KnightreturnsDirect-to-DVD hit amazes viewers

By Alexandra WaiteNEWS EDITOR

Since the campaign to place a sculpture of former employee Martin Padilla in the plaza in front of

the Student S e r v i c e s Center began on All College Day, the fund has collected $2,860 in donations.

“ M a r t i n was such an integral part of the campus and everyone loved him,” Communication, Liberal Arts, Skills and Services Division Dean Helen Kalkstein said. “He was so giving and loving. We really want to honor him.”

The sculpture of Padilla will include a bust, pedestal

and a plaque e x p l a i n i n g why the col-lege chose him to be memo-r i a l i z e d , C l a s s i f i e d S e n a t e P r e s i d e n t Mercy Pono said.

S e n i o r E x e c u t i v e Assistant to the President M e l o d y Hanson said that once the initiative for the fund started on Aug. 12, the donations started coming in steadily. The goal for the fund is to reach $7,500 by the end of the semester.

When that goal is reached, the artist can start making the sculpture next semester and the official unveiling of the bust will be able to take place in fall 2011, Hanson said.

Fine arts professor Jiajun Lu, an internationally known

By Sam AttalEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MARTINEZ — A Richmond man was sentenced over the summer to 25 years to life in prison for the first-degree murder and second-degree robbery of a Contra Costa College student.

On May 21, Marcellus Lewis Allen was sentenced for his involvement in the 2007 murder of 24-year-old Jinzhou Chang, a Chinese immigrant. Allen was also sen-tenced for possession of a firearm used to shoot Chang in the head, stomach and back on June 30, 2007 in El Cerrito.

“I feel very saddened for my client and his family,” defense attorney Daniel Cook said. “It was a tragedy for everyone

By Cassidy GoodingSTAFF WRITER

The culinary arts department kicked off the fall semester with its annual Iron Chef Cook-Off in the Three Seasons Restaurant Thursday. The competition, held once at the beginning of every semester for the past four years, was designed to prepare culinary arts stu-dents for a new semester of service.

“They’ve all been working hard the past couple of days,” culinary arts department Chairman Nadar Sharkes said. “Today’s fulfillment for them.”

As the coordinator of the competi-tion, Sharkes gave teams of five or six students three ingredients to incorpo-rate into dishes they then had to create together. This semester, the necessary components were salmon, halibut and chicken. Once assigned, the teams had two days to plan, test and ready their meals for customers.

Students, family, and college employees created a line that wrapped around the restaurant and paid a dona-

tion of $5 for a ticket to try the entrées. Once inside, each person received a plate and heaping servings of each team’s dish. Once they finished eating, customers were instructed to choose a favorite dish and place their ticket as a vote into corresponding jars for each team.

“We had two days, but we came up with our ideas in less than 30 min-utes,” culinary arts student Armando Robinson said. His team, named Sex on a Plate, made salmon and halibut wontons and chicken and bacon egg rolls with a sweet and sour cherry sauce.

“For five bucks, you want to keep it simple,” Sex on a Plate team member Russel Lozano said.

Other teams, however, opted for more gourmet dishes.

“We made pasta carbonara, all from scratch, and chicken parmesan.” culi-nary arts student Adam Farr said. His team, Cook’s Delight, ended up win-ning the most votes at the close of the contest.

“We put a lot of work into it,” Cook’s Delight member P.J. Crystal said. “But we didn’t really care about winning. We want an A,” she said jokingly.

“I voted for the pasta. It was very good,” Middle College High Schol stu-dent Dolores Williams said. As it was her first time in the Three Seasons, Williams admitted to being very impressed with how professional and “cool” the restaurant was.

The winners received prizes such as cooking sauces, portable grills and gift certificates to a slew of local eateries.

“In the kitchen, it’s always a team.” Sharkes said. “(The restaurant) is open-ing on (Sept. 1), so this competition is good practice.” Sharkes said he was proud of how smoothly everything ran this semester, citing only a couple of arguments in the kitchen, where ten-sions have a tendency to run high.

Crystal and her teammates said the contest was more fun than it was stress-ful; something culinary arts students

C M Y K C M Y K

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B

C M Y K C M Y K

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW B

THE WEEKLY STUDENT VOICE OF CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE, SAN PABLO, CALIF.SINCE 19508 PAGES, ONE COPY FREE

VOL. 95, NO. 2WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1, 2010

ACCENTADVOCATE.COM

SERVING WITH A SMILE

Within reachCollege employees must com-memorate Padilla.

page 2

editorial

Donations requested

Chang trial finds an end

■ SEE CHEFS: Page 4

CHRISTIAN SOTO / THE ADVOCATE

Filling the plate — Culinary arts student Jennifer Gonzalez serves her team’s chicken enchiladas to stu-dent Emily Rader during the Iron Chef Cook-Off in the Three Seasons Restaurant on Aug. 26. Students are required to work in teams to come up with the best dish in the annual competition.

PermitsOnline system puzzles drivers

scene page 8◆sports page 7◆

Squadsprepare

Recruits train for upcoming seasons

campus beat page 5◆

“They’ve all been work-ing hard the past couple of days. Today’s fulfill-

ment for them.”

Nadar Sharkes,culinary arts department chairman

Culinary teams compete for votes

Padilla

ChangThe Contra Costa College student was murdered and robbed in June 2007 while working outside an apartment complex in El Cerrito.

CHRISTIAN SOTO / THE ADVOCATE

BATTLE TESTS CHEFS

Padilla to be remembered with statue

By Cassandra JunielSPOTLIGHT EDITOR

A Contra Costa College his-torian, professor, lecturer and friend to many has taken a giant leap in the area of social sci-ences.

Professor Manu Ampim, formerly the coordinator of the college’s history program for the past four years, was recently appointed the new chairman for the social sciences department, which includes subjects like sociology, psychology, econom-ics, political science and history.

Former chairman J. Vern Cromartie will continue to teach sociology, as well as head the Umoja Program.

One of Ampim’s colleagues said that this move is going to be

beneficial to the CCC students.“This assignment will be

wonderful for the students,” Athletic Director John Wade said. “(Ampim) works well with the students while also raising the bar, meeting his and their expectations. I am elated that he can impact the campus com-munity all the way around. It’s a win-win situation.”

Ampim’s education includes a bachelor of science degree in business management and a master of arts in history, both from Morgan State University in Baltimore. Additionally, he said he will complete his doctorate work in history sometime in the future.

In addition to his chair posi-tion, Ampim will continue his teaching in the classroom. Current classes taught are United States History, offered as History 120 and 121; California History, offered as History 124 (offered in the spring); and African

Civilization, offered as History 110.

Ampim began at CCC in the fall of 2006 and taught African-American studies at Merritt College. He also focused much of his attention on his independent research through his business,

■ SEE PADILLA: Page 4

Assailant sees justice, sentenced 25 to life

■ SEE ALLEN: Page 4

Dedicated speaker — Newly appointed social sci-ences department Chairman Manu Ampim lec-tures during his History 120 class in LA-100 on Monday. Besides teaching at the college, Ampim leads trips to Egypt and other parts of Africa over the summer to help stu-dents gain a better understand-ing of his teachings.

Historian takes lead roleAmpim advises social sciences

■ SEE AMPIM: Page 4

“(Ampim) works well with the students

while also raising the bar, meeting his and their expectations. I

am elated that he can impact the campus community all the

way around.”

John Wade,athletics director

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1, 2010 ● VOL. 95, NO. 2

EditorialSupport required Faculty, staff efforts needed to reach goal

ver since his untimely death on Aug. 28, 2008, college officials have been seeking an honorable

way to memorialize the late evening and Saturday program monitor Martin Padilla.

While going largely unnoticed by students in his 22 years of service, Padilla provided a presence of stability and reassurance on campus for employ-ees and students alike, whether they were fully aware of it or not. He worked tirelessly to ensure harmony in the col-lege’s general state of affairs, going out of his way to help anyone in need.

Two years after his passing, the col-lective efforts to pay tribute to Padilla are finally being put into action.

Last year, college officials pushed to rename the Student Services Center in remembrance of Padilla, but were shut down by the district’s Governing Board.

Instead of giving up, a sub-com-mittee of the College Council consid-ered an easily attainable way to revere Padilla.

With the creation of a bronze bust of Padilla to be placed in front of the SSC, his legacy of dedication and watchful-ness will be given a permanent place at the heart of the college.

The sculpture will include a pedestal and plaque describing his impact on the college and what he will be remem-bered for.

Though a majority of students within a few years will know little of Padilla or what he did, the sculpture in front of the SSC will preserve a piece of his memory and symbolize the selflessness and diligence he exemplified.

The college should be commended for admirably pulling through this tough situation, and finding a solution that is in many ways better than the intended tribute.

Having a statue in front of the SSC will be just as enduring as renaming a building after Padilla, while being much more personal and informational.

Rather than naming the building after him and risking no one remembering his legacy in years to come, members of the college will have a visual model and placard to commemorate his life and services.

Without any legal restrictions stand-ing in the way, the college must work together financially to make sure the $7,500 goal for the fund is met by the end of the semester.

Nearly $3,000 in donations have already been collected, and any surplus funds will be donated to the Martin Padilla Scholarship Fund.

Members of the college and friends of Padilla should contribute.

The creation of the statue is the least the college can do to repay him for the 22 years he served loyally with selfless devotion and care.

E

“It doesn’t affect me because I don’t drive to school.”

Christian Urrutiamedia and communication arts

CampusComment

How has the online-exclusive sale of parking permits affected you?

“I didn’t get one. I just park in the residen-tial (area) and walk to class.”

Myeshia Ellisoncriminal justice

“I use the daily meter.”

Mario Austinaccounting

“I had no knowledge of the new system and wasn’t able to get the parking permit when classes started.”

Iris Chungbusiness management

“It was an OK experi-ence for me. I was just worried about getting it on time.”

Scotty Andersoneconomics

“I thought it was easy.”

Denali Knudsoubiology

Quotable“The First Amendment

doesn’t exist so we can freely praise our public

officials. It exists so we can freely criticize our public

officials.”

Chris Lambeducator

1998

Sam Attaleditor-in-chief

Dariush Azmoudeh

associate editor

Lamar Jamesassociate editor

Cassandra Junielspotlight editor

Malcolm Lastrasports editor

Alexandra Waitenews editor

Cody McFarlandscene editor

George Morinphoto editor

Christian Sotoassistant photo editor

Paul DeBoltfaculty adviser

Staff writersCorrin Bailey

Hilberth IbarraNatalie Estrada

Elsie FullerCary Gooding

Cassidy GoodingApril Halog

Jermaine HarrisonDavid Kelley III

Cheuk KoLina Lam

Kathryn MorenoJanit Saechao

Rodney Woodson

Staff photographersKavion Gordon

Qing HuangAdam Oliver

Staff illustratorsRoy ChanJoel Ode

Faythe Del Rosario

HonorsACP National Newspaper

Pacemaker Award1990, 1994, 1997,1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008,

2009

CNPA Better Newspaper Contest 1st Place Award

1970, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000

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2010

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How to reach usPhone: 510.235.7800

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Editorial policyColumns and editorial

cartoons are the opinion of individual writers and

artists and not that of The Advocate. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the

Editorial Board, which is made up of student editors.

ROY CHAN / THE ADVOCATE

Polite attitude makes citations avoidable

■ Advice

ou’re stopped on the side of the road. Your win-

dow’s down, your license is ready and the cop behind you just popped his door open.

He’s about to strut over and write you a ticket for pushing 40 in a 25 mph zone. That’ll cost about $400 plus sitting through traffic school. Doesn’t he know you’re late for class? Hasn’t he noticed everyone speeds on San Pablo Dam Road?

You clench your jaw, ball your fists and feel your frustration bubbling. Just because this guy’s got a badge shouldn’t give him the power to degrade you. This is America and you have the right to give him a piece of your mind, right?

Freeze.I wouldn’t call myself a

pro at dodging tickets until my record stands at 10-0, but I feel I’m off to a good start to offer some advice.

Right off the bat, be calm when dealing with an officer. For all he knows, you have a bomb strapped to your chest, so acting aggressive will irritate him. Bottom line is you’ve broken the law and got caught. Suck it up, get over yourself and smile.

It doesn’t matter if your cousin was gunned down for shoplifting and no one cares that your favorite band is N.W.A. He’s doing his job and now it’s in your best interest to be polite.

Don’t think that because you’re a male you’re hope-less. With that attitude, write the ticket yourself, fellas. I have a hunch that a cop pull-ing someone over for flaunt-ing 10 or so mph is bored.

He’s looking for either an ego boost or a good laugh. Girls are lucky to potentially provide both, but guys out there still have a chance.

I’ve been told that you should never admit anything to an officer, but don’t see that as tactful. When he asks you how fast you were going, humbly confess a number reasonably near what you were driving. He already knows you were speeding; lying is just going to make him angry. Keeping mum about the dead body in your trunk is a good idea, but divulge the petty crime.

Once you admit to your flagrant disregard of others’ safety in an appropriately apologetic manner, he’ll ask you to remind him of the speed limit. Again, don’t lie and don’t act dumb. He may feel he should write the tick-et to be sure you understand what those numbered signs on the side of the road are.

After this, cops often like to ask why you chose to ignore said signs. Because of your correct answers so far, he can tell you’re a smart person, so why were you breaking the law? He isn’t looking for your average excuse here. I suggest using your imagination.

True, this is almost like lying, but remember my hypothesis about this guy being bored? Here’s your

chance to jazz things up. You want to make him laugh. Once you’ve coaxed a chuckle, tell him you’re sorry and you’ll slow down. If you’ve been as friendly as I hope, he’ll believe you. He’ll scan your license, and as long as you’re not wanted for a bank heist, he’ll be reluctant to write that ticket.

The last time I got pulled over for speeding, I fished a week-old Gatorade bottle from underneath the seat and told the officer my bladder was about to explode. He laughed and wished me luck getting home in time.

I once watched someone send a cop into fits of gig-gles (manly ones, of course) by regaling him with a tale about his ambition to appear in an episode of “COPS.” Just imagine what you’d like to hear if you were stuck in your car all day.

Now, if you’re not funny, crying can work. The first time I was pulled over I could barely answer the officer through my sniffles. Once he ascertained I wasn’t drunk, he let me go.

However, if for some rea-son you are greatly attached to all that bravado and dig-nity (or you’re a robot with broken tear ducts and no sense of humor), there is hope. Just be as genial as that titanium heart allows, stay honest and act repentant. Even if you do end up with the ticket, at least that smart mouth didn’t get you shot.

Cassidy Gooding is a staff writer for The Advocate. Contact her at cgooding.advocate@gmail.com.

ROY CHAN / THE ADVOCATE

cassidygooding

Y

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1, 20102 OPINION

FAYTHE DEL ROSARIO / THE ADVOCATE

s a kid I always dread-ed waking up early and

going to church on Sundays.Even to this day I prefer to sleep in or work on Sundays rather than sit in church.

Now, I am not saying that I am a non-believer of any sort. I do read the bible and pray, but feel that missing church is not something for which God will commend or punish me.

Still, I noticed several peo-ple, especially avid churchgo-ers, look down on those who do not attend as sinners.

I began to ask myself, “since when did going to church make you any better than a person who doesn’t?”

Over the years and after numerous such occasions, I grew to realize that church is something I could do without.

One experience I would go through when I attended church was when fellow members would criticize and judge my family for what we wore.

Although we never showed up in our everyday attire, the last time I checked, church is a place where people receive inspirational and spiritual guidance, not where they take part in a fashion show.

I also find it funny that other people would tell me and my family how to live right amongst God when they had more problems than us.

Though church has its pos-itives, as it delivers inspira-tional messages and changes peoples’ lives for the better, the negatives clearly outweigh the positives.

For example, the use of tithing to me is pointless and wrong. Tithing is the action of paying the church 10 per-cent of your income.

The church tries to make it seem like the man upstairs will not love you if you don’t offer a tithe and will bless an individual more if he donates more. This is pressuring to a church member who does not receive much income and can only give what he can afford.

I have no problem donating whatever I can afford, but the church shouldn’t put that type of stress on a person’s life by suggesting God will bless you based on the amount you give.

Shouldn’t church be a place where people want to change their lives and not a place where they are pres-sured into paying?

Those of you who tithe, ask yourself, who is get-ting the blessing, you or the preacher?

While most churchgoers are dealing with economic hardships and struggling to provide for their families, the preacher and ushers can be seen riding around in brand new cars, wearing expensive clothes and jewelry and living in upscale homes.

It’s sad to see a desperate family go to church for posi-tive direction and in return be forced to give large amounts to a church where the preach-ers and ushers prosper from donations.

If that’s the case, churches might as well have a charge fee at the front window based on a sliding scale of how much one wishes to be saved.

Although I have no problem with the message Christian churches put out, I feel that without the critical judgment, fees and hypo-crites, the church would be a better place.

Malcolm Lastra is sports editor of The Advocate. Contact him at w.

malcolmlastra

Judgment of churchgoersruins outlook

A

■ Religion

By Adam OliverSTAFF WRITER

ne hundred and fifty-five years ago today, an anoma-lous natural disaster short-

circuited telegraph wires and sparked fires across the United States and Europe, even providing cities as far south as Rome and Havana with spec-tacular ionic skylight shows usually exclusive to the polar regions.

Its roots were nearly 93 million miles away in space, but events like these can still send particles acceler-ating toward the earth at nearly the speed of light.

The natural disaster being spoken of is a solar flare, an explosion of magnetic energy in the Sun’s atmo-sphere.

On Sept. 1 and 2, 1859, charged particles erupted from the Sun’s sur-face in a coronal mass ejection, over-powering the Earth’s magnetic field and entering into the atmosphere at exceptional speeds.

Combining great speed, colossal intensity and a directional opposi-tion with the earth’s magnetic field, the circumstances on that day created the largest outburst of solar energy in recorded history, which many scien-tists appropriately refer to as the “per-fect space storm.”

The then-just 15-year-old telegraph communication system did take a major hit, but the occurrence of an equal magni-tude storm today would have far more cata-

Consequences of solar flares grim, but preventable

O

Celestial spasmstrophic consequences.

This sort of disaster could compro-mise telecommunications, refrigera-tion, transportation, clean drinking water and other power-dependent amenities for months, or even years. Damages could exceed $2 billion dollars a year, for several years of repairs.

As proven by a few recent storms, even a weak solar flare can send puls-es of electromagnetic energy powerful enough to fry electrical transformers and wipe out power grids.

Two small solar storms in March 1989 knocked out most of the electri-cal grid in Quebec, leaving millions without power for nine hours and resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

Another somewhat weak storm hit in 2003, frying 14 transformers in South Africa and causing a blackout in Sweden.

With 14 transformers incapacitated, regions of South Africa remained offline for months to follow.

High-voltage transformers, which process and transfer huge amounts of electrical energy, are the part of a power grid most vulnerable to the effects of strong magnetic energy. Unfortunately, they are also the most difficult to replace.

Weighing nearly 100 tons each, transformers are not easily transported from their manufacturing plants in Asia and Europe, and currently have a replacement time of three years.

Of course, terrestrial objects closer to the bursts of solar energy in outer space are at risk too. A solar storm in 1994 caused malfunctions in two communications satellites, interfer-ing with network television, radio

and newspaper services throughout Canada. Cell

FORUM WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1, 2010 l THE ADVOCATE 3■ Growth

Hectic summer inspires changehis summer I took time to discover things about

myself. Going to school for 12

years nonstop has been my life. Since high school, I chose to go to summer school to gain more credits and stay ahead of the game.

This summer, I did some-thing that would change my life for the better. I took the semester off to have time for myself and visit with family and friends.

I did not know that I would make decisions that may affect me for the rest of my life.

People have told me it takes a lifetime to find your identity. This summer helped me define myself, no matter what the norm thought of it.

In the past three months, I have traveled back and forth between Vacaville and Fairfield, visiting family and friends who I do not get to see often because of a lack of transportation or some-thing school related.

I got a chance to open up and tell my cousins things I

would not normally say to them. After conveying my hidden feelings, I felt better, as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

Being a more levelheaded thinker, I had to apply things I learned during college to some of the situations I would be thrown into.

I began to be a critical thinker, assessing problems as a whole and coming up with scenarios to make the situations better. I learned that little me could stand up and say, “no, this is not right, we have to think of a better solution to whatever problem we’re presented.”

Whether it was a rude host at a restaurant, a prob-lem with a car or getting a traffic ticket while trying to take somebody to court to

take care of theirs, I noticed that I would react differently to the problems than I would have two years ago.

This was part of my maturing process and growth as a person.

I had to get out of my comfort zone to become this person. I had to do things that I never thought I’d do.

This was part of my self-discovery.

Sometimes negative thoughts or negative people will tell you that you can-not change, but I believe something totally different: change can be reached with time and getting to know yourself as a person.

In a way, I had to over-come my own negativity to overpower some situations in order to come out with the upper hand or whatever solu-tion I thought was correct.

Summer brought circum-stances I thought I would never have to deal with. I never knew that I would be sitting in a courtroom, watching someone ride off in the back of a cop car or

knowing somebody who would be going to prison for life, but these are some of the things I had to confront and help others get through.

I never knew that I would be the person close friends and family would come to when they wanted a release from a malicious or demean-ing situation. I discovered things about myself that I never knew I had in me.

For the first time in five years, I cried and it actually felt good. I overcame fears of rejection and what others thought of me. This all made me want to become a better person and helped me do so.

At the end of everything, I knew that I could pre-vail over whatever tried to oppress me. I had fun over the summer, got a much-needed break from my stud-ies and discovered I could do more than what I thought I could accomplish.

Lamar James is an asso-ciate editor of The Advocate. Contact him at ljames.advocate@gmail.com.

lamarjames

T

phone reception, GPS systems and TV signal have also been affected by such interference to satellites.

Without adequate preparation for a solar storm, the United States could be knocked more than a decade into the past in a matter of days.

No power, no communications, no traffic regulation and no Internet.

Without technology, we’d be with-out what consumes a majority of our time. Economic activity would slow to a crawl. We’d have to learn to live life as those did almost a century ago while cities across the nation were being repaired and refitted with new electrical transformers and grid work.

The time it would take to recuperate from such damages could last any-where from months to years.

Unfortunately, scientists warn of a significant storm to hit in the near future. The sun’s magnetic activity cycle will be approaching solar maxi-mum in May 2013, and will be much more serious than NASA scientists previously had thought.

Luckily, we are not without protec-tion from solar storms. By creating redundant, practically failsafe, com-ponents for systems and reinforcing satellites, we could greatly curb the impact an imminent storm could have on modern life.

The most essential preventative measure, the installation of power grid surge suppressors, could safeguard the near 5,000 electrical transformers across the United States at a total cost of just $250 million.

A bill requiring utility companies to protect the bulk power infrastruc-ture was passed in the House of Representatives, but was not accompa-nied by a measure in the Senate.

With the excessive unpredictability of space weather, an ounce of preven-tion today is undoubtedly worth a pound of cure tomorrow.

Contact Adam Oliver at aoliver.advocate@gmail.com.

ing with network television, radio and newspaper

services throughout Canada. Cell

nied by a measure in the Senate.With the excessive unpredictability

of space weather, an ounce of preven-of space weather, an ounce of preven-tion today is undoubtedly worth a tion today is undoubtedly worth a pound of cure tomorrow.pound of cure tomorrow.

Contact Adam Oliver at aoliver.advocate@gmail.com.advocate@gmail.com.

sculpture artist, has agreed to create the bust of the late evening and Saturday program monitor after the fundrais-ing goals are met, President McKinley Williams said.

All donations are tax deductible by making checks payable to the Contra Costa College Foundation, Hanson said. Donations may be dropped off in AA-203 and Any money remaining will be donated to the Martin Padilla Scholarship Fund.

Lu said the entire process of creating the sculpture takes about six months.

“First, you have to create the image for the sculpture. Then you have to make the sculpture, cast the bronze and make the base,” he said.

Pono said the sculpture symbolizes something Padilla’s “willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty, and his spirit of wanting to serve with such humility and grace.”

Padilla was killed in a car collision while driving from his Pinole home

toward campus on Aug. 28, 2008 after being hit head-on by a suspected car thief and parolee.

Chemistry department Chairman Leverett Smith said Padilla was a strong, reassuring presence around the campus and extremely visible, as his memorial should be.

Hanson said the subcommittee of the College Council had originally hoped to honor Padilla by renaming the SSC in his name last year, but the district’s Governing Board disapproved that plan due to various legal barriers and the fact that funding for such a project would cost millions.

The statue was the college’s approach of honoring Padilla in a more afford-able way, she said.

The committee’s next step was nam-ing the plaza in front of the SSC after Padilla.

“But what does that mean? Ten years from now, all of us who knew Padilla will be gone and no one will know why the plaza was named after him,” Dr.

Smith said.After that thought, the subcommit-

tee regrouped and, with the help of Academic Senate President Richard Akers, decided to fundraise toward the creation of the sculpture and place it somewhere within the plaza. The exact location in that area has not yet been decided, Lu said.

Dr. Smith said CCC is a place that has a history, and it is not just buildings and schedules.

“The culture of the college is the people,” he said. “(Padilla) was dedi-cated and concerned, and we want to stress that importance to the college.”

Williams said anyone can donate, be it staff, faculty, students, or the public.

Making a sculpture in honor of an employee is not something colleges’ normally do, and this bust is going to say the school takes care of its employ-ees, Lu said.

Contact Alexandra Waite at awaite.advocate@gmail.com.

concerned.”During the sentencing, Huiquan

Chang, Jinzhou’s father, wept in front of the jury as he testified.

“It’s a very heartbreaking thing to see and hear his pain,” Cook said.

Jinzhou was robbed and killed by three men as he washed a bucket outside an apartment complex he and his father were renovating on the corner of Belmont Avenue and Lassen Street in El Cerrito.

“He was working with his father to make ends meet,” Deputy District Attorney Mark Peterson said. “It’s a

tragedy for the victim’s father.”On July 31, Allen, 17 at the time,

and getaway driver, Dion Williams, 18 at the time, were arrested in Orinda. Police found the gun used in the murder on Allen.

As part of a plea bargain, Williams and accomplice Christian Latimore testified against

Allen for lesser charges of vol-untary manslaughter. Williams is serving seven years in prison while Latimore is serving 11.

The decisions made by Allen have led to his “wasted life,” Peterson said.

Huiquan and Jinzhou moved to the United States nine years ago in search of a better future.

Jinzhou was completing classes at the college in hopes to transfer to UC Davis. While he helped his father with construction jobs, he also worked in an after-school program.

Peterson said the murder is only part of a larger problem.

“It goes to show the need for crime prevention efforts in West Contra Costa County,” he said.

Contact Sam Attal at sattal.advocate@gmail.com.

Newsline

Sunday, Aug. 22A juvenile was taken to

the hospital for observation after getting hit in the head during a football game.

Monday, Aug. 23A victim slipped on wet

pavement and complained of back pain.

Tuesday, Aug. 24An officer responded to a

report of a student who fell down the stairs. The student was transported to the hos-pital via American Medical Response.

A subject was stopped in traffic and was found to be in the possession of marijuana.

Wednesday, Aug. 25A grand theft was report-

ed.

Thursday, Aug. 26An officer received a

report of threatening mes-sages on Facebook.

— Cassidy Gooding

CrimeWatch

accenta d v o c a t e

TwitterReceive breaking news and updates by following The Advocate’s Twitter account, AccentAdvocate.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

■ CLUB RUSH

Groups seek membership

The ASU encourages students to attend Club Rush today in the quad.

Presented by the Inter-Club Council, the event offers a chance for students to explore and join the dif-ferent clubs on campus from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Polish dogs or hot links, chips and a drink can be purchased for $3.

■ FROM: Page 1

Allen | Sentenced for 2007 murder, robbery

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1, 20104 CAMPUS BEAT

■ TRYOUTS

Squad looks for recruits

Tryouts for the cheer-leading squad are being held today through Friday in the Recreation Room from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Students must be enrolled in at least six units. For more information, contact Michele Jackson at 510-235-7800 ext. 4513.

■ ASU

Sandwicheshelp funding

The ASU will be sell-ing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to help raise funds tomorrow in the Amphitheatre.

For $2 with an ASU fall sticker, students can get a sandwich and a drink from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

■ COMEDY NIGHT

Department entertains

The drama department is hosting a Stand-Up Comedy Night on Tuesday in the Knox Center. Starting at 8 p.m. Students can attend for $7.

General attendees will be charged $10 for entry.

■ CONFERENCE

Motivational leadership

Students are encour-aged to attend the African American Male Leadership Conference in the Fireside Room on Sept. 8.

Sponsored by the African American Staff Association, a series of motivational speakers will give speeches from 3 to 5 p.m.

look forward to each semes-ter.

“You don’t get to cook until your second semester,” first-semester culinary arts student Deanna Mandigo said. However, in order to still have the chance to experience hands-on restau-rant service before they can fully participate, Mandigo and her fellow first-semester classmates did more front of house works like cleaning tables and pouring waters for customers instead of work-ing in the kitchen.

Watching the competi-tion is still an experience, Mandigo said. “I can’t wait to cook,” she said.

Contact Cassidy Gooding at cgooding.advocate@gmail.com.

Advancing the Research (ATR).Through ATR, Ampim conducts

research, publishes material, makes presentations, conducts workshops, and leads educational tours. He is also a member of the Curriculum Instruction Committee (CIC) where he has served for more than 18 months.

Ampim has a special relationship with many of his students who ben-efit from his teachings beyond the classroom.

“I met professor Ampim in the fall of 2009 where he taught History 120, and I have also had the oppor-tunity to work with him in ASU events,” ASU President Joseph Camacho said. “Significant to my life was the transition that occurred at that time. He was the catalyst that thrust me into the area I want to now major in, which is American govern-ment and history. His class was a good learning environment for me.”

Camacho also said that he hopes his children will meet someone like Ampim in their future.

There are many areas of opportu-nity involved in the social sciences department. Ampim addressed some of the key areas he would like to focus on in the next three months to make the department run smoothly.

“What the job entails is the coor-

dination of schedules for the disci-plines; addressing student concerns; finding replace-ments for professors who are out on leave; ensuring part-timers have office space; ensuring everyone knows the policies and are adhering to them; provid-ing feedback to see where there needs to be adjustments; and ensuring they (pro-fessors) are on top of what they should be teaching, as stated on their syllabus,” Ampim said.

He also said that for departments to function effectively and serve stu-dents to the best of their ability, faculty and staff need to be on the same page and embrace the same standards.

For those that know Ampim well, his leadership in achieving these goals can be seen through the skills he has already demonstrated.

African-American studies depart-ment Chairwoman Carolyn Hodge knew him before coming to CCC.

“When I saw professor Ampim speaking at a conference, I was impressed with his knowledge, his passion and his thoroughness of

subjects,” Hodge said. “When the position opened up for a full-time

history professor, Manu applied and I’m happy he did.” She said Ampim is truly a historian, a researcher who loves history and one who finds authentic infor-mation.

“He brings a new perspective to a mat-ter and is very good at details, as well as a person of integrity,” Hodge said. “With having leadership

over the largest department on cam-pus, we are fortunate to have him. He will do quite well.”

Not only will Ampim lead social sciences and teach classes, but he will also continue to work in the other areas he focuses in. Those areas include the speaking engagements, leading workshops, his field research and writing his book. To help him remain focused and organized, he said he has a plan to accomplish them all.

“My strategy is to be available remotely — by cell phone and e-mail,” Ampim said, “My focus is to keep in front of all of the other things that I have to do. I believe if you are

organized up front, it will save you headaches down the road.”

Ampim said that having a degree in business management has helped him manage and organize, as he uses these skills with the staff to ensure that everyone is synchronized.

He takes off in the summers and lead trips to places such as Egypt and other parts of Africa. The next trip is scheduled for 2011 to Ethiopia for 13 days, beginning May 31 through June 12, with Egypt following for two weeks in June.

“I would like to expose more students to the field trips, as well as be able to travel to other parts of the states such as Washington, D.C. or Virginia to study the local monuments,” Ampim said. “When I travel, I am always looking for opportunities for students. It has not been easy.”

He has already made an impact and is looking forward to positive connections with students and col-leagues.

“I am excited about this new opportunity and looking forward to working with all of my colleagues and hopefully inspiring them to be here and serve the students,” Ampim said.

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

Padilla | Memorial commemorates

ASU needs local assistance

By Cody McFarlandSCENE EDITOR

The Associated Student Union found themselves with a debt of more than a thousand dollars at the beginning of the semester, despite projections last semester of a budget around $15,000.

The ASU has began the fall semester with a main operating bud-get of -$1,427.31 and their first pri-ority is paying the deficit off, while still attempting to host events and serve students at regular operating capacity.

“To go from $15,000 to less than zero is going to take a tremendous amount of creativity to turn out suc-cessful. (The ASU) budget is our biggest challenge right now,” ASU President Joseph Camacho said.

The ASU receives funding in two primary ways. The first is through student fees, a dollar from the tuition cost of each unit taken, which can only be used toward “student advo-cacy,” Camacho said. The second is provided by the Bookstore, a sum of $15,000 if sales prove profitable.

This semester, sales did not yield enough profit to provide any fund-

ing to the ASU, he said.“For the first time in a long time

the Bookstore has not been p r o f i t a b l e ,” Camacho said. “No profit means no fund-ing. Now there’s no money to get handed down to the ASU.”

The ASU has yet to eliminate their debt, but have deposited roughly $500 from Welcome Week sales and vendor fees from Anchor Blue into their account, he said.

No members were made aware of the deficit before beginning the school year, Camacho said, caus-ing the ASU to make significant cutbacks to the course of events. A lack of materials and refreshments to serve students during events is anticipated.

“Everyone is in for some hard times,” interim student life supervi-sor Kelly Ramos said. “At a time when everyone is lacking, we need to focus on working together. We’re going to have to get creative to suc-cessfully coordinate these events.”

To accommodate for their nega-tive budget, the ASU has been look-

ing for part-ners to help provide stu-dents with the same level of service as in previous years, only this time, those services won’t be pro-vided solely by the ASU, she said.

The ASU plans on pro-moting and coordinating

events with departments on campus and alongside outside partners to raise funds.

As new student life supervisor, Ramos has been building good rela-tions with other departments on campus and with local businesses in hopes to work with them throughout the semester to accomplish the many calendar events, she said.

This process is not one-sided, however, as doing so will promote local vendors, both eateries and retail stores, and provide an outlet for departments to reach students through the ASU, she said.

“Not only is this a way to increase

funds, but it is also a way to reach out to the community,” she said.

The Inter-Collegiate Council (ICC), in charge of the allocation of funds for clubs, has since been con-tacted with a proposal by the ASU, Director of Public Relations Rodney Wilson said.

Keeping a general fund of $3,500 for clubs, the ICC has been pre-sented with a request to co-sponsor ASU events, in which case they would have a role in their planning and promoting. They have also been asked to help fund events, even if they do not wish to be a part of the coordinating process, he said.

According to Wilson, members of the ASU have only been told of the budget by administrators and have yet to see an actual account ledger.

“We are in a position of shared governance. We should be able to see the figures firsthand,” he said.

Though it was not the easiest start, the entire ASU is determined to make this year a success, Wilson said. Thus far, things have not been so bad as to remove any calendar events.

“Our last resort, what we are try-ing to avoid at all costs, is canceling events,” Camacho said.

Contact Cody McFarland at cmcfarland.advocate@gmail.com.

Sponsors needed to help fix deficit

“Everyone is in for some hard times. At a time when

everyone is lacking, we need to focus on working together. We’re going to

have to get creative to suc-cessfully coordinate these

events”

Kelly Ramos,interim student life supervisor

Chefs■ FROM: Page 1

Ampim | Professor appointed as chairman

■ FROM: Page 1

■ FROM: Page 1

“I feel very saddened for my client and his family. It was a tragedy for everyone concerned.”

Daniel Cook,defense attorney

“(Ampim) brings a new perspective to a matter and is very good at details, as well as a person of

integrity.”

Carolyn Hodge,African-American studies depart-

ment chairwoman

By Malcolm LastraSPORTS EDITOR

After seven years of use, the Contra Costa Community District has decided to remove the emergency blue phones from its campuses, replacing them with a college watch program.

Contra Costa, Diablo Valley and Los Medanos colleges were all subject to the removal of the emergency phones after the district made the decision to discontinue their use due to the phones’ lack of use by students and their expensive costs.

“The phones have been very expensive, costing the district a total of more than $300,000,” Police Services Chief Charles Gibson said.

The blue phones, which were located in lighted blue booths throughout the campus-es, were used by students and staff to notify

Police Services in the case of an emergency. To use the phone, one would simply press a red button at the phone booth and answer the phone to be connected immediately to a Police Services.

“The blue phones were able to work in three ways,” Gibson said. “By cellular, land line and solar powered.”

Despite having three alternative ways to function, the blue phones were often disabled due to either a low batteries or not enough solar power.

“We would always have a problem with the phones dying out as the batteries would die out,” Gibson said. “Sometimes (the phones wouldn’t work) due to a lack of sunshine hitting the phones.”

Gibson also said students would rarely use the emergency phones as most students carry cell phones now.

With the lack of students actually using the phones and the continuing durability problems, the district came to a decision to remove the phones from all three district col-

leges before the start of the fall semester.

“We just came to the conclusion that we were spending a lot of money for the phones,” Gibson said. “Eventually the Chancellor’s Cabinet approved our deci-sion and insisted on going ahead and using the 4CD College Watch.”

The 4CD College Watch program will be administered in a similar way to that of a neighborhood watch pro-gram, as signs will be dis-played and a watch team will be formed by Police Services.

Also when an emergency occurs students are now to dial 911 from their cell phones.

“The College Watch Program is all about protection and being aware of your sur-

roundings,” Gibson said. “People can call in anonymously and report something suspi-cious happening on campus or in the area.”

CCC students have differing opinions about the removal of the phones.

“Removing the phones is somewhat of a good change because it saves the school money,” nursing student Katrina Luna said. “I think the watch (program) will be use-ful.”

Student Esther Padilla said, “I think the (blue) phones were more effective and stu-dents may not be as dependable since they (may) not be around in that time of emer-gency,” .

With the addition of the 4CD College Watch, district and Police Services officials are hoping that it creates a safer environment on campus.

“The blue phones never provided safety,” Gibson said. “I think the college watch will be successful, adding to the safety of the col-lege campuses.”

Contact Malcolm Lastra at mlastra.advocate@gmail.com.

By Cassidy GoodingSTAFF WRITER

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) have been installed in eight new locations around Contra Costa College’s campus. From the Applied Arts Building to the Knox Center, the AEDs can be found scattered across the grounds for use in case of emergency.

AEDs are portable electronic devices that have the ability to resuscitate someone going into cardiac arrest. They automatically diagnose the cardiac arrhythmias (abnormal electrical activity in the heart) of ventricular fibrillation (a cause of cardiac arrest), and deliver an electrical shock to the person in dan-ger.

Students and fac-ulty will be able to find them if needed in white glass cabi-nets marked with the AED heart symbol on the front.

According to Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King, the new AEDs are user friendly and rea-sonably simple to operate. Once the glass cabinet is opened and the AED is activated, a recording begins instructing who-ever is near.

“The pads themselves have pic-tures of international symbols that show you where to put them while the machine tells you what to do,” physical education professor and pool manager Jim Ulversoy said.

Ulversoy teaches a life guard-ing class at CCC that goes over more detailed use of an AED, but he is assured that even the most inexperienced person could suc-cessfully administer the treatment as long as the directions are fol-lowed properly.

Donated by American Medical Response, the eight new AEDs are located in the AA Building, the Early Learning Center, the Gymnasium, the Health Sciences Building, the Library and Learning Resource Center, the Knox Center, the Physical Sciences Building and the Student Services Center.

These eight are joining two pre-existing AEDs that have resided in the Gym Annex Building and the Health Services Building, placed strategically to ensure that some-one in need anywhere on campus can be reached by AED within

minutes. The dona-tion of the units was part of the AMR’s Contra Costa County Public Access Defibrillator program.

“The AEDs are being installed dis-trictwide, and we’re the first to get them. The other two col-leges (Diablo Valley and Los Medanos ) don’t have them up yet,” King said.

Though the spread of the AEDs throughout a wider

range of the campus may seem efficient, there are those who argue the units’ locations should take more into account where stu-dents are being more physical.

“I thought it was most important to have one in the football stadium and the Gym,” King said. “That’s what you read about — some ath-lete with a heart problem dropping.

You don’t hear about it happening in an economics class; it happens in the Gym,” King said.

Ulversoy agreed that though a wider range for the AED spots is a good idea, he believes priority should have been the pool area. Even though there are AEDs locat-ed in both the Gymnasium and the Gym Annex Building, Ulversoy explained that it would still take time to transfer the unit to the pool or the field during an emergency.

“(From the pool), we’d have to go out the side gate, grab the

AED and come all the way back around (to the pool). That’s four or five minutes of crucial time lost,” Ulversoy said.

However, the existence of the AEDs is still just precaution-ary. Of the existing two in the Gym Annex Building and Health Services Center, athletic trainer Brian Powelson, who has dealt with countless sprains and bruises, said he hasn’t needed one during the past four years.

Even though the units them-selves were donated to the school,

CCC still had to pay the labor costs of installing them. Though with a look back to September 2009 when CCC football player Wali Wright sustained a near-fatal injury during a game on campus and was saved by timely CPR, the insurance of the new AEDs is cer-tainly comforting to many.

“If they save even one person, it was worth it,” King said.

Contact Cassidy Gooding at cgooding.advocate@gmail.com.

CAMPUS BEAT WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1, 2010 l THE ADVOCATE 5

By George MorinPHOTO EDITOR

The district changed the process of obtaining a park-ing permit to online only this summer.

Unlike in previous years, student parking permits will no longer be sold on cam-pus through Admissions and Records or the Bookstore.

“We saw people going to the college to pay for classes and waiting in extremely long lines, then forgetting to get their parking permits,” Police Services Sgt. Ryan Huddleston said. “We basi-cally are trying to streamline the process of getting your classes and parking permits all in one shot.”

Parking permits are

now available for purchase through WebAdvisor, which goes through Credentials Solutions, a third-party web-site that deals with the pay-ment process. Automobile permits are now $40 while motorcycles permits are $25. Daily permits will be $3 and can be pur-chased from kiosks locat-ed in the parking lots on campus.

The dis-trict decid-ed to choose Credentials Solution through a bidding process. This will be the first time the district has col-laborated with the company.

Obtaining a semester parking permit now requires the vehicle’s make, model, year, body type, color and license plate number. The information is used to

replace lost or stolen per-mits in cases of loss or theft, Huddleston said.

Students are required to pay using a credit card. After payment, a confirmation e-mail is sent to the buyer.

Attached to the message is a print-able park-ing permit that is set to expire. Between the p u r c h a s e and expira-tion dates, students can expect to

receive a permanent, adhe-sive-backed permit in the mail.

“Everything people do today is mostly through the Internet. Everyone has a Facebook, Twitter, even banks offer online banking, so this is just another thing to add to that list,” Police Services Chief Charles

Gibson said. “Everyone nowadays is Internet savvy anyway, so I couldn’t see it being that much of a prob-lem.”

Huddleston said when permits were sold on cam-pus, tracking transactions became difficult.

Permit sales help pay to fix potholes and other issues with parking lots around campus. Since a separate database is now handling the sales, a budget for these repairs is easily determin-able, Huddleston said.

With the sudden changes district-wide, however, not all students are happy.

“The advertisement stat-ing it as an easy process isn’t necessarily true. The system lags and constantly crashes,” student Jared Amdahl said. “Also, I dislike having to run my information and credit card information through a third-party site. And to those without credit cards or a computer it makes it

near impossible for them to obtain a parking permit.”

Huddleston said most people have adapted to the new process and more than 6,000 permits were sold districtwide over the summer since the switch. Approximately 6,000 more permits have been sold in the first two weeks of the fall semester.

“With change, people will complain, but I’m very optimistic about it and hope to see that it will help in the long run of things,” Huddleston said.

“We live in the technolog-ical age. Either you’re on the technological train, or you’re left behind. But any of us at Police Services are more than willing to answer any questions about the online parking permits or the pro-cess of getting them.”

Contact George Morin at gmorin.advocate@gmail.com.

Rescue devices in eight locations

Defibrillators installed for emergencies

Parking permits exclusively online

INFOGRAPHIC BY SAM ATTAL / THE ADVOCATE

In addition to two Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) already installed, eight new units were installed around campus over the summer. In case of emergency, the AEDs can be accessed and used by anyone following the automated voice recorded instructions.

“We just came to the conclusion that we were spending a lot of money for the phones. (We

decided on) using the 4CD College

Watch.”

Charles Gibson,Police Services chief

College watch service replaces old resources

Unused blue phones costly, discontinued

New payment process irks student body

“I thought it was most important

to have one in the gym. That’s what you read about - some athlete with a heart problem

dropping.”

Bruce King,Building and Grounds Manager

“With change, peo-ple will complain, but... I hope to see that it will help in

the long run.”

Ryan Huddleston,Police Services sergeant

A closer lookwIn order to obtain a parking permit, students must go through their WebAdvisor accounts to link to a third-party website. The system helps keep track of lost or stolen permits.

wA vehicle’s make, model, year, body type, color and license plate num-ber are required.Payments must be made via credit card.

wAutomobile per-mits cost $40, while a motorcycle tag costs $25.

wDaily permits now cost $3. They are still available at kiosks in park-ing lots across the campus.

By Cody McFarlandSCENE EDITOR

The recent economic crisis has been anything but kind, but when budgetary problems resulted in the elimination of the position of Web administrator last June, 62-year-old Roger Polk’s forced retirement soon mani-fested into the realiza-tion of his true passion for traveling.

His love for travel was made apparent to colleagues by the many vacations he took around the world throughout his career. Though he considered looking for new work immediately after his July 1 retire-ment and is presently working with an organization that saves injured animals in Costa Rica, he says he may never return to holding a steady occupation.

“Your life fills up with all these things you’ve always wanted to do. Now that I’m retired, I can,” he said. “I have no time for a job. What I do now is something truly gratifying, better than a paycheck.”

Since his retirement, Polk has gone hiking and mountain biking in the Sierra Nevada, and is currently planning a trip to the Yucatan. He has traveled around the world, visit-ing multiple countries in East Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Central America.

“I’ve always appreciated his adventurous side,” Senior Dean of Students Frank Hernandez said. “He lives quite the life outside the col-lege.”

As for any retiree, ending a tenure of almost 23 years, especially not on his own terms, took some getting used to.

The lay-off notice Polk received earlier this year in May ultimately made the decision for him. He was considering retirement then, but hoped to wait until after the fall 2010 semester, to celebrate his birthday in September one last time with his friends and colleagues, he said.

“I miss the college and my close friends,” he said. “But I miss the human element most of all, con-stantly seeing and interacting with students and faculty, getting to help when and where I could.”

The development of new Web pages and maintenance of the col-lege website were Polk’s principle tasks. He also worked as a technical trainer, teaching staff how to use multimedia within smart classrooms

and set up PowerPoint presentations. Through the years, Polk created many PowerPoint presentations for the president of the college.

“(Polk) is the kind of guy that you could provide a vision and he would bring your vision to life,” Hernandez said. “He’s a go-to guy, the guy you want on your team.”

Technology Systems manager James Eyestone said Polk was a great employee, one that was com-petent in designing web pages and reliable in doing all the work he was assigned, describing his creation and maintenance of the college website as a “big and broad responsibility” he fulfilled excellently.

Eyestone has known Polk 12 years and had supervised him for the last three years of his employment, dur-ing which time he said he recognized Polk as being very self-sufficient, yet easy-going and approachable.

“(Polk) is really good at find-ing answers,” Eyestone said. “If he didn’t know the answer, he’d help you find someone that did.”

“I like providing assistance and being useful wherever I am,” Polk said. He would not only point stu-dents in the right direction, but escort them across campus if they needed help finding certain buildings or fac-ulty, he said.

Polk works cooperatively with others, is very respectful, and “imple-ments instructions appropriately,” recently retired Video Production Engineer Barry Benioff said. Benioff met Polk at CCC in the early 90s and, although both men are now retired, they have remained friends outside of the college.

“Roger gets things done thor-oughly and in a timely manner,” he said. “He’s really good at working with people one-on-one.”

Polk holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and communications from Friends World College, now a part of the University of Long Island, and a master’s degree in educational technology from San Francisco State University. He also completed five courses at CCC.

Polk did a significant amount of wiring for the old television station in the Music Building and provided assistance when it was moved to the downstairs of the Applied Arts Building.

He has also helped Benioff in monitoring and managing MCHS television station interns when they both worked together.

Contact Cody McFarland at cmcfarland.advocate@gmail.com.

By Cassandra JunielSPOTLIGHT EDITOR

Known for his big smile and gentle manner, Buildings and Grounds worker Louis Dildy retired from the district after 31 years of service due to an injury s u s t a i n e d while work-ing.

D i l d y began his career at D i a b l o V a l l e y College in March 1979 as a custodi-an, respon-sible for the inside main-tenance of the college campus. In Sept. 1982, he trans-ferred to Contra Costa College, also as a custodian until 1984 where he then transferred to Buildings and Grounds, working the outside maintenance of the campus.

“Louis was the diplomat of the quad area. He greeted students as they came by with a big smile and was one of the best diplomats around,” Buildings and Grounds Manager Bruce King said. “He was knowledgeable, always con-cerned about the students and took real good care of the grounds

for the college campus.”Dildy injured himself in

October 1999 picking up heavy bags of soil, causing major injury to his back. Although he finally underwent surgery in September 2009 to relieve pain and correct discs, the procedure only helped minimally.

Even with surgery and physi-cal therapy, Dildy was unable to return to work. He is currently enrolled in a physical education class at CCC to help him with the exercise he needs for his back and legs.

Although he misses his time at the college, Dildy continues to carry on with a gentle smile while sharing his appreciation for the time he had working for the district.

“My 31 years working for the district were real good and I take pleasure in having served the stu-dents, faculty and staff,” Dildy said.

To keep his mind fresh and to become more knowledgeable, Dildy took a few courses at CCC, including political science, com-puter science, mathematics and physical education.

“I see the results of good edu-cation in my three daughters. Two of them are doctors, with one working in pediatrics and internal medicine and the other as a family practitioner.” His third daughter received her master’s degree in child psychology.

“I could not be happier about their success,” Dildy said.

Co-workers in Buildings and

Grounds said they remember the fun times they had with Dildy and recall his good humor and man-nerisms.

“Louis was a good worker and he was good to work with. He was very easy going, loved to laugh and was very mannerable with the students; he would always greet people with a big smile. We nick-named him the ‘Ambassador’,“ senior equipment maintenance worker Marc Mariana said.

“We had some good times in the past where we would cook barbecue. Louis was a great cook and he really could cook some great links.”

Although some barbecuing may lay in his future, Dildy has yet to make any long term plans for life after retirement.

“I’m still trying to decide what I want to do. Because of my dis-ability, I am limited,” Dildy said. “I am considering doing some volunteer work, such as in a hospi-tal or with a youth program.”

For the short term, he plans to travel to Nashville, Tennessee to visit his daughters and grand children.

Dildy said he met a lot of good students and good managers dur-ing his tenure at CCC.

“If I was able to continue work-ing at CCC, I would. However, I had no other choice. I do miss working and to occupy my time more, I plan to be more active in 2011,” he said.

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

Cameraman forced into retirement

By Sam AttalEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A key player involved in the creation and maintenance of the college’s television sta-tion was forced into retirement after 23 years of service.

Former video production engineer Barry Benioff said goodbye to his fellow employ-ees in May after his position was eliminated as part of a decision made by the Governing Board in the spring to reduce classified staff.

“If my position was eliminated because my work was no longer required for the college, I would have liked to know what I could do to help,” Benioff said.

The 67-year-old, who produced live shows for the college’s television station, KCCC, and helped imple-ment telecourses, said his position became somewhat costly to run in a constantly-changing environment where competing media such as podcasts and other Web-hosted videos are taking over.

“Telecourses are not as popular,” he said.

Still, many co-workers said his ability to produce content and work efficiently will be something missed dearly by the college.

“(He is) very dedicated, focused and a bit of a perfectionist,” Senior Dean of Students Frank Hernandez said.

Hernandez and Benioff first met in the late-1970s when they were students at Laney College in Oakland. Hernandez was man-ager of the station in the Peralta Community College District and saw Benioff as a key partner in the post-production process.

“He was just one of those guys you wanted on your production,” Hernandez said. “He was a very good editor.”

With the help of Hernandez, Benioff began doing small production jobs for the college in the ‘80s. He eventually became a

part-time employee and began planning for the creation of the college’s television studio. Hernandez and former Web administrator Roger Polk worked with Benioff to design the former studio that was located upstairs in the Music Building.

“He was the guiding force in the hard-ware.” Polk said. “I’m privileged to have worked with him.”

Although at times the two did not agree on certain issues and topics, Polk and Benioff grew closer as friends and colleagues during their time together.

“I had a little more production experience than (Polk) did. He had more operational experience,” Benioff said. “We complement-

ed each other as well as drove each other crazy.”

Over time, Benioff helped develop student internships for KCCC and stepped up to a full-time position in 1997, as he became known as the college’s cameraman.

“I helped internally with the spirit of the employees and the image of the col-lege,” he said.

Technology Systems Manager James Eyestone said Benioff’s heavy background in engineering aided his approach to television production at the col-lege.

Benioff originally had an interest in engi-neering before he became an employee of the college. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UC Berkeley and went on to Northwestern University in Illinois to obtain a master’s degree in the same field.

Benioff said he might enroll in history and social science classes at Laney College during his retirement. He also plans to spend time with his girlfriend, Shelly Levinthal.

Polk, whose position was also eliminated in the spring, plans to establish an off-cam-pus reading club with Benioff.

“We’re fortunate to have each other as friends in the retirement mode we find our-selves in,” he said. “It’s unfortunate (that) the college will not have him there.”

Contact Sam Attal at sattal.advocate@gmail.com.

SAM ATTAL / THE ADVOCATE

That’s a wrap — Former video producer Barry Benioff retired in the spring after his position was terminated by the Governing Board in a decision to reduce classified staff. Benioff, 67, worked at the college for 23 years.

Benioff says goodbye after position slashed

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1, 20106 CAMPUS BEAT

“(Benioff) was just one of those guys

you wanted on your production. He was a

very good editor”

Frank Hernandez,senior dean of students

PolkGEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

Getting juiced — Jamba Juice employee Tara Medlock serves a smoothie to student Margaret Vargas in the quad Monday. The kiosk helped raise funds for the ASU.

Polk steps down, plans for future

Gentle giant takes leave

DildyThe Buildings and Grounds worker retired due to an injury after 31 years at the district.

By Rodney WoodsonSTAFF WRITER

Despite being hired as coach of the Comets’ volleyball team just a few weeks before the season will start, coach Zachary Shrieve and his squad are focused on improvement.

After the sudden resignation of for-mer volleyball coach Azure’ D Nunley late this past summer, the absence of a coach put the volleyball program in jeopardy. There was talk just a couple of weeks ago about possibly can-celing the upcoming season until, finally, Shrieve was hired.

Almost immedi-ately after taking over as coach, he managed to bring the team together for its first practice, moving it right along ever since.

“I felt pressured and rushed because of all of the paperwork,” Shrieve said. “But now we can focus on getting bet-ter, taking it one day at a time, improv-ing every day.”

Although there are just two players returning from last year’s team, and a

few players who are new to the sport entirely, Shrieve said that the team is coming together and “gelling” nicely.

Even with their passing needing some improvement, they will be strong at digging, serving and playing hard, he said.

The goal of any team is to win, something that the Contra Costa College volleyball teams of recent years were unfamiliar with, amounting

just three wins over the past three seasons under Nunley.

Shrieve said he’s very excited about his team and the season to come, and that he feels it will be fun.

With Shrieve’s CCC coaching record standing at 13-22 from his first tenure as volleyball coach from 1997-98, the ex-collegiate vol-leyball player brings

a knowledge and a love for the game back to the Comets, and it is felt by the players he coaches.

Freshman Comets’ setter Jazmine Mendoza said that she loves the sport and has been a “volleyballer” since the 6th grade.

“I’m excited about playing at a new

level,” Mendoza said. “We’re having a lot of fun.”

She pointed out that they have a lot of good hitters and that everyone has good footwork.

She also said that she likes her new coach, and that he is good at what he does.

Mendoza is also comfortable with his style of coaching and said that the turmoil over the past couple of weeks regarding the coaching situation has not distracted her at all.

Lynn Iosua, an outside hitter for the Comets, said that Shrieve knows what he’s doing. “He works on a lot of technique,” Iosua said. “He’s very descriptive and it’s easy to follow his instructions.”

Returning to the Bay Area after liv-ing in Reno, Nevada where she played high school volleyball, Iosua said that she is “stoked” about the upcoming season with the Comets and their coach, and feels that with hard work they can change the team’s recent history.

When asked about the late confu-sion over the coaching situation she said that it hasn’t affected her and that the team is just focused on getting bet-ter, getting along and understanding one another.

Contact Rodney Woodson at rwoodson.advocate@gmail.com.

By Malcolm LastraSPORTS EDITOR

New coaches, returning players and a successful recruiting process have been the definition of the off season for the Contra Costa College football team.

Entering his first year as the Comets’ coach, Alonzo Carter made a splash in his new position to build and revamp a declining CCC football program.

“(The off season) was challeng-ing and great at the same time as we tapped into recruiting areas that recent CCC football teams don’t normally encounter,” Carter said. “Usually several high school coaches wouldn’t allow their play-ers to come here to CCC as they would instead pass us up and go to Diablo Valley College or Laney College.”

Despite the perceptions about CCC, Carter was able to success-fully reel in several talented fresh-men to come play for him.

“We hit the jackpot at home in recruiting,” Carter said. “I wanted to make sure we took care of our home high schools first as we did a good job bringing in players from Richmond, Pinole Valley and El Cerrito.”

With the local schools covered, Carter also managed to bring in players from Oakland schools such as Castlemont, Fremont and Oakland Technical high schools as well as the former schools

he coached, Berkeley High and McClymonds High.

Carter even went as far as grab-bing players from Vallejo schools and some non-residential high schools.

Several players who Carter landed on the Comet squad were former all-league first, second and third team players while in high school.

“A lot of these kids had no intentions of coming here as they were recruited to other schools, but we got them,” Carter said.

He said his secret to getting these talented players to come to CCC was basically explaining the great education the college offers and his ability to get them offers to NCAA division 1 schools.

“In the past I had kids go on and transfer to four-year D-1 schools and my only question for my fresh-men was ‘where did they want to go,’” Carter said. “We are selling the kids the strong education here at CCC with recruiting.”

Along with education and four-year college hopes, Carter also

offered freshmen another oppor-tunity to rise to the next level of play due to several all-league recruits being snubbed by univer-sity recruiters.

“We’re all looking for a better opportunity since we didn’t get recruited to top schools out of high school,” first year offensive lineman Lloyd Pellom said. “We are coming here to CCC with a whole different mentality in the classroom.”

“Coach Carter always tells us that once we handle our business

(school wise) he will take care of us,” first year running back Jimmy Hines said.

Other than the strong recruiting process, the Comets are also have several returning players from last season’s and previous season’s squads, as well as key transfers.

“My returnees are coming into this season with the approach that people are watching them,” Carter said. “They have a hunger to win and lead this team in a positive way.”

Sophomore linebacker Noah Coogler, who played on the 2008-2009 Comet squad, which finished the season 1-9, said coach Carter has brought the best out of the players since coming to the col-lege.

“He (Carter) brings in an atti-tude CCC football hasn’t seen in awhile,” Coogler said. “The last time Contra Costa won a champi-onship was in 1986 and the creden-tials Carter is bringing here (are) definitely needed.”

The squad will be hosting a “Silver versus Blue” scrimmage match on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the football field.

With a new sense of determi-nation and the will to win, the Comets are hopeful for success going into the season.

“Coach Carter brought us all together,” freshman running back Leroy Green said. “We are work-ing hard for him and hopefully he can return the favor and we can win some games.”

Contact Malcolm Lastra at mlastra.advocate@gmail.com.

Team hopeful with strong recruitsSPORTS WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1, 2010 l THE ADVOCATE 7

he World Cup has ended, and for most teams, it is time to rebuild. And if

there is anything that the United States’ loss to Ghana has shown, it is that it is the furthest that the team can go with current coach Bob Bradley.

Rebuilding a team usu-ally starts off with the firing of the coach and bringing in a new one, as well as bring-ing in new players.

Unfortunately, the U.S. decided not to take the rebuilding route, signing Bradley to a four-year con-tract extension on Monday that will keep him as the coach for the next World Cup.

There were many ques-tions about Bradley’s future after the World Cup, as many thought he was inca-pable of taking the team to the next level and that he might have accepted offers to coach in the English Premier League for several teams.

Bradley may have had a good four-year run with the team, winning a Gold Cup and coming in second

place in the Confederation Cup, but the reason for the United States’ World Cup elimination laid in his hands.

His decisions in the start-ing lineup against Ghana cost the U.S. the game by starting players who did not perform well and leaving midfielders Maurice Edu and Benny Feilhaber, who were making great con-tributions to the team, on the bench. Bradley ended up making a substitution in the middle of the first half and again at halftime to put in those two players, who should have started the game.

The early substitutions took a toll on the team, lim-iting their ability to switch out exhausted players later on in the game in a match that went into overtime.

The biggest mistake Bradley made was repeated-ly starting forward Robbie Findley when he consistent-ly proved himself the most useless player on the team. A better option would have been to start forward Edson Buddle, who is still the top scorer in Major League Soccer, or even forward Herculez Gomez.

While many might say that the U.S.’s performance at the World Cup was good, spectators were constantly watching them fighting from behind. Only scoring three goals and having the lead for only four minutes in the entire tournament, their offensive weakness was a result of their lack-luster forwards.

In their game last month, the United States lost to Brazil 2-0 in New York. That was not the same Brazil team from the World Cup, but a new, inexperi-enced Brazil team that has already gone through a rebuilding phase with a new coach and players. The team was rebuilt so well that they made the experienced U.S.

team look like a bunch of rookies.

A good replacement for Bradley would have been Jürgen Klinsmann, who coached Germany to third place in the 2006 World Cup and was one of the top candidates to take the head coach position for the U.S. team after the Cup in 2006.

Bringing in Klinsmann would have benefited the U.S., first by bringing in new players to the squad that Bradley may have missed out on.

Secondly, given his back-ground of not only coach-ing but also being a former player for the German national team, Klinsmann could have brought a European perspective and style of playing to the team.

The road to the 2014 World Cup has already begun, and the United States has chosen to take the same old beaten path as before to get there.

Contact Dariush Azmoudeh at dazmoudeh.advocate@gmail.com.

T

Squad seeks improvement

CHRISTIAN SOTO / THE ADVOCATE

Gaining momentum — Comets fullback Keon Burden (right) and running back Jimmy Hines (middle) run drills during practice on the football field Monday.

Coach cuts America’s chancesSoccer

Contra Costa CollegeV S.

College of the Redwoods

When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.Where: Soccer fieldRecords: CCC 0-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 in the Bay Valley Conference. Redwood 0-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 in the Golden Valley Conference.

Background: The men’s soccer team opens up preseason play against the Corsairs. The Comets are determined to start the season on a positive note after fi nishing the previous year with a 10-7-4 overall record, 6-4-2 in the BVC. Last season the College of the Redwoods and CCC tied in their only meeting with a 0-0 result. CCC fell short in reaching the playoffs. The Comets enter the season with a team fi lled with talented recruits and fi ve returning players. — Malcolm Lastra

Game of the Week

dariushazmoudeh

GEORGE MORIN / THE ADVOCATE

Working together — Volleyball player Ana Maria Vasquez hits to teammate Lai Saechao during prac-tice in the Gymnasium on Monday.

“I felt pressured and rushed because of all the paperwork. But

now we can focus on getting better, taking it one day at a time,

improving every day.”

Zachary Shrieve,volleyball coach

Carter attracts talent to college

‘Teenage Dream’ a terrible nightmare

By Faythe Del RosarioSTAFF ILLUSTRATOR

Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” should have been a dream she kept to herself.

This is the third album by the mainstream female songwriter.

The cover art for the CD shows Perry lying naked on a cloud that has the consistency of cotton candy. The dated, cheesy cover matches the cheesy and gimmicky tracks found on the album itself.

Paying attention to the album, listeners can see why the song “California Gurls,” featuring the rapper Snoop Dogg, was chosen to be the single played over the radio. The single seemed to be the summer anthem for 2010. The song was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks. The collaboration between the two artists was a breath of fresh air over the radio at the time.

The other songs, although equally sassy and feminine, are not as memorable or half as enjoy-able. The instrumentals in each track are lost behind the baffling

yet repetitive lines. In retrospect, the music is not very original or interest-ing to begin with.

Perry’s contralto vocal range is wast-ed in this album. Something about having the deepest classical female sing-ing voice and using it in a pop-oriented manner does not sound very good.

The margin of the songs con-tains noticeably suggestive lyr-ics. The best example that can be given is her song entitled “Peacock.” The name itself is off-color, to say the least. The lyrics are not very thought-provoking

and can sound a bit bizarre to people who have not heard Perry’s previous material on her 2008 album “One of the Boys.”

There are a total of 12 songs in the album. The length of the album is a little under 47 minutes. Buying the two-disc deluxe edi-tion of “Teenage Dream” gives the consumer five extra tracks, the majority of them being remixes of songs from the first disc.

Unfortunately, Perry’s new release cannot be called compel-ling or original, as there have

been similar albums from various female artists within the last two years. It is just another raunchy pop album that seems catchy to most at first, but will soon become either completely obnoxious or forgotten.

You should not feel the need to make a list of pros and cons to determine whether or not to pur-chase “Teenage Dream.” The best way to go about it is not doing so.

Contact Faythe Del Rosario at fro-sario.advocate@gmail.com.

By Kathryn MorenoSTAFF WRITER

A new villain has once again struck Gotham City, and he is trying to put fear into those who aren’t scared of Batman.

This new masked figure is none other than the Red Hood.

In DC Animations’ new animated movie, “Batman: Under the Red Hood,” we are re-introduced to the Red Hood, who is not some lowlife bank robber; He has bigger plans than

that, much bigger.We are introduced to

him when he calls all the powerful drug lords in Gotham City to a secret meeting.

He tells them that unlike their current protector, the Black Mask, he can actu-ally protect them, even from Batman himself, but for his services he requires 30 percent of their income.

The Red Hood is voiced by Jensen Ackles. The movie also stars the voices of Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing and Bruce Greenwood as Bruce

Wayne/Batman.When we first see the

Red Hood in battle his weapons of choice are two 9mm pistols, a cool look-ing knife and his fists. Like his nemesis Batman, he’s packed with many trendy gadgets, minus the dark knight’s one-of-a kind utility belt.

When the Red Hood calls out to Batman by his real name, Bruce Wayne, this sends Batman in search for the Red Hood’s real identity. He begins to feel that he knows exactly who it is, which at first

seems impossible but then it becomes obvious because of what a specific person did to try to make amends with Batman.

Once Batman pieces together the evidence, he has to come face to face with a difficult decision between putting a stop to the Red Hood or letting him continue to put fear into the lives of the drug lords he protects.

From beginning to the end, this film had me glued to the screen, not just because it was a Batman movie, but also because it

was amaz-ing.

If it were possible to give a movie a 10 star rating, this would be the movie, but sadly there can be only five stars. And this one gets them all.

Contact Kathryn Moreno at kmoreno.advocate@gmail.com.

Newreleases:Goo Goo Dolls: “Something for the Rest of Us”

Heart: “Red Velvet Car”

Last Nights Vice: “Perfect Little Noise”

Sum 41: “Screaming Bloody Murder”

By Cody McFarlandSCENE EDITOR

Last spring, the college’s vocal jazz ensemble, known as JazzaNova, released an eight-song album that embodies the hard work, dedication and overall instrumental and vocal talent of the music department on campus.

The self-titled album, which took two years worth of work to produce, was released at the Spring Concert on May 21.

“I was working with a seriously advanced group — a group that broke the skill-level ceiling and has demonstrated a lot of vocal talent within the (music) depart-ment,” music department co-chair and professor Stephanie Austin said.

Austin considers the release of the album to be an achievement on many levels, primarily educa-tional, as it represents the quality of music being taught on campus. It also provides a forum in which to showcase the many talented musicians from the college, she said.

Former JazzaNova member Mac Esposito is proud to say that the group walked away with many memories and a truly professional product.

“(The album) looks and sounds professional, like something you’d see on the shelves at Best Buy,” he said.

Though continuing to grow, the music department is still rather small and thus has its restraints. The lack of a budget called for a lot of fundraising in order to pay for studio time and mastering, Austin said.

JazzaNova was built from

the ground up, from a group of inexperienced non-vocalists to a big vocal band that is now rep-resenting Contra Costa College on a national level, having participated in the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival and Reno Jazz Festival, Esposito said.

“For two years I put my heart, mind and soul into that band, and honestly, there are moments in songs where tears come to my eyes because I am so proud of everyone who has worked so hard to make it happen,” he said.

Exposure to other groups showed the members of JazzaNova the level at which they were expected to perform. They had to perform not only compet-ing against other community colleges, but universities as well, former JazzaNova member Sofia Ruiz said.

“The pressure you feel in that moment right before going on stage is priceless, but the satis-faction of actually pulling it off is even better,” former member Danny Rojas said. “The countless hours of rehearsal really paid off.”

The track list includes such

songs as the traditional English ballad “Scarborough Fair,” Carlos Santana’s “Primavera,” and the

jazz standard “Afro Blue,” all of which are markedly different.

“As the group evolved, I looked for tunes that would not only challenge the mem-bers but also embrace their specific talents,” Austin said. “The songs we ended up choosing really fit the personality of the group.”

Throughout listening to the JazzaNova album, I could not help but think I hardly had the musical

expertise to write a review. After hearing each song about a dozen times, I felt even more unsure of myself. No two songs sounded the same, and not a single track clung to any of the jazz stereotypes or preconceived notions I had com-ing into this. I heard hints, detect-ed nuances, but not one of those tracks could be pegged to a single genre.

The eclectic yet indescribable sound, I soon realized, is what makes JazzaNova truly great. I came to understand the album embodies not the umbrella term for the multitude of genres encom-

passed by jazz, but the question “what is jazz?”

There are so many different styles of the jazz idiom dis-played on the album, from the formalist, classic swing jazz of “Homecoming,” to the Afro-Cuban jazz of “Afro Blue;” or from the rock fusion styling of “Yatra Ta” to the Latin rock influ-ence of “Primavera.” These are to name only a fraction of what those songs entail.

Esposito said that when a musi-cian plays jazz, he or she really says something about the music with the way the musician projects his or her unique style and inter-pretation onto it. Few words are truer, especially when speaking of JazzaNova.

Just by surrendering your ears to the ensemble’s impeccable vocal harmonies and your feet to the inevitable toe-tapping brought on by a funky rhythm section, you, too, can come to understand that while the group is defined as a vocal jazz ensemble, the feeling of the sound it provides transcends definition.

Contact Cody McFarland at cmc-farland.advocate@gmail.com.

Games

CDs

DVDs

Movies

This week:“Machete” (R)

“Prince of Broadway” (NR)

“Going the Distance” (R)

“The Winning Season” (PG-13)

Unleashed

Editor’s note: This column lists popular new (and upcoming) releases for the week.

Newreleases:“Metroid: Other M” (Wii - T)

“Castle Crashers” (PS3 - T)

“Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Ultimate Edition” (XBOX360/PS3 - M)

“Dead Rising 2: Case Zero” (XBOX360 - M)

THE ADVOCATE l WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1, 20108 SCENE

Animated release has viewers ‘glued’

Album breeds passion

FILE PHOTO / THE ADVOCATE

Harmony of voices — (L-R) JazzaNova students Sophia Ruiz, Daniel Ruiz, Mac Esposito, Carol Frida, Daniel Rojas, and Mahiro Yanai sing to a crowd during a show at the La Strada restaurant in San Pablo during a show on March 29. JazzaNova has recently released an independent album.

Jazz ensemble explores creativity

“JazzaNova”

★★★★★Artist: JazzaNovaGenre: JazzLabel: NoneRelease Date: May 21

cdreview

This week:“Marma-duke” (PG)

“Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too?”(PG-13)

“House: Season 6” (NR)

“Vampire Diaries: The Complete First Season” (NR)

SPECIAL TO / THE ADVOCATE

Candy clouds — Pop singer Katy Perry’s third and most recent album release “Teenage Dream,” features guest rapper Snoop Dogg in her lat-est hit single “California Gurls. The album was released on Aug. 24“Teenage

Dream”

★★★★★Artist: Katy PerryGenre: PopLabel: CapitolRelease Date: Aug. 24

cdreview

“Batman: Under

the Red Hood”

★★★★★Starring: Bruce Greenwood, Jensen AcklesDirected by: Brandon ViettiGenre: AnimationMSRP: $15

dvdreview