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Serving San José State University since 1934 Tuesday, April 6, 2010
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Volume 134, Issue 32
90 years young with ‘pep’ in his step Uchida continues to coach judo club Donovan Farnham Staff Writer Looking past the pile of shoes and sandals outside of Room 202 of the old gym, past the judo club team practicing throws and joint locks and across the worn padded floor of the gym is Yoshihiro Uchida. Uchida, the namesake of Uchida Hall, founder and head coach of the SJSU's judo program, turned 90 on April 1, and he shows up to every practice Monday through Friday. Joe Aceto, an SJSU alumnus and judo team member, said that seeing coach Uchida show up to practice every day is inspiring even at his age. "He's the youngest 90-yearold I've ever seen," Aceto said. "He's a very, very lively 90-year-old. He's still full of pep and it's refreshing to see." Open University student
Conor Driscoll said he thinks that Uchida represents what a judo practitioner should be. "He's very much an embodiment of judo in that you never stop working and keep pursuing," Driscoll said. "Even in coaching and his ancient years, he's still able to keep coming. It's part of his routine." The program was started by Uchida in 1940, according to the SJSU Judo Web site. Uchida said he was hired to help teach the future sport of judo to police students and potential soldiers for World War II, and the sport was a way to condition them for future service both stateside and abroad. At the time, Uchida said he was 20 years old and a student at SJSU. "I was very fortunate to get it," Uchida said. "Besides, I was working my way through college so they gave me $30 a month, which was to me a big amount, so I could pay for my room and board. Of course this was in an era when I paid $15 a month."
When World War II started and Executive Order 9066 allowed the government to move immigrants with political ties to Germany and Italy and all Americans of Japanese decent into camps, the Japanese American community had their rights striped away, said Alex Yamato, a social science professor. The Spartan Complex West building was used as the first step in the mandatory relocation of Japanese Americans in the area, and it was renamed Yoshihiro Uchida Hall in 1997, Yamato said. "I don't think they were aware of that legacy because of Mr. Uchida's success as a judo coach and his contributions as a coach here," Yamato said. "I think it's kind of ironic." When Order 9066 was given, Uchida's family and the Japanese community were moved, he said. "The irritating thing was at that time there wasn't such thing as civil rights," Uchida said. "They thought the Consti-
tution would protect you, but you got to have someone that would really stand up for it. When the war started, my parents were put in the camps and I was drafted into the service. It was really a ridiculous kind of thing." Uchida said he was drafted into the Army and served as a medical technician. He said he gave vaccinations to soldiers as they were going off to the war front along with other odd jobs the Army would have him do. Beyond his medical position in the Army, Uchida said military life would have him perform tasks such as dishwashing and cleaning up movie theaters. These jobs never put a rifle put in his hands even after he graduated from basic training. "I learned a lot about hard work in there," Uchida said. "It was hard work, but it was discriminating work. All the other guys they had doing it
See UCHIDA, Page 2
Minority LGBT groups rising on campus Andrew Martinez Staff Writer Several new student social groups are geared toward serving the LGBT community at SJSU. Groups such as Queer and Asian, El Pais and Urban Pride provide a forum for those who identify as queer within communities of color, said Matthew Cadena, president of Q & A. Q & A is a student organization for those who identify as queer and Asian, Cadena said. El Pais is a student group for those who identify as queer and Latino, and Urban Pride serves queer persons who come from an urban environment where being open about one’s sexuality may not be safe, said El Pais president Steven Prudencio. Different cultures yield their respective customs and taboos, Cadena said. He said these subgroups are a way for queer people of color to identify themselves and commune outside of the mainstream or white gay perspective that is more widely represented. “People tend to be open in different ways,” he said. “Some-
Weather
one might have a different cultural upbringing than an American upbringing.” Cadena said he is half Korean and half Mexican and is active in both Q & A and El Pais. Manuel Vasquez, a post-baccalaureate credential student,
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People tend to be open in different ways.
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Matthew Cadena President of Q & A
said that El Pais addresses the ways in which issues of class, race, ethnicity, gender roles and machismo influence the Latino community. “These issues have a unique way of affecting individuals,” said Vasquez, vice president of El Pais. Similar issues are also relevant to Q & A participants as well as Urban Pride, Vasquez said. El Pais’s first event was the
LGBT Latino Panel last semester and was attended by more than 40 people, Prudencio said. The panel discussed religion, culture and homosexuality in Latin communities, as well as understanding the interpretations that labels, such as gay or bisexual, take in different cultures, he said. Prudencio said the panel was a success, considering it was the group’s first event and it was well attended. El Pais, Q & A and Urban Pride are relatively new student clubs, Prudencio said. To become an official student group, Prudencio said a prospective group needs at least eight members. He said the three groups officially started in the Fall 2009 semester. El Pais currently has about 10 active members who attend meetings, but school schedules and midterms create a challenge of student involvement, Vasquez said. Vasquez said the modest membership could be because of hesitation to join the group. “The basic attitude in the Latin community toward queer
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Tax season sneaks up on SJSU students Kevin Hume Staff Writer Income tax season is here, and SJSU students are struggling with finishing their taxes as the April 15 deadline approaches. “It’s actually not that easy,” said sophomore biology major Jason Corey. Corey said he has always done his taxes in years past, but this year things were complicated because of his scholarships. “I have scholarships for the first time and I didn’t make much money,” he said. “I’m trying to figure out what portions are taxable and non-taxable because any scholarship or grant money used toward my living expenses is taxable, and I’m trying to figure out what that is.” Khoi Phan, a junior hospitality management major, said he wasted time trying to get his taxes done last year. “I thought I was supposed to do income taxes and I went through it,” Phan said. “But then, it wouldn’t let me turn it in online because I only worked half a year and it wasn’t enough money for me to be eligible to do the taxes. I basically wasted two days.” Phan said he was doing them himself this year after his siblings declined to help him. “I’m just trying to do it myself, no software or anything, just whatever the book tells me to do,” he said. “I’m trying to go step-by-step, and it gets kind of difficult.” Phan said taking his taxes to a tax service is a hassle
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people is that it is not something that you openly embrace or accept,” Vasquez said. Some of Vasquez’s goals include getting the word out, finding more members and working with other cultural organizations, he said. Vasquez said that El Pais currently operates as a social group, but that he would like for them to become politically active. Junior photography major Luis Canales said that the ethnic LGBT subgroups are good for discussions and fellowship, but hopes they don’t sidetrack the goals of the larger LGBT organization, QTIP. “I wish that they were all more active politically,” Canales said. Canales said he is concerned with issues of gay marriage going by the wayside. Prudencio and Vasquez said they are planning for El Pais to participate in a march for immigrant rights that aims to abolish discrimination in current U.S. immigration laws and help those individuals who may be persecuted in their home country based on sexual orientation.
Yoshihiro Uchida, who is the current head coach of the SJSU judo club and coached the first U.S. olympic judo team in 1964, turned 90 years old on Thursday.
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Tuesday, April 6, 2010
NEWS
Blood drive suspension to continue at SJSU
Shiva Zahirfar Staff Writer Former SJSU President Don Kassing found that the Food and Drug Administration policy that bans gay men from donating blood violates the school’s nondiscriminatory laws. In an online message to the campus on Jan. 29, 2008, he stated there would be a suspension of blood drives on campus. Men who have had sexual relations with other men continue to be banned from donating blood, according to the FDA’s Web site. President Jon Whitmore decided to continue the suspension against blood drives, said Pat Lopes Harris, director of media relations at SJSU. “He reviewed the material and he knew the Academic Senate felt strongly about the blood drive suspension,” Harris said. “He respects the position we had taken.” Ann Marie Cordova, a senior business management major, said she couldn’t think of a good reason why blood drives would be banned. Even if FDA’s policy is discriminatory, Cordova said, it doesn’t make sense to suspend blood drives for any reason. “I think if it’s the main reason, it’s not a good reason at all because not all students are gay,” she said. “It’s like not having
UCHIDA From Page 1 had third-grade education, and here I am almost a junior in college. Maybe in a way they just didn't trust us." Uchida said it wasn't until later when he was stationed in Wyoming that he had a chance to learn more about the medical field from two officers that worked as college professors at Duke and Stanford Universities. In 1946, after the war ended, Uchida was approached by SJSU to restart the judo program, a position he took up again, according to the SJSU Judo Web Site. But, because the war ended didn't mean that the aggression toward Japanese Americans ended, Uchida said. Recalling one of the first days of class, Uchida said a discharged Marine harassed him and kept asking him why he should bother to learn judo. The student went as far to make remarks to Uchida about how he used men like him for bayonet practice on Guadalcanal and picking Uchida up
blood drives in San Francisco.” A man that has had sexual relations with another man any time after 1977 is not allowed to donate blood, according to the FDA’s Web site. “FDA's policies on donor deferral for history of male sex with males date back to 1983, when the risk of AIDS from transfusion was first recognized,” the FDA's Web site states. The FDA recognizes 1977 as the year the AIDS epidemic in the United States started, according to its Web site. “A history of male-to-male sex is associated with an increased risk for the presence of and transmission of certain infectious diseases, including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS,” according to the FDA’s Web site. Sophomore nursing major Jennifer Hernandez said the FDA should change its policy. But she said it’s ridiculous to suspend blood drives just because gay men are being discriminated against. “If it comes to AIDS, people should fill out a questionnaire before donating,” she said. Testing blood for HIV is not always accurate, states the FDA's Web site. “It can take as little as two weeks or as long as six months from the time you become infected with HIV for the antibodies to
be detected in your blood,” the FDA’s Web site states. This period is called the window period, according to the WebMD Web site. Antibodies are difficult to test for during this time, but HIV can still be spread, WebMD’s Web site states. Tyler Hirasawa, a freshman undeclared student, said anyone should be able to donate blood. Hirasawa said he doesn’t agree with the president’s choice to suspend blood drives or the FDA’s policy. “I can’t think of a solution for the FDA’s discriminatory policy, but there should be another way,” he said. Krizia Cabrera, a sophomore health science major, said the FDA doesn’t have the right to ban gay men from donating blood. Cabrera said she supports Whitmore’s decision. “Our school shouldn’t be associated with discrimination,” she said. The FDA states the policy is not intended to single out men who have had sexual relations with other men. “FDA's policy is intended to protect all people who receive blood transfusions from an increased risk of exposure to potentially infected blood and blood products,” the FDA's Web site states.
and shaking him in front of the class. "The idea in judo is to unbalance your opponent," Uchida said. "I knew that when he let me down he would be off balance, When he let me down he was off balance, I applied a technique and slammed him down. When I slammed him
or is hard on the team because his expectations for them are high. "He's very strict and comes off very mean and straight-forward with the kids," Bencosme said. "He's kind of old-school Japanese. He'll put you down, not to break you, but in order for you to prove him wrong. Then when you come through and achieve what he thought you couldn't before, he'll reward you." Lisette Abad, a freshman engineering major and judo team member, said she has known coach Uchida since she was 9 years old, and she was told stories about coach Uchida from her old coach. "You know that if he's picking on you or he constantly gets your attention or he comes up to you, you know he likes you," Abad said. Outside of the gym, Bencosme said that Uchida is a teacher that's willing to get to know his students and speak with them. "He's a generous man. He's a kind soul," Bencosme said. "He realizes that his time could have been spent elsewhere doing something else, but I think he appreciates all these kids are
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He’ll put you down, not to break you, but in order for you to prove him wrong.
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Jose Bencosme Assistant coach down, I made sure he stayed down and my elbow went into his solar plexus, so he was laying there gasping for air, and I stood there and said 'this is judo.'" After that, Uchida said no other students bothered him. On the mat, Jose Bencosme, assistant coach for the team and who has known Uchida for 10 years, said that his demean-
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
On April 6, 2000, the Spartan Daily reported that ... (Above) A student protests the use of sweatshop labor by university apparel manufacturers by being taped to a tree in red tape. •
The Advanced Manufacturing Systems class won the grand prize in the Westec 2000 University Manufacturing Challenge with their “Grasshopper Off-Road Wheelchair.”
putting in all this hard work for the effort he put into it. For him it's all about judo, and as mean as he might be on the mat, off the mat he's a completely different person." Uchida said he has continued to teach judo over the last 60 years to help build an understanding between the American public and Japanese and Japanese Americans. And despite building the judo program, helping establish judo as a collegiate sport, being the United States' first Olympic Judo coach, having a building named after him within his lifetime and serving in World War II, Uchida said he was driven to do something. "Something had to be done," Uchida said. "Sometimes I got people to help me, like building judo. I felt it was very important that this was a very good communication with the public, and if someone can teach judo and they can get to know the Japanese people and Japanese culture. Today you look at Afghanistan, there is sort of a fear and mistrust. I thought if we had something like judo we could communicate with, it could bring about a closer relationship and understanding."
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University Police Department forged an alliance with San Jose Police Department and Crime Stoppers to increase the awareness of neighborhood crime in San Jose.
TAX From Page 1 because people should know how to do their own taxes. He said he hadn’t done them yet because of laziness. Steven Tran, a sophomore computer science major, said he hasn’t done his taxes yet because of a lack of time. “I’ll get started on them later on this week,” he said. Tran said it was a hassle to get them done, but he isn’t stressed about waiting to the last minute to get them done. “I’m not that worried,” he said. Steven Juanes, a senior industrial technology major, said he had already finished doing his taxes. “I got about $100 to $200 less than I did last year and I owed to the state,” Juanes said. He said he doesn’t do his own taxes, which makes it less stressful. “I give it to my dad and he takes care of them,” he said. Arlene Petalver, a graduate student in music, said she wished her tax dollars went
toward more services she used. “I don’t mind if it was going toward health care,” she said. “But when everything goes toward roads and all sorts of stuff that you don’t really see very much out of, it gets a little annoying.” They did their taxes themselves, she said, but next year are planning to go to H&R Block. Undeclared sophomore Thuy Ha said she has never had to file taxes because she’s never had a job. “I feel like it’s one less thing to stress about,” Ha said. “I’ve never had money problems because I’ve never worked. I feel bad for people who do.” Ha said she isn’t looking forward to the time when she finally has to do taxes. Junior accounting major Milan Holmes said his taxes were done early and he received much more money this year. “I’m in a different tax bracket now, so I got a lot more money,” Holmes said. He said getting his taxes done makes him feel good. “It makes me feel like I’m grown,” he said.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
NEWS
Dance department celebrates professor’s 20th year at SJSU Andrew Martinez Staff Writer The University Dance Theatre, SJSU’s contemporary dance company, is gearing up for a special annual spring concert this weekend. This year marks Professor Fred Mathews’ 20th year at SJSU, and University Dance Theatre’s concert will pay tribute to Mathews’ tenure within the dance department, Professor Gary Masters said. “I like celebrations and I think they’re important,” Masters said. “Especially in the arts. We don’t celebrate achievements enough to remind us that it wasn’t always like this.” Masters said that the concert is an opportunity to reflect on the trajectory of the dance department from physical education through redefining the School of Music to become the School of Music and Dance. Mathews arrived at SJSU in 1989, when the dance program was part of the Theatre Arts program and the bachelor of arts curriculum in dance was five years old, Masters said. Mathews said he had been working in New York City as a professional dancer, company director and freelance instructor when he interviewed for the position of a student dance company director. “At the time, I didn’t even know where San Jose was,” Mathews said. “They offered me the position and it seemed
like something I certainly wanted to give a try." Mathews said that his second career as a dance professor is just as gratifying as his first career as a dancer. “If someone hadn’t fought like he fought to maintain the integrity of dance as an entity, we might not exist at all,” Masters said. Masters said it was a time similar to now, when budget cuts were happening, and the school was getting rid of small programs. “We felt like we were about to be assassinated, basically,” he said. Mathews spearheaded the dance department’s association with the School of Music and Dance, Masters said. Choreographers were asked to create works in celebration of Mathews that drew from the essence of his vast body of work, Masters said. The concert will feature five new works, all choreographed for the full company of 17 dancers, he said. “We don’t usually do that many new works,” Masters said. “Just trying to find enough rehearsal time has been interesting to say the least.” University Dance Theatre will perform a piece entitled “Cradle” that was choreographed by Assistant Professor Heather Cooper and was created with Mathews in mind, she said. “Being able to be a part of
this program and to pay tribute to Fred is a huge honor for me and to be able to do it in the way we communicate as dancers do, with dance and choreography,” Cooper said. She said “Cradle” features the full company and is a quiet but powerful piece that embodies the support that Mathews demonstrates. “I love the idea that Fred can do something for one group of people and we all know that in time, that it’s going to affect an even larger group of people.” Cooper said. “Being able to create this piece for him can say so much more than I can ever say in words.” Lecturer Maria Basile said it is an honor to work with him. “The students don’t know how good he is until they go out there and find out how well they’ve been trained,” Basile said. Savannah Perez, a senior dance major and University Dance Theatre company member, said Mathews provides insight to what makes dance great and delivers a sense of completeness to their dances. “It’s important to recognize what he’s done,” Cooper said. “For him, but also for ourselves. It’s easy to go through the motions and take things for granted, and it’s easy to look past the things that are really helping us be where we are. If you don’t recognize that, it’s hard to be true to what happens thereafter.”
PERFORMANCE TIMES 7 p.m. Thursday - Saturday Matinees: 10:30 a.m. Friday; 2:30 p.m. Saturday
NOW
Location: The Dance Theatre, Spartan Complex (SPX 219)
PLAYING
General admission: $20 Student / senior: $8
Reception: Saturday, April 10 after the 7 p.m. show. Tickets are $10.
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Biomedical students convene at forum Ben Cadena Staff Writer Leaders and CEOs of various industry groups gathered Tuesday to inform and relate growth problems, strategies and new developments in the industry of biomedical devices at SJSU engineering auditorium. Tom Afzal, president and CEO of Spinal Kinetics, said there were difficulties in achieving a 510k plan in the U.S., and for that reason the product was first launched in Germany eight years ago. “To be successful you need a chief evangelical officer, someone who recruits top people at the right time," Afzal said. "You have to think globally as we did in introducing product in Germany eight years ago, and we received approval for the first devices replacing cervical disks, then we went on to develop devices for the lower spine." Startup companies have to meet all their milestones, proof of concept, experimental trials and First in Man testing, according to Afzal. "To survive as a startup you need to either have deep pockets from venture capital or start getting money back from sales and development for reimbursement to take place," Afzal said. "This takes longer in the American market with tougher standards set by the Food and Drug Administration." Samir Shah, a graduate student in biomedical devices, said he liked the conference. "The conference gives SJSU an opportunity to interact with the biomedical device community as a whole," Shah said. Rob Abrams, operating
partner for Sanderling Ventures, gave advice on raising capital for new devices. "We are in an exciting time with more opportunities for health care, with the aging of baby boomers who want care, but new companies must watch their burn rate of capital as they wait for 510 approval or stricter FDA qualification rounds," said Abrams, who holds more than 70 patents for neurological, cardiovascular stents and orthopedic appliances. Abrams said there will be 40 million more people needing health care with the passage of health care legislation. He said there are new therapies that can scan and clean lipids in the vessels and a new company, InfraredX, that can clean out blockages in arteries. "Some bio-med implants have failed or had problems that brought on class-action lawsuits," said Tom Bauer, an M.D. at Cleveland Clinic. Bauer said there were failures in the manufacturing of an implantable hip joint that was contaminated by gram negative bacteria in a Texas plant. The implants built by the company had been outsourced and a nitric acid bath had not been used on batches, causing inflammation. All had to be replaced, resulting in the class-action lawsuit that cost the company at least a billion dollars, Bauer said. He said companies can't be too careful in every step of the manufacturing process. "This conference puts us on the map and gets our name out in industry," said Erik Aks, a master's student in biomedical devices. "It creates a forum for us in Silicon Valley." Students displayed posters
of their graduate experiments in biomedical devices. "We are fabricating biomembranes to insert drugs or medicine or stem cells for treatment of various diseases," said Ding Chen, a graduate student in biomedical devices. Chen said that capsules are also fabricated using crab shell material as the basis, floating in a seaweed-alginate substance. "An intended drug is mixed with liquid polymer and the polymer is converted to capsules using an air pump and flow pump," said Raki Nagendra, a master's student in biomedical devices. "The capsules are timerelease based, for example a terminal patient waiting for a liver transplant can orally take capsules containing liver cells that do the job and then come out naturally," Nagendra said. John Tang, a graduate student in biomedical devices, said the conference was excellent for two reasons. “One, there was an opportunity to speak directly with people in industry and to ask questions about their personal experiences, and two, it gave us an opportunity to be exposed to some of the most prevalent issues in the medical device industry," he said. "We had many speakers specializing in many fields of the medical device industry," said biomedical student Nick Polsaward. "We learned a lot. It’s a great chance to assist in this conference. "So, the reason why we pursue and are interested in this field is because we want to use our knowledge to save lives," he said. "Even though I'm not a doctor I can still help save lives."
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Tuesday, April 6, 2010
TECH
Apple iPad touched down between smartphone and laptop REVIEW Donovan Farnham Staff Writer To the lines of loyal Apple followers and months of hype fueled by the Internet, the WiFi version of Apple's new product, the iPad, was released on April 3. The aesthetic of the system is what you would expect from Apple, the company that made technology slick and sexy. Like other Apple products, such as Apple desktops and Macbooks, the screen is vibrant and boots up almost instantly. The screen is a 9.7-inch LED screen, according to the Apple Web site. When the iPad is running applications such as "Plants vs. Zombies" and USA Today, colors are vibrant and pop off the screen. Pictures and text come in crisp and sharp as if they are in a magazine. Beyond the aesthetics, if someone has used an iPod Touch or iPhone, then the transition to using the iPad will be quick and virtually seamless because the operating systems are identical. The size of the iPad feels more natural, like you're reading a magazine, as opposed to using a laptop, and that mirrors the way I see using the iPad. At an Apple news conference in January, Steve Jobs said the iPad would fill the space between a mobile phone,
such as the iPhone, and laptop computers, such as Macbooks. The iPad fits in that gap because it doesn't do enough to rival a lower-end laptop and is easier to use than a iPhone, mainly because of the iPad's size. I see the iPad as being a leisure device that I'd use on a lazy Saturday morning when reading a magazine or surfing the Internet. It's also useful when sitting at my desktop would be too much effort or
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The aesthetic of the system is what you would expect from Apple, the company that made technology slick and sexy.
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having my laptop battery burn my lap wouldn't be worth the trouble. But I don't see the iPad being useful for productive tasks, such as answering e-mails, handling reports or processing spreadsheets, for a few reasons. The keyboard that pops up on the screen is not a true QWERTY keyboard and not as functional. The iPad's keyboard is smaller, probably for the sake of usability and economy of the screen, and doesn't have all the keys within reach because a user has to toggle symbols and
numbers. It's a small nitpick that takes some getting used to, but doing mundane tasks like updating a Twitter or Facebook account will need to be relearned. I wouldn't want to use the onscreen keyboard to make the occasional instant message or an e-mail that's more than 100 words long. The lack of multitasking is another small low point for the system. When I'm using a computer, I usually have two or three Web browsers open, each with multiple tabs open while I'm working on another task. The iPad can play music while you surf the Internet, but that's about it. The readability of the screen for books isn't as comfortable to use as other e-readers, such as the Kindle, that use e-ink. Reading newspaper and magazine Web sites is easier if you hold the iPad instead of staring at screen while sitting at a desk. The screen is more comfortable than reading for longer periods of time on a standard computer monitor. But only by so much. The iPad isn't going to replace a phone and it won't replace a laptop computer any time soon, but what it will do is replace a bookshelf. It does enough things well that it could potentially replace a shelf filled with novels or a rack full of CDs. It will also let you play some casual video games while it, hopefully, revitalizes newspapers and magazine and makes reading on the Internet more personal.
(ABOVE) The Apple iPad sits on a desk. Jennifer Giles, a junior marketing major, tries out the iPad on campus. THOMAS WEBB / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
TECH
Foursquare misses the checkpoint REVIEW Donovan Farnham Staff Writer Like the big, red rubber ball in elementary school, Foursquare will have users bouncing around to various locales to rack up points and, hopefully, some potential discounts. Foursquare is a smartphone application that works as a social networking Web site where users can broadcast their location across the network to other users. As someone checks into more and more places, they will start to accumulate points and badges for their travels. If users check into the same place again and again, they will be deemed the mayor of the establishment for all to see -- essentially naming themselves the regular of all regulars. Foursqaure can potentially turn mundane tasks, such as buying a cup of coffee, picking up a sandwich and sitting in class at Clark Hall, into a game between users who can compete for points and mayorship of a business. According to the Foursquare Web site, businesses with a booming Foursquare following are encouraged to participate in the community by giving discounts or free stuff to their mayors as a sign of gratitude for their frequent visits. Foursquare is a great idea -in theory. I like the idea of turning everyday chores and tasks such as going to the corner market and grabbing a hamburger into a game that could potentially add
* COURTESY OF FOURSQUARE WEB SITE
up to some possible discounts or recognition by the owners and staff for your returning business.
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The other fault to the Foursquare game is the amount of businesses that participate.
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The problem with this idea is it can require a user to first gain the prestigious title of mayor. This means that if someone is starting to use Foursquare for the first time and they want to become the mayor of their favorite bar, they first need to overthrow the current mayor, meaning they will have to outvisit someone that's already established as a die-hard fan of that bar. This can take a while to do because someone can't check how many visits the current mayor
has. It could be 10 or hundreds of visits until the title of mayor is bestowed with pomp and circumstance -- that is, if the business is playing Foursquare too. The other fault to the Foursquare game is the amount of businesses that participate. According to the Foursquare Web site, San Jose has six businesses that offer deals to Foursquare users and their mayors. One of the businesses, Henry's Hi-Life on West St. James Street, offers a free beer or well drink on a user's 10th check-in, and the mayor gets a pitcher of beer or a round of drinks. The mayor of Jack's Bar at East Taylor and North Fourth streets gets draft beer for a dollar and happy hour prices. If more businesses offered deals such as these to Foursquare users, especially businesses within walking distance of SJSU, then it would be worth it to use Foursqaure. From a technical aspect, the Foursquare application lets users generate tips and retrieve tweets from the surrounding area of a business. This is to help consumers know more about the neighborhood around them and where to find new places to visit and where to avoid, according to the Foursquare Web site. I like these features as well, but Yelp can be used for finding new eateries, and users can already pull up location-based tweets on Twitter. Another issue is it's better with friends. I wouldn't recommend jumping into Foursquare without a group of dedicated social-network users to play along. If Foursquare's good ideas were rolled into an already existing social network, then it would be fantastic, but on its own, it isn't worth it right now.
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MySpace may friend Facebook in a nod to its dominance
* COURTESY OF FACEBOOK WEB SITE
COMMENTARY Husain Sumra Managing Editor MySpace may be raising the white flag and finally surrendering to Facebook in the social networking wars. Facebook Connect, a service that allows users to log in to Web sites with their Facebook account, may be coming to MySpace, according to tech blog TechCrunch. In a way, it's kind of sad to see this happen to MySpace, as it essentially made the social networking phenomenon mainstream. People have Facebooks and Twitters because of MySpace. In high school, I had a MySpace account but eventually also signed up for a Facebook account because its interface is simpler and more professional. It was also more stable. MySpace allows users to customize the look of their profiles and to automatically play music when someone visits their profile. That ability may have contributed to the amount of glitches and oddities users can run into while on MySpace.
Facebook had little of that at the time. Another problem that contributed to the downfall of MySpace was the myriad of fake pornographic accounts friending people. On any given day, I might have received five to 10 friend requests from fake people. On Facebook, I get some once in a while but not as often. Users that grew up with MySpace in high school also might have moved on to Facebook once in college as well. Facebook was only for college students when it first started and eventually opened up to everybody. Facebook began to implement features like the news feed and chat, which were eventually implemented into MySpace. Recently, MySpace shifted strategies and started focusing on music, which has always been one of its strengths. That was just avoiding the inevitable. Facebook is essentially on a war path and will defeat any other social networking service. The Web site's user interface and features are continually updated, and although they sometimes meet resistance and fill news feeds
with phrases such as "omg new layout sucks!" they keep people interested. That keeps people from getting bored of Facebook and switching to other social networks. Now, according to TechCrunch, Facebook may roll out a "Like" button for the entire Internet. Basically, a Facebook user could be reading an article on a Web site such as Wired or Yahoo and click a "Like" button if they enjoy the article, according to TechCrunch. It's a lot like the current "Share" feature that Facebook has on some Web sites, but the "Like" button may bring more to the table, according to TechCrunch. Logging into a MySpace account using a Facebook account may officially put an end to people viewing MySpace as a dominant social network. It's also excellent news for Facebook, which now has Twitter as its main competition in the social networking world. That battle may eventually be over as well, as Facebook has tried to buy Twitter in the past and has failed. It wouldn't be surprising to see Facebook try again.
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SPORTS
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Former Spartan quarterback comes back to lead camp SJSU star returns to old stomping grounds
and collegiate quarterbacking. Corey Magleby, whose son Max was a camp attendee and is a junior at Del Oro High in Daniel Herberholz Loomis, Calif., said Clarkson and Staff Writer his team helps prepare young quarterbacks for the future. When Steve Clarkson walked “Get a little bit of instruction onto the field, the former SJSU from the higher-ups, from guys quarterback could look up into who know what they’re doing,” the rafters of Spartan Stadium Corey Magleby said. “Matching and see the name of the tailyourself up against other playback who ran behind him and ers in the area, knowing how the coach who talked in his ear. you feel. Keeping their confiClarkson returned last week dence up is really big. Just good to the stadium where Gerald exposure (for) the recruiting Willhite and Jack Elway are process and the exposure proenshrined in the Spartan Stacess to college.” dium Ring of Honor. The quarMagleby said the camp exterback who tossed the most posure aided his oldest son, touchdowns in SJSU history Mason, in landing a spot on the does not keep Elway and Willroster as a quarterback at Nehite company on the top tier of vada. the stadium. “It was the only way, since “He made quick reference he didn’t get to start as a junior, to that – I was like, ‘So this is he didn’t get any junior stats,” where you ripped it up, old Corey Magleby said. “We did man?’ and he said ‘Not good the camp circuit and got such enough, apparently,’” said his good buzz off our camp circuit, son Anton Clarkson, who threw he got a full ride at University for 7,140 yards and 45 touchof Nevada.” downs while playing at Hofstra Former SJSU quarterback turned professional coach Steve Clarkson mentors future quarterbacks during a 15-city tour that stopped in San Jose on March 27. DANIEL HERBERHOLZ/ SPARTAN DAILY Local quarterbacks in atUniversity. tendance included Archbishop While playing for the SparWith 73 kids and their parents Mitty junior Kyle Boehm, Prospect jutans from 1979 to 1982, Steve Clarkson a loss the last two years, and I didn’t ing us intellectual jarbs. We couldn’t from all over Northern California in nior Casey Mintz, Leland sophomore racked up 56 touchdowns and 6,842 want to end my college career like wait to go on the walk.” He completed 43 of 62 passes attendance on March 27, Clarkson and Jason Habash, Willow Glen sophoyards, which puts him currently at No. that,” Clarkson told the Spartan Daily for 467 yards and three touchdowns his team of former NFL players and more Mitchell Ravizza, Bellarmine 3 on the Spartans career passing yards after the game. That 1982 campaign marked the against Toledo in the 1981 California coaches held the camp in an effort to junior Travis McHugh and Palo Alto list. junior Christoph Bono, the son of for“I came out here yesterday and second straight year Clarkson and Bowl, which stands as an SJSU record sift through quarterbacking talent. Former USC and Houston Oilers mer NFL quarterback and Montana walked the field and reminisced about coach Jack Elway led the Spartans in for highest completion percentage, certain games and plays and people we a victory over a Stanford team quar- total yards gained and touchdowns wide receiver Travis Hannah and cur- backup Steve Bono. “He’s hearing the same things I’ve rent Stanford freshman quarterback played against,” Clarkson said. “The terbacked by eventual Hall of Famer thrown in a bowl game. Clarkson finished his career hold- Josh Nunes were two such members told him day in and day out,” Steve one game that I would say that bar John Elway. The prior year was the Bono said. none (I remember) was my last game, only time SJSU beat Cal (27-24) and ing 20 school records, according to an of Clarkson’s team. Even with his recent success as Nunes attended Clarkson’s camp article in the Nov. 30, 1982 edition of against Utah State. We were down … Stanford (28-6) in the same season. a year ago,ww just one of Clarkson’s quarterbacks coach, Clarkson remains “We used to love watching those the Spartan Daily. we came back to win the game. The He was an Academic All-American many former pupils. Others include fond of his time at SJSU, when he last time I walked on the field as a se- people leave the stands early,” Clarknior, that was when people were say- son said of playing at Stanford and Cal. honorable mention his senior year, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Leinart, could drive through campus on San “Back in the day, they used to think it following a second team selection as a Matt Cassel, Jimmy Clausen and the Carlos Street or enjoy Tower Lawn. ing ‘Thank you.’ It was huge.” “There’s nothing like a Thursday sons of Joe Montana and Snoop Dogg. After being down 23-7 in the first was an intimidation walk, from the junior. Clarkson said the most important afternoon over by the big tower, lying This time around, Clarkson was in half, Clarkson threw for two touch- main locker room to the Farm, as they downs and ran for two more in a third- called it. We’d walk through their al- Spartan Stadium for a stop of his youth part of the camp was to teach par- on the grass and reading a book, just quarter comeback that led to a 49-26 ums and they thought they’d intimi- quarterback camp, the Steve Clarkson ents of these youth quarterbacks, who taking in that scenery,” he said. “It was date us. We just laughed ... watching Dreammaker Tour, which tours 15 cit- ranged from 5th to 12th grade, a few just an amazing time and I’ll never win for the Spartans. things about the process of high school forget that.” “I watched the seniors go out on people eating wine and grapes and giv- ies across the country.
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010
SPORTS
7
Senior serves a determined attitude to tennis team Shiva Zahirfar Staff Writer
Senior tennis player Jennifer Williams practices her serve recently on the tennis courts at the Spartan Tennis Complex. THOMAS WEBB/ SPARTAN DAILY
All eyes were on Jennifer Williams as she was playing the last tennis match of the day against Sonoma State on March 23. Both teams’ players sat on the tennis court right next to the action, watching as Williams, a senior child and adolescent development major, tried to defeat Jessica Harris in the final set of the match. The match had been tied. Williams had won the first set 6-4 but lost the second 6-1. After a series of rallies and occasional grunts from Williams and Harris, the other tennis players got up and walked toward the exit. Williams had lost the match with the last set score at 6-3. These back-and-forth affairs have been an intricate part of Williams' life since she was 4 years old, marking the beginning of a
18-year journey. “My parents put me into all kinds of sports and tennis was the one I fell in love with,” Williams stated in an e-mail. “My dad was the coach of the high school (tennis) team, so ever since I was little my goal was to play for him." Her personality and drive for the sport has led to her being named captain of the SJSU women's tennis team two years in a row. Williams began to shine as a tennis player in high school. As a freshman at York High School, she was ranked in the top eight in the state of Illinois. During her time in high school, Williams was a four-time all-state performer, a four-time sectional champion in doubles and a four-time letter winner in tennis. She ranked in the top 16 in Illinois in her last three semesters of high school. “I am from a small town
about 20 minutes west of Chicago called Elmhurst,” Williams stated in an email. “I always wanted to get out of the Midwest and I used tennis as my ticket out. California was my dream place to go, and after meeting (SJSU women's tennis coach) Anh-Dao (NguyenChurch), I knew I wanted to come to San Jose State.” She was an Academic All-Western Athletic Conference honoree for two years straight from 2007 to 2009. Teammates Megan Kummer and Valerie Cormier said Williams is a valuable team member. “She really cares about the team,” said Kummer, a senior history major. “She asks how you did on your matches.” Cormier, a freshmen biology major, said Williams helps break the tension during competitions. “She’s funny,” Cormier said. “She cheers us up.”This is the second straight year
Williams has been appointed team captain, said head coach Nguyen-Church. “If we are unhappy, she asks us what’s wrong and reports to the coaches,” Kummer said. Nguyen-Church said Williams’ leadership makes her a great tennis player. Williams’ personality and attitude are, according to Nguyen-Church, the best thing about her. “She gets along well with everybody,” NguyenChurch said. According to Williams, tennis is a love-hate relationship. “For the most part, tennis has been very enjoyable, but there have been those moments I wanted to walk away from the game altogether,” Williams stated in an e-mail. “Tennis has given me so many opportunities and I am so grateful for all of them, but I am also very much looking forward to the end.”
Sam Piraro wins his 1,000th game
Spartan Daily Staff Report
Saturday’s 5-3 win for the SJSU baseball team did more than snap a seven-game losing streak. The victory served as the 1,000th career win for SJSU head coach Sam Piraro. “I think that when you look at it, it kind of exemplifies just a career that’s been a long career,” Piraro said in a postgame news conference. “It is a magical number because not a lot of people have it. Maybe when I’m re-
tired, I can look back and say you know what, that’s pretty (impressive).” Piraro is in his 23rd season coaching the Spartans and has compiled a 736-555 record while coaching the varsity baseball team at SJSU. He is the winningest coach in SJSU history. After playing two seasons on the SJSU baseball team in 1971 and 1972, Piraro began his career as a coach in 1974 as a graduate assistant and junior varsity coach for SJSU where he picked up the first 74 victories of his coaching career.
He became the first baseball coach at Santa Clara’s Mission College in 1980 and racked up a 190-70-career record as its head coach until his departure in 1986. In 35 years of coaching, Piraro's teams have had 30 winning seasons. Piraro has led the Spartans to five 40-win seasons. Piraro has been named WAC Coach of the Year four times over the course of his career. His achievements came in 1997, 2000, 2008 and 2009. The Spartans struggled to get
Piraro his 1,000th victory after he captured his 999th win on March 20. The defining victory came on Saturday in a come-from-behind 5-3 victory over Brigham Young University. "I’ve never been a big numbers guy when it comes to that, but I think when I’m retired, somebody will say you won a thousand games. Wow. Yeah, that was pretty cool," Piraro said. "That means I must have been decent at what I did. So that’s kind of where I let it go, and I try not to make a big thing about it.”
head coach Sam Piraro won his 1,000th game Saturday. Spartan Daly Archives
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Tuesday, April 6, 2010
OPINION
Don’t forward me your single-minded political crap No one likes stupid people. Just ask around. Turn to the person next to you and ask, “Harold, do you like stupid people?” Harold will say no. When you’re walking down the street and see a stupid person bellowing about how the president is crap or something about illegal immigrants, non-stupid people generally cross the street and avoid eye contact. However, when receiving e-mails of the very same nature, an interesting thing happens – the “forward” response. I often ponder the origin of these mass e-mails — clearly, someone, at one point, originally concocted these things. You know the type — “One day, Sally looked in the mirror and saw the ghost of Christmas past. It broke through and ate her face off. If you don’t forward this to 19 people in the next five minutes, the ghost of Christmas past will break through your mirror and eat your face.” The reason you got stuck in this chain letter is that your friends and family are gullible enough to fear the ghost of Christmas past so much that they would rather put you in its path than have surprise, mirror ghost visits. I didn’t forward it. Principle. I also avoided mirrors for about a week. Weirder than ghosty breaking on through to the other side, though, is the realization that someone was sitting around somewhere, willing to spend the time and commit poor grammar and questionable sentence structure to the original message. Weirder is that political points seem to use email forwards as a soapbox. I received one the other day that detailed the accounts of “Joe Le-
conservative grandparents who gal” and “Jose Illegal.” love their granddaughter in In the horribly simplified spite of the fact that she’s a tofustory, Joe Legal, a good Amerimunching spendthrift liberal. can citizen complete with In the e-mail, it is menAmerican flag flip-flops, earns tioned that she urged her family $30 an hour as a construction and friends to vote for Obama, worker. However, taxes, inswearing that everything would surance and other obligations be better as a result. take all of Joe’s money away. A year after Obama was in He ends up so broke that he offi ce, Liberal Lydia writes to has to resort to wearing a barAngelo Lanham the grandparents, asking for rel, living in a crap apartment Yes, I Have a Point cash so she can split to Europe. with his family, and working a second job. Jose Illegal, on the other hand, somehow earns $15 per hour (a decent, working wage not entirely consistent with typical under-the-table day labor wages). According to the e-mail, Jose has no responsibilities with his money, and spends his time loafing around the mansion with his family, enjoying the finer things in life and sending an occasional grand back home to Mexico. This account is not based in reality. The arguments offered within take actual concepts and stretch them so far beyond the truth that it actually hurts a little, and makes me kind of mad. I’ve known very few undocumented immigrants who enjoy the finer things in life and don’t live eight to a cell in a two-bedroom apartment. And yet, this is making the rounds on the Internet. If you were walking by the liquor store and saw some mangy person screaming about someone named “Jose Illegal,” you’d probably quicken your pace. When it hits the inbox, how- It seems she has used up all her money, probably to fund Ann Coulter protests. Being an irreever, that’s a whole different story. Another e-mail I received solemnly swore sponsible liberal, she would rather beg grams for that it conveyed a true story about a set of nice, thousands than actually save up herself.
It’s true. I saw him knock an old lady’s teeth out, grab her purse and spend it all at Whole Foods, giving his change to the guys standing outside the paint store.
GOP Granddad writes back that, while they would like to give her some cash, a year under Obama has bankrupted them. Like Joe Legal, they are wearing barrels. He points out that Liberal Lydia brought this on herself – presumably, under McCain, GOP Gramps would have simply written her a check. GOP Gramps laments that Obama has siphoned all the bread his business rakes in and given it to illegal immigrants. So screw you and Europe, Liberal Lydia, GOP Grandma and I are huddled in the living room, burning the furniture for heat. In these war-torn times, it’s instinctive to blame the president. After all, think back to the utopian surplus Bush left him. How could he have messed up the paradise that Bush left us? And worse, he steals from good, hard-working Americans. It’s true. I saw him knock an old lady’s teeth out, grab her purse and spend it all at Whole Foods, giving his change to the guys standing outside the paint store. Damn spendthrift liberal. OK, all snarkiness aside, you have to admit that a year in office is not nearly enough time for Obama to suck the life out of GOP Gramps, even if he wanted to do so. And yet, it’s going around the world. I used to get ridiculous accounts of Bush way back when, too. What is it about misinformation that makes it seem OK to spread, as long as it’s an e-mail? If only society treated mass e-mails as they do hollering lunatics, we’d all be a little happier. “Yes, I Have a Point,” appears weekly on Tuesday. Angelo Lanham is a Spartan Daily copy editor.
Comment online about any of the articles in the Spartan Daily at theSpartanDaily.com
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
OPINION
9
Some traditions are worth salvaging gan the three generations of Repeated CPR couldn’t save Mikes that would follow. my 89-year-old great-grandfaAs I tearfully observed the ther who was killed by cardiac slideshow presentation beside arrest. his casket, I relived the great Recently, I found out I had memories while noticing how lost a dear family member and he took on great responsibiliremarkable gentleman, Mike ties in life, and yet maintained Montoya Elias. happiness, joy and a strong, A year following my greatlasting marriage. grandmother’s death, I had lost Jennifer Elias Even until his final days, the last member of my greatmy great-grandfather kept his grandparents. Staff Writer striking sense of humor, which While driving to the viewwas powerful enough to wipe ing, I realized that my family was short a generation we had known and loved, off the sorrowing faces of the family and friends and began weighing my role and responsibilities who stood beside his deteriorating body. His positive attitude and ability to make anyas I step into the next interval of history. “The Greatest Generation,” a book and term one smile with a funny one-liner stood out to me. He would share outrageous stories with his coined by journalist and author Tom Brokaw, describes the baby boom generations and ac- children, grandchildren and great-grandchilcurately describes my great-grandfather and his dren, and whisper to us separately telling each of us we were his favorite. legacy. “I love you mucho,” he would say each time In the successful book, Brokaw argued that the generation was not only united by a common we saw him. It is a phrase that was and is prevalent to me purpose, but by values, patriotism, honest work and my cousins, as it was expressive of the loving and love of family. My great-grandfather Mike Motoya Elias be- man he was.
Cookies, crackers and chocolate, oh my crackers, cookies, chips, pretArms-length away is an “Ultizels and even some chocolates. Meat” pizza at Round Table. PepEven when you think you’re peroni, sugar-cured bacon, Pordoing a good job of getting rid tuguese and Italian sausage (and of gluten from your diet, you some vegetables) are tangled in find out that it lurks in a numa mass of three melted cheeses ber of processed foods. that steam and then sizzle as they The inability to enjoy these drop on the tin serving tray. The foods is depressing. It’s like aromas of fresh-baked crust coma thirst that you can never bined with the savory toppings Jill Abell quench. alone unlock some instinctual, The good news is that gluten raw desire to ravage the entire Abell and Willing intolerance is not a food allergy, pizza. and eating gluten usually does The temptation is unbearable and I can’t have one bite. I sit there, drink my Diet not cause damage — unless you have celiac disCoke and munch on my super delicious … house ease. salad. I am lactose and gluten intolerant. My definition of these two conditions is that I will never, ever eat delicious food without terrible consequences, ever again. WebMD’s definition is that gluten is a form of protein called promalins that causes problems for people who cannot tolerate or properly digest gluten. The same goes for lactose intolerance, except it means you can’t digest and absorb the sugar in milk (lactose). If you mix wheat flour with some water, a stretchy paste is created. The gluten in the flour is the elastic that binds it together, according to the WebMD Web site. The list of food products that contain gluten is disturbing. As I was researching, I discovered even Celiac disease is a digestive and auto-immune more food I couldn’t eat. For instance, mustard, potato chips, baked beans, sausages, blue cheese, soy disorder that results in damage to the lining of the small intestine when foods with gluten are eaten, sauce, curry powder, pickles and so the list goes. Back at Round Table, I watch my friends glow as according to the Medicine Net Web site. In 2003, the results of a large, multicenter they quench their thirst with beer, another luxury a study published in the “Archives of Internal Medperson with a gluten allergy cannot enjoy. It’s not just the fact that I shouldn’t eat these icine” found celiac disease in one in 133 Amerifoods — it’s the feeling of social isolation. Like when cans. So I guess I should stop complaining about a I go to a pizzeria and I’m pressured into sharing pizza, which contains both gluten and lactose. When I simple allergy or intolerance when I could have a refuse I’m usually accused of watching my weight screwed up small intestine. I wish restaurants, grocery stores and popular (as if that’s a bad thing), which is when I have to admit to the group that I have a gluten and lactose food chains would offer heartier and more glutenfree options, instead of suggesting that a salad is allergy. Never mind pizza, forget any kind of baked good their gluten-free option. I would gladly pay more or dessert. Those also employ stretchy gluten and for gluten-free bread to avoid convincing myself even milk products, such as butter, cream cheese that I’m full from a garden salad. and whipping cream used to create mouth-water- This is a special apperance of “Abell and ing treats have gluten as well. Willing.” Almost all snack food is black-listed as well — Jill Abell is the Spartan Daily features editor.
My definition of these two conditions is that I will never, ever eat delicious food without terrible consequences, ever again.
STAFF WRITERS San Jose State University San Jose, CA 95192-0149 Phone: (408) 924-3281
SPARTAN DAILY STAFF Joey Akeley, Executive Editor Husain Sumra, Managing Editor Kirsten Aguilar, Multimedia Editor Michelle Gachet, Multimedia Editor Suzanne Yada, Online/Copy Editor Leonard Lai, Opinion Editor Jill Abell, Features Editor Kyle Szymanski, Sports Editor Minh Pham, A & E Editor Jennifer Hadley, A & E Editor Ryan Fernandez, Copy Editor Angelo Lanham, Copy Editor Stefan Armijo, Photo Editor My Nguyen, Production Editor Rachel Peterson, Production Editor Jenny Ngo, Advertising Director Shirlene Kwan, Creative Director Amy Donecho, Assistant Advertising Director Tanya Flores, Assistant Creative Director
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While I’m well aware that times have changed throughout the decades, I wonder if we will be successful in upholding the fundamental ideals that built our country to what it is today. My great-grandfather used to work hard in multiple jobs to provide for his family, while
He would share outrageous stories with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and whisper to us seperately telling each of us we were his favorite.
emaking time for his children and grandchildren, taking them on adventures and road trips. In a time of finger-touch accessibility, celebrity stardom, and skyrocketing divorce rates, our country has come a long way traditionally in three generations. Now, years later, we find ourselves in war, a doubtful economy and a future of uncertainty. Following such an illustrious generation, I can’t help but wonder if I and the current wave of young adults will make them proud. At 21, my great-grandfather was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served his country in World War II. I am 20 years old and heading toward an uncertain future, just as my great-grandfather did. I don’t look up to celebrities or athletes like many people do today. I look up to strong, honest people, and hard workers like my great -grandparents who were real heroes. My greatest hope is emulating my greatgrandparents, the very people who contributed to our country as well as the communities’ greatness. I hope that not just his name, but his hard work, compassion, optimism and love will continue with generations to come.
Last time I checked, getting a DUI is bad I drink. I drive. But I would never drink and drive. When I was a young teenager in Sweden, I was doing many things I probably shouldn’t have, one of which was drinking alcohol. I suppose one could say it was all a bit too much and too soon. For several years before getting my driver’s license, I reveled in pushing my limits. But once I started practicing for the behind-the-wheel test, I slowly began to change. When you practice driving in Sweden, an adult who has been approved as a supervisor must sit next to you, so you feel obligated to drive well. I remember how for the first time in years I wanted to make a good impression, because I didn’t want to get stuck with a supervisor while all my friends were getting their driver’s licenses. Then, when I finally got my driver’s license and there was no longer an adult sitting next to me making sure I was good, I decided it was time for me to become that person — an adult. I realized I had been given the responsibility to safely operate a vehicle that could, if not maneuvered properly, lead to serious injuries and possibly even death for not only me, but other people. Even though I was a rebel who wasn’t always looking out for my own well-being, I didn’t desire to take my rebelliousness to the level where I would purposely put other people in danger. So I made a promise to myself I wouldn’t drink and drive. While I was still living in
Anna-Maria Kostovska Staff Writer Sweden, this was not something I would spend much time thinking about — it just came naturally. At that point in my life, I had read about drunken drivers in the newspaper and heard about them on the TV news, but rarely had I seen a person get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol. I’m not saying it never happened, because it certainly did, even among people I knew. But it was not until I moved to San Jose that I found myself interacting with such people on a regular basis. In San Jose, drunken drivers are everywhere. You can’t possibly go to downtown at night and not see them. And because I am not used to this, I notice it more than my American friends who seem to have accepted the fact that people drive after having had drinks. In 2007, which is the most recent year listed on the “California DUI Fact Sheet” on the California Department of Motor Vehicles Web site, 30,783 alcohol-involved injuries and 1,489 alcohol-involved fatalities occurred in the state of California. Considering California’s population of 36.8 million, according to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, maybe those numbers
aren’t so bad. Perhaps the percentage of drunken drivers out of a specific number of people is lower in California than it is in Sweden, where the population is around 9 million, according to the Statistics Sweden Web site. To be honest, I don’t know. But what I do know is what I see, and that is drunken people leaving San Jose bars and getting into the driver seat of their cars all the time — something I didn’t see in Sweden. Out of my friends in Sweden, I can count on one hand the people who have driven under the influence of alcohol. Out of my friends in America, I can count on one hand the people who have not driven under the influence of alcohol. I think that says a lot.
You can’t possibly go to downtown at night and not see them. If you want to drink and act somewhat irresponsibly, feel free to do so, but don’t get behind the wheel. I don’t care how many pathetic text messages you send or what secret you accidentally spill about yourself while being drunk. Those are the kind of things you and your friends will laugh about a few years from now. But there will never come a day when you will be able to laugh about having injured or killed someone while driving under the influence.
SENIOR STAFF WRITERS
OPINION PAGE POLICY
Hank Drew Scott Reyburn Tommy Wright Jon Xavier
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10
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
A&E
Five alternative lunches not sandwiched in bread
Amaris Dominguez Staff Writer
In my family, everyone is usually on the go and rarely has time for elaborate homecooked meals. My mom was
always quick to come up with creative ways to create delicious lunches that were easy on time and the wallet. Here are a few of the recipes straight from my own kitchen sure to please the bellies of students on the go.
Tuna Salad This recipe is dear to my heart because it was a childhood lunch favorite my mom would make for my siblings and me. This delicious pasta salad is simple and very budgetfriendly. All you need is a can
Fashion documentary captures snapshot of ‘September Issue’ REVIEW Jasmine Duarte Staff Writer To some, September is just the ninth month of the year, but in the fashion industry, it's the month where each magazine is filled page after page with lavish photos of designer's latest lines. Last September, R.J. Cutler’s "The September Issue" was released in theaters, and two weeks ago, a two-disc double feature of the DVD was released. The documentary gives audiences an inside look on how Vogue, one of the biggest fashion magazines in the world, puts its biggest issue of the year together. Viewers get to see and personally get to know Anna Wintour, the world renowned editor-inchief of Vogue who has been the head of the magazine for over 20 years. Wintour, along with her staff of editors, are going to Fashion Week, photo shoots and meetings
with designers to put together the “bible” of fashion that is the September issue. The first disc features the documentary and was as great as I remember seeing it in theaters. The first disc also has several deleted scenes, a version of the documentary with audio commentary from Cutler, the theatrical trailer and behind-the-scenes photos taken by photographer Bob Richman. One of the many things I enjoyed about this film was that it is not just meant for lovers of fashion and it is not a film only to be understood by fashion lovers. It’s telling a story of people who share a common love of fashion and the hard work they put into creating a magazine enjoyed by one in 10 women who read Vogue magazine, according to the film. "The September Issue" will not confuse a person who does know how many b’s are in Gabbana, but instead gives an insider’s perspective on how much work is put into building a magazine in a
multibillion dollar industry. The second disc features an additional 20 deleted scenes, combining to be more than an hour of extra footage. It is in the deleted scenes where fashion connoisseurs’ can enjoy extra footage of Wintour and fashion designers John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld, Thakoon and Vera Wang. While I enjoyed the deleted scenes, I understood why these scenes were taken out. It seemed Cutler wanted this documentary to attract all audiences and not have an overload of designers and terms that would confuse some audiences. His focus was on the September issue of Vogue and how hard these people work to put together a magazine that is more than 1,000 pages. "The September Issue" is a fun, vivacious, and dazzling must-have DVD. It will confirm anyone's love for fashion and admiration on how hard people work together for something they love.
of tuna, noodles, mayonnaise, lettuce and some tortilla chips. First, boil the noodles, and then transfer them to a larger bowl. Then toss in a can of tuna and tear up some lettuce. Stir in mayonnaise to your liking and garnish with some tortilla chips. You can eat it like a dip or with a fork. This meal will surely fill you up while delighting your taste buds. Chicken Wraps For healthy eaters out there, wrap up some chicken for a delicious lunch. Round up some pre-packaged grilled chicken, wheat tortillas, lettuce, cilantro, cucumbers and avocados. Cut up the cucumbers into cubes and shred the lettuce and cilantro. Slice up the avocado into thin but long pieces. Simply scatter the ingredients to your liking inside the tortilla and wrap it into a burrito. Feel free to add some salsa to add a little spice to these tasty wraps. This meal is super easy to make and just as easy to gobble down.
Yogurt Granola Fruit Salad Gather up some of your favorite fruits and your favorite flavor of yogurt. Cut up some pineapple, melon, cantaloupe
(Above) The chicken quesadilla made with Monterey jack cheese, bell peppers and tomatoes. (Below right) The cold-cut salad is an alternative to using lunch meats in a sandwich. (Below left) Mixing favorite pieces of fruit with yogurt can make a filling snack to pack for school. AMARIS DOMINGUEZ / SPARTAN DAILY
and some grapes or any other fruit of your preference and scatter into a Tupperware container. You can either mix the granola and yogurt in a separate container or you can separate all ingredients and mix as you eat. Mix things up a little more with some granola. I used Kashi Go Lean granola cereal clusters. This meal is just as filling as any of the others on this list and is vegetarian-friendly. Ham and Turkey Salad Tired of making ham or turkey sandwiches? Here is a lunch idea that puts to use those popular lunch meats that are usually between two slices of bread. This recipe includes lettuce, chopped up lunch meats of ham and turkey and some shredded or diced up cheese of your choice. Sprinkle the toppings all over the lettuce or toss to a desired mixture. Top off the salad with a drizzle of the dressing of your choice and pack it up in a Tupperware container to enjoy this delicious salad anywhere on the go.
Chicken Quesadilla This quick and easy delicious meal will satisfy anyone’s hunger. All you need for this recipe is tortillas, Monterey jack cheese,
bell peppers, tomatoes and prepackaged grilled chicken. Grab a tortilla, place it on a pan and warm it on the stove. Sprinkle on the cheese and throw in the peppers, tomato and chicken. Fold the tortilla in half and flip it over a few times to melt all of the ingredients together. Once completed, transfer to a plate and cut up the quesadilla into multiple triangle slices. Garnish with avocado or sour cream if you like. This amazing lunch will fit perfectly into any lunch container.