Monitor 2010-4-8

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Transfer to U.C. is 11 years old

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Vol. XLI No. 9

sports

Health scams debunked

Features

NEWS

FEATURES

Where the wild things are at Ohlone

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Fremont, California

April 8, 2010

Ohlone grants to go up

Morhous quits ASOC

By EAN TAJERON Staff writer

By KATHRYN DIXON Staff writer Pell Grants for eligible Ohlone College students will go up to $5,500 (up from $5,350) for the 2010-2011 school year. By 2017, the amount will increase to $5,975.

These changes are part of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) which Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed into law on March 30.

Starting in 2013, the Pell Grant amount will be indexed to the Consumer Price Index to adjust it to increasing costs of living.

After 2014, new borrowers will be allowed to cap their monthly loan payments, at 10 percent of Continued on Page 3

Photo by David Epperson

The night sections of Ohlone’s Jazz-Rock Combo class presented their end-of-semeseter concert Wednesday at Mission Pizza on Washington Boulevard.

Combo passes test at Mission Pizza

By Manika Casterline News editor Music has been widely recognized for its innate and extraordinary ability to bridge the gap between ethnicities and generations.

On Wednesday night, Tim Roberts’ jazz/rock combo and his songwriting classes came together at a local venue, Mission Pizza, for a night of music played to a packed house.

It served as a showcase of the talent that Roberts has cultivated

Softball team wins over break

in his classes.

Jazz/rock combo student and first-time performer Anh Huyh sang a rendition of Nina Simone’s “Sea Lion Woman,” which recieved a wave of thunderous applause.

Huyh said, “I don’t care too much about the reaction. I just do what I do in my car.”

Huyh grew up in Vietnam and moved to the United States when he was 12, and hopes to major in sociology.

He said he believes that the greater the oppression the greater the inspiration. And he uses this

premise to drive his creative interests in music and in poetry.

“Roberts’ class is great because it exposes you to all types of music you might not have been exposed to, like jazz standards,” Huyh said.

Classmate Melody Stedman said while the event was not mandatory, most of the students in the class wanted to participate in it or attend anyway.

One of the singer-songwriters who performed was Von von Lindenburg, who said he plans to release an album of original music

this summer.

According to von Lindenburg, his debut CD is a mix of genres including jazz, country, pop and rock. It will also feature contributions by Roberts and Associate Professor James McManus.

The music selections also included Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “Sweet Dreams” by The Eurythmics, and “This Kiss” by Faith Hill.

Roberts teaches several other music-oriented classes in addition to jazz/rock combo, and can be reached at troberts@ohlone.edu

ASOC Legislative Representative Andie Morhous has resigned from her duties as the Legislative Representative for ASOC and as a senator.

She is transferring next semester and she needs time to be able to make money to afford all that implies with a transfer.

Morhous has a departing message for the ASOC, “I appreciate them for having me, and I learned a lot of leadership skills, and have had many great opportunities. It has been pleasure to serve our student body.”

The ASOC has voted to keep this position open until next semester.

The duties of being the Legislative Representative include being the one voting voice for Ohlone at the Regional Meetings, and General Assembly, which includes student bodies from around the state.

In other business, ASOC has commenced their removal proceedings.

These proceedings activate when a member of the council violate the constituion or bylaws.

Thirty-seven senators and executives have been flagged for violations of the ASOC bylaws.

Only Article 1 has been violated.

The sections of Article 1, which have been violated are: Section 9.2, which states all members shall hold a minimum of three scheduled office hours per week.

Continued on Page 3

Speaker to discuss ‘20 top censored stories of 2009’ Is American news media censored? What about freedom of speech? Are we getting the unbiased news reports that we need to perform our duties as citizens of a democracy?

Peter Phillips, president of the Media Freedom Foundation/Project Censored, will speak on “The 20 Top Censored News Stories in 2009” today, April 8, starting at 3 p.m. in Room 3201.

Phillips is a professor of sociology at Sonoma State University.

Project Censored uses student interns to research news stories that appear only in small-circulation media outlets. If the stories are

judged to be important, but ignored by the major media outlets, then the stories are eligible to be included in Project Censored’s yearbooks.

Project Censored promotes the idea that instead of the usual censorship exerted by authoritarian governments when journalists are threatened or arrested, censorship in our culture is more subtle, motivated more by corporate entanglements and profit motives.

Examples of the stories examined by Project Censored include: • U.S. electromagnetic weapons and human rights.

• Inside the military industrial

media empire.

• Lying about the war: deliberate propaganda and spin by the Pentagon • The Pentagon’s child recruiting strategy.

Phillips will talk about the list of under-reported stories from 2009, which includes: • Over one million Iraqi deaths caused by war • The FBI deputizes business • Seizing war protesters’ assets • Bush profiteers collect billions from No Child Left Behind • Worldwide slavery.

Founded in 1976, Project Censored has ltrained more than 1,500

students in investigative research over the years. Students can earn credit for their research work with Project Censored. In addition to the yearbook, Project Censored maintains a website, publishes a newsletter, offers a series of lectures, and produces films.

Between 700 and 1,000 stories are submitted to Project Censored every year by journalists and interested community members.

The Censorship Project is funded by Sonoma State, the Media Freedom Foundation Inc., and supporters who make contributions and buy the projects publications.

Peter Phillips Ph.D

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Opinion

monitor April 8, 2010

Associated Collegiate Press / National Scholastic Press Association All American 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 Regional Pacemaker 1988 Journalism Association of Community Colleges General Excellence Fall 1994 General Excellence Fall 2000 General Excellence Fall 2004 General Excellence Fall 2005

Editors in chief: Jeff Weisinger

Kyle Stephens News editor: Manika Casterline Opinion editor: Anna Biaritz Roldan Features editor: Jillian Sanchez Sports editor: Nick Zambrano Photo editor: Jacque Orvis Online editor: Max Stephens Staff writers: Ean Tajeron Tina Karimi, Noah Levin, Nazia Mastan, Kathryn Dixon, Cyndy Patrick, Beena Dhonchak, Cynthia Velasquez, Blair Ruppert, Dave Sheffer, Hyder Abkhan, Nichele Ryles, Sarah Hashemi, Kevin Yin Photographers: Jessie Worden, Alex Glanville, Japneet Kaur, Denesha Zago, Allie Drago, Amy Kent, Joseph David, David Epperson Sophia Vaughn, Joseph Rivera, Joseph Florez, Jessie Worden Ad manager: Anna Biaritz Roldan Ad staff: Christy Marovich Inez Black

Adviser: Bill Parks Printer: F-P Press

Offices are located in Room 5310 on campus, 43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont 945395884. Call (510) 659-6075. Fax: (510) 659-6076. E-mail: monitor@ohlone.cc.ca.us Opinions expressed in the Monitor are those of the respective authors and are not necessarily those of the staff, the college or the Associated Students of Ohlone College.

Unsigned editorials reflect the majority view of staff members. Advertising material is printed herein for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an expression of endorsement or verification of such commercial ventures by the staff or college.

The Monitor is funded by the district, by the Associated Students of Ohlone College, and through advertising revenue.

The Monitor is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, Journalism Association of Community Colleges, Community College Journalism Association, California Newspaper Publishers Association, College Media Advisers and Society of Newspaper Design.

Opinion

Despite technology, we need to go outside more

By DANIEL WOLFE Contributing writer Today, the world as we know it revolves around technology with phones, computers and TV. We are almost spoiled with these advancements. When one of these devices stops working, in some cases, it’s like a part of us has temporarily died.

Almost everybody in the U.S. has at least some type of electronic device. Most of the time they work just fine, but when they slow down

for some reason, we almost freak out. We never realize just how lucky we are to have devices that make and play music or allow us to communicate to other people no matter where we are. Instead, we complain and are never contented.

As technology becomes more advanced, we tend to rely more and more on it. Cars are also becoming more dependent on computers.

When a car breaks down, you (in some cases) won’t be able to get it fixed without hooking it up to

a special computer to figure out what’s wrong.

Schools, businesses, almost anything you can think of in some way revolve around some type of technology equipment.

In my opinion, I think we are depending (myself included) too much on our cell phones, computers and iPods. Also, with the way things are, it doesn’t look like things will change anytime soon.

How technology affects us is quite astounding. When the power

goes out, we can almost go crazy because everything we do needs power.

When the power goes off, we’re almost pushed back to the days before electricity, and we panic because we are not prepared. In this day and age, not having power, to us humans, is like losing our arms and legs, without the slightest clue of what to do about it.

Sometimes life requires us to just look out a window and see the real world without distractions such as computers or cell

phones.

There is something empowering about seeing the world without the benefit of electricity-driven devices. It’s the “natural” world.

Instead of resisting this, we should oblige ourselves to regularly take time to move away from technology and take a look at what we’re missing.

We need to change our ways and find a way to enjoy life without technology. We need to learn to just enjoy life as it was before all man-made inventions took over.

School-going moms continue to seek balance

By FARAH SIDDIQI Contributing writer As a mother myself, I often have a lot to say about finding the balance to continue education and being present with your children.

We all have dreams and would love to be role models for our kids by graduating and accomplishing what we set out to do, but sometimes the cost can feel too high.

Last semester I decided to return to school in order to get more experience and to maintain training in my industry. I found it challenging leaving a 1-year-old at home while I went out to pursue my dreams. As women, I found most of us, after

having children, would rather focus on our babies, rather than continuing to pursue our own dreams.

Putting the feelings of guilt and unworthiness aside, the toughest challenge seemed to be time management. How can any person fit all those hours of motherhood and studying into a 24-hour period?

Something has to be sacrificed.

Moms tend to get up before everyone else, prepare breakfast, and get the kids ready and fed. Get some mommy and baby exercise in, snack time, bath time, and finally nap time. While your baby naps, moms have an opportunity to eat lunch, clean up the morning

mess and try to get some schoolwork in. Everything feels like you’re playing catch-up. Mostly it feels like you are just trying to get through the week. Baby usually wakes up just as you are getting in the groove of homework. Here comes the sacrifice, because you just got in the groove you might be inclined to turn on the TV and give baby some snacks while you finish your work or put your child down with crayons and a coloring book. Either way, you are no longer present.

As much as I hate to admit it, my baby might interrupt me several times to show me what she has colored, but because I am “working

now” my reactions will be the same monotone “wow you did it.”

Yes, I am guilty of not being present. This is my sacrifice. But as a mom, we learn to work efficiently.

We hate that guilty feeling so much that we then cover it with sacrifice, which comes naturally to us and we put our schoolwork aside. We try to get it done as fast as humanly possible or just put it away with the hope that we’ll get another opportunity to finish it later.

Then you need to feed them again. Prepare a list for a caregiver and try to prepare them for a few hours without you. There are also many potty breaks or diaper changes and maybe even some

nursing or pumping.

Going to class can be like freedom, but usually feels like torture, especially when you say goodbye to a screaming child who does not want you to leave. When you get back, baby is already in bed, fast asleep. You missed it again. The caregiver reports on the day’s adventures as you listen in envy.

So it’s hard, but we do it. Women have been adapting for years to putting more and more on our plates.

I applaud all school-going moms and can appreciate the sacrifice they put in to getting their assignments completed and having the courage to go to school, even with all the demands at home.

Campus Comment > > > What personal habit annoys you the most?

Jessica Hosmer

Timothy Thu

Juan Dela Pena

Oliver Casablancas

Karl Puebla

UNDECIDED

UNDECIDED

“High-pitched laughter.”

“People who send random requests on Facebook.”

“When people spit on the ground.”

“Loud people.”

“People who smoke.”

PSYCHOLOGY

NURSING

UNDECIDED

News The “B” Side

By MANIKA CaSTerLINE News editor

Whatever it takes Spring is in the air and the politics of the California gubernatorial primary are heating up.

Front-runner Meg Whitman is doing whatever it takes in her pursuit of the office.

Whitman has outspent former two-term Gov. Jerry Brown 200 to 1 in the last month. Everyone rationally knows that the only way to effectively run a political campaign is to get one’s message out to the voting constituency.

That is the only way to win. But, to win at what cost?

It is not as if Whitman has a proven track record herself. In the world of big business, eBay flourished under her wing.

However, Whitman failed at acquiring companies such as Skype and was complacent when Craigslist (which she attempted to take over) faced allegations of being a mechanism for prostitution. She also was the benefactor of the perks of big business.

The only political experience that Whitman has is as an advisor to Mitt Romney’s failed attempt at the presidency as well as working on the McCain-Palin ticket.

We know how those campaigns turned out. John McCain won the Republican nomination and lost the general election.

Then there is the flip-flop factor. Whitman must have managed to acquire that characteristic from Mitt.

In fact, most Californians don’t know much about Meg. Well, except that she was the CEO of eBay. That is not a justification to vote for her.

Her actions prove contrary to where she supposedly stands on any given issue from the environment to the economy.

In the area of education policy, Whitman wants to implement is one where teachers would be paid bonuses based on student acheivement. Learning and atttaining knowledge comes in many different facets. And that is being disregarded.

What disturbs me most of all about her candidacy is not that she is a Republican in a state that voted overwhelmingly in favor of President Barack Obama.

Whitman has less experience than Obama did when he was running for executive office and yet isn’t facing scrutiny.

When it is a candidate from the same political ideology, a commentator seems to turn the other cheek and refrain. And that is not the way we run things in California.

Speak out! Speak out, about someone who thinks that cutting a check is the answer to everything because in terms of practicality, it isn’t the answer.

April 8, 2010 monitor

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ASOC members and bylaws ICC returns Continued from Page 1 While Section 9.9 claims that all members shall obtain at least two new discounts each semester for the discount program; Section 9.14 states that all members shall actively serve on two committees; and Section 9.16 states that all members shall be responsible for maintaining campus bulletin boards in a current and clean state.

These and many other articles are all responsibilities of each council member of the ASOC and this goes to show how seriously

the body takes violations of the bylaws.

These responsibilities are manadatory.

Next Tuesday, the ASOC will take a vote on each of the council members that have been flagged. The results will determine whether or not the member is removed from the council.

The list of members includes both senior and new senators, as well as executives.

Most of the members have violated Article 1 Section 9.16 of

the bylaws.

In other news, the ASOC have also restructured their bylaws, and have already shown a couple of revised articles.

They will continue to show the rest of the body the revised articles next week.

There is a major difference between the constitution and the bylaws: the constitution of the ASOC contains the rules and laws that they must follow, while the bylaws tell how things are carried out or how things are supposed to be done.

By SARAH HASHEMI Staff writer

is an opportunity for “transfer students to make art and be recognized.”

This is the first photo contest of hopefully many. It is not yet established if this theme will be reoccurring annually or will be terminated after this round.

The contest theme is “The Ohlone Environment,” and is in commemoration of Earth Week.

Earth Week is the week Earth Day falls in and Sen. Gaylord Nelson started it in 1962.

There is no entry fee and each student is allotted five photos.

Requirements are: photos must be a photographic image 8” x 10” or larger and photos should be taken on or around either Ohlone campuses. When submitting the photos, name and student identification number should be written

in pencil on the lower right corner of the back of the photos.

The photos must be placed in a large envelope with the student’s name, ID number, email, and phone number written on the outside.

Students should submit their photos at the library circulation desks at either of the campuses.

A select group of photos will be displayed at the Newark Campus starting April 19.

Prizes will be awarded to the first through third place winners. The judges will be Paul Mueller, Jeff Watanabe and Bill Parks, journalism instructor.

Students should keep the April 13 deadline in mind. To request more information, contact Paul Mueller at pmueller@ohlone. edu or at his office number: (510) 979-7922.

Earth Week photo contest will celebrate Ohlone environment A picture is worth a thousand words, and now Ohlone students have the opportunity to tell their stories. This spring, a photo contest is being held for aspiring photographers.

Ohlone Photography Professor Paul Mueller said he had a concept of holding a photo contest, but had not yet formulated the idea.

That was when Jeff Watanabe, biology professor, suggested a photo contest to coincide with Earth Week because “students don’t realize the lots of beautiful things around campus” and he though it would be a good idea to establish a photo contest to show the beauty.

Mueller said this photo contest

Pell Grant aid amount grows Continued from Page 1 their income, rather than the current 15 percent.

The White House projects saving taxpayers $68 billion over the next decade and reaching the administration’s goal of having the highest number of citizens who are college graduates int he world by 2020.

The act ends subsidies to special interest private lending companies which handle Pell Grants.

The amount of total funding for Pell Grants is doubled.

SAFRA also provides $2 billion in competitive grants for the Community College and Career Training Grant Program. This is a new Trade Adjustment Assistance program although it was originally authorized last year in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, known as the “stimulus” which is providing $500 million per year over fiscal years 2011 to 2014 for this program.

The program emphasis funding training and education at community colleges for dislocated workers and those in danger of being dislocated so that they can obtain jobs.

Applications are made through the Department of Labor.

Last year Ohlone College did

not apply for these stimulus grants because they are “vocationally” oriented.

The increase in Pell Grant funding will not affect Ohlone College much because Ohlone’s tuition is low – $26 per credit.

California community colleges don’t get the per-student funding that four-year state colleges and the University of California system get. The only way for a community college to take advantage of the increase in the amount of Pell Grants and the increase in those obtaining them, would be to increase tuition, and capture more of the individual Pell Grants. This could force students to try to obtain funds to pay for their living expenses by turning to the job market, which is now in the throes of a recession.

Pell Grants are federally-funded grants for undergraduate students enrolled in at least 6.0 units each semester who demonstrate financial need. The grants currently range from approximately $400 to $4,731 per academic year and are awarded based upon income and asset information supplied in a FAFSA application. The deadline to submit the FAFSA application for a Pell Grant and to complete the Ohlone College financial aid file is June 6, 2010.

By Noah Levin Staff writer The first Inter Club Council (ICC) meeting since Ohlone College’s Spring Break commenced with ICC Secretary Tim Thu announcing that he would we filling in for ICC Chair Ngan Vu, who at the time was being awarded an Ohlone Foundation Scholarship.

Thu then announced that the Associated Students of Ohlone College (ASOC) had approved the pilot program for the teacher parking permits.

The pilot plan is set to begin in following semesters.

It will be a test run of a parking permit program aimed at faculty members who use the parking lots, and the facilities located on the south side of the Fremont campus.

The pilot program will offer parking passes that teachers would pay for at the start of the semester, much like student passes.

However, these new passes would be restricted to the upper lots of M, N, O and P, where $2 daily passes are ordinarily required for parking there.

The passes would cost the same as paying for the $2 passes five days a week throughout the semester.

According to Ohlone police, this would come to $160 total.

The ASOC passed the resolution to run the pilot program with a consensus pulled from the ICC and its representative’s constituents.

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Features

monitor April 8, 2010

Photos by Amy Kent and Jessie Worden

Geese fly across the pond at Newark while ducks and turtles domesticate and claim Fremont campus as their own.

Squirrels, ducks, turtles, oh my!

By Anika Dokes Staff writer It has come to Ohlone’s attention that the wildfire on campus is being tampered with.

Stuart Dawson, who is a campus officer for the Fremont and Newark Campus said, “there hasn’t been any problems with the wildlife and the students should know the rules about not touching the animals on

campus.”

Dawson also said, “students should not be allowed to feed the animals or even touch them since it’s the policy on campus.”

Unless Ohlone wants environmentalists knocking on its front door, it is recommended to leave the animals alone.

Not all students provoke the animals. For some, it is vice versa.

Ohlone student Steven Sedaka

has had one memorable run in with a certain furry friend more than once. “This giant, mutant squirrel the size of a dog followed me half way to my car, twice.” The animals are known for having a nosey personality.

Natalie Guzman, on the other hand, was in a treacherous battle with ducks “I dropped my books while walking past the pond and at least three or four ducks came

speeding my way, quacking way too loud for my taste.”

Last but certainly not least is Tayna Redding who unwllingly shared her lunch with a hungry bird, “ I was walking with a bag of chips and before I knew it a sea gull hit me in the head and snatched a chip right out of my hand.”

The animals that are on campus have made their nests and plan on not departing anytime soon.

A permanent fixture has been established.

Outside Building 1, in the crevices are large birds nests, a.k.a. a residential neighborhood for what some would call, “rats with wings.”

We as students on campus need to take great pride the beautiful animals that we see on a day-today basis.

Make room Ohlone, the animals were here before us.

Photos by Amy Kent and Alex Glanville

The turtles take time to sunbathe while a squirrel poses and another stays safe and sound in hiding.

Features

April 8, 2010 monitor

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Photos by Joseph Rivera

Garakani spends most of her study time in between classes at the math lab in Hyman Hall along with other students.

Ohlone’s own girl genius makes it into Berkeley

By Jillian Sanchez Features Editor Roya Garakani has been accepted to U.C. Berkeley, but she can’t get into a movie rated PG-13.

She’s 11 years old.

She’s planning to be a molecular and cell biology major and has been attending Ohlone since the fourth grade, meaning she was only 8 years old.

Now she’s 11 years old.

She’s Ohlone’s youngest student. She is also an advanced martial arts student. Did I mention that she is 11 YEARS OLD? But she is also modest.

“I’m not so smart,” she said. “My kindergarten teacher just trained me really well.”

The influence of Mrs. Jennifer Fleiner, a Kindergarden teacher at Doyle Elementary, stretched a long way.

Due to her teachings and techniques, Garakani has become quite the success story.

She has gotten used to being younger than everyone else, in class “At first everyone was so much older, but now I’m used to it.”

“I’ve made a lot of friends in my classes but don’t really hang out with anyone because of age differences.”

After her first semester, she became a fixture on campus and now, “no one really notices that I’m young.” How is it possible to blend in so well when you are 11 years old?

She has made alot of friends but has done a fine job of maintaing a regular lifestyle for her age, despite being extremely intelligent.

Garakani has accomplished what many of us are still striving for.

Again, did I mention, she’s 11 YEARS OLD? To achieve a feat such as getting into Berkeley is quite impressive but Garakani does not let it phase her.

Starting college at this young age is a big accomplishment but her friends still treat her the same, “My friends from middle school don’t think its weird. They’re not suprised.”

Garakani has shown grace, poise and absolute maturity for an 11

year-old.

Besides academics, Garakani is like any regular student who goes shopping, hangs out with friends on the weekends and is a sports buff in her own right.

“I do a lot of sports, gymnastics and judo. I compete on the weekends.” Academics is just another notch on her belt. Thats quite a lot of notches.

Getting an acceptance letter into Berkeley came as a surprise to her.

“I didn’t think I was going to get in”, she said.

Despite the doubt, Garakani is excited and her parents could not be more proud.

“My mom is ecstatic” said Garakani when asked what her mother thinks about all this.

Her father, on the other hand, had saw it coming all along “He expected it” she said She is oldest of three children, with her mother being a doctor and father a Berkeley alumni.

Garakani sees herself as just another normal kid living life to the fullest and does not see herself as a “Super genius.”

She’s quiet, gracious and full of quitessential charm.

While many envy her, she stays humble about her achievements and she does not seem phased by all the attention she has received.

Garakani will be starting at Berkeley this summer as a freshman and plans to attend for a full four years.

Dunning busts myths, reveals scams

By Dave Sheffer Staff writer Brian Dunning, the founder of the website skeptoid.com, will speak at the Ohlone Smith center on Friday April 16 at 7 pm.

“Health Scams and Myths” will examine various scams and urban legends regarding health and medicine.

The event is hosted by the Ohlone Psychology Club and the tickets are $10.

Dunning, a computer scientist has been running skeptoid.com since 2006.

Skeptiod.com is a weekly podcast examining various forms of pseudo-science which has a weekly average of more than 100,000

downloads.

These break down into four categories: consumer fraud, conspiracy theories, urban legends, and alternative medicines.

Along with the podcast he has written two books aptly titled “Skeptoid” and “Skeptoid 2” and hosts the upcoming show “The Skeptologists.”

The inspiration was from beliefs in pop culture that were false. With his basis in science Dunning set out to do his best to find reasonable explanations for the unknown.

Dunning describes the process of examination as, “the constructive way to examine a topic is to look at all the evidence. Separate the good evidence from the bad evidence.

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Explain why some evidence is good and why some is bad. Then, when you’re left only with good information, it’s easy to see which hypothesis is the supported one or at least which is supported by what we know so far.”

Dunning is proudest of skeptoid because, “The thanks I’ve received from people whose lives they say I’ve changed has been staggering.

Many teachers use my materials in class- and I couldn’t ask for any better endorsement than that.”

Which is not to say that everyone loves Dunning, working in the field of examining pseudo-science is going to attract a fair share of haters.

According to Dunning he does receive the rare death threat on his

site but they are usually anonymous.

Dunning said that some of the more memorable threats were, “One guy said I should be killed for describing the true nature of the Pacific Garbage Patch as something other than an island of solid trash the size of Texas.”

“Another expressed the hope that I die from cancer for explaining how microwave ovens work.”

He writes them all off as not credible but understands that some people hold onto their beliefs strongly and can take it personally when those beliefs are challenged by science.

When asked why students should attend his seminar, Dunning summed it up by saying “It’s

no secret that con men are out to get our money. It’s no secret that a lot of products and services we see advertised are worthless.”

Dunning went on to say, “In this particular show I reveal more of these scams, this time from the alternative health sector.”

“Some attendees will recognize many of these cheats as worthless, but I guarantee every attendee that they will learn about at least one more that they never would have thought to question.”

Dunning said, “It may even be one that they are currently spending their money on.”

For more information about Dunnings’s seminar, visit www. ohlone.edu/instr/psychology/ speakerseries

6 MONITOR

News

April 8, 2010

Guest lecture: Growing up biracial

By Sarah Hashemi Staff wrier America is a country built upon immigration. From the pilgrims arriving on the Mayflower to immigrants arriving illegally to escape poverty in their homelands, America has been the beacon of light.

When immigrants arrive to the United States, they are faced with the challenge of learning to be accepted by the new culture.

The process of assimilation is when a minority culture learns to and adapts to the customs of the majority culture.

Most immigrants quickly assimilate and consider themselves

American, but they still maintain a certain cultural identity.

Immigration was not limited to European countries. In 1886 through the early 1900’s, more than 400,000 Japanese immigrants left Japan to work in America.

A majority of the immigrants had every intention of returning to Japan, but ended up staying.

They discovered that American culture was vastly different from their own, and it led to the creation of Japanese-American culture.

It was a common practice to force assimilation at this point in America’s history because it was the time between the two world wars.

Despite being forced to assimilate to American culture, the Japanese were still able to maintain their customs and integrate it within their everyday life.

A product of the JapaneseAmerican culture is Larissa Akiko Bailon Favela, professor of Speech and Communication Studies at Ohlone.

Favela is known as biracial; her mother of Japanese decent is first generation American, while her father of Mexican decent is third generation.

She grew up in East San Jose, so she was thoroughly exposed to both cultures.

Favela said: “As a child, [my mother] purposefully exposed us to particular aspects of both cultures. She always made sure

that we engaged in activities and participated in activities.”

Favela continued to say: “We always had to do projects at home that explored Mexican history, Mexican American history, and even Spanish history. Of course, the history of Japan and Japanese culture.”

Favela would think of herself as largely American throughout her academic career.

She said when she met her husband, who is full Mexican, Favela started to identify with her Mexican-American culture.

It was not until she entered graduate school and started her thesis that she began to identify with her other side.

Her thesis, which started out in a completely different direction, all of a sudden kept coming back to her Japanese-American identity, she said.

Upon completion of her thesis, Favela started to give presentations on the Multiraciality and Assimilation of the Japanese American Community.

The seminar focuses on her experiences growing up as a biracial individual and the topic of Japanese assimilation in the American culture.

Favela will be discuss the many factors in growing up in a multicultural environment on Tuesday, April 13 from 3 to 4 p.m. in Room NC-1222 at the Ohlone Newark Campus.

Food for Thought

By Nazia mastan Columnist

Green everyday Shopping at consignment stores like Crossroads and using one electronic device at a time may sound simple enough, but what we don’t realize is that although one “green” act may be simple, one may find it odd to do things that are out of the ordinary.

We need to all do it together to make it cool.

Let’s go back to our morning routine—coffee. We walk on into our local Starbucks and walk out with a white cup. These uppity white cups claim to be 10 percent post consumer fiber. That means that they are 90 percent not recycled. To give the big S some credit, they are working on making it 100 percent recyclable.

Currently the Starbucks website tells us that these cups can’t be recycled in most places because of the plastic liner contained within them that prevents the paper from touching the hot beverage.

We should start by tackling our irresponsible consumer habits first thing in the morning by bringing in our own mugs for coffee. It may look and sound like a stupid idea, but if a couple of people start, it may just lead to a trend. Best of all, we get 10 cents back every time we bring in our own cups.

Another way we could save the amount of paper we use is to print our essays using both sides of the paper. Simply turn the page over after it’s printed the first side, or configure your more technological printer to print on both sides. Paper isn’t the only thing that’s wasted a lot in our society – gas is guzzled by college students like us.

You know when you have to pick up your younger sibling from school, drop them to tutoring, run to Safeway to pick up milk, go to the post office and stand in line for some stamps, then do a bajillion other things?

It may be a good idea to pick up a friend that has to do similar tasks, carpool it. You get your errands run while enjoying time with a friend.

Saving gas and using one less car can work towards reducing carbon emissions in the air that ruin crops and deplete the ozone layer. While you’re out running errands you should definitely stop at the mall and grab a couple of organic cotton t-shirts.

Cotton is the most pesticide ridden plant; buying organic cotton ensures that the demand for ecofriendly material is high.

Organic cotton tees, carpooling errands and your own mug at Starbucks can really alter how our society thinks about going green.

Campus Events April

3:30 p.m.

8 Sustainability Committee meeting Room NC1317, noon to 1 p.m.

12 General Education Subcommittee meeting 3 to 5 p.m.

8 Learning Disabilities Informational meeting Room 7107, Building 7, first floor, 1 to 2:30 p.m. and in Study Room NC1122, Learning Resource Center, at 4:30 to 6 p.m.

12 College Council meeting in Room 7101, Fremont campus; Video conference from Room NC-1219, Newark campus at noon to 1 p.m.

13 HIV Testing Clinic at the Student Health Center, 8 Men’s Baseball home vs. Room 7302, Building 7, third floor, Fremont campus Skyline College at 2 p.m. at 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

8 Women’s Softball home vs. Mission College at 3 p.m. 13 Men’s Baseball home vs. West Valley College at 2 p.m.

8 Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) meeting , Room SC13 Inter Club Council 116, 4 to 5 p.m.

(ICC) meeting Room 7101 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

9 Science Seminar: Our Health Care System by 13 Women’s Softball Gessica Johnson in Room 3201 at noon to 12:50 p.m. home vs. De Anza College at 3 p.m.

10 Ohlone College Super 13 Speech Brown Bag Flea Market held the Speaker: Multiraciality second Saturday of each and Assimilation in the month throughout the year Japanese American Comat Parking Lots E and H, munity in Room NC-1222, Ohlone College from 8 Newark campus at 3 to 4 a.m. to 3 p.m. p.m.

10 Women’s Softball away 13 ASOC meeting in Room vs. Foothill College at 11 7101 at 4 to 5 p.m. a.m.

10 Men’s Baseball home vs. Cañada College at noon 11 Spring 2010 Youth Basketball Instructional League Mini Renegades, Grades 1-2 Boys and Girls at the Fremont campus, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

11 Spring 2010 Youth Basketball Instructional League Little Renegades, Grades 3-4 Boys and Girls 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.

12 “Promises,’ a film about the Israeli-Palistinian conflict, will be presented by the Muslim Students Association, 5-7 p.m., Room 3201.

12 SLOA Subommittee meeting Room 1407 / NC1317, noon to 1 p.m.

12 Distance Learning Subcommittee meeting at Online cccconfer.org, 2 to

April 8, 2010 monitor

Noon on April 28, 8 p.m. other days.

IS OUR NEWS CENSORED? Peter Phillips will discuss ‘The 20 Top Censored News Stories in 2009,’ today, April 8, at 3 p.m., Room 3201.

Phillips is a professor of sociology at Sonoma State University and president of the Media Freedom Foundation/Project Censored, which publishes a yearbook of the year’s top censored stories. Admission is free. Sponsored by the Mass Communication Department.

Peter Phillips, Ph.D

14 Spring Health Fair, Student Health Center, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

14 Board of Trustees Business meeting in Room 7101, Student Services Center, Fremont campus at 4 p.m.

14 Sydney, Australia Semester Fall 2010 Information Meeting in Room NC-1224 at 5 p.m.

17 Healthy Living Open House. Free 30-minute sample fitness and wellness classes. 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Ohlone College Newark Center, 39399 Cherry St, Newark. Go to www. ohlone.edu/go/healthy.

28-30 Spring Dance Production ‘Whether the Weather.’ Annual spring dance production, including 100 dance students performing a variety of styles.

Tickets are $10 and $15.

Read the Monitor Online at http://ohlone.edu/org/monitor or www.ohlonemonitoronline.com The Monitor invites your comments. Letters should be 250 words or less and include your name and relationship to Ohlone. Letters become property of The Monitor and may be edited for spelling and length. Campus Events listings are free for college-related events. To have your event added or to place an ad, contact Bia Roldan at (510) 659-6075 or e-mail monitorads@ohlone.edu

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Thursday, April 8, 2010

Page 8

Lady Renegades enjoy spring cleaning Stefanie Hatley’s home run highlights spring break sweep.

By Nick Zambrano Sports editor The Ohlone Lady Renegades enjoyed their spring break thoroughly as they swept all of their contests. On Monday, March 29, Ohlone’s diamond girls made up a postponed games against heated rival Chabot College. However for Chabot, the delay could have gone on longer as the Lady Renegades obliterated them, 18-3.

Both Paulina Gentry and Megan Ramirez went an awe-inspiring 3-3 each. Gentry had three runs batted in, two runs scored and a double.

The first baseman Ramirez had her way with Chabot pitcher Shannon Merritt for two runs scored.

Hurler Jessica Varady helped her own cause again, this time going 1-2 with a triple and the RBI’s. On the mound, the freshman ace went five innings strong, giving up only one earned run and three walks.

“Chabot’s always scary because they can score a whole lot of runs.

That’s why it was so important, in a lot of innings that we got the first out,” said Ohlone Head Coach Donna Runyon.

With only a day rest in between, the Lady Renegades squared off with Monterey Peninsula on the following Wednesday. Having

already beaten MPC earlier in the year at the March Madness Tournament they knew what to expect from their opponent and shut them down, 7-0.

The heart of lineup, Ashley Nahale, Shelby Tomasello and Stefanie Hatley went a combined 6-11 at the plate. The shortstop Nahale finished the game with a triple and two runs batted in.

However, the biggest highlight for the Lady Renegades came on Thursday when the College of San Mateo Bulldogs came into town.

With a win over the Bulldogs, Ohlone would clinch home field advantage through the first week of the state playoffs and be in sole possession of first place in the Coast Conference, North Division.

The Lady Renegades grabbed an early two-run cushion in the first inning by way of a Stefanie Hatley double to right field. Unfortunately, San Mateo was quick to strike back.

The Bulldogs struck pitcher Jessica Varady for four runs immediately after in the second inning. Part of the run output came from the Bulldogs’ lead-off hitter Alyssa Jepsen and her three-run home run.

Now trailing 4-2 and with the wind lifted from beneath their sails, Ohlone had to respond swiftly.

Which they did in the sixth, after San Mateo struck for another run to make it 5-2.

After Tomasello ripped San Mateo pitcher Lauren Cole for a double

Photo by Alex Glanville

Ashley Nahale attempts to slip in under the tag against Chabot College.

By nick zambrano Sports editor

In full swing

Photo by Alex Glanville

During spring break, Stefanie Hatley swung the hot bat going for 6-10. down the left field line, Hatley stepped into the batter’s box looking to raise some more chaos.

Prior to the sixth, Hatley was 1-2 with a double and two RBI’s. Her double in the first inning was a blast that bounced its way to the right field wall. The CSM outfield started to show her a little respect by taking a few steps back when she stepped into the box, but those steps would prove useless in a few moments.

With the count in her favor at 20, Hatley took the pitch from Cole and placed it on the back step of the Kidango behind the left center field wall. The homer cut the CSM down to 5-4 and set the table for Ohlone in the final frame.

“I was thinking they were going to go outside on me,” Hatley commented. “Because I was hitting outside earlier on them, so I was thinking 2-0 pitch, probably going to go outside.”

Hatley, a freshman, finished the contest 2-4 with four runs batted in.

In their final attempt to square

things away with the Bulldogs, Ohlone came out with the big bats.

Nahale started the inning with her infield single and then quickly got herself into scoring position by nabbing second. Another double

by Tomasello immediately after tied the game at 5-5.

After Hatley received a four-pitch pass to first, the game laid solely on the bat of Megan Ramirez.

Ramirez dropped a bunt down and got on safely. However, as Ramirez got to first, Tomasello was eager to end the game and rounded third for home. She slid in under the dropped ball by the CSM catcher and began celebrating right as she was called safe.

Now with the 6-5 win in the books, Ohlone moves their record to 10-2 (8-1) on the season, but more importantly clinched home field advantage for the first week of the playoffs.

Up next for Hatley and company will be an away game against Mission College today, at 3 p.m.

recently, six-game win streak.

Prior to Tuesday, sophomore left-hander Roberto Padilla led the conference in ERA (2.22), opposing batting average (.226) and in wins (8), and is second in the conference in innings pitched (56.2) and in complete games (2).

The Renegades pitching staff leads the Coast Conference Pacific with a 3.91 ERA while holding opponents to a combined .251 batting average, which also leads the conference.

Offensively, the Renegades are in the middle of the conference with a .301 batting average, however lead the CCP with a combined 29 home runs. Zach Johnson is fifth

in the conference in batting average for a starter (.405) with Matt Silvernale leading in batting average for non-starters (.387) Ohlone enters the month of April winning six of the last seven games, including a 4-2 win over San Mateo and a 13-inning 4-3 win over Cosumnes River during last week’s spring break.

Ohlone begins a four-game homestand today against Skyline College at 2 p.m.

The Renegades then go on the road for four of their next five games before finishing the regularseason at home against Monterey Peninsula and Gavilan on April 29 and 30.

Renegades on pace for playoffs again

By Jeff Weisinger Editor-in-chief For the second straight year, it’s safe to say that Ohlone baseball is playoff bound.

However a second consecutive Coast Conference Pacific title may soon be out of reach.

There have been times where Ohlone has looked like the dominant team they have been under, now second-year head coach Jordon Twohig, and there have been times where they’ve looked like the Renegades of old. However, despite the “bad” times, the Renegades have always come back strong after a loss (except for

those pair of back-to-back losses against Skyline and Chabot in mid-March.)

Prior to Tuesday’s loss at Gavilan, the Renegades (18-6, 103) trailed first-place Canada (20-3, 12-1) by two games with a key game at Cañada on April 24.

The seventh-best team in Northern California hasn’t been close to the 11, 9, and 13 game win streaks they had last season, but even with fewer games on the schedule this season, the Renegades do have the same momentum going into the regionals in May like they did at the same time back in 2009.

They haven’t been as streaky this season, riding just a four, three, and

Swing away

Now that the first pitch has been thrown for both the Athletics and Giants, it is only right that I break down my expectations for our beloved Bay Area squads.

Let’s start off closer to home with the A’s. Opening night opened up as most die-hard fans expected as the boys in green and gold fought back, only to punch themselves in the face against the Seattle Mariners, 5-3.

Ben Sheets, in five innings of work, allowed only two earned and four hits in the opening day game. He is still climbing up to the status that he had while with the Milwaukee Brewers, but given the nursing philosophy the A’s give all their pitchers, he should be back before the year is out. Just in time for him to leave via free agency or trade.

Also be aware of any and all trades with players that are doing somewhat decent. I would not doubt that Ryan Sweeney, Rajai Davis and Coco Crisp are either shipped out or mentioned in trade talks before the trade deadline late in the year.

Speaking of the bats, the A’s are for lack of a better word, lacking. Lacking so much that speedy, contact hitter Ryan Sweeney was batting third opening night. Last year he hit a whopping six homers.

Look for the A’s to amount as many losses as steadily as their attendance drops. With the way Seattle, Texas and Los Angeles all look this year, Oakland would be lucky to see the light of third place.

Moving on to the other side of the Bay, the Giants appear pressed to make another run at the postseason. Last year, San Francisco shocked the league when they rode the arms of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, along with the bat of Pablo Sandoval within a few games of breaking a playoff drought.

Lincecum set the tone against the Houston Astros on opening night for what very well could be another Cy Young award.

Despite the Astros’ weak lineup, “The Freak” recorded seven strikeouts through seven, scoreless innings.The Giants will only go as far those arms carry them. Will they finally surpass the Rockies and Dodgers? It is still too soon to tell.

However, if it wasn’t meant to be this year, look for the Giants to maintain a steady course over the next few seasons and eventually break through to the promise land.