, Hamilton was young, polite and she submitted a story a day. She said the editors liked her because unlike the veteran writers who complained, she did not argue about how the editors rewrote her words. “I would have probably done it for free,” said Hamilton. But within one year she was hired on as a reporter and for the next 10 years, interviewed “thousands of people; wrote thousands of stories; and interviewed millionaires, mayors, and people living in tents along the L.A. River.” She had found a profession where she could “get paid to be nosy, ask questions and then write stories.” “All you have to do is go out and talk to people and you will find the most surreal, bizarre, tragic, funny, wacky human stories,” said Hamilton. Then Hamilton got the itch to write in a way that journalism did not allow. She said one good thing about writing fiction is “you can show official corruption without the proof.”
The voices of those she had met kept right on talking in her head about their murder cases, police corruption and incredible stories. For example, Hamilton told the story of how the town of San Marino was full of Asian kids living alone in huge mansions with only their mom and a housekeeper while their fathers worked overseas. “Reporters are kind of like gumshoe private eyes,” said Hamilton. “Somebody gives [us] information and then we go talk to someone else.” Like private investigators, reporters find witnesses that the police fail to interview, and sometimes there are people who have witnessed the crimes but are criminals themselves and don’t want to go talk to the police. These experiences were fodder for Hamilton’s six crime novels. Five of them feature a young woman reporter who solves crimes in the San Gabriel Valley, Pasadena, Glendale and the Silverlake area, “not the rich, white Westside.” She prefers to write about the ethnic diversity of Los Angeles. Growing up on the Eastside and reading mysteries, biographies and history helped Hamilton imagine “tales of heartbreak and triumph, survival — despite incredible odds — and tragedy as horrifying as any from ancient Greece.” “It’s nice to give a voice to people who are on the wrong side of the law,” said GCC Librarian Nancy Getty. “They’re human, too. Some of them have good qualities as well as bad.” Getty, a self-professed noir fan, said Hamilton was accurate, knowledgeable and “just great. Noir is where you see the humanity of bad guys acknowledged.” When a new publisher, Akashik Books, asked Hamilton to put together and edit a short story anthology of 21st century works, how could she say no? It was to be the next in the series of over 20 titles including: “New Orleans Noir,” “Baltimore Noir,” “Las Vegas Noir,” “Manhattan Noir,” and “Trinidad Noir.” She set out to find 10 well-known local noir writers and ten L.A. writers who were new to the medium of noir. They would all have to be intimately connected to the city and capable writers in their own right.
Photo by Frank Guandique
NOIR AND BLUE: Author Denise Hamilton writes about life on the dark side of Los Angeles.
Hamilton has been meeting up with a group of nine women writers for 15 years, who read and critique each other’s work. Fortunately the literary community in L.A. is rather tight. The writers meet up at literary conventions, cafés and bars. Hamilton wanted writers who could really show the skill and diversity of Los Angeles such as Janet Fitch, author of “White Oleander” (1999) and Héctor Tobar, columnist for the L.A. Times. They said, “You mean I have to kill someone?” Hamilton said, “Yes, if you can do it in 15 pages or less; and please pick a neighborhood that hasn’t been used before; and don’t use a detective in a trench coat.” “What is noir?” Hamilton had to explain. Noir means black in French, so L.A. noir means “dark tales from Los Angeles.” Some of her influences were Raymond Chandler, Susan Straight and Albert Camus. “Bad people do bad things,” said Hamilton remarking that Mulholland drive, the L.A. River, and Commerce are great places to dump a body. She also suggested watching all the traditional noir movies such as “The Maltese Falcon” (1941), “Double Indemnity” (1944), and “Sunset Boulevard” (1950). Los Angeles was the birthplace of noir in the late 1920s thanks to the prohibition of alcohol.
“Crooked cops were on the take from speak-easies and nightclubs. You had gangsters, femme fatales, flappers, the jazz age,” she said. “Black Mask Magazine” was the first publication for short stories of noir crime fiction. James M. Cain was probably the first one to write noir fiction in Los Angeles. Raymond Chandler was also published in Black Mask. Characters who swore in Compton slang were a shock to the establishment. But the writers would not allow the editors to pretty up the language. “Why would we want to read about the ugly parts of society?” asked Hamilton. “For the same reason that we slow down to see the car-crash on the freeway: we can’t not look.” Humphrey Bogart in a trench coat played the original detective, and many of film noir’s architects were refugees from Hitler’s Europe, “steeped in expressionism and existential despair, and they brought that sensibility to the shadows, silhouettes, urban labyrinths and hard-boiled plots of their movies,” she said. The beauty of the landscape had the white sandy beaches, green orange groves, and white mountain peaks. Many beauty queens and cowboys had come to make it big in modeling, music or show business. “Hollywood dreams and scandals filled the headlines, and everybody was
pretending to be somebody they were not,” said Hamilton. Hamilton said noir can be about “good people who take one step down the wrong path and say, ‘I’m just going to take this bag of money that’s not mine,’ or ‘I’ll just sleep with this one woman who is not my wife,’ or ‘I’ll just kill this one person.’ Then they rationalize doing it and plan how they are going to get away with it. They take one step, and then they have to take another step onto a downward spiral. ‘I just have to kill these three last people who saw what happened.’” Almost a century later, Hollywood continues to “cast a giant shadow…the seductive blur of artifice and reality,” said Hamilton. But, noir does not have to be a crime story. The short story “Fish,” for example, is “haunting in the way of Christopher Isherwood as is Susan Straight’s ‘The Golden Gopher,’ whose female narrator returns to L.A. to tell one childhood friend about the death of another.” Like Hamilton, Straight is a Southern California native. She writes with “penetrating insight, spinning worlds and characters into a vista of enormous sadness where past meets present,” said Hamilton. “L.A. is now more noir than ever,” said Hamilton in concluding. When Chandler was [See Hamilton, page 6]
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010
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FEATURES
Radio Station Hosts Halloween Blood Drive By Vanessa Duffy
EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
G
ive Some Blood. Get Concert Tickets. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center teamed up with KROQ radio for a blood drive last Thursday at the Globe Theater in Universal Studios Hollywood. A bright red carpet lead the guests to the hall where their blood would be sucked out of them. KROQ host Ralph Garman did a live broadcast in the morning. Other KROQ hosts Kat, Stryker, Nicole and Sluggo entertained and supported the guests throughout the event. Dave Keys organized the blood drive for Cedars-Sinai. Known as Dracula Dave, he had blood dripping from his lip along with a pale white face and a brilliant red and black cape. “Donating blood is the most organic and beautiful thing a human being can do,” said Keys. His passion for helping lives doesn’t just stop at donating blood; he has also donated platelets and granulocytes through a process called apheresis, where blood is filtered
to extract needed components. After signing in to donate, the guests sat in the waiting area where there was a KROQ music booth and a Universal Studios zombie ready to greet them with moans and groans. Snacks, beverages and coupons for Carl’s Jr. were available for those who wanted them. The blood was drawn on the other side of theater. There were eight hospital seats and two huge projector screens that were playing the horror movie “Saw.” The event was sponsored by SAW 3D. “I used to think I couldn’t donate blood because I’m diabetic,” said Mark Heisler, a donor at the blood drive. Another donor at the event, Victor Valdez, is in the army and was inspired to be a more active blood donor after returning from deployment. Many families came together and took turns watching the kids while others donated. After blood has been donated, there is a rest area with refreshments and a booth where they can pick up their rewards. Aaron Granger, KROQ’s promotions assistant, sat at the
Noir Flourishes on Campus [Hamilton, from page 5] writing in the 1940s, L.A. was mostly orange groves and bean fields. “L.A. is an inspiration: devilish, puzzling, entrancing. L.A. is like a bad boyfriend: I know he’s no good for me and I’ve been trying to leave him for years; and just when I’m ready to move on, he woos me back.” Also in attendance were anthropology professor Victoria Buresch and English instructor Sarah McLemore. McLemore said she thought it was interesting how Hamilton coaxed writers who were new to the genre to contribute noir fiction stories. Buresch, who loves old noir movies like “Double Indemnity” and “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” (1969) said, “The talk was fantastic; [Hamilton] sure used a lot of colorful words to describe what noir is all about.” History instructor Kristin Leaf, who also thought the
talk was impressive, summed up the noir concept nicely: “Film noir and noir fiction has been conceptualized and sold to the rest of the world as glamorous, romantic utopia and cruel, menacing dystopia.” What would entertainment be without it? All in all, the audience members were very attentive, often nodding their heads in agreement and eager to have their books signed afterward. Many were students assigned to read Hamilton’s selection of short stories for homework. Others were just there for the love of noir. Hamilton’s other books are “Sugar Skull” (2003), “The Last Lullaby” (2004), “Savage Garden” (2005), “Prisoner of Memory” (2006), “The Last Embrace” (2008), “L.A. Noir 2” (2010) and, due out Sept. 2011, “Damage Control.” Derek Stowe can be reached at derek_stowe@elvaq.com
booth with T-shirts, new CDs, movies, books, Universal Studios tickets, and concert tickets for Brandon Flowers, Stone Temple Pilots, Pennywise and more. The giveaways were sponsored by KROQ and Universal. “I’m very proud of the brave KROQ fans who donated,” said KROQ host Sluggo, “Even the ones that passed out.” Cedars-Sinai is the largest non-profit hospital in the West. All blood donations go to the hospital. “The hospital uses about 60,000 units of blood annually,” said Keys. He encourages everyone to help save lives by donating and is more than willing to work with anyone who wants to organize a blood drive. “I have gone to major business buildings in L.A. where there are over 1,000 employees and I’ll be lucky if 30 people donate,” said Keys. “It’s disheartening.” For those who have not donated before, the donor is given a mini physical to check their temperature, pulse and blood pressure. The blood extraction is an eight to ten minute process. Refreshments are then provided during the 15 minute rest
Photo by Vanessa Duffy
BLEED IT OUT: Donors watch “Saw” and donate blood at KROQ event.
period. Blood can be donated every two months. Only 38 percent of all Americans are eligible to donate blood and of those only 8 percent do, according to the American
Red Cross. That amounts to only about three out of every 100 people. Donating helps save lives. Vanessa Duffy can be reached at vanessa_duffy@elvaq.com
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Wednesday, November, 10 2010
7
FEATURES
Lecture Explores the Math of Decision-Making By Derek Stowe
EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
I
n his PowerPoint lecture on Oct. 26, calculus professor Michael Allen examined a leading mathematical theory behind decision-making when risk is involved. “People take risks at the casino but also in life,” said Math Professor Sid Kolpas in introducing Professor Allen and his topic “Choice Mathematics: The Casino of Life,” based on a 2010 article by Nicholas Barberis that had been circulating a year before it was published. Allen, 45, began studying the mathematical modeling of decision-making in high school. Addressing a classroom full of very attentive students and faculty, Allen, who holds master’s degrees in both math and philosophy, hoped that his complex theories would not go right over their heads. To impress some of the biggest brains at GCC, he maintained a rapid-fire presentation. “Even if you know the future pretty well, there are a lot of facets to making the right choices,” said Allen. “How are you going to feel after you take one path versus another?” The PowerPoint slides gave explanations, formulas and graphs of the decision-making nature of certain types of gamblers. As the returns on bets fluctuate, so does the gambler’s mood and betting strategy. How a human gambler responds to gain and loss is not symmetric like it is for Homo œconomicus, an imaginary being Allen dreamed up to demonstrate the rational, predictable decisionmaker. “Homo œconomicus has only one desire: to increase his wealth.” Instead of subscribing to the law of diminishing returns, for example, a human gambler may risk even more wealth to recoup previous losses and wind up in big trouble. “Homo œconomicus has an unwavering readiness to take a risk as long as the odds of succeeding are greater than 50 percent,” said Allen. In other words, he is not overly concerned about taking a risk nor is he overly attracted to gambling.” The St. Petersburg paradox coin toss illustrates a game where the odds are 50 percent or better.
“If the first toss is heads, you lose your bet. If tails, you’re still in,” said Allen. “As soon as the coin comes up heads, the game is over. If the second toss is heads, you win your bet back. If you survive three tosses, you’ll receive two times your bet; four tosses, four times your bet; five tosses, eight times your bet.” In other words, winnings can increase exponentially as long as the coin doesn’t land on heads. Homo œconomicus would never play the lottery because the odds of winning the lottery are about one in 100 million, which is 0.000001 percent. “With the lottery, I have virtually the same chance of winning if I buy a ticket or if I don’t buy a ticket,” said Allen. Whereas Homo sapiens may gamble just for the fun of it or “for the joy of torturing an enemy,” joked Allen, all that Homo œconomicus gambles for is wealth. “He can flawlessly assess what choices are available and which course of action has the best probability of success,” he said. “And he will seek the greatest good for the greatest
The “fair” gambler has unwavering readiness to make a bet. He has the same gambling behavior as Homo œconomicus. The “reckless” gambler is risk-seeking. He feels gains more strongly and brushes off losses more readily. A reckless gambler should plan ahead for casino play by leaving the bulk of his cash with his wife to prevent gambling all of it away. The “cautious” gambler is risk-averse. He feels losses more strongly and feels gains less strongly than Homo œconomicus. The “poor” gambler will not be that happy until his winnings really mount up. Losing a little is not so upsetting, but big losses are devastating. The rich gambler is the opposite of poor — he will be very happy with a first win and soon tire as the winnings keep rolling in. A small loss is quite upsetting, yet large losses don’t make that much of a difference to him. He is rich. The most “common” type of gambler is thrilled with a small win but less and less excited with larger and larger winnings.” He
the long run, it will always win because all the gaming odds are rigged in the house’s favor. The house also knows that the average gambler will continue to bet with the hope of getting back to his break-even point so as to avoid having to say to his friends, “I lost.” “Naifs gamble about twice as long as they should [in the casino],” said Allen. Prospect theory, which describes the odds involved in risky decisions, predicts that inexperienced casino play is perilous. Some will gamble and gamble until they have lost everything. “Sophisticates,” on the other hand, know that they can stick to a quitting plan or else they will never start. “If you have a proper level of preparedness, wording and emotions should not affect your choice, only the final goal is important,” said physicist Poghos Kazarian.
People tend to overreact to small probability events. It’s easy to imagine winning the lottery and this overreaction leads people to buy a ticket. Likewise, people are now afraid to go in the ocean after the recent fatal shark attack off the coast of Santa Barbara. Allen’s good friend, Glendale geography professor Michael Reed, said, “Did you know that in 2008, less than three people were killed by sharks worldwide, whereas 190 people were killed by falling coconuts?” His comment got a lot of laughs. “I’ve never spent more than $20 in Vegas in my whole life,” said Reed after the talk. “What I’m interested in personally are the other types of gambles we have to make: who to marry, which house to buy and when to buy it, whether society can afford to ignore global warming.” Reed said Allen’s graphs of [See Math, page 10]
Utility of wealth functions that deviate from the Homo æconomicus model
FIGURE 1: Risk neutral vs. risk averse
number,” said Allen referring to the concept of utilitarianism, a philosophical theory of ethical decision-making. As a gambler’s bets pay off, utility increases. As his wealth decreases, his satisfaction goes down too. Allen then flipped through a series of graphs showing the different types of gamblers comparing them all to Homo œconomicus. To avoid making irrational gambles in life, it helps to identify what kind of gambler one is.
Graphic by Michael Allen
is not upset with a small loss, but very upset with bigger losses. The “winning” gambler has discontinuity — he is obsessed with winning but can’t bear to lose even a penny. He must win at least a certain amount or he won’t be excited at all. The “desperate” gambler must win at least a certain amount — usually to pay off a loan shark. His satisfaction is fixed in the negative unless he wins the amount needed to pay off his debt and presumably remain alive. Every casino knows that in
Graphic by Susan Cisco
FIGURE 2: The different types of gamblers.
READY TO ROLL: The 2010 Glendale Invitational Power Soccer Tournament kicked off last Saturday. The weekend-long event showcased the skill and dedication of disabled athletes and volunteers alike. Glendale’s own Rough Riders and Wild Wheelers took to the court along with teams from Santa Barbara, Hollister and Mesa, Arizona. Pictured at left, Rough Riders’ Benny Aviles, No. 13; above, Hollister’s Chad Bojorquez, No. 22, left, and Rough Riders’ Kelly Wong, No. 54; top right
Roll
Photos by L
endale’s Power Soccer Tea Over the Competitio
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Rough Riders, Wild Wheelers Host Tourney By Brandon Gardner EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
Cover Story
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lendale hosted its first power soccer invitational tournament last weekend, drawing teams from as far away as Hollister, Calif. and Mesa, Ariz. Glendale now has two power soccer teams, the Rough Riders, and the new Wild Wheelers. Finding other teams to play has been a challenge. For the invitational, the Hollister Free Wheelers, Santa Barbara’s Rollin’ Rebels and Rollin’ Gauchos, and the Arizona Heat 3, of Mesa, Ariz., came to play against our local favorites. The tournament revolved around competitive power soccer matches and also around the concept of inspiration for those who are not aware of the growing sports for disabled people. Michael Brady of the Arizona Heat broke his neck playing softball. “I made a lot of new friends,” he said.“It gives you something to be competitive in. You’re not just a bystander; you’re actually out there participating.” Many Glendale residents may be unaware of the city’s
newest team, the Wild Wheelers. According to Gordon Cardona, team captain of the Glendale Wild Wheelers, the split was a natural progression. “Glendale Power Soccer grew over its first year. So much so, that we had enough players to split into two teams after the first year and I was named team captain. During our first year, we only won one game at Santa Barbara. It was huge for Glendale Power Soccer,” he said. “Both Glendale teams have a great relationship and we work well together. However, once on the court, we get into it.” The game is played much like standard soccer, but with a few exceptions. “On the court, each team has a center, a goalkeeper and two wingmen. As in regular soccer, the object is to get the ball into the opposing opponent’s goal. All players use power chairs which are outfitted with a metal guard in front of the chair,” explained Cardona. The rules of power soccer are simple. The game is played on a basketball court. During a game, the objective is to maneuver the soccer ball into the opponent’s goal by dribbling and passing.
Like able-bodied soccer, the game incorporates a wide open, passing style and uses corner, penalty and goal kicks. The fouls and penalties that are enforced in power soccer are also similar to the able-bodied game and also use red and yellow cards. Power soccer, one of America’s fastest growing sports, attracts all kinds of disabled athletes. “Players have to be somewhat aggressive and don’t mind the occasional rough play, said Cardona. “Individuals with any disability are welcome to try out, as long as they have a power chair. On my team, the Glendale Wild Wheelers, most of our players have cerebral palsy and there’s one with a spinal cord injury. The Glendale Rough Riders consist of players with muscular dystrophy, mostly.” “Cerebral palsy, car accidents, some have been shot, driving accidents, people have been beaten,” continued Cindy Wells, head coach of the Rough Riders, recounting some of the reasons her team members became disabled. “Some of them walked and played football and eventually ended up in a wheelchair.” The benefits are immeasurable.
According to Wells, the sport allows the disabled athletes to show what they really have and it brings them confidence. She explained that it is like any other team sport. Most of these people thought that they would never be able to play sports. Wells’ son, Joey, is one of the founding players of the Rough Riders and she stated the benefits of him playing power soccer. “My son has gotten physically and mentally stronger,” Wells said. “It’s not an easy sport. I’ve tried playing the sport before,” Wells said. “You get in a chair and try to do what they’re doing and it’s really hard.” The sport requires a certain amount of accuracy when trying to steer the ball into the goal and passing the ball to another player. The players agree. “The game does require skill to maneuver the chair to push and guide the soccer ball and to defend,” said Cardona. “ It isn’t like operating the chair for daily use. It takes a lot of practice and an understanding of what you can do in a power chair. Also, rear-wheel drive chairs are better for power soccer, rather than mid-wheel drive chairs, for guiding the ball and spin-kicks.” Hosting the tourney was an organizational challenge, according to Program Coordinator Laura Matsumoto. “The team was asked to go
out in the community and request sponsorship,” said Matsumoto. “We were fortunate enough to get some generous donations from local businesses, especially Rocky’s Pizza and Quiznos,” Matsumoto added. Options on different local hotels were given to each team as far as lodging. “The distribution of medication is all independently handled,” said Matsumoto. There were teams who came from Northern California and Arizona. Each team played five games during the two-day tournament. Awards were given at the end of the tournament on Sunday. Glendale showed its talent throughout the tournament, but the Santa Barbara Rollin’ Gauchos won and took first place. Trailing behind the team in second place were The Glendale Rough Riders. The Hollister Freewheelers came in third. The Glendale Wild Wheelers came in at fifth place, and The Santa Barbara Rollin’ Rebels finished last. Power soccer gives all athletes an opportunity to compete. As Brady said, “Just because you’re in a wheelchair doesn’t mean you have to sit on the sidelines.” See related photos pages 8-9. Brandon Gardnercan be reached at brandon_gardner@elvaq.com
Science Lecture Series [Math, from page 7] concepts were illuminating, and his conversational explanations helped clarify what kinds of decision-makers we are and why. “The audience was really hard to read,” said Allen three days after his lecture. “But I got a lot of positive e-mails afterwards, so apparently it went over better than I had
thought. Math department chair Kathy Holmes said she “enjoyed every minute of it.” For information on upcoming lectures, the math department can be reached at (818) 240-1000 ext. 5657.
Derek Stowe can be reached at derek_stowe@elvaq.com
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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
‘Community’ Creator Inspired by GCC By Nik Brkic
EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
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ormer Glendale College student Dan Harmon, creator of the NBC Television’s “Community,” spoke about the origins of the show in Kreider Hall on Nov. 3 after screening a future episode. The setting on the stage was similar to the “Inside the Actor’s Studio” setup, with mass communications professor Sharyn Obsatz taking the place of James Lipton. Harmon began by talking about his life and the origins of the show. During his time at Glendale College he took a biology class in which he consistently got A’s on tests. As a result, two students took notice and asked if he wanted to create a study group with them. Harmon said he didn’t really have an incentive to join a study group but teamed up with two students anyway. He ended up caring about how the two students did. “I was 32 years old and I gave a crap about whether or not these two strangers passed a test,” Harmon said. He said that his experience in his biology study group inspired the idea of “Community.” The show is a comedy that revolves around students from different walks of life who are brought together because they
create a study group. A current GCC biology professor asked Harmon who his biology professor had been at the time. He said that it was Professor Robert Mauk and he admitted that he had a “man crush” on him. He did an impersonation of Mauk that had the whole audience laughing. He talked about how he was met with some uneasiness when he first pitched the idea to network executives. When he told them it was going to be set in a community college, he received questions like, “Is this going to be depressing? Are the roofs going to be leaky?” Harmon said he loves the community college setting because “it is a fun place that doesn’t have to be populated by one group of people.” Harmon also mentioned a time when he went on NPR to talk about his show and the announcer of the show tried to “get sound bites” by asking him tricky questions about the setting of the show. Harmon stressed that his goal was not to make fun of community colleges. The talk shifted to a more inspirational speech as Harmon gave advice to students. He told students to follow their laziness. He tried to tell the audience that they should pursue something they love to do. “There is something all of us
Photo by Isiah Reyes
HANDSHAKE FAIL: “Community” creator Dan Harmon, left, based his NBC sitcom on people he met in a GCC study group. Among the students who attended his presentation was Michelle Nissing, who is playing the role of Beatrice in “A Servant of Two Masters” at the Auditorium Mainstage Theater through Sunday. See photos on page 16.
would do for free,” Harmon said, “I can say with my hand on a stack of bibles, I would do this without getting paid.” Harmon tried to rally some of the “writers of color” toward the end of the speech. “There is a serious lack of diversity in
writing,” Harmon said. He talked at length about how he felt that there is a need for more diverse writers in television. The writer said there was a program at NBC that allowed shows to hire a minority writer for a season for free to help promote
the blending of ethnicities on the writing staff. “I think that is very admirable of them.”
Nik Brkic can be reached at nik_brkic@elvaq.com
Phanatics Showcases Student Choreography By Adriana Orellana EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
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he Phanatics Dance Showcase brought creativity and dazzling performances to the Oct. 23 presentation choreographed by current and former students and the Dance Department faculty. The free presentation, which was held in the Sierra Nevada Gym and hosted by GCC Dance instructor Alexandra Blackbird, featured various types of dances, ranging from jazz, ballet, hip-hop, contemporary to native dance. The first half of the presentation started with an energetic performance to *NSYNC’s “Dirty Pop,” choreographed by GCC dance instructor Victor Robles, Britney
Benson, Ai Iwai, Hans Kim, Leela Loisel, Kenneth Meija, and Tsubasa. It was a very active and well-choreographed performance that involved modern dance, hip-hop, and break dancing. The dancers in the performance, who were from Robles’ Jazz I, II, and III classes, put a lot of power into their dancing to the upbeat song. The second dance of the night was very unique and interesting, and was choreographed and performed by Bong Hoang. The name of the dance was “Breaking Tradition,” and it combined martial arts, tai chi, and some hiphop movements. It was a creative and fascinating form of dance because it was like watching a performance from the “Avatar: The Last Airbender” movie. It
was like Hoang was controlling and balancing the air like an airbender with his movements. Hoang seemed to combine the calmness and peacefulness with a creative dance performance. When Blackbird asked Hoang what the story or inspiration was behind the dance, he said, “It is a fusion story where I show through the break dancing and tai chi, my struggles of finding out who I am. When I do, I become calmer, more fluid, and do what I love to do in life, which is martial arts and dance.” “A.J.,” choreographed and performed by Aliem Jiles was a very delicate, yet precise dance. Jiles fused interpretive and contemporary dance with ballet and jazz, creating a
wonderful performance that the audience could feel through his interpretation and his movements. Jiles’ dance was followed by another interpretive dance, choreographed by Christian Scott, which was titled “Dollhouse.” In it, Scott imitates a doll in a house trying to escape. It was a storytelling type of dance in which Scott obtained the inspiration from “Toy Story.” The story portrays a doll not as she fights and grabs in order to not be left behind. Scott’s performance was so delicate and vulnerable, yet the fight within her was not forgotten nor left behind. Her emotional performance transmitted well to the audience. Another unique dance was “Maohi Naoti,” a native Tahitian
dance performed by Julie Agustin, Ai Iwai, Jessica Perez and Guillermo Mendoza. The dance, choreographed by Bianca Lietel, who teaches a Tahitian Aerobics class at a 24 Hour Fitness gym, contained a lot of hip movement, and showed off the dancers’ good moves and flexibility, which amazed the audience. The love story within the dance was captivating. Lietel said, “Polynesians have a strong oral tradition, where they transmit their culture and history through dance.” Throughout much of the performance, the three women were shaking their hands close to their hips, which [See Phanatics, page 12]
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SPORTS / ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Football Falls to the Other Vaqueros By Brandon Gardner EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
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lendale College showed off its full potential against Santa Barbara City College on Oct. 30 at Sartoris Field, even though in the end Santa Barbara managed to end this nail biter by posting a final score of 27-21. The first quarter kicked off with a Santa Barbara 11-play, 55yard drive, culminating in a threeyard pass which scored the first touchdown of the game at 9:28. The beginning of the second quarter had similar results as Santa Barbara scored yet another touchdown with a seven-play, 90yard drive, resulting in a 34-yard pass, making the score 14-0 at 9:38. Hope for the Vaqueros began to slip after the second Santa Barbara touchdown, although Glendale’s running back, Antonio Bray, fired back with a sevenplay, 63-yard drive which lead to
a 19-yard touchdown run, putting them back in the game. The stands, which were crammed with Vaquero fans, erupted in cheers as Bray stormed into the end zone. Unfortunately for the Vaqs, their struggles continued moments later as Santa Barbara scored once again with a 69-yard drive over five plays, capped off by a 38-yard TD run at 7:50. Yet again, Santa Barbara’s aggression toppled Glendale with a 60-yard drive over six plays leading to an 18-yard pass for another touchdown, coming at 2:10, and bringing the score to 277. Fortunately for the Vaqueros, Santa Barbara missed the field goal attempt for the extra point. The second half is where Glendale really showed off its potential and talent. Vaquero wide receiver, Patrick Donahue, scored a touchdown on an impressive 34-yard pass from quarterback
Steven Batista at 3:58 in the third quarter. The score capped a nine-play, 90-yard drive, making the score 27-14. The Vaqueros’ morale rose and the motivation could be seen in their plays. In the fourth quarter, Donahue scored once again on a 15yard pass from Batista at 13:58, capping a 7-play, 81-yard drive, which brought the Vaquero fans to their feet. The score following the touchdown was 27-21. A final attempt by Glendale to win the game ended in defeat as a pass to Reinaldo Reyes slipped through his fingertips and fell incomplete. “It seems to be the reoccurring nightmare,” Head Coach John Rome said. “We can’t seem to break this cycle.” “We put ourselves in positions to make great plays at the end.” “We dig ourselves a hole. We don’t quite finish up.” The Vaqueros’ pattern has
been to struggle through the first half of their games, than in the second half they manage to make impressive plays and nearly land victories. “I’d like to see us eliminate defensive and offensive mistakes at the beginning,” Rome said. “I don’t know how much closer we could get. We have to have more heart at the beginning of the game,” Rome said. “Every week we are down before half time.” Coming back from behind is
going to be a hard habit to break. “We started out a little slow, but the second half is always the best for us. We have to fix the little mistakes,” Bray said. The last game of the season will be Saturday at 6 p.m. at Los Angeles Southwest College. For exclusive slideshow coverage visit: www.elvaq.com. Brandon Gardnercan be reached at brandon_gardner@elvaq.com
Dance Performance [Phanatics, from page 11]
Lietel said meant they were saying, “Welcome, come here,” in a seductive manner to the male performer. At the end of the dance, the handshaking must have worked because he ended up with one of the female performers. Joseph Gurrola and Amanda Riley choreographed their performance to Madonna’s “Die Another Day.” It was very dramatic to watch them fight over a set of pearls. Gurrola and Riley performed well together, as they incorporated modern dance, as well as ballet and jazz. The performance was modeled after what appeared to be them acting like secret agents working together, and ending up fighting over the same thing. “My Philosophy,” another very dramatic and dark dance, was performed by Amanda Richardson and Aliem Jiles. Both dancers worked well together and showed off their great abilities in a contemporary dance, where the male character ends up snapping the female’s neck and hiding her under the table after she dies. Zhanna Petrosyan and Miko Schaffer showed off their abilities through their interpretive performances of “Panteca En Libertad” and “Please,” respectively. Petrosyan, who has been dancing since a young age, and Schaffer, portrayed their delicate styles and creativity through their dances. “I create my dances by picking the music first, and then creating the movements around the music,” said Schaffer. “I get inspiration from my overactive imagination.” In the dance titled “In the Mix,” Hans Kim and Kenneth Meija amazed the audience with the creativity behind their
dance, which featured Far East Movement’s “Like A G6” and Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” Kim and Mejia carried a cardboard boom box around and danced to the songs played on the radio prop. The majority of their dance numbers involved hip-hop, break dancing, popping, locking, waving, and jazz, which both dancers fused together well. “Mine Again” choreographed by Ralph Ami, and danced by Ami, Reo Cho, and Aliem Jiles, portrayed break dancing, creative movements, hip-hop, and a smooth solo by Ami, in which the audience could feel the music through his performance, because he really transmitted the energy and smoothness of the Mariah Carey song. The final piece of the night was “Drumming in My Head,” which was choreographed by Amanda Richardson. “This is about that somebody or something that is stuck in your head, either because they keep coming back, or maybe not coming back, and you would do anything to get it out or away from you,” said Richardson. Yves Adamian, Amanda Riley and Richardson, really put the motto of the dance into their performance and created the illusion of people going crazy because of something that was stuck in their heads. The dancers performed the piece well and really got into character. “Phanatics” was a marvelous show where the dancers gave their all for the audience, and where words weren’t necessary because they transmitted everything that they wanted to say, and more, through their inspirational and creative performances. Adriana Orellana can be reached at adriana_orellana@elvaq.com
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SPORTS
Women’s Volleyball Trounces West L.A. By Nik Brkic
EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
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he Lady Vaqueros volleyball team won a resounding victory Friday night against West Los Angeles College with a final score of 3-0 (25-10, 25-4, 25-10). The first set saw many rallies by Glendale. The set started out 6-1 with Glendale leading. The Wildcats helped increase the Vaqueros’ lead by making numerous service errors and hitting mistakes. The lead was pushed to 168. This forced West L.A. head coach Brian Corso to take a timeout. There was a large contrast between the two teams’ benches. On Glendale’s side, all the players were huddled up and exuded a high amount of energy, while the West L.A. bench players just sat there with their heads down. A statement shot was made by Glendale freshman outside hitter Sara Kert. At 22-10 she drove a solid spike into a West L.A. player who mishandled the ball.
Jessica Alvarez made another great shot. The sophomore outside hitter slammed the ball with cannon-like power to close the set. The shot was so strong that even the scoreboard rocked. The scoreboard read 27-10 at the end of the set instead of the 25-10, which it should have read. The second set started out with another long Glendale run. At 11-1 sophomore Brittany Frederick was able to get to a ball that was served behind her and drove it with pinpoint accuracy to the back of the court. The score ballooned to 15-1. Glendale must have felt confident because at one point in the second set, the team sent sophomore Ana Flores to the front row, a place usually designated for taller players. The Vaqueros ended up winning the point. The third period started out differently from the first two. West L.A. was able to get its first lead of the game at 3-2. Consistent play from the Vaqueros and errors by West L.A. allowed Glendale to take back the lead and eventually
Photo by Peter Moyes
REASON TO CELEBRATE: Lady Vaqueros Karen Loera, No. 11, Brittany Riddle, No. 13, and Valerie Garcia, No. 5, overpower the West L.A. Wildcats as they slam the ball over the net en route to an easy score.
win the third set 25-10. While the season has not gone well for the Lady Vaqueros, the team is looking to finish the
season strong. Kert said, “We are going to try and win them all…and go out with a bang...” Alvarez said, “We need to fix the
little errors and go out next week against Pierce and win.” Nik Brkic can be reached at nik_brkic@elvaq.com
Condors Feast on Scoreless Vaquero Team By Luis Rodriguez
EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
I
t was a long, cold night for the Glendale Vaqueros as they met the Oxnard College Condors on Friday at Sartoris Field. Glendale lost its next to last game by a score of 3-0. Defender Hans Cabrera, sheilded the opposition by staying on the right side of the field the whole game. Jason Acosta attempted the first goal for Glendale, but missed. Freshman Yuto Hisamura, made the second goal attempt for GCC. Oxnard sophomore, Jesus Lopez, tripped Acosta but was not punished by the ref. Condors freshman Sigifredo Torres, made his first goal at 12 minutes, after cornering Glendale’s goalie Edwin Cabrera. Torres made his second goal at 23 minutes. Sigifredo almost completed a hat-trick by scoring a third goal, but Cabrera stopped it with a high jumping block. The last opportunity for the Vaqueros in the first half came in
the form of a missed header from Yader Arita. Oxnard sophomore Gerardo Guzman, attempted two goals in the second half including a 30 yard missile, but Cabrera caught it. At the 37 minute-mark of the second half, Oxnard’s Sam Nellis scored the third and final goal of the game. The Vaqueros got a warm ovation, packed up their stuff, and left the field. This game marked the beginning of the end of the season for the Vaqueros. The Glendale Vaqueros team is full of 16 young aspiring freshman who will hopefully get better next season. Glendale Assistant Coach Laura Matsumoto said, “For what we are capable of, I think we under performed.” Glendale forward Ramsey Issa, played for only five minutes in the second half. Issa said, “I had a bad game today. I didn’t feel like I was in the game. We didn’t play to our potential. The different positions were all scattered.”
Photo by Isiah Reyes
SCAVENGERS WITH BIG WING SPANS: The Vaqueros Yader Arita battles an Oxnard defender for possession of the ball during the second half. Although it was a hard fought match Glendale lost 3-0.
The last Vaqueros game of the season is at home against Los
Angeles Mission on Friday at 7 p.m.
Luis Rodriguez can be reached at luis_rodriquez@elvaq.com
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SPORTS
Corsairs Plunder Lady Vaqueros 4-0 score. Tejada went for another goal at 37 minutes, but was caught off sides. he Lady Vaqueros had an Santa Monica freshman intense night facing the Gabriela Rodriguez went for a versatile Santa Monica Corsairs goal at 42 minutes, but missed. in one of the last games of the Glendale was down 1-0 by the season on Oct. 29. end of the first half. Unfortunately, they were shut At 11 minutes into the second out on in a 4-0 loss. half, Edwards scored the second Freshman Taylor Oswalt goal for Santa Monica. Glendale made the first goal attempt for went down 2-0. Rodriguez got a Santa Monica at three minutes yellow card for a handball pass at into the first half. On their first 18 minutes. She would soon score attempt, the Lady Vaqs tried to the third goal for Santa Monica at corner Santa Monica goalie Alisa 21 minutes. Sheldon, but to no avail. Oswalt Glendale’s luck didn’t get then tried to score a second goal any better as Edwards scored the at the 9-minute mark. fourth goal for Santa Monica at The first goal for the Corsairs 23 minutes. finally came from sophomore Harootun went for her second Santos Tejada at 12 minutes. goal attempt of the night at Santa Monica sophomore 35 minutes, but was off sides. Brianna Edwards was injured Glendale freshman Samantha after a tackle. Aguirre went for the second to Lady Vaq Sharis Harootun last goal attempt for the Vaqs, tried to battle with Lady Corsairs’ but was tripped up by Corsair Hilary Hogarski for a corner kick, sophomore Caitlyn O’Neil. At 43 but the play was not counted by minutes, Pedone failed at the last the ref and the ball was tossed goal attempt for Glendale. back onto the field. When asked about the Freshman Natalia Burns, difference between the Corsairs and sophomore Tayler Nelson and Mission College Eagles, who from GCC, were substituted for the Vaqs had beaten, America freshman America Lopez, and Lopez said: “The difference was sophomore Amy Rosales, at the the intensity of the team. We were 25-minute mark. just sending the Lopez attempted ball in the air. “We’re not losing You’re more the first goal by the Lady Vaqs at likely to get hurt because we’re a 27 minutes. on the ground.” Santa Monica When asked bad team; we’re sophomore if changing losing because we f o r m a t i o n s L a u r e n Bustamante help, play good teams.” might kicked the ball Coach Jorge off the field — Coach Jorge Mena Mena said: “No. to prevent the We try to change Vaqueros from formations. getting a goal with 30 minutes left We’re not able to score. We had in the first half. two or three substitutions. We SMC freshman Samantha give SMC credit. I tried to give Li, attempted a shot on goal, the substitution players a chance. but the ball went out of bounds. We’re not losing because we’re a Sophomore Paola Guardado of bad team; we’re losing because GCC prevented a goal from Li we play good teams.” at 32 minutes. Harootun tried for another goal at 34 minutes. Glendale’s Marina Pedone, Luis Rodriguez can be reached at luis_rodriquez@elvaq.com attempted a free kick, but didn’t
By Luis Rodriguez
EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
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El Vaq Online photos, articles, slideshows and more www.elvaq.com
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Photo by Louis Roche
WALK THE PLANK: Lady Vaquero Sharis A. Harootun, dribbles past two Santa Monica defenders as she positions herself for an attempt on goal. Although Glendale played a tough game, they lost the match 4-0.
Vaquero Sports Summeries Scores Men’s and Women’s Cross Country: Oct. 26 — WSC Finals: Men and Women finished first Saturday — So. Cal Championships: Men finished sixth Women finished second Women’s Volleyball: Nov. 2 — lost to Santa Monica 3-0 Friday — beat West L.A. 3-0
Men’s Soccer: Nov. 2 — lost to Santa Barbera 10-1 Friday — lost to Oxnard 3-0 Women’s Golf: Nov. 1 — WSC Finals: Tammy Panich won first conference title for Glendale Football: Saturday — lost to Santa Monica 28-21
Women’s Soccer: Nov. 2 — lost to Mission 5-0 Friday — beat Valley 3-0
Upcoming Events Men’s and Women’s Cross Country: Nov. 20 — State Championships at Fresno Women’s Volleyball: Friday — at College of the Canyons 7 p.m. Tuesday — vs. Citrus 7 p.m.
Football: Saturday — at L.A. Southwest College at 6 p.m. Men’s Soccer: Friday — vs. L.A. Mission at 7 p.m.
Women’s Soccer: Friday — at Pierce at 3 p.m. Women’s Golf: Monday-Tuesday — State Championships
For more information see: http://www.glendale.edu/athletics/
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Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010
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CALENDAR On Campus EVENTS Veterans Day Event — Celebrate the holiday in San Gabriel Plaza on Thursday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Presented by ASGCC Campus Activities. Armenian Culture Day — Thursday in Plaza Vaquero from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Organized by the Armenian Students Association. Priority Registration — For the winter session through Thursday. Students must activate their GCC email to access the information. For more information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 4357. Board of Trustees Meeting — 5 p.m. Monday at the Garfield Campus. 1122 E. Garfield Ave. Room 116. AS Talent Show — Tuesday in Plaza Vaquero from 12:15 to 1:40 p.m. Organized by ASGCC. For more information visit the Student Center. Buddhism Lecture — “Karma” Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. in SC212. Free. Organized by the
SGI Buddhist Club. Ethnic Food Sale — Nov. 18 in Plaza Vaquero from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Organized by the Sociology Club. Investors Club Meeting — Speaker is Andrew Lais, financial planner. Saturday. From 2 to 4 p.m. CS 177. Swap Meet — The monthly event is held in the upper campus parking lot Nov. 21 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free. For information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5805. “The Immune System: Your Built-in Doctor or the Enemy Within?” — The Fall Science Lecture Series concludes with doctors Mitch Kronenberg and Hilde Cheroutre from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology. Nov. 23 from 12:20 to 1:20 p.m. in SB243. Free.
THEATRE “The Servant of Two Masters” — Theatre Arts presents a Carlo Goldoni comedy, adapted by Constance Congdon from a translation by Christina Sibul.
Directed by Jeannette Farr. Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. Last show is Sunday at 2 p.m. Auditorium Mainstage Theatre. Ticket prices vary. For reservations and information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5612 or visit www.glendale.edu/theatre.
MUSIC Jazz Concerts — Saturday Jazz Band and Vocal Jazz Ensemble led by directors Craig Kupka and Clare Delto. Nov. 20. 8 p.m. Jazz Big Band led by Kupka performs Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. Auditorium Mainstage Theatre. Ticket prices vary. For information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5829.
MOVIES riday Flix: — A screening of “The Day The Earth Stood Still,” directed by Robert Wise, on Friday. On Nov. 19: Roman Polanski’s “Repulsion” will screen. Films are free at 12:30 p.m. in SG 334. Discussions facilitated by Media Arts instructor Mike Petros follow the screenings.
WORKSHOPS
Non-Violent Communication — Learn tools to turn conflict into cooperation. Free. Nov. 23 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in AU117. “How to Recognize and Correct Run-ons” — Learn to recognize a variety of situations in which runon sentences commonly occur; receive practice exercises. Tuesday from 12:20 to 1:20 p.m. in AD 238. Free. Students are encouraged to register for the workshop online. For more information, visit www.glendale.edu/learningcenter or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5341. “Finding the Main Idea” — Sharpen your reading comprehension skills with this new workshop. Free. Tuesday from 12:20 to 1:20 p.m. in AD 238. “Logical Fallacies” — Learn how to identify and avoid 9 common logical fallacies. Recommended for English 101 and above. Thursday. 12:20 to 1:20 p.m. in AD 238. Free. “Fragments” — Learn about different kinds of fragments and how to correct each; work on practice exercises. AD238. Nov. 19 from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.
“Learn to Meditate” — Meditation is said to help to clear and calm the mind. Free. Every Wednesday from 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. in AD 205. For more information call (818) 551-5192.
PLANETARIUM “Evening with the Stars” — This planetarium show will introduce the stars, constellations and planets Friday at 7 and 8:30 p.m. and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. No late arrivals. For more information, visit www.glendale.edu/planetarium or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5275
ART GALLERY “Jerry/Jury-Rigged” — Art Gallery. Curated by Jan Tumlir. Runs through Saturday. Admission is free. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.glendale.edu/ artgallery or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5663.
Around Town COMEDY “Ruby Moreno’s Latino Comedy Showcase” — The Ice House Comedy Club. Tonight and Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. Tickets $12.50. 54 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. For more information, visit www.icehousecomedy.com or call (626) 577-1894. “LA Comedy Fest” — ACME Comedy House. Nov. 18 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Ticket prices vary. 135 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.acmecomedy.com or call (323) 525-0202.
MUSIC Element Band — The Armenian General Benevolent Union Pasadena Center presents the Element Band (featuring former GCC stu-
dents), Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10, $20 and $40 available at www.ItsMySeat.com. 2495 E. Mountain St., Pasadena. For information call (626) 794-7942. Ruth Bruegger and Friends— Glendale Noon Concerts presents Bruegger, friends and baritone Chris Winn performing Samuel Barber’s String Quartet Op. 11 and “Dover Beach.” Free in the Sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Glendale, 209 N. Louise St. Runs from 12:10 until 12:40 p.m. on Nov. 17. For more information visit www.fbcglendale.net or call (818) 242-2113.
EXHIBITIONS “Charles Bukowski: Poet on the Edge” — Huntington Library. Drawn from the archive donated to the museum by the writer’s wife Linda Lee Bukowski, the
exhibit boasts first editions of his works, drawings, correspondence and even his typewriter. Runs through Feb. 14. Ticket prices vary. 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. For more information call (626) 405-2141 or visit www. C huntington.org. “Iannis Xenakis: Composer, Architect, Visionary” — Pacific Design Center presents a selection of sketches, drawings and musical scores of Xenakis. Runs through Feb. 5. 8687 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. For information visit www.pacificdesigncenter.com or call (310) 289-5223. “Ways of Seeing” — Artology 101 Gallery. A photography exhibition featuring work by Cynthia Frederick, Gil Mares and Mike Lee. Opening reception is Friday from 7 p.m. to midnight with spinning by DJ “The Bings.”
Free with parking in back. 3108 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles. For more information call (818) 3217379. “Blinky Palermo: Retrospective 1964-1977” — LACMA presents a selection of post-war abstract artist Palermo’s paintings, drawings and assorted works. Runs through Jan. 16. Ticket prices and hours vary. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. For more information call (323) 857-6000 or visit www.lacma.org.
EVENTS “Joseph the Dreamer - The Musical” — Alex Theatre. Presented by the Heart of Worship Community Church. 216 N. Brand Blvd. Two shows only Saturday at 4 and 8 p.m. Tickets $5. For more information visit www.alextheatre.org or call (818) 243-2539.
THEATER “Great Expectations” — A Noise Within presents the West Coast premiere of the Charles Dickens classic. Adapted by Neil Bartlett. Directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott. 234 S. Brand Blvd. Runs through Dec. 19. Ticket prices and show times vary. For more information visit www.anoisewithin.org or call (818) 240- 0910.
WELLNESS Free Yoga in the Park — Runyon Canyon Park. Free yoga lessons are offered everyday at 10:30 a.m and 6 p.m. 2001 N. Fuller Ave., Los Angeles. For more information call (323) 666-5046. Compiled by Richard Kontas
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010
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VAQUERO VIEWS
‘A Servant of Two Masters’ Brings Venice to the Theater
Photos by Frank Guandique
ALL THE WORLD LOVES A CLOWN: The Theatre Arts Department is currently featuring its fall production of “The Servant of Two Masters” by Carlo Goldoni. A comedic farce featuring mistaken identities, broken engagements and reunited lovers, the play is directed by Jeanette D. Farr and runs through Sunday. Pictured above is Amanda Fontoura Photo by Louis Roche as Smeraldina. At bottom, Edith Kordijan as Clarice and Michelle Nissing as Beatrice.