Vol. XXXVI, Issue 4, September 11, 2012 www.richlandchronicle.com

CHRONICLERichland

Page 11Page 6

Response to Eastwood’s speech

New season of ‘Doctor Who’

2012-2013 Budget will affect DCCCD students

KISTEN S. CHETTYStaff Writer

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Everywhere you look, whether it is down the hall on campus, waiting in line at Subway or especially in the lounge areas, you are bound to see someone with phone in hand texting. It’s the best form of communication these days because it is easy and only takes a few seconds.

Unfortunately, many drivers are also texting while behind the wheel. According to www.stoptextsstopwrecks.org, 49 per-cent of drivers under 35 sent or read text messages while driving in 2011.

Almost half the drivers, if not more, who share the road with you are distracted using their phones simply because of the desire to communicate every second. College students today feel staying connected is a necessity in our daily routine.

Going a day without texting is unimagi-nable because it is just the norm now when contacting your friends.

As a student I am always holding my phone and texting, but there is point when you shouldn’t. One example is while you are driving, when you are supposed to watch the road and focus so you don’t get in an accident. At no point should people decide a text message is worth more than their lives or anyone else’s.

This fall Richland College will host a set of free informational sessions for international and undocumented students. The sessions will be presented by immigration attorney Luis Rojo. There will be four sessions; two in English and two in Spanish.

Rojo will explain the criteria required to qualify for deferred action, how to request consideration for deferred action, related costs and how to prevent possible scams. The sessions will provide information on what to do if encountered by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) or stopped by a police officer. They will also educate students on these rights if they are

Immigration info night

A text worth more than a life?

not in the U.S. legally.Project Leader of AANAPISI Program,Luz Villegas explained that the main pur-

pose of the program is to educate students about the initiative and how they can sign up for low-cost services through Catholic Chari-ties.

She also added that they will have a couple of staffed tables to promote Richland pro-grams and to recruit students to the Achiev-ing Latino Academic Success student group.

This program is facilitated by Catholic Charities of Dallas, Inc. and is sponsored by the Rising Star Program and Achieving Latino Academic Success student organiza-tion. These are community sessions and all students are welcome!

For more information call 972-761-6729 or email rlcrisingstar@dcccd.edu.

REBECCA BANKSEditor in Chief

Since texting is the form of communica-tion everywhere you go then why wouldn’t you do it while on your way to that place, when driving? In 2011 the AD Council stated that 55 percent of young adult drivers said it wasn’t difficult to text and pay attention while driving simultaneously.

Recently the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Attorney General Rob McKenna and the Ad Council produced several public service announce-ments that display tragic accidents that oc-curred when the driver was texting and driv-ing. Service providers such as AT&T have also joined the NHTSA to “Stop the texts. Stop the wrecks” campaign as well as TV shows such as “Glee.”

AT&T produced a documentary that portrays the tragic accidents of young in-dividuals because of their desire to read or send text messages. The video titled “AT&T Don’t Text While Driving Documentary” can be seen on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=DebhWD6ljZs.

The documentary is heart-wrenching, showing the mourning families left behind, a survivor challenged every day with simple daily tasks and the guilt of taking another person’s life.

As I watched the 10-minute video, I got chills not because of the tragic accidents but the fact that so many times I could have been one of those individuals talked about in the

video. There have been many times that my phone vibrates while I am driving and my im-mediate reaction is to check and see who sent it and what the message was.

But the question is: Is that text message honestly more important than your safety and the others around you?

The website also stated that drivers texting while driving take their eyes off the road for an average of five sec-onds. Traveling at 55 mph, that would be the length of a foot-ball field.

Unlike the winning touch-down in a football game, the driver has a 23 percent greater chance to get involved in a crash compared to drivers who don’t text.

Imagine the accumulation of distance and time in a week of texting while you were behind the wheel.

Are young adult drivers such as Richland students ready for tearful goodbyes from friends and family because of a message that could have waited?

English Thursday,Sept.13th&Tuesday,Sept.25thSpanish Tuesday,Sept.11th&Tuesday,Sept.18th

Seatingbeginsat6:00p.m.Sessionsbeginpromptlyat6:30p.m.

Fall2012Sessions

Where:RichlandCollegeSabineHallRoom118

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Image courtesy dallascarcrash.com

Texting while driving has become an epidemic.

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What do you want to know if you are looking for a job at Career Center services?

No doubt that it can be very difficult to find a job these days. According to Bureau of Labor Statistic the unemployment rate for August was 8.1 percent. That is where the Career Center comes in.

The Career Center located in El Paso Hall, Rm. E093, offers many different services that can help to make life easier.

The computer career assessment takes only one hour to complete and it is available to all students. The results are immediate and the counselors are ready to evaluate career that are the best fit for the individual.

“Every student should take it,” Stan Katz, Senior Career Services Specialist said.

The career assessment is free like all the other services the Career Center offers. Many students, however, don’t know about it or just don’t think it can benefit them.

“I never took career assessment,” said

Library changes

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Serving part-time in the Air Guard, you’ll have an entire team of like-minded individuals who want to help you get ahead. You can choose from nearly 200 career specialties, and develop the high-tech skills you need to compete in today’s world. You also train close to home, all while receiving a steady paycheck, benefits and tuition assistance. Talk to a recruiter today, and see how the Air Guard can help you succeed.

Career training. Money for College.

and an entire teaMtohelp you SuCCeed.

Amanpreet Gill, biology major. The Career Center is also providing

counseling on job interview skills. Those can come in handy during the Job Fair in Richland College.

Katz said that on October, 17 around 50-60 employers will look for Richland students who are interested in getting a job. Don’t hesitated to prepare your resume.

“We help with resumes and cover let-ters,” Katz said.

Most of college students have part time or full-time jobs, but some are still search-ing.

“I work in the family business. It’s de-pending on student if they need a job. It’s depending if they live with their families,” said Christina Peeples, physical therapy major.

The website www.richlandcollege.edu/career provides an online job bank. The listed jobs are from internships, part-time and full time jobs off campus. Everybody can access the website after registration in the Career Center of any of the Dallas County Community Colleges Districts campuses.

Drop by to the Career Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or visit the website and get the help that you need.

You may have noticed some structural changes are taking place in the Richland library this year. Renovations are necessary to increase accessibility from Bon-ham Hall.

S e v e r a l c h a n g e s have been made to a c commo-date the needs of stu-dents during the con-struction.

The customary in-person Informa-tion Literacy Certificate workshops have been canceled for the fall. Students interested in obtaining this certificate are welcome to complete the online tutorials at www.libguides.richlandcollege.edu/libraryclasses.

Students may visit the reference desk in the library to turn in completion certificates and receive a “proof of attendance” slip. The

JESSE WILSONStaff Writer

completion of three tutorials will earn eligible students an Information Literacy Certificate.

The renovations will limit computer availability. Drop-in computer labs are available to students in Del Rio Hall, Room D-229 and Wichita Hall, Room W-159.

The library staff requests returns of all library materials be made inside the library. The outside book drop will be unavailable for the duration of the con-struction.

R e n o -v a t i o n s are antici-pated to be comple ted by January 2 0 1 3 , though the timeline has

not been finalized. For updates on libraray renova-

tions, please visit the library Facebook page www.facebook.com/richlandcollegelibrary, Twitter feed, www.twitter.com/rlclibrary, blog or the website www.richlandcollege.edu/library.

Need a job? See the Career Center PAULINA PYTLAKStaff Writer

CAMPUS

Construction at the library continues.

Image credit Aurora Castillo

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CAMPUS

“I was in high school in Mexico. One of the girls was watching TV in the cafeteria and told us what happened. We were very surprised. Then, I went home straight to the TV.

“I was scared that can happen to anyone. I was very sur-prised how people take a religion and politics so serious.”

Claudia Moncada, 25, English for speakers of other languages, Mexico

“I was in elementary school, I think third grade. The teacher saw what happened on TV and they told us what happened.

“All the TV stations were showing it. I wanted to see my favorite shows, but I didn’t know what was going on.”

Pablo Lopez, 19, biology major

“I was in my apartment. My brother called. I turn on Fox news and saw what happened.

“I couldn’t believe that was actually happen-ing.

“Two of my friends were in the Pentagon when the plane hit and pretty badly burned their bod-ies.”

Richard Barley, 37, political science

“At the time of the horrific Sept. 11 attacks, I was at private school, while starting the beginning of my kin-dergarten education. As with any other 5-year-old, I was not aware of what was happening. I recall my parents were emotionally distraught and disturbed when they picked me up that day. At the time, I did not understand their behavior. On that day, I did not realize that there would be a substantial change in my country and my way of life. I was justifiably oblivious to one of the most significant incidents in modern American history.”

Kyler Kent, Chronicle staff writer

Photo credit Aurora CastilloPhoto courtesy zcaptain.wordpress.com

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CAMPUS

“I was in Ivory Coast. I saw it on international TV.“I was shocked.“Everybody was shocked to see what happened to

America.”

Pierre Goba, 22, actuarial science major, international student from Ivory Coast

“I was in Saint Paul, Minn., on company meeting. Tuesday morning.

“We thought it was an accident. ‘What is go-ing on?’“All the planes were on hold. I couldn’t go back home.”

Jerry Poglatsch, Emeritus Program

“I was in my 5th career when it happened.“When the second plane went in, we couldn’t believe

that happened.“I used to do business and flew a lot. I was thinking

what other airplanes they have.“Unbelief. What are we going to do about this?”

Dr. Don DeMott, Emeritus Program

“The Richland bookstore was packed that morn-ing, as it usually is within the first two weeks of a semester. I stood waiting to check out, discussing the bizarre airline accident we’d heard about with the person in line behind me.

“A small television was ... on the counter.“The students in the store murmured nervously to each other about the tragic scene at the World Trade Center.

“My most vivid memory of that day is the voice of a girl who had just entered the store, as she stood staring at the image of the smoking buildings.

“‘Is this a movie or something?’ she said, just be-fore we watched the first tower collapse.”

Jesse Wilson, Chronicle staff writer

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Amy Pond(Karen Gillian), Dr Who (Matt Smith) and Rory Pond (Arthur Darvill).

ENTERTAINMENT

CAROLYNN GRIMESStaff Writer

Images courtesy TV.com

The Doctor, oft referred to by those who know no better as “Dr. Who,” is a time-traveling alien whose spaceship is a curiously large, blue police phone box; and if that does not interest you in the slightest bit, then there is a good chance this particular program is not your cup of tea.

For those who may not be familiar with the show, “Doctor Who” is a British television series that has gained a cult following in its near 50 years on air. It has spawned many spinoffs, book series, comic series, radio series, video games, a couple of films, an entire music genre, more merch than imaginable, and it has become a staple at San Diego Comic-con.

Like it or not, it is kind of a big deal in the sci-fi community.

Over the years, 11 different actors have won the role of the Doctor. Most recognized are Tom Baker, the fourth incarnation, and David Tennant, the 10th.

The current Doctor is portrayed by Matt Smith. This face changing is not caused by bad blood or poor ratings but is the cycle of the role itself for the sake of the plot.

Whenever one Doctor is on his last leg, he regenerates into a new image and person-ality, yet retains the memories of the men before him. If he were human, there would be plenty of questions raised on the ethics of such a power, but the Doctor is not human and thus these questions are not applicable.

The program ran continuously from No-vember 1963 until November 1989, when the final episode of the seventh Doctor’s run aired. Due to low ratings, the show was can-celed. While spinoffs still continued through the early 1990s, it was not until 1996 that the Doctor graced the television in a new incar-nation.

The TV movie had intended to spark new interest in the series but did not win over the audience. Nearly 10 years later, the series was relaunched with a more action-packed plot and a war-torn Doctor. This one stuck.

Sept. 1 marked the seventh season opener of the 2005 relaunch and the third season since the show was handed over to new head writer Steven Moffat. As of now, it should be no surprise to fans that the Ponds (Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill) will be leaving this season; going off on what we can only hope are moderately exciting adventures if not big ones.

If you caught the season opener (“Asylum of the Daleks”), then you know the Doctor’s greatest foes are back with whisks and all. You have also seen the new actress, Jenna-Louise Coleman, slated to take the Ponds’ place as companion, in action though under the guise of a futuristic space traveler. The two, Coleman and Smith, seem to be a good match, and that bodes well for the characters and their time together starting this Christ-mas.

An added bonus this season is the short five video series titled “Pond life,” which can be viewed on the official BBC YouTube

page. Chronicles Amy’s and Rory’s time to-gether before the Doctor swoops back into their lives this September. New episodes of the seventh season air on BBC America ev-

The Intergalactic Man of Mystery

ery Saturday at 8p.m., “(CDT)” and if you missed the first episode just tune in an hour earlier at 7p.m. to catch a rerun, or head over to iTunes or Amazon.

Images courtesy Static.nme.com.

Images courtesy Thevoiceoftv.com

Dr Who with the new seasons companion Clara Oswin(Jenna-Louise Coleman).

The Doctor surrounded by his old foe the Dalek in the premier episode of season 7.

ENTERTAINMENT

RICKY MILLERColumnist

It’s time to shoot and loot again.“Borderlands 2” is the sequel to the immensely popular “Borderlands” released in 2009. “Borderland’s” fusion of role-playing game (rpg) elements, first person shooter (fps) game-style and co-op features made it an instant classic. The story of the original game takes place on the planet of Pan-dora. Rumors persist of an alien vault hidden on Pandora and inside the vault lies unimaginable treasure.

What really sold the game was the co-op allowing four players to play all at once. The system was similar to “Left 4 Dead.” A second huge draw for “Border-lands” was its weapon system. The game engine allowed for an almost infinite variety of weapons for gamers to use to inflict pain. I find it hard not to mention the iconic “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant (a favorite band of mine). The song has become synonymous with “Bor-derlands.” “Borderlands 2” will still be set on Pandora. One may notice the giant floating H-shaped space station orbit-ing the moon. This outragous mon-strosity is the base of the new main villain Handsome Jack. He is head of the Hyperion Corporation and is out to wake an ancient alien known only as “The Warrior.” It’s up to the four new vault hunt-ers to stop him. Maya is the new Siren class. Her special ability is to “phase lock” cer-tain enemies, which should be great

for crowd control. Another new character is Gunzerker Salvador. His special ability, not surprisingly, is drawing a second gun and, you guessed it, going berserk. Axton is the new Com-mando class. It has the ability to deploy a scorpion turret that will auto-engage enemies. This ability would be pretty useful, especially if playing solo. I saved the best for last: the Assassin. His name is Zero, or its name is Zero because very little info has been released about this character. Its special ability is creating a decoy hologram of itself and disappearing for a few moments. Zero is definitely going to be my first playthrough when I get my hands on the game.

“Borderlands 2” releases Sept. 18, so fans have a little time to get those guns and swords nice and shiny.

‘Borderlands 2’

Image courtesy - www.glitchcat.com

The passing of a great actorHe was a big man.

Audiences probably know Michael Clark Duncan best from the Frank Darabont directed movie “The Green Mile,” based on the book by Stephen King. He also starred alongside Bruce Wil-lis four times. The first was the Michael Bay-directed end of the world disaster pic “Armageddon,” another was the lightweight gangster comedy “The Whole Nine Yards.” Also in the mix were Alan Rudolph’s satire drama about unscrupulous car salesmen “Breakfast of Champions” and the multi-layered Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez crime saga “Sin City.” He also worked alongside Ben Affleck twice, including playing a major supporting role in the comic book saga of Mark Steven Johnson’s “Daredevil.”

Other movies included:

“Friday” (1995) “The Whole Nine Yards” (2000) “Planet of the Apes” (2001) “Cats and Dogs” (2001) “The Island” (2005) “The Last Mimzy” (2007) “Kung Fu Panda” “Green Lantern” (2011)

Image courtesy dnevniki.ytk.ru

David Morse, left, Michael Clark Duncan and Tom Hanks in the movie “The Green Mile.”

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KISTEN S. CHETTYManaging Editor

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Image courtesy www.obeygiant.com

A poster of President Barrack Obama.

I remember the day like it was yesterday. The date was June 28, 2004. I attended an afternoon screening of Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

As I heard thunderous applause emanat-ing from the audience when the end credits rolled, I took note of the comment I over-heard from the two audience members who were apparently so blindsided by the many untruths told in Moore’s movie that one of them said they are never voting Republican again. It’s not their comment that ticked me off so much as it was their blind stupidity in accepting everything Hollywood just told them on the big screen as the truth.

The one and only goal filmmakers like Moore have with so-called documentaries like “Fahrenheit 9/11” is to help sway public opinion. The same can now be said for the latest “documentary” “2016: Obama’s Amer-ica,” which is seeing a surge in box-office rev-enue (not that the Republican National Con-vention in Tampa, Fla., had anything to do with it) and an unexpected expansion from less than 200 to now more than 1,000 screens across the country.

As of this writing, the film’s Facebook page has more than 172,000 likes and more than 185,000 people talking about it.

Just like Moore’s film was a rallying cry for anyone still ticked off at the time at how for-mer President George W. Bush (2001-2009)

JOE STUMPOColumnist

Controversial Obama ‘mockumentary’ won’t influence presidential election

Letter to the editor

stole the election from former Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore in 2000 and took us into two wars in Iraq and Afghani-s t a n , “ 2 0 1 6 : Obama’s Amer-ica,” might as well be called the “Conserva-tives’ Fahren-heit 9/11” as narrator Dinesh D’Souza, based on his books “The Roots of Obama’s Rage” and “Obama’s A m e r i c a : U n m a k i n g the American D r e a m ” r i p s Obama to shreds.

I won’t deny the film made me think how four years from now America-called “Ameri-ca” but “Ameri-ka” with a “k” when it comes to Obama’s so-cialist policies (though I believe in reality, America actu-ally follows a form of socialism, anyway, and people simply just don’t realize it).

Even before the film started, I heard cheers coming from a few people several rows be-hind me. That happened when conservative

political commen-tator Glenn Beck showed up doing some promotional trailer I didn’t pay much attention to though hear-ing those audience members applaud made me hysteri-cal.

Just as I laughed at how a couple of the trailers be-fore the film be-gan catered to the conservative base, which included “Atlas Shrugged: Part II” based on author Ayn Rand’s mammoth book and “Trouble with the Curve” starring Clint Eastwood, who recently came out in support of

Republican presi-dential nominee Mitt Romney.

Honestly, “2016: Obama’s America” did not reveal to me anything that I hadn’t al-ready heard the past four years listening to

conservative talk radio. Like “Fahrenheit 9/11,” I saw the film as entertainment and took 99 percent of the film’s statements (i.e.,.. Obama reducing our nuclear arsenals to less than 300 in the coming years or his being pro- Muslim, for example) with a considerable grain of salt.

If the president is as pro-Muslim as the film proposes, why did he continue what former Presidents Clinton and Bush did and pledge to kill Osama bin Laden if elected? Every time I hear how Obama has been spending the country into oblivion, I hear how the budgets of previous presidents were even worse.

I don’t need a “mockumentary” to make my decision on whether I think Obama de-serves a second term.

My personal reasons on why he shouldn’t be re-elected are mine and mine alone, just as I don’t believe voters should be telling oth-ers who they are voting for. It’s no one else’s business.

I don’t believe for a minute “2016: Obama’s America,” will sway this November’s elec-tion. It didn’t work with “Fahrenheit 9/11,” which was released months before the 2004 election, either.

The idea that Moore and D’Souza are so powerful that their words and actions are able to sway the outcome of a presidential election is like saying the views and opinions expressed by conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh represents everything the Republican Party stands for.

I am writing in response to the article by Joyce Jackson in the 9/4/12 issue of the Richland Chronicle titled “Whose Dream for America Will Prevail?”

I found myself feeling extremely disturbed by the premise of the article and the movie that it (sic) we are told “we must” see.

My dream for both America and the rest of our planet is economic and environmen-tal justice for all people as well as enhance-ment of world peace.

During his first term, President Obama ac-complished:

Ending the wasteful, costly and useless Iraq war.Taking out Bin Laden, the key figure of the terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 Twin Tower airplane attacks.Passing a health care bill pat-terned in part after Mitt Romney’s bill in Massachusetts that eliminates “pre-existing conditions” as an arbitrary ban on obtaining insurance

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coverage, protecting consumers from being suddenly dropped from their policy due to illness despite decades of faithfully paying their premium and adding protections & saving money for senior citizens including closing up the Medicare “doughnut hole.”Getting a bill passed that enhances over-sight over Wall Street which was a key player in the 2008 housing collapse and ensuing economic depression.Getting a bill passed that increases MPG standards to 54 MPG by 2025, an envi-ronmentally, economically and national security smart strategy.In addition, he did his best to stand in for the working (and out of work) Ameri-cans by attempting to extend unemploy-ment benefits and create new jobs via the Reinvestment Act – this despite 100 percent solid Republican opposition.He also rallied to keep student loan in-terest rates at 3.5 percent, but Congress failed to listen and allowed this interest

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rate to nearly double.How does this go against the Ameri-can dream? In fact, what exactly is the American dream?

When I voted for Barack Obama in 2008, my dream was to stop the bleeding of money from the lower and middle classes into the hands of very few privileged upper class members.

How does the pledge that he made in 2008 plus the above accomplishments go against the Dream of most Americans for a stable job, ample food on the table, clean air to breathe so that our spread of childhood asthma will decrease and the opportunity to keep rather than lose our homes we worked so hard to purchase in the first place?

I would like to see in writing rather than through a movie that could have gross dis-tortions and character defamations exactly what this reporter believes as the American dream vs. President Obama’s dream rather than read allegations and rhetoric unbacked by facts.

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Submitted by Stephen Levine

Richland Student Media

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OPINION

Commentary

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ARTHUR L. LEFEBVREStaff Writer

Imaga credit - A Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Image courtesty www.voxxi.com

A fighter and survivor of testicular cancer who later returned to the sport of cycling and eventually won seven Tour de France titles gave up his fight. Fans are wondering why Pla-no, Plano-born Lance Armstrong gave it up.

For years, Armstrong had been call-ing the performance-enhancing drug al-legations against him a “witch-hunt” by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Was he just tired of a battle he had no chance of win-ning in court based on testimony of 10 other cyclists who worked with him in the past who are making claims of doping by Arm-strong, or is it simply an admission of guilt?

Sadly, nobody will ever know unless Arm-strong himself does either an interview of ad-mission or changes his decision to be silent on the subject for the rest of his life. So now, what are the repercussions for not fighting these al-legations by the same man who fought so dili-gently in his own personal battle with cancer?

Right now a legal battle has started be-tween the International Cycling Organiza-tion and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency on the issue of whether Armstrong should for-feit and give back his seven Tour De France titles. Also a UK paper, The Sunday Times, is looking over the situation to see if they can get back their money from a 2004 libel suit with Armstrong over their claims of his per-formance-enhancing drug use. The British court decided in Armstrong’s favor in 2006.

So far sponsors like Nike, Radio Shack, Anheuser Busch and Oakley have stayed on Armstrong’s side. Many seem to use his hu-manitarianism and his cancer research foun-dation as the reason to stand behind him.

Armstrong’s foundations co-promoted with Nike have raised around $470 mil-lion, in addition to giving free cancer in-formation to over 2.5 million patients.

Armstrong’s work for his research foun-dation shows him to be a great guy so why doesn’t he keep fighting to get his name back. Instead, he has chosen to quit.

ESPN legal analyst Lester Munson has a

few answers to this.“First, Armstrong surrendered after a bad

loss before a federal judge in his home town (Austin) and a rejection by (Sen.) John Mc-Cain and others in Congress. Things were not going well and were about to become worse in the USADA hearing. Second, he has the resources to fight the charges. He easily could have attempted what Roger Cle-mens did successfully -- pay whatever it takes to fight and to win. Rusty Hardin, the law-yer who won the Clemens case, would have given the USADA all that it could handle.”

“Third, he can continue to fight with the cycling union at his side. They could chal-lenge the USADA’s punishment in the Court for Arbitration in Sport. He would thereby avoid the embarrassing disclo-sures of a USADA hearing and still pre-serve some of his legacy in the CAS.”

So even if any of Munson’s theories hold wa-ter one still wonders why Armstrong wouldn’t fight (like idea No. 2) and employ a lawyer like Hardin and fight to get his name back.

This is a man who fought so hard to live. So why would he not fight with that same strength he used to fight cancer, un-less the real answer is his career was as dirty as any of the other cheating cyclists who forfeited the Tour de France title?

Armstrong has some former part-ners who have lost recent titles after test-ing positive, like American Floyd Landis in 07. Landis was stripped of the title a week after the event when a failed drug test came up on the second-to-last stage.

In 2010, Spain’s Alberto Contador was ex-pected to celebrate his third tour title only to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs at a later date. Contador and Landis both lost their titles to the second-place participants.

So far, no ruling has been handed down on what will happen to Armstrong’s sev-en titles. We can only hope that maybe after these recent debacles in cycling that would improve in less instances of dop-ing, more true heroes will emerge to idolize.

Why did Lance quit?

Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood ce-mented himself in meme infamy with his empty chair Obama stand-in at the Repub-lican National Convention last week.

His rambling, confusing diatribe made for possibly the most uncomfortable min-utes of television in broadcast history, and sparked an Internet flood of photo-shopped additions and quips on stills from the speech that clogged Facebook feeds.

Eastwood has always been very vocal politically, and a self-described moder-ate who refused to choose a party. He is openly pro-choice, anti-war and an advo-cate of civil rights. This only made his performance more shocking.

He took up the banner of Romney and stuttered through a disjointed criti-cism of an invisible Obama, occasion-ally making unclear remarks in response to his target’s unheard protests. It was a deplorable and sad one-man-show that served to confirm most Demo-crats’ views about who matters most to Republicans: old, rich, white men.

Kal Penn’s response at the Democratic National Convention delivered everything that was missing from Eastwood’s en-dorsement. The “House” and “Harold & Kumar” series star strutted to the podium, to the infectious groove of the unity-themed classic tune “We Are Family,” with a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye. He delivered his endorsement with easy charm and laid-back charisma, underscoring his impas-sioned delivery with evident sincerity. Penn touted the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,

the doubled funding of the Pell Grant and the current administration’s stance on mar-riage equality, and did it all succinctly in five minutes, quickly making way for actual policy-makers to discuss their positions and strategies.

But why should you care what Kumar thinks? Penn represents the classic ideol-ogy of the United States. He is a first-gen-eration American, born to Indian immi-grants, who achieved success through hard work. He is the American Dream.

Unlike his celebrity counterpart, Penn is not content to merely talk about his be-liefs, he is driven to take action. He served with the current administration on multiple occasions. The actor worked on Obama’s initial campaign, and during the first year of the resulting presidency, left his role on the popular medical drama “House” to work for the president yet again as the associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Peppering his speech with names of friends who have benefitted from Obama’s policies, Penn cultivated an aura of realism and kinship. Here was someone who knew first-hand the positive effect the current administration had on the lives of average Americans.

Whether or not you are a fan of his work, his message cannot be denied. Re-publicans keep asking for proof of the change promised by the incumbent. Penn gave real-life examples of that change in action. The honesty and compassion in his short presentation effectively conveyed his conviction without macho grandstanding, accusatory insults or getting the crowd in-volved in parroting catch phrases from his past films. And he did it all without empty words or an empty chair.

JESSE WILSONStaff Writer

‘Kumar’ responds to Clint

Actor Kal Penn addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 4.

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When grocery shopping, we are faced with a variety of choices, from healthy to ar-tery-clogging, and affordable to wallet-drain-ing. Many of us weigh our options with a cost versus nutrition model, asking ourselves if having an organically grown apple for a snack every other day is better than stretch-ing our money and having a conventionally grown apple daily.

In recent years, organic options, wide-ly accepted as the healthier choice, win our money more and more. But are we really making the right decision?

The answer is a bit more complex than a simple yes or no, and a recent study con-ducted by Stanford University attempts to dispel some misconceptions concerning organic food and gives us the tools to make an informed decision for our individual needs. Researchers compiled the results of a staggering 240 studies, 17 concerning the ef-fects of organic and non organic food on hu-man health and 223 studies of contamination and nutrient levels in both varieties of food. The findings were surprising, considering the conventional perception of organic alternatives.

Overall, the organic foods showed no higher levels of nutrients than their conventional counterparts so, that cheap-er apple will give you the same amount of fiber and antioxidants as its organic counterpart.

For many people, it is not about nu-trition but safety. Synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers and food addi-tives are the most common concerns.

Pesticide was found in produce from both conventional and organic farming, and in

New study reveals truth about organic food and nutrition

food grown using both methods, residue was well below acceptable contamination levels. It should be noted that in conventionally pro-duced food, there was a higher level of residue on average but still within federal safety limits.

Fertilizer choice was not determined to be a significant risk factor. No measur-able difference was fertilizer dependent.

Studies done regarding the ef-fects of food additives have been inconclusive in drawing more than a circumstantial link to human ailments, mainly involving hyperactivity and attention disorders in young children.

The only significant difference involved the resilience of illness causing bacteria. Though there was no marked increase in bacterial population, the bacteria in con-ventional foods was found to be 33% more resistant to antibiotic treatment.

So, though you are at no great-er risk of contracting E. coli from organic or conventionally raised wpork, should you contract the virus, organic sources may yield bacteria that is more easily eradicated.

There is still more research to be done, and no one is saying we have a defini-tive answer. But a close examination of the available data suggests that we may be overreacting with our organic mania.

The conclusion of the Stanford study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, leaves the door open to con-tinue refining our decisions regarding food choices, while pragmatically stat-ing our current state of understanding.

It advises, “The published literature lacks strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than con-ventional foods. Consumption of organic foods may reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”

A variety of organic vegetables at market.

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JOE STUMPOColumnist

“There is something wrong

when a Holly-wood icon steals the show for 11

minutes.”

Oscar-winning director/actor Clint Eastwood’s speech at the Republican Na-tional Convention in Tampa proved what I had always believed the Hollywood elite should do when it comes to politics and sup-porting its favorite presidential candidate.

They should stay the hell out of the po-litical presidential spectrum completely, whether they are conservative or liberal.

That doesn’t mean they should not back a certain candidate. All I am saying is they should do it quietly or make it as incon-spicuous as possible to the point it doesn’t turn off their fan base and make one ask, “Why the hell did I ever watch your mov-ies, TV shows or listen to your music in the first place if you are going to bash the pre-vious president, the GOP and vice versa?”

It is no secret that, when Hollywood conservatives come out of the closet, they run the risk of being blacklisted by the stu-dios because of their politics. Just look at the backlash Eastwood got from the Hol-lywood liberals following his appearance.

I won’t deny that Eastwood made a couple of good points during his awkward ad-libbed speech that made me wonder if, like Presi-dent Obama, he was in serious need of a tele-prompter to effectively get his points across.

In speaking of what I assume was his re-action to Obama’s election win in Novem-ber 2008, he said: “Everybody was crying. Oprah was crying. I was even crying . . . and I haven’t cried that hard since I found out that there are 23 million unemployed people in this country.

“Now that is something to cry for because that is a disgrace, a national disgrace. Obvi-ously this administration hasn’t done enough to cure that,” Eastwood continued. “What-ever interest they have is not strong enough, and I think possibly now it may be time for somebody else to come along and solve the problem.”

I agree, as I did with Eastwood’s com-ments as to who owns this country.

“We – we own it. It is not you owning it and not politicians owning it. Politicians are employees of ours. And, so, they are just going to come around and beg for votes every few years. It is the same old deal. But I just think it is important that you realize that you’re the best in the world. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or whether you’re Libertarian or whatever, you are the best. And we should not ever forget that. And when somebody does not do the job, we got to let them go,” Eastwood said.

The problem is, I would much rather have heard this from someone who has had a long political career. Eastwood was may-or of Carmel, Calif. but only for two years.

When a movie star makes an appear-

ance at a presidential convention like East-wood did, it’s that one event that takes away everything politicians said previously.

It’s the one reason I did not watch the Democratic National Convention, as I knew the list of Hollywood celebrities from Jessica Alba and Eva Longoria to rock bands like The B-52s was going to be the equivalent of the stars who walk the red car-pet every February shortly before the open-ing ceremonies of the Academy Awards. The many appearances I have seen Obama make the past three years on “The View,” late night and slow-jamming the news with Jimmy Fallon have left me asking this ques-tion: Is he the entertainer in chief or the commander in chief? Is this really what the

Hollywood should stay out of presidential politics

Democratic Party stands for? Hollywood?I know full well that both Obama and

Mitt Romney are wealthy. It’s bad enough that I had to listen to two presidential can-didates who think they feel my pain, liv-ing from paycheck to paycheck, barely able to make ends meet trying to sell me reasons why I should vote for them.

I don’t need to watch multi-million dol-lar movie stars and musicians promote their presidential candidate feeding me their liberal conservative opinions. With the exception of Eastwood, they are not politicians. They work in the entertainment industry. They should all shut up and do what they are paid millions to do, which is act and sing.

I know that is a weak argument be-cause the first thing out of someone’s mouth is going to be two words, “Ronald Reagan” and he was president for two terms.

Presidential conventions should be focused on politics and what the two candidates promise they will do if elected. They should not be big-bud-get Hollywood-style spectacles.

People should be talking about what the candidates said or did not say in their speeches. That’s more important, if not far more newsworthy, than seeing an Os-car-winning director/actor talk to an empty chair and an imaginary Obama.

I did not see Romney’s speech in its en-tirety, but judging what I did see I didn’t think it was anything worth remembering. There is something wrong when a Holly-wood icon steals the show for 11 minutes to the point where everyone is talking about it on Twitter the next day and posting pic-tures of themselves pointing to an empty chair in what is now called “Eastwooding.”

In fact, I am willing to bet this column, and this college newspaper, for that mat-ter, is being read by a lot of empty chairs.

Even my dog is doing it sitting up, looking at an empty chair right now.

That is, until I realized the person sit-ting in the empty chair is me. Like Obama, who not only had a sense of humor about Eastwood’s speech saying, “One thing about being president or run-ning for president – if you’re easily offended, you should probably choose another pro-fession,” but also posted a quick response on Twitter following the actor’s speech.I, too, told my dog, “This seat’s taken.”

Actor Clint Eastwood speaks to an empty chair and imaginary Obama during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. on Aug. 30.

Image courtesy AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

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to dream bigger and pursue greater career aspira-tions than she once thought possible.

“When I came to A&M-Commerce, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life other than get a degree in biology,” Ashley said. “Working in a research lab here made me realize that I really want to do something that has meaning and gives back. Being here has helped shape my decision to go to grad school and become a cancer biologist.”

When Ashley’s not studying for her GRE, finish-ing her honors thesis and preparing for graduate school, she’s enjoying the myriad of activities available on campus like concerts by the Eli Young Band concert and her favorite event, Relay for Life.

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