11-9-09

MUSTANG DAILYNews

CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY

Monday, November 9, 2009 www.mustangdaily.netVolume LXXIV, Number 39

TOMORROW: Mostly sunny High 71˚/Low 43˚

IN ARTS, 11 IN SPORTS, 12

Sand mandala created by visiting monks

intentionally destroyed in closing ceremony.

Women’s soccer loses shootout in

Big West Tournament final.

Police capture carjacking suspectKatie Koschalkmustang daily

Police have captured a kidnap-ping/carjacking suspect they had been searching for since Wednesday evening. At approximately 6 p.m. Nov. 6, police took Grover Beach resident Ryan Soqui into custody at a rest stop in Gaviota, Ca., near Highway 101.

Earlier on Friday, police received information that Soqui was going to Santa Barbara to visit a friend, Chris Newman. They conducted surveil-lance on Newman’s car, a white Toyota Camry. After some time, po-lice confirmed that Newman had a male passenger in the car, later con-firmed to be Ryan Soqui. Police found a black and chrome BB gun that matched the description of the gun used in the carjacking.

Police suspect Soqui of being

responsible for the kidnapping, car-jacking and robbery of Cal Poly student Yi Tak Choi on Wednes-day night on Campus Way near the Health Center.

The Cal Poly campus was bus-tling with people as the men’s soc-cer game was about to end. Choi was driving a silver 2000 Audi A6 and was allegedly approached by a man from outside her car while she was in stop-and-go traffic near a stop sign. According to police, he asked for directions through a rolled-down car window.

Bill Watton, the Chief of Police at the University Police Depart-ment, said that despite numerous people being around, the situation would not have appeared threaten-ing or abnormal to witnesses.

Soqui then entered Choi’s car and made her drive away at gun-point.

“She was very fearful at that point. He pulled out a handgun near the area of Foothill and Cali-fornia and told her to go South on the freeway and exited at Los Osos,” Watton said.

After switching to the driver’s seat, Soqui ordered the girl to take him to an ATM, where she could withdraw money, Watton said. The girl directed him back to an ATM machine on Foothill Blvd.

Police say Soqui waited in the car as the girl walked up to the ATM to withdraw money. Seeing an opportunity for escape, the girl sprinted to Nucci’s, a restaurant lo-cated on Foothill Blvd. and within close proximity to the ATM. When Soqui saw her enter the restaurant, he took off in her car.

Capt. Chris Staley of the San Luis Obispo Police Department said that the victim made the right

choices to best ensure her safety.“My take on it is that she did

the right thing by listening to his instructions and cooperating with him initially. She took the oppor-tunity when she saw it to flee the (suspect), which was a good deci-sion,” Staley said.

Soqui allegedly drove the car to Grover Beach, where a sheriff dep-uty recognized the vehicle around 10:15 p.m. A short pursuit ensued. The car Soqui was driving eventu-ally went over an embankment and off the road. When the authorities got to the car, Soqui had already exited. They did, however, find that somewhere along the way, Soqui had picked up a passenger, who allegedly was not involved in the crime. After detaining the passen-ger, authorities tracked Soqui to an abandoned house that they suspect-ed he was hiding in, Watton said.

Setting up a border around the house, authorities called the region-al S.W.A.T team before entering the house around 3:30 Thursday morning. When they entered the house, however, Soqui was nowhere to be found.

After police were unable to find Soqui, they received a tip on Nov. 5 that he may have gone South to the Los Angeles area. San Luis Obispo police officers went to Los Ange-les and searched places that he had been known to frequent in conjuc-tion with Los Angles police officers but were unsucessful.

The next day police received the tip that resulted in his arrest; Soqui was arrested for carjacking, kidnap-ping and robbery. He is being held at San Luis Obispo County Jail.

Bethany Kegeris, a nutrition se-

see Kidnapping, page 2

Leticia Rodriguezmustang daily

Social sciences senior Emily Hill is excited about the prospect of at-tending graduate school for her mas-ter’s in anthropology. She wants to study with new professors and gain a more well-rounded intellectual ex-perience.

Even with the option of graduate school and the bad economy, some students still choose to take a chance in the job market directly after grad-uation. Graduate school can offer advancements later in a career while an immediate job offers experience, something many employers look for in a potential employee. But what’s the better option?

If the truth is to be found through

statistics, it seems that many students feel graduate school is the wisest choice.

Nationwide, graduate school en-rollment numbers have steadily in-creased in all industries. In a study released by the Council of Gradu-ate Schools, a graduate advancement organization, roughly 52,500 more students enrolled in graduate school between fall 2007 and fall 2008, a jump from the 1.6 million students from the previous year. At the same time, Cal Poly saw the overall num-ber of undergraduate students ap-plying to graduate school increase from approximately 395 to 407 but noted a 1 percent decrease in the total number of graduating students attending graduate school. Even so, in the last 10 years, the number of

Cal Poly graduates attending gradu-ate programs has stayed between 18-24 percent.

For Hill, the choice to attend has a lot to do with her need to differ-entiate herself from the competition in her field.

“In anthropology, you really can’t get anywhere without going to grad school,” she said. “Soon enough, get-ting a bachelor’s is going to be like getting your high school diploma. People are so educated these days, so it really steps up the competition.”

Daniel Walsh, senior associate dean of the College of Engineering, calls himself an “unabashed advocate for graduate programs” and credits many of his life experiences with his decision to get a master’s and a Ph.D. A particular goal of his is to encour-

age the students with 2.5 grade point averages as well as the 3.5 and 4.0 students to pursue further educa-tional options. But his main priority is to make sure that students make an informed choice before applying to graduate schools or jobs.

“I don’t think enough of our stu-dents have looked at graduate school as an option. I have done things, I have been places that I would never have been, in my opinion, if I hadn’t gotten a Ph.D.,” Walsh said. “Our business at Cal Poly should be the people who want to get that master’s degree. This is just a logical exten-sion of what we do and do well. And that’s for everybody, that’s liberal arts, that’s science and math.”

Debra Valencia-Laver, associ-ate dean for the College of Liberal

Arts, said all students should enter Cal Poly planning to go to gradu-ate school regardless of their major or their actual plans, because it keeps doors open. Her biggest advice is to speak to a professor before graduat-ing about writing a reference letter. While Carole Moore, program co-ordinator and career counselor for Career Services, agrees that a gradu-ate program isn’t for everyone, she thinks that in the long run, there is no harm in furthering education.

“I’m an educator, so I think get-ting an education is always a good thing,” she said. “Grad school is never going to hurt you; education is never going to kill you. This is a good time to go.”

Students torn over post-graduate decisions

House approves health care overhaul, but Senate unlikely to

agree.

Ryan Soqui had been on the run since late Wednesday evening after incident on Cal Poly campus

IN NEWS, 4

see Grad school, page 3

News

News editor: Tim Miller

www.mustangdaily.net

Monday, November 9, 20092 Mustang Daily

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[email protected]

nior, said that she is going to take extra precautions, including staying out of dark alleyways, always lock-ing doors and always trying to travel in groups.

“I think that it’s a reality check that it can happen anywhere and that it can happen to anyone. You would never think that it could happen to you. It’s just scary,” she said.

Watton said students should al-ways be wary of strangers approach-ing them, especially on a college

campus.“It’s hard to tell students from

non-students on campus. It’s easy for someone to blend in. Be wary of people, even if it’s a student, because they could still be dangerous. That doesn’t mean be rude to everyone. Just be careful,” Watton said.

Jeff Bauer, a graphic communi-cation senior, said he also did not expect something like this to hap-pen.

“I’m surprised that it happened on campus. I would have thought that since there were a lot of peo-ple around it would have been less likely,” he said. “I probably won’t change anything that I currently do. I feel pretty safe on campus.”

Watton, who has been working for the University Police Depart-ment for seven years, said he has never seen a kidnapping on cam-pus.

“I want people to know that this is a safe campus. It still is. Things like this will happen from time to time,” Watton said. “It’s best to just be prepared. Have an escape route and be aware of what’s around you. Always be thinking, what are you going to do if.”

Kidnappingcontinued from page 1

I want people to know that this is a safe campus. It still is. Things like this will happen from time

to time.—Bill Watton

University police chief

Airport officers covertly keep an eye out for suspicious behaviorKen Kayesun sentinel

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — You might not see them. But they’re studying you.

To identify dangerous people, the Transportation Security Ad-ministration has stationed specially trained behavior detection officers at 161 U.S. airports. The officers can be positioned anywhere, from the parking garage to the gate, try-ing to spot passengers who show an unusual level of nervousness or stress.

They don’t focus on national-ity, race, ethnicity or gender, said Sari Koshetz, spokeswoman for the TSA.

“We’re not looking for a type of person, but at behaviors,” she said.

The program started in Boston in 2003, expanded to Miami in 2006 and then to Fort Lauderdale in 2007.

Under the program, a suspi-cious passenger might be given a secondary security screening or re-ferred to police; detection officers don’t have powers of arrest.

Last year, officers nationwide required 98,805 passengers to un-dergo additional screenings. Police questioned 9,854 of them and ar-rested 813.

While the TSA doesn’t break down the numbers for individual airports, each week the officers re-quire dozens of travelers in Miami and Fort Lauderdale to submit to secondary screenings.

In one case, in March 2008, detection officers noticed a pas-senger about to board a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Charlotte, N.C. During a secondary screening, of-ficers found 209 grams of the drug Ecstasy, with a street value of $2.5

million, in a carry-on bag. The traveler was arrested.

In other instances, travelers have been arrested on charges of drug trafficking, possessing fraudulent documents and having outstand-ing warrants, Koshetz said.

In February 2008, detection of-ficers at Miami International Air-port noted that a passenger had suspicious travel documents and was acting oddly. When he was flagged for a secondary screening, he bolted.

Local police and TSA officers chased the man, who ran out of the terminal and jumped off a second-story road onto a sidewalk. He broke an arm and was arrested on charges of resisting arrest, disor-derly conduct and possessing sev-eral IDs.

It’s not easy to spot detection officers. Working in teams of two and clad in TSA uniforms, they blend in with those performing

screening chores at the security checkpoint.

While they don’t require any previous background in behavior analysis, the officers are chosen based on their intelligence, maturi-ty and ability to work with people, the TSA said.

Officers undergo four days of behavior training, which includes trying to spot suicide terrorists, and then receive 24 hours of on-the-job training.

On a recent Monday, detection officers Juan and Humberto (the Sun Sentinel is not revealing their last names to protect their covert status) eyeballed hundreds of pas-sengers at Fort Lauderdale-Holly-wood International Airport.

After noticing a passenger with red eyes who was holding a large carrying case, Juan started a friendly conversation with the man. Such chats allow an officer to immediately tell whether a traveler has malicious intentions, Juan said.

As it turned out, the case con-tained a musical amplifier and the man was simply tired.

“He was pretty calm,” Juan said.

Humberto said he has assessed people as diverse as businessmen in suits and mothers with screaming children.

“When somebody’s trying to hide something, it’s going to show,” he said.

Koshetz said the TSA has es-tablished specific criteria for what is considered normal behavior “in an airport environment.” She said officers react only if a passenger strays from those guidelines, which the TSA declines to reveal for se-curity purposes.

The observation of passengers doesn’t end in the airport.

On an undisclosed number of domestic and international flights, federal air marshals pick up where the behavior detection officers leave off.

The marshals blend in with pas-sengers and work covertly to spot suspicious behavior, said Nelson Minerly, spokesman for the Feder-al Air Marshal Service, which also falls under the TSA.

“If the public can’t find us, the bad guys can’t find us either,” said

mcclatchy-tribune

TSA officers, such as the individual in the blue shirt, watch for suspi-cious behavior at airports, well before and and after passengers pass through security at Fort Lauderdale International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

see Airport, page 3

News


Monday, November 9, 2009 3Mustang Daily

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Graphic communication senior Brandon Lutze said he’s not going to fully consider applying to a grad-uate program because his industry hires more on knowledge and skill rather than a higher education. A big contributing factor for him to apply or get a job hinders on the economic downturn affecting job opportunities and the financial cost. For him, the financial results of attending graduate school need to outweigh the cost.

“If you’re guaranteed to make more money by going to grad school, it probably wouldn’t be that big a deal, but if you go to grad school, you better hope it pays off.”

Mark Shelton, associate dean for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, advis-es students against going to gradu-ate school strictly because they believe it will make them more marketable.

“If you want a broader educa-tional experience, if you need an extra year to move forward pro-fessionally, then go for it,” he said. “But if you have the notion that it’s going to make you more money or you’re going to be more employ-able, I question that.”

For biomedical engineering se-nior Brandon Reynolds, attending graduate school wouldn’t be worth it because he’s too unsure of why he wants to spend an extra year in school. A trend he’s noticed among peers in his major is that many are attending graduate school either because of the economy or be-cause they don’t want to move on from school, not because they’re interested in learning. But Reyn-olds said he’s done with school.

“My plan basically is to get a job, find something that I’m re-ally passionate about and if I want to go back to school or need to go back to school, then I’m cool with that,” he said. “I just want to get out and work because I’ve had a few internships, so I know what it’s like to not have to deal with school, and I liked it.”

While working in his intern-ships, Reynolds also said he didn’t see a direct correlation between position level and a person’s num-ber of degrees. On an engineer-ing job-posting Web site, of the 50 engineering companies hiring, only 16 posted jobs that required a master’s degree or higher and only one company stated that an employee’s pay was directly cor-related to their academic quali-fications. For the most part, the

companies stressed experience as a potential employee’s main attrac-tion.

Adam Kampa, a 2005 Cal Poly electrical engineering graduate, didn’t attend graduate school and now works as a system automations superviser for PG&E. He said that when it comes to hiring, the most important aspect PG&E looks for is a bachelor’s degree, because un-less an employee is applying for a very specific job, a master’s doesn’t mean much.

“I can say without a doubt internships are the most impor-tant thing when looking for a job. Grades don’t mean shit without real-life experience,” Kampa said. “To be honest, a master’s just means they spent extra time in school.”

While both graduate school and getting a job after graduation have their advantages, in the end, it seems that stating one or the other is the better option can’t be done. Brian Tietje, associate dean of undergraduate programs for Or-falea College of Business, said that graduate degrees depend on where a student is in their career and their future plans.

“I think it can help a lot, but only if it’s right for them and their career,” Tietje said. “It’s a great learning experience if it’s at the right time in a person’s life, and that’s the big ‘If.’”

As for Hill, she will be the first person in her family to attend and graduate from college, a goal in-stilled in her by her parents. Now, as she edges closer to graduation, Hill is feeling the pressure to attend graduate school.

Grad schoolcontinued from page 3

UC Berkeley students make world-record California sushi rollSean Maheroakland tribune

BERKELEY, Calif. — It began with ninjas and it ended with tofu, and somewhere in the middle hun-dreds of amateur sushi rollers set a new world record.

The world’s longest California roll was made on the University of California, Berkeley campus Sunday, according to Consul-General of Ja-pan Yasumasa Nagamine. Organizers lined up dozens of six-foot tables that were manned by volunteer stu-dents and campus employees and created 330 feet of California roll, complete with avocado, cucumber and faux-crab meat.

At the end of the roll, an addi-tional 15 feet of vegetarian Cali-fornia roll substituted tofu for the meat.

The previous record of 300 feet was set in Hawaii in 2001, Berke-ley spokeswoman Kathleen Maclay said.

The first table to begin rolling all the ingredients together was staffed by members of the Japanese Gradu-ate & Researchers Society, who dressed in ninja costumes largely as-sembled from thrift stores.

“Ninja mask, a dollar-fifty. Plastic ninja sword, a dollar-fifty. Making the world’s longest California roll? Priceless,” said Ph.D. graduate Eri Takahashi.

The roll was made from 200 pounds of dry rice, 80 pounds each

of cucumber and avocado, and 180 pounds of fish, the latter donated by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Insti-tute.

“We’re trying to raise some aware-ness for people who eat seafood, that Alaskan fishing is all sustainable,” spokeswoman Jann Dickerson said. “Scientists track things like salmon runs to determine how many will be spawned each year, and fisheries are limited in how much they can catch based on that. It’s written into the state constitution.”

The event was the latest in a se-ries of celebrations for the 50th an-niversary of UC Berkeley’s Center

for Japanese Studies, professor Dun-can Williams said.

“A lot of what we’re talking about is Japanese hybrids, where Ja-pan meets the world. The California roll is a good example of that,” Wil-liams said.

“Food is always dynamic. There is no such thing as a pure cuisine — it’s always changing for the people who make it and eat it.”

The yearlong celebration ends in December and will include a sum-mit meeting of the heads of Japanese studies departments from across the United States to discuss the future of their field, Williams said.

photographer name mustang daily

Students Amy Yee, left, and Andrew Wilson at the University of Califor-nia, Berkeley, wet down seaweed as they work to construct a 330-foot-long California sushi roll on Sunday

Minerly, an air marshal since 2002.The exact number of air mar-

shals currently working is secret. But Minerly noted that they are federal law enforcement officers with arrest powers and the authority to use le-thal force.

If a passenger causes trouble, air marshals have several options. They can ask crew members to help sub-due a person. They can wait until the plane lands and call for backup. Or they can draw their weapons.

In December 2005, air marshals fatally shot Rigoberto Alpizar, 44, of Maitland, Fla., after he boarded an American Airlines flight from Mi-ami to Orlando. Alpizar had said he had a bomb in his backpack.

When two air marshals con-fronted him, he attempted to flee. Then he made a threatening move, prompting the marshals to fire. As it turned out, Alpizar didn’t have a bomb. According to his wife, he had bipolar disorder.

Sometimes, marshals must deal with drunk, unruly fliers, Minerly said. Usually, the marshals attempt to talk to those passengers without any display of force.

“That’s an incident we’ve dealt with more than once over the years,” he said.

Alex Archer, of Sunrise, Fla., a businessman who was flying to Chicago, said he had no objection to being secretly watched.

“Honestly, I haven’t even no-ticed them,” he said. “They must be doing a good job. It’s better to have more security than not enough.”

Airportcontinued from page 2

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Police, Rangers join quest for evidence, answers at Fort Hood

Theodore Kimmcclatchy newspapers

FORT HOOD, Texas — As the Army paid tribute Saturday to its fallen colleagues, criminal investiga-tors collected evidence to explain why a military psychiatrist allegedly opened fire on soldiers preparing for combat deployment from Fort Hood in Texas Thursday.

Authorities said the alleged gun-man, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, had been taken off a ventilator but remained in intensive care at Brooke Army Medical Center in San An-tonio, Texas. In a news briefing Sat-urday evening, Col. John Rossi said he did not know if Hasan is able to communicate.

Hasan was shot four times after he fired more than 100 rounds from a semiautomatic pistol inside and outside a medical processing center on the Central Texas post. The attack left 12 soldiers and one civilian Army employee dead and 30 wounded.

U.S. Army investigators continue to collect evidence at the crime scene, Rossi said. He said that there

was no evidence of any “friendly fire” casualties and that there was only one suspect: Hasan.

A multiagency investigative task force, including the FBI, Texas Rangers and other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, will assist Army investigators, he said.

“We’re fully committed to this investigation,” said Chris Grey, spokesman for the Army Criminal Investigation Division.

“And we hope in a small way that will help the families heal and give them some comfort for losing their loved ones.”

Earlier Saturday, FBI agents in-terviewed residents of the predomi-nantly Muslim community adjoin-ing the mosque that Hasan attended at Fort Hood.

“You have to understand the complexity ... in trying to re-create and assess the events of the trag-edy here on Thursday,” Rossi told reporters. “Hasan is a suspect. The crime scene is being assessed. And at the right point, the judicial piece will pick up and move forward.”

Earlier Saturday, Texas Gov.

Rick Perry visited several of the wounded at Scott & White Me-morial Hospital in Temple.

The official identification of the dead capped an emotion-al day, in which the first of the wounded in the attack were re-leased from the Temple hospital. It also followed an announce-ment from the White House that President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, would attend a memorial service Tuesday at Fort Hood.

Late Saturday afternoon, as a southerly breeze rustled the half-staffed Stars and Stripes over his shoulder, Rossi stood before the III Corps headquarters at Fort Hood and solemnly announced the names of the 13 men and women killed in the attack.

“All of us here at Fort Hood and in the local community offer our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the be-loved friends of our Army family whose lives were tragically cut short on Thursday,” Rossi said.

“These men and women were more than great Americans. They were sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers. They were brave members of our Army family — soldiers and ci-vilians.”

mcclatchy-newspapers

Maj. William McKnight, left, Sgt. Maj. Leroy Walker, Jr., and Com. Sgt. Maj. Ted Pritchard hold candles during a vigil held in Hood Stadium at Fort Hood, Texas.

House health care vote is just the first stepDavid Lightmanmcclatchy newspapers

WASHINGTON — Any mo-mentum from Saturday’s historic House approval of a sweeping health care overhaul is likely to be short-lived as the focus moves to the Senate, where progress has been stalled for weeks.

Washington lawmakers on Sunday had two views of what the House’s 220 to 215 vote means.

One was that the narrowness of the vote, with 39 Democrats op-posed, showed the weakness of the bill. President Barack Obama’s top lieutenants lobbied furiously, in-cluding a presidential visit to the Capitol 11 hours before the vote.

“Most of our constituents agree we have a very serious problem with the health care system, but in terms of how you fix it, the coun-try is very divided,” said Rep. Al-len Boyd, D-Fla., one of the Dem-ocrats who voted no.

The other view was that the House vote was a major victory, the furthest any proposed health care overhaul has gotten since Medicare was created in 1965. No final health care overhaul will be easy.

Obama, in a Sunday statement, praised “a courageous vote for many members of Congress.”

“For years we’ve been told this couldn’t be done,” he said. “After all, neither chamber of Congress has been able to pass a compre-hensive health insurance reform bill for generations. But last night, the House proved differently.”

The bill would create a govern-ment-run health care insurance plan to compete with the private sector, bar insurers from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions and require most peo-ple to obtain coverage.

In the Senate, the views of eight to 12 moderates must be ac-commodated before anything can move.

Congressional centrists, as well as many freshmen and sophomore House members in swing districts, have said for some time their con-stituents are questioning whether more government will help ease their immediate financial worries. The message was reinforced Tues-

day, when Republican candidates won governorships in Virginia and New Jersey with the help of inde-pendent voters.

“More people in my district are expressing concern than sup-port” for the House health care overhaul, said Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., who represents the more rural, far western part of the state. He, too, voted no.

Even some who supported the House bill Saturday explained they were doing so largely to keep the legislative process alive.

“My reason for voting yes is to advance the cause of health care reform by forcing the Sen-ate to act,” said Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn. “Without passage of this House bill, the Senate could delay reform indefinitely.”

Senate moderates have been just as wary.

“I don’t see where we can reach any conclusions (about legislation) until we see the whole package,” said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. “Until you’ve seen the whole bill, you just don’t know,” added Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb.

One of their qualms — similar to those of House swing district members, involves the new sys-tem’s finances.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office pegged the House bill’s 10-year price at a net $891 billion and said it would cut the deficit by $109 billion. But skep-tical lawmakers said they could hardly go home, where people are facing a still-ailing economy, and argue a new trillion dollar pro-gram is essential.

House Democratic leaders tried to counter those fears by issuing a 14-point list of provisions that take effect immediately, including a ban on lifetime coverage lim-its, a requirement that insurance programs allow young people to remain on their parents’ policies until they’re 27 and a reduction of the coverage gap, or donut hole, in the Medicare prescription drug program.

But other key features of the bill, and the ones that will cost the most, don’t take effect until 2013.

People want help with their economic troubles now, some Democrats argue.

“The cost of this bill for the taxpayer is too high,” said Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Ky.

And, some members said, while a fix is needed, it should be change that “doesn’t fundamentally change a system with which most Ameri-cans are satisfied,” said Rep. Bobby Bright, D-Ala.

Many moderates indicated they could back legislation if they could go home and explain, with ease, how the cost of health care would go down, pre-existing conditions would not be cause for higher premiums or rejection, and no one would face losing their life savings if they got a serious illness.

see Health care, page 5

News


Wire Editor: Jennifer TitcombMonday, November 9, 2009 5Mustang Daily

News

Word on the Street

“In the year since President Obama was elected, how do you think he is doing?”

“I think he’s been doing what he needs to do.”

-Jason Fuentes, business se-nior

“I don’t like it. I’m not im-pressed. It’s been lots of de-bating about health care but nothing resolved; lots of talk, no walk.”

-Andrew Verderame, industrial engineering freshman

“I’ve heard a lot of people critical of his policies. I think he’s doing the best he can; it’s probably the hardest job in the world.”

-Kristen Wilkerson, business sophomore

“I think he’s trying, but don’t necessarily agree with him. But I think he’s trying his best.”

-Bobby Hu, economics fresh-man

“I definitely don’t think he’s doing that great of a job. I know his approval rating is go-ing down.”

-Adrianna Leiby, theatre fresh-man

“I think he’s trying but hasn’t followed through on health care yet.”

-Ryan Cole, business fresh-man

compiled and photographed by jennifer titcomb & nadia adamS

Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sand-lin, D-S.D., a no vote, said she was “optimistic” that something can be worked out. So were others.

“Some on the far left would like to see the federal government run a socialized health care system. Some on the far right would get the government completely out of health care, which would mean the elimination of Medicare and Med-

icaid,” said Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas. “I think both extremes are wrong.”

The Senate is where those ex-tremes tend to soften, since it takes 60 votes to overcome procedural hurdles, such as cutting off debate. Republicans signaled Sunday they don’t like what Democrats are of-fering.

“Americans want lower costs, less government intrusion, a sim-pler approach and less spending,” said GOP Leader Mitch McCon-nell, R-Ky.

Health carecontinued from page 4

million doses of vaccine.The initial round of vaccinations

will go to a prioritized list of peo-ple, starting with health care work-ers, then pregnant women, young children, the national army and po-lice, then students.

Since August, the health ministry has been running a public aware-ness campaign aimed at stopping the spread of the disease, Raaid said, but last week, it ratcheted up the effort, signing contracts with sev-eral TV and radio stations for about $200,000 in additional ads.

Signs in government buildings urge workers not to shake hands, to wash their hands often with soap and to uses masks. Posters bearing similar messages have been placed in public locations around the city.

Even as the health ministry spreads information about preven-tion and treatment, though, it’s hav-ing to fight rumors that undercut the effort. A common one, because of what some regard as the suspi-cious timing of the emergency declaration, is that the government is exaggerating the danger to dis-courage gatherings to protest the outcome of the presidential elec-tion, which left incumbent Hamid Karzai in place despite massive elec-tion fraud in his favor.

Flucontinued from page 6

News



News

PESHWAR, Afghanistan (MCT) — A suicide bomber at-tacked a livestock market in the sub-urbs of the violence-racked north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar on Sunday, killing a mayor who had opposed the Taliban and 11 other people.

Abdul Malik, mayor of the village of Adazai, was with his bodyguards at the market when the bomber struck. Peshawar police official Sahibzada Muhammad Anees said Malik was the target.

Malik, who had survived previ-ous attempts on his life by the Tali-ban, had recently organized a tribal militia to keep militants from the neighboring Khyber region out of his village, about 10 miles south of Peshawar.

“I saw the mayor accompanied by armed guards in the market when the explosion took place,” said Imtiaz Khan, a resident who suffered wounds to his left leg in the attack. “His bodyguards tried to overcome the bomber before the blast.”

Police said 35 people were in-jured in the explosion. Eight of the injured were in critical condition.

• • •BAGHDAD (MCT) — Iraq’s

bickering politicians finally agreed on a new election law Sunday, pav-ing the way for crucial national elec-tions to take place in January and for the drawdown of U.S. troops to pro-ceed as scheduled.

Parliament’s passage of the law came so late the election now can-not be held as had been planned on Jan. 16, said U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill, and would likely be moved to Jan. 23. But that is well within the end of January deadline mandated by Iraq’s constitution, and he said the short delay would make no difference to the U.S. military’s plans to bring all combat troops home by the end of August.

“What is significant about the date...in January is that the troops can be drawn down on schedule,” Hill told reporters in a conference call after the vote in Iraq’s parlia-ment.

InternationalFORTWORTH, Texas

(MCT) — The suspect in the Fort Hood shootings once regu-larly attended a Falls Church, Va., mosque, which the FBI has linked to two of the 9/11 hijackers, but the congregation’s current spiri-tual leader Sunday insisted the government’s claims of connec-tions are wrong.

In 2001, Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center was led by Anwar al-Aw-laki, a New Mexico-born scholar now living in Yemen. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, according to new disclosures by a Fort Hood ac-quaintance, was an admirer of al-Awlaki, who has been described as a radical Islamist.

The 9/11 Commission report accepted FBI findings that two of the hijackers, Nawaf al-Hamzi and Hani Hanjour, briefly worshiped at the mosque after one had met al-Awlaki during the imam’s pre-vious religious posting in San Diego. But the FBI found no evi-dence al-Awlaki had prior knowl-edge of the attack, the Washington Post reported.

• • •CHICAGO (MCT) — Sen.

Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Sunday that significant differences remain between the Democratic-led House-passed health care reform plan and senators, contending Senate Democrats have the votes to get the issue to the floor, but not to pass it at this point.

Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in party leadership, said getting a 60-vote majority to pre-vent a Republican filibuster re-mains a goal, but said the process of reconciliation — needing only a simple majority — remains an option though it would prevent enacting some major reforms, such as requiring private insurers to cover pre-existing conditions.

NationalSACRAMENTO (MCT)

— California lobbyists have filed a lawsuit in Sacramento Superior Court to stop the vote on a bal-lot measure scheduled for the June primary election that would make them the guinea pig in an experi-ment on campaign finance.

The lobbyists say the measure to make them collectively pay ap-proximately $34 million to fund California’s statewide secretary of state campaigns in 2014 and 2018 unfairly restricts their free speech rights and people’s constitutional right to petition their govern-ment.

“Our view is that the First Amendment isn’t up for election,” said Jackson Gualco, president of the lead plaintiff in the suit, the Institute of Governmental Advo-cates, and a top-level California lobbyist.

• • •BERKELEY, Calif. (MCT)

— It began with ninjas and it ended with tofu, and somewhere in the middle, hundreds of ama-teur sushi rollers set a new world record.

The world’s longest California roll was made on the University of California, Berkeley campus Sun-day, according to Consul-General of Japan Yasumasa Nagamine. Or-ganizers lined up dozens of six-foot tables that were manned by volunteer students and campus employees and created 330 feet of California roll, complete with avocado, cucumber and faux-crab meat.

At the end of the roll, an ad-ditional 15 feet of vegetarian Cali-fornia roll substituted tofu for the meat.

The previous record of 300 feet was set in Hawaii in 2001, Berke-ley spokeswoman Kathleen Ma-clay said.

State

Briefs To Afghanistan’s many problems, now add the flu

Jay Pricemcclatchy newspapers

KABUL, Afghanistan — As if the Taliban, car bombs, roadside bombs, leftover Soviet land mines, political unrest and errant NATO air attacks weren’t enough, Afghans are facing a new killer: the H1N1 flu pandemic.

The government has declared a state of emergency and closed schools, universities and even wed-ding halls and public bathrooms for three weeks to slow the spread of the virus, which has killed 10 people in the capital in less than two weeks. Cases are popping up in provinces spanning the country, with new outbreaks reported in two more provinces on Saturday.

“There is no doubt that we have an epidemic in our country now, and we are moving into the fall season when the conditions make it more likely to spread,” said Ah-

mad Farid Raaid, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health.

In the past few days, surgical face masks have bloomed like poppies on the faces of worried pedestrians along crowded streets and markets of the capital as more cases were re-ported.

The effectiveness of such masks in preventing a wearer from con-tracting flu is uncertain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but they are selling quickly in Kabul. Many vendors are boys who would be in school ex-cept for the emergency closing.

“I would prefer to be in class, but I can sell these for 10 afghanis (about 20 cents),” said Hafzuillah, 12, waving a fistful of masks as he stood among money changers and carts of roasted pine nuts in the cha-otic human tide of Kabul’s open-air central market. Like many Afghans, he uses just a single name.

In the past few days, the govern-ment has ramped up its response to the epidemic, Raaid said. Most of the 456 cases among Afghans — and all the fatalities — have occurred in Kabul. Friday, his ministry distrib-uted flu medicine and 10 tons of related medical supplies to 34 hos-pitals and clinics in the capital.

The Afghan government has enough anti-viral medicine to treat about 50,000 flu patients, with an-other 30,000 doses on the way, Raaid said. But there is no H1N1 vaccine on hand, although the gov-ernment expects to receive 550,000 doses through the World Health Organization and is asking for 11

mcclatchy-newspapers

A man wears a surgical face mask while walking through the central city marketplace in Kabul, Afghanistan. The government has declared a state of emergency and closed schools, universities and even wedding halls and public bathrooms for three weeks to slow the spread of the virus, which has killed 10 people in the capital in less than two weeks.

see Flu, page 5

Arts

NewsArts

monday, november 9, 2009 arts & entertainment editor: cassandra keyse

“Compliment from a Stranger”

“We Belong to the Earth” exhibit connects SLO to its rootsMegan Hasslermustang daily

The life of an artist doesn’t nor-mally become dangerous, but for one artist his work leads to threats.

Robert Frear’s collection of pho-tographs of the rock paintings in the Los Padres National Forest broke friendships and were requested to be burned.

Frear is one artist featured in the “We Belong to the Earth” exhibit at the Art Center in San Luis Obispo. This exhibit was part of the Art After Dark on Friday, Nov. 6, where Frear and Linda Vallejo, another of the fea-tured artists, participated in a presen-tation. While all of the artists’ work ties into the indigenous cultures of California, they are very different in their creation and subjects.

Local artist Frear spent three years working with the Los Padres Nation-al Forest and a group called Partners of Preservation on a government grant. Frear had access to many sites once home to the Chumash people

that are not open to the public. He was in charge of taking pictures of the sites.

Frear also took photos of various rock paintings. The shots are featured in the exhibit.

The Chumash saw these rock paintings and carvings as personal expression. They believed that the creator was the only one who was ever supposed to look at the work. Frear’s pictures were called “blasphe-mous” and some asked him to burn them.

The hardest working Chumash, Native Americans originally from the Channel Islands and Santa Mon-ica Mountains, worked three hours a day. This left them lots of free time to create the rock painitngs and carv-ings, baskets (which could hold wa-ter) and canoes lined with tar (which never sprang leaks). Frear says this creativity and the need to create art is part of human nature.

“Humans have always created art. There is something so basic and … human about it,” Frear said. When

describing his work with the Los Pa-dres National Forest he said, “It was like finding this long lost abandoned art gallery.”

The exhibit also features Linda Vallejo’s “A prayer for the Earth,” an installation of paintings, earth-based sculptures and a central mandala. Mandala translates to “circle” and this piece features a circle of pictures.

The outer images are of the pol-lution of the Earth, which surround the rest of the images of people en-gaged in acts of prayer. In the four corners around the mandala are four offerings with natural objects like stone, shell, rock, coral, feather, dirt, ash, obsidian, plant and tree materials. These represent the four elements: earth, fire, air and water.

Vallejo’s work is greatly influ-enced by her participation in a dance group called Las Flores de Aztlan Dance Troupe. She joined in the 70s and has performed and taught Mayan and Azteca dance at many festivals, ceremonies, universities and colleges.

She has been compiling the

see Exhibit, page 10

At the end of 2002, Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” pulled in a lion’s share of the notable album of the year stampings from press outlets, ranging the spectrum from independent-minded Webzines to, well, “Entertainment Weekly.” Much of the love for the album came from its timing, specifically its online release only seven days after the Sept. 11 attacks.

While “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” seemed predominantly concerned with the difficulties of a seemingly doomed relationship, its message of hope and earnestness in the wake of almost ensured eventual destruction rung true for the first year of the newly-dubbed “post-9/11 era.”

In the following years, its impor-tance dimmed in the wake of politi-cal outspokenness and indie-ironic sensibility that would come to de-fine most of the media-oriented portion of the 2000s. Earnestness and love took a backseat to detach-ment from feeling through irony (which was largely through thrift store finds and eventually largely through pseudo-thrift store finds that would point out indie sub-cul-ture was really just a rebranding of

the jocks you knew in high school) and political lines in the sand.

To be honest, the media image of the 2000s was very different from our emotional experience of it. In the wake of disaster (9/11, Hurri-cane Katrina, nuclear proliferation, global warming, worldwide depres-sion, etc.), many of us did not give in to the inanity and eventual destruc-tion that filled the 2000s. We didn’t give up on human beings even when it was impossible to avoid the fact that we might as well.

D.H. Lawrence de-scribed our generation and his well by saying: “Ours is a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragi-cally.”

I say this b e c a u s e you’re still here. The e a r t h ’s a t m o -sphere w a s a c -tive-

ly being destroyed, yet you still managed to find time to have a doomed sexual relationship with that selfish boy or girl from your work, the third floor of your dormitory or your Bible study group.

And because you did, “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” was the beating heart of our mil-lennial existence.

“Jesus, Etc.” carried the soul of the album with Tweedy comforting a lover

by saying, “ Yo u

were right about the stars/Each one is a setting sun,” as if he was still try-ing to believe it. It was a song about destruction and uncertainty that re-vealed that, for better or worse, “our love is all we have.”

These songs lived the moment between detachment and earnest-ness that we, as a generation, still tread. “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” came filled with self-doubt, hidden feelings and sudden earnest, drunken displays o f

emotion. “Ashes of American Flags” asked “speaking of tomorrow/how will it ever come?” while still salut-ing the ashes of what was left.

Throughout the 2000s, we saw so many things that told us there might not be another full decade and there might not be a real hon-est mate out there for us to couple with. We might be too dead and self-conscious to fully love another human being, especially sexually.

But we did, and many times without hesitancy. True to form,

that’s the feeling Tweedy en-compasses at the end of the album as he says: “I’ve got

reservations /About so many things / But not about you.” He means it just like you did before you got your heart broken and then the year after when you dove back in.

G r a h a m Culbertson is an English gradu-ate student, KCPR mu-sic director and Hipster B u l l s h i t contributing columnist.

Arts

Arts editor: Cassandra [email protected]


Arts

for this installment since 1990. The latest piece is from 2006.

The third artist, Sheila Pinkel, is from Southern California and is a professor at Pomona College. Her Sherman Oaks Library mural from 2003 is featured in the exhibit. She worked for two years with Tongva Native Americans, who were in the Los Angeles area before the Span-ish, to help “properly represent their culture.” Pinkel’s description of her work on her Web site explains the

placement of all the elements and how the cycle of the moon and Tongva ritual of coaxing it out each month relates to the mural.

The San Luis Obispo Art Center is showcasing the exhibit from Oct. 9 through Nov. 20. When Gordon Fuglie, the Art Center’s adjunct cu-rator, saw the “Prayer for the Earth” exhibit he thought it would go well with a few pieces he had seen previ-ously. He began assembling the ex-hibit and contacted the artists. The planning began over six months ago.

“We Belong to the Earth” is called a tribute to California’s indig-enous traditions. Frear said the Chu-

mash had a way of life that was not invasive on the Earth, which left little trace and is “something we need to tap back into.”

While striving to help people feel connected to some of the original art of California, Frear did not neces-sarily know what he was getting into. Being told to burn your work isn’t the reaction artists want to hear.

The Art After Dark program is held the first Friday of every month from 6 to 9 p.m. It features local art-ists from about 20 local businesses and galleries and provides snacks at some establishments while people explore the exhibits.

Exhibitcontinued from page 9

megan hassler mustang daily

Linda Vallejo’s man-dala is featured in the center of the exhibit and uses natural mate-rials in an attempt to show the unification of the four elements: earth, fire, air and water (left). At right, one of Robert Frear’s photographs of rock paintings left by the Chumash in the Los Padres National Forest.

music column

Wilco’s 2002 album, “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” may be album of the decade

Arts


Monday, November 9, 2009 11Mustang Daily

Arts

Visiting Tibetan monks destroy sand mandala, lead ceremonial procession to Santa Rosa ParkKate McIntyremustang daily

The Tibetan Buddhist monks visiting Cal Poly ended their four-day stay with a closing ceremony in which they destroyed the sand mandala they created in the University Union. More than 60 people attended the ceremony, silently watching as the intricate design of mil-lions of grains of colored sand was swept up and then poured into a nearby creek.

The eight monks, members of the Drepung Loseling monastery in South India, visited Cal Poly as part of The Mystical Arts of Tibet tour, which shares Tibetan culture and raises awareness of the tumultuous situation in Tibet. Throughout the week, the monks spent hours creating a bright, multicolored sand mandala on a table in the UU; community members also placed sand in a smaller version designed by a Cal Poly student. In addition, the monks performed their Sacred Music Sacred Dance program in the Christopher Cohan Center of the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center Thursday evening.

On Friday, the closing ceremony meant the destruction of the mandala, which symbolizes the impermanence of life, showing how noth-ing lasts forever.

The monks began the ceremony by chant-ing and playing instruments, including symbols, a drum and two 12-foot horns. Then the head monk placed a small yellow flower in the middle of the mandala and pushed lines of sand from the outside of the design toward the flower. Another monk stepped in and used a brush to sweep the sand into a pile, covering the flower.

Cal Poly 1972 graduate Patra Rae Nesseth-Steffes said she’s seen many of these ceremonies,

because she’s a member of the American Hima-layan Foundation in San Francisco.

“It was just great. It was very nice. It was insightful, and I learned a lot,” she said.

Many people photographed the ceremony, which Cal Poly Spanish lecturer Nancy Rucci said was interesting, because the mandala is sup-posed to show us that life isn’t endless.

“That’s us,” she said. “We don’t go to the temporary stuff very easily.”

After sweeping the sand into a pile, the monks scooped half of it into tiny vials, which they distributed to the audience. In their reli-gion, the sand has blessing powers. Rucci said she plans to pour some of her sand into the ocean and give some to her father and sister-in-law, both of whom are ill.

The monks carried the other half of the sand with them as they led a procession out of the University Union and to Santa Rosa Park, where the rest of the ceremony took place at Stenner Creek. They began chanting and play-ing their instruments, their heads bowed and their eyes closed. Then one monk poured the sand into the creek, where it will flow to the ocean and spread its healing power.

English graduate student Chelsea Lynn said the ceremony was one of the most beautiful and touching things she has experienced.

“The selflessness of the monks and just how they’re doing this for the world is such a beauti-ful message,” she said.

Lynn said she has always been interested in Buddhism and plans to help Tibet by getting people to mobilize.

The Mystical Arts of Tibet tour was coor-dinated by the Drepung Loseling monastery and Richard Gere Productions. Each touring group of monks visits more than 100 cities in

the United States, plus other cities worldwide. For most of the monks, this was their first tour, although some have been on multiple trips. This particular group is returning to the monastery in India in December.

Thupten Tendhar, the monks’ translator, said the monks have enjoyed traveling in the U.S. because of the opportunity to meet people from various cultures and religions.

At first, the constant traveling was tiring, but knowing and realizing how they have contrib-uted to peace and harmony strengthens them to continue, he said.

Tendhar said the monks are fun to travel with. He said in the van they chant, debate and sometimes play games.

He added that many of the monks said San Luis Obispo is something like a paradise, be-

cause everything is green and beautiful.They enjoy being able to share their art and

culture and raise awareness about the situation in Tibet, he said.

“As we travel from place to place we get to meet people and share. They ask questions and many people want to get involved because they hear lots about Tibet and the control of the me-dia and monasteries.”

He recommended that people who want to get involved should check out non-governmen-tal organizations like International Campaign for Tibet or Students for a Free Tibet. There are others that run schools and hospitals in Tibet that also need support.

“We need better education and health care for Tibetans who have been struggling to pre-serve their tradition and for survival,” he said.

ryan sidarto mustang daily

Eight Tibetan Monks spent four days completing a traditional sand mandala in the Uni-versity Union near the information desk.

I don’t understand why the campus community wasn’t informed of this earlier. I received an email from Cal Poly Thursday at 4:28 pm, 19 hours after the abduction. I never received a text message from the Cal Poly Emergency Text Message Alert sys-tem.

— SaraIn response to “Police search for armed

suspect who allegedly stole a car and tried to kidnap a woman”

I think it is a very good idea to find ways to not throw away food. I hate throwing away food. There is no need of throwing it away. I think we should get what we are going to eat and not just get the food because we can.

—MayraIn response to “On-campus dining does

its best to not waste food”

There should be more sitdown op-tions up at Poly Canyon Village.

—AnonymousIn response to “Campus Dining Spices

up menu”

It’s unfortunate that this kid is throwing away his life like this.

—SimeonIn response to “Police caputre carjacking,

kidnapping suspect”

Somebody sounds a little bitterBy the way Scozzafava career as a politician is pretty much over. She will always be remembered for this, and she won’t be able to compete with democrats in primaries. She may get some small spots, but in all like-lihood she is done; that is unless the

democrats get some sense knocked into them and actually decide to elect a non-extemist. I mean seriously the two biggest leaders are Obama and Pelosi, Chicago, the most corrupt city in American politics and San Fran-cisco, the most absolutely extremist liberal, out-of-touch-with-America district in the US. If the democrats had been smart and elected John Ed-wards or another candidate (not Hi-lalry Clinton) they may be in better standing.

—Luke DirkinIn response to “Republican Scazzofava

was the real winner on Tuesday”

You thought that it was going to be real? You are giving a movie a bad review because pfyour perception of the film before the movie?

Come on man obviously its not gonna be real, its all ‘BASED’ on true events.Do some research before you rant about about a movie. Just because you got duped by some

teenage viral marketing doesn’t mean you have to take it out on us

—Jim In response to “The Fourth Kind is a

waste of time”

This article is very fasinating. In fact, its ironic that it mentioned saving the world by using recycable and resued materials to make the art because i belive in Go green and protecting the enviroment. Art has always fasci-nated me and this is something that definitely catches my eye.

—Bo CurbowIn response to “Eco art on display at

FrameWorks”

NOTE: The Mustang Daily features se-lect comments that are written in response to articles posted online. Though not all the responses are printed, the Mustang Daily prints comments that are coherent and fos-ter intelligent discussion on a given subject.

Op Ed

Mustang DailyThe voice of Cal Poly since 1916

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to edit letters for grammar, profanities and length. Letters, commentaries and cartoons do not represent the views of the Mustang Daily. Please limit length to 250 words. Letters should include the writer’s full name, phone number, major and class standing. Letters must come from a Cal Poly e-mail account. Do not send letters as an attachment. Please send the text in the body of the e-mail.

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Monday, November 9, 2009Volume LXXIV, No. 39 ©2009

Mustang Daily

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“Hippie smackdown”

12

opinion/editorialMonday, November 9, 2009

Editor in chief: Emilie EggerManaging Editor: Alex Kacik

[email protected]


After heated town hall dis-cussions during the most recent Congressional recess, the heat behind the health care debate seemed to have simmered down, although lately it seems that that fire is growing yet again. I can understand why: health care is a big deal to people and the way our health care and health insur-ance systems are structured makes a big difference in the quality of people’s lives.

I don’t suggest that I know ex-actly how we should change our health care system to make it the best it can be, but there are defi-nitely some aspects of the system that I have strong feelings about. Hopefully we can find some common ground on some health care basics.

First of all, the Constitution enumerates the power of the Congress to regulate interstate commerce (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3) and yet it is difficult, if not impossible to purchase an insurance policy outside of your state. This limits competition which means higher costs and lower quality. H.R. 3217, which is the “Health Care Choice Act of 2009” introduced by John Sha-degg of Arizona, would fix this problem. This seems like a com-mon sense, constitutional piece of legislation that would help the average American citizen.

Another problem with the American health care system is the overutilization of health in-surance. Insurance is supposed to be for catastrophic events: car crashes, natural disasters, bank failures, etc. Why then do we use health insurance for simple things like routine checkups? I believe this is due to our tax code. The money employers pay for health insurance isn’t taxed like regular wages are, so to avoid taxation, it would make sense to have all

the money you’d want for health care diverted out of your wages and paid to the insurance company. This creates a distortion that drives up costs.

Most people pay no attention to what routine visits actually cost be-cause their insurance covers it and their only immediate cost is perhaps a minimal co-pay. Cost plays no role in the choice of a doctor, because the insurance pays for it, so there is little incentive for doctors to lower their rates. If by contrast you look at costs consumers pay directly, as is the case with LASIK eye sur-gery or elective cosmetic surgeries, you will find that these prices have dropped over the years as quality has simultaneously increased. This is because con-sumers a re

paying out of pocket, so they’re willing to shop around and find good doctors at good prices. Free markets lower costs and raise qual-ity simultaneously.

Another issue that negatively affects the cost of health care is state mandates for coverage. In California there are 56 mandates for health care providers, benefits or patient populations that insur-ance companies must either cover or offer coverage for. These man-dates also lead to overutilization of health insurance, as certain things are required to be covered. The Council for Affordable Health In-surance believes mandated benefits “ i n c r e a s e the cost of basic h e a l t h cove r age

f r o m a little less

than 20% to perhaps 50 percent, depending on the number of man-dates, the benefit design and the cost of the initial premium.” Why can’t people decide what they want coverage for? These mandates re-move choice from consumers and remove free market forces from health care.

If the U.S. looks to Canada as an example of the free market being removed from health care, I think you’ll find a system not quite up to par with ours. In Canada, there’s less of a wait time by about two weeks for a pet to get a CT scan than there is for a human to be-cause they let the free market take care of pets’ health but the govern-ment is in charge of people’s health care. More than one million Ca-nadians say they can’t even find a regular family doctor; some towns hold lotteries when physicians have an opening in their patient list.

The principle problem with our health insurance system is a lack of free-market mechanisms. Health insurance costs are soaring because of government involvement, not a lack thereof. Health care is too im-portant of an issue for politicians to be stepping in and dictating how things should be done; instead they should be removing regulations and letting the free market do its work.

H.R. 3962 passed the house late this past Saturday night, which means more regulations, more

penalties, more taxes, more bu-reaucracy and leaves fewer choices for consumers. This is exactly the wrong direc-tion we should be mov-ing in. Let us hope that this nearly two thousand page monstrosity does not become law.

Aaron Berk is a computer engineering junior and Mustang

Daily political columnist.

Health care should be left to free market instead of robbing citizens of choice

Health care bill is unpassable

“The Liberal Lense” doesn’t fail to make me laugh. The article about Scozzafava was hilarious. As for praise for Scozzafava, did you praise Joe Lieberman for branching from the Dems? I know he’s an Indepen-dent, but he traditionally backs the democratss and was criticized for opposing the Reid bill. Hurray for people like you who favor people like Lieberman, right? Nope! You only praise people who break from their peers to support your ideals. Then, you take this as an oppor-tunity to say the Republicans are fighting against their own moder-ates etc. Why don’t you let every-one here know that a health care bill has yet to be passed due to the lack of democrat support? Demo-crats have a super majority and can’t get this bill passed! Why? The bill is garbage! If it’s good for America, Congress will enroll in the public option, right? Wrong! They know it’s not what’s best (they just want more power) and won’t subject themselves to lesser quality health insurance! As for the real winners, they voted on Tuesday!

David Evan Lewismechanical engineering senior

Environmental change depends on this generation

We live in a country where soda is cheaper than juice, and bottled water costs more than gas. We man-aged to emmit 5.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in one sin-gle year. Our cars average miles per gallon have risen less than 10 mpg in the last 25 years. We are the first generation that is not expected to outlive our parents. We only repre-sent 5 percent of the world’s popu-

lation, but utilize over 20 percent of its energy. And only 52 percent of our youth between the ages of 18 and 30 actually voted in the last presidential election.

It is time for us to take a good hard look at ourselves, and reevalu-ate the style of life we choose to lead. Minor changes can and do make a difference.Vote every four years.Offset your carbon footprint once a year.Volunteer once a month.Sort your recycling once a week.Think about what you consume every day.The next generation commends you.

“We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children”.

Thomas Millerenvironmental protection and manage-ment senior

Men’s cross country team per-forms well at Big West Cham-pionship

The men’s cross country team won its seventh straight Big West Championship this past Saturday in Riverside. That should be special enough to be printed in the Mus-tang Daily, but here are some other facts from the race: The Mustangs won without defending Big West Champion Dan Gonia racing this season. Joe Gatel won the Individ-ual Title, in the fastest time ever at conference. Who did he beat? Chad Hall, who is the younger brother of Olympian Ryan Hall who recently placed 4th in the New York City Marathon. Want more? Every single runner in Cal Poly’s top 5 ran faster than they ever had. The first mile went out in a 4:28. Cal Poly also placed 5 runners in the Top 10. The women’s cross country team fin-ished third, the best it has in recent years and freshman Kayleigh Tyer-man finished a close second over-

all. Being as this is now Wednesday, and there still is not anything men-tioned about this in the Mustang Daily, I am compelled to say that this school’s coverage of our ath-letics is absolutely pathetic. There have been articles about the USC — Oregon game, the Philadelphia Eagles and the ultimate frisbee club, and yet none about the best team Cal Poly has now, and has had this past decade.Andrew Wrightindustrial engineering senior

Students should take advantage of free H1N1 vaccine

I am writing in regard to the “Word On The Street” segment from the Tues., Nov. 3 edition of the paper. The piece asked various students the question: “Now that the Health Center has H1N1 vac-cines will you get one?” I would like to encourage any student that isn’t planning on getting the shot to do so, now. If you think you are strong enough or don’t get sick, feel free to do it for other people rather than yourself; if you contract H1N1 and then go visit grandma over the weekend, you could kill her. Now, I don’t know your grandma, and I

am sure she’s very nice, but more than her, you need to get it for some one much more important: me: our fellow peers. This sickness is real; just recently Sacramento County’s chief public health officer recommended a state of emergency be declared in response to the ac-celerating spread of the H1N1 flu virus, which has killed at least 15 people in the county since April. The shot is free, so get yourself up to the Health Center and get the damn vaccine.

Tristan Negranticommunications studies senior

Op Ed

www.mustangdaily.net13Mustang Daily

Op/edMonday, November 9, 2009

LETTERStO thE EditOr

This past weekend, 25 Cal Poly students embarked on a trip to the semi-annual sustainability convergence, put on by the Cali-fornia Student Sustainability Co-alition (CSSC), an organization made up of colleges throughout the University of California, California State University and California Community College systems. This fall’s convergence was held at the University of California, Santa Cruz, comprised of panel discussions, student and professional-led workshops, a grand dinner and a tremendous amount of networking that took place between the 300+ student attendees.

The convergence is an event that fosters collaborative and en-gaging interaction between schools from across California. It is a time to learn about “best practice” sus-tainability models, with the hope of enticing schools to adopt simi-lar programs regarding sustainabil-ity-based projects and initiatives at their respective campuses.

The learning environment at the convergence is always a re-freshing experience, due to the interaction of the diverse groups

of people who are advocat-ing for com-mon interests of protecting the triple bot-tom line of enhance the environment, our economy and social eq-uity values. It’s great to see the newcom-ers eagerly learning the many merits of sus-tainability.

So how does Cal Poly stack up against other schools in Califor-nia? Well, the truth is that Cal Poly has historically done a number of things that have propelled us in a direction of creating a more sus-tainable campus. These include Cal Poly’s organic farm, the many sustainability-focused classes, the designing and building of the So-lar Decathlon House, energy effi-ciency upgrades and a variety of other projects. The reality though, is that Cal Poly has stagnated in the development of sustainability innovation from the perspective of student involvement on campus.

Of course there are projects on campus that are emphasizing for-ward thinking models of sustain-ability, such as the biofuels project which aims to develop algae-based fuel to be used as an alternative source of energy. But where is the linkage between students, faculty and staff in developing a long last-ing sustainability program that in-vests in funding of projects both now and into the future? Where is the commitment from the admin-istration to take a stance on this matter that will enable Cal Poly to be a leader in sustainability. The truth is, that Cal Poly can be do-ing more. Much, much more.

Over the years, Cal Poly has developed a name for itself based

on the poly-technic model it was founded upon. With this said, my attend-ing the CSSC c o n v e r g e n c e in Santa Cruz this past week-end and learn-ing of the many programs that schools across California are working on, left

me apprehensive as to the lack of Cal Poly’s recent efforts to develop a holistic model for campus sus-tainability. If Cal Poly is to stand as a polytechnic university ahead of other schools across the nation, we must now propel our efforts to adapt towards a sustainable model by promoting the advancement of programs, initiatives and research so that every student understands the fundamentals behind local and global sustainability. It is in this sense that Cal Poly will redefine itself as a university that is spear-heading this movement, while in-vesting in the education of future students to adapt to new jobs and careers upon graduation.

The bottom line is this: We as students, faculty members and administrators have the ability to set a framework for developing sustainability principles within all educational backgrounds at Cal Poly. We can be the leaders of sus-tainability within higher educa-tion by becoming the frontrunner in creating a healthy and prosper-ous future at California Polytech-nic University. If you are someone who is committed to learning more about sustainability, engage yourself as a proponent of change. Come to an Empower Poly meet-ing to join the forces of the student sustainability group on campus.

Sure, we could sit back and watch as other schools pass us by, but wouldn’t it be better to be-come an exceptional model for unique ideas and inspiration?

The future simply cannot wait!

Tyler Hartrich is a city and re-gional planning senior, Empower Poly Coalition vice president and Mustang Daily columnist .

If you’d like to contribute to “The Green Spot,” let us know at [email protected].

Sustainability across California: Is Cal Poly losing its edge?

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Sports


Sports15


Cal Poly pulls upset, defeats UCSB in foursports information report

Freshman middle blocker Jen-nifer Keddy led four Mustangs in double-digit kill figures with 17 as the Cal Poly volleyball team terminated a seven-match los-ing streak Saturday evening by knocking Central Coast rival UC Santa Barbara from its Big West Conference-leading perch with a 23-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-18 vic-tory in Mott Gym.

Freshman outside hitter Me-gan McConnell recorded 16 kills and freshman outside hitter Chel-sea Hardin and junior middle blocker Dominique Olowolafe each added 10 for the Mustangs (7-19, 3-10), whose .326 team hitting percentage was 51 points higher than their previous season best. The decision, Cal Poly’s first this season against an opponent with a winning record, furthered

the program’s home winning streak to five-straight matches against the Gauchos. With the loss, UC Santa Barbara (19-6, 9-4) tumbled into a second-place tie in the confer-ence standings with UC Davis and remains a half match behind new leader Long Beach State.

The Mustangs opened the match with a 10-5 lead before UC Santa Barbara steadily whittled the advantage into a 21-21 deadlock. The second of two-straight Mc-Connell hitting errors handed the Gauchos the lead on the ensuing point.

Cal Poly returned during the second set to hit .333 against three errors and, with the help of an early 7-1 advantage, led UC Santa Barbara wire-to-wire in squaring the match at a set apiece. The Mus-tangs held UC Santa Barbara to a .106 hitting percentage during the second set.

A season-high .483 hitting mark against only two errors dur-ing the third set helped propel the Mustangs to a 20-13 advantage. A 4-0 Gaucho run powered by a pair of kills from freshman outside hit-ter Leah Sully allowed UC Santa Barbara to close its deficit to 20-17, but the Mustangs yielded just a single point down the stretch in plundering the match advantage.

Cal Poly solidified its eighth victory against UC Santa Barbara during the previous 10 meetings after a McConnell kill to earn a 7-6 lead in the fourth set. Twice the Gauchos leveled the scoreline, but Cal Poly closed the match with an 8-2 run.

Cal Poly, which outblocked UC Santa Barbara, 21-8, received a match-best 54 assists from freshman setter Anuhea Keanini. Keddy hit a match-high .500 while Olowolafe swung for a .333 mark and McCo-

nnell a .317 figure.The Mustangs complete the

road portion of their 2009 cam-paign at Pacific on Friday, Nov. 13, and at UC Davis on Saturday. First serve for both matches is at 7 p.m.

Footballcontinued from page 16

must win their final two games to prevent the program’s first los-ing season since 2003 — one of those contests include Weber St., the same team that knocked Cal Poly out of the playoffs last year.

Kelley’s two field goals in the first 12 minutes of the third quar-ter gave the Aggies a 13-10 lead. UC Davis pulled away with a four-yard run by Nick Aprile out of the wildcat formation, capping a 91-yard, 13-play drive, and Kel-ley’s 35-yard field goal with 2:50 to go in the game.

Cal Poly has scored just 13 points in the second half on the road this season, compared to 59 points in four home games.

Sophomore fullback Jake Ro-manelli rumbled 42 yards up the middle of the field to spur a 7-0 Mustang lead on the first drive of the game, spanning 77 yards on eight plays.

UC Davis answered quickly as quarterback Greg Denham hit tight end Brad Bispo with a 22-yard scoring pass, tying the game at seven halfway through the opening quarter. Denham completed 21 of 36 passes for 278 yards.

Junior Chris Pinto booted a 38-yard field goal to give Cal Poly a 10-7 advantage with 9:28 left in the second. That also was a 77-yard drive highlighted by a 32-yard pass from junior quarterback Tony Smith to junior fullback Jor-dan Yocum.

Pinto missed a 23-yard field goal attempt later in the half as Cal Poly settled for the 10-7 halftime lead.

The Aggie ground game netted 99 yards, led by Josh Reese with 40 yards on five carries. Defensive back James Chen came back from injury to help deter the Aggie run-ning game that wasn’t afraid to use the Wildcat-like offense.

For Cal Poly, Romanelli fin-ished with 62 yards on six carries, and Yocum added 40 yards on 15 trips. Smith completed 12 of 18 passes for 120 yards, and his favor-ite target was junior Dominique Johnson with four catches for 36 yards.

Junior linebacker Marty Mo-hamed led the Mustangs in tackles for the seventh time in nine games, recording eight stops. Linebacker Kenny Jackson and cornerback Asa Jackson each notched seven tackles.

Xavier Gardner garnered his first interception of the season for the Mustangs but couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity af-ter an Aggie goal-line stand. David Mahr was tackled for a loss, Yocum couldn’t penetrate the line on two inside runs and the Mustangs were looking at a fourth-and-goal from the 6-yard line after a false start.

With the win, the Aggies now lead the series against the Mus-tangs, 17-16-2.

Cal Poly enjoyed three-point halftime leads against San Jose State, Montana and North Dakota along with UC Davis and lost all four games.

They will hope to regain some momentum when Cal Poly hosts South Dakota (4-5, 1-2 Great West) for its final home game at 6:05 p.m. in Alex G. Spanos Sta-dium. Ten Mustang seniors will be honored in a pregame ceremony.


mustang daily staff report

Cal Poly squandered its fourth consecutive halftime lead on the road at UC Davis Saturday, falling 23-10. It also squelched any title hopes.

Cal Poly had a 10-7 lead go-ing into halftime, thanks to the Aggies’ poor time management. They burned two of its three first-half timeouts, which allowed Cal Poly to run out the clock and keep

UC Davis from a potential go-ahead drive with two minutes left in the half.

Cal Poly was unable to pro-duce inside the enemy’s red zone, even when starting a drive from the 2-yard line. Cal Poly has scored twice in six to-tal red-zone opportunities on the road.

Placekicker Sean Kelley kicked a school record-tying 52-yard field goal to ignite a UC Davis rally from a three-point deficit in front of 10,849 fans in Aggie Stadium.

Kelley added two other field goals, spanning 35 and 42 yards, and a pair of extra-point kicks in The Battle for the Golden Horseshoe as UC Davis im-proved to 5-4 for the season and 2-1 in the Great West.

Cal Poly fell to 4-5, 1-2 after its fifth straight loss on the road and winless record while play-ing on turf. The Mustangs

SportsSports

MUSTANG DAILYSPoRTSmustangdaily.net

Monday, November 9, 2009

sports editor: Brian De Los [email protected]

Women’s soccer loses in dramatic fashion

Mustangs overcome by UC Davis 23-10

nick camacho mustang daily

The Mustangs finished second in the Big West and will host a semifinal match against UC Irvine Nov. 11. The result came in after No. 20 UCI lost to Cal State Northridge 3-0 Saturday, which dropped them to third. UC Santa Barbara will entertain Cal State Northridge in the other semifinal match Wednesday night.

Tim Millermustang daily

The Cal Poly women’s soccer team’s season came to an end af-ter penalty kicks once again. The Mustangs lost to UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Conference Cham-pionship in a shootout at Alex G. Spanos Stadium Sunday.

The Gauchos will receive an au-tomatic bid to the NCAA Tourna-ment. Cal Poly still has a shot to get into the tournament if they receive an at large bid. The tournament brackets will be decided today at 5 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN News.

UCSB, the No. 3 seed, won two road games to claim the tour-nament championship, having first beat CSU Northridge 2-1 in Thursday’s semifinal.

“I think (Cal Poly is) on the outside looking in,” Santa Barbara head coach Paul Stumpf said. “Do I think they are a playoff caliber team? Yes.”

The Mustangs were first to get on the board Sunday when Mor-gan Miller got her second goal of the tournament in the 40th min-ute. After a series of passes between Tiffany Gummow and Bianca Bur-right on the left side of the pitch, Burright crossed the ball into the box where it deflected off a UCSB defender to Miller who put the ball past the goalie into the lower-right corner.

“I think the team played with a lot of heart,” Miller said. “I think we all really wanted this game.”

Stumpf said it would be hard to score points against the Mustangs

and told his players that their de-fense had to be in top form in or-der to win.

“We’re gonna have to keep them under two because they are not gonna give up three,” Stumpf said.

The Gauchos evened the score in the 69th minute with a goal from Katy Roby. Roby received the ball in the middle of the field on the Mustang’s end and dribbled into the box and fired one past Mustang goalkeeper Coral Hoover from about 13 yards out. It was the first goal scored on Hoover and the Cal Poly defense since Oct. 4th. The Mustangs hadn’t allowed a goal in 747 minutes, the longest streak in school history.

Hoover said she knows that she will get scored on every once in a while, and that knowledge helps her to be successful in the goal.

Both teams continued to have chances in the match but were un-able to connect. UCSB’s Genelle Ives could have had a second goal for the Gauchos but was out of po-sition when a cross came across the front of the net and hit her in the back of the leg.

Cal Poly, who scored both goals on set plays against UC Irvine, was unable to take advantage of the 11 corner kicks or the 10 free kicks they were awarded.

“We had our chances, and we just weren’t able to put the second goal in,” Miller said.

Neither team had a shot on goal in either overtime period, but Cal Poly had a good opportunity in the 116th minute when Kristina Con-don-Sherwood, who leads the team

in assists, took a free kick from 39 yards out and put it just over the head of Julianne Grinstead.

Stumpf said that while they did want to win the game in overtime, he was confident that his team would be able to win in a shoot-out.

“I felt coming up here (Cal Poly) had a pretty good shot at it,” he said. “I felt like once we get to PKs the chances really kinda change to like 60-40 maybe in our favor.”

The Gauchos switched their goalie for the shootout, replacing Tammy Lenham with Ali Cutler. Cal Poly’s Whitney Sisler took the first penalty kick in the shootout and shot one just outside of the left post. One miss was all the Gauchos needed, scoring on all five of their attempts, while Cal Poly was able to score on the other four shots.

Cal Poly head coach Alex Cro-zier said he thought his team played well but felt helpless during the shootout.

“Penalty kicks is just a crap shoot really,” he said.

Cal Poly was the No. 1 seed in the tournament after claiming the Big West regular season champion-ship with a conference record of 7-1. The Mustangs defeated UC Ir-vine 2-0 at home Thursday evening to get to the tournament finals.

Hoover said that going to the NCAA Tournament was one of the team goals at the beginning of the season.

“I’m crossing my fingers big, and I am praying and hoping, and I think the team deserves it with what we’ve done this season,” Mill-er said.

nick camacho mustang daily file photo

Cal Poly ends its season on penalty kicks for the third time in the past three years. UCSB won the shootout, 5-4, to break a 1-1 stalemate. Cal Poly awaits the NCAA selection show on Monday for a tournament berth.

The Mustangs lose the championship to UC Santa Barbara in penalty kicks. Cal Poly awaits its fate in NCAA Tournament.

Cal Poly to play UC Irvine

see Football, page 15

11-9-09

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