daily aztec - SDSU Library Digital Collections
Transcription
daily aztec - SDSU Library Digital Collections
OPINION TEMPO SPORTS Is Cold War II about to begin? Can you stump Mr. Pop History? SDSU baseball team gets rained on at NC State. PAGE 3 THE PAGE 5 DAILY AZTEC THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY PAGE 7 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005 Tomorrow’s weather: Showers; High: 63º F Low: 51º F VOLUME 90 ISSUE 78 WWW.THEDAILYAZTEC.COM Students lend a hand in the community and build résumés CSU volunteers contribute more than 30 million hours every year BY MEGAN WILLIS S TA F F W R I T E R When thinking of the typical college student, one doesn’t often think of someone working in a soup kitchen, helping autistic children build their learning skills or raising money for the terminally ill. Many people aren’t aware California State University student volunteers contribute more than 30 million hours each year to community service, according to a CSU news release. Volunteering is a big part of many college students’ lives. According to the “CSU Student Volunteers” article, the Student Leadership and Development Office at Cal State San Bernardino launched a donation campaign “Noodles in November” to collect ramen noodles and donate them to the homeless. The students exceeded their goal by more than 7,496 packets. CSU Fullerton students from the Volunteer and Service Center conducted a week-long fundraiser during National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week in November, according to CSU’s Web site, www.calstate.edu. The fundraiser educated the community on hunger and homelessness issues and raised $600, as well as dozens of boxes food and used clothing to donate to the Orange County Food Bank. English junior Justin Tippling volunteers at San Diego Youth and Community Services, where he tutors children from inner-city areas, such as City Heights and North Park. “These kids get out of school and their parents are still at work until 5 or 6, so they have nothing to do but hang out on the streets,” Tippling said. SDYCS, with the help of the National Football League, developed Youth Education Centers in low-income areas to provide a place for youth to go to stay out of trouble, he said. He goes every Tuesday and Thursday after classes to volunteer at the YET Center in City Heights. “It’s amazing what a different world it is just 10 minutes away from the SDSU campus,” Tippling said. “So many people don’t realize this because they’ve never been exposed to this type of situation, but there are a lot of kids just around the corner who need positive role models to look up to.” Tippling said he tries to be that positive role model by going to the center and helping youth with their homework, playing games with them or just talking to them about their lives. SDSU kinesiology freshman Janae Mayer volunteered last year at Martha’s Kitchen, wash- ing dishes and serving food to the homeless. She said she does not volunteer right now because she just moved here to go to school and doesn’t really know where to go to get involved in volunteer work. “I think it’s very important to volunteer, especially for students going to graduate school, because for a lot of them it’s a requirement,” she said. Tippling also said one of the reasons he volunteers is because of graduate school. “Volunteer work is something that looks good on a college application, but also makes you feel good about yourself,” he said. Some students agree volunteer work is important, but just can’t find the time to squeeze it into their hectic schedules. “I would love to volunteer, but I have absolutely no extra time to do it,” English senior Jessica Fields said. She said when it comes down to getting paid for work or not getting paid, the money always wins. Fields also said volunteer work seems to be more important in high school. “Not all students are going to graduate school, and even if they are, not all graduate schools require it,” Fields said. She believes it is an important thing to do for the community, but said it is hard for someone like herself who does not need to volunteer as a Kelly Calligan / Senior Staff Photographer Political science junior Emily Molfino shuffles a deck of cards during a game of poker for Circle K International’s “Hold 'em” charity event. requirement for her future career. “I want to be a teacher, so I have to put my time into stuff that will help me get there,” Fields said. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave much time for anything else.” The Center for Community Based Service-Learning at SDSU is dedicated to helping students get involved in volunteer work and community service. Although a representative was not available for comment, the Web site states information on the program. The center has recently moved from Career Services to the Center for Student Involvement. Online professor ratings challenge traditional assessment Faculty Affairs associate vice president says SDSU administration does not pay attention to Web-based evaluations BY DUSTIN VISSERING CITY EDITOR Students are increasingly relying upon professor-rating Web sites in order to figure out which teachers to take and which to avoid. These sites, such as www.ratemyprofessors.com, offer students an alternative to the traditional pencil-and-paper evaluation process used by San Diego State at the end of each semester. Unlike the student evaluation system used on campus, RateMyProfessors allows users to view comments left by fellow students about specific teachers. Marketing junior Jessica Harris said online professor ratings are much more useful than traditional evaluations because they allow students to see what they are in for before signing up for a class. "When you sit in class and do the teacher reviews at the end of the year, you never know what the people around you are saying in their evaluations," she said. "I think they’d be a lot more useful if students were able to see what was written, like you can with the online reviews." Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs Bonnie Zimmerman said SDSU faculty and administration do not pay attention at all to online professorrating sites when determining faculty performances. "Individual faculty may check themselves out on the Web sites, but I think they are primarily geared toward students," she said. "We have our own official evaluation process, and that’s what we use for official university business." Zimmerman said everybody has a different opinion of how effective the official university student evaluations are. "From my vantage point, I think the evaluations are a really strong source of information for faculty and very important to the tenure and promotion process," she said. "It’s one of the key things we use to evaluate teaching performance." Kinesiology senior Michael Schmitt said online ratings may give students an unfair bias toward a professor. "If only one teacher is teaching a class you need and you look on RateMyProfessors and see that they have nothing but bad reviews, you’re going to go into that class with a really negative attitude," he said. "In your mind, the teacher is going to suck because 10 other people on the site said so." John Swapceinski, founder of RateMyProfessors, said he has heard reports from some schools that sections are being canceled for professors who have bad ratings on his site. "Many professors write in and demand we remove their names from the site," he said. "We do not comply, since the First Amendment is on our side. "However, there are some professors who like the site and even encourage their students to use the site." Zimmerman said she has no idea how much the size of enrollment for a specific instructor is driven by professor-ratings sites, but students will choose classes based on what they need in order to graduate and not so much by the online ratings. "I think students occasionally may choose one section over another section because they like what those Web sites said, but for the most part, you have to take the classes you need at the times that are available — that’s more important," she said. Zimmerman said the university is considering replacing the existing paper-and-pencil evaluation system with an electronic version. Students would be able to go online and do the evaluations confidentially and anonymously. However, as with the current evaluation system, no one would get to see what has been written other than the person being evaluated. Swapceinski said he thinks the confidential evaluation system used by SDSU and many other universities isn’t fair to students. "I would go so far as to say that system is idiotic, and it is the primary reason I started RateMyProfessors," he said. Zimmerman said students underestimate how important the university evaluations are. "It’s true that there are some professors that, once they get tenure, never look at their evaluations again, but I think they’re probably in the minority," she said. "Most professors read evaluations and think about the comments students make and try to use the information to improve their teaching. "The more helpful and concrete information students put on evaluations is the kind of information professors really want to get back." www.thedailyaztec.com • www.thedailyaztec.com OPINION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005 THE DAILY AZTEC NORMAL NEWS 1913-21 PAPER LANTERN 1921-25 THE AZTEC 1925-60 THE DAILY AZTEC 1960- THE DAILY AZTEC EDITORIAL BOARD JOE ZARRO • EDITOR IN CHIEF YARA SOUZA • SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR MICHAEL KUHLMANN • MANAGING EDITOR DUSTIN VISSERING • CITY EDITOR CONSUELA HEADRICK • OPINION EDITOR EDITORIAL • 619.594.6975 OPINION • 619.594.0509 CITY • 619.594.7782 ADVERTISING • 619.594.6977 CLASSIFIEDS • 619.594.4199 E-MAIL • [email protected] THE DAILY AZTEC 3 opinion poll Do you think the United States will wage a war with Iran and Syria as it did with Iraq? A) Yes. B) No. C) I don’t know. VOTE ONLINE AT WWW.THEDAILYAZTEC.COM. Coming of a second Cold War is inevitable N Appreciate the mundane moments others don’t have BY BEN TAMBASCHI S TA F F W R I T E R S aturday, Feb. 12: Having just returned home from my part-time job at a local bookstore, I’m sitting on my patio having a beer. It’s a crappy, gray, rainy day, and I’m feeling pretty down about the weather and how boring my weekend is. At about the same time, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune, a naked man who overdosed on drugs is trashing his hotel room downtown. Police officers are called to quell the disturbance, and the man attacks them with a cable he ripped out of the wall. The officers use tazers on him and he collapses, requiring CPR. The man dies at a hospital two days later. Tuesday, Feb. 15: I’m in a microbiology class, which I usually enjoy, but today I’m not in the mood to try and wrap my mind around the minute intricacies of the human immune system and the quest of microbial pathogens to overcome it. My professor begins the lecture with a brief announcement about the emergence of a novel HIV strain, which apparently can cause “fullblown” AIDS in only a few weeks, compared with the normal strain, which takes 10 or more years to cause AIDS. There are only two known cases of persons infected with this strain so far, but it is probably just the tip of the iceberg — suddenly, my interest in pathogens rises exponentially. On the same day, I bike home through the rush-hour traffic, annoyed at how heavy and smelly it is, and by how disrespectful drivers on El Cajon Boulevard can be to each other, bikers and pedestrians. I get home around 6 p.m., turn on the TV and begin to flip through the local news channels. One of the top stories is about a couple and their grandson who slammed fullspeed into the back of a stalled tractor-trailer on Interstate 5 that morning. The front twothirds of their minivan — from the grill to the rear wheels — were disintegrated. You can imagine what happened to the passengers. A friend told me several of her co-workers spent most of the morning complaining about how this incident made them all two hours late for work — when I’m on my bike I should probably pay more attention to traffic and less time critiquing it. Friday, Feb. 18: I’m clacking away at my computer, writing this column. I’m late for my deadline — again — and I’m wondering how I’m going to get all my homework and studying done this weekend. I cannot believe I’m starting to fall behind this semester, and the first round of midterms begins next week. I take a moment to hop online and check my e-mail, pausing to read the headlines on Yahoo. I learn that a little more than an hour before I wrote this sentence, 35 people were killed in Iraq — vaporized by a series of bombings. I guess I’m writing this to try to illustrate how strange life can be, and how often we take it for granted by becoming so self-absorbed in our own little realities. Boredom, sameness and the minutia of day-to-day life can drive a person to drink, but even monotony is better than certain alternatives — such as being torn apart in a car wreck. It is simply amazing to me at times when I’m sleepwalking through the mundane moments of my life, other people are living the most traumatic moments of theirs. Some people are living out their final moments on the planet. I think we should all pause to reflect on this, especially when we find ourselves engrossed in our little routines. Take a moment to appreciate a sunset, a drop of rain on a leaf, the song of a bird or a minute of conversation with a good friend. Consider how the lives of others have been snatched away from them when they least expected it. Life in this world holds a tenuous position at best. —Ben Tambaschi is a biology and religious studies senior. —This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to [email protected]. Anonymous letters will not be printed — include your full name, major and year in school. orth Korea — a member of the Bush administration’s “Axis of Evil”— announced Feb. 10 it has built nuclear weapons “for self-defense.” Pyongyang simultaneously declared it would abandon the six-party talks the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia have sought as a means to ensure the nonexistence of nuclear weapons in the Korean peninsula. If the former declaration is not a ploy or attempted international power-grab and is truly real, the United States and the world have just entered the second Cold War. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — one of the most blatant euphemisms on the planet — lacks the realpolitik logic the former USSR possessed, by which full-fledged nuclear war was mercifully avoided. While the possibility of a nuclear holocaust was only slightly averted in October 1962, I doubt a Korean Vasili Arkhipov (who blocked orders to fire USSR nuclear torpedoes during the Cold War) would refuse to fire torpedoes equipped with nuclear warheads if so ordered. And therein lies the rub, as Kim Jong Il has ruled his country since 1994 according to his despotic whims. Writer David Wallechinsky has unfailingly placed Kim in the top two of the world’s 10 worst dictators since he began compiling the list for Parade magazine three years ago. Additionally, for the past 33 years, North Korea has consistently earned the worst possible score — a seven — for political rights and civil liberties from Freedom House, a human rights group. Since last year, estimates of “political dissidents” held in prison camps increased by 100,000 to 250,000, while “individual commercial activities” have been explicitly prohibited. A nuclear North Korea — an oppressive, hereditary Stalinist regime — presents one of the scariest possible scenarios facing the nations of the globe, easily eclipsing any future Iranian threat. Military strikes would be insufficient to decimate Kim’s entire nuclear and non-nuclear arsenal to avert possible retaliatory action against Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo or conceivably Anchorage, Ala. Diplomacy is the only course of action. According to Time magazine, former ambassador James Lilley believes North Korea would eventually acquiesce if Japan were to “cut off all shipping,” South Korea halts “its many industrial and tourism projects with the North,” the United States presses “for economic sanctions at the United Nations.” and China threatens to decrease oil exports. Recently, the only available route offered by Kim’s regime has been bilateral negotiations with Washington. But as the glaring failure of the 1994 Clinton administration’s direct PAUL A. ESCAJADILLO engagement has shown, the Bush administration is right in rejecting this offer without further consideration. Whereas bilateralism failed in the past, multilateralism presents the only possibility for success, as all six nations possess vested security and economic interests in each other. The six-party talks must resume immediately to avert disaster, and each government must engage Kim through whatever means available to ensure so. Even if this international crisis was averted, the threat of emerging nuclear powers will remain. Of the 191 member states in the United Nations, 187 have signed the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty, which allowed the “official” five nuclear powers — USA, Russia, Britain, France and China — to retain their weapons; they additionally went so far as to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Of the four countries yet to agree to the NPT, India and Pakistan are proven nuclear powers, Israel is believed to have nuclear weapons and Cuba most likely has none. Interestingly, of these four nonsignatories, two are parliamentary democracies, and two are repressive dictatorships. Fortunately, the eight nuclear powers have nothing to gain by deploying their weapons. However, concerns over emerging nuclear threats are not limited to these nations. In September 2004 at a Vienna conference, Mohammad el-Baradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency singled out countries that have nuclear programs: “Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and South African Republic,” according to www.english.pravda.ru. It appears the coming of a second Cold War is inevitable and not limited to North Korean actions. Thomas Jefferson is believed to have said: “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.” One day, North Korea will crumble from within, just as the Soviet Union did more than a decade ago. But to ensure our continued peaceful global survival, and to mitigate the international problem of anarchy and the security dilemma, we must remain forever watchful. —Paul A. Escajadillo is a political science senior and a senior staff writer for The Daily Aztec. —This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to [email protected]. Anonymous letters will not be printed — include your full name, major and year in school. 4T HE DAILY A ZTEC CLASSIFIEDS For Sale Help Wanted Help Wanted Help Wanted 2000 Jetta GLX6.Totally Loaded, New Tires, 6 CD Stacker. Need to Sell, Bought another. $9995. 858-775-2400. CHILDCARE Counselor Positions Avail Staff for school aged children program PT/FT Mon-Fri. 12 units ECE, CD or REC. Must have experience. For Scripps Ranch area: Call Angela at 858-549-3569. Females Wanted. Freelance photographer needs 18-24yr.-olds. No nudity or experience required. Excellent pay. 888-4109415. PART TIME EMPLOYMENT Looking for outgoing/friendly people Must have excellent people skills Work in a fun, fast paced, retail environment Must be comfortable approaching people and closing a sale Part-time/Temporary, Saturdays & Sundays $15/per hour Must have transportation Positions available in Oceanside, Encinitas, Poway Escondido, Chula Vista Call Doug 619-889-7501 Lincoln Continental for $1,450. Available now. 805-441-5550 or 310-920-9546. Help Wanted $$Bartend$$ Make f/t money for p/t work. am/pm/weekend classes. Job placement asst. Call Bartending Academy 619-296-0600 For S. Mira Mesa area: Call Laurie @ 858-578-6958. For E. Mira Mesa area: Call David @ 858-695-8170 $9-$11/hr.+commission. PT MRTG CO. seeks six fun, energetic, dependable students to call home owners and take credit applications from home owners. Easy evening hours. Centrally located by Sea World. Call 619-220-8081. CALL TODAY! Internet Models Wanted. Great pay, flexible hours. Call Jennifer @ (888)409-5393. www.covergirlsworldwide.com Internet Models Wanted. Short Day, Great Pay. Contact Laura toll-free 877-950-9254. Activity Leaders needed for before and after school programs. A fun and rewarding job working with children and teens, ages 5-14. 15-25 hrs./wk. AM or PM hours avail. Min 6 units in ED, REC, or related field + 6 months exp w/children. $8.69-$9.77/hr. Call @ 858-565-4148x231 SAY San Diego, Inc. Call us now! We Want You! The Daily Aztec advertising department is looking for motivated individuals who want to reach the top. Don’t wait to call our offices, we’re hiring now! Call Vicki at 619-594-3579 or stop by our offices located in the basement of the BAM building to fill out an application. CHILDCARE Aide Positions Avail. Staff for school aged childcare program PT/FT Mon-Fri. Childcare experience a plus. For Scripps Ranch area: Call Angela @ 858-549-3569 For S. Mira Mesa area: Call Laurie @ 858-578-6958 For E. Mira Mesa area: Call David @ 858-695-8170 PEACE CORPS! LEARN ABOUT EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER BENEFITS. STOP BY OPEN OFFICE HOURS at the Career Services Center EVERY THURSDAY 12-4pm. CONTACT: Rudy Sovinee [email protected]. (v)619-594-2188. or (c)310-356-1114 Get involved on campus and bring in the money!!! That’s right, it’s all here. The Daily Aztec wants you to be a part of it. We are looking for students who have a lot of personality, a lot of drive and want to make good money! Stop by our offices in BAM building or call Vicki at 619-594-3579 for more info GET PAID FOR YOUR OPINIONS! Earn $15-$125 and more per survey! www.moneyforsurveys.com A+ SUBS-Preschool Substitutes, aides, & teachers. All areas, full time, flexible part time hours $7.50-$10.50 hourly call Jacki 858-565-2144 Amateur models 18-25 no experience needed for adult web/video. Up to $700 CASH paid. 619-461-0942. FUN SUMMER JOBS L.A. Beaches, horses, sports, archery, ropes courses, swimming and much more. www.daycampjobs.com/sdsu L.A. SUMMER CAMPS Swimming, horses, sports, beaches, arts & crafts, ropes courses and more. www.daycampjobs.com/sdsu Coors Amphitheatre VIP Ushers to work 20-30 concerts from March to October. Responsibilities include: working in premium seating areas, assisting clients with box suite locations, crowd control, and general service. Please fax resume to Ben at 619-671-3651 Data Entry Retail Sales, PB, El Cajon, Chula Vista. 2 positions each location. Please email resume [email protected] or apply in person 1084 Garnet Ave., PB, 236 Broadway, Chula Vista. Latino/a and Caucasian SDSU undergrads ONLY. Make $10 in 45 minutes. Participate in psych study. For more information and appointment, visit: www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~tdevos/study.html MALE MODELS FOR WEB SITE 18-27 YRS. NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED $100 PER HOUR 858-831-1672. Mobile Disc Jockey for weddings, dances, parties, $25+/hr. Great personality and van/truck a must. Bilingual helpful. 619223-5732. Models Wanted! Ages 18-29. Work in a relaxed and creative environment from bikini to adult content. Danielle 858-272-2557. DAY CAMPS summer camp couselors & instructors in San Fernando/Conejo Valleys $2850-$3500+. 888-784-CAMP www.workatcamp.com/sdsu MODELS. Amateur male and female models needed for video/web work. Ages 21+, no experience necessary. Call 858-5663317. EGG DONORS NEEDED! Healthy Females ages 18-30 donate to infertile couples some of the many eggs your body disposes monthly. COMPENSATION $5,000.00 starting Call Reproductive Solutions 818-832-1494 Moose Mcgillycuddy’s & Fred’s Mexican Cafe are hiring, for all front of house positions. Open interviews this Tuesday 2/22 between 2-6pm @ 535 5th Ave. Egg Donors Needed. $6,000-$15,000+ for qualified, healthy, nicotine-free, responsible applicants. Special need for Jewish, Asian, East Indian Donors. Flexible schedule appreciated. Close personal support by experienced donor. Fertility Alternatives, Inc. 951696-7466. www.FertilityAlternatives.com. RESTAURANT: The Eggery in Pacific Beach is looking for fast and friendly Food Servers, Hostesses and an Espresso Bartender. P/T weekends and holidays. Will train for foodserver. Must be here for Spring Break and Summer. Apply 4150 Mission Blvd. Monday-Friday 7:00a.m.-2:00p.m. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005 Services Part time help. Light household duties, assist with healthy wheelchair user. $10/hour. 858-759-5819. Part-time golf course counter positions available, weekends. Golf, retail, and food & beverage experience preferred. Contact Chip Boldin 619-582-4704, fax 619-5829377 or [email protected] Photographers and photo sales needed to work in a local theme park. Above average pay plus bonuses. FT and PT positions available. Health and 401k for FT employees. Pre-employment drug tests and criminal background checks will be performed. Call 619-226-3900 Ext. 2248 EOE/DFWP San Diego Running Institute looking for Sales Rep., no experience needed, you will be trained in all the latest technology, must be reliable, kinesiology major or sports enthusiast preferred, flexible schedule. Call for information 619-265-SDRI(7374) or email [email protected]. Seeking motivated e-mail and dial-up help desk assistant. 20 hours/week, on-campus. Call 619-594-5261. Swim instructors $11-$17 an hour. Call S.D. 858-273-7946, North County 760-744-7946 Telemarketers wanted. Evening hours, Mondays-Thursdays. $10/hr.+plus INCREDIBLE COMMISSION. Call Robert at 858 436-1261. TELEMARKETING $$Great Opportunity$$ Make easy money using social and interactive skills in officeplace. PT, flexible hours. Contact Adam 800-708-3630x301. T R AV E L A S S I S TA N T / C O M PA N I O N . Part-Time. Gentleman seeks person for 2-3 day excursions. Bay-area, Avalon, etc. $50/day+all expenses. Call Ray 619-5163623. Wanted Drink Servers/Dancers. High Income. Paid Daily. Apply after 3pm 2818129 We need a doorman at O’Hungry’s Restaurant. Call Stan at O’Hungry’s. 619-2980133, 2487 San Diego Ave. WEB DESIGNER NEEDED. PT Flexible hours. Call Oran 619-264-4555. Wings and Things cashier position, fun atmosphere, will train contact Stacy at 619-462-9464 Services Criminal Attorney-MIP, DUI, drugs, misdemeanors/felonies. Marcee Chipman 619-702-3848. [email protected] 222 Ash Street #12, San Diego, CA 92101 DUI? Arrested? Bankrupt? Injured? I can help you. Brent Jex 619-325-0480. [email protected]. Free consultation. MC/VISA. TEXT AND THE CITY! Meet local singles on your CELL! Text the word HOT and send it to 36999 Or try textchatsingles.com Only .99 per msg rcvd, 18+ Weight Loss, Emotions, Memory, Academic Achievement. Hypnotherapy with Dr. Wu, PhD. Call 858-231-0963. Student Discounts. House 4 Rent $1400(College Area) For rent by Owner 2 Master bedrooms, 2 baths, d/w, w/d. Perfect for roommate situation..Gated community & very safe, Nice view from balcony..parking included..deposite negotiable, Call Mike with questions. Thanks! 619-787-1478 C o l l e g e A r e a 5 2 9 2 G a r y. S p a c i o u s 5BD/2BA house, $2900, washer/dryer, parking, storage. Available Feb. 20. 619-6970603 SDR. Apts 4 Rent 2 Bedroom, 1 Bath. Within 1 mile of SDSU. New interior, parking, laundry room available. $950 and move-in specials. 619-2861413. 6775 Alvarado. Large 2/2. Walk, bike to campus. Close to new trolley stop. Pool, refrig. $1395/mo. 619-686-5325. BKR Albert’s College Apartments. Apartments available now. Studios, 1 bedroom, 1 bedroom w/den, 2 bedroom, 3 bedroom, see our ad on page Room 4 Rent 1 Bedroom Available in a 4 Bedroom House. $400/mo. Share expenses. 4667 4th St. La Mesa. 619-300-6572 2 rooms in a 3 bedroom house. Big backyard. 5 minutes from SDSU. Off-street parking. $575/mo. Greg: 619-208-2765 or 619224-0056. Luxurious 2BD/2.5BA in La Mirage. Underground-parking, fitness center, swimming pools/jacuzzis, water and trash included. 619-283-1237. One bedroom available now in 4 bedroom house. Located at 5519 Baja Dr.Call 805450-7494. Room for rent. Walk to campus. Pool table, big-screen. $600/month. Available Now. Call 619-961-6316. Room in house. $550/mo. One block from campus. Available now. Call 619-917-8625 or 310-920-9546. Wesley House Community Living 4 Bedroom House 2 Blocks From Campus $350/month plus 1/4 utilities 619-582-0772 Announcements Attention: Bands, Frats, School Officials Need help w) Custom T-Shirts and Promotional Products? Call Kyle (619)218-0867. $600 Group Fundraiser Scheduling Bonus 4 hours of your group’s time PLUS our free (yes, free) fundraising solutions EQUALS $1,000-$2,000 in earnings for your group. Call TODAY for a $600 bonus when you schedule your non-sales fundraiser with CampusFundraiser. Contact CampusFundraiser (888)923-3238 or visit www.campusfundraiser.com continued on page 8 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005 TEMPO THE DAILY AZTEC 5 16 minutes of fame calls for an ultimatum IN FOCUS BY JESSICA SIEGFRIED S TA F F W R I T E R W Turning history on its head The ultimate pop-culture fanatic puts his vast store of trivia knowledge to the test BY CHALEY ZACHMEIER S E N I O R S TA F F W R I T E R Memory loss and a crawling mental-response time are products of aging. They both happen to everyone and are pretty much inevitable. As Gary West got older, he became frustrated with how people just accept these things and do nothing about them. It was this frustration and his love of pop culture that inspired his alter ego — Mr. Pop History. West grew up in Terrytown, N.Y., finding interest in music charts such as Billboard from a young age. He said the media influenced him quite a bit as he was growing up, and he soon became intrigued by all things pop culture. So many facets of pop culture fascinated him that he began gathering a wealth of information on them. “I wanted to know (the answers to) the questions people ask,” West said. He got a chance to respond to these questions when he got his first job in radio. The name Mr. Pop History was given to him by co-worker Bruce Chandler, and after that, his popularity grew. “I was getting so many questions from students and people just wanting to know things,” West said. “To keep up with everything, I decided to start a Web site.” The first Web site, www.pophistorynow.com, and it quickly transformed i n t o Courtesy photo The e-mailing component on the Web site is West’s favorite part of the project. He tries to answer the inquiries as promptly as they come in, devoting an average of three to four hours nightly to his passion. “I don’t wait to put the information up on the site to answer each person’s question,” he said. “I e-mail the person back as quickly as possible, then worry about posting it later.” Well, you might ask, what is so special about West’s work? The answers to these quandaries could be answered just as easily by Googling them, right? West thinks otherwise. “There is no way you can find everything on Google,” West replied. “Even though the Internet is a wonderful source of knowledge, it can be wrong at times. Also, not everything can be found on the Internet.” West does not claim to know all, Courtesy photo but he said he answers about 95 perDid Sam ever make it home on “Quantum cent of the questions he receives. He Leap?” Mr. Pop History is sure to know. said some are so obscure, it is impossible to find the answers. www.mrpophistory.com. This site “You can’t know everything, but answers everything from who the first you sure can take your best shot at it,” artist was to release an album on CD to West said. who the Ken doll was named after. Right now, West is content with West’s knowledge of media events being Mr. Pop History out of his home spans from the ‘50s to present day, in Temecula. While his mom has sugalthough he specializes in events that gested “Jeopardy,” he’s happy just occurred from the ‘60s to the end of the sticking with this. ‘90s. The site is organized into two main To ask Mr. Pop History a question, visit components. The part titled “Ask Mr. www.mrpophistory.com. Pop History?” is composed of answers to the e-mails West has received over the years. The other section is called “The Best Look at the 1960s Preview.” This part describes the popular culture events of the ‘60s, organized week-byweek. It took six years for West to pour through newspapers, library databases, charts and more to uncover all the information he has, and he still has to finish chronicling each week for the remaining decades to be added to the Web site. So far, he has only finished the ‘60s, which he feels is a uniquely important one. “Everything in modern pop culture started then,” he said. “This is when rock music groups, fashions, telecommunications and satellite began to get popular.” West added this is when teens started to Courtesy photo have influence on the Were Elvis’ hips pure rock ‘n’ roll, or psymedia. chological warfare for the Eastern Bloc? hen your 15 minutes of fame are up, they’re up for good. Apparently, the celebrities of the new reality shows haven’t received the memo yet. While channel surfing, I find myself getting hooked on shows such as “The Surreal Life,” “Strange Love,” “Celebrity Fit Club” — pretty much any show that features expired celebrities who will do anything to get some extra publicity. VH1 has a name for its lineup of these shows: “Celebreality.” The commercial states these shows are a special breed of reality shows. Most of them feature celebrities who have long been out of the limelight and include musicians, actors, comedians and former reality-show stars. On the current season of “The Surreal Life,” Christopher Knight and Verne Troyer, also known as Peter Brady and Mini-Me, take place in a twisted version of MTV’s “The Real World.” Knight and Troyer are two of seven celebrities who live together in a camera-infested house. These two guys are the most fun to watch of the bunch. On the last season, Flavor Flav, a member of the rap group Public Enemy, and Brigitte Nielsen, best known for her role as the title character in Red Sonja, fell in love with each other while living together on “The Surreal Life.” And to be honest, I spent many a time laughing at Flavor Flav’s antics and how much he annoyed the other celebrities. The relationship between Flavor Flav and Brigitte eventually sparked its own reality show called “Strange Love.” After “The Surreal Life” ended, Brigitte went back home to Milan, Italy, and left Flavor Flav behind. The series, “Strange Love,” is based around Flavor Flav trying to rekindle the love they shared on the show and convince Brigitte to move to New York with him. This premise leads to some very interesting storylines, considering what “The Surreal Life” was like. The viewing public is apparently no longer satisfied with watching strangers do ordinary stunts — now it needs to see celebrities do them, too. It’s much more interesting to watch when former rapper Vanilla Ice lives in a house with six random strangers than it is to watch some guy off the street. The Simpson sisters seem to have the corner on the reality-show market on MTV. Wednesday nights are filled to the brim with Jessica and Ashlee coping with life as it happens. “The Newlyweds” is in its third season and is still going strong, even if Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson are no longer newlyweds. Jessica and her ditzy quirks are reason enough to watch the show to get a good laugh. Ashlee’s show is in its second season and is more about Ashlee’s coming-of-age. The mystery still remains as to why celebrities want to share their personal lives with the world when they are constantly trying to get away from the paparazzi. Maybe deep down, the celebrities on these shows want us to see them as normal people who actually have lives outside their field of work. But it appears no matter how hard they try to seem normal, they just can’t achieve it. Once Peter Brady, always be Peter Brady. —Jessica Siegfried is a journalism junior and a staff writer for The Daily Aztec. —This column does not necessarily reflect the views of The Daily Aztec. 6T HE DAILY A ZTEC TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005 TEMPO FLASHBACK Wu-Tang Clan Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers Combining classic raw beats, complex yet understandable lyrics and a cast of talented characters who would influence hip-hop for more than 10 years, 1994’s Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers re-introduced rap to the gritty melodies that inspired such icons as Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z. Mixing in a flurry of pop-culture references and several Kung-Fu movie sound bites, the nine rappers from Staten Island created one of the most influential albums of the early ‘90s. The music world lost one of its craziest artists last December when Russell “Ol’ Dirty Bastard” Jones died in a Manhattan recording studio. The touch of ODB and the other eight members who comprise the Wu-Tang Clan can be felt from many aspects of the entertainment industry. The original music from Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill series was created by 36 Chambers producer RZA. Method Man, along with Def Squad alum Redman, starred in the hilarious 2001 comedy How High (as well as their shortlived TV series “Method and Red,” which wasn’t as funny). And Clan members have made cameos in various movies and TV shows, from their outrageous skits on Comedy Central’s “Chappelle’s Show” to their numerous specials on MTV. 36 Chambers opens with a clip from an old Kung-Fu movie, one of the Clan’s many childhood obsessions. The clip introduces the combination of the two sections of the album: the Shaolin Sword and the Wu- Tang Sword. The sound of two swords clanging together introduces the first track, “Bring Da Ruckus.” Ghostface Killah’s first verse displays the brilliant rhyming, flowing lyrics found within the album’s 12 tracks. Raw drumbeats, combined with minor brass chords, serve as the perfect backdrop for Raekwon, Inspectah Deck and the GZA to introduce the intense, urban vibe resonating throughout the album. The over-the-top punching and kicking sounds from a classic Kung-Fu flick fight precede the jumpy brass riff and broken piano sequence accenting the second track, “Shame On A.” The song allows Method Man to unleash his complex lyrics and gives ODB the tones to showcase his wacky, often disturbing verses (reminding the listener that he was once burned by an STD). What enhanced the album the most was the Clan’s ability to create uniformity despite the different personalities and sounds of each member. The Motown vibe of “Can It Be All So Simple,” sampled from a classic Gladys Knight track resonates with slow, eerie tones, which Raekwon and Ghostface use to paint a vivid, yet dark, flashback of the Clan’s early beginnings. In contrast, “Da Mystery of Chessboxin’” contains more upbeat, yet obscure tones that elaborate more on the philosophy the Clan encompasses. Likewise, “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit.” The more recognizable songs from the album, “C.R.E.A.M (Cash Rules Everything Around Me),” “METHOD Man” and “Protect Ya Neck,” contained much of the same rough, yet detailed verses and raw, catchy beats that were a stark contrast to their peers on the West Coast at the time. The group also added several spoken-word skits and interviews from the group, which further explain the method to the Wu-Tang Clan’s madness. Bringing all aspects of this album together, Enter The WuTang: 36 Chambers stands out as a timeless piece of sheer musical genius that helped launch the lives of nine childhood friends into the entertainment mainstream. For those tired of the simple, cookie-cutter club hits on the radio today, this album will satisfy their needs for true hip-hop. —Contributor Stan Mangindini SPORTS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005 THE DAILY AZTEC 7 BASEBALL Seven-run sixth inning dooms SDSU Aztecs victims of three-game sweep at the hands of North Carolina State, but no loss hurts more than the series finale BY TIM MIGUEL S E N I O R S TA F F W R I T E R A change of scenery and a different location was not what the doctor ordered for the San Diego State baseball team. SDSU traveled across the country to North Carolina last weekend to square off against NC State. The Wolfpack swept the Aztecs, winning 8-6, 8-5 and 94 at Doak Field. The toughest loss of the three was the series finale Sunday. SDSU (2-8) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. Freshman starting pitcher Andres Esquibel was in total control through the first five innings, but a barrage of hits (seven in all) in the sixth inning turned into seven runs for NC State, ending the Aztec lead. “We made a couple mistakes, but really they just banged the ball around,” head coach Tony Gwynn said. “We had opportunities to add to the lead, and we didn’t do it. We just can’t get over the hump. We’re swinging the bats better, but we just can’t close it out. “Esquibel was in command, they just hit them where we weren’t, but he wasn’t hit hard. Things will turn around, and we might win some this way later.” SDSU’s early lead was jumpstarted by a pair of hits off the bats of sophomore Lance Zawadzki and senior Jake McLintock, which got the rally started. Following an RBI fielder’s choice from senior Garrick Evans, junior Clayton Carson then brought McLintock home with an RBI single. Evans homered later in the contest, and Zawadzki earned an RBI on a groundout. “We had 11 strikeouts on Friday and only one today,” Gwynn said. “We got better as the series went on. This is the best our offense has been at any point in the season. You have to play good baseball on the road; we had the opportunities to win and we didn’t do it.” In the first two games of the series, NC State jumped out to early leads and held on to earn the wins. A walk and a couple of hits in the first inning Saturday gave the Wolfpack an early 3-0 lead. SDSU climbed back in the game behind junior Jordan Swaydan’s first home run of the season and an RBI single from sophomore Brock Ungricht. “Jordan’s been swinging the bat much better,” Gwynn said. “Some of the guys were getting sick toward the end of the weekend, and he was one of them. Benching him last Tuesday got the fire going for him.” Swaydan went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Ungricht and Carson also had two hits on the day. The Aztecs would rally again in the seventh inning, but the game was already out of reach by that point. Although Friday night’s loss was similar to Saturday’s, SDSU had its chances in the series opener. Every starter in the lineup got at least one hit, but it left 11 runners on base. Friday night’s starting pitcher, sophomore Bruce Billings, struggled through three-and-one-third innings of work. Billings allowed six runs on six hits, walked four batters and beaned a guy. Swaydan had another big game Friday, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Zawadzki was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and Carson finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. SDSU returns to California but will not be heading home to San Diego just yet. The Aztecs play at Cal State Northridge in a rematch from a week ago, then head out to Long Beach for a weekend series against the Dirtbags. Derrick Tuskan / File photo Freshman pitcher Andres Esquibel was in command until the sixth inning of Sunday’s game against the Wolfpack, when he gave up seven runs, seven hits and the lead. WATER POLO Aztecs start strong, but end up weak SDSU holds its own against second-ranked Trojans before falling 12-7, then comes out ‘incredibly flat’ vs. UCSB BY DEVIN KUNYSZ S TA F F W R I T E R The San Diego State water polo team knew it would be tough to open its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation season on the road, especially against the nation’s secondranked team in USC. And it may have overlooked the rest of the weekend because of it. In the first action of the young MPSF season, the Aztecs held their own against the highly touted Trojans. SDSU jumped out to a 3-2 lead in familiar fashion, with junior driver Rachel Serna leading the way with her 10th goal of the season. “We jumped on them in the first period,” head coach Carin Crawford said. “We peppered the goal, we attacked the gaps in their zone and we played very well.” However, USC responded with a very strong second period, taking a 7-4 lead with five goals in the quarter. Although the Aztecs were able to control the Trojans’ best player, Moriah Van Norman, USC managed to hold on for a 12-7 win. “We were able to keep her under control by avoiding her strength,” Crawford said of Van Norman. “We didn’t try to push her around. We just doubled her and made it tough for her to do anything once she got the ball, and Savannah Kelly was great against her.” The pressure on Van Norman backfired slightly, as it opened holes in the defense for the outside shots that contributed to the final score. “It was kind of a pick your poison,” Crawford said. “We were a little late on our rotation a couple of times, and they made us pay for that.” The second game of the weekend was supposed to be Romeo Lorenzo / Staff Photographer Sophomore Elana Cervantes scored a goal in the final period of Sunday’s game vs. UC Santa Barbara. the easy one. It was supposed to be the one in which SDSU held the advantage, and the opponent would be hard-pressed just to avoid getting run out of the pool. Instead, the Aztecs ran into a buzz-saw in the form of UC Santa Barbara and lost 7-2. Although Serna again put SDSU on the board first, the Gauchos would hold the team scoreless until the fourth quarter. “We came out incredibly flat,” Crawford said. “We didn’t do anything very well — our passing was bad, our shot selection was terrible. We didn’t deserve to win.” The Aztecs were unable to capitalize on the momentum they had gained from keeping it so close against the Trojans. UCSB outshot SDSU, leading the Aztecs to seven scoreless power-play opportunities. “We couldn’t execute the nuts and bolts of the game, and it showed,” said Crawford. “I hate to say this kind of game is inevitable, but it happens to a lot of teams, and we are a very young team.” The Aztecs will get another shot at the Gauchos this weekend during the UCSB Invitational beginning Friday. 8T HE DAILY A ZTEC EXTRAS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005 For solutions, visit: www.thedailyaztec.com. 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