The Daily Aztec - Vol. 95, Issue 63

Comic book junkies now have achance to become comic book cre-ators at San Diego State.

Introduced last fall, NeilKendricks’ Comics and GraphicNarrative course collaborated withNeil Shigley’s Drawing andIllustration for Graphic Designcourse to create a comic bookanthology titled “Word Balloons.”

Since Kendricks has writtenabout comics for various publica-tions and San Diego’s Comic-ConInternational, he said he felt com-fortable teaching a class on a subjecthe knows very well.

He said students would betterunderstand comics by going through

the process of creating their own. “I knew it would be a perfect mar-

riage to have those who are takingthe Comics and Graphic Narrativeclass … to see what it would be like towork with an artist and find a com-mon ground where your ideas willmeld with somebody you don’t evenknow,” Kendricks said.

Kendricks’ class completed aone-page comic book script withinthe first six weeks of last semester.The remainder of the semester wasgiven to the artists to complete theillustrations.

“The work behind creating thecomic was tremendous on bothsides,” Jonathan Valdez, Asian stud-ies senior and one of the writers fea-tured in “Word Balloons,” said.Valdez wrote the comic “Lemonaid,”which is about a young girl who sellslemonade to make money in thehopes of helping her parents paytheir bills.

“The challenge of writing thecomic was how to condense thestory and how to describe what was

going to happen in each panel,”Valdez said.

After the stories were completed,they were taken to the illustrationclass and assigned randomly.

“The process was up in the air,”Richard Tackett, graphic design sen-ior and artist for “Word Balloons”said. “You could use any materialyou wanted and as we went along,we presented our pages to the class.”

The final product was not com-plete until two weeks after finals, butstudents got a sneak peek of somecomics before the semester ended.

Kendricks said he felt it was anrewarding experience to watch hisstudents see their pages for thefirst time.

Valdez said he was stunned whenhe finally got to see his work inter-preted and realized.

“Although a lot of people may notsee our work, the chance to be a pub-lished comic book writer and artist isa chance to push yourself to put outyour best work,” he said. “This(class) really shows that comics

aren’t just a novelty, but a legitimateart and a medium that promotesdebate because of what the writersand artists portray.”

What started as an experimentfor Kendricks and Shigley turnedinto a successful collaboration.

“Richard Tackett worked hard toput together the comic book,”Shigley said. “I’m happy how thebook all came together and how itworked out relatively smooth.”

“It was a good experience,”Tackett said. “I approached thisproject as if I was working with aclient that I had to produce some-thing for. I’m hoping to do the nexttwo publications.”

Kendricks, Shigley and contribut-ing students do not get any financialprofits from the publication of“Word Balloons.”

To see a preview or buy a copyof the comic book anthology, visithttp://www.blurb.com/books/1114465.

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

IINNSSIIDDEE TTOODDAAYYOPINION

SPORTS

CONTACT

INDEX

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Vol. 95, Issue 64

U.S. Supreme Court rules tono longer limit corporatespending in political elections.

page 2

SDSU’s women’s tennis teamwon its 14th consecutive season-opening game on Saturday.

page 6

OPINION.........................................................................2TRAVEL & ADVENTURE...............................................3SPORTS.............................................................................5CLASSIFIEDS....................................................................7THE BACK PAGE............................................................8

RIP DEMOCRACY

PROJECT X

SEASON OPENER

San Diego native Shaun Whiteis progressing the snowboardingworld with new ideas.

page 3

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Last semester, student writers and artists teamed up and gained real-world experience to create a comic book anthology. The courses will work together again this semester. Courtesy of “World Balloons”

Courses collaborate on comic

State of the Union AddressPresident Obama will deliverthe State of the Union addressat 9 p.m. tomorrow. The speechwill emphasize Obama’s eco-nomic strategy and priorities,with a focus on struggling mid-dle-class families.

The annual address, intend-ed to outline the president’s leg-islative goals for the year, comesas polls are showing a dip inpresidential support and aRepublican Senate win inMassachusetts is shaking up

predictions for this year’smidterm elections.

Oil spill About 462,000 gallons of oilchurned into the Gulf of MexicoSaturday when a tanker and twobarges collided near PortArthur, Texas.

More than 500 peopleworked to clean and contain thespill. About 46,000 gallons of oilwere removed Sunday and near-by wetlands were not harmed bythe spill.

Haiti tax write-offs Obama signed legislationFriday to help those who arehelping Haiti.

Taxpayers who make charita-ble contributions to Haiti willreceive tax benefits this tax sea-son, instead of having to wait ayear to file the deductions.

Monetary donations madebetween Jan. 12 and Feb. 28 areeligible to be deducted from lastyear’s income.

Super Bowl boundThe New Orleans Saints will face

the Indianapolis Colts one weekfrom Sunday in Miami.

After 42 years in the NFL, it’sthe Big Easy’s first trip to thebig game.

“This is what we fought for. Allthose great years we had and wenever got over the hump. To seethese guys get over it is just won-derful, man,” Pat Swilling, formerNew Orleans defensive end, saidin an article in yesterday’s LosAngeles Times.

—Compiled by City Editor WhitneyLawrence

JJAANNEELL BBRRUUAANNS TA F F W R I T E R

NATIONAL NEWS

Got a hot tip?Let The Daily Aztec know!

The City section is looking for investigativenews leads to providemore in-depth, qualitystories.

The new curriculumwill churn out comicbooks each semester

The Daily AztecTuesday,

January 26, 20102 OPINION

alboa Park has been a sourceof San Diego’s pride andglory since 1915. The Plazade Panama, the area betweenthe San Diego Museum of Art

and the Spreckles Organ Pavilion, wasbuilt as part of the Panama-CaliforniaExposition. This area was created to be agathering place for the public. Thepedestrian-only zone was later used forparking during World War I and WorldWar II. Now, what was once a plazabecame a series of parking lots for visi-tors of the park and museums.

In the State of the City speech, MayorJerry Sanders proposed a plan that wouldreconstruct the Plaza de Panama to itsoriginal layout by removing all parkinglots and vehicle routes. In the name ofconservation and posterity, Sanders plansto convert this piece of concrete into aworld-class gathering place.

In theory, this idea is admirable, butin actuality it’s far from it. Looking froma strictly scenic perspective, having fewercars would ensure a more visuallyappealing area around the garden andmuseums. Its beauty would also be moreappreciated sans traffic signs. But from avisitor’s perspective, the lack of vehiclepathways through the park would beboth unappealing and inconvenient.

It’s already hard enough to find park-ing in or near Balboa Park. Visitors arelucky to find available spaces two blocksaway, but that’s a sacrifice that must bemade in order to enjoy the park. But forsome visitors this isn’t a viable option.Visitors with physical disabilities willhave far fewer accessible options, makingtheir trip less enjoyable and possiblyunworkable. At the very least, an areadesignated for disabled visitors should

be kept in the plaza.Driving through the streets of the

plaza is just an easier way to take advan-tage of the park. The single-lane, two-waystreet allows access to the dog park,museum entrances, the Spreckles OrganPavilion and the international cottages.Although these locations are worthwhileregardless of their proximity to parking,the elimination of the plaza streets leavespedestrians with a long walk. If vehicleaccess to this area is removed, visitorsmay be left on either side of Balboa Parkwithout a way through.

Aside from these accessibility con-cerns, this proposal five-year reconstruc-tion plan coincides with the park’supcoming centennial in 2015. Just fiveshort years will have to include plan-ning, demolition, reconstruction and agrand opening. Although this may seem

sufficient time to finish, San Diego’s his-tory of construction of large projectsbegs to differ. Aside from the rushedtimeline, none of the components thatform this plan have been set — includingthe cost. This is a premature idea thatrisks the plaza’s future with an unrea-sonable deadline.

The city is not exactly financially sta-ble. Although the plan doesn’t currentlyhave a price tag, it’s safe to assume thatthe project will be costly. Instead of usingthe money to reconstruct the Plaza dePanama, it should be used for other cityneeds. There are plenty of areas that coulduse the face-lift more than Balboa Park.This is neither urgent nor necessary.

Creating a place for visitors to comeenjoy what Balboa has to offer wouldhelp the city become more united, butlimited access and an uncertain tab isnot an acceptable solution. Expandingthe area where visitors can congregate ispossible without removing vehicle-acces-sible areas. Balboa Park has found waysto successfully reduce traffic in this areawhen necessary. Eliminating parking lotslocated in the plaza may facilitate thisprocess but, that also complicates park-ing for visitors.

While the mayor finalizes the fate ofthe Plaza de Panama, he should thinkabout Balboa’s needs, not just its desires.We’re in a recession and don’t have timeto invest in unnecessary projects.

—Aileen Pantoja is a zoology freshman.

—This column does not necessarily reflect theopinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail [email protected]. Anonymousletters will not be printed. Include your fullname, major and year in school.

century of separation,decades of precedents and arecently established law haveall been demolished in oneswift ruling.

Last Thursday, the U.S. SupremeCourt ruled that the government may notlimit corporate spending in candidateelections. The 5-4 decision overturnedformer precedents restricting the amountof money corporations may donate toelection candidates.

The court majority claimed that theprecedents were in violation of the FirstAmendment’s guarantee to the basic rightof free speech. The Supreme Court over-turned the century-long separation of cor-porate money and campaign financing,vindicating formerly restricted businesses.

The claims made by the court majorityand other supporters of the change seemnoble and reassuring. Of course, Americanshave an obligation to uphold the principlesand rights outlined in the Constitution.However, as responsible citizens, we alsohave an obligation not to take the justifica-tions for such laws and rulings at facevalue, especially when they overturndecades of well-established precedents.

The Supreme Court ruling to allowcorporations to donate unlimitedamounts of money to political candidates

extends the realm of free speech farbeyond what was outlined by our forefa-thers and threatens the well-being of ourdemocracy and the future of our nation’spolitical process.

Advertisements bombard us, throughradio and television, on billboards andmagazines. Corporations across the nationare able to shape the decisions we makeevery day through a proliferation of mediamessages that, unfortunately, the generalpopulace often succumbs to without anydeeper consideration. We eat atMcDonald’s, buy Nike shoes and listen toLady Gaga not necessarily because we likethem or think they provide the best quali-ty products, but because we are constantlybombarded with their messages.Corporations, with their vast funds, canafford to shape popular culture. This newruling allows corporations to push theireven agenda further.

While large corporations in this coun-try often dictate our small, everyday deci-sions, our politicians are the ones whodecide what laws we must adhere to, andit’s their job to ensure the well-being ofall citizens. This ruling creates the abilityfor these politicians to be influenced bythe corporations who choose to endorsethem even more. Our everyday well-beingwill be determined not necessarily byqualified politicians with the largest num-ber of individual supporters, but bypoliticians who gain the most campaignmoney from corporations that share polit-ical or financial interests.

Think about the impact. Potentially,all grassroots contributions could beworthless as they will play an insignifi-cant role in the overall success of a cam-paign. No candidate will be able to sur-vive against those who are backed by themoney of a big business.

President Barack Obama, whose cam-paign was greatly influenced by grassrootsfunding, has repeatedly spoken outagainst the influence of “special interests.”

“This ruling strikes at our democracyitself. I can’t think of anything more dev-astating to the public interest. The lastthing we need to do is hand more influ-ence to the lobbyists in Washington, ormore power to the special interests to tipthe outcome of elections,” Obama said,according to The New York Times.

The right to free speech is guaranteedby the Constitution to individual citizensof this nation. However, because of thedisproportionate influence that corpora-tions can afford to wield, they will havemore influence than the average citizen.W all should recognize that companiesare simply not equal to individuals — andthat the money they can afford to spendto influence political candidates hardlyequates to free speech. Just as corpora-tions must adhere to different tax laws, soshould they adhere to a different set ofrules regarding the role of their money ininfluencing political candidates.

This ruling throws out any potentialbalance for campaign funding and vio-lates the American ideal of “liberty andjustice for all.” But unless people takenotice of this issue and push Congress tocreate legislation that will help restorerestrictions on corporate funding, thesoul of our democracy will be lost to theinfluence of corporate wealth andthoughtless consumption.

—Reneé Villaseñor is a journalism senior.

—This column does not necessarily reflect theopinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail [email protected]. Anonymousletters will not be printed. Include your fullname, major and year in school.

RREENNEEÉÉ VVIILLLLAASSEEÑÑOORRA S S I S TA N T O P I N I O N E D I T O RA

AAIILLEEEENN PPAANNTTOOJJAAS TA F F C O L U M N I S T

POINTS TO PONDER

Total rainfall for the week:

Death toll estimated by Haitiangovernment:

150,000

50,000Death rate estimated by RedCross:

Amount of financial aid promisedby President Barack Obama:

$100

Children diagnosed with obesity:

17%Projection of obese Americans in10 years:

50%

Average rainfall for the season:

5.7Decrease in school attendancebecause of transportation issues:

30%Number of reports of fallen trees:

342—Compiled by Contributing Columnist Cindy Lopez

300%

SAVE YOUR CROCODILE TEARS

Reconstructing Balboa ParkB

Instead of using themoney to reconstructthe Plaza de Panama,it should be used forother city needs.There are plenty ofareas that could usethe face-lift morethan Balboa Park.

The Supreme Court ruling throws out anypotential balance forcampaign funding andtherefore violates theAmerican ideal of “liberty and justice for all.”

million

San Diego’s stormyweek

inches

inches

3.3

9.7 million

Haiti’s population:

EVEN ARTICHOKES HAVE HEARTS

Supreme Court kills democracy

more than

at least

Michelle Obama’scampaign to fightchildhood obesity

Increase in child obesity ratethroughout past 30 years:

Haiti earthquake

Tuesday,January 26, 2010 The Daily Aztec 3TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

Many know him as “The FlyingTomato” for his soaring flips, spinsand wavy red locks. He is an Olympicgold medalist and a San Diego native,and for two months, this pro snow-boarder was hidden high in thesnowy mountains of Colorado creat-ing never-before-seen tricks for thisyear’s Winter Olympics.

The 23-year-old Shaun Whitehas accomplished great triumphs inhis career, but his four revolution-ary new tricks are expected to takesnowboarding to new heights.

White, who wanted to pushhimself and progress the sport ofsnowboarding , decided to teamwith Red Bull to create Project X.His imagination had conjured sev-eral never-before-attempted tricksand he needed a private haven topractice. His vision became a reali-ty and in a short period of time heperfected tricks no one believedwere possible.

“This is a huge accomplish-ment!” Project Manager for RedBull Project X Joe Prebich said.“No one can ever disagree againthat Shaun innovates the sport ofsnowboarding.”

In just two months, White wasable to create tricks that would havenormally taken years to learn. Thisfeat was possible with the construc-tion of a secret 550-foot half-pipeand 600-square-foot foam pit, cus-tom built to provide him a soft land-ing. White was able to practicedeath-defying aerials and make mis-takes without the risk of injury.

“The use of the foam pit pushedthe sport light-years ahead in a mat-ter of weeks with the ability to safe-ly try and land new tricks,” Prebichsaid. “I think you’ll see a lot more ofthese popping up now and we’ll seea real change in the progression ofthe sport as a result. Up-and-com-ing kids will be able to learn tricksat a much quicker and safer pace.”

It took a team of experts days tobuild the secret half-pipe inSilverton Mountain, Colo. The max-

imum lift elevation stands 12,300feet tall. It is the highest ski area inNorth America, permitting accessto advanced skiers and snowboard-ers only. Before building the mas-sive half-pipe, experts threw 30“helibombs” to create avalanches tosoften the snow.

“It’s like watching your ultimatedream playground,” Prebich said.“A place where you can ride freshpowder lines down to a perfectlygroomed 550-foot long half-pipeand end by throwing a new trickinto a one-of-a-kind foam pit. Truesnowboarders will be amazed atwhat Shaun and Red Bull were ableto accomplish out there.”

When White attempted to prac-tice new material in the past, some-times the private footage would beleaked on the Internet. A remoteplace such as Silverton Mountainwas ideal because of its steep natu-ral terrain and low skier capacity.The ski area has fewer than 80skiers daily, providing White withplenty of privacy.

Project X served as White’s per-sonal training ground before theWinter Olympics, which takesplace in Vancouver starting on Feb.12. White has been training relent-lessly for the event, where he plansto reveal his four new tricks: thefront double cork 10, switch back900, double back rodeo and the cabdouble cork 10.

It took White one day to learnthe front double cork 10.

“I can’t describe it — it’s unreal,”White said in a video. “We got in acouple of years of riding in just oneday. You have to have that perfectday, where the snow is just right,you’re feeling strong and you havethe picture of the trick you want todo in your head — you have to havethe picture in your head.”

This session will go down in his-tory as arguably the most progres-sive snowboarding feat everattempted. White would prove tothe rest of the snowboard worldthat it is possible landing doublecorks, setting the stage for a mas-

sive leap in snowboarding progres-sion, a press release stated.

White has been given a hugeplatform to advance pro snow-boarding to unimaginableextremes. With the WinterOlympics just weeks away, stu-dents and local fans will have theopportunity to get an in-depthlook into White’s adventure withProject X before its national broad-cast airs on NBC.

“It explains the whole story fromlearning the tricks all the way upwhen Shaun unveils them andmakes the (Olympic) team,”Prebich said. “It’s a full year-longjourney of Shaun’s snowboard lifeup until the Winter Olympics.”

White, who has been fearlesslysnowboarding and skateboardingsince age four, notably holds 16 XGames medals and one 2006Winter Olympics gold medal.

For more updates and informa-tion about White and Red BullProject X log onto:http://www.shaunwhite.com/projectx.

AANNDDRREEAA MMOO RRAAS E N I O R S TA F F W R I T E R

‘The Flying Tomato’ teams up with Red Bull

Project X helped Shaun White train for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics next month.Courtesy of Red Bull

Last year, Shaun White became the first winner of the U.S. Grand Prix, positioning himself to catch a spot for the U.S. Olympic Team.Courtesy of Red Bull

Football games at QualcommStadium are anything but unusual.But imagine bringing in a differenttype of football and forgetting allabout the Chargers.

This could become a reality ifthe U.S. is awarded the 2018 or2022 Fédération Internationale deFootball World Cup games. SanDiego was recently included on thefinal list of cities the USA BidCommittee will submit to FIFA,which governs the World Cup soc-cer games. San Diego is one of 18cities nationwide that could poten-tially host some of the World Cupgames if the bid is successful.

If the U.S. wins, the final hostcities would be reduced to 12throughout the next several years.The U.S. will present its final bidbook to FIFA in May, with FIFA’sfinal decision for the 2018 and 2022games to be announced inDecember. Members of the U.S. com-mittee include soccer stars LandonDonovan and Mia Hamm as well asunlikely members such as directorSpike Lee, comedian Drew Careyand Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The list of U.S. host cities wasrecently reduced from 27 to 18.Other potential cities include LosAngeles, Dallas, Miami and Seattle.Each city was judged using criteriasuch as geographical location,diversity, climate, stadium size and

support from the local government. San Diego’s temperate weather

and tourist-friendly nature was afactor in its inclusion, but there areconcerns about using a facility asold as Qualcomm Stadium.

The stadium was built in the late1960s and has undergone renova-tions throughout the years, but itwill be against stiff competition suchas the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

“In a vacuum, we’d love everystadium to be brand new,”Executive Director of the USA BidCommittee David Downs said in aSan Diego Union-Tribune article.

“That’s not going to happen. Weknow that. (A new stadium) wouldgreatly enhance San Diego’schances, I’ll say that, but it wouldnot rule them out if nothing hap-pened on that front … We wouldnot have included San Diego if wedidn’t think they could host WorldCup matches at Qualcomm.”

According to www.sandiego.gov,Qualcomm can seat more than70,000 people. However, the agingfacility has not been renovatedsince 1997, when Qualcomm firstacquired the naming rights afterpaying for a restoration.

Although there are no con-firmed plans to build a new arena,the city, as well as the Chargers foot-ball team, would still have time tobuild a new stadium before thegames occur. However, financingremains one of the major issues pre-venting this from happening.

The U.S. Bid Committeereleased a study in October of lastyear, which determined that host-ing the games could have a signifi-cant economic impact. The studyconcluded that as many as 8,000new jobs would be created in eachhost city as a product of the games.Assuming that each of the 12 citieshosted five to six games, the studyalso stated that $400 to $600 mil-lion dollars could be generated.

The FIFA executive board willvisit the potential host cities once thefinal bids are completed to help itdetermine which countries will win.

If the U.S. wins one of the bids,this will be the second time theWorld Cup is held in the U.S.According to the Bid Committee,the country set a World Cup recordfor attendance when the gameswere held here in 1994 with nearly3.6 million people in attendance.

Other countries also vying tohost the games are Australia,England, Japan, Russia and jointbids by Belgium-Netherlands andSpain-Portugal. Indonesia, Qatarand South Korea are also bidding,but only for the 2022 tournament.

Although San Diego does nothave a Major League Soccer team, itis home to the San Diego Sockers, aprofessional indoor team, whichwas revived last year.

For more information or tosupport San Diego by signing thepetition for the U.S. bid, visitwww.gousabid.com.

AAMMIINNAATTAA DDIIAAS TA F F W R I T E R

New goals kicking up a buzz at Qualcomm

San Diego competes with other U.S. cities to host the future World Cup games.MCT Campus

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE Tuesday,January 26, 2010The Daily Aztec4

Kayaking is a familiar sport for many adven-ture goers. But last week, kayaking was takento a whole new level — to the streets.

An unfamiliar sport to most San Diegans,street kayaking can only happen duringstormy weather. According to the NationalWeather Service Forecast, from Jan. 17 to lastSaturday, Pacific Beach received 4.14 inchesof rain. This may not be much compared toother coastal areas such as La Jolla, whichreceived 5.13 inches of rain, but for PacificBeach, this was just enough rain for one per-son to kayak across Mission Boulevard.

“(David Johnson) says he was on hisway to Blockbuster when he spotted thisunusual sight blocking his trip,” NicoleSaidi, CNN iReport’s senior associate pro-ducer, said. Mission Boulevard was com-

pletely flooded and an ambiguous mantackled the street in his kayak.

Whether he was kayaking on the oceanand water flooded into the streets or he wentdirectly to the street to kayak, this sight is asurprise for San Diegans who are used tosunny weather and clear skies.

The recent onslaught of storms hascaused warnings of beach erosion, and theheavy rain even toppled multiple trees at SanDiego State, causing students to take pic-tures on their cell phones, mesmerized bythe trees’ now visible shallow roots.

Although the weekend provided SanDiegans with pleasant weather, TheWeather Channel predicts rainy and thun-derous skies today. So get out the kayaksand head to the Pacific Beach streets for achance to be one of the few to participate inthis unusual sport.

To view the video visit http://www.ire-port.com//DOC-397121.

AAMM YY EEBBEERRSSOOLLEEA S S I S TA N T F E AT U R E S E D I T O R

Liquid Library

Kayaking hits the streets in rainy weather

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For the San Diego State men’s tennis team, theroad to the Mountain West ConferenceChampionship started in Las Vegas.

But Lady Luck wasn’t with No. 42 SDSU (0-1)as it lost to No. 39 Texas Tech, 4-3, on Saturdaymorning at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.

“I felt like the whole team fought welltoday,” junior TimSchulz van Endert said.“Of course we wantedto drive home with awin, but the matchtoday showed us clearly

what we need to work on to achieve our goalsthis season.”

Schulz van Endert was a bright spot for theAztecs, winning both his singles match (7-5, 6-

4) and his doubles match (8-7) with classmateAndre Feliz.

That wasn’t enough for SDSU though, asTexas Tech (2-0) was awarded the doublespoint and won all three of its singles victories instraight sets to come out with the 4-3 victory.

The Aztecs’ singles victories came from No.114 senior Juan Gomez, 6-7, 6-2, 1-0 (10-6);Feliz 6-0, 6-3; and Schulz van Endert.

“(The Red Raiders) have a very good teamand it was a tough day for us,” Gomez said. “Wewere disappointed that we lost, but we’re goingto pump ourselves up for the next match andhopefully come away with a ‘W.’”

The loss comes one week after SDSU’s suc-cess at the National Collegiate TennisChampionships in Indian Wells, sending threesingles players past the opening round.

Even though they lost in Las Vegas onSaturday, the Aztecs hope that when theyreturn for the MWC Championships in April,the result will be different.

“We’ll be back in a few months for the con-ference championships,” Gomez said. “Sowe’re going to win the championship and goout and party.”

TEXAS TECH 4 SDSU 3

AAGGUUSSTTIINN GGOONNZZAALLEEZZC O N T R I B U T O R

Texas Tech edges out theAztecs in San Diego State’sseason opener in Las Vegas

Juan Gomez picked up one of the Aztecs’ three points on Saturday, taking out Texas Tech’s Andre Stabile.File Photo

MEN’S TENNIS

Tough luck for SDSU

SPORTS Tuesday,January 26, 2010The Daily Aztec6

Wanting to begin the season with apace that will lead it to the NCAA

Tournament,the San DiegoState women’stennis teamstarted the sea-

son strong against the UC RiversideHighlanders on Sunday morning.

The season-opening victory forSDSU is its 14th consecutive season-opening win and its sixth win againstUC Riverside in six tries.

The Aztecs cruised to victory,beating the Highlanders 6-1 at theAztec Tennis Center.

“This was a great way to beginthe year and it was a dominant vic-tory that really displayed ourteam’s depth,” head coach PeterMattera said.

Sophomores Roxanne and Sierra

Ellison started SDSU’s day with adominant note, disposing ofRiverside’s No. 1 doubles team 8-0.The Ellison sisters not only have theskill but also a connection that manyother tandems don’t have.

“We have a special connection assisters and that helps our communi-cation throughout each match weplay together,” Sierra Ellison said.

The Aztecs followed the Ellisonsisters’ example in doubles whenjunior Julia Trunk and freshman

Alicia Aguilar took down theHighlanders’ No. 2 team, 8-2, andsophomore Emma Cioffi and fresh-man Julia Wais out-matched UCRiverside’s No. 3 team, 8-3.

Sunday’s match was Aguilar’sSDSU debut and she played wellenough to earn her first individualand team victory in her first com-petitive match.

Wais aced her singles match to getthe momentum rolling for theAztecs, as SDSU won five of the six

singles matches. “I just want to go out every match

and do my best while limiting mymistakes,” Wais said.

Later in the afternoon, the Aztecsrouted Cal State Fullerton in the sec-ond match of the day’s doublehead-er, dominating the Titans 7-0, andnot allowing a single set victory forany CSU Fullerton player.

“We want to get better everymatch we play and I feel we did thatin our match against Fullerton,”Mattera said.

CCHHUUCCKK HHEERRRRMMAANNNNS TA F F W R I T E R

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Aztecs pick up 14th straight season-opening win

David J. Olender / Assistant Photo Editor

SDSU 6 UCR 1

WOMEN’S TENNIS: SEASON PREVIEW

To assume this is a rebuilding year for the SanDiego State women’s tennis team with twojuniors as its most experienced memberswould be easy

But that assumption is far from the truth.SDSU enters this season with a team brim-ming with young talent and depth.

Entering his 17th season as the Aztecs’head coach, Peter Mattera knows how tobuild a team and maintain success, provenby his 245-168 (.593 winning percentage)career record.

Players to watchMattera sees juniors Olivia Colman and JuliaTrunk making a big impact this year as teamleaders and great competitors. In Sunday’sdoubleheader, Colman won her only singlesmatch of the day, while Trunk won both ofher singles and doubles matches.

Key lossHolly Bagshaw, one of last year’s leaders, is

now serving as a volunteer assistant coachand hopes to make her presence felt off thecourt just as she did on it.

“I hope I can add a good perspective andhelp these girls better understand the coach-es and tennis,” Bagshaw said.

Mark your calendarsSDSU has a big matchup against UC Irvineon Saturday at the Aztec Tennis Center. “Thatgame will be a great proving ground for thisteam,” Mattera said.

Last season, the Aztecs beat the Anteaters5-2 in Hawaii.

Newcomers to watchThe three freshmen on the team, NaseemEslami, Julia Wais and Alicia Aguilar, look tomake their mark this year.

“I just want to work hard and do my bestto help the team get better and succeed,”Eslami said.

Quotable“We not only want to make the tournament;we don’t want to be a one and done. We wantto go far,” Mattera said.

Newcomer looks to lead

Holly Bagshaw was one of the San Diego State women’s tennis team’s best performers last season,garnering all-MWC singles and double accolades. Bagshaw is now a volunteer assistant coach for SDSU.

David J. Olender / Assistant Photo Editor

CCHHUUCCKK HHEERRRRMMAANNNNS TA F F W R I T E R

VS.

AT A GLANCE

WHEN: 12 p.m., Saturday

WHERE: Aztec Tennis Center

WHY TO WATCH: SDSU head coach Peter Mattera called the Aztecs’ matchup withUC Irvine “a great proving ground for this team.”

TuesdayJanuary 26, 2010 The Daily Aztec 7CLASSIFIEDS

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tw i t t e r . c om/TheDa i l yA z t ectw i t t e r . c om/TheDa i l yA z t ectw i t t e r . c om/TheDa i l yA z t ec

The Daily AztecTuesday,

January 26, 20108 THE BACK PAGETODAY’S BIRTHDAY (1/26/2010)

Anticipate a happier year than the last.Youachieve a balance between logic and feel-ings that stands up to life's stresses. Careerand work move forward as long as youavoid a one-sided approach to duty andresponsibility.

ARIES (March 21 - April 19) - Today is an 8- You find yourself out in front of thegroup. Make this social opportunity workfor you. Base your actions on core beliefs.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20) - Today is a 7- Enhance your power by adopting enthu-siasm for the written word. Plan what yousay. Edit for tone later.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 21) - Today is a 5 -You hear things that are tough to accept.A distant friend provides a practical view.Listen to the words and trust their value.

CANCER (June 22 - July 22) - Today is a 7 -Words pop out of your mouth beforeyou've really considered them. Resultsvary. Express enthusiasm in everything youdo. Others will understand.

LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22) - Today is a 7 -Adjust to circumstances and you can't gowrong. Relax with a friend or associate asyou continue to get work done. Revealyour creative purpose.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22) - Today is an 8 -If you could stay home today, you'daccomplish more. If that's not possible, geta friend to help with the heavy lifting.

Then, celebrate with a female over lunch.LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22) - Today is an 8 -

Continue imaginative and creative efforts.You love the direction things are going,and associates provide additional energy.Revise the wording carefully.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) - Today is an8 - People come at you from differentdirections, pushing for decisions and pres-suring for money. Be thrifty with both.Youdon't have to decide now.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) - Todayis a 7 - Information comes in from tworadically different sources. On one hand,finances improve. On the other, time pres-sures drain your energy.Take a short mid-day walk.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) - Today isa 5 - If you find yourself playing an "usagainst them" game, make sure your part-ner is on your team.That way you can bepretty sure what to say and when.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) - Today is a 7- You have a brilliant idea in mind from themoment you wake up.There are plenty ofopportunities to make this a reality as youwork closely with a partner.

PISCES (Feb. 19 - March 20) - Today is a 7 -You want to be the ruler of your domain.To make that happen, understand yourneeds and communicate them in plain lan-guage.

© 2010,TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES INC.

Level: 1 2 3 4

BBYY TTHHEE MMEEPPHHAAMM GGRROOUUPPSUDOKU

BBYY LLIINNDDAA CC.. BBLLAACCKK,, TTRRIIBBUUNNEE MMEEDDIIAA SSEERRVVIICCEESSDAILY HOROSCOPE

© 2010 The Mepham Group. Distributed byTribune Media Services.All rights reserved.

Instructions: Complete the grid soeach row, column and 3-by-3 box (inbold borders) contains every digit 1to 9. For strategies on how to solveSudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk.

SSoolluuttiioonn aavvaaiillaabbllee oonnlliinnee aattwwwwww..TThheeDDaaiillyyAAzztteecc..ccoomm

EEDDIITTEEDD BBYY RRIICCHH NNOORRRRIISS AANNDD JJOOYYCCEE LLEEWWIISS

AACCRROOSSSS1 “I did it!”5 Outplays

10 Jack’s inferior13 Holly genus14 Draw a better

bead on15 Pitcher Hideo16 *Big name in

tequila18 Gossip tidbit19 Abu Dhabi’s fed-

eration: Abbr.20 *Mexican mural-

ist22 Actor Brody of

“The Pianist”24 Pep25 __ one mind: dis-

agreeing26 Fri. preceder29 Short film role30 Some31 On the double33 *Spanish painter

(1746-1828)38 For all to see39 Submissive41 Gas brand with a

landmark signoutside FenwayPark

45 Vegas cube46 Iraqi seaport47 Opposed (to)49 “The Picture of

__ Gray”50 *Roger Federer

rival54 Gold units: Abbr.55 Big pictures: Abbr.56 Home to this

puzzle’s theme58 Fight-ending calls,

briefly59 Insect stage60 Animal whose fur

was used forCrockett’s cap

61 Word that formsa city when com-bined with thefirst names inanswers tostarred clues

62 Slow to catch on63 Barley beards

DDOOWWNN1 Baja border city2 What you “take”

when you sitdown

3 Military no-show4 Lumberjack’s tool5 UCLA player6 Extra wide, on a

shoebox7 Puppeteer Tony8 VCR successor9 Campfire treat

10 For the full lengthof a pregnancy

11 Come to light12 “Skip the sand-

wich dressing”15 Skin care brand17 B-G link21 Working under-

cover, for short23 Corn Belt state26 Gave it a shot27 Mubarak of Egypt28 “I give up!”31 Angel dust, briefly32 Happy Meal

extra34 Lariat loop35 Poet Khayyám36 “That’s not news

to me”37 Soda-making

process

40 Topeka natives41 Insertion marks42 The Donald’s

daughter43 Nonstick coating44 Lawn makeup46 Western tie48 Spanish hero

played by Heston49 Willem of

“Spider-Man”51 Appoint52 Actor Alda53 Uses a spade57 Color TV pioneer

CROSSWORD

SSoolluuttiioonn aavvaaiillaabbllee oonnlliinnee aatt wwwwww..TThheeDDaaiillyyAAzztteecc..ccoomm

HUMOR: 7 2 OFF SUIT

An unpleasant reunionn Internet ad is try-ing to sell me some-thing I don’t need.

No thanks,www.reunion.com,

because while the hot, successfulguys in three-piece suits you pic-tured in your e-mail make mewant to pay $9.99 for their lastlatest address, I know for a factthat none of the guys from myhigh school class turned outlooking like that.

The reason I know? I ran into every single last one

of them during winter break. Now, with the exception of a

few favorites, I actively avoid allhigh school memories. Yet, mysneaky mother finds tricky waysthat force me to venture into theheart of the Westview Class of2007 gathering place. And what Imean by that is she tells me to goget her some milk at the local Vons.There, I bump into at least fiveinsufferable “long lost best friends”within the first three minutes.

They all look the same exceptfor being five to 20 pounds heav-ier and possibly sporting a newbeard or goatee. I attempt to hidebehind the Lucky Charms dis-play, but inevitably they alwaysrecognize me. Then, just so thereis no possible chance of escape,they loudly announce my namelike a movie title, even thoughthey never said my name once inhigh school. They hug me, eventhough we never hugged in highschool. They inform me howlong life has been since they last

saw me, which has only been ayear. We start with meaninglesssmall talk about the only thingwe have in common, beforebeginning the game “whoevertells the best gossip wins.”

I will admit these interactionssometimes have pleasing results,such as finding out who isknocked up or still stuck at acommunity college. But for themost part, the main goal is tofind a way to extricate myselffrom the conversation before theyremember I defaced their picturein the yearbook.

But these are just the run-ins Ispeak of that don’t last morethan five minutes, because some-one will need to locate the per-fect kind of tomato sauce, givingone or the other a free momentto run away.

But it gets worse, much worse.Eventually a Facebook event slapsyour homepage in the face.Someone is having a reunion. Ialways choose “Maybe Attending”because I have commitmentissues. I skeptically peruse theguest list and text a few comradesto make fun of the host for a fewminutes before admitting: Yeah,we’re all going.

We run into a few people atsuch parties who we have to beprepared for: the jock turned fratboy, the cheerleader turned cos-metologist and the band kid who

stayed a band kid. But the mostdifficult run-in is with the politicalactivist. She’s the girl who went tocollege hoping to find somethingto be passionate about, and boy,did she succeed. She left town,saw the world and realized all theinjustices that need to be foughtsuch as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., capi-talism and showering.

Another difficult run-in iswith the too-cool-for-this-small-town-metropolis girl. She went toNew York University orColumbia, and now she can’tfathom a place where businessesclose at 10 p.m. and nothing butPizza Hut delivers food. With hernose in the air, she lectures aboutwhat is “in” (independent coffeeshops) and what is “so smalltown” (Starbucks). My sugges-tion here is to introduce theactivist to “big city” girl so theycan bond by planning the demiseof chain restaurants.

Otherwise, not too much haschanged. Like high school, we allhang out for a bit, then people getbored and hook up with the per-son they would never considerotherwise. And just like highschool, someday we’ll all lookback at this, laugh nervously andchange the subject.

—Kristen Ace Nevarez is a generaltheatre arts junior.

—This column does not necessarilyreflect the opinion of The DailyAztec.

KKRRIISSTTEENN AACCEE NNEEVVAARREEZZC O N T R I B U T O RA

LOOKING THROUGH OUR LENS

Senior Staff Photographer Karli Cadel captured this serene moment in Kansas City as the sun set across the snow-

cloaked ground and leafless trees.

WINTER PASSING

The Daily Aztec - Vol. 95, Issue 63

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