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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 “Avenue Q” puts puppets in adult situations.

Nation’s capital legalizes same-sex marriage.

IN ARTS, 10 Volume LXXIV, Number 89

IN NEWS, 7

Men’s basketball preps for Big West tournament.

IN SPORTS, 16

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

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At least 40 killed, dozens injured Cabo San Luis fire in Iraq in attacks on election day linked to arson mustang daily staff report

mcclatchy-tribune Iraqi rescue workers and security forces used cranes and their bare hands to reach dead and wounded residents of an apartment building in Baghdad, Iraq, March 7. The building collapsed after an early-morning explosion, one of several to hit Iraq as voters headed to the polls for the parliamentary election.

Ned Parker los angeles times

BAGHDAD — Bombs and mortar shells pounded Baghdad on Sunday morning, killing at least 40 people and wounding dozens more, as Iraqis, desperate for a brighter fu-

ture, sought to cast their ballots in a crucial national election. The deadly blasts, which echoed across the capital before 7 a.m. and lasted until close to noon, threw a pall over the vote for the second four-year government since Saddam Hussein was toppled in the 2003 U.S.-led inva-

sion.

In contrast to national elections in 2005, when U.S. military vehicles patrolled Baghdad, only Iraqi army and police guarded the city on Sunday. They were unable to see Attacks, page 2

The cause of March 3 fire that destroyed the Cabo San Luis restaurant was determined to be arson last Friday.

The San Luis Obispo Fire Department conducted an investigation and after examining the “relative damage and burn patterns” on the outside wall of the restaurant, the department concluded the fire was “human-caused.”

San Luis Obispo Fire Department Investigator John Madden said there have not been any leads as to who started the fire.

“In a fire, the physical evidence is burned up,” Madden said. “The chances of finding the person responsible for this fire is up in the air.”

Madden said he has sent 23 arsonists to jail in the past 20 years, a 100 percent conviction rate.

Arson is not an uncommon crime in San Luis Obispo.

In 2008, there were 28 arson cases reported and $201,850 in damages in San Luis Obispo. In 2009, there were 47 arson cases reported and $102,550 in damages.

In the United States, there were 475 deaths and 2,000 injuries as a result of arson last year.

Arson also causes $1.4 billion dollars in property loss each year.

In addition to property dam-

ages, the costs to a business also include the loss of business profits.

Madden said Cabo San Luis will not be reopened soon.

“It will be completely torn down to the deck material,” he said.

Cabo San Luis was not the only building that received damage. Kona’s Deli had structural damage to some of the roof supports.

“Kona’s was severely damaged; they won’t be reopening in the near future,” property manager Dan Rutledge said.

The fire also damaged Architects Corner, a new shop that was set to open its doors this week. Additionally, a few other vacant businesses received some damage.

SLO Textbooks and Rock & Roll Hair Salon reopened for business yesterday. Rutledge said the burned areas were fenced off, but the buildings and parking lots were open.

The fire was started around 4 a.m. on Thursday. Firefighters spent hours putting out the flames and secured the site during the afternoon. A few minutes after the fire crews arrived on scene, part of the roof fell in on Cabo San Luis and a carbon dioxide tank exploded. The cause of the fire was unknown for two days until the fire department finished its investigation.

Megan Hassler contributed to this report.

Ombudsman serves as confidential outlet for concerns Sean Hanrahan mustang daily

In the aftermath of the crops house incident at Cal Poly, students congregated at a forum to openly discuss the tensions stirring on and off campus. Cal Poly President Warren Baker said there might not have been adequate channels to address or voice student concerns, even to communicate frustrations. Baker said he wanted to establish a platform to help students navigate through to find their way.

“When you don’t know where to go or who to ask, we are your resource,” said David Conn, associate vice president for Inclusive Excellence and director of ombuds services at Cal Poly, one of many ombuds programs that exist with-

in education systems and business models around the world.

Cal Poly’s Ombuds Services is now open for students to voice ideas, disputes and frustrations in a confidential and informal setting.

Essentially, the ombuds initiative responds to Baker’s trepidation in theory, though no students have been counseled yet.

Patricia Ponce, associate ombuds, is stationed at the helm of the ombuds services. Available to walk-ins and by appointment, Ponce will be the person working with students before referring the issue to another department or individual with the student’s consent. Her office, located in Robert E. Kennedy Library, works in tandem with the president’s office.

National ombuds come from

many backgrounds: student development, counseling, educational, legal and mediation to name just a few.

“I attended a week-long training from the International Ombuds Association and possess a bachelor’s degree in social work, two master’s: one in counseling and the other in education and a Ph.D. in education concentrating in higher education from UCLA,” Ponce said.

Ombuds adhere to four foundational principles: independence, confidentiality, impartiality and informality. Ombuds services, belonging to the International Ombudsman Association, take confidentiality very seriously.

But there are limits. Of course, if students disclose information that could bring harm to themselves or

anyone else, authorities would be notified.

“If you admitted that you sliced your roommate’s tires because of a conflict, that would not violate the confidentiality agreement,” Ponce said. “I wouldn’t need to contact anyone.”

Administrative officials expect student confusion on how ombuds differ from a college counselor or advisor.

“The ombuds office is a place where students can go to get assistance to resolve conflicts, personal or academic,” Ponce said.

A Swedish word, ‘ombudsman’ means a representative. But Cal Poly ombuds, the gender-neutral term adopted, will neither investigate nor exercise any authority. see Ombudsman, page 2

The ombuds office is a place where students can go to get assistance to resolve conflicts, personal or academic.

—Patricia Ponce Associate ombuds

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News editor: Kate McIntyre mustangdailynews@gmail.com

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Ombudsman

Attacks

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continued from page 1

“We don’t keep any individual records, but in the first instance, we would help the personal grievance by seeing if there is anything we can do, for example, look at free speech or an academic policy,” Conn said. “It’s a relatively obscure position but becoming more and more common.”

Cal Poly had an ombuds program more than 11 years ago. It served only staff and faculty at that time. In 1999, Sean Banks, university ombudsman, left Cal Poly to work at the University of California, Los Angeles’s ombudsman office. He is now Director of RESOLVE and company ombuds for the Shell Oil Company.

Cal Poly has referenced other ombuds programs’ structures and philosophies to design one that works best for its community.

“It’s a lot like earthquake planning,” Conn said. “Not thought of until something happens.”

No paper trail will exist except for a short form that includes a student’s area of study, gender, type of issue and other statistical data to provide trend information for the president’s office to make changes and react accordingly. Because confidentiality is vital to the operation of this service, some offices, like the University of California, Santa Barbara, ombuds don’t even correspond through e-mail, as it is not considered a confidential medium.

Administrators expect ombuds services to exist for at least a twoyear trial period. Currently, the program is inadequately funded, Conn told the Associated Student Inc. Board of Director at a recent board meeting.

With Baker retiring and a new candidate taking office in the near future, “It’s conceivable that a new president could throw (the ombuds program) out,” Conn said.

“But most likely, they would give it a chance.”

prevent insurgents from launching their fusillades, which appeared to unnerve some voters and dissuade many from heading to the polls in the morning, according to Hamdiya Husseini, a spokesperson for Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission.

Later in the day, voter turnout rose markedly, Husseini said. Still, the subdued scene at the polls stood in sharp contrast to 2005 when the capital’s voting centers were clogged with people. No turnout figures were expected before Monday and electoral commission members cautioned it would take time to announce official results.

The election has been considered a crucial milestone for U.S. military plans to withdraw all its combat troops — 50,000 of them — from Iraq by the end of August.

The day’s mix of death and quiet heroism, as Iraqis headed to the polls, said much about the country’s uncertain future as the Americans prepare to leave.

About 6,200 candidates were competing for 325 parliament seats but initial results are not expected for several days.

What seemed clear among ordinary Iraqis was impatience with the status quo and a wish to improve their lot by choosing a government that would not be marred by the types of deadlocks, corruption and paralysis of its predecessor.

This appeared to motivate many to vote despite the dangers.

None interviewed, whether Sunni or Shiite, seemed to have a ready answer about what would happen if their demand for an effective government was not met.

Abu Mustapha, 35, had been awoken by the sound of an explosion knocking down a building in the Ur neighborhood. He soon learned a local vegetable seller, named Sadiq, and his wife and children were among those buried under the jagged heaps of rubble.

Despite the attack, he headed to cast his ballot.

News

He came back home, his finger dipped in dark ink, as women in veils sobbed and, in the back of an ambulance, the foot of a dead child peeked out.

“Let them do attacks. For seven years we suffered death,” said Mustapha, who voted for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. “I am optimistic. The government will be formed and control the situation.”

A few blocks away in Ur, another explosion tore down a second apartment building. Police put the death toll from the two attacks at 25. At the second location, a woman in a dark black robe wailed for her mother, who died in the rubble.

“My mother! My mother! This is

voters began arriving at the polls.

Many vowed to vote for the former prime minister Ayad Allawi, who headed a list of Sunni and Shiite secular candidates.

“For four years, we have seen nothing. There is progress, but not what we want,” said a woman named Umm Mustapha, who, like other voters, ventured out despite the bomb-backed threats of insurgents.

The Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella militant group that includes al-Qaida in Iraq, had papered Sunni Arab neighborhoods with fliers threatening death to those who voted. The militants hoped to discredit the country’s still-young democracy

These terrorists don’t want Iraq to be stable and safe, but despite that we went to the polls and voted.

—Umm Mada Iraqi woman

what we get from this government,” she screamed, dropping to the grassy divider in the middle of the street.

She punched her own face and started to run toward the wreckage before a policeman blocked her.

Two women watched from behind a line of humvees. They too had been knocked out of bed by the sound of the blast and had then marched to the polling station.

“These terrorists don’t want Iraq to be stable and safe, but despite that we went to the polls and voted,” said a woman, who called herself Umm Mada. “We were determined to vote.”

The two women, both of whom cast ballots for al-Maliki, raised their fingers, coated in ink. Both of them said they were sure al-Maliki’s next government would be better than the first. “Definitely one day Iraq will be stable,” Umm Mada said.

By 11 a.m., on the edge of the Adhamiya district, a steady flow of

and aggravate tensions between its Sunni minority who prospered under Saddam and the Shiite majority, which now control the levers of power.

With people seeking major improvements — whether through voting in a new al-Maliki government, with the hope he would no longer be hindered by political rivals, or selecting former prime minister Ayad Allawi — the likelihood remains the Iraqi government will continue to be plagued by deadlock and fierce rivalries.

“As to government effectiveness, my view is that the government is going to become less effective and probably somewhat more corrupt, if anything, as the U.S. presence wanes,” said Kenneth Katzman, an Iraq analyst for the Congressional Research Service.

He warned that disillusionment among Iraqis, whether Sunni or Shiite, could very well come to

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 jeopardize the democratic process.

“The scenarios are endless. You could have a scenario where a sitting prime minister morphs into a dictator by curbing freedoms and using security forces against opponents, a road al-Maliki has started to go down,” Katzman said.“You could get a vote of no confidence against a sitting PM, as was considered in 2006 and 2007 against al-Maliki, leading to a new government. You could get a situation where an insurgency continues to rage for many years, and virtually is never defeated, but is kept at bay.”

Senior Iraqi leaders have themselves expressed concern about the future. In an interview last week, Iraq’s President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, said unless Iraqis purged secret cells of Hussein’s Baath party from the army, the new order could be toppled.

“We expect a new coup d’etat.

We had a bad experience in Iraq in 1963. Baath were ousted. In 1958 they came back to power because they remained in the army. They are not believing in the democratic process; they are believing in coup-d’etat. It’s a threat,” Talabani warned.

On Sunday night, some political slates were already seeking to present themselves as the victors. Allawi warned parliament would investigate any allegations of vote-rigging.

Meanwhile, others members of his list declared they had been victorious in Baghad and several northern provinces. Before the vote, Sami Askari, a senior confidante to alMaliki, said the prime minister’s list hoped to get 100 seats in Baghdad and the Shiite south.

After results are announced, Iraqi and western officials have cautioned it could take until August before a government is formed and a prime minister selected. Iraq’s parties will bargain for positions and have to deal with thorny issues like the status of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which the Kurds want settled after years of delay.

It took a half-year to seat the alMaliki government after elections in December 2005. By then, the attack on a Shiite shrine in Samarra had tipped the country into civil war.

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Serial killer receives death sentence for third time Paloma Esquivel los angeles times

SANTA ANA, Calif. — An Orange County jury needed just a few hours Tuesday to hand down the death penalty for Rodney James Alcala, convicted Feb. 25 of murdering four Los Angeles County women and a 12-year-old girl from Huntington Beach in the late 1970s.

It was the third time Alcala, 66, has been convicted for the murder of Robin Samsoe, 12, last seen alive riding her bike to ballet class in June 1979. He had been condemned to death both times, but the convictions were overturned. He has been in custody since his 1979 arrest.

Before the third trial began in January, he was linked through DNA, blood and fingerprint evidence to the deaths of Jill Barcomb, 18, whose body was found in the Hollywood Hills; Georgia Wixted, 27, of Malibu; Charlotte Lamb, 32, of Santa Monica; and Jill Parenteau, 21, of Burbank.

During his closing arguments Tuesday, Alcala — a onetime photographer and “Dating Game” contestant who acted as his own attorney in this trial — asked jurors to spare him the death penalty, saying they would become killers themselves if they sent him to death row and arguing that the sentence would lead to decades of appeals.

By assigning the death penalty, “you become a wanna-be killer in waiting,” Alcala told jurors before playing a portion of “Alice’s Restaurant,” a rambling 18-minute Vietnam War protest song by folk singer Arlo Guthrie. In the section Alcala played, a man being drafted for war tells a military psychiatrist: “Shrink, I want to kill. I mean, I wanna, I wanna kill. Kill. I wanna, I wanna see, I wanna see blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth ... I mean kill, Kill, KILL, KILL.” As the word reverberated through the Santa Ana courtroom,

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Robert Samsoe, Robin’s brother, stood up and walked out.

Alcala remained seated while speaking to the jury during his closing. He wore the same tan sports coat he’s worn since the trial started two months ago.

He told jurors the death penalty would lead to appeals that could last another 15 or 20 years with a high probability the conviction would be reversed. A sentence of life in prison without parole “would end this matter now,” he said.

“This is probably the most important decision you will ever make,” Alcala told the jury, made up of five women and seven men. “Choose wisely.”

Earlier in the day, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy told jurors Alcala is “an evil monster” who knows how to follow the rules when he wants to and who raped and tortured his victims because he enjoyed it.

Alcala, Murphy said, is an intelligent man who grew up in a middle-class home, had a mother who loved him and had every opportunity in the world.

The prosecutor walked jurors through the defendant’s crimes, including two previous convictions for raping and beating two girls. Both victims testified during the sentencing phase.

Monique H., who was 15 when Alcala picked her up and took her to a mountainous area, told the jury last week that Alcala asked her to pose for pictures, then knocked her unconscious.

He beat, raped and sodomized her, she said.

What she described is “a vignette of everything he did to the ones that did not survive,” Murphy said. “You speak for the conscience of this community.

Hold Rodney Alcala responsible for what he did.”

News

Land mines take a toll on Colombia’s poor

chris kraul los angeles times

A manual eradication team uproots coca plants in Colombia’s Narino state in February. The number of eradicators wounded or killed by land mines quintupled in 2008 and 2009, compared with the two previous years.

Chris Kraul los angeles times

MANZANARES, Colombia — Colombia may no longer lead the world in land mine victims, but the explosives placed by antigovernment rebels are still sowing tragedy, especially among the poor peasants and ex-combatants recruited to manually eradicate coca plants.

The pain is especially acute in this small coffee-growing town in western Colombia, where recruiters for the eradication teams have focused their efforts.Ten local men have been killed and 30 wounded by mines since the program started in 2005.That’s 7 percent of the 547 residents who signed up, according to city officials.

Several victims told the Los Angeles Times last month that they have been abandoned by the national government and the private contractors hired to recruit the teams and that they receive no disability or medical benefits. City Attorney Ruben Dario Norena said their predicament places an unfair burden on the local government.

The upshot is that what once seemed a blessing to those who grabbed at the jobs as a way to double the typical farm wage of $250 a month has turned out to be a curse.

Part of the problem stems from the fact that the national government used intermediary firms to recruit and, technically, employ the workers, confusing those who want to bring grievances.

“We went in high spirits, feeling like we were doing something positive for Colombia,” said Luis Eduardo Franco, 38, who was disabled by severe back and knee injuries when a mine exploded as he cleared coca in 2006.“But since I got screwed up, the government has turned its back on me and I feel useless.”

The last two years have been especially dangerous for eradicators, with 128 killed or wounded by mines or

stray bullets. That’s nearly five times the toll of 27 killed and wounded in 2006-07, according to statistics provided by the Colombian president’s office.

Fanning out across the nation, the eradicators work in teams of 30, using long metal rods to pull up the coca bushes, whose leaves are used to produce cocaine. The ground crews complement an aerial fumigation effort. Last year, plants covering 425,000 acres were killed by aerial and manual teams in a program partially funded by the U.S. government.

Most of the land mines have been planted by the leftist rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, to protect their bases and transit routes, or in the coca fields to discourage eradication. The bombs are often tied to the plants’ roots, detonating when the plants are lifted.

The rebel group controls most of the cocaine trade from crop to export, U.S. officials say, and it plants the mines to protect its supply of coca, which is grown by farmers committed to selling to FARC labs.

“They send (the eradicators) out with an armed forces escort, which uses metal detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs to try to disarm the mines,” said Alvaro Jimenez, director of the Colombian Campaign Against Landmines, a victims advocacy group.“But obviously something is not working as well as it should.”

Army officers said the mines can be difficult to detect because they are made with plastic and wood instead of metal. The dogs are confused because the rebels disguise the smell of the explosives with materials such as coffee grounds. The FARC was taught by the Basque militant group ETA and the Irish Republican Army how to make mines from easily obtainable chemicals, the officers said.

Jimenez noted that one-third of the eradicators killed or wounded by mines were from Manzanares and

other rural parts of Caldas state, a reflection of the heavy recruiting here by the firm Empleamos and other contractors hired by the government.

One of last year’s worst explosions, in a field being cleared in Tibu in northeastern Colombia, killed three eradicators and wounded two, all from Caldas.

The discouraging situation in Manzanares contrasts with a more heartening one nationwide. Last year, the land mine toll was 632 hurt or killed, down from a record 1,178 in 2006.

Jimenez said the decline probably stemmed from more awareness thanks to education programs directed at rural residents and from fewer mines planted by the FARC in populated areas, possibly as a result of the outrage generated by the deaths of children.

Colombia now trails Afghanistan for the dubious distinction of highest number of land mine victims, according to the Geneva-based International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

Last month, the Japanese government donated two mine-clearing machines to Colombia. Each Hitachi machine, which resembles a retooled steam shovel, can clear in a day what it takes manual teams three weeks to do, Japanese Ambassador Tatsumaro Terazawa said at a ceremony at Fort Tolemaida, a military base about 60 miles south of Bogota, the capital. But the machines, which weigh several tons, are of little use to eradication teams that are sent to hilly, largely inaccessible terrain.

Terazawa said Japan had donated about 70 of the machines to governments most plagued by mines, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Angola and Afghanistan.

“We see how land mines cause so much pain and tears in this beautiful country,” Terazawa told the crowd of government and military officials at the ceremony. “We want those tears to turn to smiles again.”

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News

Briefs State

National

International

SAN LUIS OBISPO (MCT)— Local lakes continue to rise with the boost in recent rainfall.

The rain gauge at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant’s ocean lab has shown twice the amount of rainfall this year compared with the same period last year, said John Lindsey, a local forecaster and media relations representative for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. As of Friday, 16.49 inches of rain had fallen at Diablo Canyon, Lindsey said, compared to 8.18 inches as of March 5, 2009. San Luis Obispo has benefited from the winter rains because they have filled the Salinas Reservoir, one of the city’s key water supplies.

NEW YORK (MCT) — Once, it was the fastest and one of the most luxurious ocean liners in the world.

On its maiden voyage in 1952, the SS United States set a transAtlantic speed record — New York to Bishop Rock, England, in three days, 10 hours, and 40 minutes — eclipsing by 10 hours the mark set by the Queen Mary in 1938.

But for the past 14 years, the pride of a nation has gone nowhere, rusting away at a pier in South Philadelphia, a fading landmark seemingly destined for one last journey: to the scrap yard.

Its owner, Norwegian Cruise Line, which spends about $700,000 a year to moor and maintain the ship, appears ready to pull the plug.

ISRAEL (MCT) — Israel announced the construction of 1,600 homes in a settlement block in mostly Arab East Jerusalem, an open rebuff that led Biden to issue a sharply worded condemnation.

“I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in east Jerusalem,” Biden said in a statement issued by the White House.“The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I’ve had here in Israel.”

FLORIDA (MCT) — SeaWorld said Tuesday that it is reconsidering whether to keep using the 6-ton killer whale that drowned its trainer last month in performances for audiences.

In the immediate aftermath of the Feb. 24 tragedy, in which 40year-old trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed, SeaWorld said it intended to return Tilikum to shows.

But SeaWorld has subsequently decided not to make any decisions about its interactions with killer whales until it has completed an internal review of training and safety policies.

CHINA (MCT) — Chinese health minister Chen Zhu said on Monday that Indian pharmaceutical companies were “more than welcome” to sell their products in China. The Indian companies have been complaining for a long time that China did not grant enough market access.

Chen said pharmaceutical companies from developing countries like India are “more than welcome” to participate in China’s drug sector. He said Indian firms producing “non-generic and creative medicine” were leading in the developing world.

•••

LOS ANGELES (MCT)— The federal government has targeted the Los Angeles Unified School District for its first major investigation under a reinvigorated Office for Civil Rights, the Los Angeles Times has learned.

The investigation will focus on services to students learning English, who make up a third of the enrollment in the nation’s second-largest school system.

The inquiry was prompted primarily by the low academic achievement of English learners; about 3 in 100 are proficient in math and English at the high school level, federal officials said.

•••

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

State operates slots and table games

•••

mcclatchy-tribune The Boot Hill Casino in Dodge City, Kansas is the first of a kind in the country, a casino where the games are owned by the state.

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010 www.mustangdaily.net

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Wire Editor: Jessica Barba

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U.S. plans to support opposition in Iran policy Paul Richter los angeles times

WASHINGTON — After keeping a careful distance for the last year, the Obama administration has concluded that the Iranian opposition movement has staying power and has embraced it as a central element in the U.S.-led campaign to pressure the country’s clerical government.

Administration officials and some allied governments believe that a combination of domestic unrest and international sanctions targeting Iran’s Revolutionary Guard offers the best hope for forcing Tehran to yield on its nuclear program, and could even lead to a change in the government.

The administration has made the shift at a time when it is facing sharp domestic criticism over Obama’s failed initiative to launch negotiations with Iran and its perceived unwillingness to strongly back the opposition movement. Meanwhile, the protests sparked by June’s disputed presidential election in Iran grew despite a tough crackdown.

This new approach is not a sure thing: It is far from clear that squeezing the Revolutionary Guard, a sprawling military organization that has vast business interests and is close to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, would seriously damage it or strengthen the opposition, as the administration hopes. And despite high-profile encouragement

by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other U.S. officials, many opposition activists fear that Washington’s embrace will bring more harm than good.

“Just leave us alone, please,” one activist in Tehran pleaded.

Still, U.S. officials and some European allies believe that there is less downside to openly supporting the opposition now because Iran has grown more politically polarized and the opposition is under direct assault.

Clinton, visiting the Persian Gulf region last month, warned repeatedly that Iran was becoming a “military dictatorship” and tried to draw a distinction between the power structure and the protest movement,

which she said cared more about the lives of average Iranians.

“They don’t want to see sanctions,” she said of the Iranian opposition. “They don’t want to see the end to their democracy. They don’t want to see the rise of an unelected body or a non-clerical body, namely the Revolutionary Guard, assuming all of this power.”

The administration’s support for the opposition has been an issue since the June 12 presidential election. The perception of widespread electoral fraud sparked huge demonstrations against Ahmadinejad that have continued sporadically despite a violent crackdown and the imprisonment of protesters.

But the relatively poor turnout at protests on the Feb. 11 anniversary of the Islamic Revolution has raised questions about the movement’s momentum.

Whereas Clinton previously talked about “crippling” sanctions aimed broadly at the Iranian public, the administration now is pressing the U.N. Security Council for international sanctions targeting the Revolutionary Guard. The administration and its European allies appear to be gaining Russian support, but serious questions remain about China.

Separately, the Treasury Department in February slapped U.S. sanctions on some organizations and individuals tied to the Revolutionary Guard.

“Sanctions are increasingly being looked at by the administration in the context of how these measures could be potentially helpful to the cause of political reform in Iran,” said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran specialist at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Depriving the Revolutionary Guard of the ability to sign billion-dollar contracts and turning them into an international pariah would be welcomed by many democratic activists in Iran.”

Though U.S. officials have emphasized that they are not trying to overthrow the Iranian government, Vice President Joe Biden and national security adviser James L. Jones have cheered those pressing for a tougher approach by speaking publicly about the prospects for political

mcclatchy-tribune Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks at a press conference in Tehran on Feb. 16. Ahmadinejad warned that world powers would regret any moves to slap new sanctions on Iran. change.

The new approach does not include formal ties to Iranian dissidents; however, there have been intermittent contacts with some Iranians connected to the opposition.

Administration officials have urged private telecommunications companies to do what they can to enable opposition access to the Internet and other forms of communication.

Late last year, the administration spurred a change in U.S. sanctions to improve Iranians’ access to software needed for certain communication processes.

“We’re focusing now on how pressures from the outside, combined with pressure from the inside, could turn this around,” said a U.S. official who is regularly briefed on the administration’s approach.

Some reformers in Iran are fear-

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ful that the U.S. approach will bring problems.

“It puts reformist and civic activists in danger,” said Yousef Mollai, a professor of law at Tehran University and a reformist. “The Islamic Republic is waiting for any document showing covert or overt help of the U.S. to the Iranian opposition to claim, ‘Hey, look, the reformists are the paid lackeys of the U.S. administration.’ And then there will be more pretexts for arrests.”

Morad Saghafi, a social scientist and magazine editor who supports opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi, said there are “no common values shared between the Iranian opposition and the U.S. administration.

Their foreign policy in the U.S. is prioritized according to their own set of values, which are not shared here.”

A second European official ac-

knowledged that the strategy may be dangerous because of risks to the opposition.

The official, who also declined to be identified, said that it might take years for the opposition effort to yield results, while international concerns about the Iranian nuclear program are immediate.

U.S. officials and their allies believe that Iran is trying to develop expertise to build nuclear weapons, an allegation Tehran denies. A U.N. report last month said its nuclear investigators had found indications of “past or current undisclosed activities” aimed at building weapons.

As Iran has continued its enrichment efforts, there have been increased calls in Washington, including from some congressional Democrats, for the administration to step up support for political change in Iran.

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

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Obama tries to rally support for health care Peter Nicholas tribune washington bureau

GLENSIDE, Pa. — In an impassioned rally that evoked his campaign, President Barack Obama left what he called the Washington “echo chamber” Monday and urged voters to knock on doors and make phone calls to embolden members of Congress to pass heath care legislation.

Obama said Washington pundits obsessed with analyzing the political repercussions of a yes or no vote on health care are distracting lawmakers from what’s fundamentally at stake: If Congress fairs to act, the president said, premiums will rise, insurers will deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions and more people will be saddled with no insurance.

“They need to hear your voices because right now the Washington echo chamber is in full throttle,” Obama told an audience of 1,800 at Arcadia University outside Philadelphia. “It is as deafening as it’s ever been. And as we come to that final vote, that echo chamber is telling members of Congress, wait, think about the politics — instead of thinking about doing the right thing.”

Removing his suit coat, Obama spoke with an emotional intensity that one Democratic senator said had been lacking in his previous health care speeches.

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa.,

who flew up and back with the president on Air Force One, told reporters afterward: “That’s the most fiery I’ve seen him since the early campaign. When I was listening to him I wished that he had given that in the State of the Union (address in January).”

With the Democratic congressional leadership struggling to lock down votes on Capitol Hill, Obama this week is pursuing a beyondthe-Beltway strategy of marshaling grassroots support. He will also talk about health care in a visit to St. Louis on Wednesday.

One Senate Democratic aide said Obama’s out-of-town stops are helpful in that they create political space for members to cast a vote in support of the bill.

“He still has a powerful bully pulpit and he’s still our best spokesman,” the aide said.

At this late stage in the debate, influencing public opinion is no small thing. Obama has elevated health care to the top of his domestic agenda and has spent the past year attempting to pass a bill.Yet opinion polls show most people don’t like what they’ve heard about the legislation moving through Congress.

Obama has settled on a simple narrative: Everyday people are being victimized by profit-minded insurance companies. At the event Monday, he was introduced by a woman named Leslie Banks who had written him a letter about a whopping rate increase.

mcclatchy-tribune Obama speaks on health reform at Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania Monday.

Obama also tapped into anger in California over a rate increase that was announced by the state’s largest for-profit health insurer, Anthem

Blue Cross.

“Just last month, Anthem Blue Cross in California tried to jack up rates by nearly 40 percent — 40

percent. Anybody’s paycheck gone up 40 percent?” he asked.

A chorus of “No” swept up from the crowd.

Wire Editor: Jessica Barba

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010 www.mustangdaily.net

News

Word on the Street

“Who do you think burned down Cabo San Luis?”

Gay marriage legalized in Washington Clement Tan tribune washington bureau

“I think Chipotle did it.

“Chipotle.”

“Firestone, because they like to fire things.”

-Luke Roy, civil engineering junior

-Emily Spier, economics sophomore

-Tyler Main, computer science freshman

“Someone who got food poisoning.”

“I think maybe an employee who got fired.”

“I don’t know anyone who would want to hurt the fish that bad.”

-Tyler O’Connor, civil engineering freshman

-Drew Cohen, mechanical engineering freshman

-Dominique Olowolafe, communications junior

compiled and photographed by Jessica Barba

WASHINGTON — As a cellist and soloist performed Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are,” Darlene Garner and Candy Holmes walked down the aisle Tuesday morning and became among the first gay couples to legally marry in the District of Columbia.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty congratulated Garner and Holmes and two other couples, who wed at the headquarters of the Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights group focusing on gay, bisexual and lesbian rights.

“The six of you here today represent what this country is about,” Fently said. “A great step forward for equality.”

Couples had planned weddings at churches, the offices of gay rights groups and the courthouse.

The courthouse typically has four to six weddings a day, but over the next several weeks it is expecting 10 to 12 a day, The Associated Press reported. The court’s official marriage booklet has been updated so that the ceremony will end by pronouncing the couple “legally married” as opposed to “husband and wife.”

The district’s decision to allow same-sex marriage is a victory for gay and lesbian rights groups after successive defeats of legislation in New York, Maine, Texas and the upholding of Proposition 8 in California last year.

Gay marriages have been legalized in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Iowa, Connecticut and Vermont.

Last month, Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced that the state will recognize same-sex marriages from out of state

until the Legislature or courts decide otherwise.

“When that happened, it was like the stars suddenly aligned with each other,” said Garner, 61, of Laurel. Md., who said she would have thought about moving into the district if Gansler had not made that announcement. “We want to live in a jurisdiction that will honor us equally.”

Already, there is anecdotal evidence that a number of same-sex couples living in the district’s Virginia suburbs are thinking of making the short move into the district or its Maryland suburbs.

Both Human Rights Campaign and Equality Maryland, a civil rights group for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender residents, said they have received e-mails inquiring about making the move.

“Maryland state agencies are looking into their policies right now to accommodate the changes that come with the attorney general’s announcement,” said Morgan MenesesSheets, executive director of Equality Maryland. “But it takes time.”

On a federal level, gay and lesbian activists say there will not be full equality until Congress repeals the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 — legislation signed into law by President Bill Clinton preserving the heterosexual definition of marriage and reserving the right of individual states not to recognize out of state same-sex marriages.

While states that recognize out of state same-sex marriages, such as Maryland, can tweak policy applying taxation and health benefits policies for heterosexual couples on same-sex couples, federal agencies are limited by the Defense of Marriage Act.

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arts & Entertainment editor: cassandra keyse

movie column

Oscars entertained with surprises, comedic timing

During her interview on the red carpet, Best Actress nominee and “Precious” star Gabourey Sidibe said, “The Oscars are like prom night for Hollywood.” I can’t think of a better quote to help illustrate what exactly takes place on what is historically known as the most important night in the film industry.

Last year’s Academy Awards, hosted by the energetic Hugh Jackman, left me with a sense of disappointment. The program barely held my attention and needed to be both funnier and classier all at the same time. This year’s ceremony, marking the 82nd anniversary of the awards, definitely wasn’t perfect, but it was significantly more captivating and worthwhile.

The show started off with an entertaining Broadway-style performance by everyone’s favorite person from “Harold and Kumar,” Neil Patrick Harris. We were then introduced to our hosts, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. While this was Baldwin’s first time hosting the show, it was Martin’s third, and with a history of being, in my opinion, the best man for the job, I was that much more intrigued. The pair worked great tog e t h e r, using sarcasm and celebrity roasting to keep everyone in the audience laughing throughout the night. Unfortunately for us

however, it seemed as if the stage time for hosting had been reduced compared to previous years.

In terms of acting, the first major award presented was for Best Supporting Actor.The favorite and winner, which was a title well-earned I might add, was Christoph Waltz for his unforgettable performance as the villainous Col. Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds.” Next came Best Supporting Actress, which Monique took home as a result of her touching performance as an abusive mother in “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.”

The two main acting awards for Best Actress and Best Actor were, as expected, given to Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock for their respective roles in “Crazy Heart” and “The Blind Side.” I was thrilled with Bridges’ win. This being his fifth nomination, it was an honor long overdue that was finally earned with an extremely authentic and powerful performance as a washed-up country singer with nothing to lose.

Although my favorite nominated actress was Carey Mulligan for her honest portrayal as a coming-of-age teenager in 1960s England in “An Educ a t i o n ,” it’s hard to imagine anyone not being happy for Sandra Bullock.

In my opin see Oscars, page 11

courtesy photo

Ben Stiller presented the Oscar for best make-up dressed as a Na’vi alien character from James Cameron’s “Avatar.”

www.mustangdaily.net Always in color

Arts

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Arts

“Avenue Q” puppet smut fills up the house

3-D movies can cause headaches, nausea

Sean Hanrahan

Thousands of people are packing movie theaters across the country to see the new “Alice in Wonderland” in 3-D, and dozens of them will likely leave with headaches.

That’s not a criticism of the film, but a fact: Doctors say those with less-than-perfect eyesight can suffer

mustang daily

The Tony award-winning musical “Avenue Q,” notorious for its ‘little bit racist,’ offbeat-but-wholesome, values-teaching puppets, entertained theatre-goers Thursday at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center.

It was an evening of frank and profound puppet smut.

Hearing moans in the dark, followed by explanation from lead characters Kate Monster and Princeton — as they proved that even puppets can fornicate on the first date with the help of a long island — was only audience foreplay for what was to come in the second act: a message to live and laugh in the moment.

Created by Jeff Marx, 39, and Robert Lopez, 35, “Avenue Q” shocked and entertained Broadway audiences up until Sept. 13, 2009, a run lasting more than six years and 2,534 performances. A second national tour of the show opened in Sept. 2009 with a non-Equity cast — which performed last week at the PAC. International productions have played in cities around the world over the last three years. One woman in the lobby before the start of the show explained how she had

Evan S. Benn st. louis post-dispatch

called vision fatigue, caused when 3-D technology forces the eyes to make constant adjustments to focus on images that are simultaneously near and far away. Humans see in three dimensions, but the exaggerated imagery of 3-D movies can cause a strain in some, according to Jeffrey Anshel, a California optometrist who has researched vision fatigue in computer users.

To fully appreciate depth in a 3-D movie, you need equally clear vision in both eyes. Even a small misalignment could contribute to those symptoms of discomfort.

— Lawrence Tychsen Ophthalmologist-in-chief, St. Louis Children’s Hospital

courtesy photo

Broadway musical “Avenue Q” features “Sesame Street”-style puppets in more adult settings. seen “Avenue Q” in New York, but that Moscow was by far the best performance she witnessed.

“It was an interesting decision

to bring “Avenue Q” to the PAC,” Cal Poly Arts Director Steve Lerisee Avenue Q, page 11

nausea, blurred vision and dizziness from 3-D movies.

“The 3-D technology taps into our depth perception,” said Dr. Lawrence Tychsen, ophthalmologist in chief at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “To fully appreciate depth in a 3-D movie, you need equally clear vision in both eyes. Even a small misalignment could contribute to those symptoms of discomfort.”

Tychsen said relatively minor conditions such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or a lazy eye — if not treated with glasses or contacts — could trigger headaches and other side effects from 3-D visuals. He estimated that up to 20 percent of the population — kids and adults — could be affected.

“Many people are unaware that anything’s wrong until they experience a 3-D movie and have these symptoms,” Tychsen said.

The problem comes from so-

“Each person will experience it differently,” Anshel said, adding that vision fatigue tends to be more pronounced during longer 3-D movies. “I think that a two-hour movie is fine, but going into three or more hours could lead to eye strain.”

Reports of vision fatigue popped up in recent months after the release of the 3-D blockbuster “Avatar,” which has shattered box office records, raking in more than $2.5 billion worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing film of all time. Several theatergoers complained of motion sickness after watching James Cameron’s epic sci-fi adventure, filmed with breakthrough digital 3-D techniques.

Despite causing discomfort in a small number of people, 3-D movies aren’t going away anytime soon.

Besides “Avatar,” some of last year’s other top-grossing films — “Up,”

“Warning signs”

see 3-D, page 11

Arts

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010 www.mustangdaily.net

Avenue Q continued from page 10

an said.

Cal Poly Arts offered seven Broadway shows last season, including “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Oliver,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and John Doyle’s revival of “Sweeney Todd,” but only plan to offer two this year.

“We made the decision to include ‘Avenue Q,’ one of only two Broadway productions this year, the other being Camelot … because ultimately our mission is to introduce new works to our audience and we wanted to include a hot new musical, not just the classic chestnuts,” Lerian said.

Season planners, like Lerian, have wanted the show at the PAC for a while. It was just a matter of time before producers would allow for a short run of the show — in this case only for a night.

Mega-box office productions like “The Lion King” and “Wicked” aren’t a possibility for the PAC, mainly because the area couldn’t sustain enough of an audience for a week or more — a guarantee producers are looking for, Lerian said.

Oscars continued from page 9

ion, there were two moments during the three and a half hour run time that will be remembered in years to come. The first of these was Ben Stiller’s appearance as a Na’vi alien from James Cameron’s “Avatar.” Blue makeup, tail, yellow eyes, dreadlocks ... he truly went all out.

He even attempted to speak the fictional language and poke a little fun at the film’s director, a man who’s not well known for his sense of humor. This appearance was initially planned to be a duet with Sacha Baron Cohen, but sadly, it appears the Academy was a little afraid of the outcome of that hilarious combination.

The second occurrence took

3-D continued from page 10

“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” and “Monsters vs. Aliens” — were 3-D, and more than a dozen other 3-D movies are scheduled for release this year and next.

The popularity of these movies and the money they pull in — theaters can typically charge about $3 extra for tickets to 3-D shows — keep them in favor with theater owners and studio executives.

Harman Moseley, who manages the Galleria, Moolah and Chase Park Plaza cinemas in the St. Louis area, said he didn’t hear any complaints from people who saw “Avatar” at the Galleria. He is hoping for

Pushing the envelope a little, Lerian said he expected a few complaints. Surprisingly, he said, that didn’t happen.

With a conservative community demographic, the San Luis Obispo community might have rejected “Avenue Q,” but that didn’t happen either. The show sold out early — 1,262 seats.

Unfortunately, not many students had the financial opportunity to enjoy the performance.

“I didn’t see hardly any people my age in the audience,” San Diego native Kate Marie, 19, said. “I was expecting the crowd to be a lot younger than it was.”

Tickets sold between $30-$50, more than most students are willing to pay for a few hours of entertainment, but Lerian noted that 90 percent of Cal Poly Arts shows offer student-discounted tickets.

“I didn’t see a lot of young people in the audience either, but tickets sold quickly,” he said. “I encourage students to take advantage of the 20 percent-off face value ticket prices, but to get on it early.”

For a full listing of the remaining production at the Performing Arts Center this season, visit www. pacslo.org.

place towards the end of the broadcast. My early predictions, which agreed with most other critics, were that “Avatar,” being the most financially successful film of all time, would win Best Picture, and Kathryn Bigelow would win Best Director for her underground masterpiece “The Hurt Locker.” To my excitement, I was only half right. Not only did Bigelow become the first women in Oscar history to win Best Director, but she also provided the upset of the night by snagging the Best Picture award from the favorite James Cameron (who’s also her ex-husband), making the “The Hurt Locker” lowest grossing film to ever win that cherished golden statue.

Alex Petrosian is a biological sciences sophomore and Mustang Daily movie columnist.

the same with “Alice in Wonderland,” which will be the first film he shows in 3-D at the Moolah.

“For the most part, people are loving these movies — it’s what’s bringing them back to the theaters,” Moseley said. “But I can understand the motion-sickness effect.

I’ve had that experience myself at the IMAX. It can be quite a ride.”

Whether your eyesight is 20/20 or less than perfect, watching a 3-D movie isn’t going to cause any vision damage, according to experts Anshel and Tychsen.

“Getting a headache at a movie isn’t harmful, but it is symptomatic of subnormal vision,” Tychsen said.

“If it happens, that might be a good sign it’s time to visit an eye doctor.”

Arts

Arts editor: Cassandra Keyse mustangdailyarts@gmail.com

11

book column

“How to Cook a Tart” leaves a bitter aftertaste

A recipe for a tart seems as though it should be fairly straightforward instructions for how to make a pastry. However, Nina Killham’s take on the subject in her debut novel, “How to Cook a Tart,” has much darker undertones and involves a not-so-smooth mixture of family dysfunction, butter, mouthwatering food and murder.

Murder, you ask? How does murder fit into an innocent tale of a lively foodie’s devotion to butter and high-calorie recipes? I asked myself the same thing, and unfortunately I have yet to figure out a satisfying answer.

“How to Cook a Tart” seems, at first glance, to center simply around Jasmine March’s crusade to convert the rest of the world to her love for high-fat, high-butter recipes one cookbook at a time. A pleasantly plump author, Jasmine’s greatest love in life is food — and lots of it.

It was her unabashed passion for gourmet dining at every meal that initially drew her and her husband Daniel together, but when he falls in with a Zone-dieting 20-something, it seems things will fall apart.

Daniel, an almost-40-year-old acting coach, is going through a

fairly typical mid-life crisis. He begins an affair with a healthfood-obsessed young student that quickly escalates from “just once” to her plotting marriage within a three-week time span.

This is just one example of the freight-train speed that governs a majority of the plot line. When Jasmine finally conquers the public’s (and her publisher’s) fear of fat-based recipes, she skyrockets to fame in next to no time, again with little explanation.

When Careme, Jasmine’s anorexic, rebellious teenage daughter decides she wants to lose her virginity to the nerdy boy-next-door, their relationship, if it can be called that, moves so quickly that it is hard to keep up.

Besides the unrealistic pace of the novel, the plot line itself seems to jump around with such irregularity that it is sometimes impossible to figure out how the characters got where they are, let alone why.

The subtext of the novel is unquestionably dark, but Killham leaves so many loose ends that I could not put my finger on what point she was actually trying to make. The cooking of the tart (i.e.,

Daniel’s girlfriend, Tina) becomes quite literal in the end of the novel when Tina’s dead body appears in Jasmine’s kitchen without explanation, and Jasmine makes the inexplicable decision to dispose of the body the best way she knows how — through cooking.

This unexpected Sweeney Todd-esque turn of events left me taken aback and more than a little disturbed. Killham’s foray into the realm of murder is taken so lightly, I had to wonder if I was missing something, or if that was truly the end of the novel. Though the plot line was thin to begin with, a conclusion based around a practically meaningless murder and its nearheartless treatment was the last nail in this novel’s coffin.

Despite the unsettling and somewhat muddled story, one shining bright spot in the novel is its rich, decadent food commentary — an area in which Jasmine March undeniably excels. Though even this borders on the absurd at times, the descriptions of the dishes Jasmine concocts will undoubtedly leave your stomach growling more than once.

“How to Cook a Tart” has potential, but it fails to follow through.

Both the narrative and the subtext leave the feeling that something has not quite been resolved. Really, the only thing the reader can be sure of is that Killham has something to say about foodies and philanderers alike — we just don’t know exactly what that is.

Virginia Fay is an English sophomore and Mustang Daily book columnist.

mustang daily The voice of Cal Poly since 1916 Graphic Arts Building, Suite 226 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA 93407

opinion/editorial Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Editor in chief: Emilie Egger Managing Editor: Alex Kacik

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Obama preserves the illusion of change by forcing health care plan through reconciliation Well, they didn’t want to do it, but those darn, uncompromising Republicans have forced Democratic lawmakers to proceed in desperation. Staunchly refusing to start from scratch, Democrats have decided to force their legislation through the process of “reconciliation.” They claim that Republicans have given them no choice, and this is the last resort.

However, this view is completely ignorant to GOP lawmakers’ perspective and overlooks the lack of consideration faced by Republicans over the past year.

Congressional Democrats have created a bill that attacks the core values of Republican lawmakers and their constituents. The current bill rejects the notion of small government, restricts individual freedom and attacks free enterprise — all principles that Republicans take to heart. Yet the Democrats have the nerve to call out Republicans (and conservative Democrats) for standing in solidarity against it. What do they expect?

Moreover, joint committee negotiations purposely excluded Republicans while they hammered out the details behind closed doors.

The president consistently viewed Republicans as unnecessary resistance to this process, neglecting to consider that they represent millions of everyday Americans who are likewise opposed to the current health care bill. Was Scott Brown’s election to the Senate not enough of a clue that maybe the American people dislike the way the Democratic Party is handling this monumental legislation?

But President Obama’s timing could not have been more appropriate. As he saw his image as a bipartisan leader quickly fading, he did what any Nobel Prize winner would do — he called a summit to “work out” partisan differences.

This turned out to be a mere façade. President Obama claimed that the health care bill had been revised when it was really just a rehashed version of the old bill.

He allowed Republican lawmakers offer their insight on the more than 2,000 page document, but he ultimately rejected the other side, and the summit was a waste of seven hours.

Republican ideas have been discounted for too long, and the debate on health care has been too one-sided. Republicans have been attacked for arguing against health care reform without offering any viable solutions. On the contrary, Republicans have supported universal health care in the form of private sector initiatives, where Americans would be able to cross state lines for more com-

petitive quotes. As Republican Sen. John Kyl said, “We do not agree about the fundamental question of who should be mostly in charge.”

Rather than raise premiums like Obama’s plan, GOP lawmakers say this type of heath care would lower rates without relying on federal subsidies. As a result, we would not have to depend on the federal government to ensure our livelihood.

President Obama suggested that “there are things that can be done at the state level to help foster innovation and eliminate some Republican concerns.” This may be true, but these elements have not

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been included in the bill and there is no sign that they will be added after the summit. His “us vs. them” mentality has constantly vilified the opposition. He has no intention of making concessions; it’s his way or the highway.

This setback would be out of the question as it could cost Democrats re-election. As a result, Democrats have decided to take their bill to the bitter end. Now that they no longer have the 60 heads they need in the Senate, Democrats believe “reconciliation” will be the only way to bypass GOP resistance.

Reconciliation would be used

by the Senate to pass the “fixes” that the House makes to the original Senate bill (passed on Christmas Eve). In this way, only 51 votes would be necessary in the Senate for passage.

Although both parties have used this method in the past, it is completely inappropriate to use it for this bill. It is meant to reconcile strictly budgetary matters — not to advance social legislation. Reconciliation also typically draws support from both sides; it isn’t supposed to be a way for one party to sidestep another. There’s a reason it’s called “reconciliation.”

Democratic lawmakers are doing everything in their power to force-feed us harmful legislation.

President Obama told them not to give up when they believed all hope was lost, and these last-minute efforts are poor attempts to redeem themselves as political leaders. This is not about helping patients; it’s about preserving the illusion of “change.”

Brendan Pringle is an English sophomore and Mustang Daily political columnist.

HEAR IT. 13

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Planned Parenthood could benefit from a name change Contraception is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Planned Parenthood. The organization has built its reputation around safe sex for almost 90 years, when it opened the first birth control clinic when abortions and oral contraceptives were illegal and sexually active women had few options. As a way to stand up for women’s rights and change society’s perceptions of sex, Margaret Sanger, devout Catholic and founder of Planned Parenthood, put the program at the forefront of the fight for sexual rights.

Now as the program’s mission has expanded and their target audience has grown beyond the female population to include men and teens, it can be expected that Planned Parenthood would gain even more support if they changed their name to facilitate a better image that is not only more attractive to those who seek their services, but also promotes their overall goals.

Today, the organization continues Sanger’s original mission, but now addresses more issues like sexual education reform, promoting yearly STI screenings, ensuring health care access and targeting reproductive rights in Africa, Asia and South America.

Their services also have expanded to include free counseling and screenings for STIs members of the community.

Similar government-sponsored programs in Canada and Korea have already changed their name to be more representative as sexual health agencies intended to support society.

For example, currently Korea is suffering from an age epidemic because they have the lowest fertility rate in the world and to stabilize social

growth the Planned Parenthood of Korea stopped offering abortions.

After the change in policy, Planned Parenthood of Korea changed their name to Planned Population Federation.The new name helps to conjure up a better idea of the organization’s mission for members of the community still willing to seek their services.

However, since the program is one of the largest and more influential of its kind in Korea, it can be expected to influence the current issues.

Since the U.S. version of Planned Parenthood has actually added more services, their name should reflect the change. As the first and largest government-sponsored program of its kind with over 840 health centers across the nation, the organization can reach out to even more members of the population with a name that no longer seems inclusive to women looking to start families but responsible adults who are having sex.

In 2005, the Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada had changed their name to the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health despite their Toronto, Windsor and Ottawa affiliates keeping the old name.

In an article written by the Toronto Globe and Mail report, PPFC Executive Director Linda Capperauld said members sought a

name change to update the image of the organization. She said that a focus research group showed that the Planned Parenthood name misrepresented the group’s message and services among younger respondents and the general public.

“A lot of young people thought they would only turn to us if they were ready to start having children.

They didn’t see that we had a much broader focus and broader range of services,” said Capperauld.

The situation in Canada is still very similar to what is happening in the United States today. Planned Parenthood is government sponsored as well as an organization more people tend to feel comfortable with since it has been around so long – all the more reason the directors should change the name.

Issues like teen pregnancy, AIDS, sexual abuse and reproductive rights were still taboo in the time of Sanger, but now are being discussed and brought to life by Planned Parenthood. In the past year, 36 percent of the organization’s health services were providing contraception, 31 percent STD testing and treatment, 17 percent can-

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screening and prevention, and only 3 percent abortion services. So why not choose a name that reminds people of what else the group offers the community?

Also as an organization that is set to promote healthy relationships using the word Parenthood might conjure up the retro image of a house wife and blue-collared husband.

This idea completely overlooks the main population between the ages of 15 and 25 that the organization assists and as well as the large portion of families without health insurance looking for alternatives for inexpensive medical assistance. The name Planned Parenthood also implies that the services are only for heterosexual couples excluding those in the gay community.

By changing the name to something like The American Sex and Reproductive Agency, the government would be able to have their services appeal to a larger spectrum of society as well as address more sex issues.

Jessica Barba is a journalism junior and Mustang Daily reporter.

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games Help Wanted Part-Time Writing Assistant Disabled Marine Corps Vet in his 80’s needs part-time assistant to produce quarterly newsletter & book. Seeking dependable assistant w/car & computer/ printer, to work 2 hrs/ day 5 days/ wk. Interested? Call Bob Dixon 595-7070 & I will show you the research, writing, designing & printing work we will be doing to reach our goals.

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15

mustang daily

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 www.mustangdaily.net

sports

Pac-10

Basketball

continued from page 16

continued from page 16

bara Coach Bob Williams, whose Gauchos are top-seeded in the tournament because of they won both games against Pacific.

The key, then, could be seeding.

To win the title, the teams seeded Nos. 5-8 would have to win four games in four nights; those seeded No. 3 and No. 4 would need three wins in three nights; and Nos. 1 and 2 would need just two wins in two nights.

Since that format was adopted in 2004, only two teams seeded fifth through eighth have advanced to the title game, Northridge did it that year from the No. 6 seeding and Irvine did it in 2008 from the No. 5 spot. And for the last 13 years, the champion has been seeded 1, 2 or 3.

Santa Barbara comes in as the favorite, with conference player of the year Orlando Johnson and those two victories over Pacific.

Johnson, a 6-foot-5 guard, averaged 18 points a game after sitting out last season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules after coming over from Loyola Marymount. He has scored in double digits in every game this season. "We know he's going to bring the whole package every night," Williams said.

If there is a sleeper, it might be Long Beach State, which finished 15-15 overall and 8-8 in conference but played one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the nation, with games against Kentucky, Duke, Texas, Clemson, West

State and at home against Davis.

If the Mustangs make it past the second round they will face one of the top two teams in conference, Pacific or Santa Barbara in the semifinals. Pacific swept the season series against the Mustangs winning both games by a combined total of 16 points. Cal Poly split with rival Santa Barbara as the home team won both

games.

If Cal Poly can piece together four wins, the Mustangs will find themselves at the stoop of the NCAA tournament. For seniors Keeler, Darling and Charles Anderson, it would be the culmination of a long journey and an experience that would be tough to put into words.

“It’d be a dream come true,” Darling said. “Words can’t explain how important that would be to me. It would be amazing and that’s all that I’m focused on.”

mcclatchy-tribune

A year after reaching the Sweet 16, the UCLA Bruins rank seventh in the Pac-10 and are likely to miss the tournament this year.

Virginia, Notre Dame and UCLA. "I do think it prepared us," Coach Dan Monson said.

No Big West team seems likely to advance beyond the first round of the NCAA tournament, but it's still an opportune time for the conference. Next season, the tourna-

ment moves to the Honda Center and the league begins a five-year contract as the member host of the NCAA West Regional.

"The stars may be aligned," Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell said.

For a year anyway.

nick camacho mustang daily file photo

Senior guard Lorenzo Keeler was named to the All-Big West Conference First Team Monday. Keeler scored 21 points against UC Irvine.

mustangdaily.net Wednesday, March 10, 2010

SPORTS

sports editor: Brian De Los Santos

mustangdailysports@gmail.com

MUSTANG DAILY

Mustangs gear up for rematch against UC Irvine in first game of Big West Tournament Zach Lantz mustang daily

“UC Irvine is the sweep we should have had,” senior forward Ryan Darling said. “It’s time to finish the house cleaning.”

In the Mustangs’ first game of the Big West Tournament today, Cal Poly will square off against UC Irvine, a team that defeated them 91-84 in overtime less than a week ago.

In last Saturday’s game, the Anteaters sank four three-pointers in the final 38 seconds of the game, including the game-tying three with less than a second to go. Sophomore forward David Hanson feels that the tough loss will provide motivation for their rematch on Wednesday at the Anaheim Convention Center.

“They got us here at our place and made a comeback in a game that we kind of held the lead the whole time, now we get to play them again and we’re probably going to be more hungry,” Hanson said.

In last weekend’s game both Cal Poly and UC Irvine had four players each score in double figures. Shawn Lewis led all scorers with 26 and added 10 rebounds. First team all-conference guard, Lorenzo Keeler, scored 21 points in his last game at Mott Gym. Callero hopes his team can repeat that type of effort because he felt like his team was in control for a majority of the game.

“We feel confident as a team that we can play with anybody in the Big West,” he said.“We’re playing our best basketball of the year.”

nick camacho mustang daily file photo

Junior Shawn Lewis scored 26 points and added 10 rebounds in a 91-84 loss to UC Irvine last Saturday. Lewis has tallied double-digit scoring totals in the Mustangs’ past eight games, averaging 18 points per game.

He said not much would change in terms of preparation from last weekend as he pointed out that the Mustangs were either ahead or tied for all of but 50 seconds of regulation. It wasn’t until overtime that the

Anteaters took the lead for good. He also added that facing the same opponent back-to-back gives the team an advantage because they don’t have to spend as much time scouting their first round opponent as they normally

In college basketball, Pac-10 losses could be Big West’s gain Baxter Holmes los angeles times

Pacific 10 Conference basketball has lived the good life for years, growing fat off future NBA talent, NCAA tournament riches and media attention. UCLA traditionally put on a lot of weight this way. USC gained some too.

But not this year. Come Selection Sunday, many experts are predicting that the Pac-10 will send

only one team into the NCAA tournament, and it won't be from Los Angeles. USC is already out for sure because of a self-imposed postseason ban. UCLA is 13-17 and is very much a longshot to win this week's Pac-10 tournament, which would be the Bruins' only way into a bracket.

For the Pac-10, which typically has sent five or six teams to the tournament in recent seasons, that's a rare shutdown. Same with UCLA and USC, which last missed the tournament in the same season in 2004.

All of which makes for a great opportunity for the Big West Conference to steal some headlines.

"We're kind of in the same boat as the Pac-10," Cal State Fullerton Coach Bob Burton said. "We don't have a real (standout) team."

In the Big West, that's known as business as usual. Almost every year its only NCAA tournament participant is the team that earns the league's automatic bid by winning the conference tournament.

The difference this season is

that team could very well be the only NCAA entrant from Southern California.

Long Beach State, Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, UC Riverside, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara will be among the contenders in the Big West tournament, which begins Wednesday at the Anaheim Convention Center. That means a 66.7 percent chance of a Southland team advancing, Pacific, Cal Poly and UC Davis are the other teams participating.

Santa Barbara (18-9) and Pacific (20-10) were the circuit's top teams in the regular season, each finishing with a 12-4 conference record. Below those teams, however, parity reigned.

No other team finished better than 8-8 in conference play, and the bottom dwellers, Riverside and Northridge, each had victories over the co-champions.

"It's about as up in the air as it has ever been," said Santa Bar see Pac-10, page 15

would.

If anything is going to change in the strategy from last week, Callero said the Mustangs might not focus so much of their defensive attention on Michael Hunter and Eric Wise.Those

players were held to 19 and 17 points respectively, while two other Irvine players were able to score in the twenties.

Callero said he feels confident because, with the exception of Pacific, every team they could face before the finals they have beaten at least once this season.

This season, the Mustangs have exceeded expectations. In multiple preseason polls, Cal Poly was projected to finish last in the Big West. At the end of the regular season, the Mustangs have four more wins than last season’s win total.

Standing at No. 6, Cal Poly will have the longest road of any team to the tournament championship. Hanson knows that this team can compete with anyone in the conference but it will take a special effort to win four games in a row.

“The games are so mentally, emotionally and physically draining, that it’s going to take every single guy on this team to win all four games,” Hanson said. “Those are four games we know we can win. We obviously have to play well and shoot the ball well. We’re very close, we are right there and we know we can take any of these teams.”

The lowest seed that advances from the first round will take on No. 3 seed Long Beach State Thursday. The higher advancing seed will take on No. 4 seed UC Davis. Cal Poly split the season series with both potential opponents, winning at Long Beach see Basketball, page 15

Cal Poly defeats Northern Illinois

ryan sidarto mustang daily

Cal Poly, launched by a seven-run, first-inning effort, held on to defeat Northern Illinois, 13-3, Tuesday night. Sophomore right-hander Mason Radeke (3-0) pitched four innings, allowed five hits, one run and recorded eight strike-outs. Sophomore designated hitter Jordan Hadlock, who went 4-5 with four RBIs, became the first Mustang to record four hits.