4/18/11

San Jacinto Times The voice of San Jacinto College since 1991

Media stars shine at SJC Vol. 21, No. 18

The Student Publication of the San Jacinto College District

April 18, 2011

www.sanjacintotimes.com

Big crowd for Comm. Day

Photo by Cris Rodriguez/San Jacinto Times

Communications professor Fred Faour (left), Local 2’s Adam Clanton (center) and Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle adress 200 local high school students at San

Travels and big performances all in a day’s work for student

BY VICTOR ARAIZA San Jacinto Times

Photo Courtesy of Janette Marin

Janette Marin and Hillary Clinton celebrate a special day together.

Janette Marin is a 20-year old Broadcasting major at San Jacinto College-Central. Janette has ambition to be an entertainment reporter, a key reason why she is taking courses in Reporting and Mass Communication.

“I talk so much, love to laugh, outgoing, silly and random,” stated Marin as her attributes to why an entertainment career fits her. “Definitely what I want to do.”

Marin is also a member of the Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals (HAHMP), a non-profit organization aimed to promote and encourage the success of aspiring Hispanic journalist students. As a member of HAHMP, Marin is able to reap the benefits of being mentored by some of Houston’s prominent journalists.

As a student member of HAHMP, Marin works closely with former Univision Communications anchor and reporter Marine Hernandez to organize a TV show called “Houston on the Move”. Marin works both on the show as a reporter, and as an editor behind the scenes in the production room. Episodes of the half-hour four-segment

show can be found online at www.houstononthemove.org.

When she is not focused on her journalism career, Janette is practicing or performing as a singer with her band “Imani Jazz”. Marin has performed as a vocalist in venues across the country such as the Inaugural Ball in Washington D.C., and the Disneyland Resort in California under her stage name “Jayna Marlo”.

“It was the one for the inaugural ball in Washington D.C.,” said Marin when asked about her favorite performance of her singing career. “The public was so hyped and that energy transferred to me, made me jump on stage, walk side to side. Everyone was clapping, dancing, singing, to what I was singing.”

Marin has performed all over Houston in the Arena Theater, Miller Outdoor Theater, and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. She has also performed at the George R. Brown convention center at an after party for the 2008 Latin Grammy Awards. The event that stands out the most was when Marin’s band had the privilege to open up for then-aspiring Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a public rally held at Delmar Stadium in February 2008.

SEE PERFORMANCE page 5

Garza has a Second Love

It’s the Final countdown

Kathy Garza is seemingly a normal San Jac South.

However, she is a student is full of surprises that most people would not pick out. Kathy, only 22 years old, has been studying at San Jacinto for a year now. “Feels like longer,” said Kathy with a slight sarcasm in her voice. She is studying x-ray technology and plans to work in the medical field.

“I like to see through peoples fictions” said Kathy with a laugh. Although she has dreams of X-ray machines and medical equipment there’s much more that we can’t see through.

Along with school Kathy juggles work and her band. She is part of a rock band named “Second Lovers.” Ms. Garza is plays the pass and does the vocals in the band. They perform at local venues around town. This past Sunday they played at Warehouse Live (Studio Room). May 6th they are scheduled to perform at Dean’s Credit Clothing, which is a hip vintage clothing store during the day

On April 12, 2011 at 12:00 pm central time NASA announced the official retirement of the space shuttles. NASA officials, in a press conference, announced the final resting locations across the United States. The space shuttles will be going to museums across the country and will rest forever at: Smithsonian, Virginia - Discovery Kennedy Space Center, Florida - Atlantis California Science Center, California - Endeavor Intrepid Museum, New York - Enterprise (The prototype) Over 20 cities throughout the United States made a bid to be the final resting location of one of the four orbiters. Cities were required to fund the $28 million dollar relocation cost as well as be able to produce a suitable location for final retirement by December 2011. The Smithsonian institute was exempted from the movement cost.

Bidding cities that were not honored with one of

BY CRISTOPHER RODRIGUEZ San Jacinto Times

Comm. Day

and is a stage and bar for local acts during the night

SEE LOVE page 5

Photo by Cris Rodriguez

Kathy Garza can see through a mundane life.

Opinion

A complete recap of Should this iconic slugger be allowed the festivities. into Baseball’s Hall Page 4. of Fame? Page 2.

BY JOSEPH ENG San Jacinto Times

Stretching it

Patti Underkircher inspires all to succeed at yoga.

Page 7.

the four space shuttles have been given various pieces of space shuttle hardware and software in compensation for their efforts. The Texas A&M Aerospace Engineering Department has been given various space shuttle simulators while Johnson Space Center has been promised the flight deck commander and pilot seats of one of the shuttles.

MCT Campus

Houston is not among the four cities chosen for a retired orbiter.

Opinion/commentary

April 18, 2011 San Jacinto Times • Page 2

The Reagan years: An open debate

The case for: An American icon

Against: ‘Mistakes were made’

If you Google “conservative icon” the first result will take you to Ronald Reagan. In fact, according to recent Gallup polls, Ronald Reagan tops the charts as the most common response when asked, “Who is the greatest President”. The 40th president of the United States of America has left a resounding legacy on the political field.

Reaganomics and his strong foreign relations directions are often cited as his strongest points.

While many presidents have left their footprint on the political landscape, Reagan left a signature.

One often-missed issue with Reagan’s popularity is that he came after one of the weakest Presidents in the history of the United States. The nation was facing extremely high tax rates (in the range of 70% income taxes for the wealthy), a poor economy, and a very passive foreign affairs policy. In the 1980 election, Reagan won in a landslide election carrying all but six states in the process.

Within moments of his oath of office the 444-day Iranian hostage crisis was settled, further boosting his already immense popularity.

Ronald Reagan’s economic policies are perhaps his most prominent gift to modern conservatism.

He argued supply side economics, more commonly called Reaganomics. This policy advocated lowered taxes to spur economic growth, reduced government spending, lessened government regulation, and a tight control of the money supply to fight inflation. This should sound familiar, because every conservative president since Reagan has advocated his policies. Conservative pundits and politicians alike tout the policies strengths by showing that it results in a stronger economy.

In fact, Reagan’s economic policy of low government intervention and taxes is so popular that it forms the backbone of the Conservative “Tea Party Movement.”

Reagan’s election also heralded a new age for the Republican and Democratic political parties.

Prior to the 1980 election it was a common sight to find conservative Democrats. The idea of a conservative Democrat held true since the Civil War, in which many embittered conservatives (popular in the south) refused to vote for a Republican candidate for over a hundred years. This resulted in a “Conservative Coalition” in which conservatives,

Ronald Reagan left office as the most beloved President since Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose steady hand elevated us from the worst fiscal crisis in our history and set America up for a generation of prosperity. In a recent gallop poll Reagan was voted American’s favorite President and Republican candidates are frequently caught attempting to follow the “Reagan Doctrine.” In fact Sarah Palin had over 30 references to Reagan in her two books.

In my opinion, his actions as President do not stand up to the sanctimonious pedestal to which he is placed.

Reaganomics has been a staple of the country since its implementation in the early 1980s.

Known as supply-side economics, it is an economic policy which states that if you give tax cuts to corporations the benefits will “trickle down” to the rest of the population generating a better standard of living for all. The untold effect is the huge unsustainable income disparity that has resulted from these policies. According to Robert Reich’s recently released book After- Shock “considering inflation, the typical male worker [earns less] than he did thirty years before.” By contrast, the top one percent of the population, in terms of earning, brings in twenty three percent of the total income generated in the U.S.; up from about ten percent during Reagan’s first year as President.

The economy was initially sustained by the influx of women entering the workplace in the 1980s. In the 1990s the middle class kept their standard of living by borrowing off of their homes while incurring debts for expenses that they could pay thirty years ago.

Most Americans have been living above their means since the mid-1990s. When the sub-prime lending market crashed in 2007 most Americans were no longer able to borrow; the middle class could not purchase enough to keep up with production and inflation. Reagan’s policies slowly stripped the middle class of its purchasing power and influence.

After the mid-term elections Republicans refused to let the Bush-era tax cuts expire often citing Reaganomics as justification. Due to the “Reagan” tax cuts and “Reagan” deregulation the Stock Market crashed in 1987. Reagan was forced

By JOSEPH ENG San Jacinto Times

both Republican and Democrat, would vote together on many key issues.

Ronald Reagan’s 1980 political campaign killed the Conservative Coalition, and now most conservatives firmly plant themselves under the Republican Party. It took 100 years and a movie star president to finally put the schism created by the Civil War to rest.

Finally, Reagan dramatically shifted the foreign policy of the United States. During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union practiced a form of foreign policy known as détente.

Basically, both sides limited the amount of arms and continued a long stalemate. Reagan, instead of continuing this practice, dramatically escalated the arms race and spent the already bankrupt USSR into oblivion. The already backwards economy of the Soviet Union was unable to keep up with the dramatically increased military spending of the United States. While the USSR had been suffering for decades underneath a stagnated economy, it took one final kick from a man who would not tolerate an “Evil Empire” (to quote Reagan himself).

One of Reagan’s greatest acts of foreign policy was the Star Wars program. This was not the epic trilogy in which Luke Skywalker and a ragtag rebellion destroy Darth Vader and the Evil Empire. Rather, this was a cleverly crafted farce in which Reagan announced that America had broken the stalemate of the Cold War. Mutually Assured Destruction, or M.A.D, enabled the stalemate to continue based on the idea that neither side would survive a nuclear exchange. Under Star Wars, America had the capacity to shoot down nuclear missiles while they were safely in orbit. In truth, the program was so underfunded that they could not even afford to create their own publicity videos.

The Star Wars program was essentially a lie.

However, it was a lie that only a man of Reagan’s charisma could have pulled off. The USSR spent itself into oblivion and gave up trying to compete with the United States.

Reagan was a strong conservative President that left a significant impact on modern politics. He revitalized the American economy, shaped modern political parties, and ended the Cold War. Many cases could be made against such a president, but his actions speak louder than words.

By CHRIS SHELTON San Jacinto Times

Cartoon courtesy of Ryan Mcknight

Ronald Reagan’s tenure as president draws diferent opinions.

to raise taxes six times, a direct contradiction to his tax cutting, free market rhetoric. This was necessary to infuse the middle class with income and rebound the economy.

The “Teflon President” somehow evaded the artillery shells thrown his way during the second greatest abuse of executive power in United States history. President Reagan approved the illegal sale of arms to Iran, a country under embargo at the time, with the hope of securing the release of seven American prisoners held captive in Lebanon by Iranian terrorists. Three prisoners were released but three new prisoners were then taken. He violated his campaign promise to never negotiate with terrorists and compromised the legitimacy of the US executive position in foreign affairs for years to come. A large sum of the money made on this tender was then used to support the Nicaragua based insurgent group Contras.

This was a direct violation of the Boland Amendment, which restricted CIA and Department of Defense operations in Nicaragua.

His actions threatened the solvency of the Presidency in the eyes of the American public so soon after Watergate. You have to admire his condescending statement on the matter because “mistakes were made,” is my favorite non-denial nonadmittance in political history.

Let Manny be Manny, just not in the Hall of Fame

By CHRIS SHELTON San Jacinto Times

Great teammate, great leadership, plays hard every game, Manny Ramirez. Which one of these four does not belong?

Manny Ramirez is the greatest right-handed bat to play at Fenway Park since Ted Williams, but no one will ever suggest that he is good for a Major League Clubhouse. Ramirez is a Barry Bonds or Milton Bradley level cancer to a baseball team; only he does it in a charming manner.

“Manny being Manny” was a cute anecdote when his bat supplied a steady barrage of hard liners towards the Green Monster in Boston. His bat lead to pennant chases, several thrilling comeback wins against the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS, and the end of the Red Sox championship drought; thoroughly thrusting Cub fans into the depths of pathetic.

“Manny being Manny” implies that Ramirez is just an interesting character that makes weird and sometimes quirky decisions akin to Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld. But after a dip in power numbers, a holdout in Los Angeles in which he initially declined twenty five million dollars in 2009 and a player option for twenty million in 2010, and two

MCT Campus

Manny Ramirez in his Dodger days steroid busts, Ramirez’s selfish behavior is no longer given a clever euphemism.

Transcendent stars of all sports are selfish at times because they have natural talent most were never born with, an extreme work ethic unrivaled in their sport and a sense of entitlement garnered from years of success, but Ramirez has taken the proverbial cake and reached a new stratosphere of selfishness.

EDITOR

Maria Chavez

MANAGING EDITOR

San Jacinto Times San Jacinto College Student Publications

Michael Deats

DESIGN/WEB EDITOR Chris Shelton

ASSISTANT EDITORS Amanda Rae Sowa, Joseph Eng CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Harrison Lee

CIRCULATION Cristal Calvillo

ADVERTISING Sara Quintana

ADVISER Fred Faour

Allen Iverson, the King Kong of selfishness, has nothing on Manny Ramirez.

I am not a baseball purist nor do I believe that entrants into the Baseball Hall of Fame should be Patron Saints but Manny Ramirez’s only visit to Cooperstown should involve him paying homage to the enshrined bust of either Cal Ripken or Frank Robinson. Two players who played the game the right way.

Individuals who used steroids before baseball banned performance enhancing drugs should be allowed into the hall of fame. We do not live in a world where authority figures can subjectively pass judgment in hindsight. Hypocritical writers who gave tacit consent by turning a blind eye to the desecration of Roger Maris and Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth should not now or ever stand on the moral high ground of the situation by wielding their influence as gatekeepers to Cooperstown.

Manny Ramirez is a unique case though. Not only was he allegedly named in the 2003 Doping List, but he has since tested positive for banned substances twice. So Ramirez clearly has a blatant disregard for the integrity of the game that has brought him fame, notoriety, and gobs of money.

Quite possibly the worst teammate of all-time, The San Jacinto Times is published weekly by the journalism students at San Jacinto College Central, 8060 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, TX 77505.

Opinions expressed herein are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the staff, its adviser, the administration or the Board of Regents.

The Times encourages letters to the editor.

Letters must be in good taste, accurate, free from libel, malice or personal controversy.

Letters must be limited to 200 words in length. Letters submitted without the author’s signature will not be accepted.

Ramirez was known for mental lapses on the base path and in the field. He was known to tank parts of seasons in Boston during his annual trade request.

When he did not feel like playing he faked a knee injury. The fact that the Red Sox took a loss in talent and money to get rid of Manny Ramirez during one of his prime years lets you know how much of a terminal cancer he was to the clubhouse.

That does not sound like the attitude of a Hall of Famer to me.

Normally a .312 career batting average, 555 home runs, 1831 RBI and over 2500 hits places you among the Holy Grail of MLB hitters. That combination of average and power places Ramirez into the upper echelon of baseball Hall of Famers but his actions on and off the field illustrate a clear pattern of disrespect for America’s Pastime. If Manny Ramirez makes the Hall of Fame, then it signifies a drop in standards. You can get in if you not only help cheat the game of its innocence but also of its integrity. When will the Hall of Fame stop backsliding towards mediocrity? The bottom line is Manny Ramirez’s actions toward Baseball are reprehensible and should not be condoned with a Hall of Fame vote.

The staff reserves the right to edit the letters for accuracy without altering the general meaning.

Letters can be e-mailed to fred.faour@sjcd.edu. Letters must include name and phone number for verification.

The online edition of the Times is available at www.sanjacintotimes.com.

Advertising space is available for $5.00 per column inch. Special rates are available. For news tips and information on advertising, contact the Times at 281-4782752.

Around campus Espanol Norte

Lunes, Abril 18

• No hay actividades

Martes, Abril 19 • Junta del club Rotarct, 1 p.m., NCST S215

Miércoles, Abril 20 • No hay actividades

Jueves, Abril 21 • Exposicion de arte estudiantil, 9 a.m., galleria de norte • Junta del club de Anime, 2 p.m., NTEC A1025

Viernes, Abril 22 • Exposicion de arte estudiantil, 9 a.m., galleria de norte

Sabado, Abril 23 • No hay actividades

Lunes, Abril 25 • Exposicion de arte estudiantil, 9 a.m., galleria de norte

Central

Lunes, Abril 18

• Puesto de informacion BSM, 10:30 a.m., CADM Rotunda • Prepara el camino, 11:30 a.m., CSTC 210 A/B • Junta de SIFE, 1:30 p.m., CSTC Raven Cafe

Martes, Abril 19 • Junta de TSEA, 1 p.m., CSCI 243 • BSM estudio de biblia, 1 p.m., edificio de BSM • Junta de VYNE, 1:30 p.m., CSTC 210 A/B • Junta de GSA, 2:30 p.m., CADM 204 • Junta de los officiales del club de Filosofia, 4 p.m., CADM W106 • Gymnasio abierto (con identificacion estudiantil) 5 p.m., Gym • Futbol de salon (con identificacion estudiantil), 6 p.m., Gym

Miércoles, Abril 20 • Venta de pastelerias de parte del club de sociologia/ anthropologia, 9:30 a.m., Centro de Estudiantes • Junta de VYNE, 1:30 p.m., CSTC 210 A/B • Junta de la sociedad de Anime, 2 p.m., CADM W112 • Junta de WEBB, 2:3o p.m., Clase del Profesor Turner.

• Junta del club de Filosofia, 3:30 p.m., CADM W106 • Junta del club de Matematicas, 5:12 p.m., CSCI 135

Jueves, Abril 21 • BSM cafe del alma, 11 a.m., edificio de BSM • Junta de escritores creativos, 11:30 a.m., CADM 257 • Junta del club de filosofia, 2:30 p.m., CADM W106

Sabado, Abril 23 • Junta de la sociedad de juegos, 12 p.m., CSTC 210 A/B

Lunes, Abril 25 • Junta de SIFE, 1:30 p.m., CSTC Raven Cafe

Lunes, Abril 18

Sur

• Junta del club de psicologia, 1 p.m., cuarto 1101 • Junta de SGA, 3 p.m., cuarto 4202 • Junta del club de tenis, 3:3o p.m., Tennis Courts • Junta del club de artes marciales mixtas, 8 p.m., Gym

Martes, Abril 19 • Junta del club de arte, 5:30 p.m., cuarto 12113 • Junta de la sociedad de pre-medicina, 6 p.m., cuarto 3200

Miércoles, Abril 20 • Feria de salud y bienestar, 11 a.m., Student Center Atrium • Junta de WEBB, 2:30 p.m., cuarto 1131

Jueves, Abril 21 • Musico Matt Coury, 11:30 a.m., Student Center Atrium • Junta de Phi Beta Lambda, 2:30 p.m., cuarto 2208 • Junta de la asociacion de estudiantes veteranos, 3 p.m., superior de las escaleras en el centro estudiantil • Junta del club de almuerzos, 4:30 p.m., Cafe

Viernes, Abril 22 • No hay actividades

Sabado, Abril 23 • No hay actividades

Teacher digs anthropology

By PRISCILA ZARAZUA San Jacinto Times

Starting Fall 2011 San Jacinto College Central will have Anthropology as a major.

What is anthropology? Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present.

To understand the full sweep and complexity of cultures across all of human history, anthropology draws and builds upon knowledge from the social and biological sciences as well as the humanities and physical sciences.

A central concern of anthropologists is the application of knowledge to the solution of human problems. Historically, anthropologists in the United States have been trained in one of four areas: Sociocultural anthropology, biological/physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics.

Anthropologists often integrate the perspectives of several of these areas into their research, teaching, and professional lives (AAA). Professor Pamela Maack has a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, has worked at San Jacinto College for 20 years, has traveled the world, and can speak Swahili. As I sat with her, she shared with me her childhood years, her decision to major in anthropology, her time living in Africa, and the exciting news of the anthropology major starting this fall.

San Jacinto Times: What motivated you to major in anthropology?

Pamela Maack: You know… I often get asked that, and I’m not a 100 percent sure. I guess it has something to do with the fact that my father was an air force pilot, that we moved around and traveled a lot. I lived for three years in England when I was a child and I think that put me in other cultures and I kind of was forced early on to understand different kinds of people and I think that had something to do with it. The fact that we traveled so much and visited different areas and we traveled around Europe, I often think that was part of it at least. And then, when you’re in the military you’re also forced to take different perspectives and we were taught to respect all kinds of people that would show up in our classes. The military pulls together a lot of different types of people so I didn’t grow up in one small area. I think maybe that had some impact on it but I’m not sure. The one thing I know was, when I went to college, I was going to be a lawyer and when I showed up I was doing the registration process which was really stressful and I was just a young girl trying to figure out which classes to sign up for. I was trying to make a schedule which it could be hard to do and I was supposed to take a philosophy class on the logic in Korea and it was full and I was sitting there in the gym going “I don’t know what to take” and there was a poster on the wall and it said “Introduction to Archeology” and I sat there and I thought “well, he cares enough to put a poster up so maybe he’s a good professor” and I signed up for that class and I loved it, I loved it and I never looked back and then I didn’t think about the law anymore. I never would’ve picked anthropology, so I got into the class by accident. So that’s why I think sometimes when students are putting so much pressure on themselves to pick careers I’m always like “you know… you never know, the career might pick you” so sometimes I think you have to pluck away at college until you fall in love with something, at least that’s what I think.

SJT: Where did you attend college?

PM: University of Virginia, it’s very beautiful I loved it there very much. I’m a great believer in public education because of that. That was my foot in the door and my mother and I didn’t have money to send me to college so it was a great opportunity and I really did feel when I started thinking about careers for my future, I really honestly felt that that made me want to give back because somebody invested in me and I wanted to repay society by teaching. I finished in four years. The university of Virginia is very proud of the fact that they finish you in four years.

SJT: How was your experience in Africa?

PM: The first time I went to Africa was to get my data for my Ph.D. dissertation. It was to study a local people like an anthropologist would and kind of live with them and telling their history in a way,

8 DAYS A WEEK North

Monday, April 18

• No Scheduled Activities

Tuesday, April 19 • Rotaract Club Meeting, 1 p.m., NSTC S215

Wednesday, April 20 • No Scheduled Activities Photo courtasy of Rob Vanya

Pamela Maack has had an interesting life. participating in their lives and writing about them and I did that. And then I went back again and that time was to work on development research and do work for the international red cross and the U.S. agency for international development. I found that to be very painful work, it was very hard writing a rapid assessment. They wanted you to write a report on what was happening to children whose parents were dying of AIDS and therefore they were becoming orphaned. And that was painful research to do. I went to Tanzania both times, I did all of my fieldwork there.

SJT: Did you have any good experiences in Africa?

PM: I had a lot of good experiences in Africa, which balance the more painful experiences of the research that I had to do. But I learned a lot from Tanzania and I learned a lot from Tanzanian people.

I learned different perspectives on how to raise children and how to think about people and family, how to think about family relations, and what’s important in life. When you don’t have a lot of money then you are able to see the kinds of things people hold dear. There were times I felt that as poor as Tanzanians were some of the things they held dear perhaps were better than some of the things we hold dear. Remembering that family is important, remembering not to judge people on how much money they have, which we tend to do. We forget how important families are and when you’re at San Jac you can kind of see that with your students. You can see that people have deep extended family ties that matter to them. We forget we should value that.

SJT: Tell us more about the Anthropology major.

PM: Yes, I’m so excited! When I came here 20 years ago we had one class and that was anthropology 2351, cultural anthropology, and then we added the archeology 2302, introduction to archeology.

Then we added anthropology 2346, general anthropology, and come this fall we are adding 2301 introduction to biological anthropology. That gives us four courses which will be enough to have a major so by the fall we’ll have a major. I’m so proud of that because I worked a lot for 20 years to be able to say we have anthropology major. I’m really excited about that and I can’t wait to have students that are graduating with anthropology majors.

Students will be able to work in public health field, get jobs helping around world. It’s a major that is in high demand because we’re becoming such a global economy.

SJT: What advice would you give students who want to major in anthropology?

PM: I think a good advice for any student is to number one recognize what they’re good at and often times what we’re good at comes easy to us.

We think we need a challenge but what we need is to recognize when it’s easy for us that probably means we have a skill set that works. Second, I like to advice students when they’re looking for jobs to work backwards and that is to go online do a keyword search for anthropology and find a job that you want that five years from now, ten years from now you say “I want to be doing this” and look for the qualifications for that job and go backwards and get those qualifications so you can get the job you want. And by job I also mean a career because when you are involved in anthropology it’s not just a job, it is a career. It’s a way of thinking about the world.

It’s finding your place in the world and I do think that people who become anthropologists do so because they found their place in the world and we never think of it as a job. It’s fulfilling because it’s your dream, it’s your vision of “here is where I belong, this is what I belong doing.”

Video game addictions can be serious

By ADRIAN REQUENA San Jacinto Times

Having trouble focusing? Getting behind in studies? Not functioning well throughout the day? Well maybe this is not exactly a sickness, but it can be big problem that does interfere with a normal life.

Addiction is no laughing no matter what kind.

Don’t give in, there are ways to ease someone off an addiction.

Now one might ask how can someone get addicted to video games. It’s not even a drug; wrong!

Anything can become drug like to a sense. In most cases gaming can give a person a certain high; the same way as gambling. The trill of winning and in control of a virtual world does seem pretty appealing.

The gaming can be used as escapism from real life problems same for any other type of entertainment; for students it will most likely be schoolwork that suffers. Lack of sleep can become the main concern there for not functioning well or interacting normally towards other people. Sometimes a person becomes so immersed into the game enough to where that in basically where they live and ignoring everyone and everything in real life causing to shut out family and friends locked away in a room all day; how depressing. To anyone who thinks they

April 18, 2011 San Jacinto Times • Page 3

Thursday, April 21 • Student Art Show, 9 a.m., Galleria del Norte • Anime Club Meeting, 2 p.m., NTEC A1025

Friday, April 22 • Student Art Show, 9 a.m., Galleria del Norte

Saturday, April 23 • No Scheduled Activities

Monday, April 25

Central

• Student Art Show, 9 a.m., Galleria del Norte

Monday, April 18 • BSM Information Booth, 10:30 a.m., CADM Rotunda • Prepare the Way Meeting, 11:30 a.m., CSTC 210A/B • SIFE Meeting, 1:30 p.m., CSTC Raven Cafe

Tuesday, April 19 • TSEA Meeting, 1 p.m., CSCI 243 • BSM Bible Study, 1 p.m., BSM Building • VYNE Meeting, 1:30 p.m., CSTC 210A/B • GSA Meeting, 2:30 p.m., CADM 204 • Co-Ed Softball (w/Student ID), 2:30 p.m., Field • Philosophy Club Officer’s Meeting, 4 p.m., CADM W106 • Open Gym (w/Student ID), 5 p.m., Gym • Indoor Soccer (w/Student ID), 6 p.m., Gym

Wednesday, April 20 • Sociology/Anthropology Club Bake Sale, 9:30 a.m., Student Center • BSM Free Lunch, 11:30 a.m., BSM Building • BSM Bible Study, 1 p.m., BSM Building • VYNE Meeting, 1:30 p.m., CSTC 210A/B • Anime Society Meeting, 2 p.m., CADM W112 • WEBB Meeting, 2:30 p.m., Professor Turners Classroom • Philosophy Club Meeting, 3:30 p.m., CADM W106 • Math Club Meeting, 5:12 p.m., CSCI 135

Thursday, April 21 • BSM Soul Cafe, 11 a.m., BSM Building • Creative Writers Meeting, 11:30 a.m., CADM 257 • Philosophy Club Meeting, 2:30 p.m., CADM W106 • Co-Ed Softball (w/Student ID), 2:30 p.m., Field • BSM Worship Service, 8 p.m., BSM Building

Friday, April 22 • No Scheduled Activities

Saturday, April 23 • Gaming Society Meeting, 12 p.m., CSTC 210A/B

Monday, April 25 • BSM Information Booth, 10:30 a.m., CADM Rotunda • Prepare the Way Meeting, 11:30 a.m., CSTC 210A/B • SIFE Meeting, 1:30 p.m., CSTC Raven Cafe

South

Monday, April 18

• Psychology Club Meeting, 1 p.m., Room 1101 • SGA Meeting, 3 p.m., Room 4202 • Tennis Club Meeting, 3:30 p.m., Tennis Courts • Mixed Martial Arts Club Meeting, 8 p.m., Gym

Tuesday, April 19 • Speaker Lolisa Gibson from Hopes Voice, 11:30 a.m., Fine Arts Theater • Engineering Design Graphics Club Meeting, 3 p.m., Room 9231 • Gaming Guild Meeting, 3:30 p.m., Room 2141 • Art Club Meeting, 5:30 p.m., Room 12113 • Pre-Med Society Meeting, 6 p.m., Room 11124 • Writer’s Block Party, 6 p.m., Room 3200

Wednesday, April 20 • Health and Wellness Fair, 11 a.m., Student Center Atrium • Student Bible Fellowship, 11:30 a.m., Room 4108 • WEBB Meeting, 2:30 p.m., Room 1131

Thursday, April 21

MCT Campus

might be playing games far more than they need, to try finding something else to do. Non-electronic hobbies and sports are great ways to forget about an addiction. It helps you become more active, and maybe even socialize more often, if you meet people. A day away from the house with friends or family can do wonders and make treasured memories.

Whatever the addiction, get your mind off it. Have fun and interact with people. Focus on the more important matters at hand. Never let your hobbies take control of you or have them become your first priority in life. Enjoy life and be responsible.

• Musician Matt Coury, 11:30 a.m., Student Center Atrium • Phi Beta Lambda Meeting, 2:30 p.m., Room 2208 • Student Veterans Association Meeting, 3 p.m., Top of Stairs in the Student Center • Gaming Guild Meeting, 3:30 p.m., Room 2141 • Breakfast Club Meeting, 4:30 p.m., Cafe

Friday, April 22 • No Scheduled Activities

Saturday, April 23 • No Scheduled Activities

Monday, April 25 • No Scheduled Activities

Interesting people at San Jac

April 18, 2011 San Jacinto Times • Page 4

Photo by Amanda Rae Sowa

San Jac professor impacts lives, improves spirits Patti Underkircher embodies the serene nature of yoga

By AMANDA RAE SOWA San Jacinto Times

Many students have misconceptions about their professors. Such that your English professor only spends their free time reading Shakespeare, or that your Geology teacher lives and breathes rocks.

But believe it or not, teachers have a life out of school too!

Sometimes when we have stand off teachers who teach to the book, we don’t get a personal look at how they would be out of class. But if you took some time to get to know them, you could see that they are just like you, sharing many of the same interests that you and your peers do.

There are many interesting staff and students at San Jac. Patti Underkircher, a physical education teacher here at central campus, teaches yoga I & II as well as Zumba, fitness walking, and jogging.

When she’s not at school teaching, Underkircher, of course, stays active by biking, yoga and walking. She likes working out on her

Photo by Amanda Rae Sowa

Patti Underkircher’s class follows her lead to a better mind, spirit, and body.

pilates machine, as well as reading current magazines and books on nutrition.

She loves to be outdoors; So camping is one of her favorite things to do. Underkircher is a single mother, who loves to play and spend time with her 11-year old daughter Mikayla.

Something interesting that not many people would suspect by first glance of Underkircher, is that she is a scuba diver!

Typically you would not think that you need impressive degrees to teach phys ed classes, but on the contrary, Underkircher has a suprising amount of schooling to be proud of.

She has a Bachelor’s in teaching from Sam Houston, a Masters degree in education and a Doctorate in education administration supervision of higher education, both from the University of Houston.

Underkircher has been practicing yoga for the past 11 years. “At first it was just a style of excersise, but then it became a lifestyle,” says Underkircher.

Practicing yoga is a lifestyle because it affects your total attitude about life and thoughts toward others. Underkircher thinks it teaches

you life lessons from how to treat others to how to love yourself.

In today’s stressful world it is easy to get caught up in school and work, but yoga is a way to deal and succeed.

“I like to be with my fellow yogis. They are so courteous, laid back and friendly,” states Underkircher. When you practice yoga, your mind body and spirit become calm and relaxed. It’s almost impossible to be in a bad mood with such good energy around.

San Jac has a lot of fascinating professors and students, Underkircher being no exception. She is always smiling and pleasant for students to be around. If you need a PE credit, sign up for one of her exciting classes this summer!

Don’t be fooled into thinking that yoga or Zumba is only for “girls,” its for anyone who wants a good healthy work out. “Give it a chance, you’re gonna love it.” Underkircher says, “Come in with and open mind and surprise yourself, in other words just do it.”

Kdog has some new tricks

By ASHLEY ALLYN San Jacinto Times

Photo Courtesy of Kalum Johnson

Kalum Johnson’s life has come full circle at San Jacinto College.

Kalum Johnson is 27 years old, and working on his basics at San Jacinto Central. Kalum wants to major in Computers Desktop Support of Applied Science.

From writing, signing songs, acting and working at Disney, Johnson and his wide variety of talents, will no doubt be famous one day.

Johnson, a.k.a. K-Dog, thanks his friend for introducing him to Disney. He says this “really changed my life and I have become closer to my Dream!” He has worked at Disney for two years as parade control, but he has gone above and beyond to entertain the guests from birthday’s to anniversaries…He’s done it all! There are even YouTube videos showing how entertaining he is and how much the guests love his wonderful personality.

Johnson had around 80 songs but had to start over in 2009 due to someone breaking into his car. They stole his laptop and HD with all of these tracks.

However, this has not stopped Johnson. He continues to do music and loves to do clean, fun, and positive music. Like anyone, he says he may occasionally slip up and do an angry song due to what he might be going through at the time, which is normal and the great thing about music is being able to express yourself. However, if there is an occasional sad song, there is no cussing. This really shows his talent

because you are actually able to listen to his creativity and feelings.

Johnson wants to be an actor but due to the cost of starting out, he is focusing on writing and recording songs and acting on stage. When he was younger he did a lot of auditions for companies and made cuts, but due to no family support he didn’t have the opportunity to surpass. Money is currently a set back for Johnson, but he is so positive and hardworking; nothing will stop him.

Johnson is the oldest of four siblings. His mom always taught education comes first; so Johnson focused on graduating from high school. Once he graduated he “took the streets and club scene. I thought it was cool and fun. But in the back of my head my dream haunted me…but I ignored it.” The first year of college he dropped and worked at a Factory in La Porte for 3 years. As a young adult would do, he got a bit sidetracked from school.

However, any trials and tribulations Johnson has faced, he learns from. If he hadn’t gone through these struggles at first, he wouldn’t be who is today.

Johnson is always smiling, nice, outgoing, positive, friendly and hardworking. If you are ever down, without only one word, Johnson will have you laughing or smiling and will turn your day around. Search “kdog20202001”, “Str8MoneyRecords” or just by name, Kalum Johnson on YouTube and all of these wonderful traits and talents can be seen.

Tupa brings it on screen and off with dedication

By MICHAEL VAZQUEZ San Jacinto Times

You know that feeling you get when you leave the movies? Do you find yourself replaying every event in the movie, as if you were in it?

Maybe you even see yourself going to premiers and doing your own stunts. Now how many of us actually act on that fantasy?

Local Central student Wes Tupa actually does just that. It turns out he is acting in his friend’s short film. His friend happens to be an aspiring director, who is currently competing in a film contest. The first place prize for this contest includes money to continue making films, a professional quality camera, and a chance to have a private screening of your film in Orlando, Fla. Tupa plays a member of an illegal group who searches for places to build and operate super computers. This isn’t the average classic film about nerdy guys who want to make the world a better place, in fact, it’s totally opposite. These computers are designed to hack into data bases in order to get money. However, the plot thickens once a rival hacking crew murders someone and Tupa and his crew witness it. In fact while being chased, they split up and a member of their crew gets captured. This takes the hackers from money hungry criminals to gun blazing saviors of their friend.

More than just going out with a camera and shooting goes into this.

In most major cities you are required to have a filming permit to be able to shoot your film in the city. There are also fees involved when you shut down a city street for an hour. Local sources say for the city

of Houston it costs an estimated $135. In his friend’s case, he has plenty of people who know people. Everything from using fake guns to closing down a street for car chase scenes, are all obstacles one must overcome to shoot this film. Tupa said, “It was crazy, when we shot the gun scenes we had to have two officers present at all times.

People would drive by looking at us like we were crazy, it was a blast.”

different talents wandering the halls, it’s almost hard not to find someone who is involved in something interesting. All you need to do is ask.

There is a lot that goes into making movies. If nothing else I have gained a huge amount of respect for the film industry and the actors that put forth the time and effort to make great movies. With so many

MCT Campus

Tupa admits that it’s hard to find time to film with his schedule but they all try to find one day a week to take off so they can get a few scenes done. Tupa said, “Dialogue is the hardest part for us.

Sometimes we can spend hours on just getting the lines right.

Sometimes a ten minute scene on camera can take two to five hours to shoot and get just right.” His friends all would like to make it big and go off to Hollywood. His inspirations were titles such as Paranormal Activity because they were all low budget films shot for fun. “If our movie somehow catches the eye of one person it could do crazy things. I know realistically the odds are slim, but we do it because it’s fun, it’s really rewarding to watch the entire movie once its finished.

The best part about acting is getting away from yourself. It’s almost as if you get lost in the character and take on a whole new set of problems. For those few hours you become someone else.”

Acting, producing, and directing an independent film is no easy task.

Communications Day/Jumps

April 18, 2011 San Jacinto Times • Page 5

Communications Day brings big names, big smiles

Guest speaker Special K from 104.1 KRBE presents the Sweepstakes Award to excited students from St. John’s High School

Comm. Day High school award winners

News writing First: Veronica Chu, The Review, St. John's School Second: Josie Lopez, BF Terry Third: Laura Ward, Tor Tribune Honorable Mention: Maggie Overbeck, The Columns, St. Agnes Academy

Editorial writing First: Diana Nadira, The Columns, St. Agnes Academy Second: Veronica Chu and Pooja Salnotra, St. John's School.

Third: Mysa Nguyen, The Flyer, Foster High School.

HM: Justin Cruz, BF Terry High School.

Feature writing First: Megan Foreman, The Badge, BF Terry High School Second: John Gascey, Klein Forest Pinnacle Third: Alina Tony, The Clarion, Alvin High School HM: Lydia Liu, The Review, St. John's School Column writing First: Jenna Loesch, The Badge, BF Terry High School.

Second: John Gascey, the Klein Forest Pinnacle.

Third: Alaine Nix, The Clarion, Alvin High School HM: Bhagwat Kumar and Joe Martinez, The Review, St. John's School.

Sports writing First: Bhagwat Kumar, The Review, St. John's School.

Second: Jaclyn Kadlecek, Tor Tribune, Ball High School Third: Paige Croxton, the Clarion, Alvin High School HM: Ashley Balmaceda, The Columns, St. Agnes Academy Sports column writing First: Josie Lopez, BF Terry High School, The Badge Second: Jaclyn Kadlecek, Tor Tribune, Ball High School Third: Jennifer Stuhldreher, The Columns, St. Agnes Academy HM:Travis Herhold, The Flyer, Foster High School First: Nicole Kreutter, The Review, St. John's School News photography First: Sarah Foudeh, The Flyer, Foster High School Second: Hannah Degner, The Review, St. John's School Third: Kirby Gladstein, The Pinnacle, Klein Forest High School HM: Nikki Taylor, the Clarion, Alvin High School

LOVE

Photo by Cris Rodriguez/San Jacinto Times

Feature photography

First: Nicole Kreutter, The Review, St. John’s School.

Second: Chris Luong, The Pinnacle, Klein Forest High School Third: Kim Strong, The Flyer, Foster High School HM: Megan Foreman, The Badge, BF Terry High School Sports photography First: Marquis Allen, The Pinnacle, Klein Forrest High School Second: Bobbie Richardson, The Review, St. John's School Third: Diana Walsh, The Columns, St. Agnes Academy HM: Jade Villareal-Ross, The Clarion, Alvin High School Page One design First: Nikki Taylor, the Clarion, Alvin High School Second: Sarah Foudeh, The Flyer, Foster High School Third: Mariam Matin, The Review, St. John's School HM: Erica Moriarty, The Columns, St. Agnes Academy Web site First: The Pinnacle, Klein Forest High School Rolando Cano and Molly Leachman Second: Tortribune.com, Galveston Ball High School Third: Wordpress.stagnes.org, St. Agnes High School HM: Alvin High School, The Clarion online Overall newspaper First: The Review, St. John's School Second: The Badge, BF Terry High School Third: The Clarion, Alvin High School HM: The Columns, St. Agnes Academy Sweepstakes winner: The Review, St. John's School Second: The Badge, BF Terry High School Third: The Pinnacle, Klein Forest High School HM: The Clarion, Alvin High School, The Columns, St. Agnes Academy, The Tor Tribune, Galveston Ball High School, The Flyer, Foster High School

Photo by Cris Rodriguez/San Jacinto Times

Times staffers Sara Quintana, Cristal Calvillo, Maria Chavez preparing for Communications Day.

COMM. DAY

Continued from page 1

Before working for Local2 Houston, Clanton began his career like most people who enter the business, as an intern. From there, he worked his way up, but it was not until someone overheard him doing a humorous impression of his boss that he landed his first television coverage of High School sporting events. Clanton shared a couple of his impressions with the audience, including Adam Sandler.

After a few awards were presented, Houston Chronicle columnist Richard Justice was next to take the mike and share a bit of his knowledge and experiences. Graduating from the University of Texas in 1976, Justice has been in the journalism game for many years and has seen first hand how the field has evolved.

“Basic journalism and reporting will never change,” he declared, and then explained that listening will always be important part of being a journalist, regardless of the format in which the news is presented to the masses.

Another bit of wisdom Justice shared was focusing on what you do as opposed to what everyone else does. For instance, when people want to read about national sports topics like the

Continued from page 1

PERFORMANCE

Final Four, they will most likely tune in to ESPN rather than a local source that gets more hits when it comes to local events. After answering a few questions, and taking the time to learn people’s names, Richard exited the building, leaving a fantastic impression on the minds of the students in attendance.

Up next, was the unforgettably outrageous Special K, who stole the show by showcasing his comedic personality. However, in addition to his hilarious routine, he also shared quite a bit of insight and past experiences from his successful radio career. He explained how learning another language is extremely useful for opening new doors, and eventually helped him land a job at Mega 101. Like Adam and Richard, Special K started small, doing promotions and pushing buttons to help him get his name out.

The exciting morning ended with the announcement of the award for the high school that received the most awards in the previously announced categories. Although all the students who submitted their work proved themselves as extremely talented journalists, it was St. John’s School that pulled out ahead for their outstanding work. (A complete list of winners appears on this page).

Roughly 200 high school students from as far away as Galveston and Kingwood attended.

Continued from page 1

The band is growing in popularity and their bookings and gigs are increasing, still hasn’t deterred Kathy from pursuing some of the other avenues that allow her to express herself. One thing that allows Kathy to show her mind is her writing. She enjoys writing screenplays and has several in the work. Her denouement at the moment is her untitled script that is being revised, and in preproduction to hopefully become an indie short narrative this summer.

“We performed for two straight hours until Hillary arrived to give her speech. Afterwards she said ‘Thank You’ for our performance, told us we were great, and advised us to be positive, and keep up with our education.”

Marin commented that having a successful music career would be nice but her main priority is her journalism career. She enjoys her experience as a show host and would like to one day conduct her own entertainment talk show.

“I’m a normal girl that likes to keep busy. I stress when I’m not busy. I keep busy with things I like doing music, performing, and doing homework.”

As we talked about her future in writing she jumped back to her future in the medical field. Stating in a sarcastic manner “I want to one day turn all the hospital equipment against the workers.”

On the other hand there are things this hard-core rocker/thriller/horror screenplay writer has hidden which people may not know. “I enjoy scrapbooking.” She added quietly, not really wanting the people in the Interactive Learning Center to hear. This side only adds more creativity to a person you would undoubtably pass up, never once questioning that there may be more to Kathy than her interests let on.

People all around us are interesting in their own ways.

Whether it being that they are really smart but don’t portray those aspects. Or are extremely creative but refrain from letting their talents be seen. If we only took time to stop and listen, truly listen, to people that surround us; we may find out things about our friends that we may have generally overlooked. Before our interview was over Kathy stated, jokingly, with a keen sense of timing,

“

Photo by Cris Rodriguez.

Kathy Garza, lover of music and medicine

People out there please don’t add me on Facebook, but go add Second Lovers!” Just a small endorsement from Kathy before we ended our pleasant conversation.

Janette Marin listening to some tunes in the studio.

Photo courtesy of Janette Marin

Entertainment/Blogs

April 18, 2011 San Jacinto Times • Page 6

Album review

Local concert calendar

Mr. Big: What if...

By MATT ADAMIAK San Jacinto Times

Due to a severe lack of decent album releases this week, I have decided to review an unfairly overlooked work of art that came out back in January.

Mr. Big’s latest studio album pretty much speaks for itself as legendary guitarist, Paul Gilbert, has reclaimed his glorious throne for the first time since 1996’s Hey Man. Right off the bat you can expect fast guitar riffs, beautiful and melodic ballads, and of course Gilbert’s famous facemelting guitar solos.

What If… follows the band’s trend of expert musicianship and is yet another blast from the past to be released in this year of comebacks. However, with jaded critics who wish nothing more than to be blown away, the album has suffered from the damaging effects of high expectations and has therefore received mixed reviews ranging from “horrible” to “pure musical genius.”

Although the album fell short of my expectations as well, What If… is still a work of art. Everything that is essential for an ‘80s metal album is here.

Stranger In My Life will satisfy those craving

power ballads while Undertow, American Beauty, and Still Ain’t Enough for Me will be enough for all you adrenaline junkies seeking ways to get your blood pumping.

While What If… pales in comparison to Mr. Big’s glory days, those craving a nostalgia fix will be more

By MATT ADAMIAK San Jacinto Times

APR 18 The Big Easy – The Mighty Orq! House of Blues – Fitz & the Tantrums Mango’s – Capsule, Choirs, Moths, NIkkhoo, Outer Heaven Warehouse Live – Fair to Midland w/ Periphery, Scale The Summit, Thelastplaceyoulook, + Hindsight APR 19 The Big Easy – Howard and Art Concert Pub (Galleria) – The Liars Fitzgerald’s – Foals w/ Freelance Whales + The Naked and the Famous; Johnny Falstaff Mango’s – B.M.C. of Swisha House Scout Bar – Sevendust Warehouse Live – Protest the Hero w/ Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Tesseract, + Born Again Virgins; Stephen Marley APR 20 The Big Easy – Big & Easy Blues Jam Fitzgerald’s – Acid Mothers Temple w/ Shilpa Ray + ST37; Yacht w/ Jeffrey Jerusalem + Ceeplus Bad Knives Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – Out of This World w/ Houston Symphony Dan Electro’s – Eric Demmer & the Sax Dawgs House of Blues – Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers Mango’s – Nighr Siege, Talk Sick Brats, The Burden, Venomous Maximus Warehouse Live – Devin the Dude w/ Coughee Brothaz

Google Images

than pleased. Aspiring musicians should also take note here as Paul Gilbert’s influence has spawned many successful artists in modern hard rock and metal. But if you are really looking for a spectacular ‘80s metal fix, I would suggest picking up Whitesnake’s Forevermore if you only happen to have to have enough money for one.

Rating: B

APR 21 The Big Easy – Luther and the Healers Dan Electro’s – Teri Greene & Friends; Blues Jam House of Blues – KT Tunstall Jones Hall – Houston Symphony Orchestra: Rogers & Hammerstein Mango’s – Jim & the Toms, My Milky Way Arms, Nomadics Numbers – Just Brittany w/ Drunk D, DJ Bless Child, White Boy Ran, Sleep L’sss, 7th Letter G, Chuck & Yung Blood Warehouse Live – Curren$y APR 22 The Big Easy – Tommy Dardar Concert Pub North – Tokyo Road (Bon Jovi tribute) Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – James Taylor Dan Electro’s – Blowtorch Repair Anniversary Show Fitzgerald’s – The Society of Bandits; Jessica Lea Mayfield w/ David Mayfield House of Blues – Gene’s Addiction (Gene Simmons and Kiss tribute); Matt Wertz Jones Hall – Houston Symphony Orchestra: Rogers & Hammerstein Mango’s – Indipendants Rudyard’s – Mydolls, No Love Loss, The Biscuit Bombs, Zipperneck Scout Bar – The Hunger Warehouse Live – Family Force 5 APR 23 The Big Easy – Texas Johnny Brown Concert Pub (Galleria) – The Spicolis Concert Pub (North) – Ozz (Ozzy tribute), Double Vision (Foreigner tribute) Dan Electro’s – Gold Sounds, Disfrutalo, Jody Seabody & the Whirls, Screwtape Fitzgerald’s – William Fitzsimmons w/ Slow Runner; Yelle w/ French Horn Rebellion + Glasnost House of Blues – Umphrey’s McGee Jones Hall – Houston Symphony Orchestra: Rogers & Hammerstein Mango’s – DUB Block Rudyard’s – Honky, Karma to Burn Scout Bar – Cold w/ Egypt Central, Kopec, Raging Apathy Toyota Center – Ricky Martin Warehouse Live – The Psychedelic Furs APR 24 The Big Easy – National Zydeco Foundation Jam House of Blues – Fobia Mango’s – Shut up and Spin Scout Bar – Elysian, Jet Queen, Fear Fed Eyes Warehouse Live – Sleigh Bells and CSS w/ Bosco Delray

Blog posts of the week

Final 4... not my final cb experience Texan fans

The Times now has a staff blog. You can check it out at sanjactimes.wordpress.com. Each week we will publish the best postings. Drop by the site and feel free to comment on our posts or share story ideas.

Houston got to host the NCAA Final 4 at Reliant Stadium this year. I’ll be honest, I didn’t get tickets till the day of the championship game.

It’s just one of those things were I COULD have watched it on TV but decided this was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. We don’t get to host many events like this often. Being a sports fan, attenting one of these high profile events is a must, especially if your city is hosting it.

Yes, we’ve had the MLB, NBA, MLS All-Star games, World Series, and a Super Bowl (Only one of these did I get to attend). It’ll be awhile before we host another All-Star game, no need to explain the World Series drought, and a Super Bowl? The Texans staff can’t even get an impressive bid for the NFL to lock one down. And with Dallas hosting the Final 4 in 2014, it looks like we’ll have to wait till 2016 to host again.

That and just think about the college basketball experience. Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, and UConn, amongst others make it look like one big party every night. UH and Rice, crickets. It was something I had to go to, I needed to be in the building, and despite the ugly game that it was…at least I was there.

What the shoe!?

I have ONE question!

Why the heck is there always a shoe in the road?

I feel like whenever I am driving there is a shoe, or boot or sometimes someones sock in the middle of the intersection. Am I the only one that notices this? How does someone lose a freaking shoe while driving or walking down the road?

My friend Marty says it’s because when girls get mad at their boyfriends while driving, they find the closest thing, in many cases a shoe, and throw it out the window because they know you can’t go back and get it. Is this true? I mean it makes sense because shoes are expensive… but in all seriousness how and why are their always a random shoe in the streets!?

-Amanda Rae Sowa

Epic battle!

-Victor Araiza

I know it’s kind of way late, but any of you who haven’t seen Battle: LA yet need to get off your couch and go see it. It is absolutely AMAZING! I cried. No joke. They’re making a series of them. The next one is supposed to be Battle: NYC. The third one is technically not released yet but they say it will be a southern coastal city. It will probably be New Orleans, BUT I guarantee there will be some filming here in the beautiful Houston because we have our very own military base. Ellington is right around the corner on Old Galveston Rd. So anyway, YOU GOTTA GO SEE IT! -Caty

Ok so with draft day looming, we must ask the question.

What do we do at pick 11 over all? The answer, how about we trade down. With the for sure cant miss picks clearly off the board by pick 11, atleast in the terms of our team needs; we might be better off moving down. With the players available at pick 11 there seems to be more questions than answers. We can not afford to miss with or 1st round pick this year, so think about this.

With the switch to 3-4 defense, the Texans need to focus on the front 7 1st.

Better pass rush can help MCT Campus the young secondary in their task of covering Aaron Williams of UT. receivers down field. One piece of the puzzle we definately need is a nose tackle. So, trade down for a later pick in the 1st, and another pick, preferably an earlier one in the second. With the later 1st round pick we could get better value for a player like NT Phil Taylor from Baylor. A great anchor who’s atheleticism has blown scouts away at his massive size. Then use the earliest 2nd round pick to add a versatile player in the secondary like Aaron Williams or a Ras I-Dowling. Then perhaps with the second 2nd round pick we can get an outside rushing linebacker or pass rushing Defensive end.

-Mike V

Just For Fun/Sports

April 18, 2011 San Jacinto Times • Page 7

The Sports Report

BASEBALL Record: 29-13, 15-6 in Region IV play Update: Regular season ends May 4.

National tournament ends June 4.

MEN’S BASKETBALL Record: 29-4 Update: Season over; Lost to Lamar State-Port Arthur 72-67 in the Region XIV Tournament.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Record: 9-22 Update: Season ended on March 4.

SOCCER Record: 16-4 last season.

Update: Season begins in Fall.

SOFTBALL Record: 34-16 Update: Regular season ends April 27; national tournament ends May 21.

VOLLEYBALL Record: Finished last season 29-10, second nationally.

Update: New season begins in the Fall.

SOUTH BELT DENTAL, P.A. Dr. Nicki Tajalli, D.D.S.

281.481.CARE(2273) 13630 Beamer Rd., Suite 112 Houston, TX 77089 Across from San Jacinto College South campus Se Habla Espanol Now Accepting Medicaid and CHIP

FREE OFFER FOR NEW PATIENTS $20 Gift Card from Barnes &Noble or Target With Exam, X-rays and Cleaning For Traditional and PPO Insurance only Offer Expires May 31, 2011

April 18, 2011 San Jacinto Times • Page 8