Vol. XXXX No. 12 Fremont, California Thursday, April 14, 2005

MONITORMONITOROHLONE COLLEGE

Student survives, friend dies in freeway wreck

War or Peace speaker

Mark Fagundes

Former U.S. Rep. Paul Findley spoke at the April 10 symposium, Waror Peace? at the Chandni Restaurant in Newark, moderated byOhlone President Douglas Treadway. Other speakers included Rep.Pete Stark, D-13th District. See story on Page 6.

Photo by Aman Mehrzai

Earth Daycleanup setfor April 22

Ohlone makes step towardfour-year degree program

ASOC sets Carnival

Photo by Sean Crawford

Softballteam in4th place

– Page 8

Spring Breakin Arkansas,and Paris, too

– Page 5

By SEAN CRAWFORDEditor in-chief

Ohlone student AymanAhmed, 20, died April 3 after theAcura Integra he was drivingoverturned six to eight times in ahigh-speed collision on Interstate880.

Another Ohlone student, MarkFagundes, 20, was a passenger inAhmed’s 1999 Acura and sur-vived the wreck with minor inju-ries.

Fagundes said the Acura wasnorthbound at around 90 mph in

Fremont around 9 p.m. Saturday,when the traffic ahead suddenlyslowed.

“I was playing with his radio,when I see this BMW creepingbehind us,” Fagundes said.

To avoid the slowing traffic,Fagundez said Ahmed swervedright to avoid a breaking carahead, merged into another laneand lost control of the car.

“It was fishtailing right, left,and then right again, headinghead-first into a (sound) wall.”Fagundes said the BMW clippedthe Acura, spinning it sideways,

facing into oncoming traffic.The driver’s side of the Acura

hit the sound wall, then the carrolled backward up the sound walland flipped six to eight times,travelling over sixty feet againsttraffic coming to rest upside-down, with Fagundes suspendedfrom his seatbelt.

Fagundes said he crawled outthrough a broken window andwent around the car to check onAhmed.

“I knew it wasn’t good, but Ididn’t want to think about it,” hesaid. “I saw him hanging upside

down, his head limp, choking onblood.”

The California Highway Pa-trol arrived shortly afterward.Ahmed was transported to EdenMedical Center in Castro Valley,where he died around 11 a.m.Sunday.

The CHP is investigating thecause of the accident.

Ahmed was a part-time stu-dent at Ohlone.

“I believe my seatbelt savedme. Nobody should have to seetheir homeboy die at 20,” saidFagundes.

PersianNew Yearat Ohlone

– Page 4

By CLIFTON M. DER BINGStaff writer

The student government has set the annual carnival for Wednes-day, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Palm Bosque.

ASOC Committee chairperson Karina Laiwalla said, “ASOChas been working hard to host this event for Ohlone studentsand staff to enjoy. The carnival is meant for all to kick back atthis free-of-charge Hawaiian-themed event.”

The event will have many games and activities, such as abouncy obstacle course, bouncy boxing, football throw, dunktank and more. There will also be food and drinks available,including barbeque hot dogs and hamburgers, baked potatoes,chili, and an array of desserts and tropical drinks. ASOCmembers approved $5,000 for the Carnival.

Continued on Page 3

By FRANKIE ADDIEGOStaff writer

On Friday, the Ohlone College Council met anddiscussed, among other things, a proposed programwhereby Alliant College would hold some classes onthe Fremont campus. This would allow students totake classes on the Ohlone campus leading to a four-year degree.

President and Superintendent Doug Treadway saidthat this arrangement would help student develop-ment on the campus. Alliant University was foundedin 2001 and has six campuses in the state of Califor-nia. The council said that they had already asked Rep.

Pete Stark to ask for federal funding.If Alliant University and Ohlone College do enact

a program in concert with one another, it will begin in2007 or 2008. It’s also a possibility that Alliant andOhlone will hold trial courses. Ohlone may also enactsimilar programs with other universities, most likelyincluding the University of Phoenix. “We’re notgoing to create an exclusive arrangement,” saidTreadway.

Alliant is expected to hold a number of four-yearcourses at Ohlone. It appeared that, there would be nocooperative classes between Ohlone and Alliant.

The council also discussed the Classified Senate.Continued on Page 3

By BRITNEY BINDELStaff writer

As the result of grassroots ef-forts, on April 22, 1970, 20 millionpeople celebrated Earth Day acrossAmerica for the first time.

Now, Earth Day is celebratedinternationally. Ohlone will joinefforts with fellow earthlings in the“Get Down to Earth” project onFriday, April 22. From 2 to 6 p.m.,more than 25 crews, led by facultyand staff, will spread out over thecampus to pick up litter.

During the same time, BFI andthe Environment and Culture Clubwill be distributing informationabout recycling.

A year ago, President DougTreadway discussed Ohlone’s vi-

sion, core values and goals for thenext five years. One of the valueswas responsibility of environmen-tal resources, to “Promote and main-tain a clean, safe and healthy col-lege environment through continu-ous engagement of students andcollege personnel in campus pre-paredness, wellness, beautificationand environmental sustainability.”

Vice President Jim Wright saidthe president’s vision called for in-dividual contribution. As a result,“Get Down to Earth” is the actionput to Treadway’s words.

According to club adviser,George Rodgers, top priorities ofthe Environment and Culture Clubfor Earth Day are re-establishingthe recycling program to be “cred-

Continued on Page 3

OPINION2 MONITOR April 14, 2005

Offices are located in Room 5310 on campus, 43600 Mission Blvd., Fremont 94539-5884. Call (510) 659-6075. Fax: (510) 659-6076. E-mail: monitor@ohlone.cc.ca.us

Opinions expressed in the MONITOR are those of the respective authors and are notnecessarily those of the staff, the college or the Associated Students of Ohlone College.Unsigned editorials reflect the majority view of staff members. Advertising material isprinted herein for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an expressionof endorsement or verification of such commercial ventures by the staff or college.

The MONITOR is funded by the district, by the Associated Students of Ohlone College,and through advertising revenue.

The MONITOR is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, Journalism Associa-tion of Community Colleges, Community College Journalism Association, CaliforniaNewspaper Publishers Association, College Media Advisers and Society of NewspaperDesign.

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Editor in chief: Sean G. CrawfordNews editor: Aman MehrzaiOpinion editor: Olivia SperanzaFeatures editor: Alisha FranciscoSports editor: Steve ChavezPhoto editor: Shari WargoLayout editor: Tony C. YangCartoonist: Aden ScottStaff writers: Frankie Addiego,Britney Bindel, Clifton M. DerBing,James Hendra, Meenu Kaushal,Tahsin Khan, Jessica Losee, MarcMcCord, Roun Tamaki, Tau Wang,Randal Woo, Nick ZambranoPhotographers: Inez Black,Lawrence Gerrero, Daniel Kwan,Charlie Hebison, Melody Marquez,David MohammadiAd manager: Shari WargoAdviser: Bill ParksPrinter: F-P Press

CAMPUS COMMENT > > >

“Ten years older. It depends onwhat your objectives are.”

“Twelve years older. Because Isee myself being as mature.”

What is the largest age difference that you would want between you and your significant other?

FREDTAMMO

Industrial engineering

“I don’t discriminate. I love allpeople.”

OPINION

JOCELYNKOO

Liberal studies

“Ten years older. It’s not thatbig of an age difference.”

LYDIALEONARDArt history

ANNA MAYJSNEAD

Sociology

Be aware of Scientology link to ‘stress test’

MALLORYLANTZEnglish

“No one over thirty. I’m notlooking for a daddy.”

Purses have become a global threat: This is my warningBy JESSICA LOSEEStaff writer

You don’t know it, but they’recoming to get her. Whether she isyour girlfriend, your friend, yoursister, or your mom...even you, myfemale friend, are in danger of be-ing held against your will by anentity far stronger than any of us.

Sneakily they slip into storeseverywhere, looking cute and ador-able, just begging to be bought.There are very few girls who don’thave a lot of them hanging aroundtheir room.

What is this global threat? Purses.These evil little bags are slowly

taking over womankind, and there’sabsolutely NOTHING you can doabout it.

Not only do they come in allshapes and sizes, but also all col-ors, patterns and brand names too.Of course, this purse fad has beengoing strong since their creation,always the perfect accessory toany outfit. And you can even putstuff in them!

Women spend millions of dol-lars on purses every year, fillingclosets with them, having a dif-ferent one for every day of themonth and then some. There hasalso been a huge boom in thedemand for high-priced name

brands such as Prada, LouisVuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Dior, andmany more.

Cheap copies of the expensivename brands are being sold everyday, leaving customers thinking thatthey bought the real thing, payingupwards of $100 for a purse that isjust a cheap rip-off that anyonecould get at a flea market. Some-times one must wonder if the de-signers can tell their bags apartfrom the fakes. Yet some womenprefer to have the rip-offs, knowingthey’re getting the look for a lotcheaper.

Purses are even being sold atprivate parties where retailers sell

the real (or possibly fake) bagswithin small parties at a host’shouse for half of the real rate.Look out Tupperware, there’s anew popular item taking overtown.

I have even attended one of these“parties” where women gather tosocialize and oogle the Prada andLouis Vouitton bags, even fightover them, to get the most popular,the cutest, the most stylish for them-selves, and paying hundreds of dol-lars for these fashionable bags. I’lllet them fight over the expensivecow hides covered with embellish-ments and cute doo-hickies. I’ll goto Target and buy some purse that I

know 20 other girls will have andmake it into something that I de-fine. It is not the brand clothes thatmake the woman it’s the womanthat pays hundreds to have some-one else’s name plastered on hercotton, denim and leather.

Women are stereotyped as shop-ping fiends, which fits very few,but there are less and less womenwho can say “No!” to this leatherthreat stamped with the names ofothers who swim in our cash. EvenI have succumbed to the tempta-tion, looking to find the perfectpurses for every occasion, everyoutfit, and every mood. Thankfully,I know I am far from alone.

LETTERS

EDITOR:

As I walked down to the UnityWeek tent in Parking Lot “A”Wednesday afternoon, I noticed ayoung woman in the Free SpeechArea who had a table set up withnumerous signs that read “FreeStress Test.”

Since I approached her table frombehind, however, I could see thatseveral boxes on it were clearlymarked “Dianetics,” but these were

turned away from the view of any-one approaching her table from thefront. All those individuals wouldsee is an odd looking machine, nu-merous books and handouts, andthose large signs representing thebooth as a “Free Stress Test.”

I would like everyone to beaware, however, that this “test” isnot a valid measure of any aspect ofone’s psychological well-being, andthat these recruiters are sent to col-lege campuses to tout the philoso-

phy of “Scientology,” a pseudo-religion based upon the writings ofscience-fiction-author-turned-cult-leader, L. Ron Hubbard. The in-strument being used appeared to bea so-called “E-meter,” a device thatScientologists claim will report youremotional well being in equallymysterious “ohms,” informationthat is then used to cure any and allpsychological and emotional prob-lems.

Although they currently enjoy

non-profit status as a “religion” inthe U.S., Scientology is an organi-zation that has long been deemed acult in numerous European nations,including Germany, where the gov-ernment noted a striking similaritybetween the group’s practices andthose of fascist groups from theirown history.

The Free Speech Area is open tothe general public, and certain le-gitimate religious and political rep-resentatives often utilize it to share

their information with our students,but I am concerned that such atactic as the one I saw today mightconfuse our students, leading themto believe that the methods beingemployed are supported by science,by the Psychology Department, and/or the organizers of Unity Week.None of those conclusions wouldbe true, and I think our studentsdeserve that clarification.

Thank you in advance for help-Continued on Page 3

NEWS April 14, 2005 MONITOR 3

In other business, the ASOC Executive ElectionsCommission reported that there are only two studentswho officially qualify as candidates as of last Tues-day. The deadline to turn in completed applicationsis April 20 to the EOPS office in Building 1.

Also, Unity Week Committee Chairperson MarilouAlejo gave a Power Point presentation covering all

This year, President and Superintendent DougTreadway disbanded the Classified Senate. Themove was very controversial and some at the meetingexpressed disapproval toward Treadway’s decision.

In other events, College Council co-chair DennisKeller discussed what qualities he’d like to see in a

replacement. Among the qualifications that he dis-cussed was experience. “The co-chair,” he said, “shouldhave previously served on college council.” Keller saidthat perspective candidates for the position of co-chairshould e-mail him. The council is hoping to find areplacement for Keller before a retreat they discussedin the meeting.

Continued from Page One

Step toward four-year degrees

aspects of the event, evaluating student/staff participa-tion, organization, teamwork and overall success.

Ending the meeting, the council unanimously passed$150 for the 4th Annual Ohlone College Poetry Read-ing, which is scheduled for Thursday, April 21 from 1to 3 p.m. in the library.

All are welcome to listen and/or read a piece ofpoetry, original or by an author.

Continued from Page One

Only two qualify for ASOC posts

The 11th annual Ohlone Theater Festival was held last Friday andSaturday. More than 25 schools from across California competed in35 categories. The competition eliminated all but the top fewschools in any given category Friday and allowed the remainingschools to compete again on Saturday morning to determine the topthree students in each category. Awards were presented in the EplerGym Saturday.

Photo by Daniel Kwan

Festival winners

ing me to share this information. A basic explanationof the Scientology can be found on the Skeptic’sDictionary web site at http://www.skepdic.com/dianetic.html, but for a more extensive collectionof facts (including an extensive online radio/TVvault), visit “Operation Clambake” at http://www.xenu.net.

A good place to turn for help in thinking criticallyabout this and other such issues, of course, is theJames Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) at http:/

/www.Randi.org, a non-profit organization that offersa $1 million prize to anyone who can demonstratepsychic abilities, supernatural phenomena, etc. Sev-eral claims made by Scientology’s followers regard-ing their ability to solve mental health problems couldeasily be tested by the JREF, but so far, no one hasstepped forward to claim the prize.

It certainly makes one wonder why.

SHELDON W. HELMS, MADepartment of Psychology

Continued from Page Two

Be aware of Scientology link

ible and meaningful,” and promoting Earth Day as a“...springboard for taking ownership of our campus.It is adopting the philosophies of our Ohlone Ances-tors.” The club will be posting flyers around campusand assisting in the hands on micro cleaning. Aboutthe litter, Rodgers said “Mom’s not here to pick it up.”He said the earth is a fragile environment that shouldbe commemorated everyday, not just on Earth Day.

A Stairwell Attack Team (SWAT) will be per-forming heavy duty cleaning throughout the “caves”under the stairs, such as those in Building 8. TheKidango kids program will help clean the surround-ing area of the Child Development Center. Volun-teers from the Asian Pacific American Student Asso-

ciation will clean the area around the baseball fields.Plastic bags donated from the Health Center and litterclaw tools from Buildings and Grounds will be donatedfor the event.

Future environmental plans for Ohlone include theconstruction of the earth-friendly Newark Campus.The roof will be covered with solar panels that willpower a state-of-the-art cooling and heating system.Underground coils will have the ground’s constant 50-degree air fanned through them and into the building.The air, being at 50 degrees, will be easy to adjust to thedesired temperature. Treadway considers Ohlone Col-lege to be a pioneer among California communitycolleges, as there are few other colleges attempting toconserve energy in these ways.

Earth Day cleanup plannedContinued from Page One

Ohlone College’s Spring Health Fair is being hosted this yearin lobby of Building One 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 20.

The event will include free health screenings consisting ofblood pressure, blood sugar and a cholesterol diagnostic, fitnesstesting and a plethora of other health-related information.

The event will be sponsored by STARRS (Students TowardsA Rapid Smoke-Free School), ASOC (Associated Students ofOhlone College) and the Student Health Center.

NEWS BRIEFSHealth Fair set April 20

Groundbreaking May 24Tuesday, May 24 has been set as for the groundbreaking

ceremony for the new Ohlone Newark Center for Technologyand Health Sciences. The event will begin at 4 p.m at 39375Cherry St., behind Newark Memorial High School.

The public is invited to witness the birth of the new campus.

FEATURES4 MONITOR April 14, 2005

So, after a long hiatus thegroup Destiny’s Child hasreunited and the result is analbum entitled: Destiny Fulfilled.But after hearing their first singleSoldier I have to wonder just howmature they are.

On their latest song Soldierthey talk about wanting a manwho’s, “Status better be hood or Iain’t checking for him, he betterbe street if he looking at me, Ineed a soldier that ain’t scared tostand up for me, he gotta knowhow to get the dough and hebetter be street.”

Perhaps they’ve never heardabout what happens to chicks thatget caught up with these types ofcharacters. Maybe they’ve neverheard the stories of the youngwomen that have caught casesbecause they were unknowinglyholding guns and or drugs for oneof these soldiers.

When I hear this song, it makesme stop and think about a girl Idated a long time back, her namewas Sheila, God forgive me but Ican’t remember her last nameright now. Anyway, it was the80’s, and crack was all over likegarbage on the street. Everywhereyou looked you saw: this one oncrack, that one selling crack. Itwas crazy. Girls at that time werecrazy about guys that got theirmoney that way.

Soon after I met Sheila itbecame apparent to me that shehad dated a few drug dealers butwas possibly looking for adifferent type of guy: Me. Theonly drawback was that she hadgotten accustomed to the lifestylethat being a drug dealer’sgirlfriend could bring, like thecars and jewelry. Never the lessour relationship was not meant tobe.

I bumped into Sheila one nightat a roller skating rink with hernew boyfriend a well-known drugdealer, we spoke and we werefriendly. For some reason, all ofthese years later, the last image Ihave of her in my mind stillstands out like the shining glitterball that shot lights all over theroller rink that night. Her smile, itwas so big and innocent for a girlthat had been exposed to what shehad been doing.

Not too long after seeing herthat night, I received word thatshe had been killed in a drive-byshooting. In a way it was a caseof mistaken identity, she had beendriving her boyfriends car onenight when some of his enemiescame up on her thinking he wasin the car with her.

So flash forward almost 20years and here we have a plati-num selling group of talentedyoung women and what are theyfeeding to the minds of younggirls? Poison. If Destiny’s Childwants to fulfill their destiny theyneed to start with the message intheir music.

Destinyunfufilled

Persian club celebrates for the new yearBy CLIFTON M. DER BINGStaff writer

The Ohlone College Persian Clubhosted the first-ever Persian NewYear’s Eve Celebration on Friday,March 18 in the cafeteria with wellover 200 in attendance.

“Norouz,” meaning “new day” inFarsi language, is celebrated on thefirst day of Spring, which alwaysfalls on either March 20 or 21. How-ever the club decided to host it on aschool day for higher attendance.

Before the new year begins, aspecial table is prepared whichincludes seven symbolic dishescalled “Haft Seen,” all startingwith “S” in Farsi; Sabzeh, sproutsusually wheat or lentil represent-ing rebirth; Sib, apple for healthand beauty; Senjed, sweet dry fruitof the jujube for love and resis-tance; Seer, garlic for medicine;Somagh, sumac berries for thecolor of sunrise to mean “goodconquers evil”; Serkeh, vinegar

By FRANKIE ADDIEGOStaff writer

Since 1987, the California Leg-islature has given the “Woman ofthe Year,” award to womenthroughout California every yearin March. This year, State Sen LizFigueroa (D-Fremont) announcedFremont Bank Vice President andformer Ohlone College Board ofTrustees Member Gloria VillasanaFuerniss as “Woman of the Year”for Senate District 10.

Fuerniss is recognized for bothVice President of Corporate Bank-ing for Fremont Bank, for whom shehas worked for 35 years and hervolunteer work. Mike Wallace, presi-dent and CEO of Fremont Bank, saidabout Fuerniss’ achievement, “GloriaFuerniss is a unique individual whois able to balance her time and energywith family, work, and service to thecommunity.”

“We are so proud that Gloria is

Woman of the year

Photo by Shai WargoPantea Izadi wished everyone at a happy new yearat the Persian Club party.

Photo by Daniel Kwan

Maurice Bracket along with cousin, Ivy Brawner;duo human percussionists, spread a postivemessage through their music at the AlamedaCounty Health Department senior citizen home.

Rapper’s delight

for age and patience andSamanou, sweet creamy puddingfor sweetness and presidency.

The evening event opened withthe club officers giving a briefhistory of the holiday, followedby a variety of cultural dance

performances. Afterward, the al-luring scent of the countless Persiancuisines filled the cafeteria. Thecolorful array of the spectaculardishes included sabzi polo mahi,fish and rice; zereshk polo ba morg,cranberry rice with chicken;

fesenjoon, pomegranate juice withwalnut and chicken and severalother magnificent dishes partlysponsored by Marriam Restaurantin Fremont.

After dinner several raffles prizewere given to participating guestswith gifts ranging from speciallydesigned candles to exclusive Per-sian pieces of art. The entertain-ment continued as most guestsdanced the night away to live mu-sic that played throughout the night.

Persian Club President PanteaIzadi is very proud of the event’sturn out, “I was extremely happywith the event’s success. Withcountless hours of support frommy club members and advisor, TinaMosleh, our celebration was a blast!As the first Persian celebration atOhlone, I am proud to say thateverything went very well.”

Izadi’s main goal of the eventwas to introduce the club’s cul-ture and traditions to Ohlone andthe local community.

being recognized as the ‘Womanof the Year’ by Senator Figueroa,an honor so well deserved,” addedWallace.

Fuerniss is also noted for hervolunteer work in the Union CityChamber of Commerce and theHispanic Chamber of Commerceof Alameda County. In addition,Fuerniss was a member of theOhlone College Board of Trusteesfrom 1980 to 1997. She has alsoserved as a member of the OhloneCollege Foundation and in 1976, wasnamed Outstanding Alumni forOhlone College as well as the Distin-guished Alumni for California Com-munity Colleges that same year.

The ceremony took place onMarch 14, when Sen. Figueroa es-corted Fuerniss on the Senate floor.She and the other “women of theyear” were acknowledged by Sen.Don Perata, ProTem of the Senateand Senator Christine Kehoe, Chairof the Women’s Caucus.

By ALISHA FRANCISCOFeatures editor

Ivy Brawaner and his cousinMaurice Brackett, duo hip-hopgroup; Ijama, are spreading theirunique form of positive music tothe Ohlone campus and beyond.

The human percussionists havebeen at it for 23 years and havealready produced three “cuts,” ortapes. They’ll soon have a DVDinfomercial called Bad Habits alongwith a CD single.

They have performed in front ofa variety of audiences, ranging fromsmall groups to up to 2,500 people-from senior citizen’s homes to theAlameda County Health Depart-ment and even concerts at crowdedpavilions. “We did a performancewith Silk the Shocker from No LimitRecords,” said Brawaner.

Ijama have made commercialsfor Popeye’s, Burger King and otherbusinesses. Channel 28, Ohlone’scable channel as well as KOHL,89.3 FM have featured their mu-sical talents.

Brawner and Brackett have

been rapping since 1981 and it allstarted out on the streets of Chi-cago “beating on pots and panswhen we were young,” saidBrawner.

He then made his way to Mil-waukee, Wisconsin and is now aresident of Fremont and a full-time student at Ohlone in whichhe may major in communicationsor business management. "I'mstill behind the eight-ball in someof the classes, but I'm putting mynose to the grindstone," he said.

Brawner is also a single parentof two teenagers who are in highschool, who he said are his inspira-tion in life. He also finds inspirationthrough his spiritual relationships.

Brackett made his way to the BayArea and lives in Oakland. He isattending school at Laney Collegestudying Spanish and Carpentry.

Brawner, with Top Dog as hisrapper alias, and Brackett talk aboutpositivity and stopping those “badhabits” such as unprotected sex,drunk driving, alcoholism, un-healthy eating habits, child abuseand parental neglect. “We are

about fun and education,” saidBrawner, “We’re not after the clubscene. They have all the otherrappers for that.”

Brawner said his motivationcomes from his performances andreaction from the crowd. He alsosaid he wants to reach out andteach his audience and leave afootprint. “I want to talk to peoplewho don’t have -or to those who

have to help others who don’thave. I can dig where they’re com-ing from because I’ve been wherethey was.”

Their upcoming performancewill be at Laney College at SobrantePark during Earth Day activities.Ijama hopes to make a change bybringing the fun back to hip-hop.With over 20 years of spreading apositive message to their audience.

Monarch migration

Photo by Shari WargoThe Monarch butterflies have been migratingtoward the Ohlone campus for the past twoweeks.

MarkMcCord

Did you know April is Na-tional Poetry Month? It’s alsoSTD Awareness/Autism Aware-ness/Child Abuse Prevention/Organ Donation/Gardening/Humor Month. That’s about it forthe good side.

On the flip side, I believe it wasT.S. Eliot who said, “April is thecruelest month.” And why not? Itis the cold, wet April showers, afterall, that bring May flowers. Thenumber four is also a symbol ofdeath in some Asian cultures.Lastly, it’s the month we pay taxes.Death and taxes- all packed into amonth like sardines.

So I’ve decided to support mynotion that April is indeed theworst month of all, with thefollowing cherry-picked chronol-ogy of mistakes and blunders:

April 1, 1933- Dictator AdolfHitler begins his “final solution” witha boycott of Jewish businesses.

April 2, 1982- Argentinainvaded Britain’s FalklandIslands; until Iraq invadedKuwait, one of the stupidest actsin military history.

April 4, 1968- Dr. MartinLuther King Jr., assassinated, andpart of his dream dies.

April 6, 1930- Twinkies hit themarket, and our waistlineshaven’t been the same since.

April 11, 1970 - The ill-fatedmoon mission Apollo 13launched today; “Houston, wehave a problem,” is coined.

April 14, 1865- Watching aplay, President Abraham Lincolnis assassinated; needless to say,the theater kills.

April 18, 1906 - The great SanFrancisco Quake; it burnt down thewhole city.

April 19, 1993 - Janet Reno’sstorm troopers massacre 82 BranchDavidian cultists in Waco, Texas.

April 19, 1995 - Oklahoma Citybombing kills 168 people.

April 20, 1999 - ColumbineHigh School shootings in Littleton,Colorado.

April 26, 1986- Chernobyl’snuclear reactor melts down; sets thestage for the current season of “24.”

April 30, 1942- JapaneseAmericans are legally mandatedto go to concentration camps.

Throughout this list of April’strials and tribulations, we shouldremember Mark Twain’s admoni-tion; “The first of April is the daywe remember what we are theother 364 days of the year.”

In the middle of all this,indeed, in the middle of themonth, we become “fortune’sfools.” This is because on the Idesof April (the 15th), millions of ushard-working Americans mustpay taxes.

However, there may be someredemption with this:

April 15, 1817- The firstschool for the deaf in theUnited States was founded inHartford, Connecticut byThomas H. Gallaudet.

Month ofmisery

Courtsey of Meenu Kaushal

Courtsey of Meenu Kaushal

Courtesy of Jessica Losee

A memorable reunionBy JESSICA LOSEEStaff writer

I had the great fortune of takinga three-day, out-of-state vacation dur-ing spring break for a family reunion.Of course, as the only time whenwork or school wouldn’t bother me,I was elated at the idea and visitingfamily is always fun for me.

The drawback? My destination:Arkansas.

With a grin I told my friends thatI would be going to the southernstate in the middle of the Bible belt,a complete opposite of California.They could hardly help but to laughas they planned their ski trips andparties. There was no way anyonecould comprehend why I wouldagree and even want to go there.

But I did.The fact of the matter is that I had

a blast, despite losing a lot of sleep.My adventure, as I chose to pic-

ture it, in the wee hours of the morn.Rain showered down as my familyand I drove to San Jose Interna-tional Airport to catch the flight toDallas, three hours in the air whichwould then bring us to the connect-ing flight to Little Rock, Arkansas,in a little over an hour.

We landed safely, despite someturbulence, three wailing infants,

and a touchy flight attendant. Thefirst day was spent touring LittleRock, the capitol of Arkansas.

My family and I rose early fromour beds to visit the WilliamJefferson Clinton Presidential Cen-ter, which as my brother so wittinglypointed out, looks like a giant double-wide mobile home; nearly identicalto those across the Arkansas River.

Keep in mind, Little Rock has apopulation of approximately183,000 people, less than Fremont,but has about four high-rise build-ings that pierce into the skyline;and all natives are raised to be po-lite to everyone, speaking in theirpleasant Southern drawl.

They view Californians, not asarrogant and rude, with no accent atall; but as fast-talking, word-slur-ring weirdoes. The only excusethat the Arkansans offer us forbeing this way is that we are fromCalifornia and something aboutthe golden hills, hot sun, and tur-quoise Pacific must have addledall of our brains upon arrivalwithin California borders.

In retrospect, Arkansans mayhave looked at my family and me abit askew when they were told wherewe came from, but that hardly keptthem for being themselves: pure,simple Southern.

Marble stairs lead up to the Arkansas SupremeCourt at the State Capitol in Little Rock.

The streets run beside the River Seine, and the lights of the city reflect in the water, offering a pictur-esque sight.

By MEENU KAUSHAL Staff writer

Spending a fortnight in Francewas a refreshing delight from thedaily routine and a dream come true.

My husband and I had an offi-cial tour and it was a good oppor-tunity. We landed in Lyon, a cityin France.

It was the weekend and the citywas alive with people moving allaround on the streets, chattingand laughing amongst each other.There were hardly vacant seats atany restaurant. Most of the peoplehad a cigarette and glass of winein their hands. We relaxed at Bis-tro Romain, one of the popularItalian restaurants. It was the bestpizza my taste buds ever had.

Next day, we went to a mu-seum. The museum opened a worldrich in culture and heritage. There

were paintings and sculptures ofthe 17th century. There was anawesome collection of utensils andweapons used by early man. I wasenamored by Lyon; little realizingthat the best was yet to come.

Paris, the capital city, had somuch more to offer. We startedwith the famous Eiffel Tower. Itstands in the middle of the city.This landmark was completed in1889, and is a famous symbol ofFrench civic pride. Paris is also acandidate city for Olympics in 2012.Our visit was incomplete without thefamous avenue Champs-Elysees andthe Arc de Triomphe.

The Louvre Museum left mespeechless. The monumental mu-seum is divided into eight depart-ments. It was impossible to see it inone day. There is an unending col-lection of paintings and sculptures.The museum had a wide collection

ranging from the early civilizationto the 19th century.

The world-famous painting,Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinciand the sculpture of Venus DeMilo was the center of attraction forall the tourists. Louvre is consideredas the world’s greatest art museum.

Notre Dame is the famous ca-thedral in the city of Paris. It wasconstructed in the 12th centuryand is a masterpiece of Gothicarchitecture. It stands on the Îlede la Cité and is the symbolicheart of the city.

Retro goes hand-in-hand withthe modern technology and infra-structure of the cities. People arevery social and pay a lot of attentionto what they wear. Name-brand,trendy clothes with accessories tomatch seem to be everyone’s choice.It was a privilege to be a part of themfor a short time.

The author and husbandin front of the Effiel Tower.

Spending spring break eatingcroissant and baguettes

How students spend spring break

April 14, 2005 MONITOR 5

FEATURES

TonyC.Yang

NEWS6 MONITOR April 14, 2005

Check out this week’sfeatured scholarships:

• Josephine Butala Mathematics Scholarship• Audrey M. Hack Scholarship• Anne E. Golseth Excellence in Student Leadership Award• ASOC Leadership Scholarships• ASOC Scholarship for Academic Achievement• JVA Business Services Scholarship (for EOPS/CARE student)

Foundation Scholarships CornerStudents can visit thescholarships web site

to find out more informationand to apply.

http://scholarships.ohlone.edu

Foundation, Financial Aid work togetherBy AMAN MEHRZAINews editor

The Ohlone Foundation and Fi-nancial Aid Department are joiningforces in an effort to distribute moremoney in scholarships in a trouble-free manner to the students.

The college foundation has beenworking with the Financial Aid De-partment in a continuous effort to

find innovative ways to get schol-arship and grant money out to thestudents.

Foundation Coordinator JohariPeebles announced that the Foun-dation is giving away $20,000 bythe end of this semester for avariety of students studying ingeneral education, nursing, chem-istry, math, bio-tech and non-specified majors. The goal is to

inspire students to take advantage ofall the money being offered by thecollege.

The college received its moneyfrom various funds accumulated byprivate companies and other sources.“We are pulling money from giftsand endowments given to the collegeand are awarding scholarships fromthe interest accumulated [by thefunds],” said Peebles.

The Financial Aid department isworking in conjunction with thefoundation to distribute its ownmoney from private foundations,banks and other sources.

All applications for the scholar-ships must be filled out at the finan-cial aide department. “The founda-tion gets the money and financialaide distributes it, unless otherwisespecified,” said Peebles.

Financial Aid Student ServicesRepresentative Spencer Wash-ington emphasized the need forstudents to follow exact direc-tions when completing the appli-cations for the scholarships. “It’svery important for students to fol-low directions. If the exact re-quirements aren’t followed, theywill not be considered for theirscholarship,” said Washington.Each scholarship may have itsown specific criteria and instruc-tion.

Prior distributions of scholar-ships were done through individualdepartments. The new structure willsimplify things for students whowill be able to go to one place for allfoundation and financial aid schol-arships and grants.

Detailed information for schol-arship distribution will be placedon boards throughout the campusand on the white bulletin board infront of the financial aide depart-ment.

The Monitor will be announcingweekly scholarship availabilities.

Treadwaymoderatespeace panelBy AMAN MEHRZAINews editor

A panel of speakers moderatedby Ohlone President DougTreadway criticized the Bush ad-ministration for the wars in Iraqand Afghanistan and for mishan-dling the war on terrorism.

Nearly 100 people filledNewark’s Chandni Restaurant toattend the “War or Peace?” sympo-sium sponsored by the AmericanInstitute of International Studies.

The occasion was reminiscentof a growing anti-war movement,according to Institute PresidentSyed Mahmood. DVD’s of allspeeches will be sent to nationaland state leaders if enough moneyis raised, said Syed.

Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont,former Illinois Republican Con-gressman Paul Findley, Universityof San Francisco Professor StephenZunes and other speakers repre-sented a variety of viewpoints aboutBush and his foreign relations poli-cies.

Findley, an 83-year-old nativeof Illinois who served in the Houseof Representatives for 22 yearsasked, “Why did we invade Iraq?Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11and posed no threat whatsoever tothe United States. They had noweapons of mass destruction.”

Stark stated that America’sdouble standard of providing weap-ons to Israel and banning it to otherMiddle Eastern countries leads tooppression and bitterness.

Zunes, who spoke at Ohlone’sfirst World Forum on Feb. 24,blamed every U.S. president sinceEisenhower for financially andmilitarily supporting Israeli crimesagainst the Palestinians. Zunes saidthis was the real cause of the attacksagainst America.

“Iraq and Palestine are two sidesof the same coin. If our governmenttruly seeks justice for the Palestin-ian people, the Iraqi insurgency willsubside,” said Findley.

CAMPUS EVENTS

The Monitor invites your com-ments. Letters to the editorshould be 250 words or less andshould include your name andrelationship to Ohlone College.Letters become the property ofthe Monitor, and may be editedfor spelling and length.

ONGOING

APRIL14 Book Discussion--

2-3 p.m. in Library, Room 1-307(Videoconference Room). Join usfor a discussion of Ivan Turgenev'sFather's and Sons. For more infor-mation go to: http://www.ohlone.edu/org/bookclub/

16 Summerfest 2005Auditions -- 9 a.m. in the Jack-son Theatre. Callbacks are on the17th. For for more informationcontact the theatre department.

20 College Recruiting -- All day in the Transfer and Ca-reer Center. Academy Of Art Uni-versity will be on campus. Call orvisit the transfer and Career Centerfor an appointment or more infor-mation.

21 Poetry Month Cel-ebration -- 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.in the Library. The English De-partment and the Library inviteeveryone to join in a celebration ofNational Poetry Month. Listen topoems, or sign up at the LibraryReference Desk to read a poem ofyour own.

22 College CouncilMeeting -- 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in theLibrary. in the video conferenceroom (Room 1307).

22 Earth Day Project -- 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. around campus.The litter in some areas of the cam-pus will be picked up by a group ofvolunteer For more informationand ways to help contact JimWright at jwright@ohlone.edu.

22 Dance Concert --The 22nd and 23rd at 8 p.m. in theJackson Theatre, and the 24th at 2p.m. in the Jackson Theatre. Formore information about the SpringDance Concert call the box officeat 510-659-6031.

22 Art Gallery-- Openduring gallery hours until may17th. The Annual Student Fine andGraphic Arts Show. The Art De-partment presents 195 of the beststudent works from the last threesemesters.

26 Blood Drive-- 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Cafeteria, Building 5.Call 510-659-6258 or visit the Stu-dent Health Center in Building 16to make an appointment or to findout more information about dropin appointments.

Ohlone College Super FleaMarket – Held the secondSaturday of every month inParking Lots E and H, from 8a.m. to 3 p.m. Next flea mar-

ket will be Feb. 12. For moreinformation contact ElaineNagel at (510) 659-6285.

Free and Anonymous HIVTesting – Tuesdays from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. at the StudentHealth Center, Building 16.No appointment necessary.Results ready in two weeks.No needles; Orasure Methodused. Call (510) 659-6258 formore information.

Smith Center Box Office –Open Tuesday through Thurs-day from 1 to 7 p.m. and Fri-day and Saturday from 1 to 5p.m. Tickets available forSmith Center Presents!,Ohlone Theatre and DanceDepartment and Ohlone Mu-sic Department performances.Call (510) 659-6031 or visitwww.smithcenterpresents.com

Library Display Cases -Display case two featuresOhlone campus Book Club'sfirst Spring '05 selection. Formore information about theBook Club, go to http://www.ohlone.edu/org/misc/bookclub/ or call LibrarianKG Greenstein at 659-6000x5272. Display case threefeatures updates. Measure Abond-related constructionplans for Ohlone CollegeNewark Center for Technol-ogy and Health Sciences aswell as plans for the renova-tion of the Fremont campus.

Gay/Straight Alliance -meets every Thursday in roomSC-116 in the Smith Center.Meet new friends and join inour activites and rap sessions.Open to all students.

Friday, May 6 has been setas the deadline for submis-sions to the fourth annualOhlone College Film, Video,and Multimedia Festival. En-tries are sought in categoriesincluding Short Film, Anima-tion, Advertisement and Mu-sic Videos. Entries must beoriginal work no longer than15 minutes. The festival isopen to all independent film-makers. Only DVD, DV andVHS formats will be ac-cepted. First submission isfree. Each additional entryis $25 (make checks pay-able to Ohlone CollegeSmith Center). Send sub-miss ions to : OFVMF/Ohlone College TV Cen-ter, 43600 Mission Blvd.,Fremont, CA 94539.

The ASOC-- Nowaccepting applications for

executive officer positions. Formore information or to pick upan application, go to Room1140 before April 20 or call510-659-6063.

ClassifiedsFor more informationabout classifiedsE - m a i l :

monitorads@ohlone.eduor call: 510-659-6075

JOBS ANDINTERNSHIPS

For more information onJobs & Internships visitTransfer & Career Services inBuilding 1, 4th Floor, Room1405A. Hours: Monday -Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon and1 to 3 p.m. Closed Friday.

April 14, 2005 MONITOR 7

ASSISTANT-- Part time,$2500-$3000/month, M-FSchedule to be arranged inPleasanton. Must have goodgrammar skills, be a fastworker, have good memoryand ability to multi-task, andspeak, read, and write clearly.Duties include helping withfollow up on files, makingphone calls, helping put filestogether, contacting clients,writing letters, and contactingnew a customer base to getnew clientele. Please seeTransfer & Career Services

for more information.

JR. LOAN OFFICER-- Full time,$14-$17/ hour, Monday throughFriday from 7:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.in Pleasanton. Must haveexperience in the loan industry,but do not need to be licensed.Duties include updating clientinformation, sending outdisclosures, communicating thestatus of files with the loanofficers, copying loan packages,assisting in getting conditions tolender, and reviewing alldisclosures for thoroughnessand compliance related issues.Please see Transfer & CareerServices for more informa-tion.

SALES COORDINATOR-- Fulltime, salary and schedule to bedetermined in Fremont. Must beenergetic and motivated,possess fluent oral and writtenskills in both traditional Manda-rin and English, be detailoriented and organized, and

have proficiency in Excelsoftware. A college graduate ispreferred. This is an entry levelposition in the marketing andsales department. Please seeTransfer & Career Services formore information.

MANAGER-- Full time, $11-$14/hour, Monday through Fridayfrom 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. inFremont. Must be proficient inMS Word and Excel, PowerPoint, MS Project, must beorganized and have the ability towork independently, haveexcellent written and verbalcommunication skills, andhave working knowledge ofoffice equipment: fax ma-chines, copiers, printers, etc.Duties include processingincoming and outgoing mailand shipments, errands,copying, filing, and variousadministrative duties asrequired. Please see Transfer& Career Services for moreinformation.

By FRANKIE ADDIEGOStaff writer

Ohlone’s annual high schooljournalism conference began witha keynote address by Marian Liu,the pop music writer for the SanJosé Mercury News.

She talked about interviewingvarious celebrities, such as Bonoand U2, who she was scheduled tointerview last weekend.

Liu also described her pioneer-ing use of a web log to augment herreporting. Many observers thinkblogs will lead the way to a newform of journalism, eventually re-placing newspapers.

She described her experiencesworking at different newspapers,

including the Los Angeles Timesand the San José Mercury News,where she currently serves as a popculture writer.

Among the experiences she re-counted were backstage interviews,stories on youth culture, and writ-ing a personal account of friendswho had died of cancer.

Students attended a series ofeight workshops, including one ondigital photography. Sheri Wargo,Monitor photo editor and advertis-ing manager, said, “I was veryimpressed by the knowledge of thestudents.”

Erica L. Craven, of the San Fran-cisco law firm Levy, Ram & Olsen,discussed student press rights.Some of the topics that came up

included protecting information andsources, and access to court records.

Aleta Watson, food critic for theSan José Mercury News, ran a popu-lar workshop on restaurant critiqu-ing. Watson, discussed the processof going to a restaurant anony-mously to sample the food.

Newspaper critique sessionswere by The Chronicle’s Jim Rose,Glennda Chui of the San José Mer-cury News, and UC Berkeley’sChris Marshall. Winners includedEric Day of Milpitas High Schoolfor On-Site Sports; Jasmine Lee,California High School, Opinion;and Jason Chou of Mission SanJosé High School in News Photo.California High School took first inGeneral Excellence.

Speaker promotes news blogs

Page 8MONITORMONITOR

OHLONE COLLEGE

PPOO SSRRTTSSThursday, April 14, 2005

By STEVEN CHAVEZSports editor

The 2nd Annual Vikings/Renegades 5K Fun Run wentoff without a hitch on April 3,with runners taking in a beauti-ful run while helping to raisemoney for the athletic depart-ment here on campus.

The run was started last yearby an Irvington High Schoolsenior as part of his QuestProject to bring something tohis local community.

On a cold, overcast morning,35 runners took off from the PalmBosque, down Olive Alley to Mis-sion Boulevard. From there, run-ners turned north and turned rightwhen they got to Anza Road, upthe hill to Anza-Pine Road back

Hartmut Foken times Delores Loera (left) while ChrisWarden and Lisa Morano register racers last Sunday.

to the Palm Bosque. They ranpast the Bosque, through the busturn-around and up Aquatic Way,the road that only buses are al-lowed to the “top of the Ohloneworld.” This road leads all theway around, back to Anza Road,and runners went all the way downthe hill, back out to Mission Bou-levard. for the final stretch run.They took Mission all the way toPine Street, made a lap out ofParking Lot K, and finished bygoing back up Pine Street to thebus turn-around, finishing backin the Palm Bosque.

“(It was a) good event,” saidOhlone’s Head Athletic Trainerand Race Director Chris War-den. “Everything went well.The sponsors were happy.”

The runners , thankful ly ,

missed the rain that didn’t makeits way to Fremont until lateron in the afternoon.

Three men and three womenwere given medals for finish-ing in the top 3 in their gender.

Matthew Stemm was the firstperson to cross the finish line,with a time of 17:58. He wasfollowed by Brian Collott andDoug Croft, 16 and 33 secondsafter Stemm, respectively.

In the women’s c lass ,Michelle Bekamper finishedfirst, with a time of 21:11.Amanda Kahn and Laurei Davisfinished 30 and 56 seconds af-ter Bekamper, respectively.

The race netted Ohlone’s ath-letic department over $800. The35 participants were a strongincrease over last year’s 15.

Photos by

Shari Wargo

2nd annual fun run goes off without a hitch

By BRENDEN BLAKEStaff writer

The Ohlone Renegades men’sbaseball team lost 6-2 to Chabot onSaturday afternoon. In a game thatshowed the Renegades fall behindearly, and unable to mount a solidoffensive attack, they played frombehind all day.

Chabot’s center fielder led off thegame by roping a double down thefirst base line on the game’s veryfirst pitch. He scored when anotherChabot hitter poked an RBI doubleinto the gap in left field. After pitcherVinny Clement managed to induce agroundout and a strikeout, Chabot’ssecond baseman slapped the Gladia-tors third double of the inning, scor-ing a runner from second, giving

Chabot a 2-0 lead going into thebottom of the first.

Chabot pitcher Nick Buchta wasabsolutely lights out through thefirst three innings as he retired eightof the first nine batters he faced.More bad news came for the Ren-egades in the top of the third whenChabot extended its lead to 4-0 ona two-run blast over the left fieldfence. Chabot was able to scoreagain in the top of the fourth whena throwing error led to runners onfirst and third, and a perfectly placedbunt down the third base line madeChabot’s lead 5-0.

Ohlone pulled to within 5-2 inthe bottom of the fourth when aChabot throwing error left twoOhlone runners in scoring posi-tion. That’s when Brent Bowers

came to the plate and hit a solidsingle that scored two runs. Unfor-tunately for the Renegades, thosewere the only two runs they wouldscore all game, as they strandedrunners on base and missed severalkey opportunities to score runs. In-cluded was a huge opportunity inthe bottom of the sixth that showedBuchta walk the first two Ohlonehitters. After a strikeout and a popout, Chabot was able to escape theinning without any damage whenan Ohlone hitter fouled out to thecatcher.

“We had our share of opportuni-ties to get back in the game, we justdidn’t get it done,” said Ohlone’sBrent Bowers. “We can’t let fallingbehind early get us down, it’s a nineinning game.”

Jeremy Hill tosses a pitch for the Renegadesduring Saturday’s 6-2 loss to Chabot College.

Photo by Taylor Dunn

Baseball team drops a close game to rival Chabot

Softball team is4th in California

By STEVEN CHAVEZSports editor

The Ohlone softball team hasmoved into fourth in the latestjucalsports.com poll this week.Climbing up the poll for the fourthconsecutive week, it begs the ques-tion: how far can they actually go?

Based on another fine week, whichsaw Ohlone turn back Mission Col-lege 14-1 on Wednesday and closestrival Chabot 4-1 on Tuesday, all thison the heels of their impressive 2-0over fellow top 10 team West Val-ley, one could argue that this team isall set to make a potentially winningrun at the state title this season.

The win on Tuesday over Chabotcompleted the sweep for Ohlone thisseason, who outscored Chabot a com-bined 20-4 this year.

The game on Tuesday was high-lighted by another stellar performanceby pitching ace Kristine Beristianosand freshman catcher Kelly Taylor’sdominating performance at the plate.

Beristianos allowed only one run,while giving up five hits and strikingout five.

Taylor went 2 for 3 with the bat,including a sixth inning triple that hitoff the left field fence, just feet shy ofgoing for a home run.

The triple led off the inning andled to Ohlone scoring their third and

Mallory Lantz takes aswing for the softball team.

Photo by Taylor Dunn

fourth runs of the game, giving alittle insurance to Beristianos androbbing Chabot of the momentumthey built in the top of the sixth.

In the top of the inning, Chabotscored their only run when theirfourth and fifth hitters hit a singleand a double, consecutively. Therunner on second, the tying run at thetime, was then caught stealing forthe second out, a move that wasquestioned by more than a few.

With the momentum they havebuilt already, and only three gamesleft until the postseason, the softballteam is in good shape for a strongplayoff push.

By STEVENCHAVEZSports editor

TheFinalScore

Hey, moron; losing thebest can’t make you better

Hi kids. It has been four weekssince I’ve been able to rant aboutanything, due to lack of space, timeand/or the occasional police shut-down of the campus.

I am, however, planning on mak-ing it up to those of you who missedme in these last five issues with non-stop blathering about whatever Ideem necessary (and if you didn’tmiss me, you get all summer to en-joy a life without the Final Score).

Now, on to this week’s topic, andit’s a new one: Barry Bonds.

I’ve heard many people in themedia talking about how the SanFrancisco Giants are going to be abetter team without Bonds.

Nothing could be further from thetruth than saying a team could bebetter without its best player.

The New York Yankees wouldnot be any better if Derek Jeter gothurt.

The Oakland A’s wouldn’t bebetter if Eric Chavez got hurt.

The fact of the matter is that noteam gets better without their bestplayer. Teams sometimes survivewithout them, but they won’t getbetter.

They can’t get better. It hurts mybrain to even think that there arepeople in the profession that I sodesperately want to break into, sportswriting, that think so idiotically about

sports. How did these people catchtheir big break to get them on ESPNor in the San Francisco Chroniclewhen they clearly don’t have all oftheir neurons firing about the top-ics they’re discussing?

Shouldn’t the people that coverthese topics know a little bit aboutthe sport and the way it’s played?

I just have to wonder about somesports writers and think: there is noway these people ever played be-yond little league. There is no waythey ever progressed beyond ev-eryone telling them that “it’s notwhether you win or lose, it’s howyou play the game,” and then col-lecting their free hot dog and sodafor participating.

There is no way they ever playedat a competative level where theycould actually drive to the game.

They need to wake up, becausethe sports they cover and the cul-ture of its players have progressedbeyond the box that the writers

think in.Barry Bonds is the best player in

baseball.Barry Bonds makes everyone

around him better.One point may be true. The Giants

will be a better team if they have anyhopes of staying in the hunt longenough for the part of the seasonwhere Bonds does come back.

Without Bonds they are reducedto a bunch of old guys that are,hopefully, wiley and gritty enoughto pick up the slack for the missingleft fielder.

Bonds will come back and hewill have an awesome year. He saidit and when Bonds speaks, youshould heed his warning (I’m talk-ing to the pitchers of the NationalLeague with that comment).

Until he does, the Giants will bea .500 team.

Being a .500 team is not at all upto the standards that the Giants haveestablished for themselves over thelast five years.

I hope there will someday soonbe an open door for a writer thatactually knows the game, its play-ers (on a real level being that I wasonce one of them, kinda) and therealities of star athletes and hugecontracts.

If there are any editors reading,I’m talking about me.