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CA L I F O R N I A P O LY T E C H N I C S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y

Engineers refurbish medical devices for use overseas.

Legalizing and taxing marijuana passes through California Assembly.

IN ARTS, 7 Volume LXXIV, Number 59

IN NEWS, 5

Sophomore forward Jordan Lewis is “poetic” on the court.

IN SPORTS, 12

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

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Furloughs frustrate faculty, CFA Instructors adjust furlough schedules as new quarter begins

Patrick Leiva mustang daily

After one quarter of furloughs, many instructors are dealing with what they perceive to be the negative effect of unpaid workdays on Cal Poly education. Many faculty are concerned that furloughs have resulted in a pay reduction while their workload has increased due to larger class sizes and fewer available lecturers.

At Cal Poly alone, there were 41 fewer lecturers this fall quarter from the previous year when there were 427 total lecturers. Across the entire CSU system there were 2,000 fewer lecturers from about 12,000 total lecturers. According to Cal Poly provost Richard Koob, there were 92 fewer courses offered this fall. The result of the reduction means that many introductory courses enrolled larger sections than in previous years.

While lecturers and courses are in shorter supply, faculty and students continue to adjust to the changes brought along by furloughs and cuts.

After one quarter of furloughs, some faculty are altering their approach to the implementation of furloughs. Some faculty are now placing furlough days on instruction days, while others are deciding to place them on days when they do not teach. However, days without instruction are often research days for most faculty.

At Cal Poly, President Baker decided against campus closures which were implemented at other campuses in the CSU system. Instead, faculty at Cal Poly propose their furlough days per quarter and these proposals have to be approved by the department chair and dean.

Jane Lehr, a Women’s and Gender and Ethnic Studies assistant professor, has decided to change her fur-

lough days around. She said during fall quarter two of her furlough days fell on instruction days but she had assignments for students who were responsible for knowing the material on those days. However, she decided to change her approach on furloughs this quarter.

“I was disappointed ... since students weren’t seeing the furloughs as a detriment to education,” Lehr said.

This quarter Lehr will hold her furlough days on Fridays, which are her non-instruction days, since students were not accountable for their work. She said that her change in approach to furloughs is cutting into her research and often wonders if she can remain at Cal Poly due to the pay decrease.

“It is difficult to imagine staying here because of the economic pinch,” she said. “I enjoy teaching here and Cal Poly students but don’t know if I can afford it.”

Many non-tenured faculty are feeling the economic bind along with Lehr as

their pay has decreased by up to 25 percent of what they expected to make.

In response, the California Faculty Association (CFA), the union representing Cal Poly faculty, is advocating that Cal Poly faculty members partake in a faculty walk-out on March 2 in which faculty would not report to work on that given day.

Richard Saenz, CFA president professor for the San Luis Obispo chapter, said that the walk-out day is designed to demonstrate the impact that furloughs can have on education if all faculty did not show up to teach. He said that it’s difficult for faculty members who are getting paid less and often end up doing more.

The future of furloughs for the 2010-2011 school year is still up in the air. Saenz said that he believes no decision will be made regarding furloughs until the new budget is decided upon the summer of 2010 to see how much money the CSU system will be re- ceiving.

“Furloughs are preferable to massive lay-offs and pay cuts, while another potential option could be to increase class sizes,” Saenz said.

Whatever decision comes down next year, faculty and administration encourage students to become more involved in the decision making process with regards to their education.

“ASI student government and all students should demand more accountability from the administration and understand more about how the university works,” Koob said.

Sewage spill reaches Avila Beach Judge denies motion to dismiss hazing cases mustang daily staff report

Sewage seeped out of a manhole behind California Highway Patrol office, overflowing between the railroad and California Blvd early Tuesday morning. Ninety percent of the 1,000 gallons released was removed from the storm drain system and an additional 100 gallons was removed from Stenner Creek near the U.S. Highway 101 on-ramp on Olive Street, according to the San Luis Obispo County Health Department.

A blocked sewer main caused waste to build, spill over and leak into a storm drain eventually trailing into Stenner Creek. Cal Trans workers working on 101 reported the leak to the Offices of Emergency Services who in turn notified Environmental Health Services, said Peter Hague, the on-call health officer who was paged around 1 a.m.

A pumper truck was stationed between the railroad and California

Blvd. overpass vacuuming sewage, and another on Olive Street near the 101 on-ramp, intercepting sewage before it reached Stenner Creek, according to Hague.

“We responded to the sewage spill like any other,” he said. “We ensure there isn’t a threat to human health.”

Stenner Creek connects with San Luis Creek, which remained unaffected, but flows to Avila Beach. Samples of ocean water will be tested for harmful bacteria levels.Warning signs have been placed along the beach by Environmental Health Services and will remain until the health risks of elevated bacteria are determined.

“We would continue to sample it daily until bacteria levels return to normal,” Hague said.

Until results assess the danger of the water, the Health Officer of San Luis Obispo County recommends avoiding ingestion or contact with Stenner Creek and all surrounding

waters near the contaminated ocean water.

The filtering process of sewage removes most harmful bacteria before it reaches the ocean and creeks.

When it moves into a storm drain before the filtering process is over, however, it is a more exposed condition that can impact human health, Hague said.

“It’s not necessarily harmful, but it could be,” he said. “There’s no question that there’s a human health concern. Fortunately with this spill, where it occurred, there’s likely minimal contact until it reaches the ocean.”

A sewage spill two years ago released 20,000 gallons of waste near the California Men’s Colony that caused similar warning signs, postings and shellfish quarantining.

“If the estimates are correct, this is a pretty small spill relatively speaking, if, in fact, only 100 gallons made it to the creek,” Hague said.

mustang daily staff report

A San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge denied a motion to dismiss the cases against Zachary Ellis and Haithem Ibrahim, the two former Sigma Alpha Epsilon members charged with felony hazing causing death of former Cal Poly freshman Carson Starkey.

On Monday Ellis and Ibrahim’s lawyers moved to dismiss the case due to insufficient evidence at the preliminary hearing in August. Their lawyers plan to appeal Monday’s decision not to dismiss the case in California 2nd District Court of Appeals in Ventura, which they must do by Jan. 26.

Both Ellis’ attorney, Richard Conway, and Ibrahim’s, Michael

Burt, have argued that each pledge at the event on Dec. 1 voluntarily chose to drink the amount of alcohol he did.

Starkey died Dec. 2, 2008, of respiratory arrest due to alcohol poisoning; his blood alcohol concentration was between 0.39 and 0.45. The previous night he attended Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s pledge event called “Brown Bag Night,” where the 18-year-old was given copious amounts of alcohol to drink as part of a hazing ritual for the fraternity.

Ellis, Ibrahim, Marszel and Taylor were taking Starkey to the hospital the night of the pledge event but turned the car around when he vomited. see Starkey, page 2

2

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News

News editor: Kate McIntyre, News Designer: Kasey Reed mustangdailynews@gmail.com Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Use of full-body scanners at airports questioned David G. Savage tribune washington bureau

WASHINGTON ­— The government has promised more and better security at airports following the near-disaster on Christmas Day, but privacy advocates are not prepared to accept the use of full-body scanners as the routine screening system.

“We don’t need to look at naked 8-year-olds and grandmothers to secure airplanes,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said last week. “I think it’s a false argument to say we have to give up all of our personal privacy in order to have security.”

After each major terrorism incident, the balance between privacy and security tilts in favor of greater security. In the last decade, privacy advocates have been surprisingly successful in blocking or stalling government plans to search in more ways and in more places.

A conservative freshman in the House, Chaffetz won a large bipartisan majority last year for an amendment to oppose the government’s use of body-image scanners as the primary screening system for air travelers.

He was joined by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which said the scanners were the equivalent of a “virtual strip search.”

The pro-privacy stand does not follow the traditional ideological lines; Republicans and Democrats have joined together on the issue now and in the past.

Advocates of increased security are frustrated.

“Privacy and attacks on profiling

have been the big hurdles” to developing a better security systems for air travelers, said Stewart Baker, who was a top official of the Department of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush.

Since 2001, privacy advocates have twice blocked moves to collect more personal data on passengers and to compile it in a computerized government system. Critics said mass databases would give the government too much information about ordinary Americans. And they said too many innocent people showed up on the watch lists.

At the same time, privacy concerns slowed the move to put more body-imaging scanners in the airports. Currently, 19 airports have at least one scanner in use. Now, however, the specter of a man authorities say is a young al-Qaida convert walking onto a transatlantic flight with a plastic explosive in his underwear has spurred the drive to put the full-body scanners in all the major airports. The Transportation Security Administration had already announced plans to buy 300 devices, and is likely to purchase more.

The Senate did not adopt the Chaffetz amendment, so the TSA is free to press ahead with installing the body scanners.

“They significantly enhance security because they can detect metallic and nonmetallic items hidden under clothing,” said Greg Soule, a TSA spokesman. “And on average, it takes 12 to 15 seconds.” He also suggested that privacy concerns were exaggerated. “It is 100 percent optional for all

passengers,” he said.“They can choose to be screened with a full-body patdown.”

Moreover, the screener who observes the passenger’s body image is “in a remote location” and cannot see the individual’s face, he said. And the body image itself “looks like a chalk etching of a passenger.”

Chaffetz disputes that point. He said the body scanners give an explicit view of a naked person. “It is a whole-body image, and they can spin it 360 degrees. And they can zoom in and see something as small as a nickel or dime,” he said. “But they can’t spot something hidden in a body cavity.

A good old-fashioned sniffing dog is more effective.”

If the scanners become standard, “the terrorists will adapt to it,” he added. “What will we do the next time if someone inserts an explosive in a body cavity and takes it out in the bathroom of the airplane? At some point, we need to draw the line on how much privacy we are willing to give up.”

Despite their disagreements, the defenders of privacy and advocates of increased security agree that a better use of information should permit the government to focus its screening on the individuals who pose a threat.

“We clearly need to move faster to a point where we’re looking for terrorists, not just weapons,” said Baker, a Washington lawyer and formerly general counsel to the National Security Agency. “And the key to that is having more data and using it with more discretion in screening passengers. The current system condemns

children and grandmothers to intrusive screening without any assurance it will catch sophisticated terrorists.”

He blames Congress, business travelers and privacy advocates for stalling computerized data systems that could alert airport officials to passengers who pose some risk, so they could be given additional screening. Because of past rebuffs in Congress, the Department of Homeland Security “has been quite gun-shy about programs that could be called profiling or data-mining,” he said.

Shortly after the Christmas Day incident, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., called for making it easier to add travelers to a government watch list so they will get extra screening or be denied the right to fly.

President Barack Obama and his top aides also said the government needed to focus more on “high-priority threats” and add names quickly to the “no fly” list.

Chaffetz said he strongly supported extra screening _ including the use of a full-body scanner _ if a passenger’s name appears on any of the government watch lists.

“I favor secondary screening for all 550,000 persons in the government database. They should be required to go through a mandatory secondary screening,” he said.

“If there is some basis for doing a secondary screening, do it. But don’t do for every person. You don’t have to screen the grandmother from Boise.”

Starkey continued from page 1

Marszel and Taylor pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges for hazing causing death and furnishing alcohol to a minor causing death. Ibrahim and Ellis are also being tried with misdemeanor charges of furnishing alcohol to a minor causing death.

Carson’s parents, Scott and Julia Starkey, filed a civil lawsuit against the national fraternity, the local chapter and nine individual former SAE members on Sept. 22. In addition to five officers of the local SAE chapter at the time of Starkey’s death, Haithem Ibrahim, Zacary Ellis, Adam Marszel and Russell Taylor are being charged in the suit. A judge will set the schedule for the civil trial on Jan. 26.

where

ngs a t s mu

get their news.

Wire Editor: Jennifer Titcomb

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Wednesday, January 13, 2010 www.mustangdaily.net

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Pentagon announces 3,100-troop deployment to Afghanistan Julian E. Barnes tribune washington bureau

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon announced the latest troop deployment for Afghanistan Tuesday, ensuring that the bulk of the additional forces requested by President Obama will be in place this summer.

The Defense Department announced 3,100 troops, mostly from the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas, would deploy to Afghanistan sometime this summer.

With Tuesday’s announcement, the Pentagon has issued deployment orders for 25,000 of the 30,000 additional troops approved by the Obama administration.

The orders come amid reports of White House concern over the pace of the troop buildup. However, both White House and Pentagon officials have downplayed reports of tension, although Defense Department officials are pushing

to quickly move troops into the country.

“It is January, and we have 25,000 of the 30,000 identified and with deployment orders to go,” said Bryan G. Whitman, the Pentagon spokesman. “We are on the schedule we set out. These forces are moving in rapidly.”

Tuesday’s announcement included 2,600 soldiers assigned to the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Hood as well as 500 other support troops.

They will join more than 7,500 Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., 3,400 Army soldiers from Fort Drum, N.Y., 3,400 Army troops from Fort Campbell, Ky., and nearly 7,000 support troops.

The additional troops will increase the size of the U.S. force in Afghanistan to nearly 100,000.

Citing security concerns, Whitman would not release the precise date that the aviation brigade would deploy to Afghanistan.

When the new Afghanistan war strategy was announced in Decem-

ber, White House officials said they wanted the surge forces to be in place within six months. During congressional testimony later, top Pentagon officials said the buildup would be completed by the fall.

Waving off talk of tension, officials have insisted that both the White House and Pentagon want the troops in place in order to have maximum impact. One official, speaking about the internal planning process on condition of anonymity, said that nearly all of the forces would be in place by August.

The logistics of moving extra forces into Afghanistan pose formidable challenges. Not only must extra equipment for the forces be shipped or flown into the country, but facilities to feed and shelter the troops must be constructed.

Although some bases in Afghanistan are built up, with regular barracks and expansive chow halls, military leaders are pushing for troops to travel more lightly and live in austere conditions.

New facilities will be bare-

mcclatchy-tribune

U.S. Army Private First Class Kicklighter, of 2nd Platoon, Baker Company, 2-12 Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, fires on enemy positions with his machine gun as their platoon comes under enemy fire during an ambush in the village of Lanyal in the Korengal Valley, Kunar Province, eastern Afghanistan, on Oct. 20, 2009. The Pentagon a announced 3,100-troop deployment Tuesday. bones compared with existing large bases at Bagram Airfield or those

located near Kabul, officials have said. However, they cautioned, even

Poll: Most Americans would After attacks, Google may leave China; curb liberties to be safer Steven Thomma mcclatchy newspapers

WASHINGTON — After a recent attempted terrorist attack set off a debate about full-body scans at airports, a new McClatchy-Ipsos poll finds that Americans lean more toward giving up some of their liberty in exchange for more safety.

The survey found 51 percent of Americans agreeing that “it is necessary to give up some civil liberties in order to make the country safe from terrorism.”

At the same time, 36 percent agreed that “some of the government’s proposals will go too far in restricting the public’s civil liberties.”

The rest were undecided or said their opinions would depend on circumstances.

As has happened often since the 2001 terrorist attacks, the renewed debate over security is hinging on the balance between personal liberty and safety. The suspect’s success in boarding a Detroit-bound plane allegedly carrying explosives is setting off calls for full-body scans, which some find an invasion of privacy, and for new restrictions on passengers once they’re in flight.

To stop terrorists, Americans look first to better governmental coordination and use of intelligence, the poll found, with 81 percent calling that effective and only 11 percent calling it ineffective.

Body scans or full-body searches at airports ranked second, named by 74 percent as an effective way to stop terrorism. Nineteen percent called those measures ineffective.

Further restrictions on carry-on baggage ranked third, called effective by 57 percent, ineffective by 34 percent.

New in-flight restrictions such as banning the use of laptops and electronic equipment or restricting people to their seats ranked last, called effective by 50 percent and ineffective by 42 percent.

A solid majority of Americans

still feel safe flying, but the number has dropped.

The survey found 75 percent saying they feel safe, down from 86 percent in 2007, and 24 percent saying they don’t feel safe in the air, up from 13 percent in 2007.

Even with the alleged Christmas Day bombing attempt and all the news coverage of it and its aftermath, terrorism remains very low on the national priority list; just 4 percent called it the country’s most important problem.

The economy and jobs remained the top issue on people’s minds by far, named as the top problem by 48 percent of Americans polled.

Other domestic issues were cited by 31 percent, topped by 9 percent who said that health care was the biggest problem.

Fourteen percent cited some aspect of war or foreign policy, including the 4 percent who named terrorism.

The poll found that 52 percent approved of the way President Barack Obama is doing his job, and 45 percent disapproved. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.68 percentage points.

censoring to end John Letzing marketwatch

SAN FRANCISCO — In a surprising move that could affect its presence in a coveted, fast-growing international market, Google Inc. said Tuesday that it’s considering pulling out of China following what the company said was a series of cyber-attacks on its infrastructure and users.

In a posting on a company Web site, Google Chief Legal Officer David Drummond wrote that the attacks were aimed at identifying advocates for human rights in China.

Drummond wrote that the Mountain View, Calif.-based company was one of several large companies that were targeted by a “highly sophisticated” attack on its infrastructure in December — an attack that originated in China.

“We have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists,”

Drummond wrote.

Independent of the December attack, Drummond wrote, Google has subsequently also discovered that dozens of Gmail accounts held by advocates of human rights in China have been “routinely accessed by third parties.”

“These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered — combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the Web — have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China,” Drummond wrote.

Google, like other U.S. Internet companies, has had a difficult time both penetrating the Chinese market and dealing with local authorities keen on using the Internet to police political dissent.

Meanwhile, unlike many other countries including the U.S., Google has struggled to gain Internet search market share in China, see Google, page 4

4

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News

Powerful earthquake jolts Haiti A spokeswoman for Catholic Relief Services said the group’s representative in Haiti, Karel Zelenka, MEXICO CITY — A mighty described “total disaster and chaos” earthquake rocked the tiny, impoverbefore the telephone line went dead. ished island nation of Haiti Tuesday, Zelenka told colleagues that the Haicollapsing a hospital, the presidential tian capital was covered in dust. palace and other buildings and trig“He estimates there must be thougering what one diplomat called a sands of people dead,” the spokes“catastrophe.” woman, Sara Fajardo, said in an inAs night fell on the Haitian capital terview from the group’s office in of Port-au-Prince and other towns, Maryland. reports of extensive destruction were Fajardo said the group has stocktrickling out. Tsunami alerts were ispiles of food and other goods to serve sued for Cuba, the Bahamas and 5,000 families but that aid workers much of the Caribbean. are concerned that relief efforts could The quake, one of the most powbe impaired by poor road conditions erful ever in the region — measuring and lack of security. a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 and “Within a minute of the quake . centered about 10 miles west of Port. . soil, dust and smoke rose up over au-Prince, a city of 2 million — had the city, a blanket that completely a shallow depth of just five miles. It covered the city and obscured it for struck at 4:53 p.m., followed by sevabout 12 minutes until eral strong aftershocks. the atmospheric condiAll of that augured vast tions dissipated the dust,” damage and overwhelming Mike Godfrey, who works casualties. Electricity was as a contractor for USAID, out Tuesday night through told CNN from Port-authe darkened capital, phone Prince. lines were down, and the “I think it is really a caairport was shut. Screams tastrophe of major proporfor help seeped from tions,” said Haiti’s ambassafelled buildings, and chaos dor to the U.S., Raymond reigned.

Joseph.

“I can hear very disPeople communicating tressed people...a lot of

by Twitter said that while distress, people wailing, they felt the quake in the trying to find loved ones Haitian city of Cap Haitrapped under the rubble,” tien, in the north, there Ian Rodgers, with Save the was little damage.

Children in Port-au-Prince, Haiti is the poortold CNN by telephone. est nation in the Western In Washington, President Hemisphere and one of Barack Obama pledged to the poorest in the world. help the crippled country.

Already battered in recent Secretary of State Hilyears by storms, military lary Rodham Clinton, in coups and gang violence, remarks before a speech in mcclatchy-tribune much of Haiti is a hodgeHawaii, said the U.S. was as- This map locates the epicenter of a strong earthquake podge of slums, poor consessing the situation and “is about 10 miles south of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. struction and people living Tracy Wilkinson los angeles times

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

offering our full assistance to Haiti and to others in the region.”

“We will be providing both civilian and military disaster relief and humanitarian assistance,” Clinton said.

“And our prayers are with the people who have suffered, their families and their loved ones.”

A spokesman for the U.S. Southern Command, which oversees American military operations in the Caribbean and South America, said officials are assessing what assistance or aid might be needed.

“We are monitoring the situation and staying in close contact with the State Department,” said Jose Ruiz, a spokesman for the command.

The Associated Press said its reporters saw a hospital collapse in the wealthy suburb of Petionville that overlooks the capital.

Word on the Street

“Who is the most famous Cal Poly alumnus that you know of?”

“Weird Al (Yanovich).”

-Jacinta Guirguis, music freshman

“John Madden. I like the way he commentates.”

-Ben Trim, construction management junior

“Weird Al; he’s pretty funny.”

-Amy Crook, food science freshman

“John Madden; I feel like he got us on the map for football.”

-Bianca Reyes, landscape architecture senior

New group’s mission is to stop cell phone use while driving Nathan Olivarez-Giles los angeles times

A new non-profit dedicated to discouraging people from using cell phones while driving says it will model itself on Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the organization that has been so successful in raising awareness about operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Called FocusDriven and sponsored in part by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the organization has several members who have lost loved ones in traffic collisions involving drivers who were distracted by their cellular phones.

“Their stories are not just heartbreaking; they’re also a clear and compelling call to action,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood

Google continued from page 3

search engine Baidu Inc. maintains a dominant presence.

In 2006, Google agreed to present Internet search results in China that

said Tuesday in a statement introducing the group. “Just as groups like MADD changed attitudes about drunk driving, I believe FocusDriven can help raise awareness and change the way people think about distracted driving.”

The organization’s president, Jennifer Smith, lost her mother in 2008 in a wreck where a driver was talking on his cell phone.”We want to stop all cell phone use while driving,” Smith said. “Driving distracted is just as dangerous as driving drunk and people can and have heard the statistics, but until you see an actual human face that lost a mother, that lost a child, the statistics go unheard.”

While the Transportation Department and FocusDriven are independent entities, the federal agen-

cy has helped the non-profit get started by lending legal and policy guidance to the group, Smith said.

FocusDriven’s next step will be to set up chapters in the states where its five founding board members live: Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska and Texas, she said.

Nineteen states and Washington, D.C., have banned texting while driving. Some states restrict text messaging, e-mail or other cell phone use while driving, but thus far no state has completely banned cell phone use by drivers.

Drivers can be distracted by any number of activities, including talking on the phone, texting or eating, among others. In 2008, distracted driving contributed to 5,870 deaths in the U.S., according to the Department of Transportation.

excluded politically sensitive topics, such as the pro-democracy Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989.

However, Drummond wrote on Tuesday, “We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese govern-

ment the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all.”

“We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google. cn, and potentially our offices in China,” Drummond wrote. He wrote that the decision “will have potentially far-reaching consequences.”

“Weird Al; I like him.”

-Katherine Batti, liberal studies sophomore

“John Madden.”

-Brittany France, recreation, parks and tourism senior

compiled and photographed by jennifer titcomb

WHAT’S YOUR

RANT YOU WRITE IN

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WE INVESTIGATE. mustangdailywire@gmail.com

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California Assembly panel OKs plan to legalize, tax marijuana Patrick McGreevy los angeles times

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A proposal to legalize and tax marijuana in California was approved by a key committee of the Assembly on Tuesday, but it is not expected to get further consideration by the Legislature until next year.

Despite a procedural glitch, backers hailed the committee’s action as historic because it represented the first legislative approval of the proposal.

“This vote marks the formal beginning of the end of marijuana prohibition in the United States,” predicted Stephen Gutwillig, California state director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a marijuana legalization group.

The legislation would allow those who are at least 21 years old to possess up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational use. Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, author of the measure, said it would provide needed revenue for the state and regulation of the drug.

Existing law “is harming our youth,” Ammiano said. “Drug dealers

5

mustang daily

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

do not ask for ID.” It is estimated that the proposed $50 tax on each ounce of marijuana sold, along with license fees charged to cultivators, would generate $1.3 billion a year to be used to pay for drug education and treatment.

Ammiano said his bill is not expected to get a required hearing by a second committee in time to meet a Friday deadline. He said he plans to reintroduce the legislation if a similar initiative proposed for the November ballot is not approved by voters.

The anticipated revenue would not be worth the grief the bill would cause, said Republican Assemblyman Danny Gilmore, a former California Highway Patrol commander.

“We’re going to legalize marijuana, we’re going to tax it and then we’re going to educate our kids about the harm of drugs. You’ve got to be kidding me,” Gilmore said. “What’s next? Are we going to legalize methamphetamines, cocaine?”

The Assembly Public Safety Committee approved Ammiano’s bill, AB 390, on a 4-3 vote.

www.mustangdaily.net Always in color

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Briefs State

National

International

SAN LUIS OBISPO (MCT) — Police say California Highway Patrol Officer R. DeAses was the officer who witnessed a homeless man grabbing a 16-year-old girl’s arm and then throwing her to the ground Monday afternoon.

SLO police spokesman Capt. Ian Parkinson said DeAses went to the girl, who told him that she did not know her alleged assailant.The man had reportedly grabbed her arm and walked her backwards 12 to 15 feet before throwing her down.

The CHP officer then detained Fritz Arthur Holmer 60, until he could be arrested by city police on charges of false imprisonment.

He remains in county jail on that charge and on the additional charge of failing to provide DNA, with bail set at $12,000, county officials report.

PHILADELPHIA (MCT) — A personal-injury lawsuit has been filed against the owners of a Camden, N.J., chocolate plant where a worker died last year after falling into a melting vat as he was mixing cocoa, a lawyer said Tuesday.

The announcement came a day after federal authorities said they had fined the plant $39,000 for several safety violations, which are also listed in the lawsuit filed Dec. 30 in Philadelphia.

On July 8, Vincent Smith II, a temporary worker who had started at the plant two weeks earlier, was loading raw cocoa into an eightfoot mixing and melting tank when he fell into the 120-degree liquid and was struck on the head by a rotating paddle.

BAGHDAD (MCT) — When Baghdadis awoke Tuesday to find their streets sealed off and the Iraqi capital under virtual lockdown, the rumors began to fly. Army officers had staged a coup in the Green Zone, one version said. No, members of the Baath Party loyal to the former regime had taken over, according to another.

At midday, officials appeared on television to try to calm the city.

“The security forces can’t stage a coup. Our security forces are professional,” military spokesman Mohammed Askari told a news conference. “The era of coups is gone.”

Rather, he said, the government had ordered the lockdown to foil a major plot involving car bombings and suicide attacks against civilian and government targets.

•••

LOS ANGELES (MCT) — One of Mexico’s most wanted drug cartel bosses was captured early Tuesday morning in the Baja California port city of La Paz, according to Mexican and U.S. law enforcement officials.

Teodoro Garcia Simental, believed to be behind a campaign of massacres, beheadings and kidnappings in Tijuana, was arrested by Mexican federal authorities without firing a shot and flown to Mexico City.

•••

CHICAGO (MCT) — Did Al Capone order the murder of mob-connected racetrack owner Edward J. O’Hare?

The sensational gangland slaying has gone unsolved for 70 years, but at the request of an influential alderman, Chicago police agreed Tuesday to take a look at the fatal shooting with a new book due out soon on Capone.

The unusual request came from longtime Alderman Edward Burke, the council’s unofficial historian and himself a former Chicago police officer.

•••

LONDON (MCT) — The British government announced Tuesday that it would ban an Islamic group that had sparked widespread public revulsion over its intention to demonstrate in a town known for paying tribute to soldiers slain in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said Islam4UK would be outlawed under a measure allowing the government to ban organizations deemed to advocate or glorify terrorism.

wednesday, january 13, 2010

arts & Entertainment editor: cassandra keyse

book column

“Psychic Junkie” is habit-forming

M D

BLOG www.mustangdaily.net

Addiction is no laughing matter.

In the case of Sarah Lassez’s “Psychic Junkie” however, it is nothing short of hilarious. “Psychic Junkie” is Lassez’s own memoir of her addiction to tarot cards and psychic readings.

A struggling actress with a penchant for attraction to all the wrong men and an obsession with high quality bath products, Sarah epitomizes the land of lost dreams that is Los Angeles. However, after being led astray by yet another handsome actor (or “trained liar” as her best friend Gina dubs him), she is introduced to Aurelia, a lovely young lady who just so happens to be a psychic.

After her first psychic reading at the hands of Aurelia, Sarah gradually becomes hooked on the magic of the psychic world. She becomes unable to function without asking the psychic powers to reveal her future — either with a variety of her own tarot cards, or the increasingly expensive calls to Psychicdom. Meanwhile, her career is floundering, her love life is continuously careening off course, and her obsessive tendencies only

grow stronger.

This may sound like a bleak predicament to be in, but Lassez somehow manages to turn her zany situation into uproariously funny anecdotes without seeming either pitiable or bitter — a tough balance to strike.

Although Sarah is the main character in her memoir, the rest of the cast rivals her for lovable quirkiness.

One of the standouts is Gina, Sarah’s best friend with an overly organized Virgo personality and a penchant for psychic visions who keeps Sarah (almost) sane.

Another is Wilhelm, the source of much of Sarah’s suffering, but also a source of much amusement for readers. Sarah’s descriptions of her German “sex-hating, pink-shirt-wearing, discount-store-window-shopping, balding, self-punishing, pretty boy chef of a boyfriend” and his antics alternate between heartwarming and heartbreaking and are written with a wit that matches the rest of the novel.

A wit that made me sympathize with Sarah’s sentiments completely, no

matter how ridiculous they were objectively.

Sarah’s reliance on her beloved psychics is so far gone that she is able to create entire fantasies based on their predictions, which, although hilaroius, are beyond far-fetched at times. Lassez avoids the pitfalls of making her story irritating in its absurdity as she is simply so endearing that it is impossible not to root for her. She writes of her misfortunes in a way that anyone who has ever been unlucky in love or their career path can empathize with.

Even as Sarah spirals deeper and deeper into credit card debt and heart-wrenching loneliness, she never ceases to make me laugh. She writes of her “natural state” as being “on the verge of tears and afflicted with constant worry.” For someone who describes a realization that she is truly content as a sensation of “feeling strange” before feeling happy, she writes with an astonishingly upbeat and winning style.

Her road to a normal lifestyle devoid of psychic readings is written with equal humor. As she heads to her parents’ ranch in New Mexico for self-imposed psychic rehab, she joins an online psychic addicts support group and takes on an undercover mission as a psychic to discourage callers. Sarah’s humble and self-deprecating humor never ceases.

“Psychic Junkie” is a truly unexpected, quirky memoir that draws the reader into the little-known world of psychic addiction in such a captivating and hilarious way that you may never want to leave.

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Wednesday, January 13, 2010 www.mustangdaily.net

Arts

Arts editor: Cassandra Keyse mustangdailyarts@gmail.com

7

movie column

New engineering club aids in medical practices overseas Jessica Barba mustang daily

Like most students trying to find an internship, Tim O’Neill and Jen Van Donk were searching through Web pages when they stumbled upon Engineering World Health (EWH), a non-profit organization that assembles medical devices and sends them to hospitals in developing countries.

Van Donk, a mechanical engineering senior, and O’Neill, a biomedical engineering senior, had never met until the national group put them in contact. They then realized they shared the goal of impacting the lives of those living in impoverished areas.

O’Neill, who hopes to use his

experience in the club to develop a career in the medical field, said, “I have seen so much awareness for others who are in need. It came to a point where I wanted to leave Cal Poly feeling like I made a difference. While studying to become a biomedical engineer, it occurred to me that I can really help others who are less fortunate.”

EWH sells kits for defibrillators and electro surgical tools to chapters who purchase them for about $18. Engineering Department Chair and club coordinator, Dr. Andrew Davol made a personal donation to help sponsor the first group of kits the club assembled, but now members are reaching see Club, page 8

photo courtesy jen van donk

Members of Cal Poly’s chapter of Engineering World Health hold their assembled medical devices on Build-It-Day.

“Lazy river”

“Youth in Revolt” dramedy lets Michael Cera out of his shell Youth In Revolt [2010]

Director: Miguel Arteta Starring: Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Jean Smart, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Long, Ray Liotta, Steve Buscemi Everybody knows somebody like the Michael Cera we see on the big screen. He’s the awkward, laid back, funny, quiet guy who’s filled with more passion and desire than one would initially expect.

While this may not be who Michael Cera is in reality, it is a pretty fair description of the characters he has perfected in movies like “Superbad” and “Juno,” along with his involvement in the popular television series “Arrested Development.”

C.D. Payne’s 1993 novel “Youth in Revolt” has previously been adapted as both a stage play and unsuccessful MTV television pilot.

However, director Miguel Arteta has successfully blended satire, dark comedy and teenage angst to create a movie that is far from the typical teen comedy.

Cera stars as protagonist Nick Twisp, a frustrated virgin with divorced parents who are now both in relationships that only add to his resentment. He does, however, finally find some happiness with the arrival of his dream girl, Sheeni Saunders, played by new kid on the block Portia Doubleday.

Nick meets Sheeni during a family vacation and is quick to learn that she is his polar opposite in terms of sexual experience.

Nick becomes increasingly anxious to join her club, a mission that becomes increasingly difficult with his family’s return home. Nick’s mother Estell (Jean Smart) lives with Jerry (Zach Galifianakis), a

beer bellied selfish loser who ob- they probably have never seen beviously doesn’t make our protago- fore. One of the secrets of “Youth nist’s life much easier. Nick’s real in Revolt” is that Nick seems father, George Twisp (Steve Busce- confused by his own desires and mi), has recently been laid off, but plans. He knows what he wants to finds solace in his much younger achieve, but he needs guidance to and attractive girlfriend Lacey. A accomplish his goals. couple makes Nick that much “Youth in Revolt,” at first more angry about being alone. glance, may seem like more of the Nick is determined to be re- same in terms of a performance united with Sheeni. In the hopes from Michael Cera and a familiar of being sent to live with his fa- plot. I did not laugh as much as I ther, he begins to commit crimes initially expected to, which left me with the help of a self-created al- feeling slightly disappointed. Howter ego, François Dillinger. These ever, the story-line combined with crimes include driving a car into Cera’s portrayal of Twisp successa restaurant in downtown Berke- fully produce a film that falls someley, causing a $500 million fire, and where in between a forcing Sheeni’s parents to send her Superbad-style to a French prep school to get her teen sex adaway from her crazy boyfriend. Alventure and though this kind of story has been eccentric art done numerous times before, there house dramare some fun elements throughout, edy. namely the character of Francois as a sort of devil on Nick’s shoulder.

Alex PetroOne of the film’s main sian is a biological strengths is that it sciences sophprovides Cera with omore a character he is and obviously use to playing, while at the same time offering the audience a side courtesy photo of the Michael Cera plays Nick Twisp, the quiet and awkward young protagonist, in newly released “Youth in Revolt.” actor

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Arts

food column

Opening food dialogue promotes inclusiveness Russ Parsons los angeles times

One of the more pleasing developments of the last decade has been the long-overdue beginning of a national conversation about food — not just the arcane techniques used to prepare it and the luxurious restaurants in which it is served, but, much more important, how it is grown and produced.

The only problem is that so far it hasn’t been much of a conversation. Instead, what we have are two armed camps deeply suspicious of one another shouting past each other (sound familiar?).

On the one side, the hard-line aggies seem convinced that a bunch of know-nothing urbanites want to send them back to Stone Age farming techniques. On the other side, there’s a tendency by agricultural reformers to lump together all farms (or at least those that aren’t purely organic, hemp-clad momand-pop operations) as thoughtless ravagers of the environment.

Well, at least we’re thinking about it, so I suppose that’s a start.

But the issues we’re facing are not going to go away, and they are too important to be left to the ideologues. What I’d like to see happen in the next decade is a more constructive give-and-take, the start of a true conversation.

With that goal in mind, I’d like to propose a few ground rules that might help move us into the next phase — fundamental principles that both sides should be able to agree on.

Agriculture is a business. Farming without a financial motive is gardening. I use that line a lot when I’m giving talks, and it always gets a laugh. But it’s deadly serious. Not only do farmers have expenses to meet just like any other business, but they also need to be rewarded when they do good work. Any plan that places further demands on farmers without an offsetting profit incentive is doomed to fail.

What’s past is past. Over the last 50 years, American farmers performed an agricultural miracle, all but eliminating hunger as a serious health issue in this country. But that battle has been won, and though those gains must be maintained, the demands of today — developing a system that delivers flavor as well as quantity and does it in an environmentally friendly way — are different.

Food is not just a culinary abstraction. No matter how much you and I might appreciate the amazing

mcclatchy-tribune

The issues facing agriculture today are much more complicated than lining up behind labels such as “local” and “organic.” bounty produced by talented, quality-driven farmers, we also have to acknowledge that sometimes food is ... well, just food. So when we start dreaming about how to make our epicurean utopia, we also have to keep in mind that our first obligation is to make sure that healthful, fresh food remains plentiful and inexpensive enough that anyone can afford it.

There’s no free pass on progress.

Just because you’ve always farmed a certain way does not mean that you are owed the right to continue farming that way in the future. The days of a small or medium-sized farm making a decent profit growing one or two crops and marketing it through the traditional commodity route are long past. The world is changing, and those who can adapt are the ones who will be successful.

The world is not black and white. The issues facing agriculture today are much more complicated than lining up behind labels such as “local” and “organic,” no matter how praiseworthy they might seem in the abstract.

No farm is an island. That’s not literally true, of course; there are several island farms in the Sacramento, Calif., Delta, for example.

But even there, farmers have to remember that they’re living in an ever-more crowded state where their actions affect others. Assuming that what happens on your land is nobody’s business but your own just doesn’t work anymore.

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Holding out for an unattainable dream may mean losing a chance at a more easily realized goal. At the same time, just because an idea may not be the perfect answer, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t benefits to it. A completely locavore diet is, well, loco, but buying as much locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables as you can is just common sense.

Quality is more expensive than quantity. Farming fruits and vegetables that are not just healthful but

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

also have great flavor takes a lot of time and work and usually means not growing as much as a neighbor who doesn’t focus on flavor. So when you’re shopping, don’t begrudge a good farmer a little higher price — that’s what it takes to keep him in business.

You don’t climb a ladder starting at the top rung. In a system as complex as our food supply, change is evolutionary. Remember long-term goals, but focus on what’s immediately achievable. Any argument that begins, “All we have to do is rewrite the Farm Bill,” is probably decades, if not centuries, from reality. But there are plenty of small things we can do now to start us down that road.

Don’t assume that those who disagree with you are evil, stupid or greedy. And even when they are, that doesn’t relieve you of the responsibility for making a constructive and convincing argument.

What’s political is also personal.

If you believe in something, you should be willing to make sacrifices to support it, even if it’s expensive or inconvenient. Wailing about farmers who use pesticides and then balking at paying extra for organic produce is hypocritical because the yields in organic farming are almost always lower. On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with doing the best you can whenever you can — as long as you’re willing to accept compromises from the other guy too.

Finally, and most important: Beware the law of unintended consequences. Developing tasteless fruits and vegetables was not the goal of the last Green Revolution; it was a side effect of a system designed to eliminate hunger by providing plentiful, inexpensive food, but that also ended up rewarding quantity over quality. We should always keep in mind that when we’re dreaming of a system that focuses on the reverse, we run the risk of creating something far worse than strawberries that bounce.

Club continued from page 8

into their own pockets to buy more.

Davol had heard of the organization a year ago at a engineering meeting. Though he was hesitant to sign on as the club’s faculty advisor due to his already busy schedule, he decided to take on the position, seeing the opportunities it could provide to students. When Engineering Without Borders, an organization that travels to other countries to help with development, had recieved overwhelming applications, Davol saw an opportunity with EWH. He hopes it will act as an extension reaching out to students who want to take their skills abroad and have an impact.

When asked what sets this club apart, Davol said, “The focus sets it apart because it’s a service that a lot engineers want to use to give back.”

On Build-it-Days the club gathers to put together the equipment by carefully melting down metal tubing and connecting it to circuit boards. O’Neill said that his first time assembling a device was difficult, but with a little practice and patience he has become more comfortable and hopes to tackle larger projects in the future.

Financing the project kits and gathering equipment to refurbish have caused difficulties for the new club. O’Neill is hopeful that by merging with Direct Relief International, the students will be given more opportunities to gain

experience by not only working on clinical tools, but also learning about the people who use the devices.

By joining with Direct Relief International, located in Santa Barbara, the club hopes to refurbish medical equipment and establish relationships with the hospitals and clinics giving the items. The Cal Poly EWH chapter is currently looking at refurbishing hospital beds and plans to later work on larger equipment like life support machines.

“One of the main concerns of the organization is designing equipment that is more appropriate to the needs of developing countries,” Van Donk said. “That is why this organization employs young engineers to help with the designing rather than just sending them all our used equipment.”

The club welcomes all majors and members of the community.

“The beauty of the club is that we teach what needs to be done so you don’t have to have experience to get involved,” he said.

This summer EWH plans to attend a summer program through the national organization to visit Tanzania and Costa Rica to help repair equipment in local clinics. The trip will cost $6,000 for each student, but to cut down on costs the club plans to apply for financial aid and fund raise through local businesses.

“We want to build off the strong foundation we have so far,” Van Donk said. “We also really want to see the club continue in the future and have an ever growing impact in our community as well as overseas.”

photo courtesy jen van donk

Kyle Mooney, mechanical engineering sophomore, builds a defibrillator tester to send to third-world countries.

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mustangdaily d ily.nett always something new.

opinion/editorial Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Editor in chief: Emilie Egger Managing Editor: Alex Kacik

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mustang daily The voice of Cal Poly since 1916

9

When in crisis, mother knows best If Congress won’t listen, ask your mom.

The helpUSmom.com campaign's goal is to start discussion and prompt action to address climate change in lieu of the United Nation’s Climate Change Conference in December.

Thousands gathered in Copenhagen for the conference where more than 120 world leaders discussed the planet’s ecological future. Yet, it seemed to be all talk and no action.

Leaders refused to commit to any deadline.

The New York Times reported that the clean energy and climate industry information firm New Energy Finance graded the Copenhagen agreement a two out of a possible 10.The chairman of the negotiating bloc of developing nations said the agreement was “the worst in history.”

Some Cal Poly alumni and fellow activists were so frustrated with the progress of the Conference that they began to write to local representatives while in Copenhagen. They couldn't find a way to connect with this unknown person and express their feelings on climate change. They soon realized they could better express their argument as if they were writing to their mothers.

The idea of writing to their mothers was the beginning of a three-day sprint to create a campaign and Web site while world leaders

continued to make no progress at the conference.

The Web site’s goal is to start the discussion between U.S. moms and their children about climate change.

It seeks to gather as many letters as possible and deliver them to the U.S. Congress and President Obama by Mother's Day. Concerned citizens can visit helpUSmom.com and write a letter to their mother via e-mail. Mothers are then directed to the Web site to fol-

john overmyer newsart

tion currently faces.

—Andrew Musselman In response to “Democrats need to readjust their strategy if they want to win in”

Good points. Of course, when it comes to politicians’ “lack of understanding” concerning the Constitution, it is certainly not accidental. Rather, their ignorance is intentional, and their disregard for the “chains of the Constitution” is both calculated and self-serving.

—Anonymous In response to “The Constitution: The cornerstone of America” Interesting story. Of course Mr. Siebold wasn’t the first Cal Poly graduate to work at Scaled Composites. The company was founded and is still run by Burt Rutan, who is also a Cal Poly alumni.

—Andrew Musselman In response to “Cal Poly grad flies high ” “Ideological opposition” of “bold legislation” and representing the best interests of the nation are not inherently contradictory. Just because the Republicans don’t like the proposed solutions doesn’t mean that they don’t care about the problems that our na-

low four steps: Call your child and tell them that you love them, share your child’s concern and passion about the climate with your friends and family, learn more at Web sites like 350.org and tcktcktck.org and take action by signing the 1Sky petition, calling the president and Congress and writing a letter to your editor.

This campaign demonstrates it’s easy to act on anything you feel passionately about. For this group of Californians, they simply had writers block and turned it into a campaign that gives many a voice and a course of action. Rather than idly wondering what difference one person can make, these simple steps are intact to facilitate the process.

Other campaigns like freetibet.org use similar

“(The Republican) solution to national security gave America 9/11/01. Bush and Cheney letting Osama bin Laden get away when they had him cornered at Tora Bora was deliberate. The total disaster regarding the Bush and Cheney handling of the Afganistan war. What about the shoe bomber? What about the anthrax attack or the devastating Iraq War and the blatant lies that led up to it? What about Katrina and that total Bush and Cheney screw-up?

And please name one positive alternative besides the blatant lies and half-truths regarding any of the Democratic proposals? I’ll be waiting for any of your postitive alternatives.”

—Jason In response to “Democrats need to readjust their strategy if they want to win in” NOTE: The Mustang Daily features select comments that are written in response to articles posted online.

Though not all the responses are printed, the Mustang Daily prints comments that are coherent and foster intelligent discussion on a given subject. No overcapitalization, please.

tactics by notifying their followers of recent cases in Tibet. This allows people to write to their leaders to hopefully inspire change so they can speak up wherever they are and writing to people to urge action in Tibet.

Another campaign similar to helpUSmom.com is Canada’s Moms against Climate Change. This group made a YouTube video asking parents to upload photos of their children to remind Canadian Prime Minister Stephan Harper the consequences of climate change and who it will affect as he went to COP 15 to represent Canada, one of the top 10 worst global polluters in the world.

Rather than just being aware, act. Lead by example. You can't change the world if you don't start with yourself. Nothing will change if you focus on everything you can't accomplish. With the inaction of our leaders in Copenhagen, we need to step up and take the initiative to show them what we are capable of. Things like voting with your dollar,

GUEST COMMENTARY As members of the Veritas Forum club at Cal Poly, we would like to address Nicholas Utschig’s guest commentary before potentially well-intentioned students could misrepresent our views.

On the Veritas Forum Cal Poly 2010 Facebook page, the mission statement reads as follows: “The Veritas Forum is a place where students of every worldview can come and engage in a safe, intelligent conversation about life’s hardest questions.

Our goal is to introduce the relevance of Jesus Christ to those discussions and all of life.”

So yes, Jesus will be mentioned at events like “Finding God Beyond Harvard: the Quest for Veritas” or “Why a Good God Allows Suffering.” Christianity will also be mentioned at the “Origins of Life Panel Discussion.”

That panel will also include a speaker who professes to be a Christian and believes that the theory of evolution is valid, a view shared by a large portion of the Christian community.

Another speaker (Dr. Rainbow) who is “often a Theistic Evolutionist, convinced through the discoveries of Evo-Devo that vertebrate evolution has happened as described, including human evolution, but harboring serious questions ... “ and also believes that the theory of evolution is valid.

All three events are formatted so that the Cal Poly community can directly influence the conversation. As a planning team, we bring in well-respected scholars to initiate the conversation and give it direction while the end result of the conversation is dependent on the students who attend and voice their opinions.

Perhaps in the past four years the Veritas Forum has not been interpreted as an open dialogue.

The fact is, for every Veritas Forum at Cal Poly, dating back to January of 2001, the format of every speaking engagement has been 45-minute lecture and a 45-minute question and answer session. This Q&A time is designed specifically for any and all students to ask whatever they want about the topic at hand.

For the Forum to be an open dialogue, we depend greatly on students who have world views that are not fundamentally Christian to attend and ask questions during the Q&A times of these events.

We hope you will join us because people like Nick ask excellent questions that force us all to contemplate what Truth is and how to live a true life.

Josh Ceccarelli is an aerospace engineering junior and Veritas Club president. Chelsea Morrell is a biomedical engineering senior and Veritas Club vice president. They are

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sports Jensen continued from page 12

nick camacho mustang daily file photo

Matt Jensen recorded a .375 batting average last season with 15 doubles, nine home runs and 53 RBIs in his first season as a Mustang.

Lewis continued from page 12

basketball player of all time.

“My goal in college is to meet as many people as I can. I like meeting people, I like making friends,” Lewis said. “You can come up and talk to me, I’m not going to just turn my back, I’ll always say hi.”

He’s also incredibly dedicated and focused on achieving his goals

Woodson continued from page 12

here have been good, all over the state of Wisconsin. It was truly a blessing coming to Green Bay.” Woodson was named the NFL’s defensive player of the year Tuesday, getting 28 of a possible 50 votes. He beat out cornerback Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets, who earned 14 votes. Woodson was asleep at home when he got a call in the morning from one of the team’s public relations employees.

“I was dreaming about the Super Bowl,” the 33-year-old veteran said.

Woodson is the first cornerback to win the defensive player of the year honor since 1994, when Deion Sanders won it, and he’s the first Packers player to win it since the late Reggie White in 1998.

Jets coach Rex Ryan criticized the results, maintaining that Revis was far more worthy of the award.

He credited the Jets’ success on defense to Revis’ dominance as a cover-man and quipped that his team gave up fewer touchdown passes all year than the Packers did against Arizona on Sunday.

“I would like to congratulate the people that voted for Darrelle Revis,” Ryan said. “These guys obviously really know the game.”

Playing a multitude of positions in coordinator Dom Capers’ system, Woodson tied for the NFL lead with nine interceptions and three interception returns for touchdowns. He finished with a career-high 81 tackles and added four forced fumbles, two sacks and 21 passes broken up.

“He has the size and physical tools to play the position,” Capers

11

mustang daily

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

when it comes to the sport he loves.

“I’ve always just been the guy who tries to work his hardest and put in his extra time practicing and getting better at stuff,” Lewis said.

“I love the game and I love playing it and when you love something you want to be the best at it.

So I’m not going to try to be just the number one scorer, I’m gonna try to find what I need to do to make our team better and that’s the motivation.”

said recently. “The thing I like is that he’s a smart player. Not only does he have good football instinct, but he understands the game. He gives you the flexibility where you can move him around. Not many guys can play the number of positions we play him at. He becomes one of the focal points of the game plan.”

It wasn’t always that way for Woodson in Green Bay. He had a terrific season in 2006, leading the team with eight interceptions, more than he had in his previous five seasons with the Raiders. But he clearly wasn’t a happy man.

The insult of having just one team show interest in him despite being one of the elite cornerbacks in the game nagged at him all year and he did not deal with it well.

He became a thorn in the side of McCarthy, challenging his rules at every turn.

McCarthy stood firm, however, and Woodson eventually came around.

“We just had to get past the little differences and issues that really I was having,” Woodson said.

“It was really all on me. They stuck with me. I think they knew from the attitude I was showing when I got here that I was uneasy, but Mike worked with me, and I give him all the thanks for that because it could have went either way.

“And here we are today. I think that tells a lot about the way our relationship went and the way we were able to grow our relationship together.”

Woodson admitted that winning the award wasn’t as gratifying as it would have been if the Packers had won the Super Bowl. The sting of the 51-45 overtime loss to Arizona was still being felt, but Woodson said it was an honor as great as the

freshman year with another quality season and is fully recovered from his broken collarbone.

Jensen had a .375 batting average with 15 doubles, nine home runs and 53 RBIs before fracturing his clavicle in May 2009. The Clovis East High School graduate, now a sophomore, started 41 of Cal Poly’s 42 games last season before he was injured. The Mustangs were 30-15 with Jensen in the line-up and went 7-6 in the 13 games he missed due to his injury.

“He’s really developed as a defensive second baseman to add to his already impressive credentials from an offensive standpoint,” Lee said. “Having the opportunity to represent the United States in this endeavor is a great honor and Matt is as good as it gets on and off the

His strong love for basketball pushed him to seek out personal trainers and additional basketball coaches in addition to playing for a travel basketball team in the off season in high school. Lewis has been known to be so dedicated in fact, that he almost cancelled on his date to his junior prom because of a basketball game the same night until his coach stepped in and told him to go to prom. The only distraction that can compete for his attention? Academics.

field. He will represent Cal Poly at the highest level this summer.”

Jensen earned numerous postseason honors at the end of his first year as a Mustang. He landed a spot on the 2009 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Sporting Goods Division I West Region First Team, Baseball America¹s Freshman All-American First Team, Collegiate Baseball Newspapers 2009 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team and the 2009 Pro-Line Athletic/National College Baseball Writers Association Division I Freshman All-American First Team.

The second baseman was named to the 2009 All-Big West Conference first team and, despite missing the last three weeks of the regular season, was named Big West Freshman Player of the Year.

The freshman accumlated a 23game hitting streak, the third longest in Cal Poly Division I history, before it was snapped by UC Santa

Barbara on April 24. He was 35-for89 (.393) during the streak with 24 RBIs and produced six consecutive two-hit games during the streak.

Prior to the injury, Jensen had 17 multiple-hit games this season and 13 multiple-RBI contests. He was 6-for-13 in the UC Irvine series, 7-for-13 in the Houston series, 8-for-12 in the Cal State Bakersfield series and 5-for-12 in the Pacific series with three doubles and two homers.

In that four-game Cal State Bakersfield series, Jensen reached base 16 times in 19 plate appearances. He was drafted in the 11th round by the Seattle Mariners in June 2008, but elected to continue his baseball career at Cal Poly.

Bill Kinneberg, head coach of Utah, will manage Team USA with assistance from Nino Giarratano, head coach of San Francisco, Ed Blankmeyer, head coach of St. John’s, and Dave Serrano head coach of Cal State Fullerton.

“I take a lot of pride in my academics. I’m a biology major.

It’s not always easy,” Lewis said. “I don’t always get the top A but I put in my work and I’m trying to do what I can with it. It’s hard to balance it with basketball but you’ve gotta find your time for basketball, eating, sleeping and school.”

Like most college students, Lewis isn’t certain on his postgraduation plans. He’s hoping to continue his “poetic” basketball skills overseas but also wants to use

his biology degree in the future.

In the meantime, he will continue to push himself and work to make the biggest impact he can on Cal Poly’s basketball program.

“I’m glad that the coaches have that much confidence in me to leave me in that long and I’m trying to take advantage of the opportunities they give me,” Lewis said. “I want us to go as far as possible. It’d be great to come away with a championship at least one of these years I’m here and we’re

mcclatchy-tribune

Green Bay cornerback Charles Woodson adds NFL Defensive Player of the Year to a trophy case that already holds a Heisman Trophy. Woodson tallied 66 tackles, nine interceptions and three touchdowns.

Heisman Trophy he won at Michigan.

What remains for Woodson to achieve after six Pro Bowl selections and this latest award is the ultimate in football rewards: a Super Bowl ring. It’s one reason the Cardinals loss hurt so much. Woodson and teammates thought they had the makeup of a champion.

“I think we are four games away,” Woodson said. “We made it to the first round of the playoffs and it didn’t go our way. I feel like there are maybe just a couple of pieces away, a player here, a player

there, and I feel like we can get to where we want to be. Just a couple of plays in that game and we could be going into the second round.

“The thing about that, you never know really. I have gotten to a Super Bowl and come back the next year and barely won four games. So you never know which way it is going to go.

“I feel like we have a lot of good players on this team. Things will get pretty interesting this off-season. A lot of guys will have contracts coming up and all that sort of thing, so it will be interesting to see which

way things go.”

As for Sunday, Woodson didn’t have any excuses for the defense’s horrible performance. He said the team’s poor start made the margin for error minimal.

“I think we went in there with the wrong mentality that we were going to just go in there and win that game,” Woodson said. “I think the previous week you went in there and you had a good game against a team, and I think we thought we were going to go in there and it was going to be the same way. Obviously, that is not the

mustangdaily.net

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

SPORTS

sports editor: Brian De Los Santos

mustangdailysports@gmail.com

MUSTANG DAILY

Sophomore Jordan Lewis makes “poetry” on the court Leticia Rodriguez mustang daily

There are many ways to describe Jordan Lewis and his strong athletic skills on the basketball court.

Head coach Joe Callero calls Lewis a serious athlete with a “very good basketball IQ.” Teammate David Hanson said Lewis is the “ultimate teammate” who always gives 100 percent. His close childhood friend Ethan Andrianos, however, said the best way to describe Lewis on the court is to quote their 11th grade English teacher Ms. O’Brien.

“A teammate named Cory came in to deliver a message,” Andrianos said. “As Cory was leaving the room, the teacher said, ‘Oh, that’s Cory. He’s really good at basketball. But, Jordan ... Jordan is poetry.’”

Fast forward five years and Lewis’s “poetry” skills are still making an impression. The sophomore forward is quickly becoming one of the go-to players on the Cal Poly men’s basketball team this season thanks in part to his drive and work ethic.

“Jordan does a very good job of hearing what we say in the practice, understanding the philosophy and does a great, great job applying what we’ve been teaching him on to the floor, during the game, under pressure with referees and bright lights and fans,” Callero said. “He rebounds well, he defends very well, he takes care of

the ball, he passes it well ... he’s been a tremendous asset.”

Although last season Lewis averaged only four minutes per game, Callero and the rest of the coaching staff have seen major improvements over time. They now consider him a strong leader on the court, with Lewis averaging 27 minutes per game.

“When I got the job last spring, the first week of April, we said that this is a new opportunity for everybody. So as we went into the spring, Jordan demonstrated real good strength and conditioning and he had an outstanding summer,” Callero said. “He basically earned a starting spot because of all the intangibles that he brings to the game. He’s not our leading scorer but he is one of our leaders on the floor when it comes to knowledge of the game and versatility to what he can do.”

Its not just his athletic abilities on the court that has Callero singing his praises. Callero describes Lewis’ personality as approachable and warm and said that those characteristics shine through to his playing.

“His game is really similar to his personality. He’s very comfortable with himself and he’s very confident with himself and that parlays to being a good teammate off the floor too because he knows all the returners and he’s gotten to know all the new guys so he’s a very comfortable person to be around,” Callero said.

Lewis’ character off the court is

Woodson named NFL Defensive Player of the Year Tom Silverstein milwaukee journal sentinel

GREEN BAY,Wis. — Four years ago if you had suggested to Charles Woodson that he would someday be a beacon of the Green Bay Packers organization, a product of a marriage between football excellence and personal redemption, he would have chuckled snidely.

There would be a better chance of him cheering for Ohio State.

But on Tuesday, there was Woodson, wearing a University of Michigan sweatshirt, a smile on his face, describing how far he had come since the day in April 2006 he agreed to a seven-year, $39 million free-agent contract with the Packers. It was a long and trying journey from reluctant Packer to the NFL’s top defensive player, but the 12-year veteran made it to the finish line.

“I got here, and it was rough because I just couldn’t get over that fact mentally, of only having one option leaving from out of Oakland,” Woodson said of his first year in Green Bay. “It took some time. It just took me playing football, playing good football, and we were able to get past a lot of things early.

“Just the way that this organization, the way they take care of you, the community, is great.

The way Mike (McCarthy) has taken care of me; our relationship has gotten a lot better. Just see Woodson, page 11

just as noteworthy as his role on the Cal Poly team. While attending Terra Linda High School in San Rafael, Calif., the 6’ 5” player was known for being a great friend, athlete and student.

“Basically all the girls loved Jordan, but he was nice to everyone, and a good friend to everyone,” Andrianos said. “He was definitely really serious about basketball and school but at the same time he made sure to have time for fun.”

Andrianos, who’s been friends with Lewis since kindergarten, laughs when recalling a different side of Lewis than the focused competitor that fans see on the court. The way Andrianos sees him, Lewis is the type of guy who was “obsessed” with orange shirts in elementary school, used to do drive-by water balloon fights on unsuspecting friends, and would spout out Harry Potter facts in high school.

“He just likes goofing around, hanging out. He would play countless hours of Halo,” Andrianos said. “There’s actually a sunken spot on his couch because that’s where he sits everyday. The couch is perfectly fine except for this one spot where he always sat.”

Lewis simply sees himself as a friendly person who looks up to his teammates. He gets excited about the competitiveness of his favorite sport and smiles wide when mentioning that he shares a birthday with Michael Jordan, his see Lewis, page 11

ryan sidarto mustang daily file photo

Sophomore forward Jordan Lewis recorded double-digit scoring performances four times this season. His season high came against Seattle when he posted 15 points and six rebounds.

Jensen invited to USA team trials

nick camacho mustang daily file photo

Cal Poly second baseman Matt Jensen was named to the 2009 All-Big West Conference team as a freshman. mustang daily staff report

For the second year in a row, Cal Poly second baseman Matt Jensen has been invited to the USA Baseball team trials.

After accepting the invitation a year ago, Jensen fractured his collarbone in a game against San Francisco in early May and was

unable to participate in the trials.

The final roster for Team USA will be announced in mid-July and the squad will compete in the V FISU World University Championships in Japan as well as friendship series against Korea in North Carolina at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary and at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham.

Jensen became the first Mustang baseball player to be invited to National Team Trials in his first season at Cal Poly.

“Matt is one of the better ball players in the country,” Cal Poly head coach Larry Lee said. “He should be able to follow up a tresee Jensen, page 11