Volume CXX, edition 4 Since 1949 April 7, 2010

Insid

e:

by Annette DeDios

Rampage Reporter

by Ramiro Gudino

Rampage Reporter

see “Lopez” page 5See “Students” on Page 2

ENTERTAINMENT:Unexpected ArtSee page 6

NEWS: “The Waving Lady’ RevealedSee page 2

SPORTS: Mom on the Run

See page 11

Dr. Lopez Plans to Appeal Case

ASG Preparing for 2010-2011 Elections

After experiencing direct cuts to classes and programs, 150 students from Fresno City College marched on Sacramento to voice their frustrations to legislators.

The March in March event, a statewide protest against Califor-nia’s budget cuts to education, took place on March 22, involving thou-sands of students and supporters.

FCC student Jonathan Howell, a senator for Inter-Club Council (ICC), attended the march. He told the Rampage that people who have the power to affect change should use it to help those

who do not.“We now live in a world

where education and information can be free to all people,” Howell said in an e-mail interview after the march. “It is time for a change in our government, to reflect the changes of this, the 21st Century.”

At about 5 a.m., FCC stu-dents boarded three State Center Community College District char-ter buses to head to the state capitol building.

By 9 a.m., the three buses joined dozens of buses from all over the state at Raley Field in West Sacramento. The buses were filled with passionate, aggravated students from UC, CSU, and com-munity college campuses from

across the state.Before leaving Raley Field,

organizers gave marchers picket signs stating: “CA needs majority rule on revenue & budget.” A large group of students circled around to hear the frustration and motiva-tions of their fellow students being voiced via megaphone.

By 10 a.m., the thousands of students began to march across the Tower Bridge, over the Sacra-mento River, and up the west steps of the capitol building, chanting “No more cuts,” and holding various signs making their mes-sage clear.

At 11 a.m., students and supporters listened to organizers

Students Protest Budget Cuts

by Max RosendahlRampage Reporter “He [Lopez] still

believes that what he’s doing is right and he still wants to appeal. They [FCC] haven’t taken any action to show him or to teach him why what he is doing is wrong.”

- Jay Matthews

Photo by Gabriella Ramirez

Jay Matthews and Jac-queline Mahaffey, petitioners in Fresno City College’s case against health instructor Brad Lopez, said they were pleased with the decision by college authorities to reprimand the instructor.

“I think it is a great way to treat it. It gives him the op-portunity to change what he is teaching and the way he’s teaching it without just firing him on the spot,” said Mahaffey.

“I am happy because they’ve done something, but it doesn’t make any sense. I think it’s fair, but I don’t think it is right,” said Matthews about the college’s decision.

A recent article in the Chronicles of Higher Education stated that FCC officials notified Lopez that they planned to put a letter of reprimand in his file and would fire him if he continued to engage in “Bible-based instruc-tion or made disparaging remarks about homosexuals in the future,” citing Lopez’s attorney, Charles Magill as the source of the story.

“To say you need to now stop and there’s no apology . . . he [Lopez] has no educational process as to why what he is do-ing is wrong. He still believes that what he is doing is right. So how does that change anything? He still believes that what he’s doing is right and he still wants to appeal. They [FCC] haven’t taken any action to show him or to teach him why what he is doing is wrong,” Matthews added.

Matthews and Mahaffey,

questioned the effectiveness of the college’s action. “He [Lopez] doesn’t understand that it [his ac-tions] is a violation of the students’ rights. He doesn’t understand that it is victimizing people. He doesn’t understand that it is hurting people and that it is not right,” Matthews said. “They [FCC authorities] are not making any effort to teach him that.”

Mahaffey said she is hopeful Lopez sees this reprimand as an opportunity to make amends. “But if decides not to, if he truly does feel that he was not in the wrong, then he can go ahead and do it again; hopefully as it [the rep-rimand letter] said, then he won’t be here anymore.”

Lopez and his lawyer continue to state that he has done nothing wrong. Magill told the Rampage that he and Lopez had

The Associated Student Government at Fresno City Col-lege is preparing for its 2010-2011 elections. Application and petition packages are available at the stu-dent activities office. Eligibility

for holding office requires that a candidate be enrolled at least part-time, have a GPA of 2.0 or higher and hold a current student body card.

Petitions to run are due by April 9 and require at least 150 verifiable signatures and student ID numbers. Late petitioners won’t be on the ballot but are eligible for

write-in candidacy. Student body cards can be purchased by stu-dents for $5 in the business office.

Elections officer Mimi Smith described the ideal candi-date as being interested in taking on a leadership role and having a voice on campus. Candidates, she said, ask for feedback from fellow students and take it upon

themselves to improve things on campus.

“ASG is the voice of stu-dents so they need to know what their fellow students want,” Smith said.

Following the April 9 dead-line, the student activities office will contact candidates to confirm eligibility. Candidates must then

attend a mandatory meeting on April 13. Voting will take place on campus during April 27-29.

For more detailed informa-tion regarding candidates and their statements, visit www.fresnocity-collegerampage.com.

Information on the candi-dates will be uploaded when they become available.

FCC students joined thousands of other students in Sacramento to march against budget cuts.

News April 7, 20102 Rampage

by Kimberly Hodges

Rampage Reporter

www.fresnocitycollegerampage.com

Rampage is an award-winning news-paper published biweekly by the Fresno City College Journalism 4 & 5 programs and is a member of the Journalism Association of Commu-nity Colleges. Views expressed in The Rampage are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect those of Fresno City College, its students, administration or the State Center Community College District.

Managing Editor: Kyle CalvertCopy Editor: Andrew Veihmeyer

Views Editor: Kyle CalvertNews Editor: Laura SolisPhoto Editor: Valerie Hill

On-Line Editor: Max RosendahlSports Editor: Gabriella Ramirez

Business/Advertising: Leah Edwards and Annette DeDios

Production Manager: Ramiro GudinoAdviser: Dympna Ugwu-Oju

Production Adviser: Jefferson Beavers

Letters to the editor and submis-sions to the calendar will be accepted via e-mail or in person 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Monday and Wednesday at The Rampage, Room SC- 211, above the bookstore. Please keep all letters to a maximum of 200 words along with

contact information.

Rampage

Fresno City College

1101 e. University Ave.Fresno, CA 93741 E-mail:

Editor In Chief: rampage-editor@fresnocitycollege.eduRampage business Office: rampage-business@fresnocitycollege.edu

Advisors: dympna.ugwu-oju@fresnocitycollege.edu / jefferson.beavers@fresnocitycollege.edu

About UsRamiro Gudino, Annette DeDios, Abel Cortez, Kris Goka, Ronisha Thomas, Gabriella Ramirez, Kyle Calvert, Nogtshia Vue, Sebouh Si-monian, Valerie Hill, William Chris-tensen, Laura Solis, Ray Juarez, Karina Ornelas, Andrew Veihmeyer, Kenneth Rodgers, Jaren Hockert, Max Rosendahl, Emilio Gutierrez,

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Monique Turks has a Face-book fan page but she didn’t even know what it said until recently.

“Once thought to be only a commuter’s legend, an apparition in the mist,” the Facebook page states, “this page is a tribute to the woman who has offered a friendly wave to Fresno/Clovis drivers.”

Don’t know who Monique Turks is? That’s because the Fresno resident is more commonly known as “The woman who waves at traf-fic from the overpasses of Califor-nia Highway 41.”

Since the creation of the Facebook fan page in late De-cember, this friendly Fresnan has gained more than 4,600 fans and an array of comments. Some fans have even uploaded photos of Mo-nique to continue to give the page some character.

Turks has her own personal Facebook profile but didn’t even know about “The woman who waves at traffic from the over-

“The Waving Lady” RevealedStudents demand funding solutionsContinued from page 1

passes of California Highway 41” fan page until someone she knew mentioned it to her.

“Someone told me about it and I’m like, ‘Wow,’” she said. “I think it’s awesome. All the com-ments go to God, and they were given to me by God.”

Turks said she is a religious person, and her faith is the reason she waves. “It’s a job given by God, and it’s not a normal job,” Turks said. “He tells me when to go, how long to stay, or when to change to the other side.”

This year marks Turks’ eleventh year waving at people from the freeway overpass. Her original waving spot was on Tu-lare Street downtown, but since moving closer to the north side of town, she can usually be found between Shaw and Bullard.

Nathan Rumley, one of the fans on the page, commented that the fan page “explains one of Fresno’s little mysteries.” Without this fan page, most of those 4,600 fans wouldn’t even know who she was.

Fans now have a place to

go and discuss this little legend that now has a name and a reputation. And thanks to her fans, she’s be-coming a local celebrity. She was even featured recently in a news story on KSEE 24.

Another Facebook fan com-mented and said “I was so happy to meet Monique this weekend. She’s a nice lady. I only wish I had known she was famous. I would have taken a picture with her!!!”

Monique appreciates the comments she gets and even tries to write most of them back from her personal Facebook page, named “Heaven Sent.”

Realizing that her simple gestures have caused so much hap-piness and attention from her local fans, she hopes what she does will soon spread to other places.

“One wish I have is that someday every state in the U.S. will have at least one person who waves from overpasses of their freeways,” she said. “I think it would be great to have God’s love spread all around the U.S.”

Staff writer Kami Madison contributed to this report.

Photo by Abel CortezMonique Turks has been waving at Fresno traffic for the past eleven years.

speak, hearing motivation, praise and suggested solutions to the state’s funding problems.

The main solution proposed by organizers was the passing of Assembly Bill 656. Accord-ing to the AB 656 fact sheet, the bill would create “The Califor-nia Higher Education Fund that would be funded by a new 9.9 percent oil severance tax. This Fund would be administered by the California Higher Education Endowment Corporation (created by this bill) that would annually allocate the revenue to the three college systems based on the following formula: 60% to CSU, 30%, and community colleges, 10%.”

Among the speakers at the march, Student Senate for California Community Colleges President Reid Milburn urged that students, “Organize voter registra-tion drives, letter-writing cam-paigns, phone calls to lawmakers and share their personal stories and publicly comment during budget hearings.”

Howell, the Inter Club Council senator, later told The Rampage that state and federal governments have been undermin-ing the people for as long as he remembers. All people, he said, should have a chance at education and a better future.

“We are here at this rally today because we want a better future for ourselves, our brothers, our sisters, and our future chil-dren,” he said.

FCC physical education major Wendy Izquierdo attended

the march and said that not all students come from the same back-ground and that those who highly value their education do not have the same financial ability.

“If I had the chance to talk to the state’s legislators,” Izqui-erdo said, “I would tell them to put themselves in our shoes.”

Direct effects of Califor-nia’s budget crisis will be felt by FCC students in the semes-ters to come. As reported in The Rampage, students may face an increase to $40 per unit as soon as this fall.

In addition, many FCC students this summer will find themselves competing for classes with students from Fresno State, who are being offered a limited summer schedule due to budget cuts on that campus.

These challenges poten-tially delay transfer and/or gradu-ation plans for students. They also impact instructors who may lose chances to teach during summer or regular sessions, due to class sections being cut.

Howell said that he was hopeful the march would improve the situation but said that he didn’t feel there were enough students at the rally for the legislature to take them seriously.

“I do believe that this rally helped make students more aware of the issues that are going to be affecting them as a body,” Howell said. “I just wish we were more successful in pressuring the legis-lation for a change.”

Sta f f wr i ters Gabr ie l la Ramirez and Laura Solis contributed to this report.

April 7, 2010 News Rampage 3

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Rampage Reporter

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Marching for California’s future

Photo by Valerie Hill

by Laura Solis

Rampage Reporter

The Fresno City College forensics team won second place in a state speech and debate com-petition in March.

FCC hosted the California Community College Forensics Association (CCCFA) state cham-pionships, a five-day competition that consisted of a dozen speech and debate events. It was held at the downtown Radisson Hotel from March 17-21. About 300 competitors from 32 different community colleges from around the state participated.

Eric Fletcher, the FCC forensics coach, said he was proud that FCC was picked to host the event.

“We put on an event two years ago and we got voted in by the CCCFA to host this event here,” Fletcher said.

FCC students Chris Hornsby and Carla Caffrey-Ca-siano competed as a team and won a silver medal. Hornsby also took

a bronze medal in the Douglas Lincoln Debate.

“[During] the final round for gold, we were facing a very strong team,” said Hornsby, presi-dent of the forensics team. “It was tough for the judges, but in the end the other team had the better case.”

Seven FCC students competed: Chris Hornsby, Carla Caffrey-Casiano, Chris Galvan, Catherine Allen, Jordan Ruell, Blake Fiancucci and Brian Leavitt.

Forensics Team Places Second in State

I thought they would do well but they exceeded my expectations. They prepared hard for this.”

- Eric FletcherFCC Forensics

Team Coach

“The Waving Lady” Revealed

A rally made i ts way through Fresno on March 22, starting in the Tower District and ending near the water fountain at Fresno City College.

The participants for the Marching for California’s Future rally voiced their demands while on campus.

“What do we want?” “Edu-cation!”

“When do we want it?” “Now!”

Randy L. Ghan, the chief executive officer of the Central Labor Council, a labor union pro-viding for teachers, proudly led the chants and rally events that day.

“We are out here to height-en people’s awareness to the dream being diminished by the budget cuts,” said Ghan, as he referred to

the pursuit of higher education.Walkers participating in

the march were in their 17th day of travel to the state capitol build-ing in Sacramento, only stopping briefly in the valley to visit Fresno City College.

Marcher David Lyell said class sizes keep ballooning.

“In my work as a substitute teacher, it is difficult to meet the needs of my students,” Lyell said.

Lyell was present along with four other marchers, who began marching in Bakersfield.

Zwi Reznik, the president of State Center Federation of Teachers and a mathematics in-structor at Fresno City College, said the marchers wanted to do something dramatic.

“We are not going to keep slamming the door in students’ faces,” Reznik said.

Though the Marching for California’s Future rally was not an official part of the “March in

March” event on Sacramento the same day, Reznik said, “They know about us like we know about them.”

The fight demonstrated by the rally for California’s future speaks about budget cuts, reform-ing legislature regarding education and its budget for prisons, ending the two-thirds majority vote need-ed in California to set the budget.

Gretchen Gillespie, a child development student at FCC who is working to become a preschool teacher, agrees with the principle grievances of the rally and hopes action will be taken towards higher education.

“They are cutting a lot of classes I want to get into,” Gillespie said. “They are not of-fering as much as they used to,” referring to the depleted schedule of courses.

Staff writers Will Chris-tensen and Valerie Hill contributed to this report.

The Central California Labor Council led the rally in Fresno.

by Ray Juarez

Rampage Reporter

Fresno City College held the opening ceremony for Asian American Month in the college theater on Monday. The celebra-tions included performances by FCC students -- South Indian and Laotian dances, Asian dialogues, martial arts and comedy skits.

“It’s a great opportunity for everyone to learn about a different culture. They [FCC students] get to experience the history, food, and art,” said Janice Wong, College Center assistant.

Maile Glover, college cen-ter assistant, agrees, “Asian Ameri-can month is about experiencing, sharing, and learning new elements of culture. It’s really opening the eyes of students to a new prospec-tive in the college community.” Glover said it is very im-portant that FCC students and staff participate in the celebration of this month because of what the culture offers, especially to residents of the central valley of California.

“Look at the diversity that we have in Fresno and about how many different languages are

spoken here. On a college cam-pus, we should experience diver-sity on every level. I think Asian American month, along with other culture months, are important for students to experience, learn about and walk away with a different perspective,” Glover said.

Glover said she has lots of expectations for the Asian Month celebrations. “We really hope to get a wide diverse array of differ-ent activities, events, and some panel discussions as well as per-formances. Along with our events, comes the historical aspect, giving students who are not aware of the culture an opportunity to learn something new.”

Wong said she is looking forward to Thursday’s Asian Fest which will be packed with lots of different performances. About 2,000 people are expected to participate in Thursday’s events. “There will be something for ev-eryone,” Wong said.

Jimmy Hoo, vice president of the Asian American club on campus said he was pleased to be part of the group that is organizing this event. “We have to show that we’re involved in the Asian com-munity and show our pride.”

FCC Explores Asian Culture

Nileen Clark performs dance story of the poetess-saint Sri Andal, who offered flower garlands to the deities at the temples in South India.

Photo by Abel Cortez

4 Rampage April 7, 2010

by Ray Juarez

Rampage Reporter

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News

Some people don’t know what it’s like to use public transportation – especially when it comes to riding the city bus.

Imagine having to start your day earlier then you should have to, waking up in a rush just to make it on time to the bus stop. Then, as you’re running, you see the bus passing by right in front of you.

Rampage staffers Ray Juarez and Kris Goka took a ride around the city to find out how fun or frustrating the bus can be for everyday riders.

Name: Rebecca HerreraAge: 41

Q: Why do you ride the bus?

A: “Everything I have to do, I ride the bus. I take the bus to and from work, run errands, and sometimes doctor visits.”

Q: How early do you have to start your day to be on time to work/school?

A: “I usually start my day at 7 a.m.”

Q: Do you find riding the bus fun or frustrating?

A: “Meeting new people is always fun. It can be frustrating at times when the high school kids get out, but it’s cool.”

Q: How do you deal when the bus is late or you miss it?

A: “When it’s late, I call the FAX number to make a complaint. There is nothing I can really do but wait for the next one.”

Q: What has been your craziest FAX experience?

Q & A: The City Bus, an Alternative Means of Transportation

A: “Watching a lady cuss out a bus driver; after he called the police, she lied in front of everybody.”

Q: If you could change one thing about Fax, what would it be?

A: “[The bus drivers] should have more respect for the elderly and people who are running after the bus; especially people who have kids. They need to be more aware instead of leaving people behind.”

Name: Veronica OrtegaAge: 20

Why does she ride the bus? She didn’t say except that it was only temporary.

Q: How early do you have to start your day to be on time to work/school?

A: “Not too early. I start my day around noon.”

Q: Do you find riding the bus fun or frustrating?

A: “It’s both. It’s more frustrating when I have my daughter. Other than that, I don’t mind.”

Q: How do you deal when the bus is late or you miss it?

A: “I get mad, especially when it’s hot outside or it’s really cold.”

Q: What has been your craziest FAX experience?

A: “There was this girl on the bus with her son one day. The driver missed a stop and slammed the breaks. The little boy went ‘flying’ and bumped his head. I remember they had to call the ambulance and everything.”

Q: If you could change one thing about FAX, what would it be?

A: “I think it would be more convenient if all the buses ran every 15 minutes.”

Name: David SheltonFCC StudentAge: 18

Q: Why do you ride the bus?

A: “It takes me everywhere I need to be.”

Q: How early do you have to start your day to be on time to work/school?

A: “I’m up around 5 a.m. and catch the 6:10 a.m. bus. Sometimes I’m lucky and get to sleep in, but I’m still on the bus by 9 o’clock.”

Q: Do you find riding the bus fun or frustrating?

A: “It’s frustrating when I miss it or knowing that it came too early. It’s fun when I see old friends and meet new people”

Q: How do you deal when the bus is late or you miss it?

A: “I can’t do much when it’s late, but I do get mad when I miss it because it’s right there passing me by.”

Q: What has been your craziest FAX experience?

A: “There was this girl who wouldn’t turn down her music and she was giving the driver a hard time for 10 to 15 minutes before she got off the bus.”

Q: If you could change one thing about FAX, what would it be?

A: “Better timing, especially on the weekends. I wish the bus ran later; walking home isn’t fun.”

Rebecca Herrera chats with a friend on her phone while looking forward to getting home.

Veronica Ortega and her daughter wait at the bus stop.

David Shelton stands in the middle of Blackstone Avenue wondering where the bus is.

Photos by Kris Goka

Rampage 5NewsApril 7, 2010

by Andrew Veihmeyer

Rampage Reporter

Fresno City College

Bookstore

Alternative sentence sought for quarterback

Q & A: The City Bus, an Alternative Means of Transportation

Fresno County Sheriff Mims recognized Fresno City College academy cadets for their volunteer efforts during the funerals of Deputy Joel Wahlenmaier and Reedley Officer Javier Bejar.

Photo courtesy of Richard Lindstrom, Director Fresno City College Police Academy

A Fresno Superior Court judge presiding over the case of former Fresno City College quar-terback Emmanuel Lewis, charged with possessing and selling drugs, allowed on March 19 for a third time extension, this time for the defense to propose alternative sentencing.

The delay came after Em-manuel Lewis’ attorney, David Washington, briefly left the court room with Fresno Superior Court judge Jonathan R. Conklin at 10:03 a.m. They both returned at 10:12 a.m. Immediately following, Washington left the court room with Lewis and returned shortly after.

After several time delays in-volving other court cases and with a brief recess, Conklin addressed Lewis’ request once the court was back in session, allowing him

“Lopez”Continued from page 1

written a response letter to Ameri-can Federation of Teachers repre-sentatives on the FCC campus.

This case started in Nov. 2009 when three students, includ-ing Matthews and Mahaffey filed a grievance against Lopez, claim-ing that he was teaching his per-sonal beliefs and religion as facts and making disparaging remarks against homosexuals in his health classes. The students insisted that Lopez was violating their rights to a safe learning environment.

A letter dated March 8 and signed by Vice President of Student Services, Christopher Villa, showed the college found in favor of the students and stated that Lopez “engaged in conduct that could result in the creation of a hostile learning environment by unreasonably in-terfering with stu-dents’ learning by making insulting comments direct-ed at homosexu-als.”

M a t -thews and Ma-haffey said that Lopez has not changed the con-tent of his courses and persists in teaching the same material that the March 8 letter had criticized. “Up until about two weeks ago, just before spring break, he was still continuing to assign Bible study and stuff. He was telling kids to go to the library and study the bible because there are answers in there that they need to come back with and as a home-work assignment,” said Matthews.

FCC president, Cynthia Azari, noted in an email interview

that the college “will monitor the class [Lopez’s]” and that stu-dents with concerns should file a complaint with the Dean. She maintained that her “responsibil-ity is to ensure that we are taking appropriate action and providing a suitable learning environment” for all students.

Matthews also expressed frustration at the way the college has handled this process. He said, “I don’t know what to think be-cause the school doesn’t involve us in the process. So I don’t know. I don’t know what this means as far as what’s going on with him [Lo-pez]. They haven’t said anything to us. I had to find out via a news group. A newscaster knew before

I knew.” M a t -

thews said he wants the col-lege to seize the opportunity presented by the Lopez case to educate all on the campus about diversity. “I want to see a culturally com-petent diversity workshop on c a m p u s . I want people to be aware that we are cultur-a l ly d iverse and that to say

things like that is wrong.” He said Lopez should

also learn from this experience. “I want him [Lopez] to be educated as to why that is wrong. I want him at the end of the day to know that what he did was not right and to not want to do it again and that to bring that kind of view into the classroom is not right.”

“some additional time to propose some sentencing alternatives.”

Alternative sentences, also known as intermediate sanctions, “punish but do not involve incar-ceration,” according to law.jrank.org, a Law Library Web site.

The case has been given time extensions twice before, On Feb. 26 and Feb. 4 in order for the defense to have time for further investigation and to collect more information regarding the case.

Police arrested Lewis on Dec. 10, 2009. During a four-month investigation, Clovis police say Lewis sold close to an ounce of cocaine and 25 ecstasy pills to undercover narcotics officers.

“I want to see a culturally competent diversity workshop on campus. I want people to be aware that we are culturally diverse and that to say things like that is wrong.”

- Jay Matthews

Cou

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of C

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Emmanuel Lewis.

6 Rampage Entertainment April 7, 2010

Unexpected ArtMany people think of graffiti as a nuisance. But some graffiti seen in neighborhoods around the Tower District

can be viewed as a public display of creativity and much more than your average act of vandalism. The Rampage set forth to capture several examples of street art near the Fresno City College campus.

Place: Van Ness & Home Ave.Size: 10’ by 38’

Most unusual feature: The woman in white.

FOOD FOR THE LORDS

BRICKS OF COLOR

BATHROOM BEAUTY

WALL OF THE DEAD

Place: Calwa Park, Cedar & Church Ave.Size: 10’ by 16’Most unusual feature: Complete coverage of the building, which is a restroom facility, with intricate designs.

Place: Van Ness & Floradora Ave.Size: 11’ by 5’

Most unusual feature: The bright orange lettering surrounded

by a magnificent light purple and blue.

Place: Calwa Park, Cedar & Church Ave.Size: 10’ by 20’Most unusual feature: Extravagant woven writing against a backdrop of black. A woman is placed next to it with paint on her face reminiscent of ‘Day of the Dead’ makeup.

(above)

(right)

(left)

(below)

by Will Christensen

Rampage Reporter

Photos by Abel Cortez

Rampage 7April 7, 2010 Entertainment

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Apply noW for fall 2010/spring 2011

day nightorProgramsoFFereD

Fresno locals know Tow-er District’s music scene featur-ing weekly local talents. But not many know the thriving Rock en Español. Big names with international fame like Zoé and Monte Negro help this local re-naissance grow fast. The genre accomplishes what other genres can’t, focusing on real people and life experiences. Sometimes dwelling on suffering and alien-ation in foreign countries, it’s also about redemption and life celebration.

A recent show at Babylon in Tower District showcased Federico Borjas’ project, Borjas Blues. With influences like [Cu-ban] Silvio Rodriguez, [Mexi-can] Fernando Carrillo, and Bob Dylan, Borjas’ acoustic sound incorporates harmonicas and trumpets. Songs like “Amigo

Fresno’s Rock en Español SceneAraña” get people’s attention.

“Everyone relates to this song because it’s about common-alities between different neighbor-hoods,” Borjas said. “I’m lucky,” he said about not struggling throughout his 12 year career. Although these projects take up time, he enjoys it. Maintaining his jazzy-bluesy sound from his first album, he wishes to someday in-filtrate English markets. “There’s many future projects in store,” he said, although plans are unclear.

Borjas’ bass assisted local hard rock group, Silueta Blanca, whose song topics range from alcohol in Mexico (“Mezcal”), to politics, religion, and discrimina-tion (“Muerte y Destrucción”). Spanish rock fans see their in-fluences; frontman Jose’s voice resembles Enrique Bunbury’s [He-roes Del Silencio]. Silueta doesn’t hesitate, expressing influences on-stage; including El Tri, Caifanes, and 70s english punk heard in

Mezcal’s guitar riffs. “We were the first Fresno Spanish Rock band in 1992,” guitarist Martin said. Silueta’s sound stands out, assuring t h e y ’ r e d o -ing something right.

Togeth-

feel,” said frontman Daniel. This allows ZUR to not convey messages, letting audiences form individual opinions. US’s Latin music grows from different countries mixing, (ZUR’s “Perdidos”). Blended personalities enable fans to relate. ZUR values audience reception, recognizing the emotional effects of open hearts found in Mexico. They wish to return home, touring in their native countries.

Not going home soon is LA’s Monte Negro, Babylon’s headliner. Screaming “Rock Stardom,” energetic sets get lively audiences dancing and singing along. With decent interna-tional following, they’re influenced by eclectic rock like The Cure, The Bea-tles, and U2. Monte Negro’s proud of

who they are and how far they’ve come. Performing with Enanitos Verdes and Café Tacvba unfazed them for upcoming Coachella and Vive Latino performances, (modern-day Woodstock festivals of 80,000 people). Necessary to enjoy triumphs is life’s arduous process and sacrifices. Unifying different cultures and opinions through music enables Monte Negro to appreciate and return fan love. “We want to thank all bands playing tonight,” frontman Kinski said thanking the ‘encore’ shouting crowd. Monte Negro has what it takes to be successful as they leave crowds wanting more.

by Karina OrnelasRampage Reporter

Frontman Kinski of Monte Negro headlining at Babylon.

Guitarist Martin and frontman Jose of Silueta Blanca.

er for years or months, each band at the show has individuality. Local band La Sabina also assisted by Borjas, is fronted by a big Fresno Spanish Rock pro-moter. Although covering songs by influences (such as Caifanes, El Tri, Soda Estereo and QBO), their own sound transcends small venues during per-formances. Fresno isn’t a solitary witness of their live-set atmosphere, hav-ing won a national contest to perform at 2009’s Latin Grammys. “The Latin Grammys has been our biggest accomplishment,” said frontman, Eddie. With guitar riffs from Caifanes’ “La Negra Tomasa,” Eddie encour-ages dancing. Audience’s reac-tion proves La Sabina’s got it, as people happily obliged. Their synthesis is important; “With our fusion, we’ve got better chances to go some-where,” keyboardist-violinist Alfonso said.

ZUR (Zona Urbana Rock) knows about fusion, having musical diversity be-tween Argentina, Spain, and Mexico; expressing differ-ences that blend seamlessly. “Comparisons aren’t good, we all have influences. We’re provoking doing what we

Photos by Abel Cortez

8 Rampage EntertainmentTH

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Rampage 7

by Kyle CalvertRampage Reporter

Let me get this out of the way im-mediately: ‘Clash of the Titans’ is a good action film.

It is visually stunning and available in 3D (like everything nowadays), has a strong cast full of well-rehearsed actors and grueling back-to-back epic battle scenes. It depicts man’s struggle against the gods in great detail, from the top of Olympus to the pits of the underworld, and the last time I saw such gorgeous land-scapes or heard such glorious music was during the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. Warner Bros. Pictures has spared no expense in mak-ing it a fantastic film.

In ‘Clash of the Titans’, Sam Worthing-ton plays Per-seus, the son of the Greek god Z e u s ( L i a m Neeson) and of a mortal woman. When Perseus’ mortal family is slain by Hades (Ralph Fiennes) during the god’s retaliation against the city of Argos, the demigod vows revenge against the lord of the underworld. To defeat him, Perseus goes on a quest to find a way to kill the gods’ most fearsome weapon – the Kraken. With an ever-dwin-dling troop of warriors at his side and the occasional gift from Zeus (always ready to assist his son), Perseus battles mythical creatures and demons alike in the most epic battle of the year.

Whew. Now that that’s over with, I can elaborate: I don’t consider this movie to be ‘Clash of the Titans.’ Yes, I’m that nerd that stays faithful to originals and spits on remakes, but even so, it felt like another movie altogether. To me, 2010’s ‘Titans’ seemed like it was just ‘Terminator Salvation’ in disguise – instead of robots, guns and Sam Worthington yelling that

he’s not a robot, it’s mythical creatures, swords and Worthington yelling that he’s not a god. Replace all the urban dystopia with panoramic Greek landscapes and you have a new movie.

The plot of the movie has been changed, which again makes it feel like a different movie altogether. In the original, Perseus went on his mission to save the princess Androm-eda (played by Alexa Davalos in the remake) from the Kraken because she would be his bride. 2010’s ‘Titans’ has the character out for revenge and little else. They may as well have written Andromeda out entirely, since her only significance to the plot is that she’s offered up to the Kraken. The spirit guide Io

(Gemma Arterton) seems to take the place of An-dromeda’s character in Perseus’ party. None of this actually takes away from the movie, however; it’s just a bit extra.

My only real peeve with the movie is that the dialogue is all modern even though the film is set in ancient Greece. It’s hard to feel like you’re im-mersed in mythical times when Perseus says “Let’s go kill that b**ch,” refer-ring to Medusa. However, the inclusion of the owl prop from the original movie was a nice tease to fans that grew up with the

film like I have. As far as remakes are concerned,

‘Clash’ lives up to expectations. It’s been up-dated for a more modern movie-going crowd that expects huge flashy battles, a single ne-farious villain to despise, typical love stories, and 3D glasses at every show. The casting is excellent – Neeson is a fantastic Zeus, Worthington adds some necessary badass to Perseus, and each character, be they man, god, or otherwise, is well-versed and convincing. It’s a good movie and it’s worth watching, but anyone who has seen the original will probably feel like the two films are not related except by name.

I would watch it again as long as there’s a non-3D version, since it’s hard for me to enjoy a film while wearing the ‘gimmick goggles.’

Clash of the Terminators ‘Song’ charms beyond

At first look, “The Last Song” screams chick flick. A closer look screams the same. But while watching, I decided that it was a chick flick with merit, an accomplishment full of symbolism and sweet sor-row.

“The Last Song,” based on a book of the same name by Nicholas Sparks, tells the story of Veronica aka Ronny (Miley Cyrus), a rebellious teenage daughter. Ronny and her kid brother Jonah (Bobby Coleman) stay with their dad (Greg Kinnear) for the summer.

Ronny, a piano prodigy, hates her father because he left the family and moved back to his seaside home. She begins the movie despising her dad and the town he lives in, but the veneer of the bad girl gets chipped away by a dauntless young man named Will (Liam Hemsworth). Their friendship over the summer turns to love.

Here’s where the chick flick as-pects really begin to show. Luckily, the moodiness and angst of the rest of the story balances it out.

Characters deal with the drama of past and present events that haunt them, leading to a great big bout of tears from the audience. Ronny ends up learning a ton of life lessons, all of which help her to become a better person and to embrace her future as a musician.

As comic relief, the duties mostly fell to the brother, Jonah. I had to admire Coleman’s performance; not a lot of child actors can wear all of those tears and not look silly. The rest of the funny parts were traded between Ronny, Will and their fathers, who lacked any kind of subtlety whatsoever. Will’s fearless flirting caused many a face-palm.

Cyrus makes this film with her raw star power. Stripped of the annoy-ing laugh track and melodramatic pop star shenanigans, she shows herself as a competent actor.

It satisfied me to see her walk-ing down the beach, wearing nothing

but black and wearing her best moody teenage rebellion face. Yet, true to her reputation, she does nothing but display what a good role model should be: a compassionate, animal-loving teenager whom, even in her rebellion, doesn’t steal and doesn’t tolerate twisted boys with an eye for her body.

Being the one who has to cry the most, Cyrus makes every sob scene con-vincing and engaging. And – I suppose it had to be done – there was a scene where Ronny is singing, but it is rather minor and not at all serious. The film ends with two songs sung by Cyrus, which is only fitting but also predictable.

Two things really got me about this movie: the nature shots and the symbolism riddled throughout the film. While the director couldn’t help but put in cutesy shots, such as baby sea turtles scrambling to sea, some of the land-scape was intriguing. I gave a full-on salute to the director for the barrage of symbolism. All of the important scenes had something to give them greater insight.

The biggest symbolic reference was, of course, the last song that the fa-ther wrote for his daughter, after which the entire movie is named.

Despite its status as a chick flick sob story with happy ending, “The Last Song” wasn’t terrible. The film charmed me. I recommend taking a date or a screaming young fan of Cyrus to see it. They’ll be destined to enjoy it anyway.

Grade: B-

by Will ChristensenRampage Reporter

Photo Courtesy of imdb.com

Photo Courtesy of imdb.com

Grade: B

the normal chick flick

April 7, 2010

Rampage 9ViewsApril 7, 2010

You hear the number being dialed, anticipate the routine beeps and static, wait several moments to connect to the home page, and then hope your mom doesn’t pick up the phone and ruin your connection. Such were the days of dial-up Internet. Broadband, a faster connection that doesn’t tie up the telephone line, has since become the standard for several years but the system could soon face noticeable changes both in its actual performance and with its relationship between consumers, the FCC and service providers.

The Federal Communi-cations Commission, or FCC, released its “National Broadband Plan” that outlines their goals to improve performance and extend Internet services to people for the future. Among these is the goal to provide “at least 100 million U.S. homes [with] affordable access to actual download speeds of at least 100 megabits per second and actual upload speeds of at least 50 megabits per second.”

A recent study by the In-formation Technology Industry Council reported that the Ameri-can download speed is 4 mega-bits per second, a speed that is behind several other countries. The FCC plans to improve the country’s ranking with their plan and to make the United States the

innovator and leader of wireless networks.

But how will this get done?According to a recent Ya-

hoo.com Finance article, “No easy fix for America’s broadband problems” published on March 16, it noted that the FCC will propose

“a government investment of more than $15 billion in infrastructure to bring 100 megabit-per-second speeds to 100 million Americans

by the end of the decade.”Is this a wise move? Where

is this $15 billion going to come from? It’s doubtful the consumers in this present economy are going to be willing to spend even greater fees for their Internet, at speeds that are already efficient enough

for the common user.Companies like Google,

openly favoring the FCC’s Broad-band Plan, are also embracing and

moving forward with broadband evolution by unveiling Google Fiber in early February. With it, the company will “build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States [deliver-ing Internet] speeds more than

100 times faster than what most A m e r i -cans have access to

today with 1 gigabit per second,” according to a posting from the Offical Google Blog.

Google claims this accel-

eration will give users the ability to download at much faster rates, like a full high-definition movie in 5 minutes.

Yet, Google has yet to men-tion what Fiber will cost con-sumers other than saying it will be competitively priced. Will costumers jump at the chance to download at super speeds or is this new ability only for the techies? It doesn’t seem the most embrace-able technology to be pushing at the moment when most might just be looking to keep prices for basic, reliable connections to a minimum.

The FCC will then ask broadcasters to sell off 500 mega-hertz of spectrum which would make the free space “available for mobile, fixed and unlicensed broadband use.” They wish to accomplish this in ten years time. Again, there’s no mention of how they plan to do it. And if they try to gain more authority over the service providers, they may be setting themselves up for a severe arm wrestle. But for now, the FCC can only suggest, not dictate.

Truthfully, if an attempt to revolutionize the broadband market is conducted too quickly and at a much larger expense to the consumer, it’s doubtful it will catch on. The best course of action would be to set a future plan in mo-tion and implement it in gradually to preserve the balance between the consumers and providers. Tread lightly, FCC.

Rampagve ReporterAndrew Veihmeyer

With Internet and Justice for All

...If an attempt to revolutionize the broadband market is conducted too quickly and at a much larger expense to

the consumer, it’s doubtful it will catch on.

Photo illustration by Kris GokaGoogle, the Federal Communications Commission, and comsumers fight over internet.

10 Rampage April 7, 2010ViewsCampus Voices Rampage Reporters

by Kyle Calvert and Kimberly Hodges Photos by Gabriella Ramirez

Rampage ReporterSebouh Simonian

On Feb. 18, 2010, Andre-hw Joseph Stack III, a software consultant from Austin Texas, flew his Piper Dakota into a building in the Echelon office complex in Austin Texas, kill-ing himself and Vernon Hunter, a 67-year-old Internal Revenue Service officer who was also a veteran of the Vietnam War.

After the attack, it was discovered that Stack had posted a suicide note on the website embeddedart.com, a rambling note that reveals he was dis-gruntled with the IRS. Many have publically applauded his action, calling him a hero. Dur-ing an interview on ABC’s Good

Morning America, Stack’s adult daughter Samantha Bell said her father was a hero because he has called attention to “government injustice.”

The question that many are asking is whether Joseph Stack is a hero or terrorist?

Stack has also found sup-porters on the internet including

a facebook page that was set up by supporters, which at one point had two thousand members. He has also found allies in people who believe Americans are being

taxed too much by the govern-ment though mostly the fringe parts of that movement.

There are those who are greatly angered by the actions of Joseph Stack, especially the family of his victim. Five days after her husband’s death, Valerie Hunter filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Andrew Joseph Stack’s widow Sheryl Mann

Stack, The lawsuit alleges that Sheryl had a duty to “avoid a foreseeable risk of injury to oth-ers,” including her late husband and failed to do so by not warn-ing others about him.

In my opinion Joseph Stack is not a hero; there is little difference between himself and terrorists like the 9/11 hijack-ers and Timothy McVeigh. When someone commits these kinds of crimes, there are many motives. Some are political while others are religious, and sometimes both. The main goals of an act of terrorism are to cause mass casualties or make people fearful.

Many times terrorists will try to shield their actions behind a cause that may get them support such as with the 9/11 attacks. Osama Bin Laden tried to use the Middle East conflict in hopes of gain-ing support.

In his six page mani-festo Stack expressed anger toward the government, the bailouts of car companies and banks. He also expressed anger toward General Motors Enron, unions, healthcare insurance companies, and the Catholic Church. It also expressed anger towards the FAA and the Bush administration and called for a violent revolt.

When someone takes actions like those of Stack to make a political point it does damage to those who may have legitimate issues and want to make changes in a specific area, whether it involves Mid-

east policies or taxes. In fact, someone who opposes legitimate groups that seek changes in those kind of areas can use such actions to make those involved in the movement seem like criminals or insane.

Some in politics have tried to use the actions of Stack

to discredit the Tea party move-ment, though most involved in the movement have come out very vocally against his actions.

Those who have problems with the government must seek to make changes the right way, not through acts of violence.

When someone takes actions like those of Stack to make a political point, it does damage to those who may have legitimate issues and want to make

changes in a specific area, whether it involves Mideast policies or taxes.

www.tsdps.state.tx.usJoseph Stack, American Tero

Heroism or Terrorism?

Starting June 1, the State Center Community College District will no longer contact students except through an assigned student email address (lastname_idnumber@my.scccd.edu).

Do you approve of this forced email change? What are your concerns about privacy, since the addresses give out students’ last names and ID numbers?

“I don’t approve because having my own email address gives me an advantage. With this one, there could be problems that I don’t know how to do anything about. Someone could take your ID number and get into your Blackboard.”

-Larry HoodMajor – CulinarySecond year

“I think [an assigned address] comes off as being more professional. It’s a little weird, but a lot of people do it, so I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.”

Allyson McCaffreyMajor – PsychologySecond year

“It’s irritating, but all you need to do is have your emails forwarded from the school ad-dress to your personal one. You still have a password to protect sensitive information. I don’t think it’s really a violation of privacy.”

David NorthropMajor – Music / Performing ArtsSecond year

“I don’t think it’s a big deal, but it would be easier for students to use a personal address as long as they keep it updated. I didn’t know it had my name and ID number, though… that’s not private at all.”

Amanda HawkinsMajor – Social WorkThird year

“I believe they should contact us through both as a courtesy to the students. Be-sides, some students don’t have Internet. And what if someone got into my Webadvisor and dropped my classes?”

-Marion TilleyMajor – Social WorkFirst year

Rampage Reporter

By Ray Juarez

Rampage 11SportsApril 7, 2010

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Mom on the Run: Track star balances life as a runner and a mother

Beth Tademy (left), 32, practices alongside teammate Courtney Gooch. Photo by Valerie Hill

Mom on the Run: track star balances life as mom and runner

At age 32, Beth Tademy is not your average mom. She’s also not your average track star. Tad-emy, who is married with two kids, is one of many student athletes at Fresno City College.

She can handle competi-tion, both on the track and at home. Tademy was an outstanding cross country runner this past fall for the Rams and has continued her success this spring as a distance runner with the track team.

Tademy, who holds a bach-elor’s degree in speech pathology at Fresno State and is applying for the FCC nursing program, has a highly structured schedule to help her keep up with being both a mom and an athlete.

Tademy said she was sur-prised to be able to compete alongside younger athletes.

“Surprisingly, I thought it would be two different worlds. When I started I was a little leery to run. I just wanted to try it out. I actually have more in common with my teammates.” Before competing on the FCC team, Tademy had only partici-pated in a high school sport where she swam and played water polo. She credits her husband for moti-vating her.

“My husband was a run-ner at San Jose City College and Fresno State. He is the one who en-couraged me to run cross country

and track,” she said. He also helps alleviate the additional burdens she has as a student and mother.

“Without Greg supporting

me financially and occasionally other times picking [the kids] up from school or starting dinner while I’m at track practice, none of this would have been possible. I am happy where I am and lucky to have the opportunity,” Tademy said.

She said that being a part of a very competitive team has been really positive. “I feel that I have gained a lot of confidence and lifelong friendships. It’s been

an amazing year. My coach [Gary Bluth] is really great. It’s a lot of hard work. I’m probably in the best shape of my life,” She said. Some of Tademy’s best moments include times spent with her team mates. “I’ve learned a lot from my teammates. They’ve taught me a lot about competing and strategies.” She said the team has supported her and given her the encourage-ment she needs. “I was not a runner in high school. The other runners give me pointers – like, ‘Don’t over-extend your pace’ – or how to breathe during your run so you won’t cramp up later.’ I have a lot to learn about the theory of run-ning, I guess. But I have a lot of support out here on the track field,” she said.

She describes the recogni-tion she’s getting as humbling. “I feel like my work ethic is stron-ger,” she added. Tademy said she gets nervous before a meet. “Some of the girls [jokingly] make fun of me when I do. Aside from being nervous, it’s exciting and fun to be a part of something.”

Regarding her future plans after the season, Tademy wants to take a summer school class and then apply for the nursing program. She hopes to finish the season very strongly. “I have high expectations for myself and some goals I want to accomplish before it’s all over. As a distance runner, I run the 5k (3.1 miles) and the 10k (6.2 miles),” she said. “My goal is to run my way into FCC’s history books. In the 5k I’m No. 3. If I can finish the in under 19 minutes; I’ll be No. 2. If I finish the 10k in fewer than 40 minutes, I am No. 1.”

Staff writers Jaren Hockert and Valerie Hill contributed to this report.

Rampage Reporter

by Ray Juarez

12 Rampage April 7, 2010SportsDavid Rohm: One on one with the

Rampage

David Rohm grew up with a baseball and a bat in his hands.

Now, in his rookie year at Fresno City College, the 20-year-old infielder already leads the Central Valley Con-ference in a number of catego-ries: .500 batting average, 92 at-bats, 24 runs, 46 hits, and the list goes on.

“My ultimate goal is to make it to the pros,” said the former Clovis High star.David Rohm

Age: 20Major: Business administrationWho:

Freshman student athlete and baseball player for Fresno City College.What is your position on the field?

“I started out playing third base, but due to a team-mate’s injury I moved to first base.”How long have you’ve been playing here at City?

“This is my first season

as a Ram and I hope to play again next year.”What is it like playing for FCC and coach Ron Scott?

“I’ve enjoyed every mo-ment so far. Coach Scott is a great guy. I couldn’t ask for a better coach out here.”What high school did you play for and what was it like play-ing there?

“I went to Clovis High. Coach [James] Patrick runs a great program. He tries to get the best out of every player. He knows the game, and we got great success because of that.”Do you remember the first time you picked up a base-ball?

“Well, my dad is kind of a baseball freak. I can’t remem-ber the first time I picked up a ball. I kind of just grew up with a bat and ball in my hand.”Describe some of your best games.

“I remember in high school we were playing in the valley championship. I was do-ing some pretty good pitching and we were winning going into the seventh inning. It didn’t turn out too good for us, but

it was a big highlight of my career.”What do you what to accom-plish while at City?

“I want to finish as good

as I started. We have a good team and I know we all want to win a state championship.” What are your plans after college?

“My goal is to play in the pros. I’m a Giants fan and it would be my dream to play for them one day.”

Rampage Reporter

By Sydney Excinia

Getting in the head of Nicole Reed

Fifteen years as a softball player has paid off for the 2009 Central Valley Confer-ence pitcher of the year, Nicole Reed.

Reed, with a record of 17-2 and 119 strikeouts, frustrates her opponents. She is catching the eyes of many rivals around the valley while earning great respect from teammates and opponents.

Again, the Rams are hard at work, winning the CVC championship with a 23-6 record.

In an interview, Reed discussed her experiences on the field, her passion for the game, and how was she was introduced to softball.What are your plans after you leave Fresno City College?

“I’m looking toward go-ing to a four-year college, after City. However, I’m not sure which one I want to go to yet.”How were you introduced to softball?

“I have been playing softball since I was 4 years old. My parents introduced me to the game because they had both played. In general, it was a fun

hobby for everyone to do while I was a young child.”How long have you played here?

“I have been playing for FCC since I first started here, which was two years ago.”While in high school, did you play softball?

“Yes, I came from Clovis High School. For my four years, I played as both a pitcher and catcher.”

Since you have been playing for so many years, are there any other positions you can play besides pitcher?

“Throughout my 15 years of experience, I have picked up almost all positions on the field. I can play any-where.”You have played some incred-ible games this season. Talk about your experiences on the field.

“I’ve learned a lot for it only being my second year as a pitcher for the team. I came here not knowing what posi-tion I was going to play, and then Sal [assistant coach Ralph Salazar] put me in this position and that’s what he taught me to do. That’s what they expect from me. My team behind me does great as well, they are my supporters.”Besides practicing on the

field, do you practice on your own time?

“Yes, I practice a lot at home. I also work with little girls on a travel team, so it’s like everything on the side keeps me in it.”Since you have an impeccable fastball, do you know how fast you can throw?

“I’m not sure how fast I can throw. I just know that I have a lot of fast movement on the ball so it helps a lot.”What was your best win so far this season?

“I would have to say that my best game this year was against Sierra, because they were the school that we lost to in the playoffs that ended our 2009 season. Luckily, this season we came back and beat them. It was a really exciting defeat.”Being part of team for so many years must feel like a comfortable atmosphere. Overall, how has your expe-rience been while playing for FCC?

“I love it. It’s like a fam-ily out here. Every girl is just like your sister and the coaches are just like your parents. Ev-eryone is always looking out for each other; it is just really fun.”

With passed state championship teams in the background, David Rohm would like 2010 to be next. Photo by Abel Cortez

Nicole Reed prepares for her next pitch against Porterville College on March 9, 2010 photo by Gabriella Ramirez