The Experience 3/04/2011

V O L . 7 4 , N O . 4 f r i d a y , M a r C H 4 , 2 0 1 1 P i T T S B U r G , C a

F.Y.I.

Add the online Experience sitesyou can now catch the Experience on facebook and Twitter to follow up on what’s going on. Each site is updated regularly and your questions, comments or concerns are welcome. facebook search for “Losmedanos Newspaper.” for Twitter, it’s www.twitter.com/lmcexperience.

Club Day attendance higher than last fall

Bookstore hours resumed The LMC bookstore has resumed its regular busi-ness hours. The bookstore will now be open Monday to Thursday from 7:45 a.m. to 7 p.m., friday from 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Tour UC Davis next weekThe Transfer Center will take students on a campus tour of UC davis on March 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Transportation will be provided by LMC. a continental breakfast and lunch will also be provided courtesy of UC davis. To reserve your spot, or for more information, visit the Transfer Center (room 434a) or call 439-2181 ext. 3124.

Summer 2011 schedule hereif you are planning on tak-ing classes in the summer, the new schedule is now available online for free and in the LMC bookstore for one dollar.

By SHARRON QUEBECStaff Writer

The sixth annual Classified Senate Chili Cook-off was held in front of the Student Life Office this past Wednesday in the indoor quad area between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Hallways on the second and third floor were filled with aromas of herbs and spices and the bustling sounds of anxious tasters seemed to draw more and more people to the fundraiser for student scholarships. Sandra Mills, from the Center for Academic Support, dressed in a large, colorful sombrero, energetically served the contestants and testers as well as drew in customers to purchase chili shots for $1 or a chili bowl and cornbread for $4.

Nine contestants filled their crock pots with a variety of recipes, some traditional with red beans and meat, and some not. All were competing for the grand prize trophy, the coveted “Chili Man” figure and one year of bragging rights. Other awards are given for second and third place, as well as “people’s choice.”

Mary Long, Administrative Assistant in Student Service and four-year participant, made “White Chicken Chili” with two kinds of peppers, garlic,

cumin, coriander, and white lima beans topped with sour cream and limes. “This was the first time I made this recipe. I actually got the recipe off the America’s Test Kitchen website,” she said. “It just looked intriguing.”

Eloine Chapman, LMC’s senior web admin-istrator, made “S’More Chili,” which included grilled portobella mushrooms and zucchini, chipotle salsa, southwest spices, black beans, ground beef, and her special ingredient — Jack Daniel’s Whiskey. “This was my first attempt at making this,” Chapman said. When asked why she named it “s’more,” she said, “Because you just have to have some more! I came up with this name with my mom.”

Chapman’s recipe was not the only one that contained alcohol. John Schall, LMCs media design specialist, entered his “Hard Luck Cow-boy Chili,” named after his belt buckle, with Newcastle brown beer and coffee.

There were no vegetarian chili entries this year, which was unusual. “There had been vegetarian chilis in the past cook-offs. I’m surprised there is none now because there are many students

Economic recession hits LMCBy JOSEPH BORJONStaff Writer

The National Bureau of Economic Research stated in September that the economic recession had officially ended in June 2009. But the recovery has been slow and many people see no end to their economic woes.

Students at Los Medanos College have experienced the consequences of the downturn directly. The necessary personal expenses associated with college — including tuition, textbooks and transportation — mixed with a reduction in higher education funding from the state, has created a financial strain on students and perhaps even their families.

“LMC is facing unprecedented demand for classes and services with reduced revenues to provide them,” said Richard Livingston, Los Medanos College interim president. “For the past two years, the college has been going through the difficult process, determining priorities and deciding what kinds of reductions to make in order to live within our means.”

For students, having to deal with the uncertainty of financial instability can add to the stress of the academic workload.

By MARK MARTINEZ and REBEKAH GANGARStaff Writers

The upper quad next to the cafeteria was full of life this past Wednesday in celebration of Club Day.

A few booths were set up early and 30 minutes into the event the upper quad was packed with students and staff.

Clubs that attended Club Day

were Anime Unlimited, RPG, SHPE (The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers), Mus-tangs for Life, Puente, La Raza Unida, AGS, Shenanigans and the Veterans Club.

Each club had its own booth set up and were trying to recruit students to join their club.

Along with recruiting mem-bers, each club was raising money for general club activities,

Chili cook-off brings out fire in competitors

Photos by Sharron Quebec

Top photo: Student entry group Nadine Zellner, Samuel rainey and Monica Baugh serve Jeremey reddic some chili. Below: The coveted Chili Man and trophy were awarded to the winner of the chili cook-off. See CHILI, page 6

A high national unemployment rate has left many local students on campus jobless. Some are striving to improve their chances of being hired by an employer by enrolling in school.

“When the economy is good, people are working,” said LMC Admissions and Records Director Robin Armour. “When the economy is bad, people are go-ing to school.”

Armour added that this is “the worst economy I’ve seen in all my years here.” She made no allusion to an end to the recession.

Because people are trying to go to school when times are tough, LMC enrollment has increased dramatically in the past two years.

“When there is an economic downturn, community college enrollments tend to boom,” said Livingston.

That boom adds to the college’s budget deficit. Resources have to be spread more thinly across the student body.

“We have had to reduce support programs, such as some counseling hours, due to drastic state cuts in categorical programs,” Livingston said. “We have been using the district’s limited financial reserves to

“For the past two years, the college has been going through the difficult process, determining priorities and deciding what kinds of reductions to make in order to live within our means.”

— richard Livingston

avoid even deeper cuts, but we cannot continue to count on those one-time monies.”

For many, the recession hasn’t ended. But there are measures that students can take to cope with the difficulties of going to school in a time of economic struggle.

“Students can do all the things I normally suggest,” See ECON, page 6

money to go to conferences and charity donations.

In order to raise money, each club was selling food and vari-ous treats.

The AGS was selling tacos for $1.50, along with soda and lemonade. The smell coming from the booth was tantalizing and delicious. “The AGS club is very well known for their tacos, which is why we decided to go with them,” Treasurer Gemma Jerez said. “About 30 to 40 people have stopped by our booth and purchased tacos. The students really enjoy them.”

Student Kat Urbina purchased tacos from AGS. “These are

amazing, they actually take their time to cook it. And make sure everything is fair,” she said, smiling.

The club had two stations — one where students place their order and the other for cooking and condiments. Heri-berto Diaz, AGS president, was working on the grill warming up corn tortillas and cooking shredded chicken for the tacos. Once students got their tacos, they were able to choose from a variety of toppings such as cilantro, onions, salsa, tomatoes and cheese. The proceeds from the taco stand go toward the

Photo by Lisa Cassidy

aGS President Herbierto diaz cooks up some tacos for Club day.

See CLUB, page 6

Submit to the writing contestits time for the 12th annual LMC Outstanding Writing Contest, sponsored by the Center for academic Support and the Honors Transfer Program. Students may submit any paper writ-ten for an LMC class since april, 2010. The categories for the writing contest are personal/autobiographical; creative writing; informa-tional writing; argument/persuasive and up-and-coming writers: academic essay (for students who are enrolled in Eng. 90, 70 or below or who were enrolled in fall ’10 and submit a paper that was written then). The deadline for submission is april 13. Papers can be submitted to the Honors Center or the Center for academic Support, room CO-300. Submissions are to have a 10-page maximum and must be typed. The grand prize will be the president’s parking spot for a week and a $50 gift certificate. Winners from each cat-egory will receive a $25 gift certificate.

Quotable

“Not really, I don’t use it while I’m at school.”

— Mary Sinegal

“Um, not really, I don’t really use them.”

— Jimena Morales

C o m p i l e d b y R e b e k a h G a n G a R a n d m a R k m a R t i n e zVoices Does using social networking sites destract you from your school work?

“Yes, definitely, because it distracts me. I have to chat and check my messages.”

— Nina Panlilio

Cartoon by Lisa Cassidy

F R I D A Y , M A R C H 4 , 2 0 1 1

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.

— Bill Cosby

“No, because I don’t use them.”

— Jacob Susoev

“Yes, because I lose track of time while I’m on FB.”

— Ricky Peters

“No, because I don’t use those.”

— Alex Phang

SkyeSalaMoMent oF ClARItY

L O S M E D A N O S C O L L E G E E X P E R I E N C E

Perspectives 2

L O S M E D A N O S C O L L E G E

Experiencee x p e r i e n c e . l o s m e d a n o s . e d u

MemberCalifornia newspaper Publishers Association

“Were it left for me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a mo-ment to prefer the latter.”

— Thomas Jefferson

the lMC Experience is published Fridays by the journalism program. the newspaper serves as a laboratory for journalism classes and as a First Amend-ment forum for campus communication. opinions expressed in the Experience are solely those of the students and do not represent the views of the college.

Samuel A. GonzalezRUnAWAY BRAIn

Letter to the editor

Be very afraid ... of Facebook

Editor in Chief ..................... MARK MARTINEZ

Perspectives Editor .............. SAUSHE YOUNG

Campus Editor .......................... NICK NELSON and SAUSHE YOUNG

Features Editor ...................... MARK FRANCIS and SEAN REICHHOLD

Sports Editor ............. ANGELICA GONZALEZ

Photo Editor .............................. LISA CASSIDY

Copy Editor .................. KINSEY McLAUGHLIN and ANDREA NGUYEN

Nominees need equal exposure

Maybe I’m just a dumb voter, but I was surprised when I opened up my voter guide last fall and saw six candidates on the ballot for California’s governors race. Not two. Six. The only candidates I ever heard about were Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown. Clearly these two had more cash and bought more exposure, but why were the other candidates ignored?

Meg and Jerry debated each other three times, and not once was one of the other can-didates invited to join them. Even Univision held their own fancy little governors debate, and they too presented only Meg and Jerry. It’s bad enough there are formidable barriers that keep minor candidates off of ballots, but there are more rules that keep them out of debates. For example, in the last governors debate, sponsored by NBC and Dominican University, the rule was that only candidates who score 10 percent or more in public opinion polls were invited, so only Meg and Jerry were invited. Other parties are ignored and have no chance of polling near ten percent, so they are left out of the debates and further starved of media coverage.

At Dominican University, the minor candi-dates were not only kept off the stage, but one was forcefully kept out of the building. Green Party candidate Laura Wells was arrested after trying to enter the Dominican University debate with some tickets that didn’t have her name on them. She allegedly became unruly and was arrested by police for trespassing. The other candidates weren’t even invited to sit and watch the debate. Of all the media networks, only CNN appears to have covered the incident.

The official media guide for the Domini-can/NBC debate featured an introduction by Dominican University President Joseph R. Fink, which read, “Tonight’s debate is a tremendous opportunity for Dominican to engage our students and community in the electoral process...We hope that this evening’s debate will reinforce the importance of being knowledgeable and involved citizens.”

Mission failed, Mr. Fink. By excluding the minor party candidates, the only thing that Dominican and NBC reinforced is the illusion that the only choice that voters have is between Democrats and Republicans.

So forget real minor parties; this last elec-tion season all the media big shots were busy covering another party — the Tea Party. Vari-ous Associated Press writers were apparently fooled by the “party” in tea party and thought they were witnessing the rise of a revolution-ary political phenomenon, even as all the Tea Party-backed candidates ran as Republicans. Associated Press articles referred to the “an-tiestablishment tea party” and speculated how game-changing they would be. Easily a dozen books were published trying to capture true essence of the Tea Party. The title of one of these books was “How the tea party is funda-mentally changing our two party system.”

And get this — according to some accounts, the Tea Party began as a group of Ron Paul supporters, or Libertarians, who happen to be a real political party here in America and would probably be a much better fit for the Tea Party people than Republicans. Would it hurt for the mainstream media to pay more attention to candidates who aren’t Republi-cans or Democrats? It’s time that ideas that Republicans and Democrats ignore as radical or too politically risky be given the chance to be heard and debated.

If a candidate is on the ballot, I want to see profiles of them in papers, interviews on CNN and Fox News, and all of them included in all the debates!

The free market place of ideas isn’t that free, not until third parties are allowed to debate. Until then, we can pretend that democracy is alive and well and wait for the next Dominican/NBC debate to, as Ralph Nader would say, “watch the drab debate the dreary.”

Developing my successful pathDEAR EDITOR:

I am a senior at the California State University, Chico, about to graduate with my B.A. in Child Development in May and wanted to express my gratitude to the Child Development faculty and staff at Los Medanos College. Because of the dedication and determination from my supporters at LMC, I never missed a step in my educational journey. Instead, I was always ahead and ready to take on the next obstacle in achieving my career goals in Early Childhood Education.

I wanted to thank a select group of supporters employed at Los Medanos College who deserve the greatest appreciation and respect for what they do every day. n Janice Townsend, Child Development

Faculty: Since the day you came into my high school R.O.P. Careers in Education class at Freedom High and educated the incoming freshman on how to stay ahead of the game in the Child Development field, I knew you would be my biggest mentor. Professor Townsend, because of you, I was given the opportunity to work in the Los Medanos College Child Study Center where I blossomed from a timid young girl into a strong, confident, driven and focused woman. You pushed me. You challenged me. You listened to my concerns. You stood up for my goals and my dreams. You provided me with growth opportunities that I never thought I would take on. You saw the passion I had for children and gave me the confidence to chase after my dreams of becoming a director of my very own preschool. Financial trouble? No way. Go see Melissa Jackson! Need work experience? Come work at the Child Study Center where you will be surrounded by amazing mentors. I want to thank you for pushing me, even though it wasn’t in your job description, for providing me with resources I wouldn’t have known about and directing me to people within the field. And, most importantly, for being someone I could always talk to about my future goals, professional dilemmas or fears. It’s people like you that keep students going when the world tries to push you down. Thank you with all my heart! n Pam Perfumo, Child Development Faculty

Chair: Thank you for seeing the love I have for children, pushing me outside my comfort zone and providing me with professional growth op-portunities I would have never before accepted. You gave me confidence in my academic works, mentoring capabilities and professional com-munication skills. Looking back on my time at LMC, I will always remember my Fall Harvest Conference presentations and how much I grew as a professional and as a woman. You pushed me outside that comfort zone! With that boost, I was able to find the confidence in myself and to discover what I could do with my education and potentially share with the world. I realized that not only could I make a difference in children’s lives, but also in adults’ lives. What a sense of

empowerment for me! With your support and mentoring, I found confidence in my curriculum planning and my crazy, fun activity ideas for chil-dren. The sky was the limit! I had the freedom to do what I wanted, learn from my mistakes and gain feedback from so many respectable people. I thank you for that. Without supporters like you, students feel lost in their educational journey. Your guidance and love means the world to me! n Melissa Jackson, Child Development

Advisor: Because of the referral I received from both Janice Townsend and Pam Perfumo, I gained another fantastically helpful supporter and resource. With your advising expertise, I was able to stay ahead in my education and gain ways in paying for my education. Without your knowledge and guidance to the First Five incentive program and Permit reimbursement, I would have not finished my education at LMC (including two Associate degrees and all my trans-fer units) or been able to transfer to Chico State. Because of this financial incentive program, Our meetings each semester kept me on track with my units, allowing me to feel at ease that I was completing all I could. Knowing I had someone educated and concerned for my educational path brought me great appreciation. I thank you with my whole heart! n Kathryn Nielsen, Child Study Center

Director: Thank you Kathryn for being the most understanding boss anyone could ask for. Because of the supportive staff and fabulous leader (you!), I was able to gain the greatest two and half years experience working in the lab school. Participating in the staff meetings, mentor program and curriculum planning put me ahead in my educational experiences. I arrived as a junior here at Chico State, already way above the field experience level of many around me. I appreciate the opportunities, support and warm heart I received from you. Women like you are hard to find as directors. The Child Study Center is very fortunate to have you!

Los Medanos College Child Development department as a whole (all professors and tod-dler, preschool and pre-kindergarten teachers) provided me with over-the-top education, field experience and career support. Without this steady foundation, I would not be three months away from graduating with my bachelor’s degree! I had the heart, I had the drive, but without the support and appropriate networks gained from the Child Development department at LMC, I would not be the strong Early Childhood professional I am today. I will forever hold you in my heart, and in my mind. I thank you all everyday as I grow in my life’s purpose of becoming an early childhood educator. When life gets rough in the “real world,” I recall the pep talks I’ve received from every one of you and remember where I came from. Thank you forever, and for always!

— Lindsay Bertolucci, LMC Alumna, Future Chico State graduate

One of the fastest-growing addictions that have become not only acceptable, but almost required, is Facebook. Leaving most social networks in the dust, Facebook has taken the world by storm.

With more than 500 million active users around the world, it has become a main source of communication.

It seems as if no one has thought about the repercussions. Facebook is a fake world that has been ironically coined a “social network.”

It is a place where you can find out any given information about a person without ever having to speak to them — what they like, who their friends are, what they did over the weekend — all information that can easily be found with just a few clicks.

In 2004, Facebook was created strictly for college students, but has expanded over the years.

You can now find children as young as six or seven updating their status and posting pictures.

While some may view this as technologically savvy, should we not be worried?

Yes, technology has its place, but with child-hood obesity higher than ever and the amount of time spent in front of a screen at over four hours a day, there comes a time when the plug needs to be pulled.

It is no wonder why this generation has been coined the “Me Generation.” Facebook, Twit-ter, Myspace — all these things that revolve around you.

Pictures of yourself, quotes you like, what you are currently thinking, what you are doing, what you wish you were doing. It’s not hard to find the common denominator.

We have lost sight of what’s important be-cause we are too busy thinking about our next post or who will comment on our new photos.

This would seem typical for high school and college students. There comes a time in your life when there is no one else to think about but yourself.

The worrisome part that makes Facebook distinctly different than Myspace is that many — dare I say most — adults have a Facebook, making it increasingly more common for people to talk over Facebook than giving someone a call.

Since the Internet came into play in the ’90s, things have been moving along faster than ever.

E-mail and texting have been key contribu-tors by desensitizing this generation from real forms of human contact.

People would rather not waste their time getting to know someone when they can find out all they need to know by pulling up a Facebook page.

This kind of easy access is leaking into all areas of life. Why read a book when you can watch the movie? Why do any in-depth research for that paper when you can just Google the topic?

Our contact with machines has become more common than most of us realize.

While video rental stores are close to ex-tinction and self-check-out lines are cropping up in every grocery store, it seems we are coming to an age where we don’t need human contact at all.

Imagine the many humans we avoid by us-ing a computer.

Online shopping and paying bills online are very popular.

Who writes checks anymore? Why go all the way to the bank and deposit your check when you can use auto deposit?

While we are struggling in this hard economic time, it would seem we would want to create more jobs and be around friends and family. The opposite is happening.

We have traded in real people for an easier, faster and more efficient person.

Whether it’s while we are “friending” that person on Facebook or going through the self-check-out line at the grocery store, slowly but surely we are choosing screens over people.

Photo by Lisa Cassidy

Jeremy Abercrombie stops by the Veterans Table during Club Day.

L O S M E D A N O S C O L L E G E E X P E R I E N C E

CampusQuotable

Veterans find great opportunity at LMC

Photo by Antonio Reeves

Jon Guidinger works on his ceramics project during open lab, located in the Art Department area of campus.

Crafting clay into art

By SAM GONZALEZStaff Writer

Facing an economic recession and a shortage of job opportu-nities, military personnel who complete their service in Iraq and Afghanistan are enrolling at community colleges in great numbers. According to the California Community Colleges Chancellors Office website, in 2009 more than 26,600 veterans utilized education benefits at a California Community College. This is a nationwide trend and LMC has been impacted ac-cordingly.

Diane Ferguson, Senior Ad-missions and Records Assistant at Los Medanos College has seen this trend firsthand. Ferguson, who is also a veteran, helps veteran students with their GI Bill educational benefits.

“I ensure that the classes they take meet the VA (Veterans Administration) guidelines and certify their units through the VA system.” said Ferguson.

Ferguson said that there are currently about 275 students who are receiving veterans benefits at LMC and that number is steadily rising. The number of veterans on campus may be much higher, because not all veterans have identified themselves as such. Estimates of the total number of vets on campus range from 400 to 600.

“Maybe they’re not at school because they’re a veteran, maybe they don’t connect it in that way.” said Sam Shuman, an

By MARK FRANCISStaff Writer

“Keep your hands wet” is what LMC ceramics instructor Lucy Snow said to a female student starting on a new project after noticing that the clay was not forming well, and said, “It makes it easy to mold, if it is.”

The classroom itself was forming at all work stations this past Wednesday morning. Everyone, it seemed, was busy, hard at work, with Snow walking from station to station giving advice and lending a hand to students stuck in tricky situations. With the students constantly moving to the sink to clean up their messes and wash the clay off of them from time to time. And not to mention get more water to add to their projects, making them easy to mold.

They were always in constant motion with their hands, filled with energy, with even a few of the intermediate students stopping by with their own creative advice to help kick-start the beginner students into forming their projects.

But Snow had a passionate energy in her and was never at a standstill when it came to finding a solution, to most students problems, during this time.

LMC student Walter Mwasi Williams III molded clay inside during the ceramic department’s open studio workshops.

For Williams it is a way to help him relax. It “takes your mind off of things,” he said. Furthermore adding that he is doing this “just for the fun of it” and having it become a form of creative output from within.

Most of his works features abstract sculptures like one proj-ect titled, “Gluttony” in which the sculpted beast is devouring a human and in Williams own words, a form of gluttony literally “devouring humanity”.

However, now he is currently working on a diorama of three human like pieces, but he is not entirely sure of what it could be like for a finished product. “No expectations,” said Williams

III about an hour into it. And normally when it comes finishing projects the time may vary for him. The “Gluttony” piece took him around three days, each with their own hourly sessions of two to four hours. Yet this current piece, it took him only a few hours out of his time to get the basic structure of it all down.

Yet for other LMC students hoping to take ceramic classes, don’t worry it can be taken as an elective for most students and/or is a required class for Fine Art majors here on campus. Thus becoming a nice starting point for aspiring sculptors, such as Williams III, should he decide to carry on more in his sculpting pastime. Which started out due to a science project in which Williams III, had a choice on what to do with that said project, thus resulting in him picking up a mound of clay in the first place. And slowly it spiraled into what it is today.

And not to mention the similar result happened to Snow when it came to teaching ceramics here at LMC, five years ago.

“Jeff Johnson, about 15 years ago set up shop here,” said Snow, “He built a lot of what’s still here, like the worktables.”

Snow was originally in a supervisor position for the department, but that changed after Johnson left back in 2006 and she became the full time ceramics instructor for a department that was only created in the mid 90’s. On top of this responsibility, she also teaches the 3D design and sculpting classes. Eventually, however she wishes to make a business class based on artists becoming entrepreneurs and showcasing their works.

For Snow personally though, the thing she likes most about her job is the fact that the “students see what they can do.”

While getting that “first result” of a project and then having the students come to an understanding that whatever they can make, they can take home and sometimes end up using it in various ways.

In the end, Snow believes that anyone inside the ceramics classes can get far, but if they “want to make more” then they should “help around more” inside the studio and get a feel for it first hand.

Army retiree and an officer for LMC’s Veterans Club. Other veterans, like Shuman, may be saving their benefits for the more expensive CSU’s and UC’s that follow a community college education.

Ferguson mentioned a number of benefits available to vets at LMC, such as special counsel-ing time, and tutoring and a work-study fund paid for by the VA. There are many rules and restrictions for eligibility for these benefits, and veterans may not know about them or have access to the information, much of which is found online. The U.S Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that only half of the service members who are eligible for benefits use them. The same is true for other vet-eran’s benefits, such as Retroac-

tive Stop Loss Pay, for veterans and military personnel whose active duty was extended by a so-called stop loss order. Eligible service members are entitled to 500 dollars for every month and partial month that their service was extended. Department of Defense officials estimate that 145,00 service members are eligible to receive money, but so far, only 77,000 have received payments.

LMC’s Veterans Club wants to help veterans on campus with any information they may need, and they would like to create a place for people with something in common. The club is open to anyone, including people who have friends and family members in the military. Their first open meeting this semester will be next Tuesday, Feb. 8 in

the LMC library, Room L104.The Vets club was founded last

spring by Vets Club President Brian Rodriguez, but so far they have had trouble finding members.

“We are still here however things have been slow going,” said Rodriguez. “Last year I put up flyers over both campuses and I still had people telling me that they never knew that there was a veterans club on campus.”

Rodriguez attended Diablo Valley College before coming to Los Medanos in the fall of 2009. Upon his arrival at LMC, Rodriguez was surprised that there wasn’t a veteran’s center on campus, so starting a veter-ans club seemed like the next best thing.

“One of the things were trying to obtain is an office or a posi-tion to specifically help veteran students,” said Shuman, “The first step is having a viable club, an active club with participating membership.”

LMC student and Army vet-eran Shawn Hughes said that he would join the vets club, but he can’t make it to the meetings. He agrees that a veteran’s center on campus would be helpful.

Hughes, who is receiving GI BIll benefits, said ”At first it was kind of daunting because your trying to figure out who to talk to. I was a recruiter here on campus for three years and I still didn’t know where to go.”

Hughes turned to Reggie Turner, the Employment Devel-opment Services Coordinator at LMC, whom he knew from his recruiting days. Turner, who is also a veteran and serves as the Veterans Club faculty advisor, led Hughes in the right direc-tion. As for what keeps veteran students from joining the vets club Hughes said, “Many vets may feel like they did their

See VETS, page 6

F R I D A Y , M A R C H 4 , 2 0 1 1 3

— Compiled from press releases and staff reports

“The man who has begun to live more seriously within begins to live more simply without.”

— Ernest Hemingway

NewswatchImportant dates to remembern April 11: Registration for EOPS, DSPS, & Qualified Veteransn April 12: Registration for continuing students by appointmentn April 18-23: Spring Breakn April 26: Registration for returning, matriculating and

exempt students. n April 29: Last day to withdraw from full classes with “W”n May 10: Registration for non-matriculating studentsn May 21-27: Final Examsn May 27: Last day of instruction and graduation ceremonyn May 30: Memorial Day - College Closed n June 1: All special admit/high school student registration

Upcoming on campusn March 7: Inter-Club Council Meeting, Monday, March 7,

3 to 4 p.m., Library Conference Room #2 (L106)n March 11: Discover UC Davis campus tour from 8 a.m.

to 3 p.m.

LMC board and club meetingsn Inter Club Council (ICC): Mondays from 3 to 4 p.m. in

the Library Conference Room 105. n La Raza Unida: Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Library

Conference Room 105.n Rotaract: Second and fourth Thursday at 2 p.m. in Confer-

ence Room 409.n Drama Clubs: Monday at 12 p.m. in the Little Theatre.n LMCAS: Fridays from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Library Com-

munity Room 109.n Anime Unlimited: Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m. in the math

lab Room 204.n The Breakfast Club: Fridays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the

Library Community Room 109. Editor’s Note: For a full listing of clubs and times, check the Student Life office.

Academic support for studentsThe CORE: Center for Academic Support, formerly known

as the Reading and Writing Center, has reopened in a remod-eled facility on Level 3 of the College Complex at the main Pittsburg campus. The program is intended for struggling students who need extra help in reading and writing. Profes-sors and peer tutors are available to help students get on the right track with reading and writing. Call 439-2181 ext. 3176 for more information.

Join student government The Los Medanos College Associated Students (LMCAS)

provides students with a chance to participate in student government. Students will have a way to voice their con-cerns about issues at LMC. LMCAS provides students with the opportunity to help plan and participate exciting college events, student life resources, and the chance develop leadership skills. Students can choose to become either a senator or representative. To become a senator, complete an application, attend one LMCAS meeting and get appointed. To become a representative, complete an application and get appointed. Students must have at least a 2.0 GPA and be enrolled in five or more units. For more information, stop by the Student Life Office in Room 800A, next to the cafeteria, or call 439-2181 ext. 3199.

Get counseled in the libraryThe LMC library will now have a counselor available for

those students that need drop-in counseling. The library counselor will be found in the foyer (near the coffee kiosk), will be able to answer any questions concerning degrees, transfer, majors, and personal issues that would not require a confidential setting. The counselor will be available weekly beginning March 15 from 11 a.m. to noon.

Get help with music classesNeed that extra help with your instrument? Well now

you can. The CORE will be having music help on Mondays from 12 to 4 p.m., Tuesdays from 4 to 8 p.m., Wednesdays from 12 to 3 p.m. and Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m. in Room CO-300. You will be able to talk to a student tutor to help you improve your musical talent. For more information, call 439-2181 ext. 3176.

Join MESA at LMCAre you interested in graduating with a baccalaureate in

science or another math-based field? Here is your opportu-nity. MESA, otherwise known as mathematics, engineering, science and achievement, is a college program that helps students with academic support by using workshops, study groups, tutors, transfer assistance, and scholarship oppor-tunities. MESA specializes with many different companies. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Carol Hernandez at 439-2181 ext. 3437.

Bay Area rivals square offWorld Series Champions the San Francisco Giants will

host their rivals from across the bay at Oakland Athletics on May 20. The first 20,000 fans in attendance will receive a Giants Snuggie. The game starts at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $15. If you would like to attend this events, please visit www.losmedanos.edu/studentlife and click on “Activities & Events” in the sidebar. Select the event you are interested in attending and click “more details” for a registration form. Forms should be filled out and dropped off at the Student Life Office in Room 800A, next to the cafeteria.

Brentwood transfer eventsThe Brentwood Center will be hosting a few workshops

on campus geared toward transfer students. The Transfer Options for Nursing Majors event will be held Wednesday, March 9, from 11 a.m to 12:30 p.m. in room C1, while another session will be held on Tuesday, March 15 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. that is concerned with helping students decide how to proceed after applying to colleges. To get more information on either event, please call the Transfer Center at 439-2181, ext. 3124, or the Brentwood Center at the same number, ext. 6201.

L O S M E D A N O S C O L L E G E E X P E R I E N C E

Features 4Quotable

“The human race is governed by its imagination.”

— Napolean Bonaparte

F R I D A Y , M A R C H 4 , 2 0 1 1

A few underrated Beatles gemsRetrospective on songs overlooked

REVIEW

The Weekly Smallville

Radiohead is back with a hypnotizing unique sound

Growing new pair of limbs

See LIMB, page 6

Five songs you should listen toBy WALTER MWASI WILLIAMS IIIStaff Writer

Editor’s Note: Part two out of six of a weekly series on the subject of songs that students may have never heard of.

ArTiST: SArAh BriGhTmAnSong: Only an Ocean AwayAlbum: Eden (1998)

Once married to the famous director and composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Brightman has starred in such renowned musi-cals as “Phantom of the Opera” and “Cats”. From Opera, to Clas-sical, New Age and Rock, she has had broad appeal around the world for years, often perform-ing for sold out tours and selling millions of albums. “Time to Say Goodbye”, “Deliver Me”, and “Free” are amongst her most successful songs. Brightman also perform versions of songs by mainstream artists such as Kansa City’s “Dust in the Wind”, “Queen’s “Who Wants to Live Forever”, “and Procol Harum’s “White Shade of Pale”.

BAndS: FeAr FAcTory/B-reAlSong: Back the F*** UpAlbum: Digimortal

Back the F*** Up is the only song on the album not written by Fear Factory. The group wanted to create something that blended hardcore metal with hardcore rap, so they contacted B-Real of the rap group Cypress Hill to perform a song with them. Fear Factory has contributed music to both The Resident Evil and Saw Soundtrack.

BAnd: BlAck TApe For A Blue GirlSong: GivenAlbum: As One Aflame Laid Bare By Desire (1999)

With perhaps one of the longest band names in music history, BTfaBG music style is a complex blend of Classical and Gothic elements. Each album explores very human themes such as love, desire, loss, and death.

BAnd: kATAToniASong: Promise of DeceitAlbum: Night is the New Day (2010)

Night is the New Day is the bands most critically acclaimed album. Some have gone as far as citing it as their best work. NitND showcases Katatonia ability to display a great deal of diversity and styles.

BAnd: elBoWSong: Grounds for DivorceAlbum: Seldom Seen Kid (2008)

Despite only having reached minor commercial success, El-bow has had music featured in everything from video games to televisions shows. Having won several awards, the band also has a large number of prominent bands/musicians who proclaim themselves as fans of their music; Radiohead, Peter Gabriel and Coldplay are just a few.

Photo from imdb.com

Lois (above) goes undercover once again in the series, to find her missing engagement ring in “Fortune” and runs afoul of meta human Fortune.

Photo from wikipedia.com

The Beatles are (from left in foreground) John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

By JULIO REYNOSOStaff writer

What would music be today without The Beatles? Absolutely nothing. In one way or another, every musician is/was influenced by The Beatles. With this playlist, I’m listing some of the best songs that many people may not know. So don’t expect to see “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Hey Jude,” “Here Comes the Sun” or “All You Need is Love” on this list.

The group’s cover of the Meredith Wilson song “Till There Was You” from the album “With the Beatles” is gorgeous to put it in simple terms. With Paul McCartney on lead vocals and Ringo Starr playing bongos in the background, the song takes on a Latin music aspect and begins to show the musical diversity of the band.

Many of the songs John Lennon wrote while with The Beatles have been downers. “Girl” from the album “Rubber Soul” is a great example. With lyrics such as “She’s the type of girl who puts you down when friends are there, you feel a fool,” you can feel his heartbreak with every word sung and every deep breath taken.

“She Said She Said” from the album “Revolver” shows what Ringo can do with his drum set. This is probably one of his best drum performances as a member of The Beatles. This is

also one of the few Beatle songs that McCartney was not playing bass for. George Harrison did.

“Rain” was a B-side for the single “Paperback Writer,” but later released on the compila-tion “Past Masters.” Another great Ringo performance with a hypnotizing bass line by Mc-Cartney. With this song, you can begin to tell what direction the band was heading in with their musical creativity.

“Lovely Rita” from the album “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club” shows how The Beatles can literally write about anything, even a meter maid, and turn it into a great song. Kudos to producer George Martin for the piano break.

Many readers will recognize the song “Baby Your a Rich Man” from the album “Magical Mystery Tour” as the final song played in the 2010 film The Social Network. I loved the inclusion of the song for the film. The song asks the listener what you’re going to do now after reaching success, and having it used in The Social Network was a great representation of the song.

One of my favorite things about “Martha My Dear” from “The Beatles (White Album)” is the build-up. The song starts off low with just McCartney and his piano, but the song explodes as soon as the chorus hits. An interesting fact about the song

is there are so many different interpretations of the meaning behind the song. Some listener’s say it’s about his dog, others say it’s about a voice inside his head that tells him what to write. The fact that listeners are still guess-ing what the song is about 43 years after it’s releases show it’s stability over time.

Listening to “Sexy Sadie” from

“The Beatles (White Album),” you get the impression that the song is about a vixen. Reality is, the song is written about the Maharisihi Mahesh Yogi after Lennon was alienated by the Maharishi after a trip to India. This is personally one of my favorite vocal performances from Lennon because of his emotion towards the end of the song. He

sounds like a soul singer who would just completely break down at the end of a song.

In my opinion, “Long Long Long” from “The Beatles (White Album)” is Harrison’s best song. It’s loud but quiet, beautiful yet strange. If you haven’t yet no-ticed the ongoing theme, “The Beatles (White Album)” is my favorite album. Go do yourself

a favor and buy the album if you don’t own it already. People who don’t listen to The Beatles always criticize them by saying they aren’t good musicians. “The End” from the album “Abbey Road” proves them wrong. Ringo plays the drums like a madman with his only drum solo as a Beatle while Lennon, McCartney and

See SONGS, page 6

By JULIO REYNOSOStaff Writer

In the history of music, there are only a handful of musicians who can do anything they want with their music and still be suc-cessful. One of the groups on that short list is Radiohead, and they prove so again by releasing “The King of Limbs.”

The band once again brings in Nigel Godrich to produce the album, the man behind Radiohead classics such

as Kid A and Hail to the Thief. The album marks the second time the band has distrib-uted their work online first, then in-store, as with the 2007 release In Rainbows. So how is Radiohead’s ideology of doing what they want incorporated into The King of Limbs? In the way that this is the first time that any Radiohead album makes you want to dance. Not in the same manner that the Black Eyed Peas or Pitbull make you want to dance, but in a spastic way that may look like you’re possessed.

With the opening track “Bloom”, the tone for the rest of the album is set. The song is

By MARK FRANCISStaff Writer

I must admit, “Fortune” was one of those type of episodes that Small-ville tends to copy from well-known movies. And in “Fortunes” case, it was the comedy “The Hangover”, featuring Clark (Tom Welling) and friends massively hungover from a night of debauchery after partying a little too much in celebration of Clark and Lois’ (Erica Durance) about to tie the knot. Each of the five

central char-acters and Dr. Emil Hamilton

(Alessandro Juliani) are caught blindsided with memory loss after drinking a specially hexed cham-pagne bottle. The bottle was a gift from Justice League member, the sorceress Zantana.

And with this, each character is paired off with another character, leading to three very dif ferent plots merging into one. Clark and Chole (Alison Mack) are trying to remember if they indeed tied the knot at the altar with only half of a wedding certificate.

While on the other hand, Oliver (Justin Hartley) and Lois, after waking up onto of an abandoned railway are in search of Lois’ miss-ing wedding ring. This leads them See CLARK, page 6

REVIEW

profoundly hypnotiz-ing with Thom Yorke haunting the listener with lyrics like “while the ocean blooms/ it’s what it keeps me alive/ So why does this still hurt/ Don’t blow your mind with why,” while a snare heavy loop is beating you in the head.

Listening to The King of Limbs makes you feel as if Radiohead were listening to Talking Heads’ classic album Remain in Light while they made the record. With Remain in Light, the Talking Heads com-bined African music elements with music engineering technics like loops and samples that produced a great result. This sound is heard on the Radiohead album with songs like “Feral” and “Morning Mr. Magpie.” Along with sounding like the Talking Heads, Thom Yorke does his best David Byrne impression for the music video for “Lotus Flower.” The video, consisting of Thom Yorke dancing out of his mind in a similar

fashion as David Byrne did for the “Once in a Lifetime” video, has only been up for a week and a half and already has 5.8 million views on YouTube. With a combination of an electronica inspired beat and Yorke’s lyrics, the song is one of the better pieces from the album. Lyrically wise it’s hard to comprehend what the song is about. Whether it’s regarding a relationship in turmoil or the spawning and disintegration of an actual lotus flower, the song shows why Yorke is one of the best voices of our generation. He’s continuously making his listeners think and dive deep into the lyrics to find true meanings behind his work.

to Fortune Casino, the place of DC meta-human, Fortune (James Kidnie). And lastly Hamilton and Tess (Cassidy Freeman) are caught singing Elvis type show-tunes to random crowds after their drunk-enness the night before, leading to a fling between the two.

In all honestly this is one of the most lighthearted episodes of the season and probably something not seen since the show moved from a small rural farmland to the big city in seasons past. Everything gelled well, even if it was a bad at-tempt at copying “The Hangover”. And it worked, by not focusing on the serious “Darksied” plot that seems to blanket the season or the Alexander sub plot.

The cast of characters felt real by having an issue that you would see among a normal group of friends.

But being that this is a sci-fi show, there has to be some sort of conflict now to move the plot along. That is where Fortune comes in. By having Lois’ missing engage-ment ring on his finger, leading to a hilarious moment for Oliver to dress in a drag and assist Lois and taking the ring. Also not to mention that, Hamilton gets abducted by Fortune’s goons which leads to

QuotableL O S M E D A N O S C O L L E G E E X P E R I E N C E

Sports F R I D A Y , M A R C H 4 , 2 0 1 1 5“It ain’t over ‘till it’s over.”

— Yogi Berra

See BALL, page 6

Mustangs trample CougarsLMC dominates the field big time

Opponent Date/time Location

Baseball

Opponent Date/time Location

Softball

LMC sports schedule

Yuba 3/5................1 p.m. Marysville

Colleg of Marin 3/8................2 p.m. Pittsburg

Mendocino 3/10..............2 p.m. Ukiah

Napa Valley 3/17........1 & 3 p.m. Pittsburg

Napa Tournament 3/19..............TBA Napa

Yuba 3/10.........1 & 3 p.m. Pittsburg

Mendocino 3/15........1 & 3 p.m. Ukiah

Contra Costa 3/17..............2 p.m. Pittsburg

Laney 3/19..............1 p.m. Oakland

Yuba 3/22..............2 p.m. Pittsburg

College of Marin 3/24..............2 p.m. Kentfield

Mendocino 3/26..............1 p.m. Pittsburg

Solano 3/29..............2 p.m. Pittsburg

Solano 3/12..............1 p.m. Fairfield

Napa 3/15...............2 p.m. Pittsburg

Napa Tournament 3/20..............TBA Napa

Contra Costa 3/22.......1 & 3 p.m. Pittsburg

Photo by Lisa Cassidy

Los Medanos College Mustang softball player Michelle Gorman is on the mound as she pitches a fastball leading to a strike in game two of the doubleheader against the Lassen Cougars. The Mustangs went on to win the game with a victory of 4-1 over Lassen last Saturday.

By LISA CASSIDYStaff Writer

Los Medanos Mustang softball players dominated the Lassen College Cougars as they won both games in a double-header on Saturday.

Los Medanos College won the first game by a landslide 8-0 with the umpires calling the game early because of the “overkill rule.”

As the Mustangs got started with game two they beamed with confidence, while on the other side of the field the Cougar team seemed to lack the willpower to change LMC momentum.

Mustang ace-on-the-mound Michelle Gorman’s (22) first pitch was a strike as the LMC domination began.

The first inning for the Cougars was uneventful and ended as quickly as it started.

Los Medanos’s first appearance at the plate wasn’t much bet-ter, as both attempts at “slap bunting” were easily fielded by the Lassen infielders.

This would be the only time the Mustangs had a quiet inning.The second inning wasn’t any more productive for Lassen as

only one base runner reached base after being hit by a pitch. She was stranded on first base as Shaye Quam

(19), struck out on a wicked pitch by Gorman (22).LMC’s Mic Rones (35) started off the offense for the Stangs

with a hard hit bullet to the outfield, making her the first Mustang runner on base.

Then Jozette Velasquez (23) hit a screaming line drive double to the outfield to score Rones (35) as the Mustangs drew first blood with a score of 1-0.

Velasquez (23) scored off a Rochelle Schiele (9) single, mak-ing the score 2-0.

Lassen temporarily snapped out of their hitting funk and be-gan crushing the ball. Unfortunately for them they hit it to the Mustangs outfield, which was unbeatable.

In the third, Rones (35) took one for the team, getting hit by the pitch by the Cougar pitcher. But is stranded on base as her teammates couldn’t capitalize on the Lassen mistake.

Mustang pitcher Gorman (22) began to sink her teeth in as she gave Lassen batters some heat for which she was rewarded two strikeouts.

With the score 2-0 the Mustangs began the fourth inning with a bang as Kristen Misquez (24) hit a single.

Unfortunately, Misquez (24) was caught in a pickle between second and third as the Stangs attempted a hit-and-run play on the Cougar defense.

The next two Mustang batters struck out, giving the Lassen pitching squad four strikeouts.

Lassen’s fifth inning was a quick “three up, three down” as Mustang Diandra Hayes (4), playing centerfield, caught every-thing in sight.

Scary play to start the bottom of the fifth as Hayes (4), a big contributor to the Mustang squad, was hit in the facemask part of her batting helmet. She played it tough and didn’t flinch as she took her free bag.

With Lassen dosing off on the defensive end, Hayes (4) stole second base so quickly the Lassen catcher didn’t even bother to throw the ball.

This prompted a Lassen timeout, as their coach seemed upset.It didn’t help the Cougars as their catcher over anxiously

interfered with the next play and gave Mustang Amanda Rupert (5) a free ticket to first base.

Then Mustang clutch hitter Rones (35) hit a single, which scored Rupert (5) to give the Mustangs a 3-0 lead, this lead to another Lassen timeout and a new pitcher.

Coming out of the timeout Mustang Velasquez (23) hit a sac fly

Photo by Lisa Cassidy

Halide Porras, Los Medanos College Mustangs softball outfielder, runs down home plate in game one on Saturday scoring a home run and helping the Mustangs win the first game of the day. Umpires were forced to call the game early because of the “overkill” rule. The Stangs went on to win with a 8-0 triumph over Lassen College.

L O S M E D A N O S C O L L E G E E X P E R I E N C E

F R I D A Y , M A R C H 4 , 2 0 1 1 6OnlineFollow the LMC Experience on Facebook and Twitter.Back Talk

LIMBFrom page 4

CHILIFrom page 1

SONGSFrom page 4

After listening to The King of Limbs, you are left wanting more.

It’s relatively short at 37 min-utes and you feel as if the group could have done a bit more.

Rumors are already circulating that this is only part one of a two part album with the second half being released later in the year.

With just a few more songs though, this could have been considered one of their best albums.

But in the end, Radiohead experimented with a new sound and it worked for the better.

Four out of five stars.

Harrison exchange guitar solos all being played in dif ferent styles. McCartney’s line “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make” is one of my favorite song lyrics.

For those readers who don’t know much about The Beatles, this list is just scratching the surface.

Their music is some of the greatest art ever created and now with their whole discography available on iTunes, it is easier than ever to get excess to The Beatles’ music.

and staff that I know of who are vegetarian,” said Phil Gottlieb, LMC counselor. “Dr. Phil,” as he’s affectionately called by staff and students, helped serve up chili in festive gear throughout the event.

The only student entry into the contest was Nadine Zellner and Guy Anderson’s “Chunky Chicken Chili.” Zellner’s goal was to provide a healthy alternative to the traditional style of meat and beans.

Ingredients included wheat germ, white corn, two types of beans and a whole chicken. “There’s about 10 pounds of food in here. We usually don’t include meat and only use beans. We have begun to bottle and market the bean only recipe.” Zellner, a music major, looks at cooking like music. “Music is a recipe, too. Food fills our body, music fills our soul.”

Other entries included “Love My Chili” from Carole Betz in the Counseling Office, “Viva! Mexican Chili” by Mary Olsen, “Gettin’ Down to Biz’Ness” by Kathy Griffin and the LMC Busi-ness Office, and Ginny Richards from DSPS, “New Mexico Chili.”

Entries must follow 10 rules to remain eligible for awards and prizes. Judges voted on the chili they liked the best with the

consideration of good flavor, texture, consistency, blend of spices, aroma, color and overall impression.

This year there were three judges, including one student. “Previous years, there were more judges, including someone from outside of LMC,” said Long.

Surveying the crowd before the announcement, Gil Amaral from Building and Ground said, “I’ve had three chilis and they are all good.” Jeffrey Benford, EOPS/C.A.R.E./Cal-WORKs manager said, “It’s exciting… all the students, all the faculty — it’s a really good way to get ever yone together.” Donna Smith, instructor, said, “I think we need a chili cookbook full of all the recipes so we can all learn how to cook it because it is all so good!”

Finally, the grand award was handed to Sylvia Benzler’s “Sylvia’s Special Chili” and the People’s Choice award was given to Carol Betz’s “Love My Chili.”

All the proceeds from the event go to the Classified Employee Senate Student Scholarship Fund. This year $565 was added to the fund.

Fifty-two scholarship applica-tions are awaiting review for this year’s scholarship awards. “Last year we awarded $1150 to

Photo by Lisa Cassidy

During Club Day this past Tuesday, the Single Parents Club raised money by selling nachos. The Single Parents Club was just one of the many clubs that were selling food in order to raise money for various activities. The AGS Club sold tacos, soda and freshly made lemonade. La Raza Unida Club was selling tostadas. If you are interested in joining a club or starting one of your own, you can find more information on the Los Medanos Colleges website at http://www. losmedanos.edu/studentservices/clubs/default.asp.

CLUBFrom page 1

AGS attending a convention in Ontario, Calif. If you would like to join the AGS club, meetings are held Thursday 3-4 p.m. in one of the library conference rooms.

The Anime Unlimited club had a small group surrounding their booth of members and nonmembers. The club was selling cup of noodles, Japanese candies and pocky sticks (long pretzels dipped in chocolate). Club member Joshua Garcia

really enjoys being a member and is passionate about the club,. “I appreciate Asian culture, gaming from overseas and just a multitude of things,” he said.

The Anime Club meets on Friday 3-6 p.m. in MA204.

La Raza Unida Club was sell-ing tostadas to raise money for the AB540 students. “The idea for tostadas just came up,” said La Raza President Juana Isais. Many students enjoyed the food, especially Angelina Sorenso, who

said, “They are really delicious. I’m tempted to buy another.”

La Raza Unida Club meets every Wednesday in Library Conference Room 2 from 2 to 3 p.m.

Mustangs for life: Voices for the unborn club is a new club that started at the end of last semester. They were selling cupcakes for a dollar and the proceeds will be going to the Human Life Alliance. In return, the HLA gives the Mustangs for

Life posters, bumper stickers and various goodies. The club meets on Fridays at 1 p.m. in the Math Building.

Overall, Club Day was a success. Students had a good time enjoying delicious food from each club and the music that was playing. If you are interested in joining a club or starting your own, you can visit http://www.losmedanos.edu/studentservices/clubs/default.asp for more information.

five continuing or transferring students,” said Linda Kohler, president of the Classified Em-ployee Senate. “We started the fund about 12 years ago with a pizza lunch as a way that classi-fied employees could be a part

of helping students meet their financial needs.

This will be the last fundraiser for the year and begin fundrais-ing for next year in May.”

Keep an eye out for the next fundraising event scheduled

in May. Additional reporting provided

by Laura Crabtree, Javon Primus, Kelly Victor, Damion Jackson, Mallory Jones, Monique Sanchez and Candace Walker.

VETSFrom page 3

ECONFrom page 1

BALLFrom page 5

CLARKFrom page 4

Clark to eventually save the day as always.

In the end with a character revelation at the end and the knowledge that this is indeed the last time all the characters can have a sense of calm before the storm, the show seemed to

work. It may seemed to lack di-rection and any sort of character progression for 45 min.,

but in the final few moments it all pays of f knowing this knowledge that I mentioned before, earning it a three and a half out of five.

to center field which scored Rupert (5) giving the Stangs a 4-0 lead.

Strangely enough the Cougars were still determined and tried for one last push for the “w.”

This new energy was short lived as they went another scoreless inning.

The only error in both games of the double hitter for the Mustangs came after a shal-low fly ball to left field, which scored the only Lassen run in both games, and the Mustangs successfully swept the Lassen Cougars 4-1 in the second game

of their two-game series.The Mustangs have a great

squad this year with their ace pitcher Gorman (22) fifth in the Bay Valley Conference with a 3.54 era with 38 strikeouts on the season so far.

In addition, Rones (35), Velas-quez (23) and Hayes (4) are all on the top 20 list in their conference for their individual batting averages.

With their team third overall in the league and a 6-3 record as of Saturday, the Mustangs are a team to look out for this season.

time and they’re done with it, and they’ll worry about joining a group when they get older.”

Vets Club of ficer Vincent Barreras says that many vets may not want to be recognized as veterans.

Barreras said he doesn’t like to wear any military related clothing because of some of the reactions he gets from people because of it. Some people shake his hand and thank him for his service, while others look at him with suspicion.

Speaking for himself person-ally, he said he doesn’t like people asking him dumb questions about what happened while on active duty, especially questions about combat.

The vets club may not have a big presence on campus, but their members are very active in the surrounding community. Members of LMC’s vet club work closely with East County Military Families and Friends, a volunteer organization based in Pittsburg. Rodriguez contacted ECMFF founder Josie Monaghan last year and Vets Club members have been working closely with

ECMFF ever since. Monaghan founded the group after her son was deployed to Iraq in 2004 at the age of 19.

“ I am motivated by one thing,” said Monaghan, “ Paying back the vets and military families who have served, because I couldn’t do this without them.”

ECMFF meets once a month to work on service projects, such as putting together care packages for active troops. They also organize fundraisers and other projects. Monaghan spent the last two years trying to open a veteran’s center in East Contra Costa County, and her vision became a reality last Saturday with the grand open-ing of the East County Veterans Resource and Recreation Center in Pittsburg. Three of LMC’s Vets Club officers are on the East County Veterans Board, which is an offshoot group of ECMFF that provides peer to peer counseling, workshops and other resources. The East County Veterans Resource and Recreation Center is located at 520 Garcia Ave, Suite F in Pittsburg.

said business professor Robin Aliotti. “Apply for financial aid, apply for scholarships, check with the Employment Center for on and off-campus employ-ment, obtain free or discounted bus passes when available, uses available resources on campus, such as the Career Center to de-termine employment demand for your major when you graduate, and be an advocate for yourself by being informed and actively participate in your education.”

“California economic indica-

tors are worse than the federal statistics,” she said. “Students may want to consider out-of-state career opportunities.”

Continuing an education in spite of the current costs involved may have its rewards.

“If you’re a college graduate, unemployment is five percent,” said Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in a recent inter-view with 60 Minutes. “If you’re a high school graduate, it’s ten percent or more. It’s a very big difference.”

Photo by Sharron Quebec

During the Chili Cook-off this past Wednesday, John Schall, left, serves up some chili to Gil Rodriguez, right.