The Telescope 63.15

Palomar College, San Marcos, Calif.

Monday FEb. 22, 2010 Vol. 63, No. 15

the-telescope.com

Making Qualified cadets undergo the grade

rigorous course School officials

INSID E

POLICE TRAINING

SPORTS Fullerton beats down Palomar page

11 OPINION

whyPad?

page

5

ENTERTAINMENT Silverman dishes on upcoming third season page

8 FOCUS

Domestic abuse singles out no one

10 KELLEY FOYT | The Telescope

page

yvonne lanot the telescope

It’s 7 a.m. on a Saturday and while most are still asleep, there is one man starting his radio show, putting on records from an era once called the “Greatest Generation.”

Doug Best, 84, has been on the air for more than 50 years.

Benny Goodman, Louie Armstrong and Patti Page are just a few Swing and Jazz artists Best plays on his “Doug Best Swings” morning show on Palomar’s KKSM AM 1320 radio station.

Not only does Best play these artists, he also interviewed them when he started working as a radio DJ. “After World War II, the big bands were coming into San Diego on a regular basis,” Best said. “It was really a thrill to go and talk to these

kelley foyt the telescope

Through a year-long program at the Palomar Police Academy, students undergo rigorous training in order to enter the police force.

The 1,200-hour program consists of both classroom work and field training. Students are required to complete a minimum of what is equivalent to 57 units for graduation. Students are at the academy for 25 hours every week: from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for three nights a week and from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

“This program is a little more high stress than others,” said Shanon Dreyer, Palomar’s law enforcement training supervisor. “We want them to operate well on the field.”

There are currently 43 students enrolled at the academy.

Bill Go, 51, is the oldest student at the academy. He’s a retired lieutenant colonel who said that he’s considering a career change or participation in reserve programs.

“When deciding which school to go to, I found that Palomar has the best-run police academy,” Go said.

Sean Zappia, 19, is the youngest student at the academy. After graduating from high school, he attended Palomar for a year and a half before attending the academy. After he graduates, he says that he plans on going back to Palomar.

“It was my childhood dream to become a police officer,” Zappia said. “I want to make a difference in my local community.”

Shelly Maynard is one of the women enrolled at the academy. There are five female officers in training at Palomar, Dreyer said. Women account for only 13 turn to academy page

people because I was able to say ‘Gee, I talked to Harry James and Patti Page’ and then go back to the station and be one of the first people to report, on air, about them and become the ‘Hero of the Week.’”

But before Best became a DJ, he wasn’t sure what type of career he wanted.

“I struggled in school,” he said. “So, as soon as I hit my 18th birthday I enlisted into the Royal Canadian Air Force, instead of college.”

It was while he was in the Air Force that Best realized he had a radio voice.

“While flying as a gunner, we would have to check in with London and our base. The crew elected me as the spokesman for the air,” Best turn to radio page

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complete report on accreditation maggie avants the telescope

As students progress into a semester full of papers and exams, Palomar administrators are busy working on a report of their own.

Students may have seen the red accreditation icon displayed on the college’s Web site, but aren’t necessarily familiar with the issues at hand. The function of accreditation is to ensure that colleges meet certain standards.

During a routine site visit, a team of representatives found key areas in which Palomar did not meet accreditation requirements.

Palomar was placed on warning status.

After countless drafts and man-hours, the college is putting final touches on a 54-page followup report due March 15.

Ann Hong, president of Palomar’s Associated Student Government, was part of a group that worked on the report.

“Everyone should be aware and know about accreditation process,” Hong said in an e-mail.

Palomar administrators are hopeful the report will be successful in demonstrating that the college has addressed recommendations.

“The faculty and staff have done an outstanding job,” turn to report page

3

scope e Tele

t | Th e lano yvonn

photo cour testy of do ug be st

Doug Best has been on Palomar’s KKSM AM 1320 for more than 50 years. He’s pictured above in 2010, and on the left in 1959. Best is on air every Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon, and plays artists such as Louie Armstrong.

|CAMPUS BEAT

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THE TELESCOPE | Monday, Feb. 22, 2010

Campus issues

Campus Calendar

Palomar’s governing board discussed smoking, the massive growth of community colleges and the future during its monthly meeting Feb. 16.

The five-member board discussed the negligence of students smoking outside the smoking zones on campus. They asked the campus police and the Associated Student Government to enforce the smoking areas.

Another topic the board discussed is the growth of Palomar and the ongoing problem with the budget crisis.

After taking Palomar took a hit in state funding this year, Governing Board vice president Mark Evilsizer said, “it’s disturbing and nobody’s got a solution.”

They also discussed the future school schedule that would begin this summer.

Palomar will be offering more classes that are used for credit toward a degree.

Board President Michele Nelson expressed in the meeting that the summer session would not likely to offer workforcetraining classes, because the college is moving toward an emphasis on degree classes.

The future for part-time professors and the students taking these classes is still unknown but these changes will take effect starting this summer and into the fall.

Students and faculty are welcomed to attend the meetings and can speak to the board on issues that they feel are important.

For more information on speaking or the Governing Board schedule call Josie Sylvia at 760-744-1150 ext. 2104.

Monday, Feb. 22

• International Club at 1 p.m. in

A-15 • LDSSA Club at 7 a.m. at the LDSSA Institute.

• Phi Theta Kappa Chapter at 1 p.m. in SU-204

Tuesday, Feb. 23

• Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) Club at 3:30 p.m. in SU-204 • Fashion Club at 5 p.m. in Fash. #1 • Extreme Creative Talent Club 2:15 p.m. in D-6 • Film Series at 6:30 p.m. in P-32

Wednesday, Feb. 24

• The Jesus Club at 11 a.m. under the Clock Tower • The Black Union (BSU) at 3:30 p.m. in SU-204 • Pre-Med Society meets every other Wed at 2 p.m. in NS-316.

The next meeting is March 3.

Thursday, Feb. 25

• Tifaolemoana Samoan Club at

• • • • • •

11 a.m. in SU-204 The Palomar Fire Club at 4 p.m. in the Public Safety Training Center MECHa Club at 4:30 p.m. in SU-1 Fashion Club at 5 p.m. in Fash. #1 Extreme Creative Talent Club at 2:15 p.m. in D-6 The Jordan Club at 11 a.m. under the Clock Tower Internship/Externship Workshop 11:15-12:20 p.m. at the Governing Board Room.

Laurie Skrivan | MCT Campus

Child development center accepts donations Internships 101 Palomar College offers inexpensive childcare for children of currently enrolled students.

The children do “developmentally appropriate” activities, according to Pam Keinath coordinator of the Child Development Center.

The CDC accepts donations for these activities year-round. Donations can be anything from old towels and sheets to promotional stickers received

in the mail.

“We accept a variety of items and keep a very open mind,” said Keinath.

Some of the activities that the teachers do with the students are painting pumpkins and styrofoam balls.

“It’s an opportunity for them to practice motor skills,” said Keinath.

The curriculum is based on the children’s age and appropriate attention span. The children do activities that

A free workshop on the who, what, where, why and how about internships and externships will be held on Thursday, Feb. 25 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.

Four guest panelists will explain the purpose, importance, benefits and what internships and externships are.

The workshop is open to students and the general public. For more information go to: www.palomar.edu/counseling/careercenter.

Trip offers hands-on learning

Friday, Feb. 26

Marine biology instructor Beth Pearson and geography instructor Cathy Jain will take students to Catalina Island March 21 through 24.This one-unit course includes lectures from kayaks, snorkeling through kelp forests and a hike to Cherry Cove, Catalina Island’s Marine Institute.

“It is a great way for students to experience science in the field, to experience what they have learned about in class,”Jain said.

The course is co-listed as a biology and geography course, and there are plenty of activities to entertain students of either study.

Catalina Island’s Marine Institute has touch tanks with several different species of marine life; including rays, sharks, octopi and lobsters, according to Jain.

There is a $200 material fee, which covers the cost of transportation to the island, on the island, lodging and kayak rental. There are also

• Palomar Engineering and Physics Student Organization (PEPSO) at 2:30 p.m. in NS255 • Anime Club at 2 p.m. in P-20

What’s up?

Do you know something we don’t?

Let us know.

To submit story tips or events for the campus calendar, e-mail us at telescope@palomar.edu or call 760-891-7865.

CAMPUS WEATHER Monday Tuesday Feb. 22

Feb. 23

64°/46°

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Few Showers

teach them language skills, science, math, nutrition along with many other skills.

Donations to the CDC can be given to Keinath in the office in CD-A, which is located in the northeast corner of parking lot 12.

Any donation made to the CDC is considered a charitable donation and can be written off on the donator’s taxes.

Forms are available from Keinath.

Partly Cloudy

four essay questions that will count toward the final grade.

Palomar student Katie Jarrett has taken the class two years in a row and said that the hiking lectures were her favorite part. “Every day we knew what the essay question was, and we just kept an eye out for the answers along the way,”Jarrett said.

“There was so much to take in,” she added, “that I really just went along with it until the end of the day, when we had our fireside chats.”

You can find more information about this class at www.palomar.edu/earthscience/ cjain/Catalina.

Pearson can be reached at 744-1150 x2874 or emailed at bpearson@palomar.edu and her office is located in NS-212G.Jain can be reached at 744-1150 x2952 or emailed at cjain@palomar.edu and her office is located in NS-110J.

Wednesday

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NEWS| 3

Monday, feb. 22, 2010 | THE TELESCOPE

academy

report

Radio

Continued from Page 1

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percent of police officers in the United States, according to the National Center for Women and Policing Web site.

Maynard explained that after working at a desk job for most of her life, she wanted a career change.

“I want to help out my community,” she said.

Helping out the community is one of the academy’s focal points.

“Police officers are a modern day superhero for kids. It’s important that we give the students a way to help the community, because that’s their job in the long run,” Dreyer said.

One way that the students give back to the community is by donating money to fallen officers. Each class dedicates their training to a fallen officer. Throughout their schooling, the students participate in community service activities to raise money. At their graduation, the students give each fallen officer’s family a check.

Academy applicants are required to submit an application, pass a physical agility test and satisfactorily complete an oral interview.The academy only accepts the top 50 applicants.

“We’ve definitely held the students to a certain standard,” Dreyer said.

“It’s a lot of work. They’re here over 25 hours a week.”

Education at the academy is divided into three blocks. The first block focuses on academics, and the second and third consist of more hands-on training.

“Literally it’s like having another job,” Go said.

Go explained that part of the benefit of attending the Palomar Police Academy is that all of the students pay for their own training.

“It’s costly and risky for police departments to finance officers,” Go said.

“It definitely shows you’re more committed when you pay,” Maynard added.

After completion of the program, students receive a certificate and can head straight into field-based training, such as working in patrol cars.

“The academy is going to help them (the students) out in their future,” Dreyer said. “Education is the key to success for people who want to do things in their lives.”

Palomar President Robert Deegan said. “We are as far along as we could be at this point.”

Deegan said that as the college has addressed each of the recommendations, it has also begun implementing them.

Integrated Planning, Evaluation and Resource Allocation Recommendation No. 1 was about “matching the budget to our priorities,” according to Berta Cuaron, the college’s accreditation liaison officer.

Deegan said a new planning model is being developed with each of the college’s departments in mind.

“We have college-wide objectives that we need to meet. The information is based on what they need for the future or students,” Deegan said.

Student Learning Outcomes By 2012, all accredited colleges are required to easily access data related to classroom objectives.

Data is then used when planning in order to meet needs.

As of June 1, Palomar had this information available for 30 of its more than 1,700 courses. Now, 1,415 courses are on board.

“It is asking that we are continually assessing how college students are doing and that we continue to make changes,” Cuaron said.

Distance Learning Under another recommendation, online and other distance courses offered by Palomar should offer the same quality of instruction as a traditional classroom.

“There is a niche for that type of

N A T I O N A L

learning. It is an important mode of teaching and learning,” Deegan said. “We want to ensure that students have the resources they need to be successful online.

Cuaron said a committee of faculty members has developed a checklist for developing an online course.

The new plan also involves getting students to provide feedback about their online experience.

Submitting the Report The follow-up report will go before Palomar’s governing board for approval. Once finalized, it will be sent to the accrediting commission, where a committee will evaluate Palomar’s progress. The committee will also visit the college again.

The college’s absolute goal is to get reaffirmed, Cuaron said.

Hong said she strongly believes Palomar College is going to be taken off warning status.

“Palomar College is one of the best colleges in California, and getting a warning was just an opportunity for us to improve,” Hong said.

U N I V E R S I T Y ®

said. “This was the first inkling that I had that my voice came over well over a microphone.”

After the Air Force, Best moved to San Diego to try out a career in radio.

“When I hit San Diego, a friend of mine said ‘Why don’t you go to the KSDO station and do an audition,’” Best said. “So I took the audition, but the guy didn’t seem impressed, so I didn’t get the job.”

But Best didn’t gave up. He later tried out for another DJ spot on KSDO and that was when his radio career started.

“I eventually got a part-time weekend job on the KSDO radio station,” Best said. “It was a musicformat station, but I also had the opportunity to go down to the ball park for the San Diego Padres and do the PA [public announcement] work and that was a big ego trip.”

Sharon Prince, an assistantforBest’sSaturdayshow, remembers hearing and

enjoying Best when she was 18.

“I remember Doug having a booth in Escondido and me watching him through the radio station window with a lot of other people around me,” Prince said. “I grew up listening to this music and I now love working with Doug.”

Decades later, Best is still on the air.

“There is magic in the music,” Best said. “So anytime you crack that microphone (on), it becomes a passion. I’ve never grown tired of it.”

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|Opinion

THE TELESCOPE | Monday, Feb. 22, 2010

SPEAKOUT!

. .“. ’

Should the military discard the

don t ask, don’t tell” policy?

I support whatever the military leaders decide. It’s their job to lead the armed forces, and second guessing them would buck their expertise.

ONLINE RESULTS Yes, sexual orientation is not a factor in a person’s military involvement.

21% 47% 32%

“I think they should. I think ever since my generation it has been wars. If they are willing to serve their country and are willing to die, it really shouldn’t matter.”

-Bobby Gross, Communication

“I say not. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

-Esteban Mercado, Spanish

“Yeah, I think they should do away with it, keeping people in secret is bad. If you are a gay in the military you should be able to express that without repercussions.”

-Arnie White, Political Science

“We should keep it the way it is. When people join, make it a professional workplace. Keep the job as a job and that’s it.”

-Amanda Phonephaly, Hospitality

No, because it promotes the required strength and unity associated with the military.

NEXT WEEKS QUESTION:

Does society go too far by giving specific groups themed holidays?

Take the poll at www.the-telescope.com

Our viewpoint

Palomar officals: learning to succeed

Losing accreditation is a serious risk to colleges. Without accreditation, none of the credits obtained at Palomar will transfer to another school.

That’s why it was such a big deal when Palomar was given warning status after a routine site visit last April.

Props to Palomar officials for addressing each of the problems quickly and efficiently, and for wrapping up a 54-page, follow-up report almost a month before the deadline. Not only have officials created plans to fix each of the problems, but they have also already begun implementing them.

Most noteworthy is the fact that Palomar officials took the time to include students on the Strategic Planning Council that worked to create the follow-up report. Ann Hong and John Aragon, members of the Associated Student Government, both worked with college officials on the council. It’s the students who know exactly what’s up on campus — what’s working and what needs improvement — and it’s their voice that will have the biggest impact.

The Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges enforces universal college standards.They routinely review accredited colleges every six years. Last April, the commission left Palomar with badly needed recommendations.

Recommendation No. 1: Matching the budget to the college’s priorities

tim goheen | mct campus

The new planning model drafted in the follow-up report is based on information from each department at the college. This will create a democracy centered on each department head’s opinion, and will therefore determine college priorities. Creating a budget based off of that information will benefit the students, especially the future ones.

Recommendation No. 2: Student Learning Outcomes

Palomar has information on data related to classrooms for 1,415 of its 1,700 classes. This is an increase in the past eight months from the mere 30 classes that information was available for before. This data is used when planning for students’ needs, so it will be easy to make changes and adjustments.

Recommendation No. 3: Distance Education

Online and distance courses should offer the same quality that traditional classrooms do.

There is no excuse for anything less than high-quality standards because not all students learn the same. From now on, there will be a checklist for developing an online course, which will guarantee that each course will be valuable to a student’s education.

Palomar administrators are confident that the report will show that the college has addressed these recommendations and be taken off of warning status.

The Telescope staff is optimistic about Palomar’s future.

nate beeler | mct campus

Focused on Palomar

Volume 62 Number 15

Monday Feb. 1, 2010

Editors In Chief | Kelley Foyt Melissa LeRay

Opinion Editor | Dan Mccarthy Entertainment Editor | Alejandra Jackson

Focus Editor | Sara Burbidge

Sports Editor | jarred powell

Photo Editor | Kelley Foyt

Copy Editor | MAggie Avants

Cartoonist | Joseph Bonnett

online editor | eric walker

ad manager | crystal evans Entertainment Editor | Alejandra Jackson

assistant Editors | melina fickas nigel harris graianne ward distribution manager | sara burbidge instructional asst. | sara burbidge Charles Steinman Eric Walker journalism advisor | erin hiro

The Telescope is published 11 times per semester. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily represent those of the entire newspaper staff, Palomar faculty and staff members or the governing board trustees.

Address | The Telescope, Palomar College 1140 W. Mission Road, San Marcos, CA 92069 Newsroom | Room MB-1 Phone | 760-891-7865 Fax | 760-891-3401 E-Mail | telescope@palomar.edu Advertising e-Mail | telescopead@palomar.edu

The Telescope welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters must be typewritten, under 300 words and include the author’s first and last names, major and phone number. Phone numbers will not be published. Letters can be e-mailed to telescope@ palomar.edu or delivered to the newsroom in Room MB-1.

The Telescope reserves the right to edit letters for space and grammatical errors and not to print lewd or libelous letters.

Lettesr must be receieved one week prior to the newspaper’s publication to be considered for inclusion.

Staff Writers |Roberto Alcaraz, Victor Amador, Diana Baier, Ryan Baird, America Barcelo, Camilo Barrero, Brian Blakely, Rocio Castaneda, Melissa Caston, Loghan Call, Belinda Callin, Stephanie Dao, Kirby Darland, Denny Dorsey, Christian Fortmueller, Michael Garza, Caitlin Geckeler, Amy Genduso, Bert Hansen, Evan Hatheway, Clint Jones, Brian Kay, Adam Knechtel, Yvonne Lanot, Chris Meyer, Melody Parks, Teresa Probart, Diana Sanchez, Mark Sauders, Typhanie Sharfner, Nick Shumate, Taylor Smith, Brittany Stockham, Danny Sumstine, Sydnie Taylor, Victoria Tran, Fa’amasani Unutoa, Amber Varnes Staff Photographers | Phyllis Celmer, Deb Hellman, Coral McMurtry

Associated Collegiate PRess

CFAC

California Newspaper Publishers Association

Journalism Association California First Amendment Coalition of Community Colleges

Opinion| 5

THE TELESCOPE | Monday, feb. 22, 2010

Conservatively Speaking

The iPad: an iRonically iConoclastic Apple iDea loghan call The Telescope

Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010 The day finally arrived for the largely anticipated tablet-like piece of technology Apple was set to release. Steve Jobs is on stage as he announces the launch of the iTab…wait, what? The iPad? I can hear Bill Gates laughing from here.

Forget everything for just a second, and let’s start with the name of this godlike tablet-turned-feminine-joke iPad. Since its announcement, I’ve tried to imagine the scenario in which the name was picked for Apple’s newest creation.

Maybe Jobs figured that he already had the geeky male population and made a failed attempt to appeal to women. Perhaps he wanted to stick close to the iPod, iPhone theme. However, my feeling is that he felt bad for Bill Gates and wanted to create a name worse than “Zune,” which I didn’t realize was possible.

Before the economy hit rock bottom, consumers could walk into a fast food joint, pass up on the regular old cheeseburger and make it a double (or supersize it). Now the economy is rock bottom and Apple has given consumers the option to pass up the iPhone/iPod Touch and supersize their purchase with the iPad. Unfortunately extravagant spending is out and being thrifty is in.

Does this mean the iPad will lose money? Not a chance. Listen, Apple could actually create a true feminine product called the iTampon and it would fly off the shelves. Apple has created such a loyal following that people buy their products even if they don’t need them. However, this time around they might lose the non-addicts and it’s not just the economy’s fault.

After so much speculation as to what Apple was creating, a jumbo-sized iPhone left a lot to be desired. I see the iPad as a mere bigger platform for all of the programs and applications that Apple has already created.

A 10-inch portable “pad” should perform all the tasks of a laptop, without the keyboard. Apple already created the MacBook Air, which is slimmer than the iPad, has a camera, printing capabilities and is able to multitask — the iPad fails in all four categories.

If you want a nice portable touch screen device that enables you to surf the web, watch movies, listen to music, take pictures and send e-mails, the iPhone is your answer. If you want to print, connect with other devices, have a larger screen and run programs simultaneously, then you have the basic laptop. Where does the iPad fit in? Jobs said during the iPad announcement that in order for there to be a category in between the phone and laptop, it has to be better at filling the middle ground than either established platform.

Plain and simple: the iPad doesn’t. Basically you will pay anywhere from $499 to $829 for a touch-screen laptop with fewer features, or a blown up iPhone that you can’t talk on. All Apple did was take a bunch of components they had already created, made it bigger and charged double. It’s the same concept of taking a pair of jeans from Gap, ripping them, and throwing an Armani tag on them.

Apple has created some amazing pieces of technology, but this one wasn’t one of them — just because a company has had success in the past doesn’t mean you have to toss your money down the drain. Sadly, the 10-inch screen and Apple logo will blind many consumers and they will once again wait in line for hours to hand Steve Jobs more money.

American obsession with Reality TV diverts attention from the world’s pressing issues loghan call The Telescope

During the 49 days “Jersey Shore” aired, 24 million viewers tuned into MTV for the hit reality TV show. Also during those 49 days there were close to one million deaths caused by smoking and alcohol, nearly one million kids under the age of 5 died and more than two million acres of forest were lost.

Suddenly “Jersey Shore” doesn’t seem so important. Oh and by the way, there are currently more than one billion undernourished children in the world.

Reality TV made its debut back in 1992 with MTV’s “The Real World,” based on seven people living together. The original concept was based as a documentary style shoot — a far cry from today’s graphic shows.

The difference? Earlier people had nothing to base their acting behavior on, they were in fact themselves and it was in a sense reality TV. Now people base their acting on previous seasons and try to imitate the success of the drunken, complaining and silicone-filled people who came before them.

Adding to the insult, the media and the American population have taken it upon themselves to boost these people from reality

TV actors to celebrities. While they have absolutely no talent for acting, somehow we decided that being on TV was reason enough to care about their recent breakup — on a scale that rivals (if not tops) the likes of true stars such as Brad Pitt.

Our new generation of actors and actresses are coming from two places, the Disney Channel or reality TV. I suggest you start enjoying going to the movies now because once Hollywood’s best are dead, the Oscars will be a bigger joke than the Adult Video News awards.

Years ago, celebrity gossip, while commonplace, was easily avoidable and did nothing to distract from the real issues of our country.

Unfortunately reality TV stars have infiltrated our media system faster than you can say “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” This has led to an onslaught of airtime to reality TV, while the tangible realities of our country’s issues are bounced out quicker than middle aged women at a nightclub.

Why? Television studios, like any other business, are out to make money, and for them ratings equal cold hard cash. So if something brings in the ratings, not only is it going to stay, but most likely coverage will increase.

Americans are addicted to reality TV, its stars and their lives. Stations around the coun-

try are airing what’s being watched — who’s dating the Kardashians, what happened on “Jersey Shore” and who got booted off “The Bachelor.”

Meanwhile the coverage of the real goingson of our country — a collapsing education system, an unemployment epidemic and a growing population living below the poverty line — get shoved aside to make way for the rating boosters. We as Americans grew tired of our reality and have instead created an alternative one to escape to.

Don’t fault the media outlets for showing it. If you don’t watch it, the ratings aren’t there and the media doesn’t air it. The only ones we have to blame are ourselves; we have become a blinded, uneducated and lazy population who stopped caring about reality when we started watching this nonsense.

The solution is simple: as a viewer you have a decision to make: you can continue to live in a fake reality, made up of fake actors pretending to live a real life or you can stay as far away from those channels as possible and demand the true reality is brought back to the forefront.

Of course you have to hope a majority of other people follow in your footsteps, but hey it has to start somewhere. Well actually, I already started.Your turn.

Dan McCarthy

On bees, man’s heart and a shinking list of friends What’s the idiom — you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?

If the United States is serious about combating the disconnected state of much of the world’s problematic regions and the instability they breed, we may want to adopt that mindset for getting foreign governments to join our banner.

Americans have this fascination with leading a pack down the warpath. It’s nothing if not noble, and broad support for military incursion X gives the American public that all-important validation for its leaders’ decisions. Yet I don’t need to point out that the band is currently somewhat paltry.

Evidently, the U.S. hasn’t packaged its Iraq and Afghan missions nearly well enough to draw in a sizable international force to, you know, lead. Being the gang leader isn’t nearly as meritorious if you’re a gang of few, much less a gang of one.

Yet politicians and public figures still drone on about keeping our allies safe from whatever generic threat they’re discussing that day. Isn’t it time that we demand something other than mutually beneficial trade for our friendship?

The French and the Germans, despite the fact that their heads of state are probably the most predisposed to using military action, peacekeepers in Afghanistan number in the low thousands, with combat troops even fewer.

The only reliable allies we have these days who are willing to actually fight and actively enforce the peace with us are England and her progeny (Australia, Canada and New Zealand), a few Baltic States and a dozen or so NATO signatories, many of which only do so out of contractual obligation, as Afghanistan is a NATO mission, whereas Iraq was not, so their allegiance lies with the organization, not its most powerful member.

But here’s the shocker: Allies don’t have to fight. Period.

Certainly Bush’s “coalition of the willing” in Iraq was all well and good, but that was for a military assault, not post-conflict reconstruction and security.

This is the honey model — don’t ask for soldiers, but ask for aid workers.There are two wars we are fighting: the security war and the humanitarian war.To do both, you need boots on the ground in the battlefield and in start-up schools, hospitals and transitional farmlands.

We’ve seen the world community embrace humanitarian missions time and time again. Even with the global trend to shun belligerency and embrace pacifism, people will still go to war zones to help those in need.

So what’s the relatable comparison?

Look at the impoverished areas in the United States — heck, look at Los Angeles. Inner cities there have notorious drug abuse and violent crime problems, and what is the prevailing tactic used to combat those situations? It’s not police raids day in and day out, that’s for sure.

Between neighborhood outreach and outright violence, the former is used infinitely more. Fostering paternalism, improving after-school programs and youth sports organizations have all gone a long way in undermining the draw of criminal activity.

But more importantly it mobilizes communities and simply put, gets more volunteers and a broader range of support.

The same idea applies here.

Promoting the honey approach will net you more friends than puffing out your chest and shouting “let’s go blow the hell out of some stuff,” because regardless of the reasons, people are more receptive to being the Good Samaritan than being the guy who does the necessary dirty work.

Sadly, it’s a connection we haven’t shown the world. Since removing a despotic theocratic government isn’t good enough for them, it’s time to tug at some heartstrings.

Opinion| 6

THE TELESCOPE | Monday, feb. 22, 2010

Water World:

Carlsbad desalination plant answers a regional need with scientific ingenuity

brian blakely The Telescope

San Diego officials and the California Coastal Commission recently began constructing a new desalination plant in Carlsbad to better southern California’s current water shortage issues.

Initially, state and local officials opposed the $320 million plant, primarily due to its high energy cost. Yet as the water shortages continued, the all-but-shelved idea quickly became a reality.

“Water is going to be very short until you have a new source,” said Carlsbad Mayor Claude Lewis. “And the only new source is desalination. I don’t care what anyone says.”

Desalination is a process that removes dissolved minerals from seawater, brackish water, or treated wastewater, and then transforms it into drinkable water.

The Carlsbad plant up will pump 50 million gallons of drinkable water daily to more than 300,000 households in San Diego County.

Using the ocean as a resource is genius.

City officials should have done this when the problem first presented itself. Making saltwater drinkable is innovation at it’s finest.

A handful of scientists and water authorities continue to eagerly lean in favor of desalination.

However, opposing sides argue that desalination is expensive and creates waste problems that outweigh the benefits of creating a near unlimited source for potable water. Environmentalists also object because fish and other organisms are going to get sucked into the pumps.

Unfortunately, it’s us or the organisms.

We need water to survive. The thought of actually running out of drinkable water seems far-fetched — until it happens to us.We then realize how important it is to look for alternatives to the over-priced and scarce water resources we’re so dependent on.

Every alternative is going to use a lot of power, a lot of money and a lot of time. So why not use something that’s promising?

With a growing population and droughts that sneak up on us at times, the desalination

plant in Carlsbad is a fine addition to finding a positive alternative for consistent, clean drinkable water.

The outcome of Carlsbad’s plant, successful or not, will somewhat determine the fate of desalination.

If the procedures go well, then we’re talking expansion. If not, then I see nothing but a long road of environmentalist doubt, misery and arguments ahead.

The plant in Carlsbad is going to be the

largest in the Western Hemisphere and is expected to be complete by 2012.

“We don’t encourage people to put in a desalination plant unless they need one — unless they have no other options,” said Lisa Harthorne, president of the International Desalination Association.

Right now, Southern California is in dire need of improved water procurement systems, and this plant couldn’t have come at a better time.

Sacramento’s war on free public parking adam knechtel The Telescope

Just when the era of big government regulations seemed to end, California legislature seeks to ban or restrict free parking throughout the state.

State Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) is strongly pursuing parking reform in the California state legislature, aiming to reduce the amount of free parking in hopes of cutting down on traffic and limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

While Lowenthal’s reform plan addresses the concerns of its strong-minded opponents, it also creates many issues itself, leaving Californians to wonder if heavy parking reform is really in the state’s best interest.

The first major red flag of this proposal is cost. While reducing the amount of free parking statewide would in fact generate revenue for the state through paid parking, the cost of implementing such reform would nearly offset, if not surpass, any potential profit.

Massive statewide changes would include repainting every affected curbside and park-

ing lot and installing parking meters and pay machines at unprecedented levels. This would require the state to create an immense bureaucratic agency to monitor and file citations, as well training more enforcement officers to bring legitimacy to the reform.

Expenditures would also include building more alternative transportation venues such as buses and railways, or heaping money into the current system to update it and help accommodate for the large rise in public transportation travelers.

The proposed changes, no matter how

joseph bonnet | the telescope

they are dealt with, will entail incredibly high costs.

The practicality of this reform is lacking justifiable reasoning. A local matter, such as city parking reform, is an issue best dealt with by city councils that know their immediate districts and municipalities better than the state government does.

While Lowenthal’s bill does allow some flexibility in how to go about reforming free parking, it is still supportive of a substantial state-run regulatory system that can’t possibly balance the unique circumstances of each city.

Los Angeles obviously has different parking issues to deal with than San Marcos; to require both cities to chase reform on the same level is as impractical as it is inefficient.

All of these arguments are side issues however, when reexamining the original goal of reducing traffic and limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

The targeted curbsides and parking lots are already installed. Convenient parking structures and garages are already in place, and people will still fill those lots, structures and garages regardless of the price — people who are wealthy and willing enough will pay for parking in order to enjoy the freedom and flexibility of self-commuting.

With these people still piling into their cars and with no decline in the amount of vehicles clogging the freeways and polluting the air, it is evident that Lowenthal’s legislation would most likely not reduce traffic flow or greenhouse gas emissions on any significant level.

If those truly are the goals of the reform, the solution does not lie in eliminating or restricting free-parking.

California’s ever dwindling state funds need better uses than pitfall reform programs that will cost us dearly, fail to achieve either of their original goals and will do nothing positive for the state but increase taxes, costs for commuters and the size of government. California’s money could be much better spent on serious issues, for example our rapidly deteriorating education budget, or solutions to help improve illegal immigration issues.

If parking bills are really what our state government is willing to invest it’s time and money in, we might as well shove our money down the garbage disposal and then go freely to park wherever we please.

THE TELESCOPE | Monday, Feb. 22, 2010

Entertainment|

7

‘Mass Effect 2’ perfects the art of sequel-making Dan Mccarthy The Telescope

By all accounts, “Mass Effect 2” is the video game equivalent of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.”

Its predecessor was epic; it redefined the action/role-playing game genre; it advanced video game narrative presentation more so than any title in the past decade.

Suffice it to say, “Mass Effect 2” had some Shaq-sized shoes to fill.

Yet BioWare’s latest title didn’t so much as fill them but grew a few sizes instead, accomplishing what all sequels should do, but few accomplish: take what was good and make it better, trash the bad bits and build better replacements.

Story, not just plot, but rather the aggregate narrative, is what the “Mass Effect” experience is all about. It’s now half past the future and the game starts up two years after series-protagonist Commander Shepherd’s daring galaxy-saving escapades in the first game. Like most space operas, the player’s task, as Shepherd, is to combat a shadowy threat to the galaxy that only you see and will single handedly take on while the intergalactic governments kindly tell you and your concerns to piss off and nurse their thumbs with their rectal cavities.

The story arc is itself somewhat scattershot — a race of ancient machines, called “the Reapers,” (who play the “shadowy threat” nicely) threaten to wipe the galaxy clean of any sentient life, and Video Game review enlist the help of other species to promote their goals. This time around, they team up with “the Collectors,” a race of beetle-like aliens harvesting human colonies for seemingly unknown reasons, “Mass Effect 2” other than the Reapers EA Games have instructed them to.

It’s up to Shepherd to stop them. out of four stars To do this, he must assemble a team, and this is where most of the gameplay, and virtually all of the “awesome,” lies.

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Courtesy Photo |EA Games

(From left) Tali, Commander Shepherd and Thane debrief after fighting “the Collectors,” the leading antagonists of BioWare’s new sci-fi role-playing game, “Mass Effect 2.”

“Mass Effect 2” is character-driven like nothing a console based RPG has seen before.

Save for an insufferable dolt here and there, every major character is expertly crafted with complex personalities, closet dwelling skeletons and no shortage of humor.

Each squad member additionally has a “loyalty mission” which both greatly expands their back story but also gives them an identifiable personality and fosters a legitimate concern for their various plights by letting those aforementioned skeletons see the light of day. Players will easily devote 60-70 percent of their time recruiting and cultivating relationships with team members and prospective recruits — for good reason. The story-germane missions are good, but not great, whereas many of the recruitment and loyalty missions represent the best single player experiences on the PC and consoles to date.

Equally good is Mass Effect’s combat, which greatly benefitted from a major stylistic overhaul. It’s clearly a graduate from the ‘Gears of War’ School of Good Third Person, Cover-Based Shooters, since the controls and cover mechanics are virtually the same. It’s fast paced, intense and sports a very short learning curve, if any at all.

The squad and special attack menus are also streamlined for easier use and the vast array of weapons that plagued a bothersome inventory menu are also gone, instead replaced by fewer, but more upgradable, assault rifles, pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles and submachine guns.

BioWare also removed the forgettable side missions of the first title, but committed a game design cardinal sin by replacing it with something much worse. The planet scanning mini-game is the game’s most recognizable pitfall, for it’s just flat out not fun. Adding

insult to injury, it’s more or less required of players to use it to afford advanced weapon or ship upgrades, and truly distracts from the excellent pace set by the seamless marriage of game-play and story telling.

However what stood out about “Mass Effect 2” was not in its content but its packaging. Certainly it’s beautifully rendered and one of the best stories ever told in video game form, but it required two discs.

Indeed, the evolving nature of releases like “Mass Effect” with non-linear story telling and great graphics will need more disc space, and the Xbox 360 is not cut out for that while shackled to standard DVDs when competitor-in-chief PlayStation 3 can run massive games unmolested with dual layered Blu-Ray discs.

It is delicious Shakespearean irony, as one of the best games on the Xbox 360 could instead be its technological Waterloo.

‘Percy Jackson’ little more than children’s fare Nigel Harris The Telescope

“Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” is an interesting concept but fails on almost every level.

For adults, this is a children’s movie but at times it is a tad too mature for younger audiences.

Percy Jackson is a demi god (half man, half god) of the Greek variety.

Olympus, the home of the gods, is in a state of chaos, as someone has stolen Zeus’ master bolt. Percy is accused of being the thief and is forced to go on a quest to prove his innocence.

It is important to understand that “Percy Jackson” is a movie intended for children.

As a children’s movie it does what it sets out to do, and that is to entertain on a basic level that children can understand and enjoy. The film may be a smidgen on the scary side for the younger audiences, though, and the film has a multitude more innuendos than it should. The dialogue is funny where it’s supposed to be and the hero is easy to identify with. That being said, this is a review from an adult.

The film’s story is based on the books of the same title. The story itself is pretty basic and is extremely predictable.

A quick glance at the trailer is enough to figure out how this hero’s tale is going to unfold.

The film’s progression is much too

The problem with having a mythological setting is it requires at least some special effects, and while the film had special effects, they looked like something out of a made-for-TV movie.

There were no redeeming qualities here. The CGI looked ill-placed and character reactions to the special effects (monsters, godly powers and the like) Movie review were disproportion‘The Lightning Thief’ ate.

The characters had out of four stars issues of transparency Starring: Brandont from the very beginT. Jackson, Logan Lerman, ning of the film. The Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan only way they could have been any shalRated: PG lower is if they had neon signs with flashing arrows pointing to them describing what role they were going to play.

Percy’s guardian Grover plays the stereotypical, token black guy. The film doesn’t have small name actors either, Catherine Keener (“40-Year-Old Virgin”), Uma Thurman (“Kill Bill”), and Pierce Brosnan (“James Bond” films) all make appearances and not even these seasoned actors could redeem the weaker characters.

While “Percy Jackson” was plagued with see-through characters and a predictable plot, it is still a children’s movie, and even though it is no “Harry Potter,” it beats a lot of other films children could be seeing.

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Courtesy Photo |MCT CAMPUS

Brandon T. Jackson, left, and Logan Lerman as Percy star in “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.” fast. Every scene feels rushed, almost as if the director felt the need to translate every page of the book to the screen.

The narrative does itself a favor though, and at least makes the translation of Greek mythology into present time somewhat interesting.

8|Entertainment

Monday, Feb. 22

What: Upright Citizens Brigade What: Comedy When: 9 p.m.

Where: The Loft Cost: $10-12 Info: 858-534-8497

Tuesday, Feb. 23

What: Nevermore: An Evening With Edgar Allen Poe What: Poetry When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: North Coast Repertory Theatre Cost: $30 Info: 858-481-1055

Wednesday, Feb. 24 What: The Lady Eve What: Film When: 5:30 p.m.

Where: Schulman Auditorium at Carlsbad City Library Cost: Free Info: 760-602-2026

Thursday, Feb. 25

What: Dashboard Confessional What: Alternative/Emo When: 7 p.m.

Where: House of Blues San Diego Info: 619-299-2583

Saturday, Feb. 27 Who: The Toasters What: Ska/Reggae/Pop When: 6:30 p.m.

Where: SOMA Cost: $12.00 Info: 619-226-7662

Who: A New Generation of Spike and Mike Animation What: Animation festival When: 7:15 and 9:30 p.m.

Where: Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Cost: $12 Info: 858-459-8707

NOW ON SALE Black Eyed Peas

Concert at San Diego Sports Arena, April 3.

Tickets on sale at www. ticketmaster.com.

Air

Concert at 4th & B, March 27. Tickets on sale at www. ticketmaster.com.

Silverman bucks censorship Maggie Avants The Telescope

Comedic actress Sarah Silverman didn’t hold back on her quirky, candid and sometimes downright demented use of humor during a recent phone interview with college press representatives from across the country. With her show, “The Sarah Silverman Program,” in its third season on Comedy Central, Silverman talked about where her sense of humor comes from and what she will do and won’t do on her show.

Q: What do you say about your use of risky humor that may offend people?

A: It doesn’t make sense in comedy to try to not offend anybody because you never know what is going to offend people. It is for the audience to say if it is offensive or not.

We don’t set out to push buttons, we just write what makes us laugh and makes us think: the dumber the better.

We don’t really censor ourselves, and Comedy Central is pretty cool about not censoring us. Even when the lawyers tell us we have to cut something or that we can’t say something, we fight it; if we can give them a way to defend whatever it is.

Q: Is there anything you consider off limits, that is too edgy and you will not talk about?

A: I don’t like fat jokes about women. It bums me out. We live in a country where fat men still deserve love, but fat women, especially white women, it’s like they don’t deserve love.

Q: What influenced you to start your work?

A: So many different elements.

I’ve had it really good. I have been around a long time and I just keep climbing up this ladder that I hope

Courtesy Photo| Comedy Central

(From left) Jay Johnston, Laura Silverman, Sarah Silverman, Steve Agee, and Brian Posehn star in the new season of the Comedy Central television show, “The Sarah Silverman Program.” never ends. I’ve had such a fun adult life. I moved to New York when I graduated high school, where I passed out flyers for a comedy club and in exchange for it I got to go for open mic.

I would write about whatever I was interested in at the time. When I was 18, 19 and 20, I wrote about sex and drugs; that was what was influencing me at the time. I got to write for “Saturday Night Live” for a year and did some “Seinfeld;” then I moved to L.A. I got cast in a couple things and then got fired. I got into “Mr. Show with Bob and David.”

Every step was a big step up. By the time I got my own show, I was ready and experienced and knew who I wanted to work with.You want it to be a real long, gradual journey because it is more fun that way.

Q: In an interview with Katie Couric, she called your

humor “demented.” What thing you had to do this seawas your reaction to that? son?

A: I love Katie Couric. I take that as a compliment. Comedy is the one area where demented is a compliment. That is why I became a comic.

Q: Did you grow up pretty or did you become pretty later?

A: I feel pretty inside, but I think of myself as horse-ish. The reason I’m funny I think comes from growing up Jewish in a small town in New Hampshire. It was very blonde, very Christian, very L.L. Bean. I was hairy. I had hairy arms, hairy legs.

I was very different so I had an instinct to put people at ease by being affable.

Q: What is the craziest

A: Lot of crazy stuff. I get shot out of a cannon, I fly, I get a Frisbee stuck in my neck. My sister (Silverman’s real-life sibling Laura Silverman) and I have competing Holocaust memorials. Hers is respectful, like with a monument made out of Nazi gold and mine has like flying money machines.

Q: Any special guest stars this season?

A: Andy Samberg plays a childhood friend who comes back as a nightmare. We’ve got Bill Maher and Maria Bamford. Ed Asner plays a Nazi warrior. It is a super fun season. We’ve got a lot of friends on.

“The Sarah Silverman Program” airs on Comedy Central at 10:30 p.m. on Thursdays.

“Blah Blah Blah”—Ke$ha

“Boy come on get your rocks off Come put a little love in my glove box I wanna dance with no pants on Meet me in the back with the jack and the jukebox So cut to the chase kid ‘Cause I know you don’t care what my middle name is”

nt

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Monday, Feb. 22, 2010 | THE TELESCOPE

e tm i m m Fear of co

Teenagers and young adults in this generation are over-defining their relationship status. Maybe it’s because they’re afraid of commitment or just that they don’t want to deal with the emotions involved. In any case they just want to cut to the chase and have a good time without even getting to know the person.

“Starstrukk”—3oh!3

“I think I should know how to make love to something innocent without leaving my fingerprints out, now L-O-V-E’s just another word I never learned to pronounce How, do I say I’m sorry cause the word is never gonna come out no L-O-V-E’s just another word I never learned to pronounce”

For some people, “love” is just a word that’s not happening, ever.

Sometimes this is a result of getting hurt in a past relationship and then feeling forever broken. These people then think that casually hooking up is going to solve their problems.

“Shut Up and Let Me Go”—The Ting Tings “Shut up and let me go This hurts I tell you so For the last time you will kiss my lips Now shut up and let me go Your jeans were once so clean

I bet you’ve changed your wardrobe since we met”

When someone cheats on their significant other, the other person then has to make the difficult decision to stick with it or walk away. Obviously that partner doesn’t deserve your time if he or she is going to have multiple partners so you need to be the bigger and stronger person and walk away from the commitment.

“Cacophony”—Blink 182

“Words like forever They scare the shit out of me Maybe I’m afraid of commitment Maybe you’re too distracted to see that”

When someone is blindly in love, they fail to realize the little things about how the other person is feeling. It’s always important to make sure you both are on the same page on how the relationship is going. You

don’t want to invest too much time into the relationship only to end up alone in the end.

“Tie Me Down”—New Boyz feat. Ray J

“Like I mean, shit I’m only seventeen and Uhhmm ahh perfect is Only in a dream, And right now I’m pretty much away for this relationship I think you shout wait for it, I mean later we could try things out but not right now She ain’t gonna tie me down”

When people have too much going on in their lives they may not have the desire to try and to hold onto a relationship. It takes two for things to be successful and if one part of that equation just isn’t feeling it, then the relationship will be squashed. — MP

Entertainment| 9 Rockers attempt redemption with latest release

Monday, Feb. 22, 2010 | THE TELESCOPE

whose mother is a personal trainer, doesn’t believe in the game’s effectiveness.

“Any exercise will work if you really do it fully,” Expanding waistlines and the holidays Hicks said.“But I think the‘Wii Fit’ gives you an exgo hand-in-hand but then comes the cuse to not work so hard.”

New Year and a tide of guilt. EveryDespite“Wii Fit”not living up to the same stanone starts thinking about hitting up a dard as a gym, there are still people of all ages who gym but what many people may not go out and buy the game, according to Stern. realize is that the same video game “[I bought the game] because sometimes I console that showed up under their don’t have time to go to the gym,” Coble said. “It’s Christmas tree or Hanukkah bush so convenient.” could help them shed those unwantConvenience may be one of the main reasons ed pounds. for purchasing “Wii Fit,” but marketing also has an “Wii Fit,” a popular interactive effect on people who end up buying the game. video game that partners up with “I think theWii is more interactive than any oththe motion-controlled Wii gaming con- er game you play.And [you] sort of get a workout at sole, came out with an upgraded version the same time,” Palomar student Monika Somers known as “Wii Fit Plus” in October 2009. said. “But the marketing, with the punching bags Using a platform called the Wii Balance and boxing, makes it look like it really works.”

Board, users can engage in a series of exercises Tom Everest, one of the instructors for Paloranging from yoga to boxing to running. mar’sWellness/Fitness Center,said he believes sociPalomar student Jackie Coble said she recently ety has tried to make exercising too easy. boughtWii Fit and started its workouts.

“We try to “I think if you actumake enterally put the effort and easier We try to make entertainment tainment consistently do [the and more excitworkouts], I think it easier and more exciting today, ing today, all can actually work,” at the expense Coble said. “It does all at the expense of losing our of losing our work some muscles individuality,” individuality. out.”

Everest said.

— Tom Everest “And with less American ObeWellness/Fitness Center Instructor activity outside sity Association cofounder Judith it makes these Stern said in an interview with GameSpy, a pop- addictive people addicted to these games.They’re ular video game news site, that the only way most likely addicted to the computer, which makes someone can truly lower their Body Mass them more prone to always staying indoors, which Index (BMI) and lose weight is by ex- is unhealthy.” ercising a lot and eating less, which Everest said “Wii Fit” loses its allure quickly.

“Wii Fit” does not stress in their ad“I like it, and I think it works in the early stages vertisements. of it,” he said.

“If you were consistent and did “With a lot of the home gyms,they all start with it a lot it would have some effect [on great intentions, [but] once the newness wears off your body],” Coble said. “But I think of the game and there’s no one really there to help going to the gym is more effective than inspire them…or an instructor to keep them mothe game.” tivated and give them a reason [to workout], then Palomar student Christian Hicks, it fails.”

Yvonne Lanot The Telescope

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Melody Parks The Telescope

“One Life Stand” is the fourth album from the UK-based band Hot Chip which is handsdown the best one yet. Practice makes perfect and Hot Chip definitely proves this.

Hot Chip’s new album “One Life Stand” has a light yet indulgent electro-pop sound with a strong dance beat and often steady, fast-paced tempo.

The band stand’s members Music review apart from many; their bizarre mad-scientist appearance force their audience to do a doubletake before sitting down and slipping on their headphones.

One of the standouts on the album is “I Feel Better,” which expresses concern at first but Hot Chip then reassures his partner that “One Life Stand” the affection between one another is stronger than anything out of four stars that could overcome them and will result in pure ecstasy.

Another highlight is “Hand Me Down Your Love,” The song, has an intriguing classical piano arrangement accompanied by the sweet and smooth sounds of a violin throughout the chorus. The singer, Alexis Taylor, gives listeners a douse of soulful thinking and serenity.

Title track “One Life Stand ”mocks the notion of a one night stand by saying “I only wanna by your one life stand, tell me do you stand by your man, moments keeps us guessing, and lead us from temptation.” The song has the most techno feel out of the entire album, with a robot-like tempo and sound effects that wouldn’t be out of place in “Pac-Man.” Taylor’s voice closely resembles Sam Endicott from The Bravery, but with a soft tenderness about it. This driven band’s current album is a redemption from it’s previous one, “Made In The Dark” which had a lack of focus and consistency. Simply put; this album is a fun and very profound one.

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10 |Focus

Monday, feb. 22, 2010 | THE TELESCOPE

Mind of a victim

Are you in an abusive Women aren’t relationship? the only ones who This self-quiz will help you recognize the early warning signs. If you answer “yes” to more than a couple of the following questions, you need to get help now!

Does your boyfriend/girlfriend…

① ② ③ ④ ⑤ ⑥ ⑦ ⑧ ⑨ ⑩

Want to spend every minute together?

Quiz you about everything you do when you are apart?

Keep you from seeing old friends?

Make fun of you or put you down in public?

Threaten to do something bad if you break up?

Make you feel like you can’t end the relationship?

Use alcohol or drugs as an excuse for being mean?

Have an uncontrollable temper?

Often get upset and refuse to discuss the reasons why?

Force you to do things that you don’t feel comfortable doing?

Local Shelters Center for Community Solutions (858) 272-1767 YWCA’s Battered Women’s Services at (619) 234-3164 San Diego County Domestic Violence 1-888-DVLINKS. All services are 24-hour hotlines that are staffed with persons who can evaluate situations and make referrals for counseling, legal assistance, shelters, support groups, etc.

For futher information please call: San Diego Police Department Domestic Violence Unit (619) 533-3500 Open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Internet Safety Be mindful of your computer safety.

If your abuser has access to your computer, he has access to your email and Web sites you visited. Even though you’ve deleted items and erased your history and cookies, there are still ways of discovering items and places you’ve been. There are ways of covering your tracks, but a computer your abuser has access to, may never be 100 percent safe. It’s best to use a computer your abuser has no access at all. familyviolencepreventioncenter.org

suffer in abusive relationships Belinda Callin The Telescope

It is estimated that one out of every four women in the United States has been affected by domestic violence.

The California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (CPEDV) recognizes domestic violence as “a range of behaviors used to exert control or establish power by one intimate partner over the other.”

Abuse is not limited to physical harm. It can come in many forms, including and not limited to: psychological, emotional, verbal, sexual, financial and even spiritual, according to the CPEDV Web site.

Women are not the only victims of violent relationships; men, animals and the elderly become victims as well.

Palomar College student Mikel Tyrakoski had a threeyear relationship with a controlling girlfriend before he realized that something was wrong and he deserved better.

“She wouldn’t let me go out with my friends, go out to party, or even just go skate,” Tyrakoski said. “After all those years I was just over it, I knew there was something better out there for me.”

However, for many people it can be hard to recognize the signs of control until a relationship turns violent.

In some instances, even after experiencing the violence of their partner, the victim stays in the relationship.

This leads into what professionals call the Cycle of Violence. The pattern of aggression, violence and remorse repeats itself in a never-ending cycle until one partner leaves, or dies.

“The problem occurs when one partner has the idea that he/she is entitled to control of the other partner. This is why 70 percent of the physical violence in these relationships actually occurs after the victim has left or tried to leave,” said Judy Wilson, an assistant professor of psychology at Palomar College.

“People tend to blame the victim,” Wilson said. “It is important for people to understand that there are several reasons why these girls don’t leave the relationship.”

Some stay because they think they don’t have the financial means to leave, or perhaps the abuser has made threats concerning their or their loved one’s safety. Therefore, they may not see leaving as an option.

This is a condition called learned helplessness, Wilson said. When one partner is trying to exert control, the other will often change to please the controlling partner. When this doesn’t work and the abusive behavior continues, the victim will try something else. Eventu-

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jim mahoney | Mct campus

After being shot in the face by her boyfriend three years ago, Waco resident Carolyn Thomas has endured countless surgeries to repair catastrophic wounds to her face, and is still waiting for more permanent teeth. She now flies all over the country to lecture about domestic violence and abusive relationships. 70 percent of physical violence in these relationships occurs after the victim has left or tried to leave. ally the victim has expended so much emotional effort with no change in their situation that they give up. This is when outsiders start judging the victim as weak or passive.

Elizabeth Saez, a Palomar

I thought my children were going to have to bury me.

”

— Elizabeth Saez Palomar Student

student in her last semester of the nursing program, was a victim of domestic violence for 16 years and calls herself a survivor. Saez said that early in the relationship she didn’t notice the controlling behavior because she came from a dysfunctional family.

“Compliments like ‘beautiful’ and ‘smart’ are like a foreign language to me,” Saez said.

“So when he called me dumb it was what I was used to.”

Saez said in the beginning, her abuser controlled her money, how much time she spent with her family and even the clothes she wore. Over the years the abuse got more and more violent— until one night, she was sleeping in her children’s bed and woke up with a gun barrel in her face.

“I thought my children were going to have to bury me,” she said.

That was when she contacted the Women’s Resource Center for victims of domestic violence and got out of that relationship.

The Women’s Resource Center, located in Oceanside, is devoted to helping “women,

men and children involved in or threatened by domestic violence,” according to their mission statement found on its Web site.

Karen Boguta, dispatch and records coordinator for Palomar’s Campus Police Department, said any domestic violence is wrong.

While she says domestic violence situations are not all that common on campus, they have occurred and “it is not uncommon to take both people to jail.”

The police department holds sexual assault prevention workshops once a semester.

Wilson said that while anger therapy is one possible treat-

ment for abusive people, cognitive therapy brings better results. This kind of therapy deals with the individual’s inability to control their response to frustration, and attempts to cognitively change that response.

The Women’s Resource Center also offers awareness classes for the victim and acts as a referral network for related services, such as therapy options for the abuser and other related services throughout the county.

The key to personal safety is awareness. Education about the signs and cycle of abuse can help stop the life-shattering experience of domestic violence.

former victims fall into The cycle of abuse Many the same situation again

Sports|

monday, feb. 22, 2010 | THE TELESCOPE

SPORTS ON DECK Tuesday, Feb. 23 Baseball

at Cypress 2 p.m.

Men’s Tennis Imperial Valley 2 p.m. at Palomar

Women’s Tennis at Imperial Valley 2 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 24 Men’s Golf

at Cuyamaca 11 a.m.

Cottonwood GC El Cajon

Softball at San Diego City College 3 p.m.

Men’s Volleyball Irvine Valley 3 p.m.

Palomar Dome

Women’s Basketball CCCBA Southern California Reginals, Round 1, TBA

Thursday, Feb. 25 Women’s Tennis

Cuyamaca 2 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 26

Women’s Track & Field at Foothill Conference Relays noon, Antelope Valley

Baseball Ventura 2 p.m.

Myers Field

11

Strong start fades, Comets fall to Hornets nigel harris the telescope

For eight out of nine innings, the Palomar Comets held the Fullerton Hornets scoreless during a game on Feb. 12. A tough fifth inning proved Palomar’s demise as the team lost 5-2.

During that inning, the Comets gave up a home run and four of the five runs in the inning were unearned.

“We’ll be all right,” coach Buck Taylor said. “It was an uncharacteristic inning for us. I don’t like the errors but we play again tomorrow (Feb. 13) and have a double header Monday (Feb. 15).”

The Comets defeated Fullerton 8-6 on Feb. 13 and lost both games of the double header (8-9, 3-5).

Not shaken by the loss Taylor said he thinks about the future and what the Comets have to do in the coming games.

“We can’t think too much on one game, we just have to move on and play better next time,” he said.

This was the Comets home opener after a three-game break due to the weather.

“No, I don’t think the rain was a problem, we did what we practiced, but that fifth inning was unfortunate, and we just couldn’t pick it up,” third baseman Alfonso Casillas said.

Going into the bottom of the ninth, Casillas went on deck with bases loaded. After taking a strike, he swung and fielded out, though Casillas did bat in the Comets’ only two runs in the first and fifth innings.

“It is the exact situation I wanted to come into, unfortunately; I swung on the wrong pitch,” Casillas said.

“We’ll come back; we’re just excited for the next game and an opportunity to prove ourselves.”

Ty Afenir had a good defensive

Deb hellman | THE TELESCOPE

Palomar’s Evan Mott pitched the final inning during the Feb. 12 losing game against Fullerton College at Myers Field. game, with some Hornet-stopping innings, retired the six batters he has been shortened to 36 games grabs. Afenir also assisted catcher faced. from 50 games. The change has B.K. Santy, who threw out both of The Comets are a relatively Taylor concerned about the team’s the Hornets who tried to steal bas- young team with more than half the identity and becoming a cohesive es. team being freshman. unit.

“It was a great day,” Afenir said.

“I really like this group,” Taylor “We have a shorter season now, “We ran into one tough inning; we said. “We lack identity and that is so we don’t have a lot of time to find practiced and fell short. We just something that comes with playing out who we are,” Taylor said. have to learn from this and move on more games. to the next game,” Afenir said.

We’ll get Defensively, the team did well there.” with the pitching. Shane Philips, The team’s Azusa Pacific University School of Nursing who pitched the seventh and eighth next season

Softball Grossmont 3 p.m.

CZZY hdbZ fj^X` XVh]4

Women’s Softball Grossmont 3 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

CCCBA Southern California Regionals, Round 1, TBA

Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving

“Ed the Brain” School Daddy mascot

Master of Science in Nursing

at Golden West Invitational

Saturday, Feb. 27 Baseball

Southwestern 12 p.m.

Myers Field

Women’s Basketball CCCBA Southern California Regionals, Round 1, TBA

Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving at Mt. SAC Invitational, TBA

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Sports| 12

monday, feb. 22, 2010 | THE TELESCOPE

Comets defeat rivals in heated basketball match christian fortmueller THE TELESCOPE

The battle for North County ensued on Friday, Feb. 12, as the Palomar Comets women’s basketball team took down their Highway 78 rivals, the MiraCosta Spartans, 70-46 at the Dome.

The Comets move to 20-5 on the season, 11-1 in Pacific Coast Athletic Conference games with the win. The Spartans drop to 8-12 on the season, 6-5 in PCAC games with the loss.

The win keeps the Comets atop the PCAC with Grossmont trailing by one game with two to play. The Comets could clinch at least a share of the title by beating Southwestern in an upcoming game.

“We’re determined to win and stay in first place,” Palomar’s Nyla Bailey said. “Tonight was just another road block we had to get over.”

Bailey led the Comets with 19 points and six rebounds, Lauren Matheney chipped in with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Megan O’Farrell finished with 12 points.

This was a physical game from the onset.

Palomar jumped to an early 8-0 lead, keeping MiraCosta scoreless through the first five minutes until the Spartan’s Megan Conroy poked the ball loose and drove to the basket to finally get MiraCosta on the board, cutting Palomar’s lead to six. The Spartans eventually climbed to within five, but that was as close as they could get.

“

Palomar’s defense was stellar again.

They swarmed to the ball, contesting every shot and creating turnovers.

Their height advantage in the paint and on the boards with Bailey and Matheney served them well.

However, sloppy turnovers by the Comets, allowed MiraCosta to cut Palomar’s lead to a manageable margin. Palomar led 38-23 at halftime.

Things heated up in the second half, as rising tensions over questionable calls sent players sliding across the floor and subsequently to the free throw line.

“I don’t think the refs were calling the game fair, so people started getting frustrated,” Palomar’s Melanie Wilkerson said.

Clearly, MiraCosta was not going down without a fight.

They had pulled to within 16 with just over five minutes remaining in the game, but every time they seemed to be gaining momentum, Palomar slammed the door shut with a big turnover or clutch basket.

The Comets continued — Nyla Bailey building their lead into the Forward waning seconds of the game as Bailey nailed a jump shot to end it, 70-46 Palomar.

Coach Jennum was pleased with her team’s effort.

“It was a very physical game,” Jennum said. “Some of the calls were interesting. We did a good job. We battled and again we put a lot of points on the board.”

The Comets will make the playoffs if they win one of their two remaining games, but they want the championship outright.

“We’re playing to win the rest of our games,” Jennum said.

We’re determined to win and stay in first place. Tonight was just another road block we had to get over.

Deb hellman | THE TELESCOPE

Palomar’s Nyla Bailey makes one of many baskets during the game against MiraCosta College on Feb. 12.

”

Men’s basketball emerges victorious despite close call graianne Ward The telescope

Palomar’s Mike Brown lived up to the number 23 when he resembled Michael Jordan floating through the air, a throng of defenders challenging him as he lay the ball into the basket.

The entire night Brown was on fire, making five 3-pointers, at least three dunks and scoring 23 points for the team. Palomar stole the win against Miramar College Feb. 12 with a final score of 66-60.

The Comets improved to 11-13 on the season 6-8 in conference with two games left.

Even though the Comet’s have not had the kind of season they had hoped for they still want to make sure fans get their money’s worth. They showed their tenacity and pride with a hard-fought win.

“We need to keep playing team basketball.” Mike Brown said. “Just don’t be selfish.

You listen to the coach…we’ll win every time.”

The first half found Miramar rolling over the Comets. Head Coach John O’Neill switched out most of his starting line up eight minutes into the game.

The Comets were clearly frustrated, throwing up wild shots and making errant passes.

“We had to change our defense, put a little bit more pressure on the ball,” O’Neill said. “Then offensively we were just trying to be more patient.”

Each team had 17 turnovers. The Comets’ defense was aggressive at some points, weak

at others. Palomar was one point behind Miramar in the last seconds of the first half but Justin Attebery’s 3-point shot gave the Comets a 28-26 lead.

During the second half of the game the Comets came back rejuvenated playing even more so like a team with smooth passes and defense so intense fans could barely see Miramar’s blue jerseys on the court.

The last three minutes were seen differently by each player.

“I was just thinking if I’m going to make it,” forward Jeremy Ford said. “I was getting so tired out there. I just wanted to win so bad you just keep fighting through it.”

Freshman forward Chamron Morgan exuded confidence on the other hand.

“Game over, we won.” Morgan said.

Miramar made erratic passes and defended so aggressively they had 22 personal fouls collectively.

In the last minute of the game two Miramar players fouled out.

With less than a minute left in the game Attebery inbounded the ball beyond half court where Mike Brown caught it, dribbled to the basket and dunked the ball with roars hugh cox |courtesy photo and applause coming from the crowd.

Even though Palomar did emerge victori- Palomar’s Daniel Gilster drives on Miramar’s Steven Jones on Feb. 12. The Comets led 66-60 by the game’s end. ous in the end, there were a lot of things the individual players said they needed to “It’s basketball.You’re going to get frus“They’re a 3-point shooting team so we’re improve on. trated.You just have to deal with it the right going to have to make some adjustments,” “Less turnovers,” Morgan said. “As a way.”

O’Neill said. team, myself, everybody; less turnovers.”

With the next game fast approaching the “They beat us pretty easy at their place Ford was just happy to get the big “W” in team is already getting ready to play against last time but we’re playing home this time. the end. Brown talked about how the game Imperial Valley, who butchered them last We’re trying to be undefeated in February, can be frustrating at times. time. that’s what we want,” O’Neill added.

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