Daily 49er February 23, 2011

Bicycles, wallets reported stolen By Brittany Sterling

Staff Writer

Bike thefts continue on campus Two reports of bike thefts occurred on campus between Feb. 8-14, University Police Capt. Fernando Solorzano said. A woman reported that her bike was stolen from the south bike racks of the Liberal Arts 1 building between Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. and Feb. 9 at 8 a.m., Solorzano said. The student said that her Huffy bike was secured with a cable lock at the time it was stolen. The estimated value of loss is $100. A specialized silver bike was stolen from the Northwest bike racks of the College of Business Administration building on Feb. 14 between 9-9:50 a.m., Solorzano said. The student secured the bike before going to class at 9 a.m. and returned to the bike racks after class to find the bike missing. The bike was locked, but the student did not say if a cable or U-lock was used. The estimated value of loss is $700.

Wallets and personal planners being stolen University Police received two reports of petty theft after a wallet and a personal planner were stolen between Feb. 10-15, Solorzano said. A woman stated that her personal planner was stolen in the computer labs on the first floor of the University Library on Feb. 18 between 4:30 and 6:15 p.m., Solorzano said. The woman was using computer 27 before she left for class at 4:30 p.m. Once she realized she left her planner, she returned to the computer lab and asked staff members if someone had turned it in, but it was gone. A wallet was stolen from the University Student Union, Room 303 on Feb. 15 between 6:20-8:20 p.m., Solorzano said. A woman reported that her metallic gray wallet was stolen from the unsecured room. The woman, however, only reported the theft for documentation purposes. The estimated value of her wallet was $15.

Pearl Harbor memorial vandalized A Pearl Harbor memorial was vandalized between Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. and Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. in the Faculty Office 3 building, Solorzano said. The memorial art display was found with graffiti on it and was located in the Multicultural Center's stairway during the time of the vandalism. There were no reports of any unusual or suspicious activity during the time frame of the vandalism.

"Love Tent" cross stolen On Feb. 15 at 10 a.m., an unknown male suspect removed a cross from the northeast corner of the CSULB Destino student organization tent located at the Speaker's Platform in front of the University Bookstore, Solorzano said. The cross was built with wooden beams and held by bungee cords. CSULB Destino is a Christian group on campus that was having its one-day "love tent" event when the cross was stolen.

Student caught smoking marijuana University Police responded to a report of a marijuana odor in the Residential Learning College on Feb. 12 at 11:50 p.m., Solorzano said. When police arrived at the scene, they found a dorm student who admitted to smoking marijuana. The student was judicially cited for having possession of less than one ounce of marijuana at the time.

Speaker to address role of gardens in wartime By Brianne Schaer

Staff Writer

Cal State Long Beach's "The B-Word Project: Banned, Blacklisted & Boycotted" will kick off with a lecture about the self-empowerment of building gardens during wartime on Feb. 25 in the Daniel Recital Hall. Kenneth Helphand, professor of landscape architecture at the University of Oregon, will discuss his book "Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens in Wartime." The book features chapters about gardens in different conditions of cultural oppression, economic hardship and war, such as gardens in World War I trenches, Nazi Europe and Japanese internment camps. "[Gardens] can reflect a very human necessity for ownership — for identity," program assistant Tracy Gorden said. "They can be an expression of identity." Helphand's research also explores the ability to endure extreme situations and how the constructed landscape can inspire people to find hope. For example, Helphand will discuss Merritt Park, a Japanese garden at the Manzanar War Relocation Center built by prisoners of war in 1943. The B-Word Project, coordinated by the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, is a campus-wide initiative on censorship that will continue for the next two years and will feature courses in many departments including art, biology and history. It is made possible by a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. "The B-Word Project is going to be going on in a major way in order to foster collaboration between the different departments on the important theme of censorship," Gorden said. The lecture, with a reception following, is presented by the Friends of the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden and is free to CSULB students and friends of the Japanese Garden. Admission is $5 for the public. Long Beach customers respond to bankrupt Borders closures By Violet Banks

Contributing Writer

The Borders at the Long Beach Pike is one of many locations set to close as a result of the chain's $1.29 billion debt and file for bankruptcy. Some loyal customers were shocked by the news of the location closing down. The size and familiarity of the downtown Borders is something they said they will miss. "It's sad because I used to come to Borders to study and, with my sister, to read magazines," said Malinda Hernandez, a Long Beach local. Borders customers who belong to its rewards club were sent a mass e-mail with details of what will happen. The e-mail included information about the program, gift cards and online purchases. The local store started closing up shop after the company's choice to file a Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Feb. 16. Chapter 11 is a United States Bankruptcy code that permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws and is usually filed when a business fails to service its debts and pay its creditors. Borders has started with plans to restructure its business and will be closing the store no later than April of this year. According to the e-mail, the rewards program will still allow members to earn and redeem their in-store and online benefits. It also assured members that online services are still taking and shipping orders such as the eBook library. A clearance sale has started at the location to purge it of merchandise. Signs indicating 20 percent to 40 percent off books, posters, CDs and other items have been placed all over the store. Some customers, among them Cal State Long Beach students, were not fazed by the closing and said they noticed a decrease in business. "I noticed the trend that they don't have a lot of foot traffic and they don't offer free parking," senior business major Stephanie Thomas said of the inconvenience. "The only way to get free parking is to validate and Borders doesn't do validation." Another customer said he recognized a trend in closures as customers' tastes have changed with the Internet. "First, it was music with Tower Records. Then, it was videos with Blockbusters and it was inevitable that books were next," said Adam Webber, a longtime Borders customer. Others look to the future and plan to purchase and read books online. "I already read my books on my phone," said junior math economics major David Valdivia, who visited the downtown Borders after going to the movie theater located upstairs. The Alamitos location (Bellflower and Sterns) is set to close along with the location downtown. For more information about the proposed restricting, you can find a Chapter 11 store closure list that has been released by the Borders Group website at bordersreorganization.com.

Free tax prep offered for those with lower incomes By Shane Kendall

Staff Writer

Beta Alpha Psi and Accounting Society are offering free tax preparations available for all residents and nonresidents, student or not, with an income under $49,000. "VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) is a program run by the IRS," said Nathan Nguyen, a co-coordinator of the Cal State Long Beach portion of the program. The free tax preparations started Jan. 31 and will be available until March 25. Other off-campus sites will be open longer and can be found at vita-volunteers.org. Tax filers can choose to leave their information and pick it up later, or sit with a volunteer and have their taxes prepared. Karen Kreider, another co-coordinator of the program at CSULB, said an appointment is not necessary and anyone could come in anytime. A photo ID and social security card are the required identifications needed for all filings. "My mom's doing her taxes here. She did them last year here too," said Cristina Mejia, a CSULB student who came by to pick up her mother's tax forms. There are approximately 40 volunteers preparing tax returns, which are from Accounting 495, Special Topics. Nguyen said the students must volunteer at least four hours a week preparing taxes. Co-coordinators and coordinators contribute at least eight hours. "It's four Saturday classes before the semester," Kreider said. "People from the IRS come teach us everything from how to use the TaxWise software to what things to look out for when filing people's taxes. We have a workbook we have to complete first and we have to pass an exam with 80 percent or better before being allowed to do [tax returns]." The students are graded on an A to F scale by the coordinator. "They must file at least 10 residential and four nonresidential tax forms by the end of the program," Nguyen said. The review and actual e-filing of the returns are reviewed and carried out by the co-coordinators and coordinators. The program offers students valuable hands-on experience and will be available in the College of Business Administration computer lab Monday- Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Our View - Public broadcasting deserves bipartisan funding support By Staff

With the state of our economy, we must all understand that federal spending cuts must be made. The trick here, however, is deciding which cuts seem most appropriate. Among the $61 billion in total funding cuts toward institutions including Planned Parenthood and Pell Grants, House Republicans have approved a $430 million cut in federal spending to the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. We can't blame the House for urging various spending cuts, but did CPB need to be this significant of a target? The answer is no. Before the reduction was approved, CPB was being funded $531 million. Now, the House has passed a proposal to cut nearly all of their subsidies, leaving CPB only $131 million, practically clearing out federal spending as a whole for the corporation. The Colorado Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn's second — and now successful — attempt to cut CPB funding is a result of National Public Radio's alleged leftist bias. "Public broadcasting cannot simultaneously be a creature of the state and serve the necessary Fourth Estate function as a government watchdog, he told the Washington Times." But NPR has maintained journalistic integrity regardless of party control in government. Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer said in his recent statement to Fox News, "Up until now support for public broadcasting has always been bipartisan. This is the very first time it was a complete partisan move." We couldn't agree more with this statement. Why else would House Republicans only target CPB and NPR? After all, Voice of America, a publicly funded news organization, is not being targeted. We think this probably because House Republicans agree with that public news source's worldview. CPB provides funds for two major broadcasting programs: NPR and Public Broadcasting Service. According Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, CPB has an estimated total of 170 million listeners and provides work for more than 17,000 people. If CPB still has a little more than half of the United States population's attention, then why are we siding with the half who think the news being produced is too subjective? Wouldn't siding with the half who wishes to cut funding for a biased news service be just be as biased? We think yes. Allegations of subjectivity coming from House Republicans should not carry the authority to cut this public service's budget by close to 80 percent. What happen to the First Amendment right to free speech and press? Is John Boehner going to cut funding to public universities that he thinks are too left? The point here is subjective claims of subjectivity do not merit government action. True, a cut in government funding to CPB does not necessarily order them to discontinue their news production. It does, however, instate an indirect government shutdown. Not funding is not the same as cutting funding, the latter being an indirect violation of freedom of speech. Federal Communications Commissioner Michael Copps argued that the stories being released by news organizations today are solely "opinion based on opinion and too little news based on fact." In order to avoid the recent rise in partisan news, Copps suggested to launch a "Public Value Test," which would establish criteria that broadcasters would have to carry out in order to be permitted a broadcasting license renewal. This, at least, is a better approach to the problem than simply cutting funds for one of the "biased" news organizations. A Public Value Test would be more fair. If NPR goes so does FOX News, the liberal might say. It is important CPB and NPR continue to receive an amount of funding closer to the previous $531 million. Such drastic cuts are unnecessary. Why should public broadcasting, "[get] the ax," as Blumenauer put it?

Middle East countries need to have ‘mutual respect’ to achieve peace By Khalil Sheikh

Obama's administration has legitimately lost credibility. Last week the US was the only country out of 15 nations to veto the Arab resolution at the United Nations Security Council that condemned Israel for building illegal settlements in Palestinian territories. Even Britain backed the resolution. What's shameful is American politicians have spent two years criticizing Israel for continuing to build the illegal settlements as an act that defies any prospect for peace. Israel considers expansion as an instrument that insures security and recognition. Also in Mid-East news: Israel attempts to scramble the international community together to respond to Iran's crossing of the Suez Canal. We are already beginning to see fairness now that Hosni Mubarak has been ousted. According to BBC, Egypt approved Iran's passage through the canal, confirming that under international agreements, Iran is permitted to cross. However, this hasn't been attempted since Iran's revolution of 1979. Iran's supply ships are headed to Syria to deliver a frigate and conduct yearlong training. So, what's the paranoia about? Iran is nowhere close to having a nuclear weapon, that is, if they are even working towards the creation of one. Israel on the other hand has up to 200 nuclear warheads and refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty while rejecting UN inspections. BBC also uncovers Israeli spies that have been linked to the assassination of Iranian scientists who were working toward clean nuclear energy that would benefit our planet. If Iran's protests are truly studied and acknowledged, it is a product of economics during harsh fiscal times impacted by American sanctions influenced by Israeli coercion. When Obama spoke in Cairo on June of 2009, many refused to believe that Egypt was ruled by a tyrannical puppet who received the second largest amount of US funding, with first place being Israel. And there was George W. Bush on a mission to develop democracy in the Mid- East by invading Iraq knowing there were no weapons of mass destruction, but still insisting there were. President Bush's administration went on to facilitate democratic elections in Palestine, only to fall short by punishing Palestinians for choosing the party that would best protect their aspirations as honest as possible. America imposed the harshest sanctions and forced eternal suffocation on Palestinian Christians and Muslims in Gaza by persuading Mubarak to shut the border and giving Israel the right to patrol from sky, land and sea. The odd part about it is Palestinians voted for the same group that Israel once created. This is how American democracy was being spread in the Mid- East. Al-Jazeera recently released "Palestinian Papers," which exposes American backed Palestinian leadership who publicly protested the construction of Israeli settlements, but were privately willing to give Israel all of East Jerusalem. Israel still rejected the offer! This is proof that the Israeli government is not willing to pursue peace. Rather, Israel is on a quest to take land by force and attempt to justify its ownership while pretending to meet Arabs halfway for harmony. Protests in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, Jordan, Oman, Algeria, Sudan, Mauritania, Syria, Kuwait, Palestine, Morocco and Saudi Arabia shows our generation's anger toward hypocrisy. From America's support of Pol Pot to creative and crafty slogans like "bomb-bomb Iran," mutual respect, fairness, integrity, the pursuit of knowledge and voidance of greed is how we are to establish unity, peace and understanding. Khalil Daniel Sheikh is a senior liberal study major and a contributing writer for the Daily 49er.

Cal Rep’s ‘The Hyacinth Macaw’ baffles, falls short By Brittany Woolsey

Diversions Editor

Imagine two hours of Mad Hatter-esque speak in which the dialogue is completely nonsensical. Unfortunately, that is what the California Repertory Company's production of Mac Wellman's "The Hyacinth Macaw" seems to revolve around. However, the strange dialogue does not contribute to the play's effect, like it does in "Alice in Wonderland." Instead, it is all- around confusing, which might be its point, but it ultimately becomes distracting, leaving the audience with unanswered questions. Probably the biggest question: "What did I just pay to see?" From what I understood of the science-fiction play, it centered on the Mordent family, who is visited by Mister William Hard (Jerry Prell). Hard acknowledges Susannah (Anna Steers), the Mordent teenage daughter, as an orphan, which she quickly protests. Hard then tells the family that the head of the household, Ray (Craig Anton), is merely a duplicate and must leave so Hard can take his place. From there, things get even weirder and more confusing. The family seems to be taken over by a spell, as if they were possessed into saying only nonsensical things, which causes the audience to be in a state of confusion for the play's entirety. Sure, there are some comical moments in the play, but they are ultimately stemmed from randomness and awkward situations that the audience has a hard time understanding. Such instances include Ray and Hard swapping pants when they switch roles and Hard eating a beetle. Scenes like these cause uproars of laughter in the audience, only because it is difficult to understand their significance, other than to add to the play's oddity. The cast does a fine job acting out their strange characters, but their talents do not make up for the puzzling script. Prell and Anton are both convincing as mad men, but the true comedic moments come from Mad Wu (Simon Brooke), who plays a minor role in the play. He stands out only because he is a white man portraying an Asian man who repeats, "I'm from China!" Perhaps it was director Jim Martin's intention to cast Brooke as Wu for extra comedic elements, but the casting is almost too unrealistic to take seriously. Steers is charming and believable in the beginning of the play, but as it progresses, she seems to become over-dramatic. She tears up at arguably unnecessary places in the script and shows off absurd facial gestures, overreacting to every statement. Although their choice of script isn't completely favorable, Cal Rep almost makes up for it with their set design. A setting sun and rising moon add a touch of realism to this unrealistic play and a giant sandbox makes it look like it's taking place outdoors. The cast also does a fine job at breaking the fourth wall, which is the invisible wall separating the characters on stage from the audience. They walk in the aisles of the audience, making it easier to engage with them. Overall, Cal Rep should be noted for their cast and set and the real negatives only lie with their poor choice in a script. "The Hyacinth Macaw" runs at the Queen Mary until March 12, with showings Wednesday through Saturday. Tickets cost $15 for students and $20 for general admission. For more information, visit calrep.org.

Long Beach takes a bite at Rastafarian life By Matthew Gomez

Features Editor

Living legends of roots reggae and up-and-coming artists took the stage last weekend at the Long Beach Arena for the 30th annual Ragga Muffins Festival. The event bridged the gap between generations of listeners and continued the musical tradition of Bob Marley. As dark clouds swelled over the Long Beach Arena Saturday afternoon, so did the anticipation for the start of the two-day reggae festival. People, commonly dressed in the Rastafarian colors of red, yellow, and green, filed into the entrance as Quinto Sol, of East Los Angeles, kicked off the festival. The revolving stage kept waiting at a minimum and music at a constant. Outside, the reggae didn't stop as Quantegy Sound DJs kept heads bobbing while people explored the various food vendors. Welcoming beacons of smoke billowed from open barbeques into the cool evening air, leaving behind smells of jerk chicken and Cajun sausage. People gathered around low wooden tables to enjoy the international cuisines of Jamaica, Thailand, India and Belize. The otherwise spread-out crowd squeezed in tightly on the arena floor when Rebelution took the stage. Their instruments and amplifiers became lost in- between various plants that the band placed on stage as they played their hit "Green." The band members were all smiles when they brought out one of their musical idols, Don Carlos, to join them in a song. Much of the crowd cleared out after Rebelution left the stage, while the rest anticipated the arrival of Bunny Wailer, the only surviving member of the musical trio the Wailers. After an eager wait, the crowd cheered as Bunny Wailer boogied on stage in all his glory, dressed in clean white pants and a dress shirt, layered with a shimmering vest of red, green and yellow, and topped with a knitted tie of the same colors. Bunny Wailer proved that he is truly the "dub master" with his performance of "I'm The Toughest." He also brought the crowd back to his beginnings with the Wailers' hits "Trench Town Rock" and "Simmer Down." The crowd of people, ranging in age and ethnicity, grew on Sunday, as a line wrapped around the front of the Long Beach arena under the afternoon sun. Don Carlos looked like he was having more fun than the crowd as he skanked across the stage during his performance, never taking the smile off of his face. The Ragga Muffins Festival was host to more than just music. In Exhibit Hall C, vendors set up booths with Bob Marley merchandise, such as T- shirts, bags, records and onesies for infants. Patrons perused the handcrafted earrings, shoes and hats before returning to the arena stage. Veteran reggae artist Marcia Griffiths, known as the "Empress of Reggae music," invited some audience members on stage to dance the Electric Slide with her as she sang "Electric Boogie Song." Pockets of the audience joined, dancing across the arena floor – sticky with remnants of $12 beer and $6 lemonade. Israel Vibration closed the festival, taking turns singing lead as they performed some songs off their new album "Reggae Knights." The duo, who battled the polio virus as kids in Jamaica, harmonized their hits that made them a cornerstone in roots reggae. Israel Vibration sang about social issues and consciousness, a fundamental aspect of reggae music. The Ragga Muffins Festival brought positivity and unity, attracting reggae fans of various generations. For more information about Ragga Muffins, visitraggamuffinsfestival.com

The Beach could cut down nets Thursday 49ers one victory over Cal Poly away from regular-season Big West crown. By Tracy McDannald

Sports Editor

Roughly three years ago around this time, then-freshman Greg Plater and the Long Beach State men's basketball team were in the middle of what would be a 6-25 season under new head coach Dan Monson. Now, with Monson in his fourth season and the senior 3-point specialist as the only remnant of that rough campaign, the 49ers will attempt to wrap up the Big West Conference regular-season title Thursday night. "It starts with the expectations coach Monson brings in," Plater said Tuesday. "Now we're living up to them. "It's no longer ‘we could win,' it's ‘we should win.'" First-place LBSU (17-10, 11-2 Big West), which has won six consecutive games, will host second-place Cal Poly (14-12, 9-4 Big West) at the Walter Pyramid. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. A win would give The Beach its first regular-season conference title since 2006-07; the same season the 'Niners last appeared in the NCAA Tournament. While a win Thursday would not guarantee the latter, it would ensure the team a spot in the National Invitation Tournament if it does not win the Big West Tournament in March at the Honda Center in Anaheim. But that would probably not be a consolation for Monson, who's been adamant in the past about settling for nothing short of an appearance in the Big Dance. "This program needs to get where we're measured by winning championships and not by competing for them," he said after last season's 69-64 loss to UC Santa Barbara in the Big West championship game. "Athletics is about winning and anything short of that is disappointing. … To say we're going to have a moral victory because we came within five points of going to the NCAA tournament, no. "I didn't come to Long Beach State to finish second." A win would also guarantee LBSU the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, as well as the first-round noon slot against the No. 8 seed on March 10. Attempting to hold off the 49ers' celebration for at least another game will be the Mustangs, who had their own six-game winning streak snapped in a 59-56 nonconference loss to Northern Arizona on a buzzer-beating 3- pointer last Saturday. The first time LBSU and Cal Poly met this season in San Luis Obispo, the 49ers limited the Mustangs to 18 first-half points en route to a 69-53 victory. But that was late December. "The biggest thing is we need to respect [Cal Poly]," Plater said. "They've definitely gotten better since then. "We just need to focus on defense." Good ol' technology The LBSU marketing department had a little fun with a sound byte from Cal Poly head coach Joe Callero, who — like any coach of any sport in the country — said, "I think we have the best home-court advantage." In a 46-second promotional YouTube video — in which Callero also said, most likely out of context, "I don't think much about Long Beach right now" — his comments are looped. It also reminds viewers that LBSU is undefeated at home (6-0) in Big West play. The marketing team did not stop there, taking a more comedic approach without twisting any words in a separate video for Saturday's home finale against UC Santa Barbara. As Plater and Tristan Wilson — dressed in white T-shirts — make their way through the Pyramid entrance with Prospector Pete guarding the door, teammates Larry Anderson and Eugene Phelps are stopped. That's because the duo is instead clad in the familiar black-and-yellow Maniacs attire. "It's ‘White Out Night,'" Wilson tells Anderson and Phelps midway through the 38-second clip. The first 4,000 fans will receive free white T-shirts. The game, which will be nationally-televised on ESPN2, is scheduled for a 5:05 p.m. tipoff. About those Gauchos Fourth-place UCSB (14-11, 7-6 Big West), the defending conference champion, has seemingly mirrored last season's LBSU team that failed to string together three consecutive victories until the end of the season. The Gauchos have not won three straight contests since a three-game nonconference stretch from Dec. 1 to Dec. 15. In that span, UCSB shocked then-No. 22 UNLV on the road in Las Vegas. Now, heading into Thursday's meeting with Cal State Northridge, the Gauchos are a surprising 3-4 in their last seven games. Despite the struggles, Plater said the 49ers know that fortune can quickly turn around. "[UCSB] has two of the best scorers in the league and the reigning Big West Player of the Year (Orlando Johnson)," Plater said. "We definitely respect them a lot." Gaining their own respect After defeating Montana in an ESPN BracketBuster contest last Saturday, the 49ers moved into the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll on Monday. LBSU is ranked 19th, while Montana dropped from No. 16 to No. 21. Big West Tournament tickets Single-session tickets for both the men's and women's Big West Tournament in Anaheim went on sale Tuesday at the Honda Center box office. Tickets are also available at www.ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $22 to $34, while Big West student tickets are $10 with an ID. All-session passes are $64, or $144 for a courtside view. According to an LBSU release, Long Beach State students will receive free tickets for all games at the Honda Center, and the athletic department will sponsor two free tournament buses to shuttle students to and from the Honda Center for as long as the 49ers play in the tournament. Meanwhile, first-round women's action will be hosted by the top-4 seeds at campus sites March 8. Tickets are $10, while Big West student tickets are $5. The four first-round winners will move on to the Honda Center when the tournament resumes March 11. For more information, visit www.bigwesttourney2011.com.