The Advocate - Nov. 10, 2010 by The Advocate

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Holiday honored

Day of the Dead held on campus

sports ◆ page 7

Deadlock Soccer squad falls short

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campus beat ◆ page 8

scene ◆ page 6

Film moves audience ‘For Colored Girls’ speaks to heart

VOL. 95, NO. 9

SINCE 1950 8 PAGES, ONE COPY FREE

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 10, 2010 ACCENTADVOCATE.COM

THE WEEKLY STUDENT VOICE OF CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE, SAN PABLO, CALIF.

Pot law fails in election

GIANT CELEBRATION

Proposition 19 lacks funding, coherence By Cody McFarland SCENE EDITOR

CHRISTIAN SOTO / THE ADVOCATE

Flying colors — San Francisco Giants fans cheer for the their team’s victory at the Giants victory parade on McAllister Street in San Francisco on Nov. 3. An estimated 500,000 people were in attendance at the parade.

ACHAMPIONS PARADE of

Giants’ World

Series win prompts party, takes over city streets

By Malcolm Lastra SPORTS EDITOR

SAN FRANCISCO — Strands of confetti, sounds of blow-horns and more than half a million people in black and orange attire filled the streets of San Francisco during a parade in celebration of the San Francisco Giants winning the 2010 World Series championship on Nov. 3. Giants fans from all over Northern California and other parts of the country came to San Francisco to celebrate with the team after it clinched its first World Series championship in 56 years. “It’s awesome (that the Giants won),” fan and Napa resident Jeffrey Redding said. “The Giants deserve our attention and I’m glad I can come out and show my appreciation.” The Giants captured their first World Series championship since moving to San Francisco from New York in 1958 on Nov. 1 after defeating the Texas Rangers in a 3-1 result in Texas, beating out the Rangers 4-1 in the series. Prior to the 2010 World Series, San Francisco managed to make it to the series three times — 1962, 1989 and 2002 — losing all three against the New York Yankees, the Oakland

“(Winning the World Series) put the Bay Area on the map. It has been a long time since we (the Giants) brought a championship back to the Bay.” Angelina Romero,

San Francisco resident

Athletics and the Anaheim Angels. “(Winning the World Series) put the Bay Area on the map,” fan Angelina Romero said. “It has been a long time since we (the Giants) brought a championship back to the Bay.” For the parade, streets were closed off from Montgomery to Market streets, as thousands of people flooded from the BART stations to get a view of the parade. With the sidewalks filled, people even dangled from light posts and trees, sat on top of bus stops and other people’s shoulders, stood on chairs and hung from apartment windows to watch the Giants in the parade. “You couldn’t really see much because it was so crowded,” fan Pano

California’s controversial proposition to legalize the recreational use of marijuana by adults age 21 and older fell short in the Nov. 2 midterm election, losing by a margin of 54-46 percent. Proposition 19’s failure has been attributed to its unclear language, minimal funding, a lack of young voters at the polls and that it was a non-presidential election in which fewer citizens voted. “The wider significance to Proposition 19 is that it established marijuana legalization as an issue that is now a permanent fixture in the mainstream of American politics,” Stephen Gutwillig, California state director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said. Tim Rosales, campaign manager for “No on Proposition 19,” said the primary reason the initiative failed was because of its nondescript wording. “It was written poorly and received a lot of criticism from newspapers and businesses because of it,” he said. “The revenue structure it was supposed to establish was unclear. The proposition had a misleading title to ‘tax and regulate cannabis,’ but did not describe how that would happen.” ■ SEE MARIJUANA: Page 4

Santos said. “However, it feels good to be out here.” The parade began as the UC Berkeley marching band played a drum cadence as it marched. It was followed by several floats carrying Giants front office personnel and game ushers. Sounds of screams, music and roars of applause overtook the city when Giants players arrived. Paired in trolley cars, cheering and pumping up the crowd, the players celebrated their victory with their fans. The Giants players were so joyful during the parade that pitcher Brian Wilson jumped off his trolley to shake hands with several on-looking fans. “The parade went OK although there are a lot of people,” Romero said. “I’m glad to see everybody is being civilized.” Several dedicated Giants fans attended the parade in costumes of Giants players to honor the team. “I’ve been a Giants fan for about five years,” Santos, who dressed up as pitcher Tim Lincecum, said. “I came out in my Halloween costume for this.” The parade ended when the crowd proceeded to the Civic Center on

While many celebrated after the San Francisco Giants won the World Series Championship against the Texas Rangers on Nov. 1, some fans were stuck in a bittersweet moment of joy and grief after facing the loss of a caring and kind-hearted team employee and supporter. John “Baldo” Baldonado, Baldonado a guest services staff member for the Giants and a former sports editor of The Advocate, died at the age of 32 after working Game 3 of the National League Championship Series where his team beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 on Oct. 19. “The hardest part about watching the World Series was thinking Baldo would be so proud jumping up and down,” for-

■ SEE PARADE: Page 4

■ SEE BALDONADO: Page 4

Kind soul passes on By Sam Attal

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Knox takes spiritual ‘Journey’ with dance NEWS EDITOR

Audience members traveled among dancers in vibrant costumes from Egyptian belly dancing’s coin belts and hip scarves to meringue’s sequined dresses at the dance ensemble’s production “Odyssey: A Journey Through Dance” in the Knox Center on Friday. Nearly all of the seats in the theater were filled and attendees cheered and applauded consistently throughout the show. “There was a good house and a lot of people showed up,” dance ensemble coordinator Latanya Tigner said. “I think it gave the performance energy, that reciprocity between the audience and the performers.” The dance production was made up

of four journeys, each beginning with the Dance as Performance class, a class that teaches methods of composing dances for stage presentation. Each subsequent dance within the journeys represented a different culture for the dance as performance group and the audience to experience, Tigner said. Salsa, swing, hip-hop, jazz, Congolese movement and contemporary were some of the other dance styles within the multifarious performance. “All the dances were the best. They always seem to get better and better every semester,” culinary arts major Tito Cano said. The assortment of music in the production varied from upbeat hip-hop to smooth Latin American music. Performer Ashley Foster said every dance class put hard work and dedication into the ■ SEE DANCE: Page 4

SAM ATTAL / THE ADVOCATE

Arms in the air — Dancers from the Contra Costa College Egyptian Belly Dance class perform during the “Odyssey: A Journey Through Dance” event in the Knox Center on Friday. The event featured a variety of acts.

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By Alexandra Waite

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2 THE ADVOCATE Quotable “The press has a responsibility not only to report the truth, but to do so with a sense of accountability and decorum.”

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 10, 2010 VOL. 95, NO. 9 ●

Editorial Mehserle coddled

Daniel T. arap Moi 2nd president of Kenya 1997 Sam Attal editor-in-chief Dariush Azmoudeh associate editor Lamar James associate editor Cassidy Gooding opinion editor

Easy sentence does not show justice for Grant

Cassandra Juniel spotlight editor Malcolm Lastra sports editor Alexandra Waite news editor Cody McFarland scene editor George Morin photo editor Christian Soto assistant photo editor Jermaine Harrison circulation manager Paul DeBolt faculty adviser Staff writers Hilberth Ibarra Natalie Estrada Cary Gooding April Halog Cheuk Ko Janit Saechao Rodney Woodson Staff photographers Qing Huang Adam Oliver Staff illustrators Roy Chan Joel Ode Faythe Del Rosario Honors ACP National Newspaper Pacemaker Award 1990, 1994, 1997,1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 CNPA Better Newspaper Contest 1st Place Award 1970, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 JACC Pacesetter Award 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Member Associated Collegiate Press California Newspaper Publishers Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges How to reach us Phone: 510.235.7800 ext. 4315 Fax: 510.235.NEWS E-mail: advocate@ contracosta.edu or letters.advocate@ gmail.com Editorial policy Columns and editorial cartoons are the opinion of individual writers and artists and not that of The Advocate. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which is made up of student editors.

OPINION

l WEDNESDAY, NOV. 10, 2010

n the early morning hours of New Year’s Day 2009, Oakland resident Oscar Grant was fatally shot in the back by former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle. The controversy sparked multiple protests in the days following, both violent and nonviolent, as people from all across the Bay Area rallied for justice for Grant’s murder. On Friday afternoon, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry granted Mehserle the minimum sentence for involuntary manslaughter of two years and credited him for the time he has already spent in custody, giving him only 72 short days until freedom. We do not contend that Mehserle’s actions were at all intentional, but we cannot allow such leniency for a mistake that resulted in something as severe as a death. Even if he serves his short sentence and regrets his mistake for the rest of his life, the lack of respect Mehserle’s meager punishment shows Grant’s family and community members is offensive to the core. Should his mother forget the incident as quickly as her son’s killer is sprung from the confines of his jail cell? Though heavily debated, whether or not Grant was an exemplary member of society is not the issue – regardless of his criminal record or past transgressions, the 22-year-old did not deserve to lose his life. It’s sickening to know that our criminal justice system has no problem making examples out of everyday citizens by sentencing them to the full extent of the law, yet grants clemency to their own. Apparently, getting fatally shot in the back is a justifiable outcome for resisting arrest. Even the motion to tase a handcuffed person lying on his or her stomach is a display of excessive force and uncalled for. Mehserle may have accidentally killed one person, but he and the paltry sentence he was handed have emotionally distressed thousands in a city, Oakland, that is already scarred by injustices inflicted by law enforcement. The protests have effectively served their purpose of raising sentiments against the criminal justice system’s obvious bias toward its officers. But they have not been answered other than with mass police round-ups of suspects, some still incarcerated for simply protesting the controversial verdict. Had Mehserle been handed the full 14-year verdict routinely served by those found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, Grant’s untimely death would ache more as the heartbreaking episode it deserved to be. Instead, with his killer behind bars for less than a year, his end will be interpreted as a stinging slap in the face to Oakland forever.

JOEL ODE / THE ADVOCATE

■ Confidence

Self-worth not defined by one’s appearance

ot too long ago, a guy who says he is interested in me said I should lose weight for him. He says that I am his amazing, special girl, but I need to get rid of an extra 25 pounds. He honestly explained to me that my weight prevented him from considering a formal relationship with me. I allowed his bluntness to hurt my ego. I have always been bigger and chubbier than most of my friends in school, and some of my peers would say mean things about my weight. It is hard for me to forget what people have said about me. I still remember the second grade kickball game when a girl snickered and asked, “Are you pregnant?” It hurts sometimes knowing you are on the heavier side. Fortunately, I lost a lot of weight toward the end of high school. I went from a pant size of 14 to a size nine in an attempt to make myself feel better. Yet to me, it is still not enough. All the name-calling, constant nagging from my family, and the jealousy I felt looking at my friends’ bodies made me hate the way I look. I would constantly think badly of myself because I am not as thin as them. The media suggest that you will not be happy or have good romantic or platonic relationships if you are not skinny. For the longest time, I foolishly believed it. Until recently, the physical resentment was part of my daily routine. I would

We often do not acknowledge the importance of people’s intelligence, common ideals and interests, or humor. We have all done this before, and we cannot honestly argue otherwise. It is a sad situation in our youth that can affect others more complain about my size and harshly. would just loathe myself. People will have little I conceded with the bad names, and my negative per- to no emotional depth if they worry too much about ception of self got the best their body type or the types of me. of others. They will have It had gotten to the this tunnel vision that will point where I made myself constantly leave them disapdepressed enough to not eat for days at a time. This sense pointed. We have to learn to accept of melancholy was brought and love ourselves. What upon me on purpose. It is you look like should not be a waste of time and energy. a hindrance to what you do This way of thinking preor who you talk to. There is vents you from being happy and being able to experience nothing more unattractive new things. Social gatherings than a person who has zero confidence in his or herself, were not worth the potential bad looks I felt I may get, so and stays away from new things for shallow, meaningstaying home seemed much less reasons. more favorable. There is nothing wrong I have known a number with being chubby, or lookof people at Contra Costa ing “healthy.” A chubby College for several years now, and not until lately have girl can be just as cute, or even more gorgeous in comI been able to be open with any of them, or actually have parison to someone who is defined as skinny. a conversation with them. What matters is that you The reason was that I felt I are driven to live life on your was too shy and fat to say own accord and understand anything worthwhile. that you have qualities that All of what I did and make you beautiful, no matfelt in the past was really ter what people say. pathetic. Sure, acceptance By realizing this, I have from other people is great. become happier with myself, However, looking to be and I learned to go on with accepted by your body type not only makes whoever you my life in a more positive are trying to impress shallow, light. but it makes you shallow as Faythe Del Rosario is well. There is more to a person a staff illustrator of The Advocate. Contact her at frothan the body that harbors sario.advocate@gmail.com. his or her thoughts.

faythedelrosario

CampusComment

What was your reaction to the failure of Proposition 19?

“I think it really doesn’t make a difference. People will still smoke marijuana regardless.” Stephanie Williams psychology

“I’m glad it didn’t pass in its present form, and I hope they can re-look at the proposition and come up with a better one.” Rodney Wilson business

ROY CHAN / THE ADVOCATE

“I feel that the world would be in chaos because I have a child and I don’t want him easily pressured to use marijuana.” Shannon Mulder medical assistant

“I guess since the proposition didn’t pass, we’re going to be missing out on a lot of money.”

“I feel it should have passed and the state could have profited off of the tax on marijuana.”

Nicole Walker

Paolo Basbas

“I’m not mad but I’m also not happy about it. Either way, people are going to get theirs.” Jason Carbaugh

MCHS

nursing

business

FORUM ■ Environment

georgemorin

Agriculture destructive to planet, future

hen one hears the word agriculture, thoughts of corn, wheat and many of the things that this country uses as exports to fund its economy come to mind. But the other side of the spectrum is quite different. My concerns for the planet and its well being have always been on the concepts of global warming, the issue of our ever growing carbon footprint and recycling. Over the summer, I discovered the history behind the destructive force that agriculture actually is. The cavemen of the past followed a diet largely composed of proteins and other things that were mostly found through their hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and they constantly moved location according to the seasons and food supply. Over time, as civilizations began to organize, the need to supply more people with more resources came into play. With this came the cultivation of vegetables and fruits through agriculture. Though this new means of creating food had its benefits for mankind, from the planet’s perspective it left the land scorn and crippled. Agriculture needs fertile and rich soil to succeed, meaning that the most fertile land is to be used and reaped of its nutrients, leaving only areas that are too hot or too cold unused. Agriculture intensely affects the topsoil of an area, which harbors the essential minerals to the growth of plant life. Agriculture requires the use of tilling and digging of the dirt, which leaves the minerals in the ground weak from constant use. Without animals to shed droppings onto the ground, the ground is not able to sustain itself and is washed away with the rain to be brought downstream by rivers. Many such rivers are not flowing freely due to dams and diversion of water flow to sustain farms. Only 2 percent of the nation’s waterways flow freely without dams or other diversion techniques used mainly for agricultural purposes. Even though these help feed many people, the issue of the planet still sits ahead. The Middle East used to be a place of rich rivers and prairies and an extreme diversion of water flow, but over time the diversion of water led to the loss of much topsoil, leading to the arid ecosystem that is found there today. These issues may not be noticeable very quickly, but with time they leave the land dry, with only the man-made image of an ecosystem. These affect the temperature of the earth as well as the water flow, which goes along with global warming and other issues of today. An over abundance of topsoil going into rivers creates swamps that create perfect habitats mosquitoes and other types of disease-carrying insects. By its very nature, agriculture is an intrusion and hence a disruption of the environment, replacing a natural ecosystem with an artificial one. It kills the native species in the hope to help sustain our lives, and its repercussions will be our downfall. George Morin is the photo editor for The Advocate. Contact him at gmorin. advocate@gmail.com.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 10, 2010 l THE ADVOCATE

■ Parenting

Helping mothers saves children

recent news story reported that a woman abandoned a toddler in San Pablo behind a town home last Wednesday morning. Fortunately, a witness saw the woman leave the boy in the 2800 block of Valencia Avenue and contacted the police right away. The next day, the 40-year-old mother was watching the news and saw a report on her case. She walked from her home to San Pablo and called the police, where she told them that she had left the 18-month-old child because she felt that she was not fit to care for him. She was arrested and booked into county jail in Martinez. There is no correct way for a mother to admit she has abandoned her child without experiencing extreme judgment. If she exposes her secrets, she will face a life of negative criticism. There have been numerous cases of child abandonment with not so good outcomes. Infants are found stuffed inside of plastic bags

cassandrajuniel that are placed in dumpsters, or other horrible scenarios. Nonetheless, the person responsible for abandoning the child is a person who needs specific help. There are typically two or more kinds of people who abandon their children. One type of person is an adolescent who became pregnant out of wedlock. This person is confused and afraid to tell her parents. According to WebMD, “The center of a young girl’s brain that controls emotions and cognition – how she thinks and feels – are still developing. Those processes will not completely mature until young adulthood.” Other types of people who are capable of abandoning their child are rape

victims, victims of domestic violence, drug abusers and mothers who lack a family support system. One of the worst things a mother can do is abandon her child. This is a silent epidemic and decision that mothers throughout time have faced, but have not been able to openly discuss. As a result, there are laws governing punishment for parents and caretakers who abandon children and laws that create safe havens. In 1998 alone, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported 105 publicly abandoned infants, including 33 that were found dead, not counting the 9,000 abandoned at hospitals after birth. In our country we must bring awareness to this issue by addressing the women who have abandoned their children. We must try to understand women who leave their children and explore what women can learn in order to prevent making decisions that will

negatively impact their lives and the lives of children. In California and many other states there are efforts to save the children. A law has been established called “Save the Baby,” which allows a mother to legally surrender her baby anonymously and without fear of prosecution to any hospital emergency room within 72 hours of birth. Many babies have been rescued by this. The 18-month-old found in San Pablo was found in good health. Yet, now he is a different type of statistic – one for a foster home, or adoption. In some situations, children are better off with other guardians for valid reasons, but there are also situations that possibly can be prevented. Overall, getting the birth mother help is key to having a happy home for a child. Cassandra Juniel is the spotlight editor for The Advocate. Contact her at cjuniel.advocate@gmail. com.

Marine Murder Dolphin killings poisonous to society, health By Cassidy Gooding OPINION EDITOR

or decades, mankind has been spending billions of dollars shooting oversized tin cans into space, searching for life other than ourselves to communicate with. Some scientists, however, speculate that such creatures have existed in our oceans all this time. Dolphins are widely accepted as one of the most intelligent life forms on the planet, with social and living habits similar to those of humans. They have their own language, their own games and even their own forms of foreplay. They’ve been known to commit suicide and save swimmers and surfers from sharks. In the Ancient Greece era, it was punishable by death to cause harm to a dolphin. Today, 23,000 of them are brutally slaughtered every year in the small town of Taiji, Japan. During the period from September to March, Taiji fishermen set sail in droves several times a week to the outskirts of their town boundaries, armed with long metal rods attached to their boats. Once far enough out, they form a line and slide the poles into the water and start hammering on them with metal clubs. The wall of sound this produces frightens and confuses hordes of dolphins swimming nearby so that they move toward the shore, getting trapped in Taiji’s famous dolphin lagoon. After this, the fishermen barricade the dolphins from escaping and return home. For the following few days, dolphin trainers hired by aquariums and amusement parks from all over the world arrive to choose new subjects to keep in captivity. For every dolphin taken away, the fishermen of Taiji make $150,000. The ones not selected, however, face a different fate. In a practice that the New York

Times, the BBC and Time magazine have all been rejected from recording or witnessing, the fishermen go back out to the lagoon once the purchased dolphins are gone, this time with spears. Violently and without any thought to efficiency or the animals’ suffering, they stab their spears into the water repeatedly until the remaining dolphins are all floating lifelessly in the water. The waves lapping the shore, deaf to the maniacal clicks and shrieks made by the dolphins, are colored deeply red with blood just minutes into the slaughter. The International Whaling Commission, created in 1946, voted to ban commercial whaling all over the globe 40 years later. As many species of whale were nearing extinction, the moratorium was designed to allow them time to repopulate. Unfortunately, cetaceans (smaller marine mammals, such as dolphins and porpoises) are not included under the IWC’s protection. Taiji officials cite pest control, “tradition” and food supply as some of the reasons they persist in murdering the multitudes of dolphins instead of simply letting them go. The dead dolphins are worth $600 each to fish-

JOEL ODE / THE ADVOCATE

ermen, and widely go to fish markets with tuna and salmon. The only problem with this is that dolphin meat is heavily laced with mercury, effectively poisoning Japan’s population. Mercury is a pollutant in the ocean that is only harmful to humans in large concentrated quantities. It gets into the water supply and attaches itself to the smallest beings in the ocean. Those creatures are eaten by bigger ones, which are eaten by even bigger ones and so on, creating a chain of creatures increasingly concentrated with mercury in their systems. The recommended amount of mercury to ingest according to Japan’s health regulations is 0.04 parts per million in seafood. Dolphin meat has 2,000 ppm mercury. Since this is obviously a large discrepancy, many sellers disguise dolphin meat as something safer, labeling it falsely to seem more palatable to buyers. Some sellers in Taiji specifically had a program with the local elementary schools to sell them the meat for cheap to create more affordable lunches for the students. Mercury poisoning is linked to a vast array of symptoms and disorders that can manifest in a person at any point in his or her life, even in a fetus during pregnancy. Some of the symptoms are emphysema, loosening of teeth, short-term memory loss, loss of the ability to learn new things and changes in blood pressure. And many Japanese citizens, even people included in international markets, are being fooled into eating poisoned meat. The cruel massacre of 23,000 dolphins a year in the small town of Taiji alone serves no beneficial purpose. The dolphins and the Japanese alike are hurt by the circulation of dolphin meat in their fish markets. Once the dolphins chosen to go to Sea World or wherever are carted off, the others must instead be set free. By visiting www. takepart.com/thecove, one can witness for themselves the death bravely captured on camera by a group of activists who produced the documentary, “The Cove.” They infiltrated Taiji’s strict security measures to videotape the bloodbath so that the problem could be more widely exposed. Dolphins have the potential to be our friends. They are able to learn and respond to sign language, and get stressed and depressed just like humans. The clowns of the sea do not deserve to be passed off as canned tuna. Contact Cassidy Gooding at cgooding.advocate@gmail.com.

4 THE ADVOCATE

l WEDNESDAY, NOV. 10, 2010

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Newsline ■ COURSES

Sewing class teaches skills A sewing class for beginning and advanced students will be held on Nov. 20 in AA-143. Two sessions are available and students must either choose one from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The cost to register is $99 and students may enroll by contacting Mercy Pono at 510-235-7800, ext. 4292 or mpono@contracosta.edu.

■ ENTERTAINMENT

Talent show offers variety

The softball team will host “A Night of Talent” on Friday in the Knox Center from 6 to 9 p.m. The show includes hiphop dancers, poets, tap dancers, comedians, singers and musicians, with feature guest James L. Richard II, music director and talent scout. Tickets for adults are $10 and $5 for children under 10. For more information, contact coach Ed Miller at 510-882-1389.

■ SPEECH, DRAMA

Annual event stirs thought

The speech and drama departments are hosting their annual “Speech & Drama Night” on Nov. 18 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Knox Center. Students will perform impromptu, informative and persuasive speeches and drama skits. The event is open to the public.

■ EARLY LEARNING

Harvest party to raise funds

The Early Learning Center will be presenting the “Fall Harvest Festival” on Nov. 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the ELC. The festival will include live entertainment, food, carnival games, face painting, prizes, a jumper and vendor booths. Proceeds collected from the festival will benefit the ELC.

CrimeWatch Friday, Oct. 22 A disabled adult was contacted for causing a disturbance. Monday, Oct. 25 A student was asked to leave campus and not return until she speaks with the dean of students. Tuesday, Oct. 26 A theft was reported. Wednesday, Oct. 27 A staff member and a student were involved in a verbal dispute in the Library. Thursday, Oct. 28 A non-student was contacted for indecent exposure and a knife was found on him. The suspect was cited and released. — Alexandra Waite

CAMPUS BEAT

Marijuana | Proposition fails ■ FROM: Page 1

Gutwillig regards this as “a classic line in any initiative campaign that had no actual bearing on the outcome.” He explained that people will always find flaws within the language of initiatives, even if they support them. The more specific the language, the more specific criticisms will become, he said. The California exit poll, conducted by Edison Research as part of the National Voter Pool Survey, concluded that voters younger than 40 were more drawn to legalizing marijuana compared to older voters. Even among younger voters, Proposition 19 placed third for most important ballot initiative. Rosales said it is a mistake to blame the failure of Proposition 19 on the generational divide and small turnout of youth voters at the polls, adding that he has not seen evidence to support such claims. “The problem was that there was not enough money to overcome the structural challenges that (Proposition 19) faced in 2010, one of the inevitable challenges of

any progressive reform,” Gutwillig said, adding that it did surprisingly well given the monetary handicap. “Forty-six percent is all the more heartening,” he said. “The National Drug Policy Reform Movement is emboldened by the outcome of the proposition.” Rosales said the initiative’s failure was not unexpected but admitted that the margin was bigger than he expected. “I wanted Proposition 19 to pass but did not expect it to,” student Stephanie Cervantes said. “I wasn’t shocked, just slightly disappointed (when it did not pass).” Cervantes said she supports the proposition because she knows medicinal marijuana patients that have benefited greatly from smoking and thinks it can really help when used as a form of treatment. Proponents maintain the initiative was anticipated to have a domino effect on other states, influencing them to at least entertain the idea of legalizing medicinal marijuana, as it does not seem likely of the contentious recreational use. “So long as basic laws are

enforced that properly regulate weed like alcohol, it would be safe (to make legal),” Cervantes said. Student Adam Kirchgassner attributes his disapproval of Proposition 19 to worries of public safety due to unclear wording in the initiative’s language. Since there are no tests to legitimately prove anyone is under the influence of marijuana, the proposition raised worries about bus drivers or food handlers being high at work, he said. Kirchgassner expects supporters of the proposition to try again several times, predicting that one day a better-structured initiative will pass. “Will there be a new ballot item? You can count on that,” Gutwillig said. Members of Oaksterdam University in Oakland, who wrote the original proposition, are preparing for a new initiative for the 2012 presidential election, he said.

Parade ■ FROM: Page 1

Market Street where the Giants were presented with the key to the city from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. The last time San Francisco held a parade for a sports team was in 1995 when the San Francisco 49ers won the Super Bowl. Santos said the city would have gone crazy had the Giants won the deciding game in San Francisco instead of Texas. “It would have been pandemonium (here) if they won in San Francisco,” Santos said. “The city would have exploded.” Several fans were proud to be in attendance of the parade as many felt dignity and joy despite the ongoing struggle of the economic crisis. “The celebration is a huge stimulus for the economy,” Santos said. “It boosts the morale and gives the city joy.” Other fans agreed. “(This celebration) gives the Bay Area a sense of pride, and with these economic times it gives us something to be proud of and look forward to,” Redding said.

Contact Cody McFarland at Contact Malcolm Lastra at mlastra. cmcfarland.advocate@gmail. advocate@gmail.com. com.

Baldonado | Former sports editor dies ■ FROM: Page 1

mer Advocate staff member Nick Dunn said. “It’s hard to think I can’t just call him and ask to hang out.” Baldonado suffered a heart attack and passed out while riding the AC Transit line 71 bus on his way from the game to his San Pablo home, after being dropped off at the Del Norte BART station. “We were really surprised when he died,” Baldonado’s sister Judy Amador said. “He had no health issues that we knew of.” He was pronounced dead at Doctor’s Medical Center in San Pablo, formerly known as Brookside Hospital where he was born on Dec. 20, 1977. Amador said the family has a history of heart disease, which runs predominantly in the males. John’s father, Max Baldonado Sr., also died of a heart attack at the age of 47. He is survived by his sisters Amador and Paula Peerman, brother Max Baldonado Jr., mother Grace Baldonado and his nephew Andrew Peerman. Caring individual Baldonado was regarded as a dedicated member of The Advocate staff by many of his colleagues who eventually became his closest friends. “What I quickly discovered was that John was reliable and was willing to go the extra mile,” former Advocate editor-in-chief Corey Pride said. “He was that guy you could rely on to do whatever that needed to be done.” After Baldonado joined The Advocate in the fall of 1996, he and Pride became best friends. “He was always willing to do anything you needed as a

friend and a fellow staffer of The Advocate,” Pride said. Others also saw Baldonado’s sympathetic and caring nature as one of his most memorable characteristics. “He was one of the sweetest guys,” Dunn said. “He helped me immensely with writing and reporting.” Dunn said when he first joined The Advocate, Baldonado helped him with the interviewing and writing process of a game story. “When I showed up there I was clueless,” Dunn said. “He gave me a lot of helpful hints.” Former Advocate editorin-chief Marc Carig said, “John was so patient with people. He taught a lot of people. “He was such a valuable member (to the paper),” Carig added. “Knowledge is part of it, but he had a great personality as well. “ Advocate faculty adviser Paul DeBolt said that Baldonado’s fellow students considered him an important component to the paper. “He was one of the most loved students ever on the paper,” DeBolt said. “He always had a great attitude.” DeBolt saw Baldonado grow as a writer and editor during his time on the paper from fall of 1996 to spring of 1999. “He didn’t have much confidence when he came in,” DeBolt said. “It was fun getting John to a place where he knew he was doing well. (When Baldonado left the paper) he was close to being at a professional level with his writing.” Through the years Baldonado worked on The Advocate, the staff won many awards at national, state and regional conferences. Carig attributed much

of the success of the paper to Baldonado’s work ethic. He said Baldonado would design and edit tedious pages and do the tasks nobody else would take on. “He knocked it out and did it without complaining,” Carig said. “There’s a way you act at The Advocate and John did it; he was such a team player.” DeBolt agreed. “I never heard Baldo complain about anything,” DeBolt said. “He was a real sweet kid.” Amador said Baldonado began showing his compassionate nature at an early age. When he was young, his mother would give him a few dollars for handling chores around the house. She would then take him along on trips to the local grocery stores where he would give part of his allowance to homeless people waiting outside. “He was always there to give,” Amador said. “He was very caring and very sensitive for people.” The people waiting outside the stores soon remembered his face. “I was so proud, and my siblings are proud that he was our brother,” Amador said. Dedicated fan Baldonado also developed a love for sports at a young age. Amador said when Baldonado was about 4 years old, he would dress up in a San Francisco 49ers jersey and helmet to cast good luck on his team and would gather all his imprinted 49ers gear around the living room as he watched their games on TV. “He was running around like Joe Montana. That was his man,” Amador said. His passion for sports

Dance | Fills Knox Center ■ FROM: Page 1

performance, which made it a success. Foster’s favorite part of dancing in the production was the calming sensation she felt. “It’s like being free,” she said. “(Dancing is an) expression of how I feel on the inside; it’s being close to music and understanding the lyrics.” She performed in several acts including a contemporary solo titled “Across The River,” where she executed majestic arm and leg movements with purple ribbons tied around her hands, adding a graceful effect with a serene lavender and pink backdrop. “It was good to see people grow, and they really pushed,” Tigner said. “(The students) seemed satisfied and that’s what really matters.” “The Egyptian belly dance (was my favorite),” Cano said. “They were just amazing. They had the moves

The last act of the show, down pat, and it showed.” Another crowd favorite titled “Da Pahtaaay,” was was “A Night at the Studio” the most visually stunning. which took place in the third Dancing to music by Outkast, journey quickly after the Big Maybelle and Janelle Monae, the female performintermission. The piece began with ers wore dresses reminiscent a skit in dim light where of flappers from the 1920s w i t h dancers feather carrying “It’s like being free. boas. flashl i g h t s (Dancing is an) expression The men e r e broke of how I feel on the inside; w adorned into a it’s being close to music studio in slacks and utisusand understanding the lyr- and lized the penders, space to all colics” perform ored in w i t h pink and Ashley Foster, hip hop black. performer music The that later piece transitioned to video game started off as a lively jazz music as dancers did robotic number, then shifted to a slow movements. dance sketch and finished The lengthy segment fur- the show with a crowd-pleasther went on to include a ing hip hop performance. dance sequence to “Whip Contact Alexandra Waite My Hair” by Willow Smith and ended with the dancers at awaite.advocate@gmail. being chased out of the stu- com. dio by a security guard.

would carry into his adult life. During his time on The Advocate and after, Carig, Dunn and Pride attended many baseball games alongside Baldonado. He continued rooting for the 49ers and disliked the Raiders so much that when Pride, a Denver Broncos fan, invited him to a Raiders-Broncos game, Baldonado refused to set foot in the stadium. He and DeBolt, a Raiders fan, would often have friendly arguments about which Bay Area team was better. “I had a lot of fun teasing him and he gave it back eventually,” DeBolt said. Despite his ill feelings toward the Oakland football team, when it came to baseball, Baldonado rooted for both the Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants. Carig recalled when he and Dunn went with Baldonado to an A’s game and decided to get to their seats early to catch the players in batting practice. A ball came flying straight toward them as Baldonado was reading the newspaper with no clue of what was going on. Fans sitting in front of Baldonado deflected the ball which hit his chest and rolled into his lap.” At the Associated Collegiate Press/College Media Advisers conference held in Kansas City, Mo. in 2000, Dunn and Baldonado both spotted sportscaster Jim Gray and talked with him for about 10 minutes. Dunn recalls this as one of the best moments of the trip.

“The kid was only 32 and I’m 61,” Robison said as he tried to hold back his tears. Robison also worked on The Advocate with Baldonado. “It was devastating,” he said. “It felt like I’d been cheated; like his friends were cheated.” As news spread, Carig, who lives in New York, said he missed six calls from the Bay Area and he knew something was wrong. “When I heard that he passed, it was pretty stunning,” he said. Pride said that up until the past few days, he could not talk about Baldonado without crying. “I didn’t realize how important he was until I realized he was gone,” Pride said. “I lost the best friend I ever had.”

Giant legacy Some of those who attended Baldanado’s viewing at Wilson & Kratzer Mission Bells Chapel in San Pablo on Oct. 25 wore Giants paraphernalia to honor him. When the Giants became the National League champions, Baldonado’s friends saw the team’s shot at the World Series Championship as commemoration to the late fan. Robison, who worked at AT&T Park during the World Series, said, “It was like he was there. Every time I’d turn around I’d be thinking about him. He was our giant in the outfield.” Pride said he cheered for the Giants all the way through the World Series with Baldonado in mind. Devastating news “I’m very glad the Giants When fellow AT&T Park won the World Series this guest services staff member year,” Pride said. “He would Dave Robison heard about have loved that.” Baldonado’s death, he had Contact Sam Attal at sata hard time comprehending tal.advocate@gmail.com. what happened. ADVERTISEMENT

FOCUS

Giant crowd — Tens of thousands of San Francisco Giants fans swarm the San Francisco Civic Center during the victory parade on Nov. 3. The parade was

Sea of

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 10, 2010 l THE ADVOCATE

held for fans to honor the Giants for their 2010 World Series Championship after they defeated the Texas Rangers in Game 5 on Nov. 1.

and Photos by Christian Soto

Taking over — A stream of San Francisco Giants fans pack the Del Norte BART station in El Cerrito on Nov. 3.

Cheer on — San Francisco Giants fans cheer as the team’s lineup is called onto the main stage at the San Francisco Civic Center during the victory parade on Nov. 3.

Get your gear— San Francisco Giants fans buy team merchandise from a street vendor during the team’s victory parade at the San Francisco Civic Center on Nov. 3 .

Overjoyed — A San Francisco Giants fan applauds the team during its victory parade at the San Francisco Civic Center on Nov. 3.

6 THE ADVOCATE Unleashed

Movies

l WEDNESDAY, NOV. 10, 2010

Killer barber gets revenge in play Performance thrills, scares By Faythe Del Rosario STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

This week: “Unstoppable” (PG13) “Morning Glory” (PG13) “Skyline” (PG-13)

DVDs

This week: “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” (PG-13) “Grown Ups” (PG13) “Antichrist” (NR) “Charlie St. Cloud” (PG-13)

Revenge is not just a dish best served cold, it is also a close and deadly shave. In the Knox Center, the drama department presented the play “Sweeney Todd,” just in time for Halloween. The production was put on for four nights during the last week of October and was playreview directed by drama department Chairman Clay David. “Sweeney Todd” Alex ★★★★★ Tucker, who Venue: Knox was cast as Center Directed by: Clay the demonic David barber of Open Until: Fleet Street, Closed said the closing night was the best of the four shows. “(The performance) kept getting better and better every night. There’s always something special about closing night,” Tucker said.

their alternate personas, and many of the characters had a very interesting dynamic. Mrs. Lovett’s persona brought a humorous light to the stage. even during moments that echoed a dark ambiance that some audience members might have considered gruesome. Turpin was a great antagonist, a character anyone would enjoy to despise for his wrong doings and shifty personality. Todd’s character was well expressed by Tucker. He did an amazing job showing the pain and anger harbored within his character and how the reckless murder blinded QING HUANG / THE ADVOCATE Ghoulish girls — Actors from the production of “Sweeney Todd” sing during a musi- him from realizing his own wife’s existence in the cal number of the play featuring a demonic barber on Oct. 29 in the Knox Center. city. “Sweeney Todd” is a portrayed by Rex Martin, of Todd is used in Mrs. The costumes and dark and chilling tale about had let his lovely wife Lovett’s terrible pies. He make-up were very charma man and his vendetta Lucy rot in the cold streets kills many men and awaits ing and brought emphasis against a judge who took and locked away his lovely the moment Turpin would of a dark, gothic time in his life away. The man daughter Joanna, played by be in need of his “serLondon. intentionally accused Todd Audrey Webb, he makes vices.” “Sweeney Todd” was with false charges to get to haste with mass bloodshed The cast, ensemble and an enjoyable play that was his young wife and child. using his sheers. stage crew worked together executed at the right time Years later, Todd Todd sets up a busito make a short, coherent to bring in the very spooky returns to London to start ness above an unpopular play that was understandweekend. a new life and soon finds it pie shop owned by Mrs. able by people of most age is not the easiest endeavor. Lovett, played by Victoria groups. Contact Faythe Del Rosario Upon learning that the Clark. The meat from The cast spent more at frosario.advocate@gmail. com. ill-minded Judge Turpin, the unfortunate victims than a month developing

Campus art show features figures, faces By Faythe Del Rosario STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

CDs

New releases: The Tallest Man on Earth: “Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird” Underoath: “Disambiguation” Natasha Bedingfield: “Strip Me”

Games

New releases: Call of Duty: Black Ops (All Platforms - M) Karaoke Revolution Glee (Wii E10+) Monster Jam: Path of Destruction (PS3, XBOX360, Wii, DS, Editor’s note: This column lists popular new (and upcoming) releases for the week.

SCENE

“Figures, Faces and Spare Parts” is a collection of ceramic pieces by artist Cindy Williamson that can be seen at the Eddie Rhodes Gallery. Thursday evening was the opening reception for Williamson’s artwork, and the showing will continue at the gallery until Nov. 22. The name of the show explains clear-

ly what is to be expected at the gallery. “These (baseball) figures are my most recent features. I was trying to capture the moment when the pitch was about to be thrown,” Williamson said. She said her collection of more than 20 pieces took her a couple of years to put together. Some of the pieces were fully painted and others less so. Yet, the defining lines, shape and use of texture make the viewer understand what she was trying to create. There are ceramic moldings

‘For Colored Girls’ moves audiences not have trusted a man over for dinner, bring out these unfortunate circumstances that many females of every color encounIntense, moving, inspiring, ter today. thrilling and mysterious are The women portrayed repkey words that describe the movie that speaks to the hearts resent all oppressed women of color. and minds of the young and Each key character reprethe old, male and female. sented a color of the rainbow “For Colored Girls” was produced and directed by Tyler that depicts various degrees of emotion, with the brighter ones Perry and is adapted from the symbolizing vivacity and youth 1975 Broadway stage play, and the cooler colors “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide moviereview designating frustration and despair. When The Rainbow Is Unlike the play, Enuf,” written by poet which called the women Ntozake Shange. by their colors, such Called a choreopoem as “Lady in Yellow” or “For Colored by its original author, Girls” “Lady in Purple,” the the 20-poem drama tells ★★★★★ movie used the names the stories of the joy, Starring: of the women. pain, suffering, abuse, Kimberly Elise, Nonetheless, the strength and resilience Janet Jackson Directed by: Tyler poems still dealt with of African-American Perry the themes of love, women. Where: abandonment, rape and The poetry brought Everywhere abortion embodied by out on stage and in a Genre: Drama each woman’s story. book has continued to The movie takes the big screen as eight place in Harlem and in women use it to speak the opening scene, the audion life’s circumstances. The dialogue makes the movie and ence is brought to a typical Harlem-type building where the poetic deliveries add justimost of the action takes place fication to the scenes. A beautiful cast of African- and where most of the rainbow women live. American women, whose skin Different from the stage colors range from soft and play, five of the film’s eight beach to ebony wood, give women already know each voice to the stunning poetry other, and by the end all eight and pearly words that linger are united by murder and an and resonate. These women are portrayed unexpected suicide attempt. Redemption comes in the by some of Hollywood’s leading African-American actresses end when all of the women are gathered together like a including Whoopi Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad, Janet Jackson rainbow. They gather to sing the praises of being black and and Thandie Newton. surviving life in Harlem, long Scenes such as an aborenough to feel the surviving tion gone bad, performed by a spirit stirring within them. drunken woman who lives in a back alley, a woman who is Contact Cassandra Juniel at living a secret life of domestic abuse and another who should cjuniel.advocate@gmail.com.

of people’s chests, backs and buttocks hanging on the walls. The models for the molds are different people she has met over the years, she said. The chest pieces evoked a slight feeling of delicacy but also reminiscent of a strong piece of body armor. There weren’t many people present at the reception, and the few individuals who were there were not students. “It is a bit hard (for people to visit the gallery). Our college runs more on the day time,” art department Chairman

Eric Sanchez said. Sanchez helps artists gain access to the gallery whenever possible and helps them install their pieces. All of Williamson’s pieces that are on display are available for purchase. They are fairly affordable, she said. According to the price guide she had next to the door, prices ranged from $650 to $2,200. Contact Faythe Del Rosario at frosario.advocate@gmail.com.

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SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 10, 2010 l THE ADVOCATE

Comets win in shutout Squad keeps strong ball control, 3-0

Navarro said. “We came out strong with everything, trying to score some goals right off the bat.” Navarro scored the Comets’ second and third goal on the 23rd and 26th minute of the game, one on By Dariush Azmoudeh ASSOCIATE EDITOR a header originating from a free kick and the other on a Playing their last home penalty kick. game of the season, the The Comets were given Comet men’s soccer team the penalty kick on a run ended on a high note as toward the Napa Valley goal they dominated Napa Valley by forward Iury DaSilva, College on offense and when Storm defender defense to lock in a 3-0 vic- Braulio Cervantes tackled tory on Friday at the soccer him from behind. Due to field. the foul, Cervantes earned a The seven red card, which shots on target left Napa Valley by Contra Costa with 10 men on ScoreBoard the field. College (6-32 Bay Valley “We played Comets 3 Conference, well and for me, Storm 0 7-9-3 overall) I felt we were in the first half the better team Season over: showed the coming in. We 7-9-3 overall, Comets’ offenproved that by 6-3-2 in the sive dominance the way we and allowed played today,” BVC. them to score CCC coach three times in Nikki Ferguson the half to stay ahead of said. the Storm (0-9-1 BVC, 2The Comets scored early 13-3 overall) throughout the with a goal by midfielder entire game. Eduardo Quiroz on the 8th “We already knew we minute, knocking the ball weren’t going to win the into the net on an aerial pass conference, but we came from midfielder Ori Onn. out strong doing our best,” Quiroz also had an assist Comet midfielder Francisco on the Comets’ second goal.

GEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

Mid-air — Comet midfielder Eduardo Quiroz hits the ball away from Napa Valley College midfielder Tim Brown on the soccer field Friday. The Comets ability to maintain ball control led to their victory. “It was a good way to close out our last home game. Our team played to our full potential. It was an easy game,” Comet defender Ryan Gordon said. The Comets finished the first half strong offensively but in the second half, substituting half of the team, the offense took more of a laid back approach by only taking two shots. Ferguson said the substitutions he made in the second half were to give players who did not play much ear-

lier in the season a chance on the field. Defensively, CCC was strong throughout the game and held the Storm to only two shots in the entire game with one shot on target. Gordon said the key to their strong defense was teamwork and communication. “For me and our other defender Steven (Henry), it was the communication and positioning. We covered each other, and as a unit we were staying together,”

Gordon said. Ferguson credited the victory to the team’s ability to keep possession and take advantage of goal-scoring opportunities. “We maintained good possession and we did a good job finding the free player,” Ferguson said. “Today, we actually put the ball in the back of the net when we had the opportunity.” The Comets end their home record with five wins, three losses and three ties. CCC played its last game of

season against Yuba College on Monday. Despite having no chance at the playoffs, Ferguson said the win on Friday is still important to end the season on a high note. “It was a good way to close out. It’s always fun walking away with your last home game being a victory,” Ferguson said. Contact Dariush Azmoudeh at dazmoudeh. advocate@gmail.com.

Improved organization, squad ties 1-1 25th minute when defender Teresa Jimenez made a well-measured STAFF WRITER cross field pass to midfielder Daisy Huizar, who headed the ball but The Contra Costa College just missed the goal. The Comets women’s soccer team almost got ended the first half with a 1-0 lead its first win of the season on Friday over Marin. at home against College of Marin, They continued to play hard but ended up with a tie, 1-1. throughout the game. The Comets were leading for “I think we played good and the majority of the game until to our full ability. I am satisa penalty shot awarded to the fied because we tried really hard Mariners late in the game tied it today,” defender Moni Rodriguez up. said. The Comets started strong and The momentum of the game scored within the first 10 minutes, shifted when Johnson got her secgiving them the lead ond yellow card in the in a game for the first 82nd minute when she time this entire season. Mariner midScoreBoard fouled The goal came at fielder Diana Escobar the 10-minute mark from behind and was Comets 1 when forward Vanessa sent off of the field. Mariners 1 Johnson took an unexThe Comets were pected, powerful shot struggling to maintain Next game: from outside the box the lead, playing one Friday at Yuba, that left the Mariner man down, late in the 3 p.m. goalkeeper, Bryn game. Martinson, watching In the 91st minthe ball go through the ute the referee made net. a controversial call The Mariners kept trying to tie when Comet defender Harsharan the game, but the Comets played Bhangu allegedly pushed Mariner strong and organized soccer, deny- midfielder Kendall Joyce while ing them the opportunity to score. in the box. This resulted in a pen“This was the best and most alty kick for the College of Marin, organized we played this season which was converted by forward and because of that it kept us in the Molly Scheufler to tie the game game and created opportunities for 1-1. us,” coach Nikki Ferguson said. The Comets were satisfied with CCC goalkeeper Magaly Junco the game, earning their first point contributed to the effort, mak- in the conference with the draw. ing numerous critical saves dur“I thought that from the overall ing the game. The Comets could team standpoint it was the best have increased their lead at the game we’ve played so far this By Hilberth Ibarra

Box scores Women’s soccer (Nov. 5) College of Marin, Contra Costa Marin 0 CCC 1

1 — 1 0 — 1

First Half 1, CCC, Johnson 18, 10th minute. Second Half 1, Marin, Schaufler (penalty kick), 90th minute. Yellow Cards CCC, Vanessa Johnson (2).

Yellow Cards CCC, Alex Duenas. Napa, Alvaro Camacho. CCC, Francisco Navarro. Red Cards Napa, Braulio Cervantes. Individual statistics Goals — Napa — None. — CCC — Navarro 2, Quiroz. Assists — Napa — None. — CCC — Onn, Quiroz. Shots on goal — Napa — 1. — CCC — 7. Saves — Napa — Garcia 4. — CCC — Esquivel 1, Guzman 0.

Individual statistics Goals — Marin — Schaufler. — CCC — Johnson. Assists — Marin — None. — CCC — None. Shots on goal — Marin — 8. — CCC — 1. Saves — Marin — Martinson 0. — CCC — Junco 7.

Schedule

Record — Marin — 4-7-2 overall, 15-1 in BVC. — CCC — 0-12-1 overall, 0-6-1 in BVC.

Women’s soccer at Yuba College, Friday 3 p.m.

Men’s soccer (Nov. 5)

Women’s volleyball vs. Mendocino College, Today 6 p.m. vs. Yuba College, Friday 6 p.m. at Los Medanos College, Tuesday 6 p.m.

Napa Valley College, Contra Costa Napa 0 CCC 3

0 — 0 0 — 3

First Half 1, CCC, Quiroz 5 (Onn), 8th minute. 2, CCC, Navarro 21 (Quiroz), 21st minute. 3, CCC, Navarro 21 (penalty), 26th minute.

year,” Ferguson said. They were also a little disappointed to have the win taken away with a disputed call. “They just got lucky. I’m a little disappointed,” Johnson said. The Comets continue to improve

Football at Yuba College, Saturday 1 p.m.

Women’s basketball at Sierra College Tournament, FridaySunday. at De Anza College, Nov. 19 5:30 p.m. Men’s basketball at Reedley College, Nov. 20 3 p.m.

and hope to get a win in their final game of the season. “The one thing I truly enjoy about our team is that they don’t quit. They play for 90 minutes regardless of the result. You have to take your hat off to them,”

Ferguson said. They head to Yuba College to close out their season Friday at 3 p.m. Contact Hilberth Ibarra at hibarra.advocate@gmail.com.

SportShorts

Second Half None.

Record — Napa — 2-13-3 overall, 0-9-1 in BVC. — CCC — 7-9-3 overall, 6-3-2 in BVC.

Red Cards CCC, Vanessa Johnson.

ADAM OLIVER / THE ADVOCATE

Contentious grapple — Forward Teresa Jimenez struggles to gain the ball from a College of Marin defender on the soccer field Friday. The Comet’s struggle resulted in a 1-1 tie.

CCC unable to hold lead as Knights take 28-15 victory Despite leading 15-7 early in the third quarter, the Comet football team (3-6, 1-2 in the Bay Valley Conference) was unable to maintain its lead against Shasta College (2-7, 2-1 in the BVC) as the Knights won the game 28-15 on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Redding. “The theme of our past couple of weeks has been finishing,” coach Alonzo Carter said. “We don’t finish.”

“We played hard, (but) they just wanted it more than we did,” wide receiver Jordan Morrow said. “We have to execute our plays better.” Carter said the team’s youth and inexperience, though helpful at times, is hurting the Comets late in games. “It’s frustrating as coaches,” Carter said. The team has experienced several close losses, not because of its opponent’s physical abilities, but because of the Comets’ own poor execution

of plays. “We’re getting beat up front on both ends (offense and defense). Inexperience and youth is kicking us in the ass,” Carter said. Carter said the focus for the team this week is to become more efficient and get itself prepared to win the last game of the season, at Yuba College at 1 p.m. Saturday, and finish positively. — Rodney Woodson

Lack of passing jeopardizes team in three-set defeat Inconsistent passing and the inability to handle opponents’ serves hurt the volleyball team as it fell to Solano Community College in three sets, 25-10, 25-11 and 25-11, on Friday in Fairfield. Contra Costa College (310 overall, 3-10 in the Bay Valley Conference) failed to establish solid passing

throughout the game, which resulted in the squad not winning a single set against the Falcons (22-4 overall, 12-1 in the BVC). Despite being unable to have consistent passing, the Comets took an early 6-1 lead over Solano in the first set as they capitalized on the Falcons’ mistakes. “When we play against

good teams such as Solano, our passing isn’t as good compared to playing other teams,” coach Zach Shrieve said. Adding to their struggles, the Comets lost middle blocker Taletia Williams when she suffered an ankle injury after stepping on a teammate’s foot early in the third set.

The Comets hope to improve on their passing against Mendocino College (1-19 overall, 1-10 in the BVC) today at 6 p.m. in the Gymnasium. “We are playing better as a team compared to the beginning of the season,” Shrieve said. — Malcolm Lastra

8 THE ADVOCATE

l WEDNESDAY, NOV. 10, 2010

CAMPUS BEAT

Late family celebrated Skulls, poetry mark ‘Dia de los Muertos’ By Alexandra Waite NEWS EDITOR

Students celebrated the Day of the Dead through poetry and artwork in an effort to honor their ancestors who have passed away at the Dia De Los Muertos event held in the Recreation Room on Nov. 2. “The Day of the Dead is a day to remember your family, to visit their cemetery and put up an alter for them,” La Raza department Chairman Agustin Palacios said. The event, hosted by the La Raza department and the Puente Club, consisted of an open microphone for students to share poetry, songs and stories. The rest of the time was spent painting

skulls made out of sugar. Palacios said the sugar skulls are the traditional way to worship deceased family and friends on Dia De Los Muertos, which takes place on Nov. 2 in Latin America. During the open microphone session, three students shared poems and creative pieces of writing, while another student sang a song by Aaliyah. “(The poems) were pretty deep,” political science major Tyler Wojtowicz said. “A lot of the speeches people performed we did in class as assignments.” Wojtowicz received extra credit for attending the event, along with several other students, in his Chicano Literature class. Palacios said some students taking African-American studies classes also received extra credit after he sent out e-mails promoting the event. Student Ashley Schauer said she liked painting the

ALEXANDRA WAITE / THE ADVOCATE

Family matters — La Raza department Chairman Agustin Palacios holds his son Leonardo while speaking to the crowd at the Dia De Los Muertos event held in the Recreation Room on Nov. 2. skulls and what they represented but she wished there was more information provided about the significance of the skulls and why people paint them to honor the dead. “There was a pretty good

turnout,” Wojtowicz said. “It’s cool, but I expected more festivities.” Schauer said the event gave her an appreciation for Latin American beliefs and what they are promoting. Six Little Caesar’s Hot-

N-Ready pizzas were provided for performers. “The tradition is bittersweet,” Palacios said. “Death is a part of life. There is no need to be afraid of it. Dia de los Muertos celebrates it.” Schauer said she wished

more people had come because the event was a good way to learn about a different culture. Contact Alexandra Waite at awaite.advocate@gmail. com.

Honor society holds conference of ideas By Cassandra Juniel SPOTLIGHT EDITOR

More than 270 students were in attendance at the Alpha Gamma Sigma (AGS) Honor Society Northern California Regional Conference, held at Contra Costa College on Saturday. The theme, “Building a Better World One AGS Chapter at a Time,” drew the interest of more than 19 colleges that participated. “We were hoping for at least 200 people but never thought there would be this many people here,” CCC AGS President Christina Rathavongsa said. The conference was the first to be hosted at CCC in more than 20 years.

“Our goal today is for everyone to get to know one another, exchange ideas with others in how they handle their fundraising as well as discuss their recruiting efforts,” Rathavongsa said. AGS is an honor society for California community colleges with the purpose of maintaining, promoting, fostering and recognizing scholarships among students. Packets of information were given to attendees containing the agenda, instructions for the 10 workshops and guidelines for the team building exercise consisting of a scavenger hunt. The keynote speaker for the day was Robert J. Campbell, former assemblyman and an alumnus of CCC, who spoke on students’ chal-

lenges in the world and females in a male-dominated world. “We’ve been left in a state of flux to be leaders of tomorrow. Therefore, we must utilize our fellow man for encouragement and support, as well as treat each other with dignity and respect. We are all human beings,” Campbell said. AGS Vice President Sal Oceguera said, “What was inspiring to hear from Campbell was that as leaders, we should all be doing something to make a difference.” Campbell also commented on the key problems that students endure today. Economics that include child care, food, and gasoline are key concerns of many students. Because of the way the economy is, it makes it hard for

students to get an education. Campbell also challenged the audience to learn from their mistakes, and to figure out how to get more adults into school, as well as more African-American males in better schools. Campbell also asked the audience to challenge their instructors. “Just because they may have specific degrees does not mean that they know everything. Never accept an answer that does not seem right. Believe me, they (instructors) will appreciate it,” he said. Students were then directed to the three one-hour workshops on such topics as financial aid, stress relief and public speaking. Feedback on the workshops was positive from the students.

By Cassidy Gooding OPINION EDITOR

staff illustrator Faythe Del Rosario said. “The campus was so big that a fellow staff member and I got lost, but the workshops I went to were pretty interesting.” One in particular that stood out to Del Rosario was a workshop about “making it” in the food critic business. She said that though many of the speakers seemed to “brag” about themselves, she still learned a few things about different areas of journalism. At the ACP/CMA convention in Kentucky, to which 10 members of the staff were invited, the focus was more on socializing with the array of schools from all over the nation. “One of the different aspects of (the Louisville convention) was that there wasn’t a lot going on in the actual city, which gave us a lot more opportunity to talk to new people than there’s been in the past,” Pablo said. Assistant Photo Editor Christian Soto concurred. “We got to meet a lot of new people,” he said. “We basically just hung out with people the whole time from all over the place.” On the competitive side, The Advocate won a first place Best of Show award in the category of Special Edition Two-Year College and fourth place in Two-Year Weekly Broadsheet. The 2008-09 Advocate Editor-in-chief Justin Morrison also won first place for in House Advertisement among both two- and four-year schools across the nation, and DeBolt was granted the CMA Distinguished Two-Year Adviser Award. “The award is given to people who are nominated who have been advisers for more than 10 years,” DeBolt said. “It’s just more recognition for the program. I won the award because my students do good work.” Despite these four awards, the one the entire staff was hoping for — the National Pacemaker Award — did not travel home with The Advocate staff. The paper was one of seven two-year finalists, but only three colleges won the award, which is considered the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism. “When we didn’t win the Pacemaker, you could tell by the looks on the faces of the staff that we were disappointed,” Associate Editor Dariush Azmoudeh said. “But despite not winning it, we learned that we need to get better, instead of getting (complacent) and not trying any harder.” Pablo said, “We were all disappointed we didn’t win the Pacemaker, but we understood it’s still a huge honor to be recognized as a finalist. “The goal of the paper is to supply a service to the public. We did our duty as student-journalists, and that’s what it’s all about.”

The Advocate staff has been busy jet setting to attend workshops and win awards at journalism conferences the past two weekends. After returning from the Associated Collegiate Press/College Media Advisers National College Media Convention in Louisville, Ky. which ran from Oct. 27 to Oct. 31, a caravan of staff members traveled to San Jose State to take part in the Journalism Association of Community Colleges NorCal Conference on Saturday. Garnering a total of 39 awards from an extensive array of categories, The Advocate staff came home victorious. “The breadth of the awards they won was excellent,” faculty adviser of The Advocate Paul DeBolt said. From the NorCal Conference, the staff took home the General Excellence award for both mail-in newspaper and online edition, along with various individual awards. “There were lots of awards for writing and design,” DeBolt said. “But I was impressed by the amount of photo awards. It really showed the depth of the photography staff and its willingness to shoot spot news and to cover the campus.” The 2009-10 Advocate Editor-in-chief Holly Pablo said, “As great as individual awards are, group awards speak more to our collaboration in the newsroom. So General Excellence awards are always good.” Sam Attal, current Advocate Editor-inchief, agreed. “We always dominate at NorCal, but the General Excellence awards are best to win because they best represent the work we put in as a group,” he said. “I’m happy that everyone gets to see a plaque to show for our efforts.” Attal said, however, that a finished newspaper is a larger accomplishment than any prize won at a convention. “I don’t believe awards are everything,” he said. “Some (students) strive to win first place, but we just do what we do, and winning comes naturally.” The NorCal Conference, as a whole, also offered the group of more than 200 journalism students from 16 different community college campuses a day of workshops and contests featuring speakers and topics from a diverse collection of journalistic concentrations and professions. Even first-semester Contact Cassidy Gooding at cgooding. staff members took home new expertise. “For the most part, I enjoyed myself,” advocate@gmail.com.

Contact Cassandra Juniel at cjuniel.advocate@gmail.com.

Advocate travels, wins Staff amasses 39 awards in two weeks

“I attended the Art of Impromptu Speaking workshop because the field in which I’m majoring has a need to use good public relations skills, especially with internships,” Pardeep Singh, of Las Positas College, said. Chelsea Torres, of Los Medanos College, attended the Demystifying the Transfer Process workshop and said that the transfer process is not as complicated as it seems. The next AGS meeting is scheduled for Nov. 17 at 1 p.m in the Fireside Room where the last chance to become a member for this year will be offered.

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