Volume CXIII, edition 3 Since 1949 September 26, 2007

InsideJohn Bul Dao Speaks at FCCBul Dao shared his coura-geous story with students and visitors at Fresno City College Sept 17-18. As a boy, he fled oppression in the southern part of Sudan. -page 4

FCC Auto helps valley airMembers of Fresno City’s College’s Automotive Department offered free smog checks in the south parking lot Sept 15. Cars lined the lots for the free service as early as 7a.m. - page 3

See “Job Fair” page 5

Are you a student who’s in desperate need of employment? Are you tired of begging students for extra spare change for gas or the bus? Well, the Employmnet Resource Center has the solu-tion. The Employment Resource Center (ERC) can help you with your resume, cover letter, and job interviewing skills.

According to Mary-Beth Wynn, Job Placement specialist, students can get assistance find-ing both full – time and part-time

employment. Job developers assit stu-

dents in getting work that ranges from entry level to an employ-ment that requires a couple years of experience; help is not strictly minimum wage opportunities.

The ERC offers numer-ous services that focus both on the student and employer. The ERC services include: help design cover letters, format resumes, computer access for job searching, or Mi-crosoft word to type your cover letter or resume. Students can go to www.jobs.fresnocitycollege.edu to

FCC offers solutionto joblessness

by Eddie Ortiz

Rampage Reporter

Belt buckle causes scare in classroomby Alexis Abrahamson

Rampage Reporter

Campus police immediately responded to a report of a student carrying a gun in the Language Arts building Sept 20.

According to Fresno City College Chief of Police, Joseph Callahan, a female student in Rob-ert Boyd’s World Religions class reported she saw what appeared to

be a gun on one of her classmate’s lap and he was covering it up with his backpack.

“[Because of the] Virginia Tech incident, we just can’t take any chances. It only took that shooter three minutes to kill thirty-one people; it’s a risk we can not take,” stated Chief Callahan.

After the phone call, two of-ficers and a Sergeant rushed over to the building. They informed Boyd that they were going to wait outside

until he let the students out. When the students left the

classroom, Boyd pointed out the seventeen-year-old minor. Officers immediately rushed and subdued the suspect.

The officers handcuffed and took him to the station, where they soon found out that the alleged gun that was seen was actually a belt buckle made as a replica of a handgun. The suspect was then released without charge. Photo Special to The Rampage

Jim Ewing recalls his pastWith a rich history behind him, former British Air Force photographer, Jim Ewing, has no plans of slowing down. - page 13

Invaders from JapanDir en grey truly defies any genre classification. The music ranges from hardcore to heavy rock, techno and sometimes hip-hop. This band has a truly original sound. - page 7

by Carrie Gunter

Rampage Reporter

Rehearsals in full swing for theatre production “Reckless”

See “White” page 6

There is no playing around for this Fresno City Col-lege actress. Rachel White wants to do it all. The 25-year-old Theater Arts and Business major is cool, sexy, beautiful and multi-talented. “Whatever I can do, I’ll do,” she said.

White is currently in re-hearsals for the FCC play, Reck-less. The play is an absurd, some-times dark comedy written by

Craig Lucas. It was first produced in the 1980s. Lucas balances comic routines with heartbreak. This black comedy introduces us to the character Rachel, played by White. It is just a coincidence White is playing a character with the same first name.

The audience will enjoy the play’s bizarre characters and events, centered around a woman who thinks she is sure of every-thing in her life. “At the very beginning of the play, all of that security completely shatters,” stated Fresno State Professor and FCC Guest Director, Brad Myers.

“Rachel spends the rest of the play, trying to recreate the life around her.”

At home on Christmas Eve, Rachel is informed by her guilty husband that he has hired a hit man to kill her and must flee for her life. Rachel’s husband Tom, played by FCC student, Raul Vasquez, said his character is somewhat of a vil-lain. “He’s just really a torn soul I think,” said Vasquez. “He’s a bad guy in certain ways, but you can’t blame crazy people for the stuff they do, I think he just lost it.”

Rachel then teams up with

Love, Marriage&Betrayal

Photo by Joseph Rios

Rachel (Rachel White) consoles her husband Tom (Raul Vasquez) just before he reveals that he hired someone to kill her.

Actual photo of fake pistol found on student.

“He’s just really a torn soul I think. He’s a bad guy in certain ways, but you can’t blame crazy people for the stuff they do, I think he just lost it.” - Raul Vasquez on his character “Tom”

September 26, 20072 Rampage News

Leah Edwards, Joseph Rios, Eddie Ortiz, Cody Gless, Deshad Cato, Carrie

Gunter, Marcell Dilworth, Alexis Abrahamson, Joseph Boone, Shirah

Hopper, Ivette Lopez, Jen Langworthy, Adrine Avanesyan, Blake Gollmer, Julie

Hamilton, Pedro Quintana, Jeannie Batey, Amber Donabedian, Cynthia

Moreno

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Herrick captures life, travels to Far East with... “This Many Miles From Desire”

Professor Lee Herrick cel-ebrated his new book, This Many Miles from Desire, with a spirited poetry reading. Fitting, for the book is a brilliant collection of po-ems emphasizing the beauty of life, yet addressing the inner-struggle to find ones place in the world.

This marks the English and poetry professor’s first publica-tion. “I’m so proud, he’s worked so hard,” said Georgia Herrick, his mother and a renowned painter, standing at a distance from the wall of supporters surrounding Herrick.

Herrick leaves the impres-sion of being extremely attentive, perceptive; an asset that has un-doubtedly contributed to the vivid descriptions in his poetry. “Poetry is about absorbing the little things, working hard, and just enjoying life,” he said.

James Prucil, a poet and former student said, “He’s an odd teacher, kind of like a mentor.” He remembers being assigned to write three poems per week in Herrick’s class. He recalls having run out of his ‘bag of tricks’ fast, which in hindsight was one of the most freeing occurrences in his journey as a poet. “It forces you

to find other topics, which in the end, wind up being some of your greatest works.”

The oldest poems found in the book date back to the late 90’s such as “What is Sacred,” published in the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal. However, most of the book was written after a time of travel for Herrick. His travels to the Far East around the turn of the century brought on a tidal wave of emotion for Herrick, a Korean adoptee.

This was in turn penned into some of his greatest and most pas-sionate works, “Korean Adoptee Returns to Seoul” among them.

With titles ranging from “Yoga on the Beach” to “Listening to Janis Joplin,” the book is very eclectic. The themes of music, love, adoption, and God permeate the book.

One can’t help but notice how fascinating his portrayal of daily life in a city is. Be it in Fresno or across the Pacific, Herrick takes the everyday labors of individuals and turns them into art.

The cover of the book cap-tures this idea well. Some 20 men

by Joseph Boone

Rampage Reporter

crammed in a boat, each with a bicycle, which appears to be made for more like five people (without bicycles). The men are headed off to yet another day at work. The photo, taken in Vietnam by his wife who is also a Fresno City College instructor, not only fits well with the title, but reinforces the idea that there is beauty in the mundane.

Photo by Joel Pickford Special to the Rmapage

News Rampage 3September 26, 2007

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Fresno City College stu-dents were given a great opportu-nity to tune up their car and help clean up the valley air.

ValleyCAN once again held the Fresno ‘Tune in and Tune Up’ Sept 17, an event that gave people the chance to have their car checked out for free. The event also gave the students of FCC’s Auto Technology Department an opportunity to “gain diagnostic experience,” said Nestor Galvan, a student working at the event since 7 a.m. that day.

He added that he and his fellow classmates “were learn-ing to communicate.” Students enrolled in the program learn to enter the field of the Automotive Service Industry, where customer

service and communication is crucial. They also gained hands on experience.

But students weren’t the only people benefiting from this event. It was ValleyCAN’s goal to identify high-emitting vehicles, determine if they’d pass smog, and get them help with repairs. Out of 351 cars tested 229 failed. And the cars that failed were able to be repaired.

The event had a free bar-beque and even recycle bins to collect all the cans and bottles. It was also filled with community booths such as The City of Fresno Solid Waste Division, The Bureau of Automotive Repair, A1 Auto, The Lung Association, The Fresno Area Express (FAX) Clean Air Bus, and many others. All partici-pating and doing their part to make the event happen.

The event was covered by ABC, CBS, and Univision which gave the program loads of support for more things to come. Even FAX brought out a bus giving tours to those who took part. And for those who were getting their cars fixed, FAX handed out free bus passes.

Overall at the end of the day it was marked a success. Proud supporter Jack Lewis said, “You need to do this to clean up the air,” and added, “ I think it’s a very positive thing to do. For the people with bad cars, and for the air.”

Another goal for Valley-CAN was to “engage whoever we could to clean up the valley,” said ValleyCAN representative Erica Hubbard. When it came to the cleaning of the Fresno Valley air Hubbard said,“We all need to take action.”

by Jeannie Batey

Rampage Reporter

Auto department saves valley air

FCC students condemn inequities

Photo by Robert Teschner Special to the Rampoage

by Dashad Cato

Rampage Reporter

“We are not as far away from slavery as we thought,” said Christian Harris, Fresno City College student and a member of IDILE, in reaction to the devel-opments in Jena Louisiana where sis young African-American high school students are facing crimi-nal charges believed by many to be unfair. “We’re still close to things that happened in the six-ties,” he also said.

Harris and dozens of other African American students as well as faculty and staff had gathered for the IDILE mentors’ reception in the Staff Dinning Hall on Monday, September 24.

Nearly everyone in the room full of young and aspir-ing African- Americans had an opinion on the topic that many feel illustrates the imbalance in the nation’s judicial system.

“I feel that it’s sad that we’ve overcome so much in our history, and yet, something like this can still happen,” said Jasmin Stanfield, a new member to IDILE.

Another IDILE student Robert Bailey disagreed, “I

didn’t really find it surprising that it happened; I found it more surprising that it got out.”

The Rampage ran an ar-ticle in its Aug 29 issue on the story of the “Jena Six,” the six African-American high school students in Jena Louisiana who were charged with beating a white student.

The beating resulted from months of racial tension after white students hung three nooses from a tree. The events surround-ing the “Jena Six” have resulted in nationwide discussions about race, the judicial system, and fairness.

There have also been new developments in Fresno. Stu-dents here at Fresno City College participated in a rally of sorts as well, showing their support by wearing all black on Sept 22.

Rallies and other events have also been planned, but have been pushed back to due to weather concerns. Students at Fresno State rallied in support of the “Jena Six.”

On the day Bell, one of the “Jena Six” defendants was scheduled for sentencing, a rally was held in a show of support for all those involved.

by Cynthia Moreno

Rampage Reporter

4 Rampage September 26, 2007News

“My being in Fresno is a result of God, my family, but most importantly, my survival” John Bul Dau explained. Stand-ing at a little over six feet tall, his soft voice, squinty eyes, and graceful presence lit up a full FCC Theatre with his story of perseverance, struggle, and hope.

“Life’s stories are always meant to help other people” he began. A silent audience. John Bul Dau was a survivor; a “Lost Boy of Sudan” featured in the award winning documentary, “God Grew Tired of Us”.

He spoke to Fresno City students, faculty, and members of the community Sept 17-18 in an effort to touch their lives with his story of success, happiness, and peace.

John Bul Dau’s life’s trials and tribulations were a result of a civil war that took place in Africa from 1983 through 2005.

As a result of this civil war, he fled his home in Southern Sudan in an effort to save his life, and later, that of his family.

In his journey through po-litical turmoil, sleepless nights, starvation, fear, disease, and death, he never lost one of the key ele-ments important to his survival: his faith.

As a devout Christian man, John Bul Dau was able to over-come one of the most painful experiences of his life. While on campus, he shared his experi-ence.

His story begins as a thir-teen year old boy going to bed with a strange feeling. “I did not drink milk that night.” He recalled the moment that his village was under attack. “I went days with no food or water.” he continued, “I would eat grass, mud, and human urine…anything to keep me alive.”

Along with thousands of other boys whose villages were also attacked, they came together to escape the armed soldiers who were moving through southern Sudan.

The attempt of the Sudanese government, mostly controlled by Northern Arab-Muslims was to overtake and to an extent, convert Southern Sudanese Christians to Islam. Moreover, Southern Suda-nese were persecuted because of their color, oil, and the resources present in the region.

The war in Africa took the lives of over two million people; left thousands of children or-phaned, abandoned, were killed or lost their lives due to starva-tion, disease, dehydration, and loneliness.

Some children were eaten by crocodiles and hyenas, while many became insane. Seeing the number of children grow increas-ingly smaller as his journey con-tinued out of southern Sudan, his

“perseverance” kept him alive. He stated, “Sometimes in

life, you must accept whatever comes to you because God wants you to experience it, and is usu-ally a result of him wanting you to learn.”

Though his attempts to return to Southern Sudan to be reunited with his family became an obstacle, John was presented with the opportunity to leave Af-rica entirely for a new life in the United States.

American troops that had visited Africa wanted to take many of the ‘lost boys’ to the United States for a chance at a new life and to escape the turmoil of the civil war in Africa.

In the year 2000, John was flown to Syracuse, New York, along with a few other ‘lost boys’ to start their new lives. In total, about 4,000 ‘lost boys’ and 98 ‘lost girls’ were dispersed in 38 U.S. states. He commented about some of the horror stories he heard about Americans.

“I didn’t know anything about the U.S.” he stated. The clos-est encounter he had with America was having a teacher who wore a

shirt with scripted letters, U. S. A. “I used to call her USA (pro-nounced, Ooo-sa) he innocently stated. Giggles filled the audience. He also heard that to be lazy in America was “okay” and that the women were to be feared of.

“They told us that American women liked to carry small bags

(purses) and if you make them mad, they will pull out a gun from those bags and shoot you” he stated.

Upon his arrival to the United States, he was greeted with

a group of fourteen people from his church, but he was sure to keep his eyes out for the “women and their purses.”

John’s life began as quickly as the turn of a light switch. He took on 2-3 part time jobs at UPS, McDonalds, and as a Security Guard all while enrolled at the

community college in Syracuse, New York. His goal was to finish his education.

In 2002, he finished his Associates Degree and is now enrolled at the University of Syra-

cuse pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy.

He explained the difficul-ties of moving away from Africa to an entirely new and foreign country. The simple things, such as going to a grocery store, were fascinating to him.

He also commented on

the concept of ‘choices’ which Americans have at their disposal. “In Africa, it’s not about choices; it’s what you get” he explained.

John also stated that one of the most difficult adjustments for him in the United States was overcoming “loneliness”. “In a Sudanese family, you have a large family living in one house and there is much interaction. In America, people don’t know each other walking down the street and they don’t often know their neighbor.”

Once John had adjusted to American life, he brought his sister and mother from Southern Africa to the United States which he “never stopped thinking about”. In an effort to thank the American people for their help in his life, he decided to give back.

He created the Sudanese Lost Boys Foundation and the American Care for Sudan Founda-

“It is very important to struggle and to never give up. In life, if you want to succeed, you cannot give up...”

-John Bul Dau

Steadfast PerseveranceJohn Bul Dau’s story of exile as a young boy in Africa is one of...

Photo by Joseph Rios

John Bul Dao shares the details of his exile, migration, and triumph from Africa to the United States.

Rampage 5September 26, 2007

By Joseph Boone

News

look up current job listings online and apply for jobs.

The ECR participates in many job fairs.

The ERC’s Recruitment day, employers come to campus and recruit fellow students for employment.

Last Wednesday, the job fair was held in the campus caf-eteria. The all day event brought in hundreds of students. Many filled out job applications and some just examined the scene.

Approximately 43 em-ployers participated in the job fair. Longs Drug store, the U.S. Navy, FedEx, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy’s, Gottschalk’s, The Fresno Police Department, American Eagle Outfitters, came out in hopes to recruit students.

“I have filled out seven applications so far.” replied nurs-ing FCC student Jeremae C. Men-digorid.

The event also includeda barbeque lunch and $10.00 and $50.00 gift certificates to the FCC bookstore were raffled away.

“I think this event is very helpful for us students,” stated FCC student Donesha Jackson. “It’s difficult finding a job; too have the job fair on campus is even more helpful.”

The ERC has applications from different employers; students can pick them up and fill them out in the center or take them to the facility on their own. The ERC also offers the Federal work study program, orientations, and they also offer job related copying and faxing.

According to Wynn, since August the department has re-ceived nearly 300 job listings for full-time work. For part-time employment, an estimated 300 job listings had been received for the month of September. Altogether, nearly 400 job listings for Septem-ber have been available.

Wynn states that the ERC works with many employers. They work with big employers to small employers such as Com-munity Hospital, EOC, and FedEx. Wynn says Contemporary Services works with the department numer-ous times, and during the holiday season many employers seek em-ployees; Gottschalk’s and KB toy store are some of the employers the ERC receives applications or employee requests from.

Wynn said that a student should already have some skills when seeking help from the ERC. “The ability to learn is important,” she said. “If a student is seek-ing employment they should be cooperative, on time, trainable, hard-working, accurate, and most importantly they should have a positive attitude.”

The ERC assists current FCC students and former students as well. It is open Monday through Friday, 8-5p.m. at no cost.

Continued from page 1

Job Fair opens doors

NewsRampage 6 September 26, 2007

White found a love for the stage early on Continued from page 1Lloyd Bophtelophti, played by Fresno State student, James Me-deirosa. Lloyd is a true “original” who has changed his name to avoid alimony payments and now lives with a paraplegic named Pootie (who also pretends to be deaf in order to get double disability).

Fresno State graduate, Jacque Babb, plays the character of Pootie.

Rachel wins $100.000 on a television game show and begins a series of picaresque escapades involving numerous psychiatrists and, eventually, an ill-fated re-union with her husband.

In the end, Rachel becomes a therapist herself, treating her own child (who fails to recognize her) and is led more and more to ponder whether the modern world might not be a vast conspiracy designed to systematically undermine her own increasingly shaky sanity.

Myers said White is very genuine and someone who re-ally anchors the play. He said her warmth and charisma is not something she has to invent in her character. “She just brings it natu-rally to the role,” he said. “That’s really crucial.”

“There’s a lot of wacky people all around her,” he added. There are eighteen playful and imaginative actors sharing the stage with White. Myers said this particular group of actors were carefully picked. “I love them,” he said. “They have such a great energy.”

White has always loved acting, even as a small child. She said she would often entertain her family, just wanting to make them laugh. “Ever since I was little, I would tell my mom I wanted to be an actress and would do my own stunts.” White would then proceed to fall down the stairs.

Born and raised in Fresno, she began pursuing a career in acting as early as middle school where she took her first improv class. “Bullard High School is where I actually got into the drama classes,” said White.

She initially took a begin-ning acting class at FCC, then moved into an intermediate course and is currently involved in an actor’s workshop. “Oh, it’s fun,” she said.

Acting in front of the audi-ence puts White on a natural high. She enjoys seeing the audience’s immediate reaction. “I don’t really want to be on film, I’m looking more towards theater because I like it better,” she said. “Being there, playing in the moment, that’s better than anything.”

The actress that influenced White to dive into the acting field was the Pretty Woman herself. “I’ve always liked Julia Roberts,”

said White. “I liked her growing up, she’s pretty good.”

White touts being more of a drama actress, but said she can do funny too. “I want to be able to do both, have a variety in what I can play,” she said.

White is also taking jazz dance and ballet classes. “I’ve al-ways enjoyed dancing,” she said. “Ballet is so disciplined.”

She also sings in her church choir. “I’m the soprano, but I love singing anything,” she said. “The people I like to copy or sing with are Jewel, Tracy Chapman and Alicia Keys.”

Oh, she’ll melt your heart and make you smile, on stage or off. Beauty, talent, intelligence and an inner drive makes her an extraordinaire role model to other FCC students. While managing such a heavy school load, White enjoys spending any free time with friends and her two young

children, 8-year-old Virginia and 5-year-old Joshua.

Restraurant owner, professor asks: what triggers your senses?by Cynthia Moreno

Rampage Reporter

Good question. If you find James Ritchie, German-teaching professor here at Fresno City Col-lege, he might be able to answer that question for you.

Hailing from San Fran-cisco, California, Ritchie is a part-time chef for his restaurant, “The

Senses World Cuisine”. His res-taurant, “The Senses” is located in the Tower District, Fresno. He states, “It is almost becoming a full-time job”.

For those that tend to for-get what our five senses are, here is a list: See, smell, touch, hear and taste. To Professor Ritchie, his World Cuisine restaurant em-braces the five senses, with “taste”

being the most important. His menu offers a variety of

Tapas, or ‘appetizers’ in our lan-guage, “chat” in India, “Masada’s” in Greek, and of course, “Tapas” in Spanish- which are small plate foods that trigger our taste buds.

The next best thing his restaurant offers- the array of world platters. “I would definitely describe my platters as a fusion

of different foods” he states. His menu offers a blend of Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediter-ranean, Latin American, and European cuisine with the use of seasonal organic foods.

What is more impressive about the menu and the variety is that “All of the items on the menu are my own recipes and a result of my experience in working in

restaurants throughout my life dur-ing the course of my education” he states proudly. “It is also a result of a hobby I picked up a long, long time ago” he concludes, “It is slowly becoming a profession”.

So why the five senses? “Cooking involves the use of the five senses” he explains, “Obvi-ously, the presentation of the food See “Senses” page 13

Recklesswill run at the Fresno City Col-lege Theatre, October 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20 at 7:30 p.m. and October 13, 14, 20 at 2 p.m. For tickets, phone the the-ater box office at (559) 442-8221.

EntertainmentSeptember 26, 20077 Rampage

by Jeannie Batey

Rampage Reporter

Dir en grey is a rock band from Japan that truly defies any genre classification. Their music ranges from Hardcore to heavy rock, techno and sometimes hip-hop beats. Giving this band a truly original sound.

Each song is unique wheth-er it’s a ballad like ‘The Final’ or a death metal single such as ‘Greif’ Dir en grey’s music will always have an impact.

In fact they have already flooded this area. The buzz grew when they packed a show in Texas and sold out shows in both New York and Los Angeles without the help of advertisement or releasing an album in America. The tickets in minutes. It was just their devoted fans patiently waiting to finally see them within the states.

Since the three-city-show-case tour in 2006, they’ve re-

leased 2 albums in the U.S. ‘Withering to Death’ and ‘The Marrow of a Bone’.

‘Withering to Death’ was named one of the Top 10 hard Rock and Metal albums of 2006 by Amazon.com and the CDs album track ‘Saku’ was named the #1 video of 2006 by MTV and was featured in MTV2s Headbanger’s Ball.

Dir en grey has also par-ticipated in the event ‘The Family Values Tour’ along with American artists such as Korn and Flyleaf.

Then they headlined their American Tour ‘Inward Scream’ and also opened for ‘Deftones’ last month right here at the Rain-bow Ball Room.

Many have already seen the band perform. However, lack of advertisement you may not really know who they are. Dir en grey started their career in 1997. They released three singles at once, Something very uncom-

mon. All three singles reached the Top Ten. Dir en grey now has seven albums.

They also began their ca-reer as a “Visual Kei” band . It is a movement in Japanese popu-lar culture that used unusual, sometimes flamboyant looks. This usually involves striking make-up, unusual hair styles and elaborate costumes. That image later changed.

They’ve kept their band’s lineup for ten years, which is very rare for bands to say in the U.S. The band’s vocalist is named Kyo. The guitarists are Kaoru and Die. Toshiya is on bass and Shinya is on drums.

Kyo has a voice that has truly broken the language bar-rier. ‘Deftones’ fans were blown away when they saw the large group of Dir en grey’s fans singing along with the music regardless if Kyo was singing completely in Japanese.

“Kyo is a staggering vo-calist.” Stated in a February article written by the Los Ange-les Times. They added “he has stockpiled an extreme range of vocal inflections, from a guttural mutter to a tonsil-ripping scream where no effects are needed.”

Dir en grey isn’t every-one’s cup of tea. Harsh lyrics, vivid and often graphic music videos, aggressive and bloody self-mutilation displays onstage might turn a few heads in the other direction.

However, they’ve been successful regardless. Stated in an interview by The Brit-ish Broadcasting Corporation, (BBC) Dir en grey actually “strive to shock with gory im-ages and lyrics.” And the bands

lyricist Kyo “Stretches for the most extreme imagery.”

But they have won over countless fans throughout the world, are currently touring Eu-rope and were chosen by Linkin Park to open for them in Linkin park’s Japan Tour. The ‘DOZ-ING GREEN’ Europe tour has begun and the new ‘DOZING GREEN’ single will be released October 24th.

In the BBC interview Dir en grey left a message for “Lov-ers of eardrum splitting, head-ache inducing, filth fetish, death metal rockers everywhere.” And the message is “If you don’t mind getting eggs thrown at you, or covered in my blood, we’d love you to come and see us play.”

DIR EN GREY

Band From Japan Rocks U.S.

www.google.com/images/direngrey

“defying every genre”

Special to the Rampage

September 26, 2007Entertainment 8 Rampage

Good Luck Chuck needs more luckr

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The shocking sex comedy was originally written with a PG-13 audience in mind. However, writer’s tried targeting in a wider audience by throwing in slap-stick sex scenes. The film is actually about Dr. Charlie Logan, played by Dane Cook, and the curse that was put on him as a child. It all began when Charlie went to a party and played spin the bottle. He refused to kiss a creepy Goth girl who then puts a hex on him. Twenty-five years later, he becomes a successful dentist and a not-so successful dater.

A former girlfriend is getting married. During the bridal toast he real-izes he was the good luck charm that brought his ex to her true love. In fact, all of his former girlfriends are getting mar-ried, and one of them posts a blog inform-ing all women that all they need to do is

sleep with him once and the next man they meet will become their true love. Charlie gladly accepts the task of helping women find their soul mate. That is, unil he meets one he believes could be his. Now Charlie must find a way to break his curse before he loses the one girl he could ever say he loves.

Cook is an excellent comedic actor. He has a very sarcastic style that appeals to a broad range of audiences. Jessica Alba is beautiful as ever although she seems a bit like the old cliché of the “dumb blonde.”

Altogether, Good Luck Chuck manages somewhere between a C+ and B-. It is not one of the best movies I have seen, but I have definitely seen worse. The film may offer a few laughs, but most of the laughs come from gratuitous sex scenes instead of actual jokes. Good Luck Chuck won’t be seeing my buck.

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by Jen Langworthy

Rampage Reporter

September 26, 2007 Entertainment Rampage 9

by Jen Langworthy

Rampage Reporter

WHAT? Amtrak California’s San Joaquin trains and Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches connect Fresno City College and Fresno to communities and destinations throughout California.

WHY? It’s convenient, economical, and a relaxing and scenic way to travel. The train is great for studying, sleeping, eating, or spending time with friends.

WHEN? Amtrak San Joaquins® has convenient departure times throughout the day offering Fresno City College

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students the opportunity to travel around California at some great savings. Thruway Motorcoaches also connect students with Amtrak trains in the Bay Area and Southern California.

HOW do I make a reservation? Simply visit our website at Amtrak.com to check current fares and schedules. You can make reservations online, at a staffed station, or by calling 1-800-USA RAIL.

WHERE do I catch the train? The Fresno Amtrak station is located at 2650 Tulare Street at Highway 41. Here a friendly Amtrak agent can help you with ticket sales, checked baggage, and general travel information.

This discount is valid for sale 01Sep07-19Jun08 and valid for travel 04Sep07-22Jun08 on the Pacific Surfliner, San Joaquins and associated thruway service, including Merced to Yosemite, all other 7000-8999 series thruways are excluded. Offer valid for 20 percent off the best available coach adult rail fare for students of the following California Colleges and Universities: California State University (Bakersfield and Fresno), Fresno City College (Fresno), California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo), University of California (Merced, Irvine, and Santa Barbara, University of the Pacific (Stockton), University of San Diego (San Diego), San Diego State University (San Diego), and Santa Barbara City College (Santa Barbara). Blackouts apply for the following dates: 20-27Nov07, 14Dec07-02Jan08, 20-24Mar08 and 23-26May08. Passenger must be a student and show a valid student ID (when purchasing tickets and on board train) for one of the colleges listed above. Reservation must be made at least three (3) days prior to travel date. Once travel has begun, no changes to the itinerary are permitted. This discount is not valid towards purchase of multi-rides and is not valid thru a travel agency. Fares, routes and schedules are subject to change without notice. Other restrictions may apply. Refer to discount V363. Amtrak, Pacific Surfliner, San Joaquins and Travel Made Simple are service marks of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation.

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Mr. Woodcock leaves audience stiff from laughter

Contrary to what you might think Billy Bob Thornton does not (as far as this reporter knows) have a … w e l l , u k n o w. N o r d o e s t h i s movie contain any jokes to that ef-fect (much to the disappointment of this reporter). Woodcock is simply the character ’s name, nothing more, nothing less. Darn.

Considering the strong animos-ity between the two main characters, played by Billy Bob Thornton (Bad News Bears, Bad Santa) and Sean William Scott (The Dukes of Haz-zard, American Pie series), this re-porter was expecting (and honestly hoping for) at least one crack about genitalia.

During his childhood, John Far ley was tormented by his gym teacher, Mr. Woodcock. Apparently trying to squash these painful memo-ries into his past he becomes a suc-cessful writer with the publication of his book “Letting Go: Moving past your past”. While on a book signing tour he finds out that his hometown wants to award him the “Corncob Key” to the city, to be awarded at “Cornival”. He returns home to find that his mother is seeing someone. Mr. Woodcock.

Woodcock doesn’t remember John but John will never forget him. John’s mother believes Mr. Wood-cock to be a nice, sweet caring man but John knows that something isn’t

right. When she and Woodcock an-nounce that they plan to get married John knows he has to do something. W h e n h i s p u b l i c i s t c a l l s and wants him to return to his book tour he replies “I can’t leave now! My mom’s about to marry the anti-christ!!!”

The two of them go back and forth getting one-up on each other but ultimately it’s the audience who comes out ahead. A combination of slapstick (or just plain getting slapped with stuff) and innuendo makes this a

thinking person’s comedy which can also be enjoyed by anyone with even a slightly dirty mind.

S l i g h t l y l e s s f l a s h y t h a n many of today’s movies, which oft times rely on spectacular effects and computer generation, Mr. Woodcock shows tha t ac t ing s t i l l counts for something in this age of technologi-cal dependence (which this reporter is admittedly guilty of).

I t is refreshing to see a f i lm tha t hasn’t been remade or t aken

f rom a book (not to say tha t th is reporter doesn’t enjoy some of the cinematized novels) , so few today have original story lines. Also this reporter will say that it’s nice to see a comedy that doesn’t come across as total farce.

A l t o g e t h e r M r. Wo o d c o c k gets a C. It was quite funny but not this reporters favorite so far this year. For those who enjoy c lose- to- l i fe type comedies (or, indeed, a few dirty jokes) this film is recommended.

www.google.com/images/mr.woodcock

Dr. Jim Ewing, a professor of English here at Fresno City College, has led a unique life.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1939, Dr. Ewing’s first memo-ries are of learning to wear a gas mask to protect himself from invading Nazi bombers.

He remembers Glasgow as a rough town to grow up in. After the bombings, the town was left economically crippled, which led to a raise in street gangs, dilapi-dated slums, and a life expectancy lower than any city in the western world. Little value was placed on education.

Dr. Ewing stopped going to school when he was 15; in 1957, at age 18, he joined the British Royal Air Force.

Stationed in Germany, Dr. Ewing became a reconnaissance photographer, snapping photos of sites that were to be bombed.

Joining the military also led Dr. Ewing to discover running: a life-long passion.

At his peak, he could run a mile in 4:06 minutes, an amaz-ing time. After placing second in the one mile run of the Royal Air Force, Ewing was given a track scholarship to a small Southern Baptist college in Mississippi.

“I came over here thinking I’d flunk out. I came here to run,” he said. But quite the opposite, Ewing finished first in his class, with a 3.8 GPA.

After graduation, he went on to Rice University, where he gained a masters degree.

Dr. Ewing then returned to the South to teach, where, at age thirty-nine, he won the Mis-sissippi State Marathon, one of his proudest moments. He next entered Texas A&M, where he earned a Ph.D.

Following graduation, he moved to Central California to be closer to his family, and ended up

by Chad Hannickel

Rampage Reporter

as a vacuum salesman. A close friend, Pat Thomas,

talked him into returning to teach-ing, which led Dr. Ewing to Fresno City College.

This was not an easy deci-sion, but it is one that Dr. Ewing stands by, especially being at Fresno City.

“I love it here. I really love it here,” he proclaimed about his job. With Fresno City being his source of meeting his wife, Dr. Ewing really doesn’t have any regrets about changing his mind.

Over the last twenty years, Dr. Ewing has taught countless young adults how to succeed at the college level.

He views his classes in a very practical light, discussing current events on a daily basis, and focusing on preparing students for whatever they face when they move on. At age 69, retirement is the last thing on Dr. Ewing’s mind; “I want to keep teaching for as long as I can.”

Retirement: Not An Option

September 26, 2007 Rampage 13

Although many people do not realize it, students at Fresno City College struggle with finan-cial woes. Situations differ, but there are individuals that have it more difficult than others.

Faustina Torres is one of many students barely making it through the day.

Living with her mother in a Fresno project, Torres is exposed to many hardships – both finan-cially and emotionally. Violence is common for this first year student, and money is definitely scarce in her household.

Torres, currently living with her mother and older brother who is incapacitated, lives this

hardship firsthand. Her mother, a single parent, doesn’t make enough to give Torres and her older brother many luxuries, but rather, the very bare essentials.

“I remember one instance when we didn’t have enough to pay for the rent. We almost got kicked out of the apartment. Luckily, a family member helped us out, but this isn’t the first time this has hap-pened.”

Similarly, second year student Paulette Alatriste found herself in a financial crisis right after her parents divorced.

Her mother lost her belong-ings, including her home, and sud-denly, Alatriste’s world was turned upside down. She found herself living in and out of countless hotels and a car for a month, until

her brother bailed her out from some financial troubles. Alatriste remembers not having enough cash to even pay for the gasoline to get to school, let alone buy supplies needed for classes.

Although Alatriste is now somewhat stable, she remembers her own hardships and values col-lege very much.

According to Frank Ramon,

head of financial aid, 77 to 78 per-cent of all students have some sort of financial aid on campus.

The other 22 percent either don’t qualify due to high or low income, or they simply do not ap-ply. Compared to other campuses, this rate is “very high,” Ramon comments, “We are in the middle of what some call a low income area.”

Financial troubles most definitely exist amongst students on campus.

To some, trouble can be seen when you run low on dollars in your bank account, to others when you can’t go to the movies on a specific weekend, but to some students like Torres and Alatriste “it comes down to buying your bus fare or buying lunch.”

by Ivette Lopez

Rampage Reporter

Attending college on a shoestringStudents struggle to make ends meet

you eat has to look good, the taste of it, flavorful, the smell has to be delicious, the touch and sound are less obvious, but they still play a major role in the pro-cess” he explains.

He adds, “The simple sound of two wine glasses clat-tering, or a person biting into their buttered bread is enough of a sound.

As far as touch goes- the texture has to feel right” he ex-plains.

There is no doubt that with 80 different spices and 95 different wines (South of Shaw being the best wine he has to offer); “Senses World Cuisine” does little to introduce the average restaurant-goer to a cultural experience of their own.

Complete Story Available at:www.fresnocitycollegrampage.com

Photo by Blake GollmerJim Ewing, an English professor, was once a photographer in the British Air Force. Photo by Joseph Rios

German Professor, James Ritchie, poses in the dining area of his restaurant, “ Senses.”

Senses: more than taste

Continued from page 6

September 26, 200714 Rampage

Find out more about Army ROTC's Summer Leader's Training Course.

Contact MAJ Barry Whyte at 559-278-5460 or email

at bwhyte@csufresno.edu or stop by RM 211 upstairs in the North Gym.

HH225ME/Fresno St LTC Rampage 3/5/07 2:16 PM Page 1 Ken Bickel Brown Disk 74.5:HH225ME/F

Photos by Joseph Rios

former runners (like Harris and McEntire) are forced to make a choice when they enter collegiate sports.

“It’s the standard,” Hart-nell head coach Jerry Noble said, “Soccer’s our No.1 nemesis.”

“Most of these girls have been playing soccer since they could walk,” said Bluth. “When it comes to making the final decision, running isn’t even a choice.”

For the women, soccer comes first and they run when schedules do not conflict. “Yeah, it’s all about soccer,” McEntire said. “It’s our priority.”

Willing women like McEn-tire and Harris are a welcomed addition for coaches like Bluth, but they are only a band-aid for an ever-growing wound at the heart of the sport.

There are a number of hurdles that junior college coaches face when the time comes to recruit.

It is no secret that there is a universal problem from North to South. What do differ are the causes and severity of those fac-tors. These issues vary from col-lege to college and are in no way unique to Fresno City.

A bulk of the blame can be put on four-year colleges and universities.

In an effort to bolster the number of female athletes in their programs, colleges will often use track and cross country to gain larger numbers. Granted, their efforts are based on a need for gender equity, but they cause problems for the sport at the ju-nior college level.

Most, if not all, of the top runners in the state are immedi-ately offered scholarships and picked up by four-year institu-tions. It becomes a regular game of Hungry-Hungry Hippos for the remaining group.

Universities’ desire to keep rosters in the double digits moves

them to sink their teeth in mid-range runners as well.

Evidence of this can be seen in the numbers being put up by female junior college runners.

At the Fresno Invitational,

Crystal Reed of Orange Coast ran the 5K course in 17 minutes 59 seconds – the best time of the day. Her team’s average time would have been enough for seventh place at last year’s high school Division I State Meet on the same course, sixth in D-II, third in D-III, and first place in D-IV.

The problem is not just numbers, but quality.

High schools, coaches say, have a part to play in the gap.

“I’ve had high school coaches tell me, ‘I don’t want you

talking to my girls, they’re not going to your school, they’re not going to JC,’” said American River College head coach Jeannette Allred-Powless. “Unfortunately, there’s a stigma attached to going to a junior college – academically and in athletics especially.”

“They’ve told me the same

thing,” said Orange Coast head coach Marco Ochoa. “In my expe-rience, they don’t think it’s good enough.”

Susan Yates is the Athletic Director at Fresno City College

and the first vice-president of the California Community College Athletic Directors Association. She said, “We need to do a better job of marketing our programs at high school level. Are we do-ing everything we can? Maybe we aren’t and that should be the focus.”

“A lot of girls who get ac-cepted into four year colleges are not ready – for a number of rea-sons,” Ochoa said. “High school coaches need to be more realistic about the maturity level of their athletes. Instead of pushing them to four colleges, they should find out what’s best for them.”

A partial or full-ride schol-arship can persuade any high school graduate to be as mature as they need to be. Money is money.

For many women, and men also, financial issues can become a deciding factor in their athletic careers. They may need to take on a part or full time job to cover expenses or help their families. Athletics inevitably fall further and further down the list of pri-orities.

Family becomes an even more decisive issue when women in the sport become pregnant.

When it comes to reasons for losing women in cross country, Allred-Prowless said, “Pregnan-cies are near the top of my list.” She said that she has at least one a semester and has had as many as four.

This semsester, however, she hasn’t had one yet.“This prob-lem is not exclusive to American River. And as far as men and women athletes go, they’re not equal at all - for this reason. It’s easier for a man to have a child and stick with athletics.”

Ochoa said that in ten years he has lost only a few girls to pregnancy.

Like many of the problems that contribute to the drop of women in the sport, though, the severity differs from college to college.

For some coaches, it’s time. Many cross country coaches dou-ble as track coaches and they teach. On top of that, they are expected keep their rosters filled.

At that point they are com-peting with four-year schools, families, employment, class sched-ules and, inevitably, each other.

“It’s the standard. Soccer is our No.1 Nemesis.” - Jerry Noble Head Coach, Hartnell College

JC coaches struggle to recruit for many reasonsContinued from page 16

Katy Harris (left) and Jenifer McEntire play in a recent soccer game against Bakersfield College Sept 18.

September 26, 2007 Sports Rampage 15

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Rams stretch undefeated record; beat SF City, Mercedby Marcell Dillworth

Rampage Reporter

Fresno 35Merced 21

Photo by Joseph Rios

Lightning flashed in the backdrop as the Fresno City Col-lege Rams pushed past Merced City College in a 35-16 brawl Saturday

Sept 22.S h e r -

man Lang had one of his biggest games as a Ram. He caught eight catches for a total of 102 yards, and played a pivotal role in the early stage of the game.

He did not allow his sprained ankle to get in the way of doing what it took to help his team win.

“I feel good about this game. I went out there and worked hard,”

said Lang.Even though the Ram’s led

14-7 at halftime, the defense strug-gled with frivolous penalties.

“Our defense wasn’t per-forming up to standards,” said defensive tackle Antonio Hartwell. “We had to come out in the second half and put in work.”

On the first play of the third quarter, the Rams running back, Raymond Neal fumbled the hand-off.

That blow gave the ball to the Blue Devils on the Rams’ 42 yard line.

The tide was turning for the worse at the beginning of the third quarter. The Rams’ play continued to be riddled with mistakes.

The score was 14-14 with 10:43 left in the third quarter while the Blue Devil sideline had the mo-mentum working in their favor.

With 6:38 left in the third quarter, Neal sprang loose in the Blue Devils’ backfield as he covered 69 yards in a score that turned the table and lead to the Rams’ eventual victory over Blue Devils 35-21.

Next Saturday the Rams will be taking their 4 - 0 record on the road to Sacramento.

Rams leave broken hearts in SF

The Fresno City College football team celebrated its 25th winning an-niversary last Saturday by defeating San Francisco City on the road 19-16. The last time they beat S.F. City was in 1982.

It was a time when most of FCC’s players had not yet been born. Though the coaches’ polls favored S.F. (No.2 in the state), FCC (No.9) steamrolled up the hill onto their field and flattened Frisco at home.

“This 2007 team is going to be remembered,” said Coach Tony Caviglia. Caviglia told the Fresno Bee reporter that after finally beating San Francisco, he felt like, “Phil Mickelson when he first won the Masters.”

The game was a defensive struggle, Ram-head clashed with Ram-head, but Fresno City came out on top by forcing seven turnovers and running two of the seven back for touchdowns.

Lineman Fabian Capers took the ball back 90 yards in the second

quarter when SF City’s running back fumbled the ball. After stiff-arming a potential tackler Capers had nothing but field in between him and the goal line. The second turnover was the game breaker. Line backer Caleb Hale returned an interception back 21 yards for a score in the third quarter.

Fresno City went into the fourth quarter leading 19-3. Last season San Francisco came back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Rams 34-31 at Ratcliffe Stadium and they nearly did the same on Saturday. FCC was able to hold on, though, and make a few key stops late in the game.

The Rams will be playing Mer-ced City College at home this upcoming Saturday. Coach Caviglia considers them to be a formidable opponent.

AROUND THE HORNS

Mens Soccer

Oct 5 - West hills college, LemooreOct 9 - Consumnes River, SacramentoOct 12 - College of Sequoias, Fresno

Womens Soccer

Sep 27 - Feather River QuincySep 29 - Cuesta College FresnoOct 2 - Santa Barbera, Santa barberaoct 4 - Cabrillo, Fresno

Wrestling

Sep 29 - modesto college tourney, mosestooct 3 - West hills college, FresnoOct 6 - Santa Ana college, santa ana

The Rams’ game against Merced boasted the return of quarterback Derek Shaw (right).

Sports16September 26, 2007

Endangered SpeciesThe shortage of female runners prompts coaches to label them...

by Joseph Rios

Editor in Chief

On a roll: after tacking up a landmark win over San Francisco City College, the Rams came home to topple Merced College 35-21. The Rams are undefeated (4-0).

See “Rams” page 15

Caleb Hale (10) and Reggie Brown (62) gang tackel Garrett Turner (20) from Merced at Ratcliffe Stadium, Sept 22.

Photo by Joseph Rios

Photo by Joseph Rios

This is not a story about women being maltreated in cross country or denied entry into the sport, nor is it about under-funding or a cross examination of the athletic abilities of male and female runners.

The problem is getting women to lace up their running shoes and join cross country teams.

“We’re packaging and sell-ing a product that they’re just not buying,” said Fresno City College cross country coach Gary Bluth.

Bluth is not the only one suffering from a lack of interest in his program. Up and down the state of California, coaches are at

a loss for solutions to the growing problem.

“I’ve got about eight run-ners this season, that makes me one of the lucky ones, right?” Modesto head coach Mary Shea said.

Bluth called women dis-tance runners “endangered spe-cies” in the sport. Others have called it a plague, an epidemic as junior college coaches struggle to build their female rosters. The few they do get, they have trouble

keeping. Schools with one head

coach often avoid the problem by focusing most of their attention on the men. “They choose men,” said Shea. “There’s more of them out there and it’s easier to build bigger groups.” And this is a problem, coaches say, that has only come about in the last few years.

“I used to be an athlete ten years ago,” said West Valley head coach, Lisa Renteria. “Since then, I’ve watched it get harder and harder.”

A Rampage poll of 30 Northern California Junior Col-leges showed that, on average, each team maintains an active roster of nine female runners to 11 males. Looking at the turnout at the Fresno Invitational on Sept 15 gives a more realistic perspec-tive.

Twenty-one teams were able to pull together the manda-tory five to qualify for team scores. Of the 182 that raced that day, 44 of them ran on teams with four of less – that’s at least 11 teams under five.

FCC was one of them. Ana Valencia, Katy Harris,

Jenifer McEntire, and Michelle Waller ran for the Rams. Harris is the reigning Central Valley Confer-ence Champion.

Getting to the starting line, though, was a battle all its own for Harris and McEntire. Both girls are two-sport athletes for FCC; they are also on the soccer team. The night before the race, the soccer team battled it out with Sacra-mento City College in what Head Soccer Coach Oliver Germond called, “One of the most physical games” he’s ever seen.

Two of his soccer players wound up in the emergency room. Harris, McEntire, and the rest of the team spent most of the night in the hospital waiting room. They arrived in Fresno between 1-2 a.m. then woke up at 6 a.m. to get to Woodward Park for the race.

“We’re doing it for Bluth,” said McEntire after finishing the race.

Soccer/cross country run-ners are not a rarity in an environ-

ment where runners are in high demand.

“We work well with other sports,” Renteria said. “If it fits, many girls become two-sport athletes.”

Junior college coaches, strapped for runners, often reach out to soccer teams on their cam-puses for help. At the high school level, soccer and cross country oc-cur in different seasons. Many

“We’re packaging and selling a product that they’re just not buying.” - Gary Bluth

See “JC coaches” page 14

Jenifer McEntire (left) and Katy Harris (right) joke around at the starting line of the women’s 5K race at the Fresno Invitational Sept 15. McEntire and Harris also play soccer.