Editorial THE BULL’S EYE 4 Wednesday, September 28, 2011 Editorial Over the past few years, the demand for shark n soup, a Chinese delicacy, has grown from a dull roar to a chaotic clamor in California. However, the controversy that comes with shark nning has grown in direct proportion to that noisy demand. Those who support the hunting of sharks for their ns argue that the traditional dish is a part of Chinese culture, and to ban it would be to undermine the very culture itself. In contrast, others claim that shark nning is inhumane and will some day lead to the extinction of sharks. Instead of taking the side of either of these extremists, the best solution would simply be to restrict the number of sharks that can be hunted per year. Ideally, a cap limit would be placed on shark nning to reduce the approximately 73 million sharks killed every year by half. Chinese culture cannot be completely sacriced, so a cap on hunting sharks would moderate the sharks’ decline in population and greatly reduce the risk of their extinction without hurting Chinese life. Limiting the number of sharks that can be hunted per year would be highly effective in keeping the population levels at normal numbers, as they have already fallen by over 90 percent in certain species of sharks in the past few years. Fishermen report that the sharks they are catching seem to be getting smaller, as the sharks are no longer being given enough time to fully mature before they are hunted. If fewer sharks were hunted each year, they would be allowed to mature. Furthermore, ocean ecosystems as a whole would be able to function more effectively with the shark population kept intact. Although shark nning needs to be regulated, environmentalists, however, cannot disregard Chinese culture and sacred Lea Chang Feature Editor practices like traditional weddings. California has a similar limit for hunting black bears—a cap was established in 2009 so that only 1700 bears could be hunted per year. Since this restriction has proved viable for black bears, the same principle should be adopted for shark hunting as well. It is of the utmost importance that a solution is found for this problem, but extremists on both sides of this situation have been slowing the process down to an irresponsible pace. For example, the California State Senate recently passed Assembly Bill 376, which will ban the possession of shark ns if signed by Governor Jerry Brown. This bill will include a few compromises that allow shermen who catch sharks to keep ns for personal use and also permit taxidermists to have them in possession. Despite these paltry provisions, however, the bill is not practical because it only addresses one side of the situation. A bill that is written with the interests of Chinese culture at heart needs to be implemented; bills like 376 severely limit the ability to partake in a dish that is such an integral part of Chinese life. When the members of the California Senate and Brown nally realize this, they will amble back to their desks and settle in for another number of months spent arguing and revising before they turn out another bill, months that could have been more wisely spent on the right kind of bill exercising a cap limit. The looming ban on shark nning in California is extremely damaging to Chinese culture, but allowing the hunting of sharks to go on unrestricted will cause equal harm to the environment. Introducing a limit to the number of sharks that can be hunted is the only solution that satises both the supporters of Chinese culture and environmentalists as well. Fin of the Sha rk Tale Blazing Trails of Satire Child abuse has a new name and it is a rather large one: Childhood Obesity . This crime is horrifying; parents are purposely stuffing their children full of saturated fats. T o make things worse, the problem is growing rapidly and has swelled to large proport ions. In fact, the number of overweight adolescents has tripled in the last two decades. This increase in size is simply unacceptable and the problem must be nipped at the bud. It demands all of our efforts, time, and focus to slim down the predicament so that we can begin to take obese children out of harm’s way. Negligent parents do not deserve to feed their children if they cannot do so responsibly . Childhood tubbiness is childhood abuse. It is without a doubt that between starving a child and overfeeding one, the former is better. Overfeeding is plugging hundreds of children’s vulnerable digestive tracts with chocolate and grease. Every Oh Please, Stop the Obese! Sarah Cho Asst. A&E Editor and appalling abuse in this world! Parents are intentionally seizing their children’s chance at happiness with hamburgers and french-fries. The children are not to blame for their wide silhouettes —the guilty party is the cruel, sadistic parents! It is the parents who stuff their children full of saturated fats, cholesterol, and high fructose c orn syrup. While such a crime may be pardonable if it were only for the low cost an d convenience of fast food, such is not the case ! These parents of the stout casualties. No one will defend the hefty sufferers of outrageous mutilat ions. No one will speak for the portly, silent wounded. These parents must be held accountable for their flagrant heartlessness and malice. Al re ad y, st at es ac ro ss th e country have recognized this and have begun to take immediate steps, in order to punish these ruthless parents. One shining example is the case of Alexander Draper, a 14-year-old boy from South Carolina who was seized foster care. In fact, millions of children across the country are already enjoying the benets of foster care. Studies show that 57 percent of children placed in foster homes are at high risk of receiving abuse and neglect. That is a 57 percent high chance that children can nally shed that weight they have been worried about! Stress from a foreign environment, homesickness, misery, and unceasing humiliation have proved to be the perfect formula for weight loss. The government’s role is to control every fraction of a person’s life to ensure that America is a nation embodying a perfect and ideal image. After all, one can never be too skinn y. Those parents who have raised the anorexic and bulimic masses are the leading examples for aspiring parents. Any proble ms those childre n have are much too slight and slender to be seen. The real dilemma lies with the big problems: the big sizes. Ignore those small ones about the malnourished; you can’t even Hundreds of protesters began rallying in July in order to pin six Fullerton police ofcers as the murderers of Kelly Thomas, who died ve days after he was beaten unconscious in what started out as a routine arrest. The beating, while grotesque and unwarranted, is only bringing about the trial of two out of the six ofcers responsible, despite countless testimonials and surveillance videos that depict an outnumbered homeless man beaten beyond recognition. Two months later, Fullerton Police Chief Michael Sellers is extending his stress-related medical leave of absence, allowing him to maintain his $228,576 annual paycheck, while four of the six ofcers involved in the arrest remain on paid administrative leave. Conveniently, Sellers was not able to provide a timely narrative on what occurred that night when Thomas was arrested, nor did he offer condolences to the Thomas family. Meanwhile, the District Attorney took even more time to wrap up the investigation which will determine whether Marcel Boubion Editorial Editor their suspect yet, the D.A.’s shockingly slow response time and Fullerton City council’s lack of concern allows these men to walk freely. Judging from the reactions of eye witnesses, it is clear that arresting K. Thomas was not the only intention of the six men who beat him. One witness frantically described the scene to a local bus driver just moments after it happened: “they caught him, pound[ed] his face, pound[ed] his face against the curb ... and they beat him up.” On September 3, Ron Thomas released his son’s medical records revealing that his death was caused by brain damage received during the incident. It should not take the D.A. over two months to realize that K. Thomas’ life was placed in the hands of all six ofcers who beat him excessively. This is a criminal case and every ofcer involved should be handled as such. The Fullerton Police department is allowing four men involved in what should be an on-going murder investigation to take leave with pay along with their protected identities—regardless of their ranking as ofcers, this is unacceptable. The D.A. needs to continue their investigation Homeless to Lifeless Many would say that the hackneyed principle of “equal opportunity for everyone” has been well established in the United States for over decades, specically in its realm of education. Thousands of undocumented high school students around the nation, however, would beg to differ. Before implementing the California Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Ac t, th es e un de rp ri vi le ge d students had been constantly neglected from their fair share of educational benefits and opportunities, all which were once offered exclusively to American citizens and res idents. The passage of Cal. DREAM Act now enables undocumented students to qualify for lowered tuition and nancial aid benets, therefore stopping thousands of potentially successful youths from being brutally stripped of their chance of attending college. The state government’s long overdue decision to pass the act was a prudent act of decency aimed for the betterment of the state and its people. In essence, the Cal. DREAM Act propo ses a two-pa rt plan that is directly designed to alleviate the financial burden A DREAM Come True Justin Park Asst. Editorial Edit or of underprivileged immigrants enrolling in college. Under AB 130, any individual, regardless of his or her lawful stay in the U.S., who has attended high school in California for three or more years and has attained a graduate status will become eligible for in-state tuition at various public colleges in California. In addition, AB 131 , wh ich is yet to be passed, would allow those of equal criteria to be eligible for additional financial aid programs administered by the state. P r i o r to this act, undocumented students were discriminated from receiving the most basic nancial benets offered by the government, regardless of their potential productivity in America. A majority of the undocumented students were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, seeking for a better life. Regardless of the struggles surrounding their residence in the U.S., these guiltless youths strive daily for academic success, only to realize that the entrance to college is too steep for a disadvantaged immigrant to overcome. Although these students have lived in California for years, they are forced to pay an average of $20,000 more than other students because they are ineligible for in-state tuition. This bill is the rst of many steps we must take in order to stop discouraging young students from working toward their dream, simply because they were not born American. These students work equally hard, if not harder, than documented students to achieve their dreams, and it is the state’s duty to acknowledge their efforts, T h e leading opposition of Cal. DREAM Act asserts that taxpayers’ money should not be spent towards illegal immigrants, especially at this time of dire economic crisis. However, the act offers benecial effects that are guaranteed to bring positive changes to the state in the long run. According to a research conducted by the College Board, a college graduate with advanced degrees earns two or three times as much as a regular high school graduate. As a result, if California were to produce more college graduates with larger income, the state would amass much higher tax revenue, thus relieving the financial deficit. For example, a study by the Immigration Policy Center states that when compared to an undocumented high school dropout, an immigrant with a college degree will pay around $5,000 more in taxes, but will spend $4,000 less in government expenses each year. The results may seem insignicant at first, however, one cannot ignore its potential benefits. In order to take advantage of this, the government must rst obliterate all barriers that are hindering youths to pursue their journey in achieving their college degrees. The passage of this act accomplishes exactly that, by successfully eliminating our state’s most conspicuous problem in providing an equal educational benet to everyone. The purpose of Cal. DREAM Act is nothing short of it s name; to help students’ dreams come true. Every student deserves to be awarded with the opportunity to pursue his education with the help of the government. Fortunately, undocumented students statewide can now chase their goals more freely with their newfound benets. “These underprivileged students had been constantly neglected from their fair share of educational benets and opportunities... ”