Volume XXVIII - Issue 4 October 14, 2010 www.theskylineview.com

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The Palestinian club hosted an event on Oct. 12, where club mem-bers and various Skyline students did a thirty minute walk around campus to raise money, and spread aware-ness for breast cancer. All proceeds are going to the South San Francisco Cancer Research Center.

The three main organizers of the event were club presidents Juli Shehada and Wala Abudamous, with aid from Wasan Hasan, who originally came up with the idea, and contributed to various aspects of the event, including making breast cancer ribbons.

The event first took place at the quad where members recruited people to join, serving water bottles at 50 cents a pop and encouraging students to donate or wear a rib-bon.

“There are a lot of victims of breast cancer, and I know some of them feel like they’re alone.” said Shehada. “So we want to show them that we are with you guys, we are trying to help and support you.”

The actual walking started at Building 6, went up towards Lot H, and all the way around Lots P and R, eventually making its way back to Building 6. Along the way, stu-dents who participated in the walk conversed amongst themselves, and only stopped occasionally for group pictures or to wave at cars.

According to Leigh Anne Sippel, the club advisor, and organizer Wala Abdumous, the original idea was to have an event to raise money, while at the same time have fun.

“We are trying to get support for our cause, which is to raise breast cancer awareness,” said Abdumous. “We are trying to make something that all Skyline students would show support for as well as enjoy

Club organizes campus walkStudents participate in Palestinian Club’s effort to raise awareness for breast cancer

by JJ Valdez

themselves.”Some students, such as Caylie

Garland, have never participated in a walk for breast cancer before.

“I don’t have breast cancer, but my stepmom’s mom did, and I think it’s a good cause,” Garland said. “It’s just a great opportunity to actu-ally get up and do something.”

Another student who enjoyed the walk was club member Rula Abdel-

halim, who felt it to be both physi-cally and emotionally rewarding.

“I came today to support breast cancer awareness and to support my friends,” said Abdelhalim. “It feels good this was all done for a good cause, and it was also good exercise.”

However, the event did go through some changes as time went on. According to Leigh Anne Sippel,

the original idea was to have a walk on a larger scale, but it was later decided to make it local by walking just around the school premises.

In addition, the actual event was originally scheduled to have two different walks around the school, one from 11:00 to 11:30, and another from 1:00 to 1:30. However, it was later decided to have just one from 11:30 to 12:00.

“A few minutes ago, a woman came up to me and said ‘three years ago I was diagnosed with breast can-cer and I really feel good to see all you supporting us’,” Shehada said.

“And that’s what we’re trying to accomplish,” Shehada said.

JJ Valdez/ The Skyline View

A group of Skyline students (including Palestinian Club presidents Juli Shehada and Wala Abudamous) begin their walk to raise breast cancer awareness.

Two art pieces were stolen and others disturbed from the Skyline Faculty Gallery Exhibition on the evening or early morning between Sept. 10 and 11.

Three days after the gallery’s opening a drawing and photograph belonging to Aya Artola and Arthur Takayama, respectively, were re-ported missing by the gallery assis-tant the morning of Sept. 11.

No other pieces were stolen, but several had been moved. Wasan Hasan, the morning assistant, said that some paintings hung askew when the day before they had been straight.

It remains unknown what time

Gallery burglary points out gaps in campus securityNew cameras and alarm systems installed at Skyline Gallery after pieces were stolen

by Robyn Grahamthe pieces were stolen because no alarms or security cameras were in place at the time of the break-in.

Because of this, Skyline has no viable leads, or suspects, accord-ing to Skyline Police Chief Brian Tupper.

The district began installing new cameras and alarms systems last year.

“[The gallery burglary] helped identify one of the gaps in our sys-tem: we do have video coverage in the area, it’s just not isolated to the gallery theatre,” Tupper said.

Skyline security finished install-ing the camera and internal alarm system about three weeks after the

Robyn GRaham/ The Skyline View

One of the cameras set up in order to boost security.

break-in before the end of the Fac-ulty exhibition.

It was the first exhibition in memory to have a burglary in the past seven years according to Gal-lery Director Paul Bridenbaugh, who said he was surprised that it happened.

“It’s a very sad thing,” said Skyline President Victoria Morrow, referring to the pieces that were stolen.

The artists replaced their stolen work with new pieces shortly after the thefts, and the exhibition contin-ued until its close on Oct. 12 with no further break-ins.

� October 14, �010Skyline ViewThe

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Editor-In-ChiefMarc Arguello

News EditorKatherine RamirezOpinions EditorAlexis De GuzmanFeatures Editor

JJ ValdezEntertainment Editor

Daniel BeckmanSports Editor

Michael Hall

Copy EditorsRay Marquez

Kiriakos VilchezOnline EditorStephen Benoit

Multimedia EditorRobyn GrahamPhotos Editor

Larry CrystalGraphics EditorMario Rodriguez

Staff WritersAlessandro FillariAndrew Lidwell

Antoinette EstigoyCamille WielandCarina Moreno

David EvansHelen TranJay Johnson

Lea NaqishbendiMason Martinez

Milan SubediRon Romero

Faculty AdviserNancy Kaplan-Biegel

The Skyline View is a First Amend-ment Publication. The Skyline View

is published bi-weekly during the spring and fall semesters by the jour-nalism students at Skyline College. The Skyline View is member of the Journalism Association of Commu-nity Colleges. Opinions expressed

in the paper are those of the writers and should not be interpreted as the views of Skyline College, SMCCCD,

the faculty, administrators or the newspaper adviser. Additionally, the

paper does not endorse any of the products or services advertised.

The Skyline View welcomes Let-ters to the Editors; letters must in-

clude full name, address, and phone number for verification. The Skyline View reserves the right to edit letters

for length, libel, clarity, and taste.

Students gathered in the Skyline cafeteria on October 7th for the “Speak Out” assembly, which took place from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm, where different guest speakers from students to faculty members, came to talk about their experiences with the budget cuts.

The event was organized by ASSC students Josh Waters, Vanessa Cabos, and Rhea Celedio, and fea-tured both student and faculty speak-ers, including ASSC President Ray Parenti-Kurttila and Vice President Amanda Parker. The list of Skyline teachers in attendance ranged from Michael Hoffman to long time in-structor Katharine Harer.

Many guest speakers expressed that their views and opinions regard-ing the budget cuts represent their emotions regarding the financial cuts as well.

One such moment was when Vice President Amanda Parker broke down in tears during her speech when talking about how the budget cuts have negatively affected students.

“I’ve utilized the programs of CalWORKS, Trio, EOPS and I know that they’ve suffered massive cuts,” said Parker. “It’s because of them I’m at where I am today, and it’s painful to know that there are students coming in who are in the same position I was--who won’t be able to utilize those services the way things are going now.”

During her speech, she briefly mentioned how it hurts her to know that the Child Care Center was at risk of being completely cut, and knowing that some mothers might not get the chance of pursuing an education.

She also expressed her opinions of students, especially here at Sky-line, who still haven’t registered to vote, and emphasizing the impor-tance of making your voice heard.

“It’s painful to see some of the programs being cut because students aren’t voting that’s why we are here today to encourage students to regis-ter now,” said Parker. “I think we are all role models by trying to spread awareness, I mean that’s the biggest part reason for being here.”

Harer joined the assembly with

Emotions run high at “Speak Out”Students and faculty talk about the importance of budget cut awareness

by JJ Valdez

her views on the reality of how many teachers are suffering right now.

“We’re trying to get better work-ing conditions, and some form of pay raise to help teachers, both full and part time.” said Harer.“The truth is you may not see your teachers because they might not have jobs here anymore. These teachers are hurting financially just as much as you guys are.”

Although she never gave out any specific names during her time on the podium, she did share with the audience examples of how teachers here at Skyline have had their lives changed dramatically due to cuts.

“I know faculty members who can’t afford gas. I know faculty

members whose houses were fore-closed. I know faculty members who were forced to leave the district entirely. In English, we’ve lost four full time teachers, and none of them have been replaced.”

Harer also delved into her per-sonal life as a teacher when she shared that she herself had to switch from a health care provider that she’d been seeing for 15 years because she could not afford it anymore.

Another teacher present at the event was Masao Suzuki, an eco-nomics professor here at Skyline, volunteered to speak mostly in order to shed some knowledge on the cur-rent economic climate.

“I volunteered to speak because

JJ Valdez/ The Skyline View

ASSC vice president Amanda Parker speaks on the effects of budget cuts.

Charges were filed last month against ASSC president, Ray Paren-ti-Kurttila.

The charges were that Parenti-Kurttila publicized academic records in detail to executive officers, the ASSC Senate, and members of the public.

Thomas Wong, the former In-terim of Commissions, filed charges against Parenti-Kurttila seeking his impeachment from office, expulsion from campus, and to face federal charges. Wong claims that President Parenti-Kurttila was in possession of Wong’s confidential student records, and read it to others.

According to Wong, the publiciz-ing of his records came about during an ASSC meeting to discuss Wong’s qualification for Commissioner of Activities.

“He basically told the rest of the council that ‘he can’t qualify [for commission of activities] he’s over on his banner,” Wong said,“[Parenti-Kurttila] said ‘I sat down with

Charges brought against ASSC President fall flatThomas Wong threatens legal action against Ray Parenti-Kurttila as well as school

by JJ Valdez[Amory Cariadus, Coordinator of Student Activities], and we counted line by line the classes he’d taken, the grades he got.’ He was able to list all these things, and I’m the only one who noticed because they were my records.”

Parenti-Kurttila has gone on record saying that he did no such thing, while Cariadus has stated that she did not give him any personal information regarding Mr. Wong’s academic records.

Wong states that his records were only verbally publicized and that this happened towards the end of the meeting.

“[Parenti-Kurttila] said it after the meeting.” Wong said. “The entire meeting was on recording, and all this blew out at the end after the tape recorder was turned off.”

Aside from this, their only form of confrontation was when they both ran against each other for the posi-tion of President of Student Council last year.

The complaint was first brought to the attention of Cariadus, who interviewed students and eventually forwarded the complaint to Sherri Hancock, Dean of Admissions and Records, who led a preliminary investigation.

“From conversations that I had with students on the Student Coun-cil, the records were not shared or published in any way, shape, or form,” said Cariadus. “My under-standing is [Hancock] looked into it, met with the appropriate people, and then she basically did not find anything to prove the allegations.”

According to Hancock, her in-vestigation did not have a single student corroborating what Wong claims, and although according to Hancock information regarding re-cords of anyone looking at Wong’s records are confidential, there are no grounds for expulsion.

In addition, both Hancock and Cariadus have found no evidence to suggest that Parenti-Kurttila had looked at Wong’s records.

“There is no evidence, as far as I’ve been told, that he would’ve been able to access that information,” Cariadus said, “there’s no way he could have obtained the informa-tion through the Student Activities office at all.”

Hancock also made the point that the only way for one student to look at another student’s private records is that he or she would first have to give them permission.

Investigation records concern-ing Wong’s allegations have been closed, and currently Parenti-Kurt-tila has not received any form of punishments regarding what hap-pened.

“The Dean of Admissions and Records investigation has found Tom’s allegations invalid,” Parenti-Kurttila said.

Wong has stated that, if neces-sary, he will bring in lawyers to handle his case, in which case indi-viduals, or even the school, would be at risk of being sued.

I spoke at the “teach ins” last fall about the budget situation, and the cut backs to education.” said Suzuki.

“So this is one of my area of expertise, the state and federal budget, and what’s happening with the economy and how it’s affecting Skyline,” explained Suzuki.

“There has been a very serious recession that has led to a fall in revenues here in California,” said Suzuki, “and at the same time there have been a series of tax cuts mainly for corporations over the last ten years, and these two factors have re-ally slammed California budgets.”

Suzuki also talked about how his father, a World War II veteran, has been denied medical care as an example of how people from all walks of life are being affected by California’s current situation.

Hoffman, too, expressed his sympathy towards the students and fellow faculty, speaking on his own experience with being a new teacher in this district.

“I feel very passionately about the need to organize and educate around the budget cuts. I think we have to try and reverse the trends that are happening.” said Hoffman, “I think students got some important information today, and I think some of them learned of new ways to get involved. I think this was a reminder that there is still an anti-budget cuts movement.”

Hoffman also expressed the im-portance of things not continuing the way they are, as they are a reflection of us as a society.

“It relates to our standard of living,” said Hoffman, “and unless people can organize themselves and demand that resources go towards meeting our needs, these trends will continue. We will see an increas-ing gulf between the rich and the poor, and a large group of people living in poverty without access to education.”

Hoffman feels that there is little hope for us in the future unless cer-tain things are met in achievement.

“I am not very optimistic unless we see more people getting involved and getting organized,” said Hoff-man, “unless we see a movement,

For all of you out there that do or do not agree with what I say, I encourage you to email me your opinions or post comments online. Once again the email address is advice.johnny@gmail.com. Send me your thoughts, questions, and critiques. I am waiting to hear from you. Also keep up with our twitter account @advicejohnny, we will have updates, advice and on the spot situation control.

3October 14, �010 Skyline ViewThe

Features

Relationship advice from Johnny

Dear Johnny,

I’m stuck in a rut, my boyfriend doesn’t give me the attention that he used to and its coming on four years now and I don’t know what to do.

Many of you out there are wondering what to do when it comes to your relationships, jobs, or life, so then let me introduce myself. My name is “Johnny” and I would like to help you. There are some basic relationship issues everyone deals with, issues like: “Why doesn’t my significant other pay more attention to me?” or “Why does he always hang out with his friends?” or, here’s a common one, “Why doesn’t he brush his teeth regularly?” These are

College student Carla Castillo is a 3rd year English major who for the past month has been working on a mural like drawing adorned with many different colors, figures, sym-bols and even broken glass.

Entitled “El Pezo del mundo y del Corazón”, which is Spanish for “The weight of the world and

heart”. Castillo’s reason for doing the

drawing was not for any school project or commissions but just to indulge in her artistic side.

“I basically did it for the sake of my sanity,” she said, “what I mean by that is everybody has some sort of outlet and my outlet is drawing it

always been and it always will be.” While working on this piece

Castillo brought her art to school almost everyday and worked on it in the cafeteria, in the same spot where she was surrounded by her friends.

“You see I love the hustle and bustle of people” says Castillo, “they always offer some new insight.

I love listening to them and I love the energy I get from them”

Along with being inspired by those around her Castillo was also inspired artistically by the works of Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali, and various arts from the renaissance era.

To Castillo symbolism plays an

important part in her work as she feels that it is universal.

“But the reason for those sym-bols is so that I will always remem-ber where my roots are, where the individual pant themselves, and what a certain symbol means to them.”

One of the symbolic themes of her art is the liberal use of ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics.

“I use Egyptian hieroglyphics in my work because I am greatly influenced by ancient Egyptian culture.” said Castillo, “I even went as far as to teach myself Egyptian hieroglyphs”

One of the biggest and most no-table aspects of Castillo’s art is the broken mirror fragments in the upper right hand corner. And like every-thing else in the picture its presence also conveys a symbolic nature.

“When people look at broken mirrors they think ‘Oh you have seven years of bad luck’ when in reality in other cultures breaking a mirror can mean several different things” said Castillo, “It can mean that you are placing a reflection a reflection of your own with another, or it can also mean that your sharing yourself with the world its not just a distorted image”

Although her art has only been completed for a short period of time potential buyers have already lined up admiring her work.

“People have been interested in looking or buying or acquiring it” said Castillo, “someone has already offered to give me money for it but if they really want I would really give it to them”

Although giving it away for free is an option on the table between Castillo and who ever wants it she has stated for the record that she is unsure of what will ultimately be its fate.

by JJ Valdez

Skyline students creative works astounds fellow students Potential buyers already interested in her work

JJ Valdez/The Skyline ViewCarla Castillo’s artwork in its entirety, fully framed, with all images fully drawn

Well, here is the question: are you that in to him? Often times in relationships both parties tend to fall back in the affection and attention department and lag for awhile. When this happens you do one of two things. You open a line of communication with your partner and let them know exactly how you feel, and that it’s getting lonely, and you wonder if they are even still interested. Explain to them how important their affection and attention is to you and that you would like to work towards fixing this fissure in your relationship. But that’s not what happened is it? Unfortunately for most of us, pride takes the front seat and begins to drive our feelings, es-pecially when we are being neglected. We tend to grow angry and resentful towards or significant other because they didn’t give us the attention and affection that we need and a wall is created between the two of you. This wall, which once again is made of pride and miscommunication,

is very hard to break. If this happens to you and you are smack dab in the middle of a huge wall of regret that is poisoning your relationship, there is a way to scale it and move on. Swallow your pride; you should have communicated what you needed from your partner from the get go and have created some type of understanding in your relationship, one that you can refer to when talking to your partner. This makes things clear for you and your significant other and stops things from going stale without you noticing way ahead of time. Sometimes things just aren’t meant to be and you have to move on, I’m not saying that’s what’s going on here but you need desperately to start a line of communication with your partner and find out what is going on between you. This will open doors and feelings that will lead you to your answer of what to do, hopefully it leads you to a stronger relationship with your current partner.

just a taste of the curveballs life throws at us on a day to day basis and exactly what I would like to give you advice on. Think of me as Deepak Chopra, Oprah, or even Ferris Bueller. I’m just someone that wants to help with your issues. I am going to start this column with a problem that was recently shared with me, if you would like to share your issue with me and get advice email me at advice.johnny@gmail.com.

4 October 14, �010Skyline ViewThe

Features

The first faculty exhibition since the Fall of 2008 proved to be a suc-cessful and popular event and was the first to make use of the newly installed gallery lights that cost over $6,000, according to Gallery Direc-tor Paul Bridenbaugh.

Despite a recent burglary on the gallery’s third opening night, where two art pieces were stolen, the Fac-ulty Art Exhibition stayed open until Oct. 8 with no further break ins.

While other schools feature work of only full-time teachers, Skyline’s exhibition included work from all art instructors. However, knowing that there are only two full-time instruc-tors at Skyline, it makes sense that it is open to all.

Drawing an estimated 300 at-tendees during its reception on Sept. 16, many came to admire the wide variety of mediums and styles, while students came to see what their art teachers were really capable of.

Dean of Social Science and Cre-ative Arts, Donna Bestock, noted how it was good for students to see their teacher’s work and their vary-ing styles.

“I am so proud of my faculty members,” said Bestock. “I think they do such beautiful, beautiful work; it is inspiring.”

Some realistic styles included Eileen David’s photo-like oil on canvas titled “Bernal Cut” which shows the colorful houses of San Francisco behind the twisted over-passes of Freeway 101, as well as small portrait drawings by Noah Buchanan.

There were also abstract works like the swirling vortex of plastic cups that attached to the ceiling by Michael Ryan and paintings such as Bridenbaugh’s three untitled works of simple geometric shapes painted with only three to four solid colors.

“I start with notions and vi-sual ideas not based on words,” said Bridenbaugh.

He stressed that he hopes his work provides open readings that illicit different interpretations. He also said that while his personal work is mostly abstract, he teaches traditional techniques to his students because it is important to learn the

basics first. Other abstract works included

ceramic sculptures by Ilana Crispi and Tiffany Schmierer. Crispi’s tall, bulbous, and glazed ceramic sculp-ture stood on a pedestal reminiscent of a head or a totem pole.

Schmierer’s low-fire ceramic pieces were complex and visually dense, consisting of separate ce-ramic pieces crowded together with many different colored glazes caus-ing the viewer to see something new each time they looked at it: a robin bird, puzzle pieces, a red hand, and serene looking faces.

One sculpture that generated contrasting views was the hydro-cal (like plaster but harder and more durable) sculpted deer surrounded by acacia trees by Ellen Lowenstein titled “The Forest.”

According to the morning gal-lery watch, Wasan Hasan, Lowen-stein’s deer attracted many viewers and different interpretations which were mostly divided on whether the deer was in pain or at peace.

Ceramic student Victoria Vargas said that the deer made her feel peaceful because it appeared to be floating in the woods, referring to how the deer’s legs turned into tree roots.

Others saw the deer in pain, such as Bridenbaugh, because of the tree limbs that intersected through the deer’s body, reminding him of the paintings of Saint Sebastian where arrows pierce bodies of people. Lowenstein’s intention, however, was different and she was surprised by the varied reactions.

“I was trying to capture that moment when [a deer] looks at you and you look at them, in that mo-ment you both are joined together in a wild state where the human becomes one with the deer,” said Lowenstein. “It is an extraordinary moment and suddenly they are off in the forest and they just disap-pear.”

Lowenstein said she was in-spired by the deer that live near her house and was attracted to their illusive and magical qualities when they take flight and vanish into the forest.

Other works based on illusive-

ness were the black and white color washed photographs of Arthur Takayama that showed partially lit male nudes with hidden faces.

Takayama said that he “uses the body as a landscape,” and that ambiguity is the theme for his work achieved by taking out visual clues that would give the viewer a sense of place and person.

“I love black backgrounds be-cause they are uninformative,” said Takayama.

With so many different mediums and styles, gallery curator Briden-baugh said it was a challenge trying to figure out where to place the pieces in the gallery. For instance, Jody Keane’s giant peach painting, appropriately titled “Georgia Dusk,” was hung next to a photograph of a demolished construction site by Diane Jones.

“The placements were all inten-tional,” said Bridenbaugh, explain-ing that he placed Jones’ and Kean’s

pieces next to each other because they both had high visual traffic: Kean’s with the scattered fruit and Jones’s with the scattered wood.

Even though styles varied, sur-rounding pieces complimented each other and the gallery as a whole felt cohesive and complete. The Faculty Art Exhibition was an inviting way start off the Fall semester which allowed students and coworkers to get to know faculty in a more personal light.

Faculty Art Exhibition: A lively event that invited open interpretation

Faculty explain artwork displayed at first gallery exhibition of Fall semester

by Robyn Graham

PhoToS by Robyn GRaham/The Skyline View

Ellen Lowenstein’s deer called “The Forest” had varied interpretations from peace to painchoreography.

By: JJ ValdezCookies For RookiesIt’s hard out there for a Student

Thumbs up: Pepsi in a bottle!

Thank you bookstore for contributing to my indulgences!- Ray Marquez

Thumbs up: Cats

They’re PURRRfect. -Kiriakos Vilchez

Thumbs up: Potato chips

Ok THIS time I really will have just one.

-Joseph Valdez

Thumbs down:3D

It’s an annoying gimmick -Jay Johnson

Thumbs down: Shorts and Uggs

You don’t wear summer clothes with winter clothes. They don’t match.

-Larry Crystal

Thumbs down: M.I.A.’s Oakland Concert

A 50 min performance with an 11 song setlist?! Can I get a refund?

- Mario Rodriguez

Thumbs up: Tacos

I want one so bad. I wouldn’t say no to a burrito, either. Mmm.

- Katherine Ramirez

Thumbs down: girls in shorts with sweaters

What is wrong with them? That’s so stupid and weird.

-Stephen Benoit

6 October 14, 2010Skyline ViewThe

OpiniOn

Loss of the Theater

Scooter vs. Car What is the better Choice?

by Daniel BeckmanI used to own a Toyota Corolla

and recently purchased a scooter, a 2010 Vespa GTS 250ie to be exact. I have been wondering lately if I had made the right choice when I sold my car to buy this scooter. The scooter is re-ally fun to drive, although I do get tossed around by the wind like a rag doll when I’m on the freeway.

From a practi-cal point of view, it was the right decision; gas was go-ing to be cheaper, I could get around a lot faster, and most importantly I was going to look cooler driving the scooter. With my car I could travel far distances and at the drop of a hat I could pick up and drive to Mexico with friends and have the time of my life…if it wasn’t so darn expensive.

My scooters maintenance is extremely cheap, although the trade off is: feeling safe and cozy while

driving your car or clench on to the handle bars of your Vespa till all the blood rushes out. Some of you might say “Dan your trippin it’s not that scary on a scooter.” To that I

say, look at me when I drive around campus on mine and carefully listen. If you do you’ll hear the screams of a grown man. Although not all of them are bad screams. Driv-

ing a Vespa is kind of like a roller-coaster. Sometimes it’s a fun scream and sometimes a scary scream.

I would say the biggest difference between the Vespa Scooter and my Toyota Corolla is the gas mileage. I get about 75 miles to the gallon on my Vespa and only got 30 miles per gallon on my Corolla. Now in a world that is fighting tooth and nail over oil I think the winner out of these two is obvious.

Vespa Wins!

Driving a Vespa is kind of like a rollercoaster. Some-times it’s a fun scream and sometimes a scary scream.

-Dan Beckman

Here at Skyline College, our theater is a source of entertainment that students and faculty alike can all enjoy. However, certain students here at Skyline miss out, and cannot even access the theater at all; disabled students, specifically those who are wheelchair-bound, are not able to get into the theater because of its lack of accessibility. We at the Skyline View believe it is wrong for disabled students here at Skyline to be virtually denied the artistic expression that the theater produces.

Anyone who has gone to the theater has seen that there are no ramps or catwalks that lead into the auditorium. There are just stairs. A long flight of stairs are adjacent to the auditorium seats, many of them already cramped and difficult to get by if you want to move down a row.

We see this as a major problem. How is a disabled Skyline student able to enter and watch a production in the auditorium if they face stairs as the only option of getting in? It’s impossible! They have to miss out on things like plays, choirs, and dance performances.

The ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, is a government policy which requires specific institutions, like schools and workplaces, to accommodate disabled individuals. Not doing so results in non-compliance of the act.

While covering another topic, a Skyline View staff member learned that the theater is not ADA compliant. We were shocked to learn this, and how nothing is being done about even in regards to U.S. laws in place making sure disabled individuals have access to buildings like a theater.

Whether it is a money issue, or just a put-it-on-the-backburner type of situation, it is absolutely wrong that Skyline’s theater is not available to students who would benefit from a change in its accessibility. Skyline College has many areas that are compliant with the ADA, so why not the theater? The lack of anyone truly pushing for remodeling the theater is the only answer.

The Skyline View strongly feels that our campus should take measures to accommodate disabled students regarding the theater. We should at least look at the issue, specifically the Associate Students of Skyline College, and put it on some sort of agenda to be talked about. If something is not done about it soon, who knows when the issue will finally be resolved?

Lastly, we can only try to understand how a wheelchair-bound student must feel, not being able to access something that he or she enjoys or takes interest in. Every day, we take for granted that we are able to do the simplest human functions, but disabled students can’t. Yet they still strive to succeed in school. That is why we should pay special attention to this issue, and resolve it for our fellow disabled Trojans.

How Skyline students in wheelchairs cannot enjoy it

I’ve been on The Skyline View’s staff for three semesters now. When I started, I had little to no idea what I was getting into. I was still really decid-ing my major, and I was teetering between either journalism or psychology. After taking two journalism classes and spending a full semester on the staff, I was definitely in journalism for the long run.

I had never written a news story before being on the view. I’ve spent a lot of time online partaking in political discussions and posting my opinions about various things, but never had I actually gone out and accomplished any real journalism. I remember my first big news story was about how the childcare center was in danger of being closed. It didn’t close, but I was pretty proud of the story.

I learned so much about the news writing process from working on pa-per. Well, Nancy’s two classes helped a good deal too. I apparently have a natural aptitude for this stuff. I can easily chalk this up to how much I enjoy watching and reading news reports. For the longest time, I remember that 60 Minutes was probably my favorite thing to watch on TV

Maybe when I grow up I can be a crotchety old man like Andy Rooney. I can’t wait to complain about how the world is quickly changing around me and my own inability to stop being old. I kid Andy, I love you and your boring space filler section of 60 Minutes.

It’s funny too, because originally I thought that my time spent on the view would be spent mostly writing video game reviews, but I find that actually writing news stories is infinitely more fun and challenging. Anyone with even a passing interest in writing should give it a try.

7October 14, 2010 Skyline ViewThe

EntErtainmEnt

Very rarely does a film’s focus keep its relevance in every day life for as long as The Grapes of Wrath has, and considering the darkness and misery portrayed in this film that is not necessarily a good thing.

The story takes place during The Great Depression, which makes our current recession seem mild at best. It follows the Joad family, a family of sharecroppers from Oklahoma who are in the midst of disaster. The Joads have been chased from their land by the bank, and have nowhere left to go, with no work anywhere in sight.

The main character is a man named Tom Joad. The movie begins with his release from prison. He seems to be a nice enough man, but when a friendly man gives him a ride and asks him what he was in jail for, he reveals he was there for killing someone. It’s later revealed that Tom killed the man in self-defense after being stabbed. Tom Joad is played by Henry Fonda, the father of the renowned Jane Fonda.

Tom returns home to find it aban-doned and on the way he meets up with his old preacher, a man named Jim Casy (Played by John Carradine, the father of David Carradine) who explains that he’s lost his faith be-cause he doesn’t know for sure any-more. Tom finds an old acquaintance hiding out in his old home who tells them about what’s happened with the bank chasing people off.

Tom brings Casy to his uncle’s house, where he finds all his fam-ily staying. It’s not long before the family decides to take a desperate

gambit in search of work, and travel to California. The trip is hard during this time in American history, and the grandfather is the first to die along the way. They bury him by the side of the road with a note so that police don’t think it was a murder if he was found. The next to die is the grandmother, right before they reach California.

The story, however, is basically the same when they get to Califor-nia. There is no work, and when w o r k i s f o u n d t h e y ’ r e u s u a l l y y a n k e d about by the person r u n n i n g the busi-ness. The group begins to split up. Casy is ar-rested and the husband of Tom’s sis-ter runs away which leaves the preg-nant sister alone and depressed.

They first find work on a suspi-cious farming camp with a lot of people standing outside the camp, and the private security refuses to say a thing about it. They’re being paid by the bucket, and they find that the only store in the area has high prices, making living there very difficult. Tom decides to sneak out of the camp for a walk, and see what’s happening outside. He finds a camp down by the river, and decides to ask what all the commotion was at the gate.

In the camp he runs into Jim Casy again, who has found a new faith in people themselves, and is essentially trying to set up a union for the farm-ers who have been pushed around by the farming camp and the store. Tom learns that all the people at the gate were the previous farmers who were essentially forced out when they demanded higher pay. Tom learns that the previous farmers were being paid half of what his family is being

paid, and they can still bare-ly survive on it, es-sentially Tom and his family are strike-breakers.T h e y ’ r e forced to leave the

camp when they hear noises, and start heading down the river when lights shine on them when they think they’re in the clear. The private secu-rity of the ranch descends upon them quickly, and kills Casy with a night-stick without any hesitation. Tom, in a fit of rage, grabs the nightstick and strikes the security guard, which kills him. Tom is then struck hard in the face by another guard, but gets away with a horrible wound.

Tom returns to the farm camp, and is hidden by his family because they know the security is looking for a man with a wound on his face. As Tom is recuperating, he overhears that the farm camp is trying to reduce

the wages back to their original state now that Casy is dead and the strike is essentially broken. Tom and his family decide to leave, and the fam-ily smuggles Tom out so the guards don’t see him.

The family is driving about Cali-fornia looking for more work when they run out of gas at the top of a hill. They let the car coast down towards some lights. By a stroke of sheer luck, the lights belong to a farming camp in search of workers that’s run by the Department of Agriculture. As Tom is going over the details with the man who runs the camp he’s in shock at how the camp, is run. It’s essentially democratic with police not allowed inside unless they have a warrant. It’s a dream come true, and Tom signs the agreement.

Great things happen in this camp to show the power of community and love, but nothing good can last forever. Police officers enter the premises with warrants, and take down the license plate number of the

Joad car. Tom, fearing that they’re after him, is set to leave the camp without a word and let his family stay and enjoy it. His mother wakes, and scolds him for not wanting to say goodbye.

Tom comes to the realization that what Casy was saying is right, and that he’s got to help spread social justice now. The movie ends with a speech by Tom’s mother about how she’s not going to be scared anymore because her family are the people and they have power.

Overall, it’s a fantastic movie and a bit of a tearjerker. The novel the movie is based on won the author a Nobel Prize in literature, and it’s no surprise. A lot of people say that with the current state of the United States and our government, we should read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. I would say to them that they should read John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.

Grapes of Wrath still makes for a fine wine

With the zombie invasion brought on by George A. Romero’s seminal “Dawn of the Dead,” Bruno Mattei’s film brought to the screen a film rich full of horrible use of stock footage, zombie clichés, and a serious viola-tion of background scores.

With my recent noodling and re-search within the business aspects of Italian horror cinema, I’ve come to many conclusions when intimately viewing and critically analyzing in-terviews of the numerous producers, directors, et al that give their tidbits on what it was like to make the film in question.

The crucial and most proliferat-ing main point unearthed?

They just don’t give a damn!Contrary to popular belief, the

only thrill said Italian filmmakers obtain out of pre-production, pro-duction, and post-production of an Italian-made horror film is going to the bank to watch the funds ac-cumulate.

But...getting back on track...with the abovementioned tidbits of information left for you to consume, consider why a film like Mattei’s was, more often than not, ridiculed

and/or banished beyond recogni-tion. Mattei, like most of the Italian filmmakers of the era, was looking to ride the “Romero Wagon”, but, with a meager budget that could only hope to produce a mediocre financial gain. Business as usual. His resulting effort was “Night of the Zombies”.

Although not a bad film, its major flaws are out in the forefront, mean-ing that if you are seriously offended by some of the filmmaking tactics that Bruno Mattei rips-off, than you are taking the film too seriously.

Way too seriously for your own good…like you should stop the film, breathe a deep sigh of relief for feeling like an imbecile, and go have a Yoo-Hoo! Mattei knew that the film score used for this film was eerily reminiscent of the very bandwagon he ceremoniously rode. Mattei also knew that despite the non-invigorating punch of the color, the S.W.A.T. team’s jumpsuits in question resembled some far-out take on “Dawn of the Dead”.

If you look closely, you might even glimpse the previous owners name tags that once adorned the suits

beforehand: Woolley, Roger, Peter, Rod. He also blatantly misuses and misrepresents stock footage of a documentary on New Guinea that stood in for many of the key island scenes introducing the New Guinea tribes.

This was not a seriously dim man!

In contrast, Bruno Mattei and company used what they had and spent as little as they needed to, in order to obtain a film that would earn substantially to fans of George Romero’s zombie cinema. As with all film efforts, this is the primary idea. The premise of the film is still there. Claudio Fragrasso crafted a heavily balanced script with prime social commentary and ideals.

The idea of creating a bio-weap-on to use on 3rd World denizens so that they could eradicate each other is overlooked completely within the film. I believe it to lend a healthy crutch to the gore and cheese acting that is so prevalent within films of this magnitude.

All in all, this is a healthy effort in Italian horror cinema that war-rants many viewings and discover-ing for years to come.

by Ray Marquez

by Steve Benoit

Night of the Zombies...Again

“Overall it’s a fantastic movie and a bit of a tearjerker, the novel the movie is based on

won the author a Nobel Prize in literature and it’s no suprise. ”

-Steve Benoit

10/16 North Dual Meet (Santa Rosa) 9 a.m 10/22 San Jose city college 6:30 p.m10/15 Foothill college 6:30 p.m

Women’s VolleyballSportsMen’s Soccer

10/15 @De Anza College 4 p.mWomen’s SoccerSkyline

Upcoming Games

10/19 @ Santa Rosa JC 4 p.m10/15 Ohlone college 2 p.m.

10/19 Cabrillo College 2 p.m

Men’s Wrestling10/22 Foothill College 1 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

0-1-1 in last two meetings with Ohlone College.

Three straight losses

Women’s Soccer

Men’s Soccer

Three way tie for second place in coast north division.Skyline, Ohlone, Las Positas

One game back behind

CCSF (9-1-2)

3 straight losses heading into this season.

(Schedule not yet released)

Two game home stand following Oct. 20 meet @ Chabot College.

Men’s Basketball

Final cuts to be an-nounced in late October.

All conference matches start at 6:30 pm, playoffs in November.

Wrestling

Volleyball

Headlines

by Michael Hall

Nov.6 @ Lassen College

Nov. 12-13 @ Martin College Classic

October Sports Beat:

The blame gameAfter the San Francisco 49ers first 0-5 start since 1979, it’s difficult to deter-mine who’s most responsible for their surprising lack of production.

Starting the season, the San Fran-cisco 49ers were heavy favorites to win the NFC West, knowing they were the only team in the division who did have a change of Quarter-back or Head Coach.

After their week one loss to the Seattle Seahawks, former offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye was given the blame for issues in communica-tion considering play calling. Com-ing off of a close loss to the defend-ing champion New Orleans Saints, the 49ers had high expectations to get their first win over the Kansas City Chiefs. However, after another dreadful performance by the offense, Head Coach Mike Singletary made a decision to part ways with offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, replacing him with quarterback coach Mike Johnson, who had many ideas of how to make the 49ers offense more vertical. With only small improve-ment shown in the 14-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, fingers were once again pointed at Quarterback Alex Smith once again, after he failed to throw more than one touchdown pass for the second straight week.

Already 0-4, the 49ers hosted Philadelphia, desperate for their first win. Quarterback Alex Smith and Head Coach Mike Singletary were under heavy pressure with their jobs at stake. After a hot opening drive ending in a touchdown pass, the 49ers were held to only three points in the first half. With frustration already built by a struggling run-ning game, Alex Smith, after being booed by the crowd at Candlestick Park, was given his last chance to perform.

The 49ers got the ball at mid field in the middle of the fourth quarter, and Alex Smith rolled out to escape the blitz, and fumbled the ball, resulting in a touchdown for the Philadelphia Eagles, making the deficit 14 points. Mike Singletary reportedly challenged Alex Smith to do something about the disappoint-ing turnover. In the next offensive possession, Alex Smith threw three straight incompletions, leading to

quarterback controversy, as back up Quarterback David Carr began to warm up on the field, and lining up with the offense, before being removed from the field by Smith.

After Singletary had a pep talk with 2010 Pro Bowl tight end Ver-non Davis, and after acknowledging Smith’s extreme self-confidence, Singletary felt convinced to keep Alex Smith in as the starting quar-terback. Although Alex Smith drove down the field and connected with Vernon Davis for a touchdown, cut-ting the deficit to three, it wasn’t enough as Smith threw an intercep-tion costing the 49ers their fifth loss.

Prior to the loss putting the 49ers at 0-5, the blame game be-gan. Knowing the running game has been non-existent, and Alex Smith has more interceptions than touchdowns this season, it’s been an ongoing debate of who is primarily responsible for the 49ers losing start to the season.

Many are placing the blame on Quarterback Alex Smith, who has

failed to come through, despite his impressive showcase in his only 11 starts last season. Smith finished 2009 with a QB rating of 81.5, and currently has a rating of 71.6, with six touchdowns and nine intercep-tions in five games this season. Considering Smith is a six year veteran, the continuous turnovers and mistakes are inexcusable at this point. Many have given up on Smith to be the face of the franchise.

However, Singletary has con-firmed Smith as the week six starter against the Raiders, and Smith’s job status will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. If Smith performs at a satisfactory level the rest of the sea-son, he could save Mike Singletary’s job from being taken, although many believe it should already be gone.

It’s easy to expect Singletary to be under just as much pressure as Smith, but team president/owner Jed York has continued to stand behind Singletary despite his major lack of production, after giving the 49ers their first non losing season since 2002, by finishing 8-8 in 2009.

York told NBC Bay Area he has no intention of firing Mike Single-tary this season, and currently has no candidates in line to replace him. However, Singletary has seemed to have lost the locker room, and will need a miracle to turn this season around. Even more importantly, he needs to earn his player’s trust.

One of Singletary’s main inten-tions was a strong and physical running game, which only averages 77.8 yards per game this season (30th in NFL). He has proved to be a solid disciplinary coach, but his judgments are questionable, con-sidering the 49ers are winless with arguably one of the most talented teams in the NFC.

Although the 49ers are off to a dreadful start, they are only three games behind the division lead-ing Arizona Cardinals. With York keeping confidence in Singletary, and Smith remaining as starting quarterback, all the 49ers organiza-tion can do is play it out, and hope to see a quick turnaround.

by Michael Hall

Stock MarketRising: Men’s Basketball

According to coach Piergrossi, the roster will be ready in about a week. After a long condition-ing process, these guys seem well prepared.

Falling: Men’s soccer

Despite a solid showcase in their first win of the season, the Trojans have lost three straight, and have a tough road schedule ahead. They have to figure out what’s going on.

Rising: Wrestling Team

Who are the teams to watch at Skyline?

Prior to their oct. 15 travel to Cupertino, the Trojans have a three match home stand to end October.

Mike Singletary blew up on Alex Smith after a turnover.Courtesy of Google