Spartan Daily Serving San José State University since 1934

Tuesday, February 15, 2011 spartandaily.com Volume 136, Issue 10

Photo: Michelle Terris / Spartan Daily Students evacuate the Boccardo Business Complex during a campuswide fi re drill Monday. Students: Fire drill an unwelcome disruption

Leo Postovoit The drill, which happens once a ing. It’s not something we look for- dinator for Clark Hall. During the sandra Imazio said she was happy semester, is designed to make sure ward to.” evacuation she said everything was that she was on campus in class and Staff Writer students are aware when a real Gneyb Sanchez, a senior social going well. not asleep. emergency happens, according to work major, said she found the “It’s just a practice drill in case of “This would be the right time to Several students who were evac- Lt. Frank Belcastro of UPD. timing to be a hassle, especially as an emergency,” Poole said. have the drill because this is when uated complained the evacuation “We’re required (to do the drills) people have to go outside into rainy Darren Ng, a senior electrical the most students are on campus,” across the SJSU campus Monday by the chancellor’s offi ce and the weather. engineering major, found the drill she said. morning was a nuisance. education code,” Belcastro said. “It “I don’t think they should have bothersome but agreed it was a Kathy Chu, a sophomore anima- “It’s annoying,” said Michelle reduces panic and reduces injury, fi re drills when they interrupt class- helpful practice. tion/illustration major, said she was Azizi, a junior justice studies major. which helps keep the campus safe.” es, especially when it is freezing cold “There’s two perspectives to this,” evacuated from her dorm in Joe “Being in the middle of a deep dis- Azizi said the surprise event was outside,” Sanchez said. he said. “If I were studying I’d see it West Hall. cussion and fi nally getting into the just a bleak part of her day. Dorothy Poole, assistant vice as a waste of time but if there were a “Joe West has fi res all the time,” class and then being interrupted and “It’s not middle school anymore,” president of administration and fi - real fi re I’d be screwed.” having to leave sucks.” she said. “The fi re drill is not excit- nance, was a backup building coor- Senior photography major Ales- see DRILL page 2 Hockey team suspension lifted

Leonard Lai Senior Staff Writer

The SJSU hockey club’s interim suspension has been lifted after a week, according to the hockey team’s website. “The team is going to be able to participate in the upcoming March tournament,” said Pat Lopes Harris, director of media relations for SJSU. “Some of the players will be sanctioned and overall the Photo Story: Leonard Lai, Photo: Jesse Jones / Spartan Daily team will probably have to go through alcohol awareness training.” The team was placed on an interim suspension Man arrested in library for trespassing after an anonymous tip was called in claiming the team allegedly breached the code of conduct. A man was arrested Monday inside the Dr. Martin Luther “He was trespassing since he wouldn’t leave and we arrested An investigation into the team was ordered by King Jr. Library. him for that,” said Sgt. John Laws of UPD. President Don Kassing shortly after. University police got the call in at 3:01 p.m., when it was re- Edmond Castro, the man arrested, has been arrested before on Coach Ron Glasow could not be reached for ported that a man was causing a disturbance and was asked to campus many times, Laws said. comment, and Andy Dickerson, president of the leave but didn’t. Castro was taken to county jail after his arrest. hockey team, declined to comment.

WEATHER OPINION, PAGE 5 A&E, PAGE 6 SOCIAL MEDIA Follow us on Hell hath no fury like an NFL Chinese culture celebration Twitter fan scorned energizes Santana Row @spartandaily

A group of fans fl ip out over Festival is a colorful look into a Become a fan NFL ticket fl op. unique culture. 63° on Facebook High: facebook.com/ Low: 48° spartandaily 2 NEWS sPARTANDailY Tuesday, February 15, 2011

City ordinance will THIS DAY IN HISTORY ... ban plastic bags from SJSU, local shops

Alex Wara good thing. Staff Writer “When you go to the store it is such an automated response to put things in plastic bags, said Thorne, a senior cre- When San Jose City Councilman Kan- ative arts major. “It will be a good thing sen Chu returned from Taiwan in 2007, to break people out of that habit.” he knew he wanted to see a change in the The ordinance will also apply to SJSU. city. “The ordinance specifi cally doesn’t in- That change was met with the pas- clude restaurants, so for most of the din- sage of a city ordinance that would ban ing units on campus it would not be ap- single-use plastic bags and start charging plicable,” said Jeff Pauley, dining services for paper bags to encourage people to use director for Spartan Dining. “Most of the reusable shopping bags. dining units on campus do not use much While in Taiwan, Chu said he was sur- in the way of plastic bags and the ones prised to go into a store and be charged that we do use are biodegradable.” for a plastic bag. Pauley said that for the shops on cam- On February 15, 1989 He later found out from friends that pus the ordinance does apply to, such as The Spartan Daily reported that ... places in Shanghai, China, and through- Village Market and Spartan Bookstore, out Europe were also charging for plastic these stores would have to make changes. bags. “There are plastic bags at the book- • Andy Coan (above) scores the fi rst run in the Spartan baseball team’s 2-1 win It was through the realization of how store and as I read the ordinance those against UC Berkeley, keeping the Spartans undefeated at 12-0. much litter plastic bags cause and the would have to go and need to be replaced thousands of years it takes for a bag to with some sort of paper bag,” he said. • A water rationing plan set to take effect in April is likely to affect the university’s degrade that Chu proposed an ordinance “The big difference with that is that I to ban plastic bags in San Jose. think that plastic bags are a little more ability to keep its landscaping watered and green. “I put the ordinance to the city coun- durable, so they would have to fi nd a re- cil meeting for discussion back in 2007,” placement bag that would work and do • SJSU Student Health Services was on the lookout for cases of Meningitis after an Chu said. “So it took a while for the the same function for heavier items such outbreak was reported in Santa Clara County. council to really decide on this and it also as books.” took a while for the staff to do a lot of There has been some backlash against background work. There were a lot of the ordinance, according to Chu. questions and concerns that we were try- An online news release from the ing to address.” American Chemistry Council states that WORLD NEWS The ordinance, passed by the coun- “None of the proceeds would go toward cil with a 10-1 vote in December 2010, helping improve environmental quality would ban the use of plastic bags starting since the retailers keep the money.” Protesters meet resistance in January 2012, according to Chu. Chu said the money would stay in the “The city ordinance that was passed store to cover the costs for the fi rst year, will ban both paper and plastic and will and the second year the amount would in Iran, Bahrain and Yemen allow people to pay for a paper bag if the be raised to 25 cents and a portion of it bag contains at least 40 percent of recy- would be used to educate people. clable material,” he said. The passing of the ordinance makes Jonathan S. Landay in the streets in Iran today," are unwilling to take to the According to the ordinance, restau- San Jose the most populated city to ban Warren P. Strobel Secretary of State Hillary streets and risk their lives rants and nonprofi t organizations would plastic bag use, following in the footsteps Clinton said. for ambiguous goals." be exempt. of San Francisco. McClatchy Tribune The turnout in Tehran In Bahrain, a Manhattan- Environmental club President Ev- “I think this is a long time coming,” was especially surprising, size emirate with a popu- elyn Thorne said she thinks the ban is a Chu said. CAIRO — Tens of thou- given the executions and lation of 738,000, security sands of protesters faced other harsh penalties meted forces attacked peaceful club-wielding security out to people arrested in protesters to prevent them forces Monday in Bahrain, protests there after disputed from massing in Manama, Yemen and Iran in what ex- June 2009 elections. according to news reports perts said may be shaping News reports put the and Internet posts. up as a pro-democracy wave crowds at tens of thousands. Twitter feeds spoke of ignited by the revolts that Press TV, the state-run police fi ring tear gas, bird drove Egypt and Tunisia's English-language television shot, rubber bullets and live rulers from power. channel, said small groups ammunition. At least one protester was of protesters "disrupted or- A YouTube video showed confi rmed killed in Bahrain, der in the Iranian capital dozens of people protesting and there were unconfi rmed Tehran," provoking counter- peacefully at a traffi c circle, reports of several deaths and protests by government sup- some waving red and white hundreds of arrests in Teh- porters. Bahraini fl ags. Suddenly, ran, where anti-government Cell phone videos posted blue-suited police charge marchers chanting "death to on Twitter, YouTube and from the opposite side of the dictators" staged their larg- other social networking circle as tear gas grenades est demonstration in more sites showed crowds chant- explode near the protesters. than a year. ing anti-regime slogans. In Yemen, security forc- The Obama administra- "The turnout exceed- es and pro-regime groups tion spoke out for the Irani- ed my expectations," said clashed for the fourth an protesters, in contrast to Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran straight day with univer- relatively mild initial state- specialist at the Carnegie sity students, journalists and ments it issued when unrest Endowment for Interna- others demanding demo- erupted after disputed presi- tional Peace. cratic reforms and the oust- dential elections in 2009. Still, he said, "Many peo- er of President Ali Abdullah "Let me very clearly and ple don't see the opposition Saleh, who has ruled the na- directly support the aspira- has a clear strategy or end tion at the tip of the Arabian tions of the people who are game in mind and hence peninsula for 32 years.

Photo: Jesse Jones / Spartan Daily Freshman Emily Pierce hands a purchase to a customer at the Spartan Bookstore on Monday afternoon. The bookstore is one of many SJSU retailers that will be afffected by the upcoming ban on plastic bags. Tuesday, February 15, 2011 sPARTANDailY NEWS 3

1 2 3

Photo: Jesse Jones / Spartan Daily Photo:Vernon McKnight / Spartan Daily Photo: Michelle Terris / Spartan Daily

Clusters of students could be seen across the university as they participated in the campuswide evacuation Monday.

(Clockwise from top left) 1 - Building coordinators secured the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library.

2 - Student pathways were loud and congested at construction sites near the Student Union.

3 - Students evacuate the Boccardo Business Complex.

4 - Student residents evacuate Campus Village buildings B and C.

5 - Students, faculty and children wait for clearance near the Tommie Smith and John Carlos Statue.

6 - Students congregate in the Spartan Complex.

Illustration: Hannah Keirns / Spartan Daily 6 5 4

Photo: Shirene Niksadat / Spartan Daily Photo: Leo Postovoit / Spartan Daily Photo: Jack Barnwell / Spartan Daily

kind of stoked.” DRILL The campus evacuation included the From Page 1 Child Development Lab Preschool in the Central Classroom Building. Their Chu said. “So now that they’re having an- children joined the students around the other fi re drill it’s like ‘Oh great, I can’t Smith-Carlos Statue. get up to my room.’” Preschool lab instructor Joy Foster ad- The drill came when the weather mitted forgetting about the drill. broke, which eased Chu’s frustration. “I usually put up signs and we come “It’s not really raining right now,” she out early,” Foster said. “Everyone did so said. “If it was in really heavy rain, I’d be well.” really upset.” Several of the preschoolers said they Members of the Alpha Xi Delta so- wanted to run and play, but knew to walk rority had a treat sale on the sidewalk and stay calm. between the front of Clark Hall and the The event went well with just a single Tommie Smith and John Carlos Statue. hitch, Belcastro said. As people left their buildings to their “We had a complaint from a building outdoor evacuation area, they fl ocked coordinator,” he said. “One building had to the canopy-covered table and over- a faculty member who didn’t want to co- whelmed the fundraiser, which was one operate.” of few sheltered areas in the rain. Belcastro said students and faculty “We didn’t even know about it,” said members that do not cooperate are re- sophomore psychology major Marina ported to Student Affairs and Faculty Af- Troian, who worked the treat sale. “We’re fairs, respectively.

Tips on choosing the right major

Nic Aguon that may help you include: gently through the de- Staff Writer partment website: www. Getting to know sjsu.edu/colleges_de- yourself partments. Feeling stressed about Observe and make note Analyze the amount of the process of choosing of your interests (ex. coursework that is be- a major? Attending the “Are you a hands-on per- ing demanded by the Career Center’s various son?”) classes you may enroll workshops in Module A Figure out what you’re into. near Hoover Hall may help profi cient at (ex. Work- Schedule an appoint- relieve the stress. Each se- ing on cars, building ment with a depart- mester, the Career Center things etc.) ment adviser to go has workshops that include Ask questions that clari- over specifi c ques- how to succeed at job fairs, fy what you’re into, such tions you may have. writing a concise résumé as: “Which classes have and proper interviewing you enjoyed in high Utilize SJSU’s online skills and strategies. Ge- school or college thus resources rard Johnson, an associate far?” and “Which cours- Visit the Career Center’s at SJSU’s Career Center, es did you excel at?” website at: www.career- explained that choosing center.sjsu.edu a major depends on your Research majors and Create a student ac- personality as well as your careers count on the career cen- specifi c interests and hob- Access the SJSU Catalog ter’s website. bies. Choosing a major is at: http://info.sjsu.edu/ Log in regularly, net- a task that requires self home/catalog.html. work and update your exploration. Some tips Research a major dili- résumé consistently. 4 SPORTS sPARTANDailY Tuesday, February 15, 2011 COMMENTARY Time is running out for Spartans, Nessman

Joey Akeley Spartans have been competitive shown glimpses of national rel- Copy Editor in nearly every game. evance, including a three-game Of the Spartans’ 12 losses, win streak in the WAC last year eight have come by nine points and a win over Oregon earlier SJSU senior guards Adrian or less, including two in over- this season. Oliver and Justin Graham were time. But Nessman has to be dis- talking about competing for the If the Spartans could close appointed in the team’s perfor- top spot of Western Athletic games like they start them, they mance in conference play, partic- Conference when the 2010-11 would be in the upper half of ularly with Oliver and Graham men’s basketball team started the WAC standings. playing in their last season. its season. Maybe this season’s best exam- They haven't disappointed, Now the Spartans are trying ple came in Saturday’s heartbreak- as Oliver leads the conference to avoid fi nishing dead last. ing loss to the Wolf Pack. The in scoring and Graham ranks Following their 84-76 over- Spartans led 25-10, but they ended third in assists. But the devel- time loss to University of Ne- up losing their huge lead, result- opment, or lack thereof, of the vada, Reno on Saturday, the ing in a nail-biting second half. team’s supporting cast has cost Spartans dropped to 3-9 in the Had the Spartans kept their the Spartans. WAC and 11-12 overall. foot on the gas for the entire Team defense has also been Only Louisiana Tech, with a game, the Wolf Pack’s miracle a bust, as SJSU ranks last in the 2-10 conference record, is be- comeback in the fi nal seconds conference in scoring defense. hind SJSU in the standings. wouldn’t have been possible. With six regular season games But all hope is not lost, Spar- Still, with a four-point lead and to go, time is running out on ta faithful. less than 20 seconds to go, the Graham, Oliver and maybe the To reach the NCAA Tourna- Spartans had to close out that future of Nessman as the team's ment, all the Spartans need to do game and simply didn’t. head coach. is win the WAC Tournament. Before we blame all of this The Spartans host fi ve of And to qualify for the WAC teams struggles on head coach their fi nal six games, and they Tournament, the Spartans have George Nessman, let’s keep in must go on a win streak to pick to avoid placing last. mind that six years ago Ness- up some momentum for the Thus, the Feb. 26 home game man inherited a men’s basket- conference tournament. against Louisiana Tech has seri- ball program that had won just But if their season contin- ous repercussions. 19 games in its previous three ues to spiral out of control, Although winning the WAC seasons. they may be watching the WAC Tournament seems unlikely, the Since then, the Spartans have Tournament from home. REMAINING GAMES THIS SEASON Opponent Record (WAC) Location Date Montana State 11-14 SJSU Event Center Tuesday, Feb. 15 Weber State 14-9 SJSU Event Center Friday, Feb. 18 New Mexico State* 14-12 (8-4) SJSU Event Center Wednesday, Feb. 23 Louisiana Tech* 11-15 (2-10) SJSU Event Center Saturday, Feb. 26 Hawaii* 13-10 (4-7) SJSU Event Center Thursday, Mar. 3 Photo: Stan Olszewski/ Spartan Daily Boise State* 14-11 (7-6) Boise, Idaho Saturday, Mar. 5 Senior guard Justin Graham drives the ball to the hoop during the loss to Ne- vada on Saturday. The Spartans, who have stumbed to a 3-9 record in the West- * Conference Games ern Athletic Conference, only have four conference games left this season. CLASSIFIEDS

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Yes, you can tout that they were not allowed to ity over its athletic and academic future. sent our campus. the SJSU club hockey team compete in a recent tourna- Information on things such as where So does our administration. signed a contract with the ment. these allegations came from, the nature Clearly our team and our coaches were university, and therefore While athletes clearly of the alcohol abuse in question and the not on the same page, as the players did must be subject to the represent our school, it is measures of punishment that were carried not understand the ramifications of their whims and accusations of not reasonable to dictate out remained largely unavailable to the actions and may not have made the wisest sources that, up until the how they must live their public. decisions. date of publication, remain personal lives. Probably the most unsettling dynamic SJSU officials could have chosen to anonymous. Morality cannot be dic- in this situation is how little responsibil- exercise excessive authority over people Let us be perfectly hon- tated by an institution, es- ity the university seems to feel toward its who I am sure sincerely just want to play est with ourselves, though: pecially not because the students. hockey. those men would sign what- school does not want to be The students, hockey players included, Their lifting of the suspension is com- ever they needed to sign to embarrassed of its athletes. pay the tuition fees that keep the school mendable, and hopefully in the future play hockey. Francisco Rendon Holding the threat of operating. they will be slow- If athletes love a sport, if Staff Writer extreme punishment over Yet the school er to exercise such their goal of playing a sport players’ heads is not a just can dictate how “Holding the threat of harsh punishment, influences which school means of handling matters individuals have and keep the stu- they choose to attend, and do not have an of alleged alcohol use. to live their per- extreme punishment over dents from the alternative to signing a similar document This hockey team plays for students, sonal lives, and measures being wherever they go, of course they will ink faculty and staff, and last year it competed upon receiving players’ heads is not a just means taken, as the stu- their initials. in the American Collegiate Hockey Asso- an unidentified dents do largely First, let us be clear that the conditions ciation’s National Championships. phone call which of handling matters of alleged fund the univer- under which athletes are expected to live It carries forward a tradition of excel- states they acted sity. their lives are not really optional, regard- lence on the ice, and has been a source of outside of the alcohol use.” Seeing as this is less of whether it is a club sport or an pride for SJSU. defined bound- a school, officials NCAA-sanctioned activity. Yet the moment these same students aries of acceptable conduct, it can suspend could make use of future opportunities to The contract that club sports players partake in something that reflects nega- students who pay tuition from the campus educate individuals on the impact of their sign essentially forces them to agree that tively on our school, our university chose and feels no responsibility to inform other decisions, rather than acting rashly while they will not drink at all. to respond with severe measures. students of the measures underway. withholding information from the public. When the SJSU club hockey team was Officials invoked an interim suspension University officials and the club sports That would be conduct from the admin- issued an interim suspension for what, to because of a breach of the contract, giving contract that these individuals signed are istrators and team that we could be proud me, were vague suspicions of alcohol use, the school virtually unchallenged author- correct in stating that athletes do repre- of. Please remember: Hell hath no fury like Your health is your wealth a NFL fan scorned Thomas Jeffer- ously attended to clear our heads, we stay up In case you haven’t According son once wrote, SJSU to finish extremely late, drink enough heard already, 400 fans to a New York “Leave all the af- my journalism coffee to kill a small mammal who bought tickets for Times article, ternoon for ex- degree. and stress ourselves out to the the Super Bowl on Feb. one of the dis- ercise and rec- I was re- point where we can’t remem- 6 were displaced be- placed fans paid reation, which quired to have ber what we studied all night. cause their seats were $3,900 for just are as necessary a minimum of The whole time we seem to under repair. They were himself. Another as reading. I will 12 units to be a forget that our bodies eventu- instead forced to watch fan paid $9,700 rather say more student athlete ally punish us for our blatant the big game on a TV for two. So the necessary because at Mission and negligence of decent hygiene. within the stadium. reimbursement health is worth carried 10 units Our health is truly our The NFL and Dallas by the league more than learn- at SJSU. wealth and we must cherish Cowboys owner Jerry hardly covers ing.” Twenty-two this notion if we wish to per- Jones really fumbled the total cost. Telling your Lyell Marks units is not a form to the best of our abili- the ball on this one. Wesley Dugle Many fans teacher you spent Staff Writer schedule I rec- ties. The NFL tried to Staff Writer also suffered the afternoon ex- ommend to It’s hard to do anything compensate for it by through long ercising and play- anyone for any when you are sick, so put- reimbursing the fans’ lines going into ing sports isn’t usually an ex- point in their college careers, ting your health at the top of tickets at triple the face value of the game only to be told their seats cuse that goes over well in lieu but being able to play baseball your priority list allows you to $800 ($2,400) and giving them free were not available. According to of an assignment. every day was the one thing that avoid missing school or work tickets to next year’s Super Bowl Peter King, a Sports Illustrated Explaining that you were allowed me to release the stress altogether. — the fans wouldn’t have it. writer who covered the game, some doing so in respect to a found- that came with my schedule. Besides having a physical Now the fans are filing a lawsuit fans waited out in the cold Dallas ing father’s request isn’t likely There are a number of in- outlet for stress, the only way against the NFL for carelessly mis- weather for up to two-and-a-half to convince your teacher that tramural sports on campus, an to avoid stress building up is managing their seats and are de- hours. playtime is more “worthy” than Aquatic Center and a two-story to really master time manage- manding higher compensation. After all of this the NFL had the learning either. gym. Whatever type of physi- ment. At first, this may seem like the nerve to send these fans to bars and While being able to reserve cal activity suits You have to fans are going too far here. It’s lounges to watch the game on a TV “all the afternoon” for playful you — there are fully grasp the easy to think, “Well they will all instead. If they wanted to watch activities is pleasant, this is several ways “Rather than concept that be- get their money back at triple the the game on a TV they would have simply not the reality of be- to engage in it ing done with an cost and they will get tickets to stayed home. ing a college student in today’s without having take a walk or jog assignment is a next year’s game. So what’s the big The NFL really messed up here. world. Balancing the priori- to take more far more comfort- deal?” It robbed the fans of their time, ties that come with classes and than 20 units. to clear our heads, ing feeling than First of all, try to see this through their money and their dreams. work schedules directly influ- Until you dis- sitting in limbo the eyes of the fans. The NFL brought this lawsuit ences most of our health and cover for your- we stay up before you have Every sports fan’s biggest dream on itself by not properly preparing contributes to stress and anxi- self how exer- even started it. is probably to watch their favorite the stadium in time and failing to ety. cising combats extremely late, Stress is inevi- team win it all in the champion- understand how badly they royally Without a physical release stress, it’s hard table in college, ship game. Now imagine your team screwed the fans. for all of this built-up tension, to truly under- drink enough so rather than made it to the Super Bowl this year The league would be wise to not many students have to sacri- stand. Not only fret about deal- and you decided to save up as much to get into a legal battle with the fice their health to compensate will it help clear coffee to kill a ing with it, devise money as you could to pay for a fans as a potential lockout next for the demands of work and your mind, but a plan to respond ticket. season looms and it hardly looks school. it benefits the small to it. The tickets in this case were good in terms of public relations Having some sort of sport or body’s cardio- While stress $800, so some of you might be as well. physical activity to release this vascular health mammal ...” can’t be com- thinking, “But they are getting tri- NFL commissioner Roger Good- tension is the best way I have which is some- pletely avoided, it ple the face value, so they actually ell would be wise to meet the fans’ found to not only reduce stress thing that can be is something that have more money than when they demands because in the end, $2,400 but also to maintain a healthy easily forgotten if you are too can be minimized and con- came.” isn’t going to replace the time this lifestyle. stressed about assignments. trolled by planning ahead, pri- This is without factoring in all Super Bowl robbed the fans of. Last year I enrolled at Mis- Jefferson may have indeed oritizing and engaging in phys- the extra expenses though. There’s The fans have every right to be sion College to continue play- been on to something. ical activity that allows you to traveling and hotel costs that can angry, and the NFL needs to take ing baseball while I simultane- Rather than take a walk or jog release built-up tension. easily add several thousand more notes and make sure this never dollars on top of that. happens again.

partan ail Opinion Page Policy S Serving San José State University since 1934 D y Letters to the editor may Editorial Staff Staff Writers Senior Staff Advertising Directors Advisers be placed in the letters to the editor box in the Spartan Daily offi ce in Dwight Bentel Hall, Salman Haqqi, Executive Editor Nic Aguon Tyler Do Nathaniel Dixon, Ad Director Richard Craig, News Room 209, sent by fax to (408) Ryan Fernandez, Managing Editor Eric Austin Amaris Dominguez Jessica Churchill, Creative Director Mack Lundstrom, News 924-3282, e-mailed to spartan- Brian O’Malley, Photo Editor Sonia Ayala [email protected] or mailed to Jenn Elias Ryan Genzoli, Asst. Ad Director Jan Shaw, News the Spartan Daily Opinion Edi- Jack Barnwell, Online Editor Wesley Dugle Donovan Farnham Virginia Ochi, Asst. Creative Director Kim Komenich, Photo tor, San Jose, CA 95192-0149. K. L. Perry, Features Editor Whitney Ellard Ashley Finden Tim Hendrick, Advertising Letters to the editor must Calli Perez, Asst. Features Editor Matthew Gerring Leonard Lai Advertising Staff Tim Burke, Production Chief contain the author’s name, ad- Hannah Keirns, Production Editor Ron Gleeson Eric Van Susteren dress, phone number, signature Tim Mitchell, Design and major. Letters become prop- Melissa Sabile, Sports Editor Rebecca Henderson Kyle Szymanski Pat Wallraven, Manager Marc Barraza erty of the Spartan Daily and Alex Spicer, Sports Editor Lyell Marks may be edited for clarity, gram- Jaimie Collins, A&E Editor Hector Diaz Nate Morotti Staff Photographers mar, libel and length. Only let- Jordan Liffengren, A&E Editor Shirene Niksadat Adriane Harcourt ters of 300 words or less will be Amber Simons, Opinion Editor Francisco Rendon Angelica Hoffman considered for publication. Jesse Jones Brandon Lim Distribution Staff Published opinions and ad- Joey Akeley, Copy Editor Alex Wara vertisements do not necessarily Marlon Maloney, Copy Editor Matt Young Vernon McKnight Laura Queen Nick Olney refl ect the views of the Spartan Justin Albert, Tech Editor Stan Olszewski Van Thi Trinh Daily, the School of Journal- Michiko Fuller, Advising Editor Michelle Terris DaMarlynn Wright ism and Mass Communication Leo Postovoit, Multimedia Editor or SJSU. The Spartan Daily is a public forum. John Russo, Multimedia Editor 6 A&E sPARTANDailY Tuesday, February 15, 2011 FESTIVAL REVIEW Chinese culture celebration energizes Santana Row

Alex Wara to the front. Staff Writer Circling around the stage, the dancers stopped in the front and wove back and forth between each It was a hot February afternoon other, adding an extra touch to the and Santana Row was fi lled with performance. men rushing to buy Valentine’s gifts. The children in the front row If you took the time to take a could not resist trying to tug at the look away from window shopping sparkly designs of the lion costumes. you would have noticed the Chinese Audience members sitting in the New Year celebration that took place front row had to be very careful not in the middle of the shopping center to get stepped on by the enthusiastic on Feb. 12. dancers. Nestled between the wine and te- Most of the crowd was fi lled with quila bar restaurants is a small park proud parents gleaming after every where people crammed together to performance, no matter if there was watch traditional dances and perfor- a misstep. After a few performances, Photo: Alex Wara / Spartan Daily mances. the head chef of Sino Restaurant did Dance team members perform a traditional Korean Fan Dance during the Chinese New Year celebration at Santana Row. The festival included booths that a cooking demonstration. showcased various companies and It was held offstage at a booth Not much food was served at the Notable performances came from tradition for people throughout the art pieces that were available for among the mass of people, which festival, and with the hot weather, the group that performed the Ko- world and anyone can enjoy other sale. made it diffi cult to actually see what the Ben and Jerry’s received a lot rean Fan Dance and from the Fei cultural traditions outside of their A large stage took up most of he was cooking unless you were more business than the store prob- Tian Academy Arts of California own. the small area and the heat was not within the fi rst few rows of the ably expected that day. that showcased different types of Even though some visitors may enough to keep people from com- audience. The event ran for a total of four dances. have expected something different ing out and celebrating the year of Some may have wished they had hours and although some may not Even though the weather became when they arrived at the festival, the rabbit. the opportunity to go to the restau- have been accustomed to the tradi- warm at times, the performances what they got was an eye-opening The program commenced with rant to sample some of the food, but tional dances, it was diffi cult to not made me appreciate the celebration. experience — a look into a unique a traditional lion dance that started would have risked losing their seats be pulled into the beautiful ways that The event showcased that the culture different from their own but from the back of the stage and moved so close to the stage. they were showcased. Chinese New Year is an important nevertheless beautiful.

MUSIC REVIEW Bright Eyes says goodbye with Hitler, Rastafarianism in new album

Leo Postovoit return to what he did back before he was that Oberst follows this with the key theme from the tracks on the album are written in the Multimedia Editor wayward traveler, a fi nal edition in the series. Cassadaga – religion and the metaphysical key of C.) Similarly, it feels like his admission Does he do it? I defi nitely think so. Though nature of the world. This time, southern Chris- that something redeeming is unlocked when Oberst’s stream-of-consciousness lyrics some- tianity is replaced with Buddhism, Hinduism, people embrace their spirituality, even though In his seventh release under hisband, Bright times feel like a thick webbing of contradict- Nazism and even Rastafarianism. it may feel like a silly piece of science fi ction. Eyes, Conor Oberst seems to talk about every ing and confusing ideas rivaling books of re- The song “Haile Selassie,” named after an Cassadaga only hinted at this theme of ac- major religion. The People’s Key feels like it ligion, he’s doing so to try to tie together his African leader considered by Rastafarians to cepting religion after journey. The People’s Key leaves the listener overwhelmed. thoughts and identify unseen parallels. be Jesus incarnate, highlights Old Testament uses it as a launching point and takes the lis- From the opening song, “Firewall,” we This album brings back styles Oberst hasn’t references of pilgrimage, miracles and wander- tener further and more directly with his idea, get a profound ramble from Danny Brewer, touched in years. “Jejune Stars,” a key track dis- ing the desert. a move away from cluttered confusion in last a Texan friend of Oberst, about how Hit- cussing the naivety of youth, feels reminiscent Though “Haile Selassie” appears to scoff album, which was 2007’s music version of the ler comes to life from reptiles in the fourth of the post-hardcore emo-punk that he and at the nature of the higher power, it plays movie “Inception.” dimension. Seriously. others used to play back in the late ’90s, like into Oberst’s ideas of singularities and invis- The People’s Key brings it back to where At fi rst listen The People’s Key feels jumbled, his labelmate Cursive helped pioneer. ible hands controlling the fate of the world. Bright Eyes was at its peak. The method of cluttered and chaotic, nearing a sorry excuse for A lyric from the song seems to discuss how Similarly dissatisfi ed, Oberst compares religion allusion and layer found in Lifted and 2000’s probably the last Bright Eyes album — it seems he’s played with his old Bright Eyes buddies for to science fi ction in “Ladder Song.” Fevers and Mirrors and have a joyful return — to come way out of left fi eld like his 2007 release as long as 16 years now: “We are Jejune stars / Trying to call about some resolve at ignore the seeming diffi culty of the work and Cassadaga did. So it starts again / At our childhood’s end / I’ll the end of life and perhaps at the end of just keep listening, because it’s the return of Since that time, though, Oberst has al- die young at heart.” the project that is Bright Eyes, this synec- the confl icting identities that are the highlight tered his state of music by traveling across the “Approximate Sunlight” deals with the ac- doche highlights a key theme of trying to of Oberst’s works. country, hopping from the urban world of tuality of people and how we’re changing. respect the forces of the world. Though I want to see what more could come New York to the indie mecca of Portland, to It feels as though he took out tracks from “I wanna fl y in your silver ship / Let Jesus from this resurgence of colorful confl icts, his mental escape of Tepoztlán, Mexico, to an 2002’s Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep hang and Buddha sit / … / You’re not alone in Oberst has done a good job of saying farewell, apartment near a recording studio in Tornillo, Your Ear to the Ground, took a world anything / You’re not alone in trying to be.” and potentially closing the body of work that Texas. religions class and rerecorded it during his The title, he also says, refers to how many is Bright Eyes. His side project, The Mystic Valley Band, 2005 Digital Ash in a Digital Urn sessions. amateurs play instruments in the musical key Bright Eyes will play at the Fox Theater in which he played with in 2007-10, had a far Synthesizers and soundscapes galore, the of C, often called “the people’s key.” (Most of Oakland on April 12. less genuine sound with less impactful lyrics. downbeat track blends doctrine with gloomy Similarly, Oberst’s participation in the indie melodies and a reverb-heavy slide guitar. super group, Monsters of Folk, felt strange Oberst told the Huffi ngton Post that The compared to Bright Eyes. Though both proj- People’s Key deals with the end of our current ects produced fantastic music, it just wasn’t existence and how singularities, which occur who Oberst really was. when technology alters the future toward un- The People’s Key was supposed to be a predictability, are happening all around us.

Photo courtesy: albumartexchange.com The People’s Key, showcasing 10 indie tracks, can be downloaded from the band’s website on Feb. 15.