A Weekly First Amendment Student Newspaper November 22, 2013 (Vol. 25 No. 10) First copy FREE; additional copies 50 cents each

A 2011 General Excellence Newspaper — Journalism Association of Community Colleges

The Express

Bookstore sales boost campus activitiesBekka WiedenmeyerMANAGING EDITOR

Speech 48. Dance 6. Mass Communications 32. These are basic listings found on the fall 2013 schedule for Las

Positas College.And while they may look like simple classes on paper (or on the

website), they are better known around campus by their class exten-sions: the Talk Hawks, Dance Production and Radio Las Positas.

The difference between the simple class and the class extension? Co-curricular funding.

Without this funding, the chance of these programs sticking around would be slim, and some would argue that the loss would be a tragedy.

“We would have to close as a program,” said Talk Hawks coach and LPC instructor Tim Heisler in an email to The Express, “which would be a tragedy since we’ve been around since the first year this campus began offering instruction.”

An agreement with the LPC Bookstore on campus makes this type of funding possible.

Through this agreement, money generated from things such as rent fees and book sales support programs around campus such as Intercollegiate Athletics, Honors Transfer and Theater Arts.

Each of these programs has an account with the bookstore where they can track their money and expenses.

While formal requests can be placed to secure additional fund-ing, the decision on how much money is given to each group is ultimately approved in Resource Allocation Committee meetings, where it is reviewed as an informational item.

Funding, page 3

TAMI SHEPHERD/THE EXPRESS

Steven Gonzalez (17) in a game against West Valley College. The team will face Taft College on Nov. 23.

Men’s soccer returns to postseason after extended absenceMartin GallegosSTAFF WRITER

The time for celebrating their playoff berth is over.

The LPC men’s soccer team is hard at work preparing for their first round postseason match.

The No. 12 ranked Hawks learned on Tuesday that they

would have to head to Taft, California, a small city just out-side of Bakersfield, for a show-down with the No. 5 ranked Taft College Cougars on Nov. 23.

“We’re ready,” Head Coach Larry Aguiar said.

“The guys have been work-ing hard in practice. They know what’s at stake.”

Taft had an overall record of 12-5-2, including an undefeated record in conference play.

Their squad was led by for-ward Rogelio Sustaita who was among the conference leaders in points with 22.

Soccer, page 7

‘451’ misses the point of a literary classicSee A&E, page 6

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY TRISTAN PICO/THE EXPRESS

Travis DannerEDITOR IN CHIEF

In the collective minds of many Americans, the fourth Thursday in November will always be associated with scenes of large families gathered around the table, smiling, laugh-ing, Grandma and Grandpa at the end of the table carving the turkey.

But as the face of the American family changes, so too does the way the Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated in America.

Black Friday craziness has not only ballooned into a full-on orgy of competitive consumerism and barely veiled mis-anthropy. It has slithered its way into the holiday itself — the family dinner now becoming just a side dish to the feast of purchases.

People who are supposed to be taking a breath from the hustle and bustle, honoring tradition and celebrating their bounty of privileges. Instead they’re penny-pinching in the punch-and-kick race to the best deals of the American holi-day spending season.

Alas, much of what the holiday used to stand for is being lost. Many people watch a few football games, have a meal and then head to the nearest retail store. The sacred gather-ing of family and fellowship no longer happens over turkey but over sale booklets from Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

Thanksgiving, page 4

Black Friday, changing demographics contribute to the evolution of the Thanksgiving holiday

2 Las Positas College Express NEWS November 22, 2013

On Sept. 30, college representatives will be visiting LPC’s campus to speak to students about transferring opportunities. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., students will have the opportunity to traverse Campus Boulevard and the quad to speak with representatives either by appointment or drop in. To make an appointment, go to www.laspositas–college.edu/transfercenter/AdmissionRepresentatives.php. On Oct. 1, the Business and Marketing Department will present “Innovation: The Search for New Ideas that Change the World.” Esteemed Bay Area thought leader Bob Borchers will be speaking as part of the Business and Entrepreneurship Speaker Series, sponsored by the Business and Marketing Department. This meeting will be in the Multi-­‐Disciplinary Building Lecture Hall, Room 2420, from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1. It’s that time of year again! Flu Vaccinations are now available. The Student Health and Wellness Center is offering vaccines

staff and faculty. The Flu Vaccination is free for students (while supplies last) and $25 for staff & faculty. Walk-­‐ins are available on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and scheduled appointments on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, contact the Student Health and Wellness center at (925)-­‐424-­‐1830 or email dbarbero@laspositascollage.edu. On Oct. 3, Jeff Bell, news anchor of KCBS, will be giving a presentation about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The LPC Psychology Department and Psychology Club will host this presentation in Room 2420. This discussion will be open to all students, faculty and staff from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

Journalism Club hosts film night

The Journalism Club will be hosting a movie night on Monday, Nov. 25 in room 2409 at 5 p.m. The movie “Anchorman” will be fea-tured and snacks will be provided. Any questions should be directed to club president Brandon Clutter at bjclutter85@yahoo.com.

English instructors review essays

Due to funds from the Associated Students of Las Positas College (ASLPC), students will have the opportunity to send class and transfer essays to the Reading and Writer (RAW) Center to be reviewed by an English instructor. If interested, email submis-sions to LPCEnglishtutor@gmail.com and make sure to include the follow-ing: name and W number, assignment and assignment instructions, course num-ber and a specific question for the reviewer to answer. Response time is about 48 hours but may change due to amount of submissions.

AGS conducts food drive

The Alpha Gamma Sigma (AGS) Honor Society will be conducting its annual “Holiday” Food drive from Nov. 1 to Dec. 10. Canned or boxed foods are preferred, and they will be taken to ABODE Services (previously Tri-Valley Homeless Coalition) in Livermore. Nelly Villanueva, Social Service Coordinator of the ABODE Services Livermore Office, is an LPC graduate and AGS member. Drop off bar-rels are located in build-ing 1600, the library, the PE building and room 601.

League of Legends club looking for recruits

The new League of Legends student club is looking for recruits. It meets in room 2412 on the first and third Wednesday of every month, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. While they do focus on LOL, other gam-ers are welcome to join.

CorrectionsIn Vol. 25 No. 9, it was

stated in the article titled “LPC Talk Hawks glitter in gold” that the Talk Hawks traveled to Amsterdam for competi-tion. They actually traveled to Brussels.

In the same issue, the pic-tures of Nawed Akbari and Yousof Ezami were switched. Ezami should have been the top picture, whereas Akbari should have been second from the bottom.

Academic freedom toes line of free speech

Will TannerA&E EDITOR

“The goal of educators is to seek out the truth, and sometimes the truth is controversial,” said Jane McCoy, Las Positas history professor.

The freedom of speech issue on college campuses is usually about students fighting against the establishment to be heard.

Whether a protest against pol-icy, a demonstration supporting a political stance, or provocative sexual expression, college-level free speech controversies are usually about co-eds pushing the envelope.

But there is another angle. What happens when the profes-sor pushes the envelope, leaving students wondering how can they say that?

Even at Las Positas College, teachers have been known to spout off controversial state-ments.

And many students are sur-prised to learn that, the interest of higher learning, teachers have the ability to speak their minds on everything under the purview of their subject.

“Academic freedom is abso-lutely essential in a place of high-er learning,” McCoy said. “These are freedoms that are guaranteed through the Constitution, our First Amendment rights.”

Instructors at LPC are charged with task of protecting their aca-demic freedom along with the students’.

The Chabot-Las Positas Community College District policy on Academic Freedom protects teachers provided they avoid discrimination, harassment and exploitation.

One example, McCoy pointed out, would be teaching evolution.

On Nov. 19, the Ohio State Supreme Court ruled on the case Freshwater v. Mt. Vernon City School Dist. Bd. of Edn., which was supposed to rule on aca-demic freedom.

Justice C.J. O’Connor provided a background statement in his response that severely limited the academic freedoms of his stu-dents.

“Mount Vernon School Board asserts that despite the district’s instructions to cease doing so, Freshwater unequivocally inject-ed his own Christian faith into his classroom as early as 1994 and continued to do so right up until he was relieved of his teaching duties.”

Supporters of academic free-dom contend professors’ protec-tion allows them to teach about the entirety of subjects.

The education process, as a result, isn’t limited by the political climate or social norms.

“A presentation I gave here two years ago to my students had a lot of information in it that could be considered controversial in other places,” said Catherine Suarez, a Spanish instructor at LPC. “I re-presented at a conference in

Santiago, Cuba a summer ago, and I had to edit very carefully what I had to say.”

Professors count on the ability to be able to discuss controversial issues inside a classroom.

Students may find some of the information presented offensive or uncomfortable. But that is not enough to curb the freedom of the teacher.

And some teachers may inten-tionally exercise their freedoms for the reaction.

“Sometimes, I’ve made a con-troversial statement for the pur-pose of stimulating discussion,” McCoy said. “That is still within the realm of academic freedom.”

Like free speech, Academic freedom isn’t limitless, though. Many teachers have found them-selves on the wrong side of the law by converting their class-rooms into personal soap boxes.

Another place professors can’t go is political. Sure, they can talk about the issues. But they are prohibited from encouraging stu-dents to adopt certain political views.

“They can’t say, ‘Hey, students, go vote for this measure,’” said McCoy. “That’s not allowed.”

“Sometimes, I’ve made a controversial statement for the purpose of stimu-lating discussion. That is still within the realm of academic freedom.”

- JANE MCCOY,

LPC HISTORY INSTRUCTOR

JAMIEUMBC VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

November 22, 2013 NEWS Las Positas College Express 3

Funding, page 1

“It is now understood that because we are dependent upon the funds that we don’t have to ask for funding from co-curricular every year...but we never know exactly how much we’re going to get,” Heisler said. “That is, we know we will get a slice of the pie, but they can reduce that slice at their own choosing.”

Because of the budget crisis of the past few years, though, sometimes it is not so much a desired choice as it is an inevitable decision.

“For the past several years, the distributions have remained the same. In 2009 to 2010, the college faced extremely difficult budget times and wasn’t able to allocate

out new or additional money,” said Natasha Lang, LPC College Administrative Services Officer.

According to Lang, the Resource Allocation Committee now approves over $100,000 for these programs through co-curricular funding. The Talk Hawks alone receive $15,000 annually.

The District Office also used to contribute a certain percentage of financial support, but this has since run out also due to budget issues.

“We used to also receive money from the District Office to run our program, but those funds were entirely elimi-nated three years ago. Now we are completely depending upon co-curricular funding,” Heisler said.

If co-curricular funding was not available to these pro-

grams, it would be very difficult for them to stay afloat. But, according to Lang, it is understood that these pro-grams are extremely beneficial for students whom they concern. Students pursuing such majors as theater, mass communications and dance or participating in athletics are helped with each program that is funded through co-curricular means.

“I believe it is a shared notion within the col-lege that these programs are vital to the student experience and our college’s mission. So, I am not comfortable saying that these programs would dissolve if the funding wasn’t available. But I would tell you that it would be extremely hard and this money is essential for the operation of these programs,” Lang said.

Bookstore funding makes extracurriculars possible

TOP 10 COLLEGES LPC STUDENTS TRANSFER TO

E-cigarettes becoming nuisance around campus Brandon ClutterSTAFF WRITER

Smoking is the number one cause for preventable dis-ease and death everywhere.

According to “The American Lung Association” as of 2009, smokers accounted for 46 million, or 20 percent of adults (18 and older) in America.

Since 2008, the use of electronic cigarettes, or e-ciga-rettes, has greatly increased. In 2008, there were 50,000 users of e-cigarettes. In 2012, however, that number increased tremendously to 3.5 million users.

At Las Positas College, where smoking is prohibited anywhere on campus, e-cigarettes are becoming more and more popular. Because of disturbances on campus though due to the misconception that the students are smoking real cigarettes, changes to the smoking policy are being recommended to new school president Dr. Barry Russell.

“The problem is that when these people are smok-ing inside, people think it’s real and call us, set aside any health issues, it’s becoming a nuisance, and it’s taking up a lot our time to respond to it,” Campus Safety Supervisor

Sean Prather said.“Most of the students have been pretty cool about it, so

we see them in the cafeteria, and we just say ‘Hey, can you go sit outside please?’” Prather said.

The University of California (UC) system is instilling a new smoking policy, effective January 2014, that bans all smoking on campus.

This policy also includes e-cigarettes, hookahs, chew-ing tobacco and any kind of non-combustible smoking device.

The California State University system changed to a smoke-free policy as of January 2013, and Prather believes that the Community Colleges of California (CCC) will follow suit.

“We don’t understand the effects, and the studies haven’t showed us what the effects of the second hand vapors are going to have,” Nurse Practitioner Dayna Barbero said.

Some of the flavorants in the water vapors have shown that they carry some dangerous carcinogens, which include Diethylene Glycol, a poisonous organic com-pound.

Prather and Barbero will have the policy brought up to the president once he has settled in.

There is no timetable as to when this policy could come into effect if approved.

LPC will also host the Great American Smokeout on Nov. 21, where Health Center staff will be passing out smoke cessation kits in the quad.

WIKIPEDIA VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

Over the past two weeks, The Express has detailed the top eight colleges in the United States and the top 10 colleges in the state of California. With the assistance of Las Positas College Director of Research and Planning Rajinder Samra, here is a compilation of the top 10 colleges that LPC students have transferred to. The latest research available is from the years 2010 to 2011.

TOTAL TRANSFERS SINCE LAS POSITAS COLLEGE HAS OPENED

TRANSFERS BETWEEN 2010 AND 2011

4 Las Positas College Express FEATURES November 22, 2013

Thanksgiving, page 1

“We usually visit my grand-parents in South San Francisco, and then we have a big meal,” first year sociology major Laurence Paulite said. “It’s with extended family members too, so it’s from all over California. We all come together for this one night. We have a big feast, and then we’ll spend the weekend shopping for Black Friday.”

The American Thanksgiving experience has evolved over the years.

Several factors contribute to this transformation.

One is the divorce rate in the United States.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are seven marriages for every 1,000 people. But there are four divorces for every 1,000 people.

Having more than half of mar-riages ending in divorce makes for plenty split households in this country. It stands to rea-son the warm and fuzziness of Thanksgiving has faded.

“It sucks and I usually try to avoid the whole thing,” Aimee Vardanega, an account manager for Jamba Juice, said. “My sisters are still in high school so I usually go with whatever parent has cus-tody that day so all the children can be together.”

Family arguments are as part of the tradition as cranberry sauce. But it’s usually the kind of innocent conflict that enhances the tradition.

But America’s families are more broken than ever. The pain of being together is often unbear-able. If that isn’t a deterrent, the difficulty of reuniting a splintered family is enough to make people

long for retail therapy.“I come from a divorced fam-

ily and on top of that my parents remarried when I was young and have since then divorced,” former LPC student Rosemary Plute said. “I have siblings from their second marriages. I find that the most understanding parts of my family realize I cannot be in two, or four, or nine places at once. I have to rotate my holidays. Timing many phone calls on holidays is difficult so my thoughts are with them and

their thoughts are with me.”Some simply opt out of the

holiday festivities.According to an article titled

“Table for One, Please. A Solo Thanksgiving” published on National Public Radio’s website, more and more people are spend-ing the day by themselves.

“I’m a single gay man, 49 (years old). My parents are deceased,” Joel Goldfarb, a San Francisco res-ident said in the article. “Friends typically have other plans. I don’t want anyone taking pity on me, so I don’t tell anyone I’m going to be alone. I hate the feeling but somehow survive it.”

Some simply are not big fans of the day and would rather use

the time to be productive.“I never liked Thanksgiving

much anyway, so I’d prefer to spend it alone,” Laura Thornton, a student at the University of Chicago Law School, said. “(I plan to) just chill out with my dog and drink whiskey in my apart-ment, like I did last Thanksgiving. Sometimes I find it hard to take time out for myself, so it’s actu-ally kind of nice to have this time imposed on me. Plus, hopefully I’ll get a lot of work done.”

Whatever the reason may be--and there are more than just the two outlined here--it seems more and more people are increasingly celebrating Thanksgiving in non-traditional fashions.

The expanding window known as “Black Friday” could have something to do with some’s growing distaste for this time of year.

The roots of the phenome-non may trace back as far as the Great Depression when, accord-ing to FDRlibrary.edu, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt attempted to change the holiday to the third Thursday of the year. His hope was to allow retailers more time to sell Christmas items

thereby boosting the economy.At the time, the holiday’s date

was to be determined by a presi-dential decree. Many Americans were upset at the idea of a presi-dent trying “to alter such a long-standing tradition and American values just to help businesses make more money.”

For Black Friday (named such as it allows business to be “in the black”) in 2012, U.S. consumers spent $59.1 billion, according to CNN.

The unofficial holiday has become a key date on the coun-try’s economic calendar. It’s an ever-more important injection of funds into a still-mediocre econo-my, which has yet to fully recover from the stock market crash of 2008.

Black Friday is also vital to many middle class families who still battle the residual effects of the Great Recession that began in 2008. Battling the crowds for the top-notch savings is the best way for many to get the best Christmas gifts for their family.

Is this what Thanksgiving has been reduced to, the kick-off party for biggest shopping party of the years?

An economic boost for the nation and a golden coupon for gift-thirsty families?

That’s such a demotion from the original, noble intent. This can’t be what President Abraham Lincoln had in mind when he made Thanksgiving an official holiday in the midst of the Civil War, 1863.

“It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be sol-emnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people,” Lincoln’s proclamation read. “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwell-eth in the Heavens.”

This was to be a time of count-ing blessings, wishing for peace and reflecting on the plight of others less fortunate. That was the intentions straight from the mind of a man commonly acknowl-edged as one of America’s great-est leaders.

It’s clear that Thanksgiving has evolved to mean different things to different people. But its core principles will always be woven in the fabric of this country for those looking for deeper mean-ing.

It can be a time for taking stock of one’s life. For letting fam-ily know how much they are val-ued.

For finding a slice of peace and quiet in this hectic world.

Or, for others, what really mat-ters is achieving a different goal— getting the flat-screen television that’s half off at Target.

BROKEN FAMILIES AND MATERIALISM ALTER MEANING OF THANKSGIVINGPHOTO ILLUSTRATION VIA CREATIVE COMMONS: LGEPR/FLICKR ;; WWW.STACEYREID.COM ;; WWWALIGIBBONS.COM;; WWW.PEACESYMBOL.ORG

“It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and

gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American

people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States,

and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set

apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving

and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

- ABRAHAM LINCOLN

November 22, 2013 FEATURES Las Positas College Express 5

DialogueDime10 QUESTIONS. 10 ANSWERS.

Psychology professor, Dr. Robert Doerr, opens his mind to The Express

BRIAN LINGL/THE EXPRESS

Recipe contributions from the staff of The ExpressThanksgiving over the years has changed. But since the first

celebration in 1621, through the introduction of football games and Black Friday shopping, one variable has remained constant – the feast.

The food served, however, has changed and is different with every family.

In an attempt to share a bit of ourselves with our readers, the staff of The Express has collected a few of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes.

Enjoy.

Travis Danner

Cheesy Rosemary Roasted

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients3 pounds potatoes1-­2 bulbs garlic RosemaryOlive oil 1 pound shredded cheese (of your choice)Sour cream (to taste)Green onions (to taste)Salt and pepper (to taste)Terra cotta roaster

Instructions-­Soak your terra cotta in water for 20 minutes.-­Chop the top of a full garlic bulb (or two if you’re a garlic lover like me), drizzle. -­Olive oil over the top, sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh rose-­mary.-­Roast garlic until nice and golden brown.-­In the meantime, peel your pota-­toes (I’m always OK with leaving a little skin).-­Boil them up.-­When the potatoes are nice and soft, turn off heat and drain water.-­Add the finished garlic, cheese (to your liking), sour cream, green onions to the potatoes.-­Mash ‘em. Don’t baby them;; real-­ly get in there to make them as creamy as possible.-­Add salt and pepper to taste.-­Gorge

Kalama Hines

Guava Glazed Ham Ingredients10 ounces of Guava Jam (or preferred jam/preserves)2 teaspoons of minced garlic4 tablespoons butter (1/2 standard stick)1 Half spiral-­cut ham

Instructions-­Mix jam/preserves with butter and garlic in medium saucepan. -­Heat the three glaze ingredients on medium heat, together, lightly whisking regularly. -­After approximately 15 minutes, over medium heat, it will become a thick liquid -­Be careful not to over-­reduce the glaze. -­Preheat oven to 300 degrees.-­Place ham directly onto pan. -­Generously layer glaze onto ham. -­Place lid onto pan, over glazed ham and put pan in oven. -­The ham will take approximately two hours to get to a proper serv-­ing temperature (165 degrees). -­To fully develop flavor, add anoth-­er layer of glaze every 30 minutes.-­Once the ham has reached serv-­ing temperature, remove from oven and add one more layer of glaze. -­Let the ham sit for 10 to 20 min-­utes, then indulge.

Brianna Guillory

Crockpot Split Pea

and Ham

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package dried split peas, rinsed2 cups ham, diced(1 meaty ham bone)1 cup of diced carrots1/2 cup of chopped onion2 minced garlic cloves1 bay leaf2 teaspoons of parsley flakes1/4 teaspoon crushed dried marjoram1/4 teaspoon crushed dried thyme1 tablespoon salt (reduce if desired)1/2 teaspoon pepper1 1/2 quarts hot water

Instructions-­Layer ingredients in Crockpot in the order listed.-­Pour in water, don’t stir.-­Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours-­Remove bones and bay leaf.-­Enjoy!

CRUST:Ingredients1 1/3 cups unbleached white flourPinch of sea saltPinch of stevia powder1/2 cup butter, frozen2 egg yolks3 rounded tablespoons cold water

Instructions -­Sift flour, sea salt and stevia powder into a food processor. -­Cut butter into about 16 pieces and dispense over flour mix. -­Pulse processor until butter is evenly distributed and bro-­ken into pea-­sized bits. -­Lightly beat egg yolks with a fork and dribble over flour mix – pulse once or twice. -­Then turn on processor and pour water in immediately. -­Remove and fold crust into waxed paper, form until a ball -­Refrigerate for several hours. -­When ready to prepare pie, use unbleached white flour to keep from sticking to board -­Will yield a nine inch pie shell with enough left over for lattice.

PUMPKIN PIE:Ingredients1 pie crust1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree3/4 cup Rapadura1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger1 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon sea salt1/4 teaspoon powdered clove1/4 teaspoon nutmegGrated rind of 1 lemon1 cup buttermilk or crème fraiche

Instructions -­Line a nine inch pie pan with crust dough. Pinch edge to make a border. -­Cream eggs. -­Mix in other ingredients. -­Pour into the pie shell-­Bake for approximately 50 minutes at 350 degrees-­Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.-­Serves eight people, animals or other life forms.

Bekka Wiedenmeyer

Pumpkin Pie

More recipes available at LPCExpressnews.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

If you could pick any two celebrities to be your parents, who would they be?

Laurence Olivier for my father. My mother was a very unusual person, so I would say my mother.

What advice would you give your 21-year-old self?

Stick with school and then join the Peace Corp. Learn another language.

What did you want to be when you were a child?

I wanted to be a psychiatrist when I was 10 years old. When I was a kid I read all these books and I ultimately became a psy-chologist.

If you could travel to any-where in the world, where would you go?

Well, I’ve been to 50 countries. A country that I have not been to is Bali. I would like to go to Bali, but there are many other places I would love to go to.

If you could be any fictional character, who would it be?

Sherlock Holmes. I love Sherlock Holmes.

In the news story of your life, what would the headline say?

“Still trying to attain peace.” I have met most of my goals and been very lucky. I’ve had a very lucky life.

If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be?

Noam Chomsky. He is a very talented guy. He is a political scientist. Charles Dickens would also be quite fascinating.

What one song best describes you?

Joni Mitchell’s lyrics I like very much. “Big Yellow Taxi.” In many ways it optimizes my attitude towards most of our society.

What would your last meal be?

Curry. Indian cuisine. My wife and I do a lot of restaurant hopping. It is one of the things that keeps our marriage togeth-er, that we both love food.

When was the last time you cried from laughing?

Monty Python’s “Life of Brian.” I was in the theater laughing like a hyena.

Will TannerA&E EDITOR

When you go to a production, there are certain expectations that should be met. You should walk away satisfied, having seen a show that is thought provoking and envelops you in the story.

“Fahrenheit 451” had every chance to meet those expecta-tions, but plot holes and comi-cal overacting by the students burned away a classic story.

Ray Bradbury’s classic novel is set in a dystopian future where books are burned on sight. Firemen no longer put out fires, but start them instead. Having a book is not tolerated.

The biggest issue with the pro-duction of “451” is something that’s never seen. A portion of the story was cut out. These six pages explain the majority of a main character’s motivation, but were for whatever reason cut from the production.

Does the show still work? Yes, but it makes less sense. Now you have no motivation for a char-acter to do what he does at the climax of the show. And that does not work. See Beatty, played by Adam Vergino, is an overacted character. If you read his lines, he could be exactly like Col. Nathan Jessup from “A Few Good Men,” in the sense that his character is the leader. Instead we get a hammed up version of a man who is hiding a dark secret. Every line was so over the top and smiled that it seemed that he was a used car salesman. Nothing screamed “fire chief” except for the way he was dressed.

What is the secret? You’ll never know because it’s not in the production. There was no way to cut through the fog he created around his character

I’m all for artistic license, hav-ing been an actor myself, but there is a difference between overacting and giving the character subtext. See, subtext is subtle and helps give the actor motivation, but it’s not supposed to show in the way you act. It’s a personal tool to help the actor become the character.

Maybe it’s not Vergino’s fault. Maybe it was a production choice made by the director. All I know is it doesn’t work.

Another bad production choice was to have the actors be seen using futuristic medical equipment to save Mildred, the protagonist Guy Montag’s wife. Instead of showing that “medi-cal equipment,” they could have done that in a black out so we didn’t have to see it. When I’m seeing a re-appropriated steam cleaner being used as an oxygen tank/stomach pump, I am more interested in seeing how similar it is to the steam cleaner I have at home. Not to mention it just looked faked. Sure, it’s the future, but that doesn’t mean things take seconds to pump a stomach and flush all the toxins out of a sys-tem, right? If the best method we have right now takes a minimum of three hours. There is no way you could flush the blood of tox-ins without using a needle at the very least to inject something in to the bloodstream.

While we are on the topic of things that shouldn’t be seen, transitions between scenes were terrible. Actors were seen getting into place, taking set parts with them, but into areas that were lit with scenic lighting.

As a former actor myself, noth-ing kills the mood while watching a show than when you can see the actors moving to their marks in transitions. I understand that in a small theater like the Black Box, it’s hard to turn out all the lights, but it could be so much better if you had theater techs to set the pieces. Their job is not to be seen or heard.

I can say with all honesty that I understand these are stu-dents. They are learning to hone their craft, and that is great. The majority of the cast was great, the set looked fantastic and the show was entertaining.

The problem bits, however, were major enough that they couldn’t stop the slow burn.

6 Las Positas College Express ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT November 22, 2013

LPC’s ‘Fahrenheit 451’ crashes and burnsREVIEW

out of 5

TRISTAN PICO/THE EXPRESS

Above: After Mildred, portrayed by Emily Martin, overdoses on pills, Paramedics Kylie Kay Thomas and Ceilidh Morrison pump her stomach saving her.

Right: When Montag, played by Alex Draa, calls in sick, Beatty, depicted by Adam Vergino, con-­fronts him at home.

Below: Clarisse, played by Emily Martin, speaks about her oddi-­ties as defined by the “Citizen’s Committee.”

Why remove portions of the script?

Because I replaced, or, actually I didn’t replace, I put back into the show pieces of the original novel, scenes, and some speeches, and, in order for the show to not be added to in length, I had to make some other cuts. One of the items that I cut, I also felt was a substantial change from the original novel, which was a scene with Beatty.

So why cut out that scene where Beatty reveals his motives and shows Montag his collection? It seemed like that would be a pivotal plot point.

Since it wasn’t in the original novel, that was an easy one to cut. And, because like I said, because I had added in other things, and other scenes. You know, I had to make some cuts and that one was one of the ones to go.”

The other reason I cut it is because I hated it. I thought it cheapened his character, I thought it treated the audi-ence in a way that, well, the other thing too, is I thought it started to become more about Beady and less about Montag, that also.

I thought it was a side step from the actual plot, which it was. And again, it wasn’t in the novel, the novel is far superior to the play. That’s another reason why I took it out. The only thing that I left in, that I thought, okay, this would be too much to change cause, also, I couldn’t figure out how to do it on stage, was in the original book.

Beatty doesn’t commit suicide. Beatty is killed by Montag. So that I left in the play, but I thought it would more have an enigma, the fact and the actors, then the characters, Montag and Black and the other firemen treated that way too.

Beatty uses the obscure references that sort of hint to a background of greed which gives credibility to his big monologue about the danger of books.

So, I think it was more interesting, at least it was more interesting to me, to not be banged over the head of, ‘and guess how he knows these, guess what, he’s got books, well, no kidding, what a surprise’, versus sort of finding out at the end, when he pulls out a book and reads it. That of course he was a reader, and he actually loved books, and he was struggling within himself.

I didn’t need to have a whole scene bang me over the head with it. So that’s how I felt about it. And also, I feel it’s Montag’s story, to add that scene it becomes Beatty’s story.”

Was that a production choice to have Beatty’s char-acter be like that of a used car salesman?

Yeah, as a matter of fact, that’s a quality that Adam has that actually, I find, sort of charming.

And so he’s off-putting in that sense. “Oh he’s not going to take him serious, oh he’s not that dangerous, he’s just a guy. It’s not that big a deal.”

He’s not this menacing super character, and it allows

him to sort of be, you know, ‘Hey, let’s go out and have a beer. Oh by the way, I also burn old ladies.’

But other than that, it’s not a big deal.’ That sort of, ‘hey I’m kind of funny.’ But it leads it a little bit more creepy. I don’t necessarily think that was a deliberate choice on the part of Adam.

That is sort of who he is as an actor but it’s a quality about him, one of the many qualities about him, that I really find endearing, but more importantly than that, he was cast because he was an extremely hard working actor, and the line wrote of Beatty is … huge. I mean it’s much larger than most college productions would ever give a student.

And so I needed a veteran actor who had maturity who I knew, could every night, get it down. And he was one of the first people off book too.”

TRISTAN PICO/THE EXPRESS

November 22, 2013 SPORTS Las Positas College Express 7

SOCCER POSTSEASON PREVIEW

UPCOMING EVENTS

Cross Country

Nov. 23 - State Championships

Woodland Park, Fresno10/11 a.m.

Men’s Soccer

Nov. 23 - FirstRound Regional

at Taft, Taft TBA

Women’s Soccer

Nov. 22 - FirstRound Regionalat Sierra, Rocklin

2 p.m.

Men’s Basketball

Nov. 21 - 23 Mendocino Tournament

Ukiah, TBA

Nov. 30 - at HartnellSalinas, 5 p.m.

Dec. 5. - at SanJoaquin Delta

Stockton, 5 p.m.

Dec. 13 - 15Skyline Tournament

San Bruno, TBA

Dec. 21 - San JoseCity College

Livermore, 3 p.m.

Dec. 28 - 30Chabot Tournament

Hayward, TBA

Jan. 3 - at MontereyPeninsula, Monterey

5 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

Nov. 21 - 23 Lady Hawk Classic

Livermore, TBA

Dec. 3 - FoothillLivermore, 5 p.m.

Dec. 5 - 7Cuesta College Tournament

San Louis Obispo, TBA

Dec. 11 - at Hartnell Salinas, 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 13-15 Fresno City CollegeTournament, Fresno

TBA

Jan. 8 - at ChabotHayward, 5 p.m.

Jan. 10 - OhloneLivermore, 5 p.m.

Jan. 15 - at San MateoSan Mateo, 5 p.m.

Soccer, page 1

Although Taft has a great scor-er, Aguiar is more concerned with their defense.

“They (Taft) didn’t give up a single goal in their final five games,” Aguiar said. “We have to find a way to break through their defense.”

One of those players who will be looking to find a way to score

is midfielder Adrian Lopez. Road games are always tough; playoff road games are even more dif-ficult. The environment tends to get a little more hostile for the away team. Despite all this, Lopez feels confident in the team’s abil-ity.

“It doesn’t matter where we play,” Lopez said. “We’ve won on the road before. We can do it again.”

The way postseason soccer works is simple. You win, you move on to the next round. You lose and your season is over. With nearly a four-hour drive to Taft, the Hawks are hoping it will be a happy drive home.

“As long as we play unselfish and as a team, we can beat any-body,” Aguiar said.

While Taft features a stout defense and players who can

score, LPC has some standouts of its own. One player to keep an eye on is goalkeeper Douglas Mcneill. The second-year player finished the season with a Goals Against Average of 1.2857.

That mark was among the leaders in the Coast Conference. If the Hawks want to avoid an early exit from the playoffs, they will need a strong showing from their goalkeeper.

TAMI SHEPHERD/THE EXPRESS

As LPC enters the postseason, coach Larry Aguiar is looking for his team to have a standout offense. Breaking through Taft’s defense will be tough, but if they want to extend their run in the playoffs, the Hawks will have to do what no opponent has done against Taft as of late: score a goal.

Men’s soccer to face Taft College in playoffs

Women’s soccer draws strong Sierra College squad in first round

TAMI SHEPHERD/THE EXPRESS

Tara Bryne rushing to get to the ball first against Chabot sophmore Marcela Ochoa on Oct 25.

Martin GallegosSTAFF WRITER

The LPC women’s soc-cer team has been fight-ing for months. The Hawks trained relentlessly in the offsea-son, spent countless hours prac-ticing.

They worked on their chemistry, overcame numer-ous obstacles on the field and off.

Eventually, it all led to their first playoff berth since 2011.

Now, the real work begins. The next step in the journey for the Hawks, ranked No. 15 in the universe, sends them to Rocklin, Calif. Waiting for them will be a dominant Sierra College squad.

The Wolverines (16-3-2 overall, 11-1-2 in confer-ence play), who earned a No. 2 seed in the playoffs, are rid-ing a nine-game win streak.

“We started the sea-son out slow but finished strong,” LPC head coach Sissi Do Amor said. “We need to keep that going in order to win this game.”

But the Hawks have some momentum of their own. After losing their first three games of the season, the

Hawks lost b a c k - t o - b a c k games just once the rest of the way.

They went 4-1-1 in their last six games, catapulting into one of the final playoff spots.

It’s going to take even more resolve, and perhaps a lit-tle luck, to pull off this upset.

Sierra College averaged just two goals a game, not exactly a h i g h - p o w e r e d offense.

But the W o l v e r i n e s didn’t need to score much. Their defense was that good.

S ier ra goalke ep er Molly McConnell’s goals against average is 0.61, the third-best in Northern California and top 10 in the state. It’s not like Las Positas won’t like the challenge.

The Hawks’ offense is led by two of the top scor-ers in the state. Forwards Krystal Espindola and Melissa Aboud ranked 12th and 16th in the state, respectively, in total points.

The Hawks have won two games this year by outscoring

their opponents by eight goals. Their offensive punch is a big reason they’re confident no mat-ter what situation they’re in. “We never feel like we’re out of any game,” Hawks midfielder Lindsay Smith said.

“Our comeback wins have given us confidence.”

8 Las Positas College Express OPINION November 22, 2013

EDITOR IN CHIEFTRAVIS DANNER

MANAGING EDITOR/COPY EDITOR

BEKKA WIEDENMEYER

PHOTO EDITOR

TRISTAN PICO

PRODUCTION MANAGER

BEN CASTRO

DESIGN EDITOR

Angelica Estacio

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

WILLIAM TANNER

PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

JASON LESKIW

FEATURES EDITOR

KALAMA HINES

EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION STAFF

© 2013 Express.* Reproduction in any form is strictly prohibited.

The Express is a First Amendment publication of the students of Las Positas College. It is published most Fridays during the academic year. The students who staff the Express run an editorially in-

the collective opinion of the editorial board. Other opinions express the views of individual writers and artists are not to be considered the views of the publication’s staff, editorial board, advisors, the associated students, the college administration or the board of trustees.

*Students retain copyright ownership of the con-tent they create, including words, photographs, graphics, illustrations, cartoons and other work. The Express retains copyright ownership to advertisements the Express creates. The Express retains the right to use all material in all forms in perpetuity.

Letters to the Editor

The Express is a public forum newspaper that seeks to encourage robust discussion among members of the college community. Letters to the editor, editorial and opinion pieces, freelance articles and photographs may be sent via e-mail or U.S. mail. Pieces must be typed and signed and include contact information, including a daytime phone number. Anonymous submissions will not be printed. All submissions are edited for space and clarity, and upon publication become the property of the Express.

The Express strives for accuracy and fairness in the reporting of news. If a report is wrong or mislead-

be directed to the editor.

Advertising

The Express solicits paid advertisements to help

the views of the advertisers only. For advertising rates and information, please contact the business manager. The Express reserves the right to accept or reject any advertisement. The editor in chief may decide to accept or reject an advertisement only after consulting with the editorial board.

Language and Material Policy

The Express Staff follows the Associated Press Stylebook rules on obscenity, profanity and vulgar-ity. The Express allows publication of explicit language and material if it enhances coverage of a story. Use of explicit language or material for shock value is against Express policy.

3000 Campus Hill Drive Livermore, CA 94551-9797 tel.: 925.424.1240 fax: 925.606.5317 e-mail: LPCExpress@laspositascollege.edu web: www.lpcexpressnews.com newsroom: Room 2409

The Express

The Express

Brandon Clutter Richard JimenezCharlie Anne Curtis Brian LinglAshley Freitas Tami ShepherdMartin GallegosAugusta HohnAngelica GuilloryBrianna Guillory

ADVISERS

MELISSA KORBER

GEORGE RETELAS

BUSINESS MANAGER

MARCUS THOMPSON

EXPRESS YOURSELFWhat are you thankful

for?

“Not having to work retail this sea-­son. I worked retail management for five years and I quit that to go to school full time. It’s heaven-­sent that I don’t have to be at the mall on Black Friday.”

Ty Davidson,English major

“I’m thankful that I will finally be transferring and moving on with my schooling. I’m really thankful that I’m finally able to take the next step, that it’s finally happening.”

Gabby Smith Sociology major

“My family, they helped me through everything.. I know a lot of people aren’t able to come to school. They don’t have the financial stability to come to school so I’m very thankful for that.”

Khadija ByrdBusiness Administration major

“Starting college has made me grow more as a person. I was supposed to get into USF but I couldn’t afford it. You can’t really fix anything by sit-­ting there and pouting;; it’s better to just deal with it optimistically.“

Emily NguyenMarketing and Advertising major

Wonder about the meaning of Thanksgiving? It’s right in the name

DESSART/FLICKR VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

My family used to have huge Thanksgiving celebrations. They would partner with

several other families to rent out a dining hall at Camp Parks in Dublin.

I was young when we did these celebrations but I remember how fun they used to be— there was a DJ, I played football with the other kids and I would see so many friendly faces I couldn’t believe it.

Then my parents got divorced and Thanksgiving was a very dif-ferent experience from that point forward.

The amount of people I cel-ebrated Thanksgiving with was reduced from what seemed like a hundred to four— my mom, my grandma, my uncle and my aunt.

I was a little embarrassed at first, as it seemed like I’d had it so good for so long.

I didn’t feel like my holiday celebration was “normal.”

But, as the years went on, my mind began to change. I began to cherish the time I had with the people who were now closest to me.

Now, I’m looking forward to this holiday season more than I ever have because I look forward to seeing my family that much.

And that’s what I think the holidays are all about— taking time to appreciate what you have, what makes you happy.

I realized at one point in my life that I could sit around and

mope about what I’d lost, what I wanted and didn’t have.

But what would be the point of that?

Nothing I could have done would have changed the situation I found my life in.

So instead of feeling sorry for myself and cursing the Thanksgiving holiday forever, I began to appreciate what was in front of me— the amazing people I’m fortunate enough to call my family.

And I definitely understand that not everyone loves their fam-ily the same way I’m describing. But most people have at least one thing to be thankful for.

Last week I wrote a screed about the evils of making people work on Thanksgiving.

That article was prompted by my reverence for the holidays as a sacred time in America— not because of the supposed origins of each holiday but because it’s supposed to be a rare day of true freedom for everyone. A day when calories don’t matter,

there’s NFL football on during a Thursday afternoon and there’s no work for anyone.

I’ve been alive long enough to remember a time when Black Friday was not nearly as crazy as it is today. Now, it’s becoming the thing that people do— tradi-tions are developing that revolve around shopping all Thanksgiving weekend.

While I do understand the appeal of the big savings on Black Friday, I implore all of you— this year, just think of what you have whether it’s your family, friends or even just some really cool pos-session you own, just as long as it’s something that makes you happy and feel gratitude.

Real, true gratitude.For me, I love and appreci-

ate my family, as cheesy as that sounds.

If I get you to do anything, just consider what you have, how good things may be and consider the plight of someone else who is less fortunate than you.

This whole article was defi-nitely not in the spirit of my nor-mal rantings and ravings, this I know. But it’s late November and I’m in the holiday spirit.

As mad as I may be about people being forced to work on Thanksgiving, I’m too full of love and thoughts of my roasted garlic mashed potatoes (see page 5) to get too worked up over politics or news or sports.

I promise, I’ll get angry once the Thanksgiving break is over.

EDITORIAL

To be a patriotic American, one must spend their tax money at home whenever possible. The taxes collected from transactions in-country are then pumped into the gov-ernment, which allows both federal and state governments to spend that money on their citizenry.

To that same principle, we urge students to purchase their textbooks and spend their hard-earned money on the varied items available at the Las Positas College Bookstore.

That includes school sup-

plies, food, refreshments and clothing.

A percentage of those funds are allocated to various cam-pus programs — including this newspaper, Naked Magazine, Theater Arts, the Honors Transfer Program, the Talk Hawks and other programs.

All programs made possible by these funds both enrich and diversify the experiences possible for students of Las Positas College.

We understand that text-books are often prohibitive for many students and cheaper

options are sometimes neces-sary.

But it is important to con-sider the fact that money spent at the bookstore allows for an array of vital programs to exist.

So, the next time you see a play at LPC, observe artwork at an exhibit on campus or read a success story in The Express of a student who went through the Honors Transfer Program, know that money spent at the bookstore makes these things possible.

When it comes time to spend on campus, shop LPC.

Shopping at bookstore a plus for student experience