2009_0519_CT_v63i16

CityTimes

Q CINCO DE MAYO

www.sdcitytimes.com

Aztec dancers perform at Gorton Quad

FOCUS / PAGE 10

Covering the San Diego City College community since 1945

ASG vote official

Volume 63, Number 16

May 19, 2009

Vanessa Gomez City Times The Associated Student Government election finally came to an end May 11, a week after the votes were originally reported to be made official, when Dean of Student Affairs Denise Whisenhunt sent out an email to ASG students making the original vote count official.

Fears that some ASG candidates had of another student vote or even another election were put to rest.

Abdulkadir Ahmed, Christopher Conyers’ opposition in the office of vice president, and n Meet the president-elect incoming ASG David Camp- president. bell received News, page 3 the e-mail from Whisenhunt telling them the official outcome of the election.

“I won, it’s official” Campbell commented. “I’m ready to get things started.”

The ASG election was riddled with reports of pranks including a Craigslist ad soliciting for sex with personal information and large orders for food delivered to an ASG candidate’s house.

Conyers sent a letter to City Times, published in the paper’s previous issue, with his position on pre- and post-election events.

The letter went into detail as to why he felt he must “respectfully resign,” after numerous issues accumulated to what Conyers referred to as “almost like a mini series.”

“The pranks should have been dealt with by Student Affairs as soon as they were heard about,” Conyers noted. “Because of the City Times’ focus on the pranks and the link to ASG, the story went to Channel 10 News.”

“Campbell had nothing to do with the pranks, nor did I or anyone who won,” Conyers said in his letter.

In an earlier interview, Campbell had also commented that he,

See ASG, page 18

Index

Take Note.................................2 News...................................... 3 Opinion................................... 6 Life......................................... 9 Sports.................................. 20

Carlos Maia City Times

Students gather at the 39th Annual Chicano Latino Graduation Celebration on May 16. Friends and family honored the graduates’ achievements in a standing-room-only event at Saville Theatre. A total of 52 students were acknowledged for completing their studies at City College. The event was full of encouraging words, notably from keynote speaker and former San Diego resident Michelle Tellez, now a professor of women’s studies at Arizona State University.

Graduates set their sights on the future Emily Mather City Times San Diego City College Graduation will be held on May 22 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park.

As of May 8, there will be 875 graduates for spring and summer with 218 participants, however City College should “have about 350 signed up to

participate by graduation,” said an evaluations office official, who added, “There are still a lot up people who will sign up to participate.” There will be 704 associate in science and associate in art degrees awarded and 400 certificates.

Rehearsal will be held at the Organ Pavilion at 3:30 p.m. on May 21 and all participating graduates must attend.

Caps and gowns must be worn to participate in the commencement ceremony and are on sale in the City College bookstore for $41 until May 20.

“Intent to Participate” forms are required to make a purchase and can be picked up in the Evaluations Office. “Intent to Participate” forms must be requested

by May 21. Graduates must arrive by 4:30 p.m. May 22 to

meet and line up for processional and are expected to stay for the entire program and walk in the recessional as a class. In case of rain, the ceremony will be held in City College Harry West Gymnasium.

The 39th Annual ChicanoLatina Graduation Celebration was held on May 16 at noon in the Saville Theater. At least 50 participated in the ceremony.

Share your culture, but not your food?

Policy disappoints Language Day participants Donna P. Crilly City Times Traditionally at San Diego City College, the annual Language Day fair invites students to taste the culture of each country at

booths sharing food with interested passers-by.

However, during Language Day in last year, the cafeteria abruptly shut down each booth in Gorton Quad, ordering them to throw away all food brought, wasting more than $400, according to Jaime Estrada, chair of the Language Department.

“It was very unfortunate. I had to throw food away that I paid for myself because I didn’t have an ice container for the apple strudel

and bratwurst,” said Astrid Ronke, German language instructor.

Ronke wasted about $40 dollars of her own money that day and was told that she would only be allowed to bring packaged food with a shelf-life.

At the 2009 Language Day event, which took place on April 22, the German booth were sampling Storck Chocolate Reisens and Ritter Sport German candies.

“A lot of students came back saying ‘where’s the bratwurst?’”

Inside

Q Blurred borders

Dance festival comes to Saville

ARTS / PAGE 19

explained Ronke.

Not being able to serve food at the annual Language Day affects the fair; it affects the ability for students to really know what the food from each culture tastes like instead of looking at pictures of cultural food posted at each booth, according to Ronke.

There are very specific rules that the California Code of Regulations outlines on serving food,

See FOOD, page 7

Inside

Q stay local

Summer fun in San Diego

LIFE / PAGE 9

2

City Times

TAKE NOTE

TakeNote

Dance in the deep end By Emily Mather

Compiled by Shevaun Brandom Get your event in the paper. E-mail us at citytimes@gmail.com or call (619) 388-3880

n May 22 Food Drive and book drive, help community outreach agencies and literacy organizations combat continual shortages. Bring non-perishable food items and books to graduation activities or drop them off at designated locations. on campus. All items collected will be donated locally. For more information, visit: www.projecgraduation.org. Please donate 2 cans of food on graduation day to help feed the hungry. n June 8 Deadline to drop summer classes and receive full refund for 10-week classes starting June 1. n June 15 Cosmetology Program orientation in Room -15 at 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

n June 16 The Learning Resource Center will open for summer semester with hours MondayThursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. n June 22 Deadline to drop summer classes and receive full refund for 10-week classes starting June 16. n July 3-4 Campus will be closed for Independence Day holiday. n July 13 Deadline to drop summer classes and receive a “W” for 10-week classes starting June 1. n July 27 Deadline to drop summer classes and receive a “W” for 10-week classes starting June 16.

Fashion-naughta By Michele Suthers

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Grab your student ID and register today at sun.com/SDCityStudentsgofree.

June 2-5, 2009 | Moscone Center | San Francisco © 2009 Sun Microsystems,Inc. All rights reserved.

May 19, 2009

May 19, 2008

CityNews

City Times

3

Student-activists rally for financial stability Nate hipple City Times Joseph Shannon refuses to be silent about the recent budget cuts.

On May 15, Shannon organized a student rally to raise public awareness about the conse- n State budget quences of axing at stake in education funds. May 19 Special As the money Election. evaporates, Shan- News, page 4 non fears that the futures of his classmates will disappear with it.

“They’re spending billions of dollars to rescue huge companies,” Shannon said. “Meanwhile, our school funding has dropped.”

Rally participants gathered on the western edge of campus alongside Park Ave and used posters and portable amplifiers to spread their message. Shannon hopes the financial crisis won't become an educational crisis.

About 20 students marched west on Broadway toward NBC studios before returning to campus. Among the marchers was Jana Defresco.

carlos maia City Times

Protesters dominate the sidewalk in front of City College, on Park and A, to protest budget cuts May 15. The rally snaked its way downtown to the NBC building before looping back towards campus.

Defresco joined the rally because she plans to transfer from City College to a four-year

college.

Would her dreams be thwarted by budget slashing?

“I have been affected personally,” said Defresco, waving a rally poster. “So, I’m going to vote to

not cut teachers, not cut classes, and not cut financial aid.”

The May 19 California Special Election places a proposition on the ballot that gives voters a chance to decide the fate of school funding across the state.

Here’s what’s at stake: Prop 1B will require the state to pay $1.5 billion from the rainy day fund to schools for six years starting in 2011.

However, Prop 1B hinges on the passing of Prop 1A. Prop 1A limits state spending and funnels excess revenue into a rainy day fund. The passing of Prop 1A would grant three temporary tax raises, approved in February, to an estimated $16 billion.

Prop 1B depends on the tax increases from 1A. Shannon distributed pamphlets explaining which departments were affected the most.

But he also included non-school related items, such as bus routes, which will also be cut as funds diminish.

Officers of the San Diego Police were dispatched to help coordinate the protest.

“We’re here to keep [rally participants] safe,” said an officer.

City College, meet Campbell After result-delaying controversy, Associated Student Government ushers in new president Vanessa gomez City Times David Campbell, a digital audio production and biology major and a self-proclaimed “underdog and independent student,” won the Associated Student Government presidential election, dominating the votes of the student body with 392 votes out of 705 participating voters.

Although the election results were temporarily suspended until May 4 due to a controversy during the election, Denise Whisenhunt, dean of Student Affairs, made his win official by commenting that “(Campbell) would be our next ASG president.”

Campbell was originally inspired to run for president when he was approached by a former president who couldn’t offer him an answer to what the ASG’s agenda exactly was. Campbell also noted during the presidential debate that he felt that school activities were “declining.”

Campbell said he felt “intimidated by all the Team Klue posters on campus” and the citycollegeaction.com Web site. He decided in order to win over City students, he had to use their voices and opinions directly and really find out what the students needed.

Campbell said he felt his campaign was “pretty damn strategic,” and walked around campus with his notebook talking to students. He asked every student he came in contact with what they

personally wanted to see change on campus.

Campbell made it a point to push himself to students as the “underdog,” telling students that he was “the independent candidate,” and “a student just like you guys.”

Campbell also mentioned that he was excited to work with vicepresident elect Christopher Conyers, and felt that Conyers had “more experience with ASG and really cares about changes that are to be made on campus.”

Conyers, who recently resigned as vice president, felt that Campbell ran a great campaign. “At first it was at the debates when we first heard 'my name is Campbell, like the soup.”

It stuck,” Conyers said. “Then the signs appeared. When I found out that he spent the entire campaign talking to people is when I believed in him.”

Campbell already has plans to kick off his presidency by tackling the first few issues on his agenda.

“My focus is to work on things that aren’t limited by budget,” Campbell said. He wanted to start uniting all City club presidents and arrange club fairs.

“If we meet altogether, we could all be on the same page,” Campbell noted. “Maybe we could set up an event calendar that had everyone events on it and post it on the (City College) Web site or post it in the (City Times) paper.

Not everyone sees all the posters up on campus, so this could be

another way to market it.”

Another major focus of Campbell’s is developing art shows and festivals to showcase student talent. “Students that are also musicians could play in the background,” Campbell noted.

Campbell said he realizes that there are many important issues affecting students that will take more than just funding to fix.

“The cafeteria is too expensive for students,” Campbell claimed.

“I know it's a work in progress, but maybe we could work on a dollar menu with some snacks on it, like frozen burritos.”

Free Internet access on campus was on the majority of students’ minds when Campbell spoke to them, and although he’s not quite sure how to set that up, Campbell noted that he would follow up with campus official to get the ball rolling on that project.

Campbell also wanted to promote the upcoming City Knights school dance May 15 at 7 p.m. He said he feels that it will bring all different kinds of groups together and that it could be “a good start to start connecting our school.”

The event offered a taco stand and sodas for the students for a cost of $5.

Campbell also wanted to let the students know that little experience in ASG didn’t necessarily mean he wouldn't be able to do a good job. “If I bit off more than I can chew, then I just have to start chewing faster and harder!”

Campbell exclaimed.

carlos maia City Times

David Campbell, running as an “independent” candidate, broke through to the student body on a personal level with his grass roots campaign style. By approaching people and addressing their educational needs as individuals, Campbell was able to garner enough votes to take the presidential position by a majority.

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City Times

News

May 19, 2009

Student Research Symposium sheds light on every subject Event highlights projects from all sorts of disciplines evonne ermey City Times Knowledge flowed from Gorton Quad to the D building, from the student cafeteria to the faculty lounge, as student presenters illuminated City College at the fifth annual Student Project and Research Symposium on May 6.

With over 150 presentations, topics ranged from “The Impact of Anthrax” to “The Recognition of Sexism in the Latin Community,” and took the form of posters, spoken word, PowerPoint, and the performance of various dances and martial arts.

Fine Arts majors toted stretched canvas and easels across the quad. Mats lay on the ground for demonstrating stretches to ease an achey back and spectators drifted in and out of a cardboard maze imparting statistics and factoids on everything you never knew you wanted to know.

“The goal of this, in addition to celebrating student projects and excellence, is to engage the community. City is not a four year institution, but this is where many students start” said Rafael Alvarez, Title V Program Activities Manager. “Hopefully, here, with so much to see everyone will find something they’re interested in.”

Peddling the fruits of their year long labor, there was an undeniable pride in the culmination of the knowledge the presenters had accrued and painstakingly organized for the purpose of enlightening students, faculty and the San Diego community.

With a small bag of shiny black amaranth seeds winking from his cupped hand, student presenter Girard Mohr passionately explained the medicinal and environmental benefits of this little known crop to anyone who cared to know.

Mohr, a social work and math major, was introduced to the crop as a child when he used to grow it with his father.

“We’re losing our roots about what it’s like to produce our own food” Mohr explained.

Ben Moore, a fine arts major, showcased a series of paintings in acrylic.

“A lot of people think they’re monsters, but to me they’re just people, really hairy people,” said Moore about the pieces.

The large, hairy creatures staring out from Moore’s canvases are depicted in various poses, while wraith like mirror images of them edge out of their bodily confines.

“This is my position on peoples personalities. How they show themselves in public and how they actually are,” Moore explained.

With the sun glaring down and sweat starting to drip, the faculty lounge offered not only an air-conditioned escape to those weary of UV rays, but a theatre like setting where topics like, “Sex in the Media,” and “AIG Bailout Scandal” were presented in PowerPoint to interested parties.

At 2:30 p.m., the research symposium drew to an end. With poster boards stripped back to their skeletal frames, props and table dressings packed and carted away, Gorton Quad returned to her ordinary state and students and faculty meandered off to ponder what issues they might extrapolate for the sixth annual Research Symposium.

evonne ermey City Times

Girard Mohr tracks the geographic and symbolic journey of amaranth from the Aztecs to present day. The crop, which was an integral part of Aztec culture, touts medicinal values and water conservation properties.

Evonne Ermey City Times

Students browse the many poster board presentations lining Gorton Quad May 6 during the fifth annual Student Project and Research Symposium. Over 250 student presenters participated in the event.

Props 1A-1F hold $23 billion in the balance for schools The passage of special election propositions may be the tourniquet California needs Amber Nadeau Correspondent With unemployment increasing and the economy tightening, many are finding this a great opportunity to go back to school.

One key issue, however, is that school funding is being cut and it is affecting students nationwide, including City College students.

San Diego City College alone was forced to cut over $1 million for the fiscal year of 2008-2009, and is expecting to cut an additional $1 million for next year explains Randy Barnes, dean of the School of Business, Information Technology, and Cosmetology at San Diego City College.

According to the California Teachers Association (CTA), $11 billion have been cut from state funded schools and colleges over the past two years. This is the single largest cut ever made to public education in California.

In March, more than 27,000 teachers and education support professionals were laid off. Currently, California schools are ranked 47 in per-pupil spending.

Programs such as art, music, and physical education are being eliminated throughout the state.

On May 19, there is a Special Election being held throughout California and propositions 1A-1F need to pass in order for California to not lose more than $23 billion during the next four fiscal years.

“Passing these initiatives will help restore critical funding needed for our students, schools and colleges,” states CTA President David A. Sanchez.

These budget cuts have an extremely negative impact on faculty, staff and students.

“We were forced to cut almost 300 sections this year, and we are planning to cut an additional 300 next year. Basically, this is

Stock.xchng Courtesy Photo because we simply do not have enough funding to offer all of the sections that students need,” explains Barnes.

The San Diego Community College administration sent notices to its currently enrolled students at City, Mesa and Miramar on March 30, giving tips to better prepare them for the coming semesters. A few of these tips include: “Register at

your appointment time to maximize access to classes and identify alternative classes if you are unable to get your first choice.

Promptly drop the classes you do not attend so other students may enroll. Pay all fees by the deadline so you are not dropped from your classes (even if you have a BOG waiver you are responsible to pay the health fee).”

Education has become competitive, due to students struggling and fighting to get the classes they need to meet their work schedules, educational plan, and extracurricular activities. In addition, students are trying to stay afloat in this recession and care for their families.

On May 6, there was a protest against the budget cuts, demanding more funding for San Diego schools, colleges, social services, financial aid, Medicare, and additional programs which provide protection for students,

the poor, and the working class.

The protest was sponsored by City College ASG Outreach and Awareness Committee, City College Interclub Council, the Spanish Club, Promethean Workers Association (PWA) of San Diego, Promethean Workers Association (PWA) National, and The SOS Coalition.

“The protest went okay. Not as many people showed up as I had hoped,” explained Josef Shannon, who is the vice president of San Diego City College’s Associated Student Government. Shannon is planning to have another protest in the next few months depending on federal funds and if propositions 1A-1F passes.

For further information about the Special Election being held on May 19 go to www.cta.org.

Anyone who wants to be apart of the protest against budget cuts can contact Josef Shannon at jshannon@sdccd.edu.

May 19, 2009

5

City’s Jazz 88.3 goes for a ride

Back it up before it gives out

DONNA P. CRILLY City Times

Backing up your hard drive can save a lot of heartache tom andrew City Times The end of the semester is nearing. You are preparing for your final exam. Your computer files are chock-full of notes and projects to help you with your studies and the unthinkable happens. Your hard drive crashes.

What do you do?

John Walford, Apple customer, found out the hard way. “I walked in and was told, ‘Sorry all of this happened, and I know this won’t help you now, but you really should be backing up your hard drive once a week.’ I mean, I know this is true, but it sure wasn’t helpful to hear that at the moment.”

Backing up your files is an excellent way to ensure that programs, files and downloads are saved just in case your hard drive does crash (and there are many ways this could happen).

The most common way is if there is just too much information on your computer and it is just overloaded. The easiest way to tell if this is the case is to check and see how much room you have left on your hard drive. Or if you notice your computer running slower; another good indication that it may be time for that back up.

Backing up, though helpful in these situations, is not always something we know to do. If you plan on sending your computer to be fixed, do yourself a favor and spend the time to back it up. Even

City Times

NEWS

Photos by carlos maia City Times

Transfer students honored Transfer students, their friends and families gathered in Gorton Quad on May 14 for City College’s fourth annual Transfer Achievement Celebration. The 24 transfers will continue their educational development at various campuses, including Columbia, Berkeley and MIT next fall. (Above) Alexis Price receives a medal and certificate from Dean of Student Development, Julie Barnes and V.P. of student affairs Peter White. (Below) attendees line up for Mexican barbecue.

Since March, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) have been displaying banners promoting San Diego City College’s Jazz 88.3 FM on the side of their buses.

Mark DeBoskey, KSDS station manager, asked MTS for a donation and was granted the “unused space.”

Printing the paper and designing the artwork was the responsibility of Jazz 88.3. The KSDS staff came up with the concept and Gavin and Gavin Advertising Agency printed it.

“It’s great because it’s all over San Diego,” said Claudia Russell, KSDS program director.

“Any exposure for a station that has little to no marketing

Community impact award given to KSDS Donna P. Crilly City Times City College’s Jazz 88.3 received a My Source Community Impact Award for Engagement from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for its music education initiatives in the San Diego Community on April 28.

The annual Music Matters instrument donation program for city schools, and annual CMEA middle and high school jazz festival were a significant part of the reason for the station’s recognition, according a press release.

“Supporting music education in schools plays an integral role in our station's mission to preserve

See HARD DRIVE, page 16

budget is good [exposure],” said Russell.

Song lyrics from jazz artists, including “Come Fly with Me,” “Stolen Moments” and “Take Five,” are used as catch phrases on the banner, anchored by the Jazz 88.3 logo on the bottom of the banner. Deboskey refers to the banners as “tease ads” because “it invites people to try the station,” he said.

There’s been no ratings increase for the station yet.

The “tease ads” are displayed for “people who may not find us,” said DeBoskey.

Jazz 88.3 is the last radio station on the FM radio dial and one of the few pure jazz radio stations left in the United States The banners will continue to be displayed on the side of MTS buses throughout the year.

and promote Jazz,” KSDS station manager Mark Deboskey said.

CPB created the My Source Community Impact Awards for Engagement to recognize stations for their “commitment and responsiveness to their communities” as well as providing measurable on-air, online and in-person results, according to the release.

The CPB luncheon and award ceremony will take place at the Public Radio Development & Marketing Conference on July 8 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.

Broadcasting “authentic jazz,” the full-time, non-profit station is “dedicated to promoting the arts in San Diego.” For more information, visit http://www.jazz88.org.

H1N1 virus effects number of students attending school Those taking trolley, crossing border notice changes in travel shannon kuhfuss City Times As H1N1 influenza poses a threat to City College, the faculty, staff and students look for ways to prevent contracting the virus while on campus. But what about the daily commute to campus on public transportation?

Many of City College students travel to class by way of public transportation, which can increase risk of infection if proper precautions are not taken.

Each day, the trolleys and buses bring numerous students from their homes all the way to campus, putting the students at risk for infection of H1N1.

City student Andrea Lodigiani has been taking the trolley to her classes at City for two years and is shocked to see the change in the passengers taking the ride with her.

“I really didn’t pay much attention to the news when the swine flu was first announced, but I slowly noticed more and more people getting on wearing the face masks, so I knew something was up. I sort of jump out of my seat a little when I hear someone sneeze now,” said Lodigiani.

Some students even make the trip from Tijuana everyday to class and the travel time has almost doubled from what it previously was.

The reason for the travel delay is security at the border coming into the United States, which is trying to prevent infection coming into the United States.

“It was a long trip from the border before, but I was getting used to it. Now it takes me a lot longer because traffic at the border is really slow. I support the need to make sure everyone is safe from infection, but it does take a lot of time out of my day,” said student Mariel Nuñez.

Some students have avoided the trek altogether and opted not to attend their classes for fear of contracting the flu.

As news progresses on the flu

strain, attendance in some classes seems to be at an all-time low, leaving an increased number of empty seats.

Student Luis Hidalgo has noticed a significant decrease in the number of students in his classes and instructors who are willing to be flexible with attendance and illness.

“It’s one of those things that the teachers can’t really be mad about, you know? What if someone really is sick? I don’t want them sitting next to me feeling horrible just to have a decent attendance record. I want them at the doctor getting help,” said Hidalgo.

To help prevent the advancement of the H1N1, students are urged to cover their nose or mouth when sneezing or coughing, wash hands as often as possible, especially after coughing or sneezing, and abstain from contact with any person infected.

For updated information about the H1N1 strain of influenza visit the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention Web site at www. cdc.gov/swineflu.

nate hipple City Times

An MTS worker disinfects trolley door handles and other areas frequently touched by passengers at the Old Town Transit Center on May 1, during the height of the H1N1 scare.

6

CityVoice

City Times

Narcissism is an epidemic Vox Populi I was sitting on the couch at my friend Joey’s downstairs loft with his older sister and Alli. Joey was fondling his new gold chain wrapped around his neck.

I hadn’t noticed his trendy throat decor until the ceiling lights bounced off of it into my eye.

Alli was telling this story about seeing the “hottest guy” at Starbucks today on “boulevard and boulevard.”

He had some fresh Vans on.

Nice jeans, Volcom shirt and Padres hat. I was like damn!

“Yes, Alli but what did he look like,” I said.

A recent study at San Diego State University led by Jean Twenge, psychology professor, related narcissism traits to nearly 10 percent of people in their 20s.

The featured article on SDSU’s Web site referred to it as a “Narcissism Epidemic.”

But doesn’t it make perfect sense? In a society led by people obsessed with image, materialism, and self-appearance, I’d say Twenge’s findings are spot-on. If not 10 percent, more.

At least from a college student’s perspective living in San Diego.

I was attracted to a guy in a class of mine until one day. We were both late and I happened to follow about 50 feet behind him from our cars.

Donna’s Dig Donna P. Crilly

During the 10-minute walk from Balboa Park to class, he kept touching his hair, patting it down and running his fingers through them.

He also kept fidgeting and adjusting his Bermuda shorts, back pack and shirt. I still don’t know his name so now I call him “The Adjuster.”

Since then, I don’t really care to look at “The Adjuster.” It seems like so many people these days take too long getting ready to look like they didn’t get ready.

We’ll find the non-conformists who all conform with each other, battling to see who can be the most “different.”

More-so, on four-year campuses, we'll see the sorority girls toting around Greek-lettered bags wearing giant sunglasses and Ugg boots. My mom even puts make-up on before heading

to the gym!

We’ll also find certain people who are snooty with the music they listen to, like it was made for them and their special little tribe of “hipsters.”

I often get the feeling that if I’m not wearing skinny jeans, Ray-ban shades and a V-neck undershirt, then I’m not worthy of their musical subculture.

I went to a record store in Carlsbad recently and bought a Portishead CD from a guy with a twirly mustache in a hat with a feather sticking out of it.

He gave me this “raised-eyebrow” sort of look as if questioning “what the hell am I buying a Portishead CD for?” I must have made them “uncool” and “too popular” for him to like anymore.

That’s the thing about the “indie” genre It’s taken on a new form in the past few years where Coachella has transformed into a “Scenester Mecca.”

As of a few months ago, Miley Cyrus’s favorite band was Radiohead and her ringtone was “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon.

So for all you Radiohead lovin’, tattoos with song lyrics flaunting fans out there, rest assured that you and Miley Cyrus can have something to talk about in case you ever meet!

CityTimes Volume 63, Number 16 May 19, 2009 www.sdcitytimes.com

professors more lenient with students who are late to class because of this problem?

What are the options here?

Some of us can only get to class

Acting Out Tom Andrew

a few minutes before it starts.

We have jobs, families, and other schools we attend. Finding parking should not be something we struggle to find. Yet it is. Granted, we can all look forward to the new structure being done in March of 2010, but until then, what logical choices do we have? Take the summer off? Take online courses?

Of course for those of us with the obstacles listed above, leaving any earlier is not an option, nor is parking in Balboa Park and walkPublished as: The Jay Sees / 1945-1949 Fortknightly / 1949-1978 City Times / 1978Incorporating the newspapers Tecolote, Knight Owl and Flicks

Shevaun Brandom Editor-in-Chief

Roda Marie Catapang Features Editor

Sonjiala Hotchkiss Online Editor

Carlos Maia Photography Editor

Evonne Ermey News Editor

Donovan Terblanche Sports Editor

Shannon Kuhfuss Opinion Editor

Michele Suthers Chief Illustrator

“‘Feels So Good’ by Chuck Mangioni. I close my eyes and I’m with that music.”

Mandy Smith, 63 Art

“‘Across the Universe Soundtrack’ because it just popped into my head.”

Beau Demark, 24 Anthropology

Donna P. Crilly is a City Times staff writer

ing, or even taking public transportation.

Online courses are definitely an option, but given the ones I have taken online, reaching teachers and professors is not an easy task. Nor is computer compatibility. If you have a Mac, good luck with any computer class.

You will find that most only lend themselves to PC programs.

Maybe if we all took the summer off and the school lost precious dollars they would see the severity of the situation.

As for me, I think I will take the summer off. Maybe when I get back I will have become more patient with the parking and the students who sit waiting for a spot while they put on their makeup, and have their breakfast. You know who you are.

“Usher’s debut album, ‘Usher.’ It’s calm, mellow, I like his voice.”

Marbernisa McGlory, 26 General Theater

“The Cure, ‘Disintegration.’ One of my favorite bands from young.”

Dessie Johnson, 19 General Education

Tom Andrew is a City Times staff writer

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Roda Marie Catapang City Times Staff Tom Andrew, Luis Bahena, Sophia Cancino, Donna P. Crilly, Vanessa Gomez Romel Echon, Nathan Hipple, Leo E. Laurence, Joe Leonard, Copy Editors Emily Mather, Aurora McKeehan, Heather Richards, Ariana Sanchez-Fierro

City Times Correspondents and Student Contributors Roman S. Koenig Journalism Adviser

Asked by Donna P. Crilly Photos by Carlos Maia

If you had to choose one album to listen to for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

Buying a parking pass? Really?

It’s no secret that the parking here at City College is worse now than it has ever been since construction for the new parking structure has started.

I have had to continually get to the school as early as an hour and half beforehand to find parking and sometimes even getting here early doesn’t help.

Not only do we have to deal with other students looking for a place to park, but we also have to deal with other area businesses using the same street parking.

Student lots are always full yet parking passes are continually sold. Why? They can’t possibly think all of us will find parking, so why sell them knowing this, and at the same price?

Plus, the lots where staff and students share parking have been repainted to accommodate staff and not students.

Again, why? Are teachers and

May 19, 2009

Diana Alvisurez, Beza Beneberu, Katy Hewitt, Sarah Jasso, Antonio Marquez, Andrew Murphy, Amber Nadeau, Jaime Parker-Campbell, Samir Roy, Marissa Stevens, Lindsay Tasior, Rebecca Veldma, Jamie Worden

City Times is published twice monthly during the semester. Signed opinions are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily represent those of the entire newspaper staff, City College administration, faculty and staff or the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees.

District policy statement This publication is produced as a learning experience under a San Diego Community College District instructional program. All materials, including opinions expressed herein, are the sole responsibility of the students and should not be interpreted to be those of the college district, its officers or employees.

Letters to the editor Letters to the editor are welcome, 350 words or less. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, spelling, punctuation and length.

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May 19, 2009

City Times

VOICE / NEWS

7

The curious case of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ When “Slumdog Millionaire” hit theaters with rave reviews, the Indian blood in me started racing excitedly.

It had been father’s purpose to bring the culture of India with him into his new country back in the ’60s, and devoted the majority of his life in the States to normalizing it within American culture.

I spent most of my youth performing in programs put on by the Indian community, dancing to Hindi film songs and acting in plays based on religious folklore in pursuit of this goal. So when this film wandered into my midst, I couldn’t help but feel that boundless excitement coursing through my veins.

It was the excitement of finding representation on the big screen welcomed by the dominant culture.

Though sad that my father no longer resided here physically to

witness the massive boom of popularity his motherland enjoyed as a byproduct of the film, I could not wait to buy my ticket.

Once I saw the film however, that bubble burst. Something seemed terribly wrong with this movie. (And I mean beyond the ridiculous conceit of the timeskipping narrative structure; in which the order of the questions asked of the main character aligns perfectly with the chronology of remembered life experiences that enabled him to answer them.)

For one, there was no sense of any genuine connection with the setting. Something about the insistence on filtered lighting, the cantilevered camera angles and overzealous camera movement, the jitter-addled editing, the reliance on close-ups and the soundtrack’s bombastic swells to generate emotion, spoke to a fundamental mistrust of both

Perspective Samir Roy

the land and the audience’s intelligence. At no point does the film challenge the audience to contemplate the social ills the film proposes to address. Boyle doesn’t even trust the audience to comprehend imagery from the slums, and the harsh realities of life within them, without the overkill of his fashionable stylistic window-dressing and songs by pretentious indie-darling M.I.A. I personally find it more than a little distasteful for any storyteller to use people’s struggles to bring gravitas to a fairy-tale, while failing to spare a thought to the potential causes and solutions to those problems.

Though it may be true that Indian culture places a premium

Don’t panic: The end is near, but there are options I recently spent some time moving heavy pieces of furniture around in my apartment, which is about the size of a medium hatbox. I say medium only because I’ve lived in smaller. The important thing to remember is that this rearrangement was necessary.

Yes, I had a paper to finish and assignments with past due stickers, but this move would increase my efficiency by placing me in a more balanced environment.

Good planning is not procrastination; it’s preparation.

I couldn’t find the measuring tape, so it was all visualization and poking around with the most stick-like thing I could find; a near-impossible-to-assemble shower curtain rod with the spring-joined pieces folded down and taped together.

Stick in hand; I got all the large pieces moved into place. The fact that I was happy that the bed was now tucked away, such that it wasn’t visible from the threshold of the opened front door, gave me pause to wonder whether I had unresolved issues. I eventually concluded that the happiness was a result of my polite consideration of prudish guests.

So, I’m polite and considerate.

What a healthy boost to my selfesteem, another leading contributor to efficiency. Pausing to give thought to politeness couldn’t possibly be procrastination.

Rudeness was one of the top ten enemies of efficiency.

Southern Audacity Sonjiala Hotchkiss As I sat to rest, I must say, blobs of stuff lying about, seemingly, everywhere, did not inspire me. This is the time to borrow a couple of words from my old friend Douglas. I take out a crisp sheet of printer paper and grab the nearest marker. I write it in two lines very carefully and neatly and in all caps. “DON’T PANIC.” I pulled myself together. From the blobs and shelves and the desktops, I gathered a significant pile, an important pile. I pile together the bulk of the resources needed for my paper. I make sure the stack is stable, tap the top book and blink my eyes repetitively.

The dust bunnies joined together, dancing in rings across the room. They were all singing.

Their tune was jaunty and full of notes. Before long I started to dance. I never heard a word, but I knew that they were singing about love and world peace.

I sat at my desk, still tapping my foot. I started to type about

moving furniture or unfinished furniture, maybe French furniture. Back home there was always one or two who swore that all their furniture was shipped over from France.

I drowned out all the talk of consoles and commodes, petrins and panetieres, sofas and settees.

I rolled my eyes before closing them. My pen against my lips, I dreamed of smoking a cigarette in a Paris bar with great jazz and cheap wine.

I woke up and realized I had written a bunch of stuff. Without thinking I selected it all and checked for the word count: 487.

Just a few more words and I’m sure that I could turn this in for something.

I arranged the books on the shelf above my monitor. I calmly started to write about how students shouldn’t panic at the last minute. There were options out there. Students should definitely talk to professors before running away, failure a certainty. Tell the professors about your serious preparations and how you worked hard to be efficient.

You might be able to get an incomplete for the class giving you a full year to finish all the unfinished work. Why I did that very thing just last year ... oh crap.

Word count: 596. Great, at least one assignment got done. Final word count: 607.

Sonjiala Hotchkiss is the online editor for City Times

Fox searchlight pictures Courtesy photo

“Slumdog Millionaire” won the hearts of moviegoers and the Academy Awards. on fate, I fail to see the use of that belief to craft a deus-ex-machina as justifiable. The whole film stunk of award-hunting frankly, happy to use misery to give their film color, but unwilling to pursue it any further to its natural conclu-

Food

Continued from page 1

according to Gayla Pierce, district food service manager.

“A lot of the vendors cannot comply,” said Pierce, referring to the health code guidelines set for vendors who usually participated in the Language Day fair. Pierce states this could be a huge liability for San Diego Community College District if food is served from each individual booth.

“We’re all the same person, we can all get a bacteria,” said Ronke.

“It’s foregrounds because they need something.”

Ronke, as well as certain unnamed students and faculty members, speculate that the cafeteria doesn’t want events such as this to hurt profits for the day.

“There’s some truth to that but a lot of that is inaccurate information,” said Pierce. “Unless a special function like this took place everyday, it generally doesn’t hurt profits.”

Before the ban on food, whenever an event such as Language Day takes place, the cafeteria plans for less profits by cutting staff and ordering less food for the day, according to Pierce.

Currently, the cafeteria suffers from a $300,000 budget deficit, confirmed by Pierce.

Probably the most disappointing aspect to the cafeteria shutting down each vendor during 2008’s Language Day fair was how abruptly it happened.

“We didn’t get any notice or anything. That’s not right,” said Ronke.

Ronke questions why she has always been allowed to bring food that she ordered from caterers

sion, for fear of alienating voters.

It’s a movie that wants the recognition of a serious picture, but not the downer ending that commonly comes with it; an unrealistic story that exploits realism for profit.

If we take this film seriously, then one would have to also assume some horrible untruths.

The movie mangles hope by supplanting achievable goals with fantasy. It validates clinging to these wish-fulfillment fantasies as acceptable models for living.

The film’s perspective seems more in tune with the American tourist couple, viewed in the film’s context with great condescension, who offer money to the child Jamal as an answer to the beating he receives from the cabbie he has fleeced. “This is how we do things in America,” they say.

See SLUMDOG, page 8

“[The food] could put the entire community college district at risk.”

Gayla Pierce, food service manager

with food licenses in years past at both Grossmont Community College and City College.

“There’s a whole different set of criteria once a vendor leaves its normal restaurant or kitchen,” Pierce explains; but it doesn’t explain why bringing food has been permissible in so many years past, even after the incident that occurred 8-10 years ago where more than 100 people got food poisoning from an outside vendor.

As the district was liable in that situation, Pierce notes how critical it is for a vendor to have the appropriate certification and documentation. “[The food] could put the entire community college district at risk,” said Pierce, with regard to liability, adding that it may take some time for the vendors to adjust to the regulations set.

Estrada “doesn’t know much” about the profit issue but is working on sorting out the ability to obtain permits for outside vendors at future Language Day fairs. For now, chips and soda will be some of the few items for students to enjoy, said Estrada.

Credit card reform may launch a new view on money The United States Senate is currently debating a measure that would greatly restrict credit card companies’ ability to conduct business in the way the companies have become accustomed to: stripping away what little money the poverty-stricken consumers have as minimum interest payments.

Despite my undying support for a capitalist economy without governmental interference, I have to agree with the senators

on this one - if not for my own selfish irresponsibility, then for every debt-ridden citizen who might be aided by this bill.

The majority of my life, or at least since I learned what credit cards are, I have believed that people are responsible for their own debts. My father always said it was stupid to buy anything if you cannot pay for it; he also told me that silence was golden and if I ever shut up I would get rich.

Credit was established in

Perspective Kris Noneman

this country so that consumers could afford to purchase things that they desperately needed but could not pay for in one installment — things like houses, automobiles, home appliances and the Disney World vacations.

All these have become the back-

bone of this consumer-driven economy.

But apparently Americans cannot handle the responsibility of paying off the debts they have incurred anymore, not that many of them could have before this great recession.

The Senate measure being discussed at the moment would prohibit credit card companies from raising interest rates on existing balances unless the card holder is 60 days behind in pay-

ment. It would also restore said interest rates back to normal once payments have been on time for six months. It would also require notification of rate increases at least 45 days in advance, and companies would not be allowed to charge late fees if payments were late in processing.

Kris Noneman is a staff writer for Oregon State’s Daily Barometer, distrubuted by U-WIRE.

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City Times

VOICE

May 19, 2009

Thanks, California, but I’ve already got a job So, the state government is asking us to vote in a special election on May 19. They’re putting six initiatives in the hands of California voters.

Five initiatives directly address the budget. One initiative is contingent upon another.

If you ask me, it all totals up to just another way the government has failed to do their job.

First, they couldn’t get the budget done on time. Now they’re asking Californians to finish the job for them, and let me try to explain how. It’s all really confusing.

California is dealing with a huge budget crisis (does it even need to be said) and rather than make the hard decisions that the state government needs to make to get things moving along, they have passed the buck over to the California voters.

On May 19, voters will decide whether or not California schools and community colleges will get the $9.3 billion dollars Proposi-

tion 1B promises them. $9.3 billion that many already believe is owed to the schools and should be paid, whether or not 1B passes.

Proposition 98 (in a nutshell) set the minimum limited funding available for schools and community colleges. It was an initiative voted and passed by Californians in 1988.

So (by law) the schools get a guaranteed minimum budget fund, which was stripped of approximately $12 billion in the last two years, according to the California Federation of Teachers.

If voters decide to shuck it and play along with the government by giving in to this "easy" fix to the school funding dilemma by voting to pass 1B, voters will also have to pass Proposition 1A. Known as the “rainy day” fund increase and spending cap initiative, 1A will raise the current “rainy day” fund (yes, there’s a current “rainy day” fund already

Enough Said Roda Catapang

in existence and no, I don’t know where it all went) from five percent to 12.5 percent.

What does that mean? Basically, the state can’t spend any money until the fund, taken from the general revenue, reaches the 12.5 percent mark.

To make that clearer, voters are being asked to decide on whether or not they want to help out our schools and our children in California enough to also pass 1A’s “rainy day” fund increase that would raise taxes for an addi-

tional one to two years and create a spending cap.

I ask myself what this will all mean. I’m still pretty confused about what these initiatives will really do with our state budget, but a nagging voice I like to call common sense keeps chiming in that I’m just confused because the whole thing doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.

What I’ve gotten out of it so far is that Californians are being asked to determine whether or not schools deserve to get repaid the billions of dollars taken from them in the first place.

If these initiatives do pass, we can expect to see no money until the “rainy day” fund mark is met.

If the initiatives don’t pass, the governor has said that it could result in an $80 million cut for Cal Fire.

Call me crazy, but I happen to believe that things like public safety (and its maintenance) should be a top priority for funding, no matter what the budget is.

And especially during a drastic downturn as we’re experiencing now, with the state’s increasing crime.

Lastly (although I’m sure this isn’t the last time we’ll be asked to do their job), Californians will have to make the decision to cut spending on state programs and to increase sales and income tax for the next couple years if they decide to go along with the budget Propositions 1A through 1F will create.

Our leaders in Sacramento don’t appear to be willing to do what they were hired to do.

We elected these guys to govern for us and instead they ignore our past decisions and continue to ask us what to do about the same problem. And then they have us make the tough decisions for them.

Roda Catapang is City Times’ features editor

When you don’t get in: Accepting life sans transfer I’m going to start by telling you the truth; I probably didn’t get accepted to any of my chosen schools this fall.

I’ve been considering the possibility since November — that slight possibility, like a blazing sunset I’m expected to walk right into.

I received my first rejection letter a few days ago.

I’m surprisingly ambivalent about the whole mess, but a friend of mine failed an exam today.

Even though she was accepted to State, failing this class will mean a withdrawal of her acceptance.

She’s been at City three years already, and it got me thinking about the whole deal.

A few hours ago her plans were laid out, all the important

The New Yorker

Slumdog

Qureshi, tried to sell her or give her up for adoption.

Others saw Ismail’s father slap his son for refusing an interview on their way back from their trip to the Oscars, for which the child had to excuse his father’s abuse in an interview stating that he had been “naughty.“ (His father also told the press “I feel sorry now.”)

Assuming that no one would care to check, producers paid the child stars, plucked directly from the slums (for the sake of “authenticity”), a mere pittance for almost a year’s worth of work, a fact which several journalists dug up soon after the film received a boatload of Academy Awards and over $100,000,000 at the box office. Then Boyle announced, according to a March 10 Time magazine piece by New Delhi journalist Nilanjana Bhowmick, that he was setting up a trust to pay for the children’s education until they reach 18, giving them new homes, and promising to keep up with them, once everyone in the world knew the amount of their paychecks.

To avoid looking like exemplars of globalization, and goaded

by Indian star Anil Kapoor’s fundraising efforts, producers then announced their donation of £500,000 to Plan India, an organization seeking to provide “early childhood care, education, health, water and sanitation and child

Continued from page 7 Judging from the film, this is symptomatic of Boyle’s perspective.. It turns out that Boyle and Co.’s money answereth all prayers approach had real-life repercussions that in their ignorance they failed to prepare for.

Everyone who loved the film was surprised, for instance, that people who live in slums do not like being referred to as dogs, inspiring a CNN story with interviews from slum-dwellers objecting to the film’s title.

The fame bestowed on these children, particularly Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail,as a direct result of the filmmakers’ struggle for authenticity created even greater problems. Other slum-dwellers started fights with the stars’ families, apparently jealous that filmmakers did not deem them worthy of fat trust accounts and new houses.

Ali is now embroiled in a custody battle between the stepmother who raised her and Rubina’s biological mother.

This started a violent physical altercation between the women, captured on video, that made the news along with disputing reports that Rubina’s father, Rafiq

Heather Richards

dates scribbled in a calendar, FAFSA sent out etc., etc.

Now the two of us are packing up and wondering where to.

Neither of us are from San Diego, and both of us had banked on going to school here.

I have vacillated, without the comfort of a conclusion, on the relative value, not to mention purpose, of the educational system in the United States.

I’ve wondered, often, about the winnowing out of certain people and the graduation of others; considered the racial and social disparities that are so brazen that we

as a society have come to expect marginalization as a justifiable reality.

There are theories about the cruelty of capitalism, a state in which there must be an economically raped portion of society for there to be an economically satisfied portion, and the system of education plays large into the continuation of such a state.

But sometimes, ill intent is not the worst of things. Randomness is. The random winnowing.

My sister says higher education is just about stamina.

The truth is, racist or not, useful or not, I have always wanted to go to school. And though it’s been a headache, and though I’ve had to come and go, I’m grateful for my education.

I think differently than I did when I started out. I’m a better writer, which was my first and only declared goal for college seven years ago. I’m educated to some degree, just without a degree.

City College has a real hold on me, personally. I came here expecting to get a few credits and go back to a four-year school. I expected to be here a semester

and no more.

I’ve been here three. I’m not sure now when I’ll finish. A year is not that long to wait, to try again.

All I’m missing is a math class, but I’ve been in this game for a little while now, and a part of me feels that I’ve been winnowed out.

Heather Richards is a City Times staff writer

protection” for thousands of families and underprivileged children in Mumbai.

Why they didn’t make these donations until after the press vilified them for their actions, they never explained. I suppose we should be thankful that they felt compelled to do anything in response.

Yet, curiously, all that I hated about the film brought India into the spotlight again.

I saw the kind of dances I performed throughout my childhood presented at the Oscars, with the music of A.R. Rahman, a legendary singer and composer of film scores in India. I saw my worlds come together for the first time since my father passed away two years ago, and on an international broadcast.

Living rooms across the country were experiencing what he fought so hard to make a reality here in San Diego since the year I was born. Happy as I was to see this, I felt forced to choose between the cultural good it can do for Indian diaspora, and the harm the film has done, and the potential harm of its message, intentional or not.

Samir Roy is a City Times correspondent

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May 19, 2009

CityLife

City Times

9

Students get with the BEAT amber nadeau Correspondent BEAT is the acronym for Bringing Education and Activism Together and it is a new organization here at San Diego City College that will become active in the fall semester, if approved by the Associate Student Government (ASG).

BEAT is open to students who want to get involved with City College and the San Diego community.

BEAT was founded by Larissa Dorman, a political science teacher at City.

“I want to say that the students are really the ones responsible for putting this group together.

The majority of the ideas are from them ... They are the inspiration,” said Dorman. “I am just here to facilitate and assist in the process.”

Currently, the members of BEAT are in the process of creating ideas and laying out the floor plans for this dynamic association.

BEAT plans to have teachinns, concerts, film showings and other campus events at City regarding political and social issues that range from education to environmental concerns.

“This is for everybody. We are an open forum for anyone who wants to share their stories. We respect everyone’s voice,” states Crystal Browning, president of BEAT A unique aspect of the group is that there is no hierarchy; everyone involved in BEAT has a voice and is involved in the decision making. Each member is equally important no matter their position in the club.

Since teaching at City College, Dorman recognizes that students are aware of politics and the impact it has on their lives.

“This group has been created to provide an avenue for students to build the community, educate and learn from others, inspire action and bring about change. I believe that this group is incredible because it is inclusive, openminded and egalitarian,” states Dorman. “All members have a voice and all are welcome.”

Jose Rodriguez, vice president of BEAT, is very optimistic about the new group and is excited to be apart of launching this new association.

“My hope is for it to become a very large socially active group with members all over San Diego.

I’d like to have members from all walks of life, all ages, religions and cultures,” said Rodriguez.

“There is a great opportunity for an organization like ours to expand and succeed in the current environment. We must take on this challenge.”

Summer sun and fun in San Diego andrew murphy Correspondent

With summer here, school almost over and almost three full months of free time in Southern California, what can you do to keep yourself occupied?

San Diego has hundreds of activities that cost little to no money and, as college students, this is important. Here are a few things to do under $50 besides work off next year’s book fees: The San Diego Zoo, located about one mile from City College’s campus, is home to over 3500 species.

Pack a lunch and walk, ride or soar over all five continents for less than $30 per person.

Start off with a walk through Monkey Trails, exploring over 35 different species of apes, chimps and other primates found on the African and South American continent. The giant gorillas never fail to amaze and gain a laugh.

Watch the tigers play in the Tiger River exhibit and the hippos spend hours at the bottom of a pool in the Ituri Forest exhibit.

A visit to the Hotel del Coronado will require some sunscreen and about $40 for lunch.

“The Del” lets you relax and

enjoy the amazing ocean views without the hundreds of tourists often found at the other beaches.

For some all-American home cooking visit Mc P’s Irish Pub and Grill, where you can get a delicious order of fries with gravy.

If you want to enjoy great barbecue, check out Phil’s BBQ, located at 3750 Sports Arena Blvd. for the coldest beer and the best pork ribs in town.

Prepare for a long line that moves quickly, a friendly staff, great blues music and a variety of sporting matches playing on over 20 plasma screens.

Phil’s BBQ provides catering

services ranging from deliveries to full service or onsite cooking that allows customers to have barbecue masters cook in their own backyard.

Also, check out the new event center at the restaurant. With two rooms and a full bar, this is a great place for birthdays. Dinner is less than $20 per person.

San Diego offers many more distractions, including the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Belmont Park in Mission Beach and the Point Loma Lighthouse.

For more information about things to do in San Diego, visit www.sandiego.org

10

City Times

CityFocus

May 19, 2009

City celebrates Cinco de Mayo City College Spanish Club organized a celebration on May 5 to commemorate the Battle of Puebla, where Mexico defeated French forces

Dancers, live music and a dance competition entertained attendees while booths sold cultural food, clothing and jewelry, as well as instruments. A group of Salsa Azteca dancers ceremoniously ended the event, performing in elaborate costumes and headdresses.

Photos by Carlos Maia City Times

May 19, 2009

City Times

The event was a lively and colorful display of Mexican culture and its history. The Spanish Club wanted to promote education about the culture in an interactive and friendly atmosphere.

Left page, top picture: Irene Saollinger with Mr. Joey’s, a mobile food and beverage vendor, assisted in quenching the thirst of City College students with delicious homemade Mexican fruit juices. Left page, below left: Music was also a large part of the festivities. Left page, below right: Miguel Valdez of SIFE, Martin Cooper, a computer graphic design major, and Alberto Vasquez in the background battle to be the best during a dance competition. This page, top picture: San Diego High School students taught by dance professor Yenis Villanueva share their Mexican cultural dance skills with City students. Below: Dancers from the Aztec dance troop perform.

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12

City Times

Life / NEWS

May 19, 2009

Paraplegic Mesa student tours Antarctic glacier Katy hewitt Contributor San Diego Mesa College student Hermes Castro set sail in March for the adventure of a lifetime, becoming the first paraplegic man to tour an Antarctic glacier.

“I was told by doctors, insurance companies and other nonbelievers that it was not possible, but [I] did it! I realized that anything is possible,” said Castro.

“Right then I challenged myself to walk again, after my doctors had told me I would never take another step in my life.”

Castro met British explorer Robert Swan during Swan’s visit to Mesa. Castro was so inspired

by Swan’s presentation about Antarctic expeditions that he told him if he had his legs back, he would want to do something just like that.

Castro, who has been in a

wheelchair since a drunk driver hit him in September 2006, never thought an Antarctic expedition was possible for him. Swan knew it could be done, even in a wheelchair. He immediately invited Castro to join him on an expedition and promised to fund the trip.

Under the watchful eye of Carletta Middleton, student affairs assistant, the Mesa College student body quickly came together to help Castro with expenses such as airfare and special equipment and gear.

“It was so wonderful to see the students come together for such an inspirational cause,” Middleton said. “We’ve enjoyed making this adventure possible for Hermes.”

Patty Garegnani, Inter-club Council member, was instrumental in organizing fundraisers for Castro.

Local pizzeria Mountain Mike’s donated 30 percent of all December 7 proceeds to Castro’s

cause. Other fundraisers included a three-day rock climbing wall event and a wheelchair threeon-three basketball game. The Associated Student Government matched all of the donated funds.

“The fundraisers began in December and we were able to reach our goal of $10,000 before Castro departed in March,” Garegnani said. “The funds from the wheelchair three-on-three basketball game earned money for a scholarship in Castro’s name to enable another outstanding disabled student at Mesa to reach their own special goal in the future.”

Castro’s 15-day Antarctic expedition took him to Bellingshausen, Hope Bay, Whaler’s Bay, Cuverville and Paradise Bay in Neko Harbor. Castro recalled sailing through a storm in Drake’s Passage as the scariest experience on the voyage.

“All of a sudden, the vessel

Submitted Photo

Mesa student Hermes Castro can’t contain his bright smile after a 15-day expedition as the first paraplegic to tour an Antarctic glacier. starting going up and down and side to side with violence like I have never experienced,” Castro said. “It was very hard for me to move in a wheelchair, but I would

be happy to take the journey again when I can walk.”

Although there were scary moments, Castro witnessed breathtaking wildlife throughout his expedition. Humpback whales swam around their vessel and Castro saw penguins and seals playing near the glaciers.

“Never before have I seen such a beautiful place, a real ice kingdom,” Castro said. “The icebergs had such unique features that it was up to one’s imagination what to make of it.”

Castro proved to be an inspiration to not only Mesa College, but to the members of the community whom he shares his story with.

When asked how this journey has enhanced his life he said optimistically, “I believe our experiences shape who we are, so this journey has fueled my desire to keep doing what I do — live to the fullest every minute of this lifetime.”

Red Bull Air Race takes to the skies over San Diego Bay Organizers estimate 100,000 spectators Ariana Sanchez-fierro City Times Spectators, boaters, tourists and locals all had their eyes glued to the sky above San Diego Bay during the Red Bull Air Race World Championship that took place on May 9-10.

A total of 15 pilots competed for the top spot, flying through a course of pylons on the bay. Most planes reached up to 250 mph.

Nicolas Ivanoff of France earned the championship in the fast-paced race, completing his final round with a time of 1:17:21.

Britain’s Paul Bonhomme trailed Ivanoff by 1.11 seconds, earning him second place.

Hannes Arch from Austria, the previous championship leader, earned third place. After experiencing turbulence because of a pelican, a grapefruit sized hole

was left on the back of Arch’s plane. The blow cost him a twosecond penalty, pushing him behind Ivanoff and Bonhomme.

“We usually come every year.

It is always guaranteed fun and exciting to see how fast the planes go through the course,” said spectator Glen Hopkins, a San Diego resident.

It was estimated that nearly 100,000 spectators were present at the race. Many crowded around the boardwalk with beverages and cameras. Gasps and cheers roared through the crowd when pilots went through the course.

The Red Bull Air Race World Championship required pilots to maneuver their planes above the water through a course marked by giant pylons in the bay, with the goal to break world records and take first place.

The competing planes are among the fastest, lightest and most agile aircraft constructed, allowing their pilots to hit speeds up to 250 mph, withstanding g-forces up to 12.

Photos by ariana sanchez-fierro City Times

Spectators crowd the sea wall along Seaport Village to watch stunt planes (top pictures) maneuver above San Diego Bay during the Red Bull Air Race World Championship May 9-10.

SDSU unable to guarantee transfer for TAG students Situation frustrates City students, officials Marissa stevens Contributor Students at San Diego City College face the challenge of transferring to San Diego State University (SDSU). Although SDSU is an impacted school, City College transfer students were not given priority for fall 2009 semester.

Many of the students at City are members of the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, which gives students that

have completed more than 50 percent of course units at City College and have met the minimum grade point average and major preparation requirements to guarantee admission to SDSU. TAG students were ready to transfer in spring 2009, but SDSU closed its admission cycle until the following semester. Ultimately, these students with “guaranteed” admission were denied.

56,000 applications were received for “a very limited number of undergraduate enrollment slots” and only 2,877 of these slots were allocated for transfer enrollees, according to SDSU Director of Admissions

Beverly Arata.

This means 53,123 students were denied admission for fall 2009 enrollment at SDSU. The Transfer Center at City College, however, was not going to tolerate it this time. City gathered thousands of appeal letters and the official transcripts of all the applicants who were denied and presented the material to the Appeals Committee at SDSU. “It sucks right now because everyone’s getting denied. I already got denied, but I’m going to try and appeal it,” said Dairrick Hodges, City student.

Officials from City’s Transfer Center also expressed their

frustration. They have worked one-on-one with many of these students so they would be more than prepared to transfer.

In addition, SDSU has added a supplemental application to the admission process. This application checks all general education classes completed by transfer students. However, the application takes into consideration SDSU’s general education requirements and not those of community colleges. This leads to much confusion, resulting in many transfer denials due to mistakes on the application.

Initially, SDSU released a statement that no appeals would

be accepted and that “every enrollment slot has already been allocated.” Only a small number of spots were given to incoming transfer students and this was blamed on the new California budget that does not allow any growth for the 2009-2010 school year.

SDSU over-estimated the number of freshmen that would actually accept its offer of admission because after City College presented its case to the Appeals Committee, many were admitted into SDSU’s fall 2009 semester.

However, SDSU was still only able to accept a certain number of transfer students.

CityArts

May 19, 2009

City Times

13

Wolverine leaves viewers with a sense of dejà vu

Have you ever watched a movie and, despite the fact that you are watching it for the first time, you feel as if you’ve seen it already?

The highly anticipated “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” falls prey to the forces of dejà vu.

It seems odd that the movie’s purpose is to fill in the blanks

Movie Review

Samir Roy that its central character cannot. So the audience learns what Wolverine never will.

Surprisingly, learning his backstory explains little about his character in the preceding films. The movie has plenty of action sequences to satiate

thrill-seekers but tampers with the X-Men canon for no discernible reason, in small ways that may upset die-hard fans.

The additional information proved to be interesting. More is learned about Colonel Stryker’s experiments that created Wolverine (who was the 10th See WOLVERINE, page 17

20th century fox Courtesy Image

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”

Upcoming indie film ends up a ‘Gigantic’ waste of time Merging reality with the nonsensical on film is a tough art to master.

Better known as surrealism, the genre has been around for decades and mastered by few (mainly directors such as Luis Buñuel, Jean-Luc Godard and Hal Ashby). Their films were groundbreaking in that, realistically, the plots didn’t always make sense but they didn’t need explaining.

And surrealism is like that: If done well, it’s revealing and transcendental. If done poorly, it’s just plain confusing.

Matt Aselton’s directorial debut, “Gigantic,” falls into the latter category. Aselton grapples with the idea of surrealism, trying to create a world where reality and absurdity cross to convey greater ideas of human emotions and interactions. But “Gigantic” just feels disjointed. In the end, it doesn’t add up to anything. Rather, it just feels like an odd, asinine tale that achieves only in bringing the viewer into a theatrical world only to leave them there dazed.

The storyline goes something like this: Brian Weathersby (Paul Dano) is 28 years old. He has wanted to adopt a Chinese baby ever since he was 8 (like most children). His days are spent selling expensive Swedish mat-

tresses and daydreaming about adopting.

Movie Review Carissa Casares

One day, a loudmouth, expensive suit-wearing businessman, named Al Lolly (John Goodman) comes in and picks out a $14,000 mattress. Later that day, Lolly sends his beautiful, if not strange, daughter, Harriet (Zooey Deschanel) to complete the transaction.

While there, Harriet falls asleep on one of the mattresses.

An awkward, hurried romance then ensues between her and Weathersby, peppered with oddities that come along when the two characters’ eccentric families get involved.

But, not included in this storyline is the “sub-plot” of the film.

In one of the opening scenes, a heavily bearded, lead-pipe-carrying homeless man (Zach Galifianakis) attacks Weathersby. The brutal, unexplained attack seems at first like a simple stroke of bad luck for Brian, who seems to roam through life with a half-asleep glumness. But this man reappears throughout the film, each time in a different guise, only to attack the

main character viciously. You later realize that this man is a figment of Weathersby’s imagination, but every time he is attacked he walks away with actual injuries that remain on his face for most of the film. Why this man is attacking Weathersby is never explained, as part of the surrealist nature of the film. But somehow, it feels like it needs explaining.

In the director’s statement, Aselton said of the film, “At its leanest, it’s a story about a single man trying to adopt a Chinese baby while a homeless assassin tries to kill him. At its richest, it’s about people, what scares them, what excites them and how they treat each other.” OK, so there’s some explaining … in the press notes.

The film is tagged as a comedy, but don’t let this fool you: The mood is predominantly morose.

Harriet’s nickname, “Happy,” turns out to be ridiculously ironic.

A child of divorce, “Happy” really isn’t very happy at all, as evidenced when she wails during one scene, “My mother doesn’t call me on my birthday.” Deschanel plays “Happy” Harriet as if she is comatose. Her voice trails off when she actually speaks, but most of the time she just stares off into nothingness. She tries to be

First independent pictures Courtesy Image

Harriet Lolly (Zooey Deschanel) and Brian Weathersby (Paul Dano) in “Gigantic.” quirky, which she is usually good at, but in this film she just ends up seeming odd and rather dull.

Aselton is clearly intrigued with a sort of strange family dynamic.

There are a host of rather crazy family members that play supporting roles. As Lolly, Goodman is obnoxious and rude, cranky and not quite funny at all. Though he provides for Harriet, he doesn’t seem to connect with her.

Mr. Weathersby (Edward Asner) is also wealthy and quite old-fashioned, requesting bourbon during a meeting with his son about the adoption and inquir-

ing to the adoption agent why he doesn’t have a “girl,” referring to a secretary. Both fathers are, quite simply, overbearing.

Mrs. Weathersby (Jane Alexander) comes in at the end of the film only to deliver one prudent line: “Nothing is normal.” This is the one part that makes sense of the film as it attempts to explain the most baffling scenes. But it’s not enough. This is one film not worth figuring out.

Carissa Casares is a staff writer for the SDSU Daily Aztec, distributed by U-WIRE

14

City Times

ARTS

May 19, 2009

Elvis Perkins: Trauma translated to hopefulness The story of Elvis Perkins never fails to elicit a modicum of shocked sadness. The progeny of famous parents, it may seem distasteful to make this connection instantly.

However, it would be even more distasteful to disengage any memory of his tortured personal history when speaking of his music, rife as it is with surreal imagery culled from a memory bank oft-cluttered by grief.

His father was Anthony Perkins, an actor well known for his performance as Norman Bates

Music Review Samir Roy

in Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” but not for his jazz-lounge-pop albums (even one in French), his work on Broadway in plays ranging from intense drama like “Look Homeward,” “Angel” and “Equus,” to musicals such as “Greenwillow” and “Damn Yankees,” or even his work as a screenwriter.

Anthony Perkins died from AIDS-related pneumonia on Tuesday Sept. 12, 1992.

Elvis Perkins’ mother was Berinthia “Berry” Berenson, granddaughter of legendary fashion designer Schiapparelli, former protege of Halston and Warhol, and a highly sought-after photographer.

Perkins lost his mother when American Airlines flight #11 flew into the World Trade Center on Tuesday Sept. 11, 2001, just one day before the anniversary of his father’s death.

Though tragedy may have inspired Perkins, there is an identifiable current of jaunty hopefulness in his music.

It is a rare gift to be able to palpably translate personal traumas into art that uplifts; a gift that very few musicians possess.

Sadly, his first album “Ash

Samir Roy Correspondent

Elvis Perkins in Dearland’s live shows cast an enveloping net of ferocious energy and spontaneity, giving audiences a feeling of genuine belief in the words and chords of the songs.

Wednesday” was so emotionally naked that it frightened big time music critics (notoriously afraid of anything that refuses to allow them an escape from deep contemplation and feeling, they complained about the focus on themes such as death), and it sank into obscurity.

The nakedness of his songs captivate instantly in the same way that Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” still does. Each subsequent listen

reveals hidden jewels of construction as these synaptic aural snapshots come into clearer focus.

Its the kind of album whose bottomless depths and astounding highs can only sharpen with time.

His live shows have created quite a stir since long before XL Records signed him. Performed with his virtuosic backing band Dearland, the shows, like the intimate in-store event at M-Theory

this past weekend, cast an enveloping net of ferocious energy and spontaneity over the audience whether in a crowded music store or an official venue like West Hollywood’s Troubador.

Nothing is ever straight on.

Every performance is different because it is lived in the moment.

It is equally rare for a band to never betray a hint of generic rehearsed phrasing.

There is always a surprising

twist in the vocals or the instrumentation that catches the songs’ lyrical and melodic progressions in unexpected ways, followed by the band’s invitation to the crowd to join the chorus.

There is a feeling of genuine belief in the words and chords of these songs, as opposed to musicians merely memorizing them, and the tangible joy of perform-

See ELVIS, page 17

Do the Lamb’s Players score or miss the target?

Mistaken identity, a Slavic uncle, crazy customers, bad news from your doctor and a brother who can’t afford to finish law school. What better way to solve all of these problems but to hire a hit man, right?

These are just some of the things that antique shop owner Susan (Cynthia Gerber) faces in the romantic comedy “The Hit,” now playing at the Horton Grand Theatre, where Triple Espresso made its home for many years until June 14.

Susan, receiving bad news from her doctor, decides that instead of waiting for the inevitable to happen she will take matters into her own hands. So she calls Uncle Slavo (David Heath) and hires a hitman (Season Duffy) to take her life. In doing so, her brother Steve (Chris Bresky) will receive a handsome insurance check and be able to finish law school at Stanford and will not have to go through taking care of her as her health deteriorates.

Many different customers (Kerry Meads, Paul Maley) and a potential love interest, Sam (Mike Buckley), come in and out of the shop over the course of the two-hour show, rounding out the action that takes place in the

Play Review Tom Andrew

little San Francisco antique shop that was left to Susan when her mother died.

“The Hit,” presented by Lamb’s Players Theatre, is a serviceable and entertaining piece of theater that finds most of its humor like most ’70s and ’80s sitcoms did.

There’s nothing new here, but the all the actors involved, with the exception of a few, buy into the material and present it well enough that it is enjoyable.

Gerber is very likeable and appropriately quirky in the role of Susan. Chris Bresky gets to flex his comedic muscles and does so with flare as Chris. The alwaysdependable David Heath turns in a very funny performance as Uncle Slavo, and Kerry Meads and Paul Maley all but steal the show in the many different roles they are given to play with. Buckley is quite charming as Sam and not only acts in the show but also designed the set and wrote the script as well.

Artistic Director Robert Smyth deftly and smoothly directs the show, and San Diegan favorite

Ken Jacques Contributor

Shop owner Susan (Cynthia Gerber, right) hires a hitman (Season Duffy, left) to take her life in the play “The Hit.” Jeanne Reith designed costumes.

Audience members were having the time of their lives the night I saw this show and while it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I think it is important to mention that it was thoroughly enjoyed by

everyone there.

Today’s economy is keeping all of us from getting out and seeing live theater, films, concerts and many other entertainment-based diversions, forcing many longstanding reputable venues to

close without notice.

Help support the arts any way you can; take a date to a show.

You’ll be glad you did.

Tom Andrew is a City Times staff writer

May 19, 2009

City Times

ARTS

15

‘State of Play’ makes headlines on big screen Is it more important to write a story that will help a friend, or more important to tell the story honestly and without bias?

This is a question that many journalist has faced before, and one that Cal McAffrey, played by a heavily disheveled Russell Crowe, has to face in the film

Movie Review Tom Andrew

“State Of Play,” now playing in theaters.

Cal works for the Washington Times, and has for many years.

He is one of their top journalists, but in this day and age papers aren’t selling like they used to and attention-getting stories seem to be the only thing that will get a paper sold.

Cal’s boss, played by “The Queen” actress Helen Mirren, is intent on getting headline stories out before anyone else gets to them, and is chomping at the bit to get Cal, and Lois Lane-esque newbie reporter Della Frye, played by Rachael McAdams, to find out all they can about a recent string of murders that now involves a congressman, played

by Ben Affleck.

From the start, Cal is in support of helping the congressman because they are college buddies, and because he feels he is being framed for disaster, possibly with a threat on his life, and wastes no time in helping McAdams’ character gather information to support his case.

The newspaper business is a fascinating one and many movies in the past have shown us just how fascinating it can be; “Absence Of Malice,” and of course, “All The President’s Men,” just to name a few.

Glen Wilson / Universal Studios Image.net

Newspaper editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren) questions reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) in the blistering political thriller ”State of Play,” about a rising congressman and an investigative journalist embroiled in a case of seemingly unrelated, brutal murders.

“State Of Play” is no “Presidents Men,” but it is a well-crafted film that will keep your attention and will keep you guessing until the last few seconds of the film.

“State Of Play” was originally a BBC series written by Paul Abbott. The film is skillfully written by Tony Gilroy (“Bourne” films), Billy Ray (“Flightplan”), and Matthew Carnahan (“Lions for Lambs”), and is deftly directed

by Kevin MacDonald (“The Last King of Scotland”).

Crowe turns in a solid perfor-

mance, burying himself in the world of a journalist who has to keep the lines of his career and personal relationships from blurring. Not an easy task.

McAdams plays green reporter Frye, with spunk and charm, and shows why she is constantly working these days.

Mirren, who never fails to amaze, continues to do so here, with wit and humor.

Affleck, who has been all but laughable in many past films, shows that if he plays things in an

understated manner, he can actually be watchable and, well, good.

The supporting cast is also top notch.

Robin Wright Penn plays Affleck’s long-suffering wife with grace and effortless longing. She is a beautiful woman who has grown into an always-reliable actress.

Jason Bateman is hysterical as informant Dominic Foy, and Jeff Daniels is appropriately creepy as a God-wielding senator who allows himself to get lost in the

political world that he has chosen to be a part of.

Will “State of Play” win any awards? Probably not. But it is a great weekend dramatic thriller and worth a full price ticket.

Tom Andrew is a City Times staff writer

4 out of 5

Anything better than the original ‘Star Trek,’ or is there?

Director J.J. Abrams has captained the “Star Trek” franchise warp speed into the new millennium, taking movie audiences on a thrilling maiden voyage and leaving some Trekkies staring foolishly from the original series’ docking port.

“Star Trek” opened in theaters May 8 and took No. 1 at the weekend box office, grossing close to $80 million its first weekend.

Movie Review Roda Marie Catapang

But some Trekkies are still criticizing the reboot. One was even noted as saying that there is nothing better than the original Star Trek with William Shatner as Capt. Kirk and therefore he wasn’t going to see the new movie.

Hardly the attitude you would expect from a Trekkie. Apparently, boldly going where no one has ever gone before doesn’t apply here. And that’s too bad because this “Star Trek” reboot proves to be another brilliant addition to the franchise.

The movie begins with the first glimpse of the expected use of CGI effects. But “Star Trek” manages to present the effects tastefully, without overpowering the scene or the movie itself,

paramount PICTURES Courtesy Photo

Kirk (Chris Pine, left) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) in “Star Trek.” unlike the results of CGI effects in George Lucas’ latest “Star Wars” trilogy.

Within the first half hour of the film, audiences experience a space battle, an earth-bound car chase and a couple of bareknuckle fights. In fact, the action moves so quickly from scene to scene that it makes one wonder if the absence of William Shatner is due to the inability to suffer impatiently through the Shatner-esque dramatic pauses.

Although it is considered science fiction, “Star Trek” does not limit itself to the genre, openly encompassing action, romance, suspense and comedy into its clever time-altering storyline. Not

to mention a cast of the sexiest crewmembers ever to board the U.S.S. Enterprise.

The film has won the hearts of many non-Trekkies who found that the reboot brought a sympathetic understanding for the characters and a quick (almost Cliff Notes quality) history of the film’s canon.

Chris Pine’s skillful reincarnation of James Kirk does little in the way of impersonating and more to carry on what was important about Shatner’s portrayal; the bravado and charming sarcasm of a man arrogant to a fortunate fault. And true fans will enjoy Pine’s homage to some Shatneresque mannerisms sprinkled

throughout the movie.

The storyline took a clever detour from the “Star Trek” canon when Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci decided to play with the timeline by sending a menacing Romulan ship captained by Nero (Eric Bana) to the past, creating an alternate timeline separate from the original “Star Trek” history.

This apparently has many Trekkies confused. They argue that Spock’s mother did not die in his youth and in fact plays an important role in the future and that Kirk was not born in space.

Even more so, they aren’t willing to accept a more emotionally affected Spock.

Trekkies are foolishly complaining about issues that are easily explained, even by non-science fiction aficionados.

It’s an alternate timeline, separate from the original timeline that still exists in the movie, as evidenced by the appearance of an older Spock (Leonard Nimoy).

Nero’s travel back into the past creates changes in the original timeline, thus projecting a new line, giving Orci and Kurtzman the freedom to re-work the storyline for sequels.

And those who complain that Spock is too emotional must remember that he is half human, and much younger in this movie, and therefore is without the strict emotional control he eventually learns to develop in his later years.

The “Star Trek” reboot is a movie worthy of becoming this summer’s hit and a re-energizing addition to the franchise. Nonfans will be thinking twice about claiming loyalty to the other “Star” franchise once they get a glimpse of the new Enterprise and ride along on an actionfilled maiden voyage. Trekkies unwilling to boldly go where the reboot has taken “Star Trek” will be missing out on an endearing homage to the franchise they love so much.

Roda Marie Catapang is the City Times features editor

16

City Times

ARTS / NEWS

May 19, 2009

‘The Soloist’ pulls at the heartstrings The music of Beethoven has been known to stir even the harshest soul, the coldest heart and the non-lover of music.

“The Soloist” is a true story about reporter Steven Lopez, played by Robert Downey Jr., and his quest to find a story.

One hazy Los Angeles afternoon, Lopez stumbles upon Nathaniel Ayers, played by Jamie Foxx, a homeless man who is in the park playing a two-string violin.

Lopez, does his homework and calls around to get more information about his subject. He discovers that Ayers was a selftaught cellist and went to Julliard, although he never graduated.

Lopez runs the article and a reader responds by sending her old cello to him as a gift for Ayers.

Through a series of flashbacks we learn of Ayers’s mental affliction and his love of Beethoven, and why he ended up homeless.

Lopez gets a few more good stories out

of his subject, and in the meantime gets personally involved with wanting to help Ayer, get him back to playing professionally, and helping him get his life together.

Hard Drive

drive had been completely erased.

Berk added, “Somewhere, the lines of communication broke down and the warehouse wasn’t told to back up his files before resuming work. As a result, the customer lost thousands of dollars worth of downloads and countless hours of work.”

Continued from page 5 if you know it has nothing to do with your hard drive, back it up.

Apple employee Josh Berk recalls one customer who came in to have his tracking bar fixed. The technical staff discovered a dent in the laptop and couldn’t fix the problem until that dent was fixed (a $950 job).

“The customer explained that the dent had been there before initial work had been started at another Apple location,” said Berk. “So we offered to pick up the tab to fix the dent and send it off to the warehouse where larger problems are taken care of. We also offered to back up his computer just in case.”

The computer was sent out, but when it was returned to the customer the hard

Movie Review Tom Andrew

The Soloist was directed by Joe Wright (“Atonement”) and written by Susannah Grant (“Erin Brockovich”) and is based on the book by Steve Lopez.

The action of the film takes place in and around Los Angeles, and unfolds like a squeezebox.

Downey immerses himself in the role as Lopez and, yet again, turns in a surprisingly touching performance.

Foxx takes the role of Ayers and through the writing, and in his performance we see

So how can you be absolutely sure these days that what you are buying is worth the money? Well there are lots of choices out there, most ranging from as cheap as $30 to over $500. Most cheaper selections aren’t big enough for music, pictures or movies files, but can easily handle most written files.

“Whatever option you choose, make sure you back up as often as once a week to every other week,” said Tim Marsh, Apple store manager. “There is nothing like the feeling of knowing that the files you once had are lost forever.”

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that this is a man who, despite his mental limitations, has made his choice to live his life the way he wants to; without medications and without the help of others.

Catherine Keener, always amazing to watch because she is so natural in just about everything she does (“40 Year Old Virgin,” “Capote,” “Into The Wild”), plays Lopez’s editor and ex-wife.

And lastly, the other supporting player is, well, the music. For anyone who loves music, or has a love of the arts, will be moved. Never intrusive, and always just right, the strategically placed music haunts the film.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars Universal Pictures Courtesy Photo

Jamie Foxx as Nathaniel Ayers in “The Soloist.”

Corrections In the Feb. 10 edition of City Times, the story “KSDS and Cole’s do their part to keep music programs thriving” ran on page 3 with a misspelling of Mark DeBoskey’s name. In the March 17 edition, the story “Music Matters” ran on page 6 with a misspelling of George Coles’ name. In the May 5 edition, the story “Construction makes parking difficult at City College” included the incorrect year of the LRC’s completion. The correct year was 2003. Vice President Mary Benard’s name was also misspelled.

City Times regrets the errors. It is the policy of City Times to clarify content or correct errors. Send them to the paper at citytimes@gmail.com or call (619)388-3880.

Join the City Times staff add JOUR 210 for fall

May 19, 2009

Wolverine

Continued from page 13

experiment. Hence Wolverine’s title of Weapon X), and that the violation of the mutants’ rights for research existed long before the original movie series.

Victor/Sabertooth is depicted as Wolverine’s brother (though some X-Men aficionados debate this), and is represented as the corporeal manifestation of Logan/ Wolverine’s animal identification given free reign.

The film follows a rather predictable story arc from which it deviates just momentarily before it reverts back to the series’ usual pattern. The denouements of these detours do nothing in the long run but disavow the audience of the belief that something unexpected will come along.

For instance, Wolverine’s love interest is marked for death as surely as Wolverine will survive the film. She symbolizes his freedom from his “animal” nature and the government-sponsored mutant task-force Team X from which he absconds in the film’s prologue.

The photography and editing do manage to manufacture suspense in action sequences that, logically, should have little of it since it is Wolverine who is in mortal peril in most of these scenes.

Little about the movie sticks in the

memory afterwards, except for disappointment of the meager expectations of its all-around execution. You can read the ending a mile away if you’ve seen the other films. As if this weren’t enough, the special effects fail to convince, particularly in the thematically important scenes where Wolverine first utilizes his newly transformed metal claws.

The writers end up relying on the unknown quantity of seeing a film for the first time to keep its interest. In other words, there is little to compel a repeat viewing.

For those anxiously awaiting the bigscreen debut of Gambit, I warn you that his role comprised about 10 minutes worth of screen time. In an admittedly selfish expectation, Ryan Reynolds appears only at the beginning and doesn’t take his shirt off until his transformation into Deadpool, at which point I no longer desired such a sight.

True, Hugh Jackman is reliable as always, but the role of Wolverine as written for this prequel offers him little to work with.

Liev Schreiber does reasonably well with Sabertooth, though with perhaps too much emphasis on leering toothy smiles.

So unless anyone has a great desire to see the film, by virtue of an intense fascination with X-Men lore, I suggest you wait to watch this one on the big screen at home.

Samir Roy is a City Times correspondent

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City Times

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Elvis

Continued from page 14

ing ignites them so much that the audience cannot fail to feel that warmth.

It is equally impressive that the band retained this spirit within the confines of one corner of M-Theory Music while managing a harmonium, a saxophone, trombone, cymbals, marching band drum, upright bass, acoustic and electric guitars, as well as the accoutrement of literal bells and whistles.

The still-fresh tragedies coalescing in the dream-like lyrics that paint a canvas of fires, waking life, airplanes and whimsical fantasy on “Ash Wednesday” give way to imagery composed of lovers armed with cross-bows, foliage sprouting from rubble and debris, country settings with mills, honey and hay, on Elvis Perkins in Dearland’s self-titled recording debut as a group.

The first album’s eclectic instrumentation, all recorded in Perkins’ home, created a world where heartache and healing came to life in a whir of glockenspiel, beer-bottle organ, musical saw, harmonium, electric and acoustic guitar, tympanis, xylophones, horns and fiddles.

These give way to a similarly but slightly less varied compendium on the sophomore effort, replacing some of the variety with heavier brass.

The expressed intent was to capture the spirit of their live performances, which EPID successfully translates to tape as a result of these choices.

The album crafts a sonic New Orleans speakeasy scene, filled with renegade musicians from the bluesy jazz of a funeral Big Easy caravan band’s march. The noise-making bric-a-brac are still present to create the jungle environment that begins the organ and drum fueled opener “Shampoo.”

The marching band drum, so energetically employed by jack-of-all-trades percussionist Nick Kinsey that he literally bounces as if walking on hot coals in their live performances, makes several appearances on the album, brilliantly so in the two crowd favorites “Hey” and “Doomsday”

17

that carried over from stage to record.

Trombones and horns perfectly augment the sad refrains of the album’s lovelorn closer “How’s Forever Been, Baby?” and thrillingly elevate the Dylan-esque “Send My Fond Regards To Lonelyville,” as well as the aforementioned “Hey” and “Doomsday.”

The dirty electric guitar blues of “I’ll Be Arriving” is a striking change of pace for the band, while songs like “123 Goodbye” and “Hours Last Stand” harken back to the fine balladry that comes so naturally to Perkins.

As in his first album, the variety of instruments that could easily have resulted in stylistic overkill, instead come off as meticulously honed as a homespun treasure, each instrument subtly embroidered into every small detail of a painstakingly hand-wrought tapestry.

The flourishes of these instruments flesh out the emotions in wholly autonomous fashion, as if the music truly were an organic extension of the musicians themselves.

Despite the litany of musical influences on the band, from Dylan (an association assisted by his simultaneous playing of harmonica and guitar when not singing) to Nick Drake, Tom Waits and Neutral Milk Hotel, none are sufficient to describe EPID. No other artist’s music has this sound.

And above all, there is the simultaneous ardor and tender ache of Perkins voice, just as impressive live as in the studio, full of gentle falsettos and earnest fever pitch, the cracks of his voice is genuine because these words truly mean something to him.

The work stands on its own, independent of Perkins’ life story. But knowing that story changes how one perceives lines like “In all of my wildest dreams/it never once was seen/that Doomsday would fall anywhere near/a Tuesday.”

Yet, instead of wallowing in the mire, Perkins reminds us on “I Heard Your Voice in Dresden” that “some have said/our love is lost/But I swear I know my way/from here.”

The true miracle of Elvis Perkins in Dearland is how optimism sprouts through the “rubble and debris” of despair.

Samir Roy is a City Times correspondent

18

City Times

LIFE / NEWS

May 19, 2009

Urban Garden welcomes Aztec blessing and the Milpa crop Sarah Jasso Contributor During the recent Cinco de Mayo celebration, participants got a chance to eat some tacos, enjoy festivities, and hopefully learn a little bit about the culture and history of Mexico. Now San Diego City College is giving everyone a taste of culture by adding a new crop field on campus. Students and staff members have been working hard to get their Milpa project under way.

A Milpa is a crop field that is found in Mesoamerica, incorporating the three most important foods in the indigenous culture: corn, beans and squash.

A large group of Chicano Studies students, as well as outside volunteers, have been working in the Milpa fields for one to two hours a few days a week.

“This project began in the beginning of the spring semester,” professor Enrique Davalos explains. “The agriculture department wanted to plant some corn fields so we got together and decided that instead

of corn we should harvest a whole Milpa plant. We all decided this would be better then a regular agriculture field.”

Davalos is a professor for the Chicano Studies Department at San Diego City College. He, along with Julia Dashe and Paul Maschka, who are urban farmers with the San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project, and some of his students, are working hard to get this project going.

“I mentioned it to two of my classes, my Chicano Studies intro class as well as my Chicano Studies Mesoamerican culture class,” Davalos said. “Once they were all on board we were ready to look for the land and start getting it ready to plant.”

On May 12, the group was able to showcase all the hard work they had put into getting the field ready by having an opening ceremony.

“We contacted Stan Rodriguez, to see if he would come and bless the land before we planted the first seed,” Davalos recalled. “We thought it would be appropriate to have Stan do it because this is originally their land.”

Rodriquez is a member of the Kumeyyay tribe, which is the indigenous group of San Diego. They felt as thought it would be fitting to have him come and bless the land and ask the Gods’ permission to plant on it because it formerly belonged to them.

After Rodriguez blessed the land, Aztec dancers performed a traditional indigenous dance to acknowledge rain, and then there was a feast to celebrate.

“It was a great day,” recalled a student who attended the event. “It was really cool to see all the rituals they used to perform.”

Of course there was a lot of work that went into the ceremony before the celebration could begin.

“The hardest part for me was digging the path way for the pipes to install the water system,” said Bryant Burgos, a Chicano Studies student.

“It was the best and the worst part of the experience,” Burgos says. “It was a lot of hard work to get the land ready for planting but in the end you felt good,like the land has connected with you.”

Dental techs in high demand ASG Leo E. Laurence City Times “Rapidly expanding career opportunities for community-college graduates are opening up in the field of dental technician as a result of new, state-of-the-art lab equipment,” said dentist E. Preston Kaenel, D.D.S. That new, computerized equipment is CEREC. It makes one-visit appointments possible for common dental procedures, like crowns and fillings.

The $130,000 CEREC equipment allows a dentist to treat patients in just one visit.

The result is that more dental technicians, who are often community-college graduates, are needed to operate the equipment.

To make a crown (which normally takes at least two visits to your dentist) using CEREC, the dentist first uses a tiny camera to make a digital image of the

tooth in the patient’s mouth, according to Kaenel.

That digital image is then fed into a computer which does the modeling that will eventually become the new restoration or crown.

“As much as two-thirds of a tooth can be restored” with this new, high-tech equipment, says the young dentist.

The digitalized image of the modeled tooth then goes to a mill where the new crown is ground from tiny, polychromatic blocks.

“Some dentists don’t want to do this lab work,” Kaenel said, “and that means more jobs for trained dental technicians.”

Where some extreme dental problems are involved, and only the facilities of a large commercial lab can do the work, Kaenel says the equipment also allows him to quickly send a digitalized image of a tooth to the lab, speeding up the process for the patient.

Continued from page 1

too, felt “he was independent of the whole situation…but was still being punished for it.”

Conyers’ letter continued with his report of Whisenhunt’s suspension announcement on April 30 at an ASG meeting.

“Today the Dean (Whisenhunt) suspended the results of the election pending this investigation with no further details as per the district. They (would) accept further complaints until May 4.”

Conyers’ response to that news was one of confusion. “Instead of dealing with the

Oriona Kovatch, a classmate of Burgos, agrees with him. “When you are working out there you feel connected to the earth as well as the plants. I even named the plants that I planted,” Kovatch laughed. “Sometimes I’ll walk by them and say hi.”

The semester is over now but the students say they want to stay committed to the project.

“I will come back when it’s time to plant the beans and squash,” said Karla Pedroza, another Chicano Studies student. Pedroza mentioned she’d be back “in September when it’s harvest time.”

Davalos said he wants to continue with the Milpa and make it a permanent project for the Chicano Studies Program.

“In the fall we will have a harvest ceremony for the Milpa.” This will give the students a chance to enjoy the fruits of their labor, and for some that is the ultimate reward.

“It was hard work, but in the end it will pay of,” said another Chicano Studies student. “It’ll be great to have a ceremony and be like, wow, I planted this!” issues, let’s open up the floor and get some more,” Conyers said.

After Conyers’ resignation, the only unfinished business in the election process left to resolve would be if Abdulkadir Ahmed, Conyers’ vice president opposition, would automatically default into the vice president seat now vacant.

“Denise verified to me that I was going to be the vice president of ASG,” Ahmed said. “She also wanted to let me know that I would be holding (flags) at the graduation ceremony with (Campbell).”

The decision comes just in time for ASG to get started on next year’s agenda. The newly appointed candidates will start their positions at ASG in June.

May 19, 2009

City Times

ARTS

19

Blurred Borders Dance Festival X comes to the Saville Theater Emily Mather City Times Blurred Borders Dance Festival X presented by Patricia Rincon Dance Collective will perform May 22 and 23 at 8 p.m. at the Saville Theater. Blurred Borders International Dance Festival was created to encourage an artistic and intellectual exchange from international, national and local artists.

The annual cross-cultural event returns for its 10th edition to deal with human, gender, age and physical border crossings in a blend of dance theatre and creative video dance.

Five choreographers will be featuring work that is fresh, risk-taking, and powerful. Among them are San Diego’s Eric Geiger, who will be presenting his pieces “Farewell My Dear Ones” with music by Chopin and the Balanescu Quartet and his most recent work “Guilt and Shame,” with music by The Carpenters. Allyson Green will present a video dream of dance and light installations called “Inta’s Dream (Zala Zeme).” Patricia Rincon will premiere “Voices of the Moon and Sun” with music

by Anoushka Shankar and inspired by the legend of Shiva. Deven P. Brawley will present “TruthOut” set to the music of The Beatles.

Also featured is musician and dance duo Eileen Standley and Monica Page from Amsterdam, who will premiere “Whale,” an improvised performance set to live music dance, and recently joined Divya Devaguptapu from India in Patricia Rincon’s Shankar-inspired work.

The Patricia Rincon Dance Collective is a San Diego based organization that has been producing dance for 27 years and has worked both collaboratively and independently with other artists and art organizations since 1982. The professional dance theatre performing company works to educate and enrich dancers and audiences by providing diverse, socially conscious, innovative programming and choreography.

Produced annually by the Patricia Rincon Dance Collective, this year Blurred Borders is being sponsored by the San Diego City College Department of Visual and Performing Arts.

Tickets will be $20 at the door for general admission, $15 for students and seniors, 65 and older, and $10 for City College students. Tickets can be bought online at www.rincondance.org/events.html for $16 for general admission, $11 for students and seniors, and $10 for City College Students.

Photos by Elazar Harel Contributor

Blurred Borders International Festival dancers perform in June 2007.

City Works journal promotes students and local writers Faculty member Corona featured author this year Rebecca Veldman Contributor

Rebecca Veldman Contributor

City Works Journal reading May 9 in room D-106.

Since 1994 City Works has published poetry, fiction, prose and artwork of City College students, along with the work of local, national and international writers and artists.

More than 50 percent of the work published is by student writers, poets and artists. The creative writing pieces are chosen by the student editors of English 249: Introduction to Creative Writing Honors course that is team-taught by the City College Creative Writing faculty, which includes Chris Baron, Nancy Cary, Nadia Mandilawi, Hector Martinez, Jim Miller and Donna J. Watson.

The students in the course evaluate every submission, and their rankings determine the best in fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and cover design.

The faculty editors select the featured writer from a pool of noteworthy local

authors. The winner of the National Award is chosen by faculty editors from a pool of hundreds of submissions from around the country.

The intention is to create a journal that reflects the identity and character of San Diego City College, as well as to provide a venue for emerging local artists, broaden the national reach and encourage interaction between the school and the community.

Beginning every fall semester, City Works accepts the following types of submissions: The best student entries in cover design, poetry, personal essay, prose/fiction and artwork are awarded $100 dollars.

This year’s student winners include Norell Martinez for poetry, Melissa Kemp for fiction, Angela D’Avignon for creative non-fiction and Lisa Gavin for photography.

Eugene Brown, staff member of the Graphic Design Department, designed this year’s journal cover.

Laurel Corona was the local featured writer and is also a faculty member at City College Lynn Veach Sadler was the national featured writer.

20

City Times

CitySports

May 19, 2009

Badminton Knights team up to round out year vanessa gomez City Times The City College women’s badminton team came second behind Irvine Valley (6-2) in the Orange Empire Conference March 4. The two losses ended their winning streak spanning three years, however, the defeat by Irvine Valley is overshadowed by the team’s other successes this year.

The Knights had gone 34-0 from 2006 to 2008 and won the first three matches of this year’s season.

Three badminton players, YingJing You, Jeannie Emathinger, and Shirley Barrios qualified for the CCCAA State Championships, held at Irvine Valley College from May 8 through May 9. The team of You

and Emathinger qualified for doubles, while all three ladies qualified individually for singles. You, Emathinger and Barrios were also named to the All-OEC First team.

You made it to the quarterfinals in the singles competition while Barrios made it to the finals of the consolation bracket. Emathinger was defeated in the second round.

The You and Emathinger duo recovered from a second round loss and moved on to win the consolation bracket in doubles competition.

The women’s badminton team is led by head Coach Son Nguyen and this is his fourth year as head coach after one season as an assistant at City College. Nguyen led the team to three California State Championships in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

SDSU athletes sport brains and brawn Kevin mcCormack SDSU Daily Aztec

Carlos Maia City Times

Knights badminton team members observe methods from coach Son Nguyen recently.

SAN DIEGO (U-WIRE) — Aztec athletic teams have given many memorable performances during previous seasons, but many programs were recently recognized for what they’ve achieved in the classroom.

Of the 18 total San Diego State University athletic teams rated, 11 recorded their highest scores ever on the NCAA’s Academic Progress Report for the 2007-08 academic year, according to SDSU Athletics.

The APR rating is based on eligibility,

graduation and retention for each athletic team. Every student athlete, including redshirts, can earn a total of two points for his or her academic program if he or she is enrolled and is in good academic standing on the path toward a degree. If the studentathlete only meets one of the requirements, his or her athletic program only receives one point, and if neither is achieved, the program doesn’t receive any points for that particular athlete, according to SDSU Athletics.

The athletic program’s overall score is determined by dividing the total points received by the total points possible.

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