The Telescope 55.01 by The Telescope

the www.palomar.edu/telescope

Students build timber ·frtlme p11vilion

Big goals for new leaders By Stephen Keller

Tift TEL!SCOPf

Members of the student government spent the summer planning for this semester and filling five of its 11 empty positions. Only five of 16 spots were filled on the Associated Student Government after last spring's election. In a special meeting two weeks ago, the ASG met to appoint the five new members filling all of its vice presidential spots. Student government still nieds a treasurer. Vice President of State Affairs Rebecca Faubus urged anyone, particularly those interested in business or accounting, to apply for the position. • SEE GOALS PAGE 2

Credit cards and college don't mix By famela Yip

TQS CAMPUS

A recent study released by the U.S. General Accounting Office offers a frightening glimpse into the world of college students and credit cards. The conclusions aren't surprising: Credit cards offer students convenience for routine transactions and a cushion for emergencies. But they can be a heap of trouble if students slide down that slippery slope and abuse credit. "Because of inexperience with credit and finance, some college students may not be financially literate and may be at greater risk of substantial debt burdens than more experienced consumers," said the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress. "Consistent misuse of credit cards by college students, particularly combined with student loan debt, could lead to substantial debt burdens." The percentage of students with credit cards

A group effort between Palomar faculty, staff, students and supporters built a timber frame pavilion just north of the Brubeck Theatre over the summer. The purpose of the pavilion is to serve as a new outdoor venue for performing arts events like dance, theatre and music performances. Forty five timber frame workshop students came to campus daily to build the pavilion using hundreds of wooden pegs that were driven into carefully placed pre-drilled holes instead of nails. The project started on May 19 and the final product was "christened" on June 1. A grand opening is set for Sept. 13 at 12:30 p.m. for Concert Hour. Photos courtesy of Mea Daum I Performing Arts Publicity I Program CoordinaJor

New activity sticker offers discounts By Stephen Keller

Til£ T!liSCOPE

A new student activity sticker, which will give students discounts and special offers, is available to Palomar students starting this semester. The sticker, which is placed on the Palomar Identification Card, costs $10. However, as part of a promotion to bring up awareness of the sticker during its debut, the PIC, normally a $5 charge,

will be free to any students who pay the student activities fee. · In addition to a free PIC card, students will be given a free campus locker rental for the semester from Student Mfairs. "There a bunch of little things, but when you put them together, they're worth a hell of a lot more • SEE STICKER PAGE 2

• SEE CREDIT PAGE 2

Student government president plans ahead By Stephen Keller

Tift TUfSCOI'£

Students can expect smoother, more efficient and far more visible student representation, said the new president of Palomar's Associated Student Government. Sean Weimer, 29, has been attending Palomar since the spring of 2000. He came to Palomar after spending 15 years in the construction industry (he began working for his grandfather when he was about 14 years

old), and decided to return to school to better his position in life. "Instead of earning the paychecks, I decided I want to sign them," Weimer said. He is majoring in business, and he has begun thinking of political science as a minor. He decided to run for a position as anASG senator in the fall of 2000 after attending a meet• SEE PLANS PAGE 10

Sean Weimer, newly elected ASG president has numerous goals for fall. At the top of his list, eliminating any past controversy surrounding student government

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THE TELESCOPE • MONDAY, AUG. ll, 2001

the sticker no longer comes with a $5 discount off of on parking permits, as was originally planned. Since the school keeps CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 parking money separate from the rest of the budget, it was than $5," said Bruce Bishop, a logistical nightmare to offer director of student affairs. a discount, Bishop said. These discounts include a 10 percent discount off of Instead he decided to offer the free PIC. used books at the bookstore The purpose of the activi(valid only one time), free ties fee is to finance a comaspirin from Health Services, puter lab that is expected to two-for-one tickets for most be operational next fall, along productions at the Brubeck with the new Student Union, Theatre, and a few free Bishop said. Scantrons and pencils from Bishop also plans to evenStudent Affairs. tually offer more benefits Local merchants have also such as bus trips to places offered discounts, such as around San Diego. Kinko's which is offering Bishop said he hopes to some free copying, computer eventually get 90 percent of time and discounts on their the student body to pay the other services, Bishop said. fee, possibly by adding it as Bishop, who proposed the part of registration fees card last spring, will be through PAR. administering the card While the fee would be through his office and with refundable, paying for it the help of the Associated would be the default choice Student Government. for most students. They will also be sponsorBishop has high hopes for ing free lunches for two days the stickers success. each month in the cafeteria, "I have not had a single as well as some special properson say no," Bishop said, motions like giving away ice referring to the times he has cream or popcorn to students convinced students to buy the who have the sticker. sticker. A few changes have been The sticker may purchased made to the program since it along with a current PIC in was initially proposed. SU-14. Chief among these is that

STICKER

GOALS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The treasurer for ASG is for keeping of track of its approximately $86,000 budget. The new ASG membership also has a number of other goals for the future. Sean Weimer, president of ASG, said that his number one priority is to increase campus awareness of student government. Weimer plans to do this by ASG members wear name tags identifying them at all times. He has also set up an e-mail address, tellit2sean@aol.com, so students can voice concerns directly to him. "All we need is participation and we'll all be so much better off," Weimer said. Faubus, who has set up the e-mail address tellit2rebecca@aol.com, agrees that students should feel free to approach ASG members with any issues they may have. "If there's a problem, we'll find an answer. If we don't know the answer, we'll find someone who does," she said. In terms of more concrete r~sponsible

goals, the construction of the new Student Union is of the highest priority. Plans call for the current building to be torn down in December, Faubus said. This will entail finding locations for the offices currently located there, as well as finding shelter for students in bad weather. Faubus said she will be looking into using tents for the latter purpose, but she is still unsure as to the feasibility and costs of such a plan. She said she does not feel this will be particularly easy. "We're going to take a lot of heat on this, but in the long run it will be better," Faubus said. Faubus is also going to continue investigating issues raised by last year's ASG during their Washington D.C. trip. Specifically increases in PEL Grants and an end to the

IF THERE'S APIOBUM, WE'll RNDAN ANSWER. IF WE DON'T KIIOW THE ANSWER, WE'll ' ' RND SOMEONE WHO DOES.' -Rebecca

Faubu~

YICE PRESIDENT OF STATE AffAIR~

state tax on textbooks. There are also a host of more routine issues such as replacing the bulletin boards around campus and repairing the track. Both Faubus and Weimer said that they looked forward to this year, and hoped it won't be plagued by some the problems and controversy of previous administrations. "I don't see any reason for scandal, controversy or strife," Faubus said. Weimer stressed the fact that this year the ASG board is very diverse in terms of age, gender and ethnicity. "I'm very excited; I have such an excellent board. I expect nothing but good things," he said. The executive board is made up of: Brendan . Fentimen, VP of Social Events; Rebecca Faubus, VP of State Affairs; Leo Melena, VP of Inter-Club Council; Sean Weimer, President; and Diane Vasquez, Executive Vice President. The only returning senator is Eamon Kavanagh. The newly appointed senators are: Dana Blackburn, Michael Bacho; Elizabeth Mayrant, Eve Rifkin and Gerard Sauve.

• CREDIT: Taking college students overboard CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 rose from 67 percent in 1998 to 78 percent in 2000, according to Nellie Mae in Washington, which provides federal and private education loans for undergraduate and graduate students and families. Average credit card debt among college st.udents soared 46 percent from $1,879 to $2,748 in two years, Nellie Mae said. What's especially telling in the GAO study is the extent to which credit card companies will pursue students. "Both university officials and students cited the personal solicitation of college students on campuses as causing the most controversy," the study said. One official pointed to the 'carnival atmosphere' marketers created and many raised concerns about aggressive sales practices. "Students complained that card vendors created a 'hawking atmosphere,' were 'out of control' and were often 'in our face.'" In fact, the pressures of credit card debt led one student in Oklahoma to commit suicide in 1998. Sean Moyer, a student at the University of Oklahoma, killed himself after he had accumulated 12 credit cards and racked up $10,000 in debt. The 22-year-old was making minimum wage at a part-time job. His mother believes anxiety over his looming bills played a role in her son's death.

Some credit card companies offered students free gifts, such as T-shirts, compact discs, water bottles and squeeze balls, as incentives to sign up for a card, the study said. One college official said some students complained that credit card vendors followed them after they had refused a credit card application, the GAO said. Several major credit card issuers have recently tried to address the problem by adopting a code of conduct for contractors that solicit on college campuses. . The creditors also said they provide financial disclosure information to students when soliciting and when credit is extended, the GAO said. "The GAO report provides ample evidence that the marketing, underwriting and servicing of credit cards to college students is being conducted in a responsible manner by credit card issuers," said Joe Below, president of the Consumer Bankers Association in Arlington, Va., which represents banks. "It shows that card issuers, students, college administrators and college alumni are all involved in the process of marketing credit cards to college students, as well as encouraging that the cards are used properly." Many consumer credit counselors disagree. "You're offering credit to people who don't have jobs," said Howard Dvorkin, president of ConsolidatedCredit.org, a debt counseling firm. "That doesn't make much sense."

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s ea What do you think of this summers

Darnell Waddy SOCIOlOGY

'"Rush Hour 2' was better than part one, both actors had a lot of chemistry together continuing from part one so that made it

.movies~ •••••••••

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••

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~ore ~xcitin~."

Braadoa Reyaohls MUSIC

"I thought 'Planet of the Apes' was a lot better than the original, the computer animation was really amazing."

Jacolt Millsap

Braadoa Massa

EDUCATION

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'"Planet of the Apes,' plot-wise the original was better, of course, but the special effects on this one were better. Other summers have been better."

"'I liked Planet of the Apes' the best. 'Legally Blonde' was cute, I like Reese Witherspoon."

....................

Marie Saffer EDUCATION

'"American Pie II' - It was funny I thought it would be less funny than the first one because normally sequels kinda just drag on.''

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New prices milk students

- S

tudents are not made of money, but apparently Palomar thinks we are. College officials seem to take every opportunity to milk more dollars from students for their programs. If it is not pricey parking permits or identification card fees then it's Pepsi products. That's right Soda from on-campus Pepsi. machines now costs $1.25. Palomar approved Monly hungry the increase five years bur1•uer•t1 ago when it should l1•rn contracted to ''/iv1 within th1ir with Pepsi. m1•n1 •nd stop That contract expires r1•ehing into our in October, poek1t1 •t '''" and some at opportunity. II Palomar are pleased with higher prices because they get a percentage of each sale. The money the college gets from soda sales is supposedly used for student services - however, no one on campus seems to know exactly which services and how much they spend. Students are already fee-d to death. We pay a health services fee, the student representation fee, the identification card fee and the new student activities sticker fee. All of which support some sort of student service. Officials say they did their best to hold the price increase off until the very last minute. However, they also say that if the ''benefits" of the college's service to students are significant, then they would stay with the higher price. We question whether the benefits can be measured when no one on campus could tell us which services use the money. We also wonder what number of Palomar's 25,000 students actually use these services. It may not be beneficial to charge everyone an extra quarter if only five percent of the students get the benefits. The college should renogotiate its contract, or switch to a different vendor to bring down the price. Just because we're on a college campus doesn't mean we need to pay more for soda than anyone else. The money hungry bureaucrats should learn to live within their means and stop reaching into our pockets at every opportunity. For now, it seems Pepsi and Palomar are teaming up to become our big brothers. Before we know it a soda will be $5 and we will pay tuition via the soda machine.

Tellicope ---.s Monday, Aug. Zl, 2001

•

Volume 55, Number 1

FOCIJSED. ON PAlOMAR

is published weekly on Mondays, except weeks containing holidays or exams. Signed opinions are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily represent those of the entire newspaper staff, Palomar faculty and staff or the Governing Board. t

Tax-free savings still the best By Jeff Brown

Tl'l!S CAMPUS

ax-free college investing sounds great - everyone wants to save money without being taxed - but how's it affect financial aid? The short answer: These plans can reduce a student's eligibility for aid. But that's not a fatal flaw. After all, you're not sure how much aid you could get or how much would be in loans you'd have to pay off anyway. It's pretty risky to skimp on college savings in hopes of getting more aid. To back up for a second, investing in a Section 529 plans allows parents, grandparents or others to invest for a student's college education while escaping federal income and capital gains tax on profits. Currently, these are state-sponsored programs, although private colleges are starting to develop them as well. Most 529s are flexible enough that withdrawals can be used at just about any public or private school anywhere. Under the 2001 tax-cut law, withdrawals made after this Dec. 31 will be free of federal income or capital gains tax. Previously, taxes on investment gains were deferred until withdrawal, and then income tax was charged on gains at the student's rate. The new tax rules make little, if any change, in the financialaid implications, says Joseph F. Hurley, an accountant and author of the leading book on 529s, ''The Best Way to Save for College." Under the federal aid formula used by most schools, the two types of 529s are treated differently.

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Should aid considerations keep you away from these programs? In most cases, no. Most other approaches to college saving have down sides as well. Parents who save in ordinary taxable accounts, for instance, can face hefty tax bills when they draw money out to pay college bills, even though the 'financial aid impact may be small. Custodial accounts, in which parents or others manage investments in the student's name, can be easy at tax time, since income and profits are taxed at the student's rate. But as student assets, they count 11 heavily against aid. Moreover, the student has total control of the account upon turning 18 or 21 (depending on the state). Assets in an Education IRA are considered the student's and can have the same damaging effect on aid as a custodial account. But the Education IRA may have one advantage over the 529, says Kal Chany, author of the book "Paying for College Without Going Broke. At the end of 2010, the recent tax-cuts are scheduled to expire and the old rules will come back into effect. Education IRA withdrawals were tax-exempt under the old rules, while 529 gains were taxed as income, at the student's rate. To some extent, saving for college is a bet on whether Congress will do the right thing and make its fine new rules permanent.

S•ving for eoll1g1 h•ngs on wh1th1r Congr111 will do th1 '' right thing •nd m•k1 its lin1 n1w ru/11 p1rm•n1nt.

MiSOC!JHE Hl!H!R SHEENA PROSSER

AD MIH-!1\Gf.!! JOHN HEDGE

The first type, known as prepaid tuition plans, offers an opportunity to buy credit hours at current prices, protecting against future rate hikes. The aid formula considers assets in these programs to be a "resource" available to pay the student's college costs. Every dollar available through a prepaid plan, therefore, reduces the student's aid eligibility by a dollar, Hurley says. Other 529s offer mutual fund investments that can produce larger returns if stock and bond do markets well, but you can lose money, too. Assets in these "savings-type" plans are considered the investor's the parents or grandparents - rather than the student's. · This is good because the aid formula assumes that only about 6 percent of the parents' assets are available for a student's college costs each year, and it doesn't count any assets held by grandparents or others. In contrast, it assumes that all of a student's assets can be tapped over four years. · But savings-type plans can hurt aid eligibility nonetheless, because the portion of any withdrawal attributable to investment gains is counted as the student's income. Even though this money is not taxable, it reduces aid eligibility by raising the student's income. On balance, savings plans will probably hurt the typical participant less than a prepaid plan would.

tO!I'OR IN C!tltf DONNA WILLIAMS

PHOTO E!J!HJ!!S VALERIE MCCOY, NATALIE SCHRIK

Th Telescope

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AMENDMENT COAUTWN

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THE TELESCOPE • MONDAY, AUG. 'l/, 2001

Once is enough, thanks

College is taking my best friend from me

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experienced my own wedding, attending another will seem different, more intense, more surreal, and altogether more important. Early on, little girls dream of wearing that beautiful white dress. Young ladies dream of marrying prince. charming. And a grown woman dreams of her perfect wedding day. It is amazing that a person would experience that life long dream more than once. Although the experience was the greatest of my life, I have no desire to ever do it again. I cannot imagine making such a huge promise in front of hundreds of people and later breaking it. Then, making your guests sit through wedding number two as if a second chance will enhance your ability to keep a promise. Standing there with. all those people looking at you is an intense feeling. It is a feeling I will cherish for the rest of my life. But, it is also one I am satisfied with feeling just once. The guests and your future spouse are overflowing with love and support and the last thing you want to do is let them down. The point of guests is to incorporate witnesses, right? This is suppossed to make it more difficult to lie within your vows, but people do it all the time. There is too much divorce for silly reasons and too much rebound remarriage for even sillier reasons. That was obvious long before I was married. But how and why people put themselves through that is still beyond me. Don't people feel guilt in doing it again? They must have little to no regard for family and friends. Don't get married on a whim because change is good or because you are bored. And don't get divorced on a whim because change is good or because you are bored. Life is rough - so plan ahead; plan to actually be with that person for the rest of your life. Too many people do not take marriage seriously. Often these days I hear the 'we can always get a divorce' scenario. It's wrong, just plain wrong. I am shocked, from the perspective that I have now, that people actually suffer through the humiliation of marriage number two seeking the same support found in marriage number one. I have absoulutly no regard · for those who suffer through marriage three, four and five. Save yourself the time and energy, not to mention a bunch of money and embarrassment, and marry the right person, the first time. Jackson is Editor in Chief and can be reached at dleejackson@hotmail.com

H :~, sit~

ERIC DEVEIICIS I TMS CAMPUS

Greens got it wrong nvironmentalists have waged an attack on our great country in recent months - lambasting the policies of President Bush and protesting at every worldtrade and bio-technology conference their rusty VW vans can take them. While free speech should be welcome at all gatherings, these wanna-be-Vietnam-era protesters do not have a clue when it comes to environmental issues.

Take, for example, the verbal beating they've given President Bush for refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol a 1997 treaty designed to reduce so-called green house gasses. European leaders and their earth-loving counterparts in the United States are screaming that unless we sign the treaty the world is going to melt like a Big Stick held over a barbecue on a hot August day. What they fail to tell us is that not one industrialized European country has signed on, and the U.S. Senate rejected the accord on a vote of 99-1. That's because the treaty is grossly flawed. The "scientific" data used to support global warming couldn't be more inconclusive - even the founder of Green Peace shed his tie-died clothes and said it's all a farce. Fifteen years ago the same scientists were expecting another ice age. What's more, the treaty lets all the developing countries off the hook - these nations are expected to throw the most ozone-killmg pollution into the air over the next 20 years - and the United States is the bad guy? But the misinformation doesn't stop in Kyoto. The president's plan to drill for

1·

1 1

oil in ANWR, or "Anwar" for the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, met with similar outrage. Is it not a contradiction that environmentalists would rather rape the rest of the world for our oil than for the United States to produce its own? Commercials made by Green Peace show Americans a beautiful forest with flowing streams, threatened by the idea of oil rigs plowing through the peaceful foliage. But the area Bush wants to drill is not in a forest _:_ it's covered by tundra, rock and ice. If these tree-hugging ·fanatics were so concerned about drilling in Anwar, perhaps th.ey should actually know where the drills would be placed. But it's easier for these people to throw bricks through windows at Starbuck's than it is to base their opinions on fact. Which was evident in Seattle last year at the meeting of the World Trade Organization, and in Italy this summer at the G-8 Summit. What point were they trying to make while they looted McDonald's? Was it that commercialism is bad for developing countries?

If that were so, then why do so many those nation's people want to be open to trade? Perhaps they realize that it would not only help their people, but inviting new technology would also help clean up their environment. Do the protestors believe that a world without the United States - known as the largest polluter and animal killer around- would be a better one? Come on- who would clean up the ecological messes left by the socialists in third-world countries? True, we have pollution, but the prognosis isn't any where near the throngs of hell as Earth First would have us believe. The situation is improving greatly. Our cars burn cleaner and more effieciently, and studies show our skies are clearing. We have more forest land in this country than ever before due in large part to reforesting and efforts to put out wildfires. Rivers like the Ohio no longer catch fire because of pollutants. To say we're about to destroy the earth with pollution is nothing more than an ignorant lie. One valcano eruption lets more harmful gasses into the air than the human race could in more than 1 million years. No one wants to kill the environment, but we have to be realistic. If the environmentalists truly cared about the condition of the world, they would take their veggie burgers to the library to do some research. But they don't, so duck the next time a beat-up VW van drives by your Starbucks an ignorant brick may be aimed at your head. Chanbers is the Onrne Editor and can be readied at tommychambers@hobnail.com

ting at Palomar yet another night with the newspaper staff. It's another semseter and ususally I don't feel any older than I did when I started going here more than 4 years ago. Matt, my little brother graduated from Mt. Carmel High School this past June and he will be leaving for UC Santa Cruz in less than a month. His friends left last weekend for school and suddenly I feel old. I'm proud of him, for getting like a 3-point-something throughout high school. He took lots of AP classes and he got a 1200 on the SAT. But I don't want him to leave. He's one of my best friends. Going away to college is going to be one of the most memorable experiences of his life. I remember my big brother and all the things in my life he missed while he was away at school. That was what made my little brother and me so close. On weekends, when we get home from being out with our friends, we go get food together at 3 a.m. We stay up talking 'till dawn. He goes shopping with me and we check out music together. I'm going to visit him at school, but I'm not really sure how to deal with his leaving. My mom and I joke about sending my dad instead of Matt. How once Matt leaves we will never have to listen to rap music again. How when we come home from work, or when we wake up in the morning our left overs will still be in the refridgerator. How the phone will stop ringing at 2 a.m. on weekdays. Sure, we will have e-mail and phones, but when I think about how little I talk to my big brother, it's depressing. I don't want to lose contact with my younger one. He is one of the closest people in my life. I come home sometimes and try to imagine what it will be like to have him gone. I feel my throat get tight and then I quickly think about something else. We have discovered a lot of things together, like punk music. We used to go to Soma almost every weekend, and the Warped Tour every year. I've had a lot of friends go away to college, like my best friend - she goes to BYU in Utah. She comes home twice a year and we hang out, but it's not the same. I live with him, he's always there for me. And in less than a month he will be gone. Sure he'll be just a phone call away, or a long drive north, but that's the farthest away from home he's been. Davidoff is a guest columnist and can be reached at brooklyngliHer@hobnail.com

THE TELESCOPE • MONDAY, AUG. 27, 2001

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plethora of new services are filling the niche left empty this summer by the death of the popular music-trading service, N apster - g1vmg online copyright pirates a refuge while the record companies and the government try to limit what information will be free and for how long. To avoid falling into the same trap as their predecessor, the new programs search only the files of connected users instead of keeping songs and lists of songs on their own servers. They also shy away from the term "music trading," instead calling their service "file sharing," and opening up their downloading power to many more formats videos, spreadsheets and word processing documents. Napster executives say they are close to reaching a settlement with the record companies that sued them, and expect to charge a mere $5 per month when they go back online next year. But they may not have any users left waiting for them. Why wait and pay a fee when you can get it right now for free? Of the many file-sharing services available, two have gained popularity over the summer: Aimster and WinMX. Both programs attempt to mimick Napster's format, and Aimster, which is not associated with America Online's Instant Messager - or AIM - portrays itself as a freedom-fighting bastion of free information. While Aimster has nice graphics and a gun-wielding, blonde spokes model, the actual interface is a bit confusing. Once open, each function opens in its own window, making it easy for noncomputer-savvy users to get lost. Aimster does allow users to search the Napster database through their service, but with Napster offline, having that option doesn't add anything to the results. Aimster's search can be separated into music, graphic and video file categories, which is pretty nice when you are searching for a specific item. The depth of the search, like the

other services, is dependent on the number of users online at the time. Aimster has a smaller following than WinMX, and it shows. If you need to find music from an artist other than Britney Spears or the Backstreet Boys, you may want to try another service. If you do happen to find what you're looking for, downloading the file will take some time. Download speed depends on what kind of connection you have to the Internet. Using a cable modem, Aimster downloaded much slower than WinMX. Even though WinMX has faster downloads, the program eats up a lot of temporary memory, or RAM, and makes everything else on the computer run more slowly. WinMX, however, is easier to use than · Aimster - it looks and feels like Napster. It also has more users, and searches bring up better results. Downloading music with WinMX takes less time than Aimster, but the instability of the program results in an occasional crash. WinMX's other drawback is its limitation to four downloads at a time. Those with cable modems and DSL service will get frustrated because they can't get 10 songs in five minutes. While Aimster and WinMX are popular, a new program, Morpheus, sweeps them both under the rug. Named after the computer-hacking character in "The Matrix," Morpheus combines speed, stability and the best search a.vailable for the most complete file sharing on the Net. Morpheus allows users to break their searches down into categories and then sub-categories - weeding through all the files you don't want before the search begins. The search is also fast, and the results include a pop-up dialogue that tells you how long it's going to take to download, and how long the song or video is a valuable tool when many partial songs are floating out on the Net. Downloading from Morpheus is quick, and you can preview even the videos once the download starts. It also gives users control over which folders on the computer are shared with other computers, and lets you choose which files you want to share.

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• tOM/t-tON CONVENTION RETURNS TO SAN DIEGO

;! •Ill

By Ben Greenstein

TlfE TEUSCOPf

1Ill

•

The San Diego convention center filled itself with thousands of comic book fans, as it has for the past 32 years. From July 19 to July 22, fans had a chance to buy merchandise, meet authors, and to get a sneak preview of upcoming products and events. It is like a weekend retreat- not only for fans of the genre, but for any looking for a new experience. While the focus of the convention is on comics, they are not the only medium featured heavily. Everyt4ffig from movies ("Lord Of The Rings" and "Star Wars: Episode 2'' were both previewed this year) to television ("Buffy The Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Weedon was on panel) to music (a good amount of band memorabilia was on sale) is a major aspect of the annual convention, or "con." While most of the movies featured at the convention are either sci-fi or films with a certain level of counterculture kitsch, they help the convention break its image as a "mecca for nerds," and get mo.re credit as a feature for new entertainment. As Rocco Versaci, a Palomar teacher who presented .a "Comics as literature" course last semester, said, "It seems that every year at the Con, comic books are pushed further aside by more 'commercial' genres like film and television. Still, though, it's the closest thing comic geeks like me have to the Super Bowl." Despite the convention achieving more widespread appeal, it hasn't alienated fans of the comics it was conceived to celebrate. Comic fans not only get a chance to shop for books, often at discounted

BEN GREENSTEIN I THE TELESCOPE

Former Palomar students Steve Troop and Chris Gleason show off puppet versions of characters from Troop's comic strip "Meloonpool." prices and sometimes even free, but they get a chance to meet most of the artists and writers responsible. Matt Greenburg, a Palomar student, says of these meetings: "Since they were checking out the Con just like I was, they were more than happy to take the time to talk about comics, literature, or how the Chargers sucked these past few years." One way to enjoy the Comic-Con is to volunteer at one of the hundreds of merchandise booths. This allows a fan to enjoy the convention atmosphere without paying admission prices. However, Sara Durben, another Palomar student who works for a San Diego comic-store chain, advises would-be volunteers "it's much better to be paid staff. Although I hate to say it, volunteers seem to be the lowest rung on the Comic-Con ladder and are given the most medial of jobs." "I would rather pay than be a volunteer," says Durben. "When you're a fan, you see items you don't need but really want for about 50 bucks, and you try to haggle for 25," says Stephanie Piper, another Palomar student. "When you work at a booth, you get to discover just

how annoying people like you are." On the other end of the convention floor, comics creators independent from major distributors are given a chance to hand-sell their creations. Steve Troop, a former Palomar student, whose comic strip "Melonpool" was originally printed in The Telescope, has achieved a sizeable following and respect in the industry through the convention. "A lot of artists tell me that my books help them know what to do and what not to do," says Troop. "Matt Greoning (creator of "The Simpsons") said he's going to do a 'Life In Hell' book with annotations, because he saw me do it in my book." In advising young comics creators, Troop says, "love what you do and don't expect a lot of money at first." As for the convention center itself, it has undergone dramatic changes in the past year. A recent addition has nearly doubled the size by adding a second hall and about 50 feet to the original building. However, the new hall was not yet completed for the convention, which made some Con-goers angry at the steepened admission prices. "Con-goers had to pay for an expansion that they weren't even

Summer movies: S

ummer films seem to have been getting progressively worse each year. Here's a brief look at some of this season's biggest stinkers. "Swordfish" - The very first line in this film is "you know what the matter with Hollywood is?" Answer - John Travolta. The guy hasn't made a truly good movie since ''Pulp Fiction," and has starred in a large number of infamous bombs like ''Battlefield Earth." This one starts out by pretending to be an indie flick, but in the end stops faking and gives the people what it thinks they want with cliched helicopter fight

scenes. Plus miscasting! (Don Cheadle as a "tough guy" cop? The guy weighs about 130 pounds!) And a nonsensical title! "Planet Of The Apes" - This one had so much promise. Take a talented director (Tim Burton), Marky Mark (formerly of the Funky Bunch), a bunch of good looking makeup, and remake one of the great sci-fi classics of all time! Would be a great idea, if not for a miserable script, lack of character development (I seem to recall there being a blond actress in this movie, but why, I don't know), and a horribly convoluted ending that makes NO SENSE no matter.how you try to explain it. Watch it on mute and turn it off about five minutes from the end. Then you'll have a frickin' good movie!

using," says Durben, "although there were a few more nice movie props (in the added space that was available), it wasn't worth the extreme increase in admission." Perhaps more noticeable than the change in building size were the many fans who attended the convention in costume. • "It's a good way to get attention, meet other fans, and gain a flock of admirers," says Piper, who attended in a self-made costume of the character Quistus from the video game ''Final Fantasy VIII." "Usually you don't have a Butterick 220 pattern," says Piper. ''You have to get the right colors, which is hard with comics, because they usually have bright, vibrant colors that don't exist in conventional fabrics." In addition to the hundreds of fans in costume on the convention floo.r, each year an annual masquerade is held, where costumed attendants get to display their costumes in front of a crowd. The convention has been gaining popularity since its premiere in 1969, and has become one of the things San Diego is most famous for. Advance ticket registrations are already being offered for next year's convention.

oh~ God~ why~

"Jurassic Park 3"- Mter the second installment in this series turned out to be so lousy, the studio decided to hire a new screen writing team, a new director, and a more established cast, and made a movie EXACTLY LIKE IT. "Dr. Doolittle 2" - Is it common for studios to make sequels to huge bombs? And did they really think that the problem with the original was not enough animal potty humour? "Shrek"- I actually haven't seen this one. Everyone tells me it's good. I don't believe them. It's not that I have anything against kid's films. However, I DO have something against kid's films that star hideously animated giant green boogers and buck-toothed donkeys who lip synch to Smash Mouth's

cover of "I'm A Believer." In other words, I have something against kid's films that look BAD. "Atlantis" - Actually, this is a good example of a children's film done well. The animation is loads better than Disney films of the past few years, and the plot wasn't too shabby, either. "A.I." - Sucked. "Pearl Harbor" - A romance set within of a historical event. Sort of like "Titanic," only based on an event which was used as justification for the bombing of thousands of Japanese civilians. Plus, it sucked!. "Memento" - The one GREAT film that came out this summer. Just see this one five times and forget the rest. Greenstein is the Entertainment Editor and can be reached at telescope@palomar.edu.

THE TELESCOPE • MONDAY, AUG. 11, 2001

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PLANS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ing. "I was amazed at how much crap was going on. It seemed like nothing was getting done. I wanted to make a difference, not just for myself, but for the college and everyone in it." After being elected as a senator, a position opened up as Vice President of State Affairs, and Weimer decided to take it. He says what really motivated him to continue pursuing a position in ASG was last spring's trip to Washington

D.C. He said that being able to meet with legislators and then seeing them debating those issues later on television really inspired him to make a difference. ''I came back with a totally new drive," Weimer said. The D.C. trip also helped inspire Weimer to run for president last spring. After spending the summer finding people to fill the numerous vacancies on the ASG board, he says he is ready to face this semester head on. ''We are so motivated, it's scary," he said.

First up on his agenda this year is to help transfer some of his enthusiasm to the student body. ''If I could just cut down on the apathy, my term as president will be successful." Being a strong leader is also of importance. ''The watchdog is in the house," Weimer said, vowing to keep ASG in line and on top of things this semester. Along with staying on top of the ASG members, he said he will avoid the controversy that has present in previous administrations. ''If you do what's right, you won't have to worry about controversy. There won't be any." Describing his leadership style as, ''Business first, but have fun getting it done," Weimer said he doesn't want to get into any disputes with or have any enemies in other organizations on campus. "You've got to be flexible, because if you're not, you're going to break," he said.Weimer said he has a few other plans he couldn't discuss at the moment, but among them is a plan to bring kindness back to the campus. Weimer says he expects to have a productive year, and is going into his term with a lot of hope for the future. "Everyone should look forward to a great year, because that's what it's going to be."

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Andy. Goodenough looks to an even beHer season (Goodenough) is a perfect guy to watch and learn from. He just does everything full speed and with a lot of energy. A real good guy to learn from." But looking past this season and beyond is something Andy Goodenough isn't doing right now. His intention is to help Palomar win this season. Goodenough just wants to play for any Division I school that will take him. And if Goodenough has another season like the one he put together last year, he'll probably have his pick of any Division I program. When you're good, sometimes that's just enough.

Goodenough has -conference foes on alert By Ma~;;k Beerman The Telescope

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For a football player, whose name explains it all, Andy Goodenough is getting a lot of publicity and it's not because of his quirky name. This sophomore quarterback from CorV-allis High School in Oregon, took the Mission Conference by storm in his Freshman campaign. Goodenough completed 207 of 303 passes, a 68 percent completion percentage, along with 2,339 yards passing, 19 Touchdowns, and only five interceptions. He also took All-Mission Conference CoOffensive Player of the Year in this one season. Andy Goodenough didn't start playing organized football until he was in the eighth grade. As he explained, there were no Pop Warner teams in Oregon, but he just had a desire to play football. No one pushed him into this. He pushed himself. "I JÂˇust love the sport," Goodenough said. "That is the weird thing. There is no history of playing football in my family." Though a humble Goodenough explains it clearly on why he decided to come to Southern California and attend Palomar College. "Palomar has a good reputation, academically and historically. When I came here it was a great atmosphere," Goodenough said. "No, I never came down here (Southern California). But a friend of mine moved down here and his father recommended Palomar and

PHOTOS BY NaJalie Schrik I The Telescope

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Andy Goodenough looks to hit a reciever during a recent practice at Palomar last week said they throw and have a winning tradition, so I checked it out," Goodenough said. Still, Goodenough is quick to give credit to his teammates for his success. ''We have a great group of guys. I couldn't have asked for better teamm,.ates, who are tved as well. I mean, these ~ really helped make me into the person I am today. I rely on all of them everyday," Goodenough said. Every great Quarterback has to have a good relationship with his Wide Receivers. And as sophomore wide receiver Deondre Alexander explains, the both of them really clicked from the first time they were on the field together. "God, I really thought h~- was a good Quarterback the first time he threw the ball to me and I was real excited about it," Alexander said on his first impressions of playing with Goodenough. "He takes up the share of the ball. He's real quiet, so he really doesn't say much

and pays attention, He's real focused in practice," Alexander said on Goodenough's leadership qualities. With all the accolades and accomplishments, Goodenough now must help lead Palomar this season. And it's safe to say this will take a team effort. "I don't think they'll let me down, I don't think we'll let each other down," Goodenough said. "We have the potential, if we put it all together, to be a great team. Definitely a great team." One player on Palomar's roster, back-up Quarterback John Nielson, plans on learning everything he can from Andy Goodenough. "(Goodenough) is a good leader and is a guy I can always look up too and get the plays from when I need some help. He's going VJ do a real good job this year," Nielson said. "It's a real learning experience. it's a good offense to learn from to get your skills better for the next level.

A quick look toward the NCU college football season

s soon as Oklahoma won the 2 0 0 0 National Championship, every major program began the process of finding ways to land themselves in the Rose Bowl for a shot at the nation, al title. So who's going to be in the picture during the 2001 title hunt? Well, if you're a PAC-10 fan, your only prayer could be those pesky Ducks up in Oregon. Oregon features two potential Reisman candidates in quarterback Joey Harrington and running back Maurice Morris. The Ducks will have to find a way to make-up for losing nearly 2/3's of their defense, but that was th~ same sit. uation head coach Mike Bellotti faced last season. Oregon St. and Washington post the biggest threats to Oregon, but the Ducks overall talent and coaching could be enough to land them in at least a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) game outside of the Rose Bowl. In the Big XII, it looks like it'll be

a three-horse race between Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Texas to see which one of them will win the conference. All three teams are going to be in the Top 10 all season long, but it could all come down to the quarterbacks. Texas has the gunslinger, Chris Simms behind center. And that might be reason enough to pick Texas to come out on top. Simms is one of the best talents in all of college football, and if he utilizes weapons such as wide receiver Roy Williams, there's no telling how dangerous Texas could be. Nebraska returns option-extraordinaire QB, Eric Crouch. But head coach Frank Solich must prove that the Huskers can compete for the national title. The Husker faithful might not give him another year if Nebraska can't get back into a BCS game this season . Bob Stoops has brought Oklahoma back from the dead. And now the pressure will be on to top last season's magical national title run. One thing that could work against the Sooners is their new QB, Nate Hybl. Inexperienced QB's rarely figure so prominently in a national title hunt. And the

pressure will be on Hybl to win every Saturday. The SEC should figure into the equation as well. Florida and Tennessee look like they both have the talent the two schools enjoyed during their last national title runs (Florida '96, Tennessee '98). If Steve Spurrier can pick a QB for once, instead of employing the two-headed monster he seems to enjoy, Rex Grossman or Brock Berlin could lead Florida back to the big game. Jabar Gaffney is one of the best wide receivers to come through the program's notorious "Sun-and-Gun" offense. And defensive end Alex Brown could have Gator fans dancing if he's able to penetrate and pressure opposing backfields on a consistent basis. Tennessee is an intriguing team. If QB Casey Clausen can step-up his performance, the Vols could be primed for a title run. As usual, the Vols offense should be fine. But their defense may hold the key. Defensive tackle John Henderson has many comparing him to former Volunteer-great, Reggie White. Henderson's supporting cast includes defensive end Will Overstreet and cornerback Andre

Lott. As usual, though, the Vols season will ride on whether they can beat Florida. If they do, the skies the limit. What about the rest of the country? If Virginia Tech can find a QB to replace that guy named Vick, and beat Miami, they'll be well ahead of the pack. Conference rival, Miami, has a very good team and shouldn't be counted out. But a new head coach could halt the Hurricanes progress. Florida St. could be in a rebuilding mode, but they should still win theACC. Michigan could be a sleeper, but that's only if they can win the Big Ten and stay undefeated in the process. So, which two teams will participate in the Rose Bowl? If I had to pick from the heart, I'd select a Oregon/Tennessee match-up. But using my head, I'd have to go with a Texas/Florida finale. But one thing is for certain ... this season will be one helluva: ride. Beerman is the Assistant Sports Editor and can be reached at: revwhite92@ hotmail.com