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Thursday, September 22, 2011

IndexFocus ................ 2 Opinion ................ 6Life ................... 3 Sports ................... 7Scene ................ 5

Downtown B Street offers

variety for locals (PG 2)

Gladiator football kicks off the season

with victory (PG 7)

PHOTO COURTESY OF BLOG.CLEVEND.COM

Solar panel company Solyndra abruptly let go its entire 1,100 employee workforce August 31, 2011. Despite government backed guarantees and private venture capital funding of more than 1.6 million, Solyndra filed for debt relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bank-ruptcy code, suspending its manufactur-ing operations indefinitely. Solyndra released a press state-ment citing global economic and market conditions within the solar industry eluding to conditions that made it dif-ficult for the new company to compete for large industrial contracts. Employees were not offered severance packages despite the surprise shutdown. Solyndra, which prides it-self in innovative solar panel design, manufactured photovoltaic (PV) systems composed of panels and large, low-slope commercial rooftops. Solyndra claimed

its designs were unlike any in the indus-try where the panels were made of racks of cylindrical tubes of copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) placing 40 of them in a 1-meter by 2-meter panel. The design, Solyndra stated, would gather sunlight from every angle even if it was refracted, direct or in-direct light. Founded by Dr. Chris Gronet in 2005, Solyndra is under scrutiny by House Senate committee investigations and was raided by the FBI on Sept. 8, 2011 in an ongo-ing investigation. In press release posted on Solyndra’s website from March 2009, Gronet said “The leadership and actions of Presi-dent Barack Obama, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and the U.S. Congress were

instrumental in concluding this offer for a loan guarantee,” and went on to say, “this expansion is really about creating new jobs while meaningfully impacting global warming.”

Months before filing bankruptcy, Solyndra con-firmed to mem-bers of Congress that it was on track to meet objectives, both in production as well as for job creation. In a July 2011 let-ter to the House Energy and Com-

merce Committee, Solyndra stated that it would double its revenue earnings from the previous year’s high of $140 million. Solyndra CEO Brian Harrison and CFO Bill Stover were scheduled to speak before the committee hearing into the failure of Solyndra, but in a turn-about this Tuesday, it was confirmed by

the committee that Solyndra executives planned to evoke their fifth amendment rights. Energy Secretary Chu hoped the company would create employment opportunities for up to 4,000 people back in 2009. The loan guarantee, which was previously denied by the Bush Administration, is under scrutiny due to the Obama campaign’s backing and contributions. Solyndra is just one of the companies granted loan guarantees in 2005 by the Department of Energy, total-ing $38 billion. Solyndra could not compete in the market, offering solar panels at up to three times the cost of competitors. Low-cost manufacturers in China backed by large subsidies from the government have built large factories, which have driven the cost down and increased con-trol of the market. Former Solyndra em-ployees, as well as concerned California citizens, will be following the broadcast of the hearings over the coming weeks on C-SPAN.

On Thursday, Sept. 15, Chabot’s 50th anniversary started off with a speech from State Treasurer Bill Lockyer.

The Law and Democracy Program, which is in its first year, had Lockyer as the inaugural speaker in their year long speaker series. According to Dr. Sarah Parker, the head of the program, there is a very specific goal to the speaker series.

Parker stated, “A central part of the mission of Chabot College is the prepara-tion of students for global citizenship. The Law and Democracy Lecture Series acknowledges the value we place on civic responsibility, enhances the educational experience of our students, and exposes our students and the community to public figures and leading scholars on issues of public concern.”

First, Dr. Susan Sperling, the head of the social science division, spoke and introduced the Law and Democracy Pro-gram. Chabot College President Dr. Celia Barberena followed and gave a speech about Chabot and its 50 year history. Then the Chancellor of Colleges, Dr. Joel L. Kinnamon introduced Lockyer by talking about what his job is and listing some of the things that he has accomplished.

When Lockyer came up to speak, he made sure to keep the environment loose by saying that he did not like giving prepared speeches. He then went on to address a lot of common issues brought up to the state treasurer such as the deficit and budget.

Later in the speech, Lockyer ad-dressed education, and stressed its importance to the community. With educa-tion, Lockyer also discussed how many students are getting away from study-

ing things like political science and that Chabot’s Law and Democracy Program is a good step towards addressing that problem.

After giving his speech, Lockyer opened up the floor for student ambassa-dors to ask questions written by students and staff in the audience. Lockyer made sure to answer each question directly, as honestly as he could, and had background information and statistics to support a lot of his answers.

When Lockyer finished answering questions, he allowed The Spectator to sit down and ask him a couple of questions about his job and issues dealing with the budget.

When asked about how he was going to use his political experience to help him with his job as state treasurer, Lockyer stated, “It has helped me learn how to solve prob-lems. It also has helped me in providing an empirical assessment of mandates that are given to me.”

While discussing the best way to get public opinion out to elected officials, Lockyer said, “For every email or letter that we receive, we assume that there are 100 more just like it. So, the best way to reach us is to leave voicemails, emails and letters.”

Lockyer got serious when discussing the state’s role in keeping upper education affordable. He feels the state’s role should

be much larger than it currently is. He went on to talk about how affordable col-lege used to be and how the state drifted away from that and needs to go back in that direction.

Then, Lockyer answered questions on President Obama’s health care plan. When asked about how it would affect California, Lockyer said, “The federal government requires the state government to spend several billion dollars on health care that we don’t have.” It is apparent that he is concerned about the state deficit and wants to address it any way he can.

The interview ended on a light note with Lockyer joking about his future. After being asked if he was planning to

run for governor the next chance that he could, Lockyer laughed and said, “I don’t plan anymore. I kind of just do.”

On the way over to the 700 building for a reception being held in his honor, Lockyer stopped

to take pictures was glad to hold short conversations with students and staff.

With the success of the inaugural speech in the speaker series, students and staff can look forward to the other speak-ers in the future. To contact Lockyer, you can call him at (916) 653-2995 or you can send him a letter at Post Office Box 942809 Sacramento, CA 94209-0001. To get more information on the Law and Democracy Program you can contact Pro-fessor Sarah Parker at sparker@chabotcol-lege.edu.

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer visits Chabot

SOLYNDRA default leaves government and taxpayers in the darkBy Justin tonel

LIFE EDITOR

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEN JAMES/BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES

By Jake Hewitt

STAFF WRITER

ALLEN LIN/STAFF PHOTO

ALLEN LIN/STAFF PHOTO

“Healthy Families is low cost insurance for children and teens. It provides health, dental and vision coverage to children who do not have insurance and do not qualify for free Medi-Cal.”

According to the Healthy families’ medi-cal for children website, families choose their health, dental, and vision insur-ance plans.

Medi-cal has many beneficial factors that can help families with their health problems such as: physician and hospital services, regular checkups, dental and eye care, prescription medicine, immunizations and baby care.

In order to be eligible to apply for medi-cal, you must be 19 years or younger, you must be a California resident, U.S. citizen, nationals or eligible immigrants, and the

main reason; the family incomes must be low.

This medi-cal program is being pro-moted and offered here at Chabot to students who have families to care for. “The state of California offers some state health insurance program that we want to make sure students and their families know about”.

Chabot Dean of counseling Matt Kritscher said. “So if their child is sick and maybe their feeling that they don’t have the money [or] insurance to go to the doctor [then] they have to just stay home and wait it out, [and] they might miss too much school and end up doing badly or maybe even not finishing or passing the class”.

There are a couple of medical covered services here at campus such as the dental hygiene and personal health services.

Chabot staff and faculty look for ways to inform and assist students with Medi-Cal.

“We also participate in what’s called the medical administrative activities program,

and that allows the college to receive rein-vestments through the federal government to the state medical program and then to the county”, Kritscher adds, “which is like a local educational consortium of schools that participate and we can earn reinvestments for the time that the staff and faculty spend out reaching to students connecting stu-dents and their families with Medi-Cal and Healthy Families”.

Students can also access more information at the children’s center. “I have referral information that has healthy families as one of the insurances that I give to the families if they come and don’t have insur-ance” according to an Enrollment specialist.

For more information you can visit the website http://www.healthyfamilies.ca.gov or call 1-888-7471222.

Information is also available in different languages.

FOCUS2 Thursday, September 22, 2010 thechabotspectator.com

Benefits for Chabot s tudentsHealth center pairs up with state funded programs to help students with medical coverage

RESOURCEFUL INFO:

Campus Health Center 510-723-7625

www.chabotcollege.edu/HealthCenter

Fall and Spring Semester

Monday 11a.m. to 7p.m.

Tuesday 9a.m. to 7p.m.

Wednesday & Thursday

9a.m. to 5p.m.

Friday 9a.m. - 1p.m.

CLOSED for Lunch

from 1p.m. to 2p.m.

BstreetBy Alex HArmon

THE STAFF WRITER

A city vibe on Hayward streets

There’s a downtown desti-nation just on the other side of town, B Street.

Its Hayward’s downtown place for entertainment and shopping.

From the downtown Hay-ward BART station to Second Street., B st., has much to offer, entertainment, shopping, parks, restaurants, antique shops, transportation, and the City Hall plaza. In the past decade the city of Hayward has been making it a better and friendlier place to be, from new wider sidewalk.

There are new businesses and shopping centers including Cinema Place, with a 12-screen movie theater, and a center with a Lucky’s grocery store.

Longtime businesses in-clude the Book Shop, the Bistro and Buffalo Bills which are popular places. Newer busi-nesses that have called B Street home include Century Theaters, the anchor tenant of Cinema Place along with Wing Stop, Kokyo Sushi Buffet, and an art gallery. A new business called

“Vintage Alley” looks like it will be opening soon; it was recently bought from a local real estate office.

“Movie theater is an improvement, sad that the economy can’t fill up the new storefronts,” said Carl Baker-Madsen, owner of the Book Shop since July 2009; the shop has been downtown since 1960.

B Street does have its share of what the economy has done with the empty storefronts along the strip.

The Cinema Place, which opened in 2008, has most of their storefronts still never used. Some businesses had to close in-cluding the Medicine Chest and Zuckersuss, were popular spots for all ages.

B Street hosts many events for the community including the popular Summer Street Parties.

The parties are hosted by the Hayward Chamber of Commerce and include Cinco de Mayo, Russell City Blues Festival, Light up the Season, concerts and a year-round farm-ers market on Saturdays. They bring a lot of foot traffic to the area.

Next time you don’t have to go to other cities for that “down-town feel”. Come check out Hayward’s, just down Highway 92 or take the 22 bus route from Chabot. BART’s Hayward sta-tion is located on B Street.

Main

PHOTO COURTESY OF IBABUZZ.COM

By mArisol CABrerA

STAFF WRITER

The Striving Black Brothers Coalition is a Chabot College organization geared towards mentoring young men of color. Art barboza the director sat down to answer some questions about the program.

Q: How was the Striving Black Brothers Coalition created? A: It started at San Jose State in the dorms with me and two other friends. I didn’t want to join any fraternity’s; so instead we came up with striving black brothers. Q: How do you recruit participants?A: In the past we let anybody join, this year we’re changing up. We’re only taking 25 students a semester. We look for students that are motivated and want be in college. Q: Do students have to be in good standing in order to participate? Do they have to have a certain G.P.A?A: First- timers don’t have to, they just have to take initiative and have the drive to do well in school. Students that are not first timers must have a G.P.A of 2.5 or above.Q: How will participants benefit from the program? A: We want to help them find their purpose and their goals. We want them to learn the right system, who they

are as young black men, learn what discipline is about, and to ask for help in the right way.Q: Are you hoping to expand Striving Black Brothers Coalition, in the future?A: Yes, 3 others colleges are interested and would like to be want to be apart of it.Q: Have you seen improvements in students?A: Yes, students got their AA degrees. Others have gone off to Cal State Eastbay, Harvard, UCLA, and Morehouse colleges.Q: Do students utilize the resources available to them?A: Yes, it is a requirement that they see a counselor. They have to attend study hall and participate in community service.Q: Does this program keep students out of trouble?A: Overtime they realize that college is serious. Those who are motivated have to stay with it. Some will get put out if they are acting crazy.Q: How do you keep students focused and interested on the program?A: By required meetings every Thursday, coming in their office, building a family member relationship, greeting each other with respect, and having that brotherhood.Q: How do you make sure that participants are staying on top of their academic work?A: By having check in meetings with counselorsQ: What approach do you use if you see students falling behind?A: We constantly call them, have conversations with them to encourage and motivate them.

For more information contact Striving Black Brothers Coalition at sbcchabotcollege@yahoo.com phone number (510) 723-7122 located in Building 700 Rm. 767N

There is a new program specifically garnered towards helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds in the hopes of supporting their academic dreams at Chabot College. The Aspire Program offers a variety of services towards the betterment of students in varying aspects.

The Aspire Student Support Service is a program that helps eligible students with in-depth academic support. In addition, the Aspire program offers financial and personal counseling. Students with personal problems can come and easily seek help. However the Aspire Program at Chabot College will not be accepting applications until next May as far as financial aid. Who meets the requirements?

First, students applying should be enrolled in Chabot College and have less than 40 units completed. Second, the program is hoping to target students coming from low-income families and students with disabilities. Third, you

have to be first generation students attending College. Fourth, the student’s goal is transfer to a four-year Colleges or Universities, such as CSU or UC.

Besides financial aid there are still a variety of services Aspire offers.

“Now we have about 250 students in this program,” M. Kristo, an assistant said on Wednesday, “we provide multi-tiered academic support services.” For example, there are two counselors to help the students in this program, these two counselors just for the student in this program, not for others; and learning workshops every week. The next event coming up called Brown Bag it is going to be on Halloween day.

Besides the activities on our campus, this program also arranges a tour every month to visit other Universities, such as CSU East Bay, UC Davis, or San Jose state University. They usually go on Friday, and transport bus and tour guide is provided, including one lunch. “Students in this program don’t have to pay in order to keep in active, students have to attend at least one activity per semester. Just do something.” Kristo said.

One student in the program said that: “It is great benefits from it, and it is free and have many services to help you achieve your academic goals.” He added, “I heard that they are going to give us $100 dollars in the spring for academic use.”

How to apply for the Aspire?“The next new apply section will

begin on May 2012.” Kristo says, “It will take about one or two months to be approved, so getting started earlier would be a wise idea.”

Aspire program is located in building 700 room 767C, for additional

information, email Aspire Director Mr. Mendez at rmendez@chabotcollege.edu or call 510-723-7547

LIFEthechabotspectator.com Thursday, September 22, 2011 3

Aspiring for a BetterTomorrowChabot College’s new student service program Aspire benefits disadvataged students.

By April Chen

STAFF WRITER

Q&A with Striving Black Brothers co-founder Mr. Art Barboza

By BriAnA TAylor

STAFF WRITER

DASEAN SMITH/STAFF PHOTO

DASEAN SMITH/STAFF PHOTO

DASEAN SMITH/STAFF PHOTO

APRIL CHEN/STAFF PHOTO

4 Thursday, September 22, 2011 thechabotspectator.com

LIFE

Chabot Community Volunteers Improving Schools in the East Bay

By lAmyrA hAl

FOCUS EDITOR

Announcements and letter of appreciation from Michael Lomardo, CEO of ReadingPartners.org were mailed out September 9, 2010. The letter was addressed to more than 2900 volunteers, who most recently supported the organizations motto “One Tutor. One child. Infinite Possibilities.” Lomardo’s letter began “It couldn’t have happened without you!”, printed in bold and quickly went on to announce of the 1928 students serviced, this year goal’s is to reach an additional 1000 and 8000 by the year 2015.

According to the announcement, of the 1928 students presently enrolled 880 are service right here in the East Bay, San Francisco, and Marin. Fruitvile and North Hayward are of the newest site location, and seek, like the rest, volunteers who are looking to inspire students literacy. Readingpartners.org was founded by community leaders Mary Wright Shaw, Molly McCrory, and Jean Bacigalupi at Belle Haven Elementary School in Menlo Park. It started as a tutoring program at Belle but quickly gained recognition and spread throughout the school districts along the peninsula.

Readingpartners focuses on struggling young readers to give them confidence as readers. The Organization partners with high-need elementary schools to offer free services on the school campus. Volunteers are trained and supplied with an abundance of material, paired up with students, and work through a series of lessons. These lessons take students from a starting part to a whole new level of understanding, confidence

and reading skills. Each session is roughly an hour of reading, chunking words, writing, and utilize techniques to build comprehension and confidence.

Emma Laz-Hirsch, site coordinator at Brookfield Elementary school, welcomed new & returning volunteers the first session of the new school year. Hirsch introduced familiar strategies and new techniques for their students. In contributing to improvements, Brookfield elementary is no longer looked at as an at-risk school, and as a result will not obtain the additional funding for aid. However, there is always a need for enriched education. As a result, Hirsch is looking beyond government funding to feed the operation and accomplishments of her students and volunteer efforts

Aside from the sport celebrities, Community service officials, and Volunteers, there are 880 students within our bay area communities who are gaining reading momentum. When one student was asked about this year goals, he replied “I want to read the big book with all the words,” said Student William’s. The dictionary is a great start, for expanding ones vocabulary. There are 879 other students, who set goals the first week of school. Students will meet these goals with the help of their reading partner tutors, site coordinators, and the support of Principals like X. There is a great deal of pride, beginning with Principal X, the Teachers, Volunteers, and students themselves.

If you would like more information, please contact readingpartners.org

RememberingAnita Ramos

By KhAdijAh Ford

STAFF WRITER

Anita Ramos was as fiery as her fiery red hair. She stood strong in her beliefs and held true to her friends and family. She was a bright witty woman who knew life was a fragile piece of time that once passed, was not to be returned. She was a happy woman, full of love, hope, and shared that wonderful feeling with everyone she met. Her earthly body passed into the heavenly rim at 12:10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011.

In the last issue of the Chabot Spectator we published an article on the passing of Rosalind Clemons. Sadly, another student at Chabot College, Anita Ramos has left us. Anita was an education major, a member of the Teacher’s Club, and a devoted student of the Disability Student Service Center. The following article is a celebration of her life and the lives she influenced.

Anita’s service was held on Saturday, Sept. 1 at Lakeside Temple in Oakland, and was a joyful occasion. Friends and family gathered to pay their respects to one of Hayward’s citizen, Chabot student, and DSRC member. One friend after the other-took-the-alter sharing one beautiful story after the next, each story grew with intensity, love, and affection.

Stories were told of when and how each person met Anita, the gifts she gave them, how much she changed their lives, but the greatest expression of love came when they spoke of how deeply her absence will impact their lives.

Anita made the decision to return to school after a number of years in the workforce, which made her son and daughter very proud of her. She chose Chabot College and quickly became very popular amongst the instructors, administration, and students in the DSRC.

Anita was a genuine soul, a-one-of-a-kind. Her love and laughter was infectious and no one was immune. When she gave her word, you could rest assured it was one hundred percent.

Anita was a major advocate of student’s rights, president of Disabled Club, tutor, student assistant, and a member of the Teacher’s Club. She aspired to be an elementary teacher and participated in many student teacher conferences in the SCTA.

Anita’s son took the helm eulogizing his mother wearing some of her most festive garments and hats, donned in a neon colored tunic of green, pink, blue with a large-rimmed yellow straw hat and a skirt. Two large black and white photographs of Anita in her younger years adorned the pulpit, while a brightly colored oil canvas of tulips painted by Anita sat nearby.

Matt Ramos, Anita’s ex-husband, a diminutive man and World War II Veteran sat quietly through the services. One could easily feel the love he held towards Anita by the look in his

eyes, one look telling the whole story of their love.

Daughter Maddie will miss hearing mother calling her “Mija” (daughter). “Words are not enough, my mother would be proud to know I am following her lead with plans to get my degree,” Maddie said. “I’m always going to look up at you (mother), knowing you will look down at me and say everything is alright.”

Shari Jacobsen, Anita’s long time friend and first DSRC Counselor honored Anita by wearing a rainbow colored rhinestone studded-dragonfly broche Anita had given her as a birthday gift. She stated, “ There will be a reception honoring Anita and a scholarship in her name will be established in late October.” Those interested should Contact Shari Jacobsen in DSRC at 510-723-6725. Donations for Anita Ramos Scholarship Fund are welcomed.

Anita made many close friends during her time at Chabot, who will miss her greatly. Tonya Burton, self- proclaimed spiritual sisters-in-the-Lord noted, “Anita was a woman with great wisdom. She could see in others what they didn’t see in themselves. Anita walked the walk without any fear, she knew where she was going.”

Debbie Green, remembered Anita as “A woman who spoke her mind – good or bad.” She laughs at the time she first saw Anita’s son saying to his sister, “Your son is a fox!” Her comment broke the tension in the church.

Theresa Pedrosa, a good friend, student, and fellow member of the Student Teacher’s Club said, “She was my best friend. I will miss her dearly and the Student Teacher’s Association will as well”.

Ernest Knox, campus security at Chabot College said, “The DSRC was one of my favorite places to visit on campus the days she worked, she was always there – a helpful woman with a wealth of information to share.”

During the service, many spoke on how Anita blazed a trail with her strength and courage. Others reminded us of two of her favorite sayings: “Live your life, it’s yours and nobody else’s,” and “Do what you think is right.”

Remembering Anita, it was easy to see that she was not only rich in spirit, but also rich in friends.

Rest in peace Anita, “we will all miss you!”

Chabot College Going to Update Mascot of 10 years

By rosAry CordovA-lAne

STAFF WRITER

The Associated Students of Chabot College in their meeting, Wednesday, voted to replace our mascots uniform. The Chabot College Gladiator costume hasn’t been replaced in over ten years,

according to ASCC President, Aylen Campi. Major issues with ventilation have been problematic with the current get-up, according to Perla Azdar, also of the ASCC. The new uniform will cost approximately

$1299 and it’s debut is uncertain. We will keep you posted. The ASCC holds its meetings on first and third Wednesdays of each month from 3-5 pm in the boardroom of building 200.

Showtime’s new series “Homeland” premieres Monday, Oct. 2 at 10 p.m., after the season six premiere of “Dexter”. “Homeland” is a suspenseful, smart and engaging spin on how easily heroes are made in a time of war. On Tuesday, Sept.

13, Showtime hosted a prescreening of the pilot episode at the San Francisco Metreon.

Starring Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin, it is a one hour show about American prisoner of war (POW) Sergeant Nicholas Brody (Lewis) who is found after eight years missing in action from Iraq.

While he is heralded as a national hero on his return home, CIA officer Car-rie Mathison (Danes) is suspicious that he might have turned spy for the enemy.

The show dives deeply into Sgt. Brody’s family life with his wife Jessica (played by Morena Baccarin of “Firefly” and “V”) and two young kids, all who have accepted that he was gone, moved

on and are appropri-ately awkward upon his return.

The show also makes no secret of Carrie’s self-proclaimed mood disorder, as it shows her popping pills and spazzing out. Yet, as unreliable as she may seem, there’s arguments to be made for her para-noia of Sgt. Brody: While undercover in Iraq, a source in prison tells her that “an American POW has been turned.” Ten months later, Sgt. Brody is found, and our story begins.

Mandy Patinkin, probably best known for his work as Jason Gideon on Crimi-nal Minds and as char-acter Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, plays Saul Berenson - Carrie’s mentor. He is

given the unhappy task of trying to control Carrie, who acts on instinct, and seems to be known for taking risks that don’t pay off.

“Homeland” star Claire Danes has had an amazing year. Her title role in the HBO television movie “Temple Gran-din” won her the first Emmy and second Golden Globe of her career.

Her first Golden Globe was for her lead role in the 1994’s television series “My So-Called Life”. She is also known for her roles in “Little Women”, “The Hours”, “The Family Stone”, and “Romeo + Juliet”.

“Homeland” was inspired by creator Gideon Raff’s similar Israeli television drama “Hatufim (Prisoners of War)” With the recent ten year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and launch of America’s War on

Terror, this show goes right to the heart of a new kind of fear that has developed in our society. The possibil-ity that an American sent to fight for our free-doms could be compro-mised and used to cause another attack

is plausible, just unlikely, and it is just that ounce of possiblity that makes this show so much fun, if not a bit terrifying, to watch.

For more information, apps, games and a trailer of “Homeland” visit http://www.sho.com.

SCENEthechabotspectator.com Thursday, September 22, 2011 5

By Jessica caBallero

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“Homeland” intrigues Bay Area audience

Damian Lewis, Clare Danes and Mandy Patinkin star in the new Showtime investigative series, Mondays at 10 p.m. PHOTO COURTESY OF BUDDYTV.COM

PHOTO COURTESY OF BUDDYTV.COM

There is a form of discrimination in this country that is running rampant.

If left unchecked, it could result in complete segregation of America. I am talking, of course, about smokers and non-smokers. Non-smokers have been on the attack as far back as I can remember, and they have won every battle they have fought. It is time for smokers to stand up and fight back against all the plainly false attacks they have been put-ting up with all these years.

There is much to be said about the negative aspects of smoking that has been well-pub-licized by various anti-smoking campaigns that we have seen over the years.

Everybody understands that smoking in a bar, restaurant, club, or any place where people work is wrong due to the damage that secondhand smoke causes. Now they are passing laws that will effectively make it illegal to smoke

anywhere in this country and that’s an infringement on people’s personal liberty.

I’m sure you have seen the commer-cial where a man is smoking in his house and the smoke travels from his cigarette through the vent - all the way to another

person’s apartment where a baby is sleeping who breathes in the smoke. That is straight propa-ganda. There is no evidence that this can happen and yet, because people see it on television, they automatically believe it to be true.

They always say, “It’s for the kids!” but in reality, it’s to force what they want on other people. There is no evidence that when I smoke in a park, it is affecting the health of others and yet, there are laws banning that in many cities in Califor-nia.

There is no evidence that smoke is going through build-ings and into other apartments and yet, in San Francisco, there

are laws now saying that hookah bars must not operate near a resi-dential area for that reason.

There is an argument made that it’s bad for the community and that’s why we shouldn’t

allow people to do it. This is nonsense. Look at all

the things that we allow people to do that we know are

harmful to them - fast food restaurants are terrible for your health and yet we still allow people to eat there if they so desire. Should we ban obese people from eating too much because of the damage that they are doing to their bodies?

Everything in life requires balance and with that there is no reason why you can’t enjoy all the world has to offer and not become a slave to it. I enjoy cigarettes oc-casionally and don’t need to purchase a pack a day.

Most people who first meet me don’t even know I smoke because I don’t overdo it. Any habit, if you do it too much, becomes a negative part of your life.

Alcohol, food, and work - if you do too much of any of these things they can hinder the quality of your life and yet smoking is the most harshly treated and it’s not right.

OPINION6 Thursday, September 22, 2011 thechabotspectator.com

2009 General Excellence

Award Winner

JESSICA CABALLERO

EDITOR IN CHIEF

JON COMEAUX

MANAGING EDITOR

SYDNEY PASCHALL

NEWS EDITOR

DENNIS MURPHEY

NEWS EDITOR

LAMYRA HAL

FOCUS EDITOR

JUSTIN TONEL

LIFE EDITOR

DAVID CONCEPCION

SCENE EDITOR

URANOOS NEROW

OPINION EDITOR

ROGER MOLINA

SPORTS EDITOR

JAIME HERNANDEZ

PHOTO EDITOR

ALEXIS DANIEL

BUSINESS MANAGER

NATHAN OBOODIYAT

ONLINE EDITOR

ANITA WILLS

ONLINE EDITOR

KENISHA FRIESON

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

LARRY LEACH

ADVISER

THE STAFFYun Chen (April)Marisol CabreraKhadijah FordAlex HarmonJake Hewitt

Mekkah HolmesAllen Lin

Bernard MirandaJessica Moore

Rashaan MungoRosary Cordova-LaneJaquelyn Rodriguez

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Spectatorthe

As a college student, it is embarrass-ing to see the amount of school spirit that Chabot has. When going to football or basketball games, the only people that are in the stands are basically family mem-bers, and close friends of the players. There are rarely any students that go to support the Chabot name.

I know that it is not the most ap-pealing thing to say that you are a proud student of a community college, but stu-dents should realize that as of right now it is harder to have another option. With UC and CSU tuitions constantly going up, more and more students are extend-ing their academic careers at community colleges.

As California treasurer Bill Lockyer pointed out in a recent speech on campus, 41% of college students are now going to community colleges. With as many students that go to Chabot, there is no reason that there should be such a lack of school spirit.

Many students make the excuse that Chabot is just their stepping stone, and that they are only going to be here for two years anyways, but that’s not a good excuse. High school was just as much of a stepping stone for your education as Chabot will be, and I know a high percentage of us showed plenty of school spirit then.

In high school it was cool to go to football and basketball games because the players were regular students just like you, and I don’t believe students realize that it is the same at Chabot.

I’m not saying that Chabot’s school spirit needs to be on the level of schools like UCLA and Stanford, but with the increase of students that are going to com-munity colleges we should start to show

some school spirit. Not only is it athletes, but when members of the Spectator staff or Chabot’s forensic team go somewhere, they show pride in being from Chabot and make their name known.

After talking to cheerleader Andrea Ceballos, it is clear that I am not the only person that is frustrated with the amount of school spirit that is shown. When asked about school spirit, she responded, “It does annoy me that we lack so much school spirit because as dumb as it sounds, it unites the school.” Ceballos continued by saying, “There are so many programs of-fered like cheerleading, theater, and ASCC that are taken for granted, because students only want to be here for two years.”

It is nice knowing that I am not the only person who notices this, but it still doesn’t help our lack of school spirit.

Go Black and Gold.

By Jake Hewitt

STAFF WRITER

By Bernard Miranda

STAFF WRITER

Where is all of the school spirit?

The Stigma Smokers Face

COURTESY OF MYSMOKING.NET

By Jaquelyn rodriguez

STAFF WRITER

Poetry is a great way to express any kind of feelings or thoughts to the world and make it seem beautifully spoken as well.

There are multiple ways to make poetry. You can go places (that are relaxing) to listen to the different kinds of poetry that people write. Some poets they can come off very powerful, some are very calm, but either way the moral of their story is still told.

Poetry can be really deep or really silly. In some way, shape, or form, you will be able to relate to it. The way things are said in poetry is not laid out clean and simple. For some poetry you have to think really hard to interpret what the author or speaker is talking about. The reason why I said you will be able to relate is because sometimes you may think of your personal experiences to understand it.

Poetry can be really inspirational. You will find that many poets seem to be very sensitive to the subject they talk about and it may start to make you understand the perspective they were trying to reach. Kimberly Glenn had the similar thoughts when she said, “Poetry is a good way to express yourself, it reaches out to people who can relate” I know many people write to relieve some stress and get things off their minds, it is very productive when deal-ing with situations that are hard to handle. A lot of people have similar problems in their lives and might not realize this until somebody else speaks out about a situation in a song or a poem.

Writing poetry is a job and a hobby for many. Some may have a hard time finding words to match or even a topic to talk about, and others are born ready to just speak off the top of their mind and have it make sense.

Faustino Martinez said “With poetry, pretty words can turn evil in one phrase like mis-ery can turn lovely. Poetry is a song, a story, a book, a novel”. A lot of poetry is revolved around love, hate and balance. Poetry usually shows the realism of that topic.

Poetry is well respected worldwide and will continue to grow as the years go on.

Poetry...is an expression

of our FEELINGS

COURTESY OF WWW.VERSEMAG.ORG

The Chabot football team began the 2011 season with a bang last Saturday, defeating West Valley College 49-6.

The Vikings struck first on a one yard run by Brandon Gibson in the first quarter after a fumble by Chabot quarterback Janne Lehtinen placed West Valley on the Gladiator goal line. It would be the only time the Vikings would score, as the ensuing PAT would be blocked and recovered by the Gladi-ators.

From that moment on, the game would be a one sided contest as Chabot would reach the end zone a total of six times and dominate in every offensive category.

Defensively, Chabot was already in mid-season form as the Gladiators con-trolled the line of scrimmage limiting West Valley’s ground attack to a total of 15 yards on 36 carries. The Vikings wouldn’t succeed in the passing game either as Chabot’s defense swarmed to the ball allowing only seven completed passes in four quarters of play.

West Valley’s best chance to get back into the game came late in the second quarter. A pass interference call on Chabot gave the Vikings a fresh set of downs and great field position inside Chabot’s 10 yard line. The Gladiators buckled down and keep West Valley out of the end zone on four consecutive

plays forcing a turnover on downs and giving Chabot back the ball.

The Gladiators wouldn’t be out of the woods yet.

On the very next play, Vikings linebacker Mark Weber forced another

Chabot fumble giving West Valley a second opportunity from inside the 10 yard line to score. The Gladiator defense stopped three consecutive run plays forcing a fourth down and goal situation.

West Valley played more conser-vatively this time around, electing to kick a field goal instead of trying for

the touchdown. The move backfired as West Valley kicker Jacob Montoya’s kick was blocked for the second time.

The defensive stops by Chabot proved to be the turning point in the game. The Gladiator’s defense seemed

to have beaten West Valley mentally, convincing them that they couldn’t score on Chabot even from the one yard line.

Chabot continued to light up the scoreboard, gaining 431 yards of total offense, most of which came from the legs of running backs Bryan Jones and Brian Mickel. Both gained over 100

rushing yards. The win was impressive, but in no

way flawless. There were some glaring holes in Chabot’s passing game. Janne Lehtinen and Brandyn Eckhart com-bined for just 6 completed passes of the 12 attempted thus gaining 95 yards.

The biggest flaw in Chabot’s of-fense was controlling the snap. The Gladiators would shoot themselves in the foot on several drives, dropping the ball during the transition from the center to the quarterback. Many of the botched snaps would occur in Gladiator territory, giving West Valley favorable field position, consequently straining Chabot’s defensive and special team unit.

“That’s just about communication between me and the quarterbacks”, said Chabot’s center Seth Magalei.

“With it being the first game, usu-ally offense is generally behind the de-fense anyway but we have to control the snap. I think my guys were just playing a little tight”, said Chabot’s head coach Danny Calcagno.

Chabot as a team seems optimistic about this coming season, and after a win like this one on the road, they have every right to be.

When asked to put a number on the level of success he expects for the Gladiators, Magalei said “We are very good team, we got 9 more wins and a bowl game”.

SPORTSthechabotspectator.com Thursday, September 22, 2011 7

By Rashaan Mungo

STAFF WRITER

OL Carrington Reyes protects the pocket agianst West Valley’s Clayton DeSilva

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Chabot dominates WVC in first win

PHOTO COURTESY STEVE PORTO

8 Thursday, September 22, 2011 thechabotspectator.com

SPORTS

Chabot men rally, defeat Merritt college 4-2SOCCER

Chabot’s men’s soccer team beat Merritt College at home last Tuesday in a game where true character and persever-ance would be shown.

The Gladiators were challenged first by giving up the games first goal but would eventually comeback with a score of 4-2.

Chabot entered the game coming off a 2-0 defeat to Feather Rivers. A game Chabot was outplayed in and never estab-lished a rhythm for a full 90 minutes.

However the case was different against Merritt.

In the first three minutes the Gladi-ators played as the aggressor as they crossed balls into the Thunderbirds box looking to make an early statement.

Chabot had three corner kicks and one shot on goal 15 minutes into the game. Merritt only had one corner kick

and no shots on goal.Minutes later, Merritt struck first

when they were awarded a free kick just outside Chabot’s goal box. Freshman Salvador Sainz would take the free kick for the Thunderbirds and score after his shot bent and hit the right post causing it to bounce in.

Merritt was up 1-0.10 minutes later, in typical Gladiator

style, Chabot answered back.Midfielder Alfredo “Junior” Navarro

dribbled down the wing shredding defend-ers determined to make a play. A cross by the freshman cost a Merritt penalty as they tripped midfielder teammate Jose Coria inside the box.

Coria would make the penalty shot putting both teams even at one.

The Gladiators were not finished.Minutes later another attacked led by

Navarro gave Chabot a goal as the mid-fielder’s cross found forward Alan Michel in perfect position to score.

Chabot was up at halftime 2-1.“Coach named him like the player

of Barcelona, Messi,” answered Gladia-tor defender Danilo Romero on the game style of Navarro. “He is the one that is going to dribble and going to pass. He is going to do everything.”

The second half started just like the first one ended. Both teams were reju-venated as they attacked the opposing goalkeeper.

In the 69th minute, the Gladiators added another point on the scoreboard. Forward Jose Luis Perez would get an as-sist, as his cross found Romero inside the box for a perfectly timed header.

The score was now 3-1 Chabot.The Thunderbirds then attacked and

made things interesting as the game came to a close. Merritt scored their second goal off a corner kick with 5 minutes remaining.

The score was 3-2 with the Gladiators still leading.

A few moments later on what was sure to be a game tying goal opportunity the Thunderbirds Alejandro Valdez was called for offsides when he was running alone with only the goalkeeper to beat.

A Gladiator late goal then shattered Merritt’s hopes to come back, as this time Romero’s cross found teammate Victor Cuevas inside the box where he kicked it in and ended the game 4-2.

“We played them a few years ago and beat them,” said Merritt head coach Zach Sullivan after the game. “They have a good team this year.”

Gladiators stage a comeback in typical fashion

Lady Glads lose first at home

ROGER MOLINA/STAFF PHOTOS

By RogeR Molina

THE SPORTS EDITOR

By RogeR Molina

THE SPORTS EDITOR

ROGER MOLINA/STAFF PHOTO

Top: Erick Chavez sets for a kickMiddle: Alfredo Navarro beats defenderBottom: Francisco Valencia slides for ball

The Lady Glad’s took on sister college Las Positas at home last Friday.

In a game where Chabot’s defense and offense was tested, they fell short to the competition 2-0.

From the opening whistle, Las Positas forwards came out attacking. Freshman forward Krystal Espindola had two shots on goal and one that missed right in the games first 8 minutes.

The Hawks did not take their foot of the pedal. An attack led by sophmore Phoebe Santos almost gave the Hawks another scoring opportunity when Chabot’s Christina Kezar cut off a pass intended to Espindola.

Good defensive plays kept Chabot in the game.

A well time decision by goalkeeper Karen Escobar took off what could have been a point for Las Positas when she came to the edge of the goal box and forced a wide shot.

Before the half ended, Chabot’s “bend but don’t break” defense would experience its first cracks.

Las Positas Espindola, scored on a ball that bounced off

Chabot’s goalkepper’s gloves and kicked it in giving the Hawks the lead with five minutes remaining in the half.

The score at haltime was 1-0 Las Positas.

The Lady Glad’s managed to string two attacks early in the second half but both were called back due to players being offsides.

Chabot had their chance to tie late in the second half.

Captain Amanda Murillo recieved a perfect go ahead pass by forward Deandre Britton that left her alone with Las Positas goalkepper Ashley Stevens. Stevens came out to cover the ball as Murillo lobbed it over her head just missing the goal by inches.

Las Positas added another point on the scoreboard before the game was over. Giving them a 2-0 victory.

“Las Positas wanted it more,” answered Chabot head coach Markus Bathelt. “Las Positas had a little bit more and we necessarily didn’t make a difference today.”

Chabot’s overall record is now 3-2, already surpassing last year’s total wins.

The next home game is Friday Sep. 23 against SFCC.