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SAN JACINTO TIMES

All-Star glitz descends on Houston World e student publication of the San Jacinto College District

Vol. 23, No. 7

Chris Villegas Staff Writer

Fashion, fun, and famous people are what come to a city that hosts the All-Star game. The city of Houston was chosen to host the event this year. Since Houston is known for having the NASA Space Center program, the fashion theme of the weekend was Area 72, created by Nike. Nike made exclusive pairs of shoes for Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant. Following the Area 72 theme, each of the player’s shoes were meant to imitate extra-terrestrials. Along with the bright shoes that most players were wearing, Adidas All-star jerseys complimented the attire nicely. Though the players looked fashionable on and off the court, it does not necessarily mean that gave them a boost in their game. Don’t believe it? Just ask Chris Bosh who had a rough night shooting. Before the actual AllStar game that would bring the event to a close, many were worried how it would play out. The rookie-sophomore game, ThreePoint Contest, Skills Challenge, and Dunk Contest were measured as mediocre at best. When the All-Star game day arrived it was a whole different

story. There were many celebrities roaming the Toyota center, spectators didn’t need a NASA Hubble telescope to spot a star. San Jac alumnus, Ronald Perez, who attended the game said, “Everyone in the building was hyped up. It is not everyday you get to see athletes, actors, and singers at once. The atmosphere was just insane.” The game was indeed insane, considering the dunks, shooting, and nifty ball handling was better in the game than in the events and contests meant to showcase those skills. For what it is worth, both the East and West were actually competing till the final minute of play. Even future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, known as the Black Mamba, struck LeBron James with his hard lock-down defense to seal the win for the West. All things come to an end, and Houston can look back at the weekend as being a meaningful moment for the city. After all, the city held Michael Jordan’s 50th birthday, maxed out the capacity of the galleria, and hosted many celebrity parties. Until the next time Houston hosts another All-Star weekend, Houstonians can spectate their own All-Star, James Harden, as he helps the Rockets make a push for the playoffs.

News Briefs

Pope Benedict Resigns Pope Benedict XVI announced in a Vatican city hall Feb. 11, he could not lead his Roman Catholic believers any longer. The Pope greeted catholic masses for the last time in St. Peter’s Square Wednesday Feb. 27 before officially resigning. US Supports Syrian Rebels With the rise of the Arab Spring protests in March 2011, civil war in Syria still continues. The U.N. has placed the death toll at 70,000 and urged the U.N. Security Council to take action. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced Feb. 25 the U.S. would support the Syrian rebels and a speedy departure of President Bashar Al-Assad.

Photo Courtesy of Ronald Perez

Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Kobe Bryant, James Harden, and Dwight Howard discuss strategy at the Toyota Center during the All Star Game.

Former student, professor face off at God debate Rebeca Valdez Staff Writer

Passion is what drove Professor Steven Pena and Pastor Eric Hernandez to engage in a public debate. The crowd flooded in on Feb.15 at Christian Temple (CT) Church to hear them go head-tohead about the never-ending question, “Is there a God?”

March 4, 2013

Professor Pena defended his beliefs about Atheism while Pastor Hernandez supported his beliefs regarding Christianity. Interestingly enough, not only is Pastor Hernandez a former student of Professor Pena’s, but this was not the first time the two have gone against each other. They’ve debated several times. A member of CT Church heard them at a previous debate and invited them to speak at

the church. The debate, moderated by Pastor Darold DeHart, started with a brief introduction of the two speakers. Professor Pena is a Philosophy teacher at San Jacinto College and author of Homo Logicus: Introduction, Inquiry, and Reflection in the Art of Right Reasoning. Pastor Hernandez is the Young Adults Pastor at Fe y Poder South Houston Church.

DeHart gave them questions centered around whether there is a God or not. Each debater was given a few minutes to answer each of the questions by laying out facts, evidence, and reasoning. There was a short intermission allowing the speakers some time to gather their thoughts. During that time, audience members could text questions they would like Pena and Hernandez to answer.

See God on Page 4.

SJC closes Black History Month with celebrated readings

Nuclear Talks Fizzle Six world powers - France, Germany, the United States, China, Russia and Britain – gathered Feb. 26 and 27 in Almaty, Kazakhstan in an attempt to resolve concerns over Iran’s nuclear program. They said sanctions would be lifted if Iran cut back on nuclear research. Although no final agreement was reached, Iran and the six powers agreed to meet in Istanbul, Turkey next month and resume negotiations in Kazakhstan April 5. Israel has hinted that they would attack Iran’s nuclear sites if diplomacy and sanctions do not stop their continued enrichment of uranium.

Chavez Returns to Venezuela President Chavez announced Feb. 11 his return to Venezuela from Cuba, where he was being treated for cancer for more than 2 months. A new Venezuelan president may be inevitable if Chavez’s health declines. In his absence, Venezuelan currency has depreciated, affecting the global market. The Venezuelan government said Chavez was to undergo unspecified medical treatments at the military hospital in Caracas. Since his return, he has not made any public appearances, reinforcing speculation that he may step down and make way for a new president.

Meteor Strikes Earth An unexpected fireball hit the Russian city of Chelyabinsk Feb. 15. Reports say about 1500 people were injured and damages are estimated at $33 million. Scientists say that fragments from the meteor could be worth thousands of dollars.

Annette Moore San Jacinto Times

Crossroads to Equality was the culmination of a month-long series of events at San Jacinto College paying tribute to Black History month. The program and luncheon, hosted on Central campus Feb. 27, highlighted the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington by featuring readings of the work of African-American writers. In addition to recitations of Maya Angelou, Eloise Greenfield, and President Barack Obama, author and lecturer Dr. Annette Williams served as keynote speaker.

Protesters storm DC An estimated 40,000 demonstrators gathered on Feb. 17 in Washington D.C. to protest the Keystone XL pipeline. It was described as the largest climate rally in US history. — Briefs compiled from multiple media sources


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