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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

ASI brings magician to entertain in Chumash.

Wrestling travels to conference championships in Davis.

IN ARTS, 7

IN SPORTS, 12

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Volume LXXIV, Number 80

Poly monster tractor wins World Ag Expo Rhiannon Montgomery mustang daily

This isn’t your quaint John Deere riding lawn mower. Poly Thunder looks more like a dragster going down the track with its front-end 3 feet off the ground.

Cal Poly agriculture students drove the modified tractor to victory past dairy farmers and their own advisers in the West Coast Nationals held at the World Ag Expo in Tulare last week.

Poly Thunder has dominated tractor pulls around the state this year, taking first place in every event entered. Agricultural systems management senior Lindsey Tulloch, said driving the dual 1,300 horsepower tractor is surreal.

“It’s the biggest adrenalin rush; at the end I’m shaking,” Tulloch said.

Her teammates and fellow drivers, Alex Holland and Nick Darr, bioresource and agricultural engineering seniors, said they call her Crazy-Legs because of her shaking when she climbs out at the end of a race. Darr said the 30-

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First LGBTQ conference at Cal Poly draws 700 attendees

second tow seems to last forever.

The tractors have to pull weighted sleds 300-feet down the track to attain a ‘full pull’ and place in competitions.

Darr said no one else in the Poly Thunder class was able to get a full pull at the West Coast competition, including club adviser Mark Zohns. The tractor was donated to the school by Wada Farms in Idaho in 2002 and requires regular upkeep and a lot of money, Holland said.

The student club works to raise funds to keep the tractor racing and hosts events at Poly Royal and Open House. Holland said they depend completely on sponsors to maintain the tractors. Tulloch said some of that money comes from their family members, some of whom were previously on the pull team at Cal Poly.

“They support our bad tractor habit,” Tulloch said of the donors.

Darr is also the president of the club and said it has a dedicated group of students working on the tractors this year. Drivers are chosee Tractor, page 2

Alumnus speaks at cancer research lecture Sean Hanrahan mustang daily

A lecture on the causes of cancer attracted students to a healthy eating seminar in the Clyde P. Fisher science building on Friday.

The hour-long seminar included discussion on the myths about foods causing cancer, easy steps to stay healthy, ways to create a wellbalanced diet when fighting cancer and real stories from survivor Ashley James, who battled Hodgkin’s lymphoma, has been healthy for three years. The talk was in partnership with Cal Poly’s Relay for Life event, one of the American Cancer Society’s largest community fundraisers.

Radiation oncologist, Dr. Sherri Marquez of Santa Maria Radiation Oncology Medical Center, spoke along with Cal Poly alumnus and nutritionist Jayme Young, giving what they both call ‘perspective.’

“Nutrition is only one component of the issue,”Young said.“There is no perfect diet, no perfect fruit or

vegetable that prevents cancer.”

Young highlighted four important guidelines for the collegiate demographic: maintain a healthy weight, be active, have a healthy diet and limit alcohol consumption.

“I like to ask people to name the five food groups and see if they can do it,” Young said. “Not many people can name them without mixing some foods up.”

Young stressed the importance of being active and compared ‘usual’ activities to ‘intentional’ activities.

“Usual activities are the things that you do without really trying, like getting out of bed, brushing your teeth, the little movements which are technically exercise but don’t equate to anything substantial,” said Young.

“Intentional activities include exercise like running, swimming, hiking.”

The difference is paramount when battling cancer to maintain a healthy immune system to avoid besee Cancer, page 2

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The three-day LGBQT conference featured more than 60 workshops with topics like sexual health and religion.

Leticia Rodriguez mustang daily

The Western Regional Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trangender, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Ally College Conference was hosted at Cal Poly by the Pride Center this past weekend for the first time in the event’s 20-year history.

The center coordinated more than 60 workshops and welcomed approximately 700 people during the three-day conference.Attendants discussed everything from sexual health to religion to bondage.

The event officially kicked off Saturday morning with an opening speech by Joan Garry, former Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation executive director. Garry and her partner challenged a law in New Jersey and became the first same-sex couple to have equal legal

rights with their children. In her opening speech, Garry talked about her family and breaking misconceptions about same-sex couples. One point she was proud to make was that her children were the minority among their friends not because they have same-sex parents, but because they have parents who are not divorced. Garry said her struggles fighting against stereotypes and laws prohibiting same-sex marriage or equality has led her to have a view of the world that is clearer.

“I believe that being gay is not my kryptonite,” Garry said. “I believe it is my super power.”

Garry urged all attendants to run with their ‘super power’ and to run with pride, an idea that seemed to be a strong point in many of the workshops. In “Bad Gay!” a workshop about the stereotypes within the same-sex community, students

talked about breaking molds such as the idea that gay men don’t know how to work on cars or are hypersexual. In particular, many of the attendants of the workshop said it was important for them to stop policing each other to fit into a certain mold.

University of California, Berkeley sophomore Ray Hajduk said the pressure to be a certain way is felt from all directions.

“There’s always been a lot of reaction toward calling me heteronormative or things of that nature, and I definitely understand that people feel pressure to be that way by outside society, but I think there’s also pressure within our own community to not be that way,” Hajduk said.

Feeling pressure was a key point in the discussion led by Reverend Caroline Hall in her discussion see Conference, page 2

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Conference

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sen by the effort put in, including working sponsors. Holland said they tease Darr about the tractor being his other girlfriend, because of how much time he dedicates to the project.

Holland said students have the choice to be a part of either the team or the club, but most are part of both. The club acts as a booster to the team raising funds, holding events and doing much of the legwork involved in the projects. Poly Thunder isn’t their only tractor placing in events around California.

Mustang Fever won fourth place at the WCN race and was built by students from the ground up in 1999. Tulloch said four students built the race tractor in a quarter. Students can see the tractors race in upcoming events on campus.

The club will hold an event with statewide competitors at this year’s open house April 17 at 1 p.m. across from the crops unit.

Holland also said all students are welcome to be a part of the club, which meets every Tuesday in the Agricultural Engineering Building, room 122 at 7 p.m.

Holland, Darr and Tulloch all said that being part of the team and club has made for great learning and amazing friendships.

“You get scary close with people when you spend this much time working together,” Holland said.

about the Bible and sex. Hall, who is a pastor at St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church in Los Osos, said she wanted to show that God’s love is unconditional by giving examples of the stories in which sex is mentioned throughout the Bible. Hall argued that neither in the stories nor in the words of Jesus is there anything that explicitly states that homosexuality is unholy. She said discussions about religion and sex are important because of the notion that God doesn’t accept gay people.

Cancer continued from page 1

ing at risk.

In 1999, Marquez was the recipient of the Resident of the Year award by the American Association for Women Radiologists. Marquez is committed to continued research and education, conducting regular speaking engagements and outreach to improve cancer care outcomes.

“One in eight women in this room will have breast cancer,” said Marquez, “and one in two men and one in three women will develop cancer at some point in their lives, more often skin cancers.”

Marquez walked the group through yellow, orange and red food groups, comprised of t-killer cells that are designed to attack and mutate particles in blood cells that are bad for you. Apricots and carrots are

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“Religion and homophobia are tied together politically, so they used to really exclude us. So I think it’s really important to understand other ways of understanding the material so that you can know for yourself that God does love us totally, unconditionally,” Hall said. “There’s just all this misinformation about gay people not being acceptable, and that’s not OK with me.”

More importantly, Hall wanted attendants to walk away from her discussion knowing that there are Christian churches available that accept gay and lesbian people.This, she says, is because of her experiences as a woman in her early-20’s, during a time when there was no one to tell

invaluable sources of carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene, antioxidants and anti-cancer agents, she said.

“Blue and purple foods, like beets, blackberries and purple cabbage support connective tissue regeneration and are anti-inflammatory; they promote blood flow and reduce cholesterol,” Marquez said.

Marquez made the audience laugh several times in the hour-long seminar, but certainly when she said, “Eat your broccoli ladies … It improves hormonal balance.”

“I try to balance the intense issue of cancer with humor,” she said. “I have to … That’s how I cope.”

James, who battled through five months of chemotherapy and almost a month of radiation, sought the help and expertise of Marquez and makes a conscious effort to fit in exercise in see Lecture, page 3

her it was OK to be a lesbian and a Christian.

“For a long time I tried to be Christian, then I was lesbian, then I was Christian again, and at one point I was suicidal in the middle of all that,” Hall said. “I was in my 30’s before I’d come to understand that actually I’m fine the way I am and God loves me the way I am, and so it’s important for me to communicate that as well as I can.”

Learning new things in general was just as important for many students who had never attended the conference before.This weekend was the first time UC Berkeley students Andy Albright and Anthony Lucas had ever been to the event; both said

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 they enjoyed the variety of topics available. Albright said participating in a wide range of topics is important to becoming more knowledgeable about the LGBTQIA community in general.

“I feel like it’s important because we know things about the queer community but we don’t know everything, and there are some people who are uninformed on some issues, so it’s good to learn more,” Albright said.

Learning and making smart decisions concerning musical choices was the theme in Tomas Bell’s discussion, “Hip-Hop, Homophobia and the see LGBTQ, page 3

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A closer look at Obama’s health-care plan Robert Schroeder marketwatch

WASHINGTON — With a high-stakes bipartisan “summit” just four days away, President Barack Obama on Monday unveiled a detailed blueprint for overhauling the U.S. health-care system. Here is a look at how this election-year document would change that system in several key areas.

—Controlling costs. Obama made cost-control a plank of his history-making presidential campaign, and his health-care blueprint follows through with that goal. For

one thing, it boosts tax credits for middle-income Americans to buy insurance by greater amounts than did a bill that passed the Senate late last year.

A family of four with an income of between $66,000 and $77,000, for example, would pay no more than 9.5 percent of its income in insurance premiums thanks to subsidies proposed by Obama. Under the Senate bill, that amount was 9.8 percent.

With news of Well Point Inc.’s plans for premium increases of 39 percent or more at its Anthem Blue Cross subsidiary in California still fresh in the minds of many, Obama

is also proposing a new “Health Insurance Rate Authority.” The entity could block increases deemed excessive. Under that proposal the administration will in conjunction with states develop a review process for “unreasonable premium increases,” Obama’s press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday.

The White House also says the health-insurance “exchanges” created under its plan will lower costs by increasing competition.

—Expanding coverage. The White House’s plan would require individuals to buy health insurance, and officials estimate that more than

31 million Americans will be covered under the proposal.

In addition to extending tax credits to families to buy insurance, it also expands Medicaid coverage.

Obama’s plan also puts a burden on employers to offer coverage. Big companies that offer coverage would have to automatically enroll new eligible employees. But small companies won’t be required to enroll employees and would also get tax credits to offer coverage to their workers.

Obama still supports a government-run health-insurance option, White House officials said Monday, but it’s not included in the blueprint.

The Senate’s bill also omitted the socalled “public option.”

—Market reforms. As in the Senate and House bills, the White House blueprint would deny insurance companies the ability to restrict coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions.

Moreover, the insurance exchanges would give “tens of millions” of Americans the same insurance choices now enjoyed by members of Congress.

In a bid to attract Republican support for the proposal, Obama also see Obama, page 4

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Obama continued from page 3

included a number of policies aimed at cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse in the health-care market. Among those are expanded access for private plans to a data bank used in fighting fraud, and new registration of and background checks on entities that bill for Medicare on behalf of providers.

—How it’s paid for. Obama’s plan would cost $950 billion over 10 years; more than what the Senate proposed but less than the House’s version. The White House says that Obama’s plan will cut the deficit by $100 billion over the next decade,

and by about $1 trillion over 20 years.

The plan contains a tax on highend (or “Cadillac”) health plans, but delays it for all workers until 2018.

The Senate bill would have taxed plans worth $23,000 and above, but Obama wants to increase that amount to $27,500.

Individuals who don’t buy insurance would also be responsible for paying fines; so would businesses that do not offer coverage.

Another key revenue-raiser in the proposal is a 2.9 percent tax on income from interest, dividends and other unearned income for those households with income above $250,000.The tax revenues from the unearned income would go to the Medicare program’s Supplemental

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

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Medical Insurance trust fund.

Drug companies would also get hit with $33 billion in new fees to help pay for the plan.

Gibbs described the plan released Monday as a “starting point” for the Thursday summit, and officials signaled that the White House is prepared to use a budget process known as reconciliation to get the measure through Congress.

That may be the only option available to Obama. Republicans almost instantly dismissed the plan on Monday.

“This plan is just another version of the same government takeover of health care that Americans have already stamped ‘reject,’” said House Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price, R-Ga.

LGBTQ continued from page 2

‘bitches,’ are defined by their sexual position and feel the need to hold up a strong masculine image. Questioning the notions of race and sex was what made Bell’s workshop a favorite for University of California, Santa Barbara sophomore Chris Rodd.

“It was excellent,” Rodd said.

“It’s topics like these that aren’t really discussed much in peer conferences with like race and stuff,

Cancer continued from page 2

lieu of napping.

“I try to be active five days a week,” James said. “I feel like it sort of took away years, and now I’m trying to tip the scale. You only have one body and you deserve to give it your best shot.”

so it’s good that this was done. I’m going to his next one, too.”

Overall, the conference was considered a success despite a last-minute influx of almost 200 attendants that had coordinators scrambling to accommodate with program packets.

“I think to take something on like this is really courageous, and if evidenced by nothing else but the success rate and the increased number of applicants and how many happy people there are running around, I think Cal Poly’s done a really great job,” Lucas said.

James is one of several organizers for the Relay for Life event at Cal Poly later in the spring.

“We have this great opportunity to celebrate cancer survivors,” Relay for Life organizers said at the seminar.

Relay for Life at Cal Poly takes place May 15-16. Teams can register now by going to www.relayforlife.org/calpolyca.

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Word on the Street

“Will you attend the magic show at Chumash?”

Compiled and photographed by Jessica Barba “Yes. I do like magic my brother used to do tricks when I was younger” -Courtney Mahaffey, kinesiology junior

“Probably, seems like it would be fun. I had a magic kit when I was younger.

State

National

International

WALNUT CREEK (MCT) — Capleton, 42, whose real name is Clifton George Bailey III, has been under increasing fire for his lyrics of late, which have quoted as saying that gays and lesbians should be killed.

“Yow, string dem up and hang dem up alive,” he sings in one song, according to the group Stop Murder Music, which protests artists that it says malign gay and lesbians. Capleton has had shows canceled in Arcata and San Luis Obispo because of protests against his lyrics, the group says.

Capleton’s manager told the Reporter that the singer does not advocate killing or hurting gays, and that his Biblical/Rastafarian beliefs are being misinterpreted.

WASHINGTON (MCT) — Decrying shortcomings of the No Child Left Behind Act, President Barack Obama on Monday pledged to make American students more competitive in the global economy by encouraging higher state standards for primary and secondary education.

Students in the United States lag by several crucial measures, Obama told a gathering of the nation’s governors at the White House, with eighthgraders ranking ninth in the world in math and 11th in science.

Obama told the governors that a mishmash of standards may make some states look better, but that is “not going to help our students keep up with their global competitors.”

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.

(MCT) — A convicted sex offender who poses as a friar to gain people’s trust is back behind bars after he allegedly molested another teenage boy.

Anthony Thomas Falco, 72, was booked into San Mateo County Jail on Monday morning on 16 counts of committing lewd or lascivious acts on a child younger than 14 years old and one charge that he failed to register as a sex offender, a jail official said.

A decade ago, Falco was convicted of molesting a 15-year-old Aptos, Calif., boy. Falco had come to Santa Cruz County in the late 1990s and duped local Catholics into believing he belonged to a nonexistent New York state brotherhood of monks.

WASHINGTON (MCT) — A 22-year-old Madison Avenue man has been charged with felony animal cruelty after a police officer allegedly spotted him torching the carcass of a cat police say he later admitted to having drowned in his bathtub.

Police were patrolling a neighborhood when they spotted a fire in a vacant lot. They then discovered a dead cat aflame inside paper and plastic bags.

Capen admitted to having held the cat by its hind legs and drowned it in his bathtub after having adopted it several days ago.

In addition to animal cruelty, Capen is charged with torturing the dead cat, a misdemeanor.

KABUL (MCT) — The U.S. military plans to spend more than $600 million to build nearly 200 police stations for the Afghan National Police over the next year. The massive investment in the Afghan police comes as the Obama administration intends to build the force up to 160,000 policemen by 2013.

At about $6 million a police station, the structures will look scarcely like your standard neighborhood precinct.

According to U.S. Corps of Engineers designs, most of the police stations will have a barbedwire perimeter. The walls and roofs will be built with reinforced concrete.

The Corps of Engineers commander insists the design of the stations strikes a balance: Leave the Afghan police with fortified bases, but not so fortified that police officers will be cordoned off from local citizens.

•••

-Krys Wood, animal science junior

“I would but I have class.”

-Jason Morgan, physics freshman

“I have a lot of homework this quarter so I don’t think I can, but it does sound interesting.”

-Camry Hasking, political science sophomore

“I would totally love to go. I was definitely into the fantasy stuff when I was younger.”

-Brigit Howley, civil engineering sophomore

“Maybe well see how tired I am.

I really enjoy the magic stuff on Arrested Development” -Jason Coontz, environmental engineering junior

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Briefs

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•••

KABUL (MCT) — American-led efforts to avert civilian deaths in the war against the Taliban suffered a new blow over the weekend when a NATO airstrike in southern Afghanistan killed about two dozen civilians.

U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal said the attack Sunday was likely to shake public confidence.

tuesday, february 23, 2010

arts & Entertainment editor: cassandra keyse

Soup and Substance discusses Magician Daniel Martin to mystify alternative career choices in Chumash Daniel Triassi mustang daily

Two Cal Poly staff members and an alumnus will share their views on alternative careers as a part of the Soup and Substance series today.

The event “Not Your Typical 9-5,” will feature a presentation about career paths followed by a question period, said Michelle Fox, student coordinator for Soup and Substance and social sciences junior.

Many students aren’t aware of the opportunities in their field after graduation, Fox said.

“For an engineer, sometimes they don’t realize there is more out there, like Engineers Without Borders, to help use their skills to put together other opportunities,” she said.

Fox expects around 30 to 40 people to attend and the event will offer warm bowls of vegetarian chili and a baked potato bar.

This is the third Soup and Sub-

stance event of winter quarter and seventh of the school year.

Eric Veium, an industrial engineering alumnus, will be one of the speakers. He will talk about his involvement with Transition California.Transition California aims to shape the future through localized food, sustainable energy sources and resilient local economies.

“In the next 10 years, the world we live in will look dramatically different,” he said. “The work I will be talking about and the work I do isn’t about new products, but about looking at how we make our communities more resilient.”

Veium also stressed the importance of how many diverse jobs and companies are out there, and how much students can do.

“An attitude at Cal Poly is the jobs you can get are the ones at the career fair,”Veium said.

Jesse Torrey, AmeriCorps coordinator for Cal Poly, will discuss AmeriCorps as another avenue to gain experience and break into a career. Torrey is responsible for re-

cruiting and placing people with local and national nonprofit groups.

Through AmeriCorps, students often find their career paths, Torrey said.

“In this economy, it’s difficult to find your dream job right away,” she said. “AmeriCorps is an opportunity to get your feet wet in the real world, you can feel you are making a difference without having to commit long-term to something.”

Charlotte Rinaldi, a career counselor, is the third speaker. She plans to discuss the difference between looking for a job and looking for a way of life.

“I want people to know there’s someone who can help them sift through (finding a job) and find a unique fit, not your typical Craigslist jobs,” she said.

Rinaldi will also speak about résumés and show effective examples.

The Soup and Substance presentation is free and will start at 11 a.m. in University Union Room 220.

Erin Hurley mustang daily

Magician Daniel Martin will bring magic, escapes and comedy to Chumash Auditorium from 8 to 10 tonight.

Martin is a nationally known magician who blends impressive magic with a humorous and sarcastic attitude. Martin’s illusions have been featured on major news channels like CBS, NBC and ESPN. In 2009, Martin was nominated for Best Male Performer, Newest Rising Star, Best Live Novelty Performer and Entertainer of the Year

by Campus Activities Magazine, a national publication dedicated to campus entertainment.

Many colleges have been delighted by Martin’s performances according to the Web site for Bass Schuler Entertainment, an agency that provides entertainment to college campuses and the agency that handles Martin’s national col-

lege tour. Methodist University in North Carolina said, “Daniel’s show was a laugh-out loud, jawdropping performance that left us wanting more. It is a must-see performance for all college campuses!” Northern Arizona University said that Martin gave an “amazing show, the crowd loved it, can’t wait to have Daniel back!”

Martin said that college students are the perfect demographic for his shows.

“There’s no fooling college kids with cheesy magic tricks. They’re a very honest and cool group, and I think I really identify with them,” Martin said. “This show is going to be hilarious and really amazing.

It’s totally different from the cookie-cutter magic shows that people might be used to.”

Associated Students Inc. (ASI) is responsible for bringing Martin to Cal Poly. Courtney Serafin, ASI see Magician, page 8

courtesy photo

Magician Daniel Martin brings his act to Chumash Auditorium tonight after performing at college campuses across the country.

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Arts

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“Just Jazz” keeps audience clappin’ and toes tappin’

courtesy photo

Arts editor: Cassandra Keyse mustangdailyarts@gmail.com

Speaker combines feminism with Jewish thought Zach Lantz mustang daily

Local author Heather Mendel discussed spirituality and feminism in the search for God during a preview of her recent book Thursday at the Performing Arts Center.

She was invited by the Religious Studies program to preview “Following in the Footsteps of Eve: Retrieving The Healing Gift Of The Sacred Feminine For The Human Family

The four jazz ensembles combined to entertain 400 audience members in Harmon Hall Saturday night.

Raquel Redding mustang daily

The Cal Poly jazz ensemble reinvigorated old jazz music with improvisation and new sound at their concert in Harman Hall at the Performing Arts Center Saturday night.

The two-hour concert had both entertainment and humor from forgotten music.

Paul Rinzler, director of “Just Jazz,” said the concert was a fresh approach to jazz. Rinzler is also the director of the jazz studies department.

“The concert has been this generation’s look at America’s greatest musical form,” Rinzler said. “A combination of the new generation’s look and the previous generation’s and what they already accomplished.”

The concert was split into four ensembles, all parts playing some form of jazz to entertain the 400 people in the audience.

“If someone’s clapping, it means they appreciate you, and that is never a bad thing,” he said. “I could

tell from the beginning of the night when (the audience) clapped that they were getting into the music.”

The second ensemble performed four songs that ranged from a “Haitian Fight Song” to a different play on the classic “Bye Bye Blackbird.”

The band had accompaniment from agriculture business senior Josh Little, who sang Frank Sinatra’s part in “The Best is Yet to Come.”

The rest of the 17 members in the band tapped their feet to the beat.

Next, the Friday Combo came on the stage consisting of five males.

Aerospace engineering senior Bill Sorenson introduced each song and informed the audience he was stalling while chemical engineering senior Bret Bailey found his music. After a little while, he gave up on locating the music while Sorenson told the crowd, “What the hell, we’re going to try it.” That performance went on without any noticeable hitches as Bailey read Sorenson’s music.

When the Friday Combo came to their last song, “Not Yet,” the see Jazz, page 8

“Dropping in and out of reality”

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Through Myth And Mysticism.”

As a child born into a South African Jewish family, she experienced apartheid and a racist government. Later in life she moved to America and became a feminist.

Religious studies professor and program adviser Stephen Lloyd-Moffett said her style is what makes her a Theisms club favorite.

“She’s a 4-foot-11, South African Jewish feminist with pockets full of rhetorical pistols and a tongue made entirely of fire,” he said. “We consider her part of our family here at Cal Poly.”

Mendel argued for the need to read between the lines of religious texts. She spoke of Judaism’s Torah, also known as Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy in the Old

Testament. Mendel said a less literal interpretation of this ancient Jewish story would shed light on traditional gender roles.

“We can visualize a better world than the one we’ve got now by going to the biblical stories, looking what’s on the surface and looking w h a t ’s

people, especially growing up in a sort of Christian society. We tend to think, ‘What did God mean by this?’ and that’s our role,” he said. “What she wants to do is stabilize that. She wants to say, ‘What could God mean by this? What are all the different meanings that God could entail?’”

In her argument rt ewsa for the respect of en r i agu different perspecry m bar tives, Mendel gave her own creation story that included Adam and Eve, but was differed from the one found in Genesis.

Mendel presented it as though human kind made progress due to Eve’s curiosity, intuition and ultimately her decision to eat the forbidden fruit. From the traditional perspective, Mendel said the female gender has been unfairly victimized due to Western society’s literal interpretation of this account.

“Not to say people who read the Bible literally are wrong, they’re evil, they’re bad. No. They are answering the call below t h e from their own hearts surface and seeing to do things on a literal how we can comlevel,” she said. bine them,” Mendel Political science said. junior Amy Hart Lloyd-Moffett said diwas intrigued by verse perspectives are hard to Mendel’s talk and glad grasp in Western culture. to hear her viewpoint.

“What she’s saying is that “She had a really good perthere isn’t one interpretation, spective on the Adam and Eve and that’s what is hard for most see Speaker, page 8

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Arts

sex & dating column

Why we don’t actually f*ck like bunnies

Slutty behavior is pretty normal for us.

Human beings are animals and our animal nature compels us to make as many damn babies as possible. Whether or not having a baby with that particular orifice is possible doesn’t matter much to us, as long as it feels good. And yet most of my classes are uninterrupted by spontaneous sex.

It’s not because we don’t feel like having sex, it’s because we don’t want to have sex in front of people.

Although most of us recognize that sex is great, it is still seen as a shameful activity.

From a young age, we were taught that there were parts of our body that we shouldn’t talk about, touch in public, or show to our Aunt Kayla. It just wasn’t polite; it was dirty. Why the “dirty” stigma?

Well, bluntly, most of our excretion comes from that region somehow, so it probably isn’t very healthy to rub it on whatever you want. But then again, our mouths and noses are pretty nasty too and we say hello with one of them.

I do have the feeling that the associations with uncleanliness are

related to sex, or at least the adult perspective of it. I don’t think that I have to explain why pedophilia is wrong. Before puberty, we just aren’t interested in having sex, so whether we have pants on doesn’t really matter all that much. However, it matters to adults who are afraid of being mistaken for pedophiles, which could be why people work so hard to instill modesty in kids at a young age. After all, there is no get-out-ofjail-free card.

So we’re taught to keep ourselves under wraps, and not just physically.

We could get through elementary school without knowing what sex is.

Sex-ed classes are awkward because previously forbidden knowledge is suddenly offered to students. In addition, no matter how liberal your parents are, they probably cringe at the slightest hint that you have sex (but then again, we do the same to them).

And of course, there’s the festive cheer of “Get a room.” No other animal on earth ever gets a room.

We are a special species — we know shame.

The idea that sex should not take place in public is so ingrained in our

Jazz

said the names Wednesday and Friday are given merely because those are the days when the bands meet.

Wednesday and Friday both had five male members, but this time instead of a trumpet there was a guitar.

After the three songs, the Wednesday combo exited the stage as the first ensemble came on. The group began to sit down when one of the saxophone players, electrical engineering senior Chris Nguyen quickly left his seat to run backstage. After all 16 performers sat down, Nguyen came running out

continued from page 7

audience was informed that it was composed by the pianist, music senior Steve Carlton. Rinzler had asked Carlton if the piece was done, to which he replied, “Not yet.”

Carlton said that the performance was great, even though he admitted he couldn’t hear the band most of the time.

The concert picked up again with Wednesday Combo after a 15-minute intermission. Carlton

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

society, that it is almost hard to understand. Most laws against public indecency say that such acts could be offensive to bystanders, although the rarity (because of the laws) probably make it more surprising than anything else.

More accurately, when observers witness sex (or even just too much PDA), it brings back the feelings of shame we’ve been trained to feel. So public sex is wrong because we feel that it’s wrong. That makes sense.

So what does this have to do with you? Well, without the silencing of sex by society, there would be a lot more sex to be had. People don’t have sex in the middle of a lecture because they don’t want to be judged. Even though you may not know anyone personally, they all go to school here and it’s not a huge campus. And the Internet is swiftly making it impossible to get away from anything; even if you moved away from San Luis Obispo in shame, there would be videos on the Internet in less than an hour, just waiting to be discovered by your parents.

Things are, slowly, getting better, unless your definition of better means “without all of that horrible sex.” Ever since the ‘60s, society has been more and more comfortable talking about sex. We may never get to the point where people actually are doing it class, but perhaps in a few decades people won’t stress out so much about sex. It’s perfectly natural after all. And a lot more fun than taking notes.

Anthony Rust is a biological sciences junior and Mustang Daily sex columnist.

only to drop his sheet music all over the stage. Giving a bow, he grabbed his music and sat down in his seat while the audience clapped.

Rinzler noticed Nguyen was gone from his seat and said later that although it was not the best thing to forget music, it turned out fine.

“I was proud that he then turned it into something funny when he took that bow,” Rinzler said. “That’s what happens when you improvise.

If you make a mistake, you have to make something out of it somehow.

He’s got that improvisatory spirit in him.”

Magician continued from page 6

special events student supervisor, organized the event.

“We had another magician, Justin Credible, here last year and it went really well, so we really wanted to have a similar show this year,” she said.

Serafin has watched Martin’s promotional videos and said that tonight’s show is specifically geared toward entertaining college-level students.

“It’s not your usual pull-a-

Speaker continued from page 7

story that people don’t get to hear a lot, and it offered a kind of feminist approach that a lot of people aren’t open very much. So I’m glad people got the chance to hear that perspective,” she said.

Lloyd-Moffett said the way she explained her theology in a story that included spirituality and meaning resonates with our culture.

“It’s great, because in the West we rarely think in terms of stories. We want things broken down into logical progressions,” he said. “What she just did was tell a whole story that had an entire theology behind it that made us think.”

Mendel said change can start with a new perception on gender roles. “(It’s time) to put men in touch with the intuitive sides of themselves, with that unconditional love that’s within them

Nguyen went on to have a solo battle with the other tenor saxophone, Sorenson, showing both of their improvisational skills.

The concert ended with a quick song called “Rompe Caberas,” an upbeat arrangement by Matt Harris. Concert-goers and parents of the accompanying singer Rachel Malinowski, Carol and Mark Malinowski said that their favorite number was “Rombe Caberas,” because it was different.

“It made me want to dance. I loved it,” Carol Malinowski said.

Dance-ability is a big part of the

rabbit-out-of-the-hat show,” she said. “He does a lot of stand-up comedy as well and really interacts with the audience.”

Students are also excited about the upcoming show.

“When I first heard about a magician coming to campus, I wasn’t too excited, but he really sounds cool,” child development sophomore Lexi Hrinko said. “I think he’ll be really entertaining, even for college students.”

More information about Daniel Martin and his nationwide tour can be found on his Web site at http://www.martinmagic.com.

as well as women,” she said. “For men to become more gentle, for women to become more powerful, for women to take a stand as to who they are, not to accept being put down by learning about all the things that we have. To stop worrying about the differences between men and women.”

jazz ensemble’s performances since they regularly play for swing dances, according to the jazzbands.com Web site.

One of the house managers for the Performing Arts Center, Nan Hamilton, said that she was surprised that more people didn’t come, since the bands are so talented.

“They have the best energy. The town doesn’t know what they are missing in these concerts,” she said.

“It amazes me that there are this many people that are not music majors that can play this quality of music.”

opinion/editorial Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Editor in chief: Emilie Egger Managing Editor: Alex Kacik

mustang daily The voice of Cal Poly since 1916

mustangdaily@gmail.com

www.mustangdaily.net

9

Winter Olympics struggle to capture public attention On Feb. 12, the 2010 Winter Olympics kicked off in Vancouver.

For an event that comes around every four years, these Olympics are missing a major buzz due to a lack of noticeable headliners and other sports grabbing attention away from the games.

With no major stars such as Michael Phelps, the Winter Olympics strug-

themselves.

Sure, there are always a couple of feel-good stories that emerge from every Olympics, but those stories are not enough to consistently draw fans back night after night. Today, people can watch highlights on ESPN or other networks that recap all the day’s events without having to sit

proud to host the games and want to showcase their country and athletes. Canadians are passionate fans who are excited to see their country bring home the medals.

The problem with the Olympics is that people do not see the importance of the games. In earlier years, the Olympics brought people and even countries together such as the 1980 “miracle on ice” during the

tory. But hockey only rates as the fourth or fifth most popular sport in the United States, so it is difficult to imagine more fans tuning into the event.

One aspect that might benefit these games is the location of Vancouver in the Pacific Time Zone, which will allow people i n the United

steve ansul newsart

gle to capture Americans’ attention. In fact, the Winter Olympics are using Phelps to help promote the games by showing him swimming to Vancouver in a Subway commercial. I mean, the Vancouver games cannot even find their own stars to help showcase the event.

Instead, the American public is grabbed by the NFL and NBA where the recent Super Bowl or LeBron James draw thousands of fans and bring in millions of dollars for the respective leagues.

Also compounding the problems is very few people know about the athletes competing this year. The “Flying Tomato” Shaun White and Apolo Ohno are probably the most recognizable names, but cannot carry the games by

letters

to the editor

S o y milk should be free When I drink milk, I get the runs.

It's always been that way. But I'm not the only one — lactose intolerance affects a lot of people. So when we gastronomically challenged folks get our morning coffee, many of us put soy milk in it. However, Julian's and Campus Market both charge extra for soy milk- even if it's just the tablespoon or so I stir into my Fair Trade once a day. This 40-cent surcharge is not only exorbitant, it's discriminatory; those who enjoy skim or whole milk in their drink don't pay a cent extra. "Well," explains the put-out seeming barista when, outraged, I demand a reason for such seemingly unAmerican taxation, “Soy milk costs much more so we have to charge you a fee.” However, after a quick chat

through the full coverage. Who wants to watch night after night of NBC’s coverage, which always seems to drag on?

According to a Los Angeles Times article by Meg James, General Electric Corporation, which owns NBC Universal who broadcasts the games, said the corporation will lose a projected $250 million on the Winter Olympics this year.

Vancouver will see a boost in tourism with around 350,000 visitors expected at the games according to NBC. Most Canadians are

with the dairy department supervisor at our local Vons, I found out that soy milk in fact costs quite a bit less than half-and-half, which is also provided at no extra charge in both Julian's and Campus Market. So here's my challenge to you, Cal Poly Coffee Cartel: start serving needs of the whole community, not just the iron-stomached.

Those of us who are lactose intolerant demand equal opportunity to flavor our coffee as we see fit without paying through the nose for it.

Jonathan Bartel University Writing Lab 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.

C o l d War when the American hockey team beat the heavily favored Soviet Union. The tradition and history of the Olympics remains, but the impact is not as profound since people are focused on other issues such as economic troubles or the War on Terror.

There always are favorite events people will tune into such as figure skating or, my own personal favorite, the men’s hockey tournament.

But unless you are an avid hockey fan, such as myself, you probably do not care that this hockey tournament might be the best in his-

States to view more events live. Also, the Winter Olympics should benefit from the increased popularity of the Winter X-Games on ESPN. The X-Games, which lasted from Jan. 28 through Jan. 31, attracted more than 43 million viewers for the event according to an ESPN article. Perhaps the same viewership will tune in to witness skiing sensation Lindsey Vonn fly through the air during the Olympics.

After opening ceremonies commenced, the world claimed to be united through the games, but how many people will tune in and care what happens afterward?

Patrick Leiva is a journalism ju-

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Angels continued from page 12

who is in the Hall of Fame, or the next guy who sweeps the floors there.

Last season, Wood hit .293 with 22 home runs and 72 RBIs in 99 games for Salt Lake. He hit .195 with one home run and struck out 19 times in 41 at-bats with the Angels.

Wood says he saw Scioscia a few

11

mustang daily

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 days ago, but there was no closeddoor session, no litany of expectations or even a discussion of what it will take to fill Figgins' shoes.

"I didn't expect a phone call this off-season, nor any meeting to talk about it," Wood says. "I know where I stand. I know what Scioscia stands for, how he thinks and what he wants. I just have to play good, play hard and stay focused. We'll see what that brings."

Scioscia says, "We're real comfortable that Brandon is going to do what we've seen him do in the

Anna Cahn Named Pitcher of the Week mustang daily staff report

mustangdaily.net y always something new.

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video

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Three games into the season, junior left-hander Anna Cahn is in midseason form.

Cahn (2-0) recorded 0.47 aggregate ERA in three appearances and held opposing batters to a .160 batting average on her way to earning Big West Conference Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday afternoon.

The Cal Poly softball team (2-1) followed Cahn to a pair of victories at the UCLA-hosted Stacy Winsberg Memorial Invitational this weekend.

During Cal Poly’s seasonopening contest against Portland State, Cahn — the reigning Big West Pitcher of the Year — struck out five batters, yielded three hits and allowed just one Viking past second base through eight innings. The Mustangs secured a 1-0 victory during the bottom of the eighth as freshman first baseman Dana Perez scored freshman rightfielder Rebecca Patton with a sacrifice fly.

The following afternoon, Cahn tossed a complete-game four-hitter without allowing a walk as Cal Poly trumped Portland State, 6-0.

Cahn, who capped Cal Poly’s scoring in the seventh with a two-run homer, struck out three Vikings and faced just one hitter over the minimum through the initial three

innings.

Offensively, Cahn paced Cal Poly at the Winsberg Invitational with a .625 batting average, a 1.000 slugging percentage, a .667 on-base percentage and eight total bases.

Monday’s honor was the sixth of Cahn’s career and the first weekly award for a Mustang this season.

The Mustangs continue action on Friday, at the Cathedral City Classic, hosted by Oregon State.

break

minor leagues and be a big part of our club."

If nothing else, Wood has a home-court advantage at Tempe's spring camp. He grew up in Scottsdale and lives nearby, as do his parents, Kerry and Jill, and his sister, Lyndsey Huff, mother of Grace, age 3.

"Ah, Grace. Talk about a fireball," Wood says.

They'll all be there, rooting and hoping, as will dozens of old high school friends.

"Those guys will be there, every day, booing me, no matter what I do," Wood says, laughing.

He says he is ready, is grateful for the chance, even though he will miss Figgins and what he brought to the Angels, as both a player and teammate. He says he has been around long enough, and been in enough major league games, for things to be slowing down now for him to the point where he can act, rather than just react.

"This is a real process, and sometimes you don't appreciate or understand that when you are younger," Wood says. "When I hit those 43 homers in '05, it was a level where I'd just go up there and get the kind of pitches where I'd figure I'll either strike out or hit a home run.

"I don't think I even saw a twoseamer until double-A and a cutter until triple-A." Now, if things go as Scioscia and the Angels expect, Wood will be seeing, on a daily basis, the likes of John Lackey, CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera.

Wood says he's ready. The Angels are hoping.

It's time.

s gs ow blo esh slid dio au

mcclatchy-tribune

Third baseman Chone Figgins signed with the Mariners in December.

He had a .283 batting average in eight seasons with the Angels.

sports

mustangdaily.net Tuesday, February 23, 2010

SPORTS

sports editor: Brian De Los Santos

mustangdailysports@gmail.com

MUSTANG DAILY

Wrestling strives for Pac-10 Championship at Davis Jessica Barba mustang daily

Cal Poly men’s wrestling team focuses on winning as a team rather than winning individual titles.

After coming close to the Pac-10 Conference Championship the past two years, the Mustangs (8-4, 5-2 Pac-10) look to complete the final step of their season goal — winning a conference championship.

The team has been ranked as one of the top 20 teams in the nation for various weeks this season. Currently three Mustangs are nationally ranked. Assistant coach Mark Perry said that the team feels no outside pressure and remains focused as the competition nears.

“We are a program that is sneaking up on people because we have been under the radar. We have never won the Pac-10 championship, and (we) can make history in the next eight days,” Perry said.

Azevedo said he can empathize with his players’ mentality. As a member of the Olympic 1980 freestyle wrestling team, he said he can understand their emotions just before a championship match. He plans to support his team no matter the outcome of the Pac-10 championship.

“It is way harder to be a coach then a competitor. As a player, you tend to focus on yourself and your own personal wins. Now as a coach, every win and every loss you’re feeling it and it is intense,” Avezedo said.

ryan sidarto mustang daily file photo

After falling to Oregon State, Cal Poly rebounded to defeat UC Davis in its final match of the regular season.

The mentality of the team also changed this season as they focused on dual meets building up to the championship. They have helped the wrestlers build the confidence they need before getting on the mat, Avezedo said. The Mustangs’

win against then No.8 Missouri was monumental for the team.

“Beating Missouri set the tone for the season; we were in their place and beating them. It was a huge team binding moment for the team especially when you win when

it seems like you’re not supposed to,” Avezedo said.

The Missouri meet made the team feel like a family, said senior Chase Pami, who is ranked No. 11 in the nation.

Looking back at his senior year,

Pami said he is proud to have been a part of the program and a team of talented wrestlers. Pami sat out and struggled in some of his early matches due to broken ribs, but that time on the sidelines let him support his teammates and reflect on his own career, he said.

“I’ve seen the program grow and there were a lot of expectations. Going into this year as a team was exciting to see the program grow, and it was just the coolest thing at looking back at what happened,” Pami said.

As an NCAA All-American and a two-time Pac-10 champion, Pami said that his performance during the upcoming championship helped the team garner more attention to gather funds to endow the program.

“I want to be the first national champion that the coach has had within the past several years. By doing that you can really help the program as a whole,” Pami said.

Heading back to the Pac-10 Championship is bittersweet for Cal Poly junior Boris Novachkov who placed third in the individual portion of the competition last year and is now ranked eighth in the country.

“I’ve always been competitive.

I’ve been working hard for 10 years,” Novachkov said. “I took third last time and now want to win it. You can always improve, and now I feel like this is the time.”

Cal Poly will compete in the Pac-10 Conference Championship this weekend at UC Davis.

Angels’ infielder Brandon Wood gets his opportunity Bill Dwyre los angeles times

The power-hitting infielder Brandon Wood for the Angels will turn 25 in seven days. He begins spring training Tuesday with a new beginning, not merely a new season. Chone Figgins is gone, off to the Seattle Mariners with his career contract in his pocket.

Wood isn't looking so much for a career contract as he is a career.

Figgins' third-base spot is open and Wood gets to be first in line.

His approach to this opportunity will be music to the ears of Manager Mike Scioscia, the Angels' master of the blue-collar approach to life and baseball. Work hard, think about team first, be patient and your name will turn up every day on Scioscia's lineup card. It also helps if you bat .300 and hit 20 home runs.

"I know, on the Angels, no job is just given to you," Wood says.

Scioscia says the same thing, just in different words.

"Every young player has to have a sense of urgency," he says, "and apply himself and get after it and know that it's his window."

It's not exactly now or never for Wood, but with the Angels, you can see it from there.Wood is out of options, so he isn't coming to spring training in Tempe, Ariz., with a fallback plan, namely triple-A Salt Lake City. He has been there, done that.

Matter of fact, he has done the minor leagues since 2003, always in the Angels organization.

Nice time. Had fun. Time to move up.

The nicest time for Wood was 2005, when he hit 43 home runs at Rancho Cucamonga and shared minor league player-of-the-year honors with Rancho teammate and current Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick. Kendrick hit .384 that year and Wood, in addition to his 43 homers, batted .321. They played for the Class-A Quakes, at a stadium named the Epicenter, and they were twin temblors.

That year was enough to whet the appetite of hard-core Angels fans, not to mention hard-core Angels brass. Wood was mostly a shortstop then, and the thought of a shortstop with that kind of power made lots of people around Anaheim giddy.

But Wood's chances have been stymied by an Angels team so good

mcclatchy-tribune

Infielder Brandon Wood recorded a .286 batting average in seven seasons in the Angels’ farm system. He also hit 160 homeruns and 540 RBIs. Wood saw limited playing time for the Angels in the past three seasons. for so long that opportunity didn't knock. To date, he has played only 86 major league games, batted 224 times and hit seven home runs. His most consistent big-league success

has been getting to the airport to go back and forth between Anaheim and Salt Lake, as per Scioscia's game-by-game needs.

To date, the Angels and their fans

have seen just enough of Wood to know they need to see more. Wood might be the next Mike Schmidt, see Angels, page 11