Divergence Magazine

At a minimum, the mergers are

Editorial creating a new class of “too big to
Diana Arbas Editor in Chief fail” institutions -- banks that must
be bailed out, various presidents
Edward Derbes Senior Editor will inevitably tell us, to prevent a
Yosathorn Pamon-Montri Advertising Manager “domino” economic effect. These
Bryce K. Graphics & Layout Manager institutions will then enjoy what is
tantamount to a taxpayer guaran-
Kenny Rivera Photo Editor tee of all their liabilities (not just
Chrystal Hartberg Creative Editor the customers’ deposits).
Fahd Sheikh Opinion Editor -- Ralph Nader
“Bank Mergers Skip Along,
Contributors Right Past the Customers”
New York Times Nov. 12, 1995
Erin Abs, Anna Allen, Amanda Avelar, Derrick Coleman,
Raul Gonzales, Scott Hankinson, Chris Hernandez, Scott Hirano, So nobody saw it coming. Right?
Almost 13 years ago, Ralph Nader predicted -- word-
Yoomin Kang, Maria Leano, Vanessa Medina, Alexandru Mitroi, Anna for-word, it looks like -- our present economic drama.
Rangel, Michael Uriegas, Christopher Wyart, Dianne Yabut Now, those in charge say they have no idea what hap-
pened, but we have to bail out these “too big to fail insti-
tutions” to prevent a “domino” effect.
Faculty Adviser This magazine goes to press a full week before the
Robert Mercer issue actually arrives. As it goes to press, the economy is
Cypress Chronicle still afloat, and we’re only teetering on the edge. If it has
fallen over by the time you read this: sorry.
Cypress College The truth is this all started with the extreme deregula-
9200 Valley View St tion of the Reagan era. Critics criticized -- as they tend
to do -- Reagan’s economic policy then, saying, pretty
Cypress, CA 90630 much, this would happen.
CyChron.com There’s at least one very important lesson to be learned
cypresschronicle@gmail.com from this: you can’t always trust those in charge; you
can’t always trust those who have so-called authority.
If Nader could figure out this was going to happen
nearly thirteen years ago, can we really be expected to
believe that George Bush and his so-called economic
N A T I O N A L U N I V E R S I T Y ®
experts -- Fed Chairman Ben Bernake and Treasury Sec.
Henry Paulson -- can’t figure out what happened after

Continue it’s over?

When Diana, the editor in chief, and I began working

your education on this magazine this summer, I had in mind a maga-

zine that questioned those in authority and held them

without putting your life on hold

accountable.
I hope we’re living up to that. At least better than the
mainstream media covering this out-of-nowhere “eco-
nomic crisis.”
In this issue, we introduce you to the new North Or-
National University’s unique one-course-per- ange County Community College District Chancellor
month format, including onsite and online courses, Ned Doffoney, someone, along with all the other people
lets you finish your degree at an accelerated relevant to making education better for our intended
pace—while keeping up with work, family, and readers, Cypress College students, whom we will con-
friends. And, to make transferring even easier, tinue to monitor.
qualifying California community college students We’ve seen Doffoney do nothing wrong, nor do we
are guaranteed admission! We have 27 campuses expect to. But we want you to know we will help hold
in California, and offer financial aid and him and all other adminstrators accountable to their ap-
scholarships. Classes start each month and you pointed positions.
can register at any time. So why wait? Also, there’s an update on last spring’s article on a $7.5
million generator on campus that still isn’t functioning as
intended. Relaying the information onto you, so you can
TRANSFER TO NATIONAL UNIVERSITY TODAY! watch your tax money at work.
And, we’ve got coverage of the swap meet, which we
1.800.NAT.UNIV assigned when we heard the swap meet brings in over a
million dollars annually for the college. We wanted to
w w w. n u .e d u / t r a n s f e r
see where that money -- your money -- went.
Finally, we have learned about the struggles of many
© National University 2008

international Cypress College students. We’ve included

that in this issue, so you can be aware, not only of their
trials, but of one of the many programs the administra-
™ tors are trying to build. We checked-in to see how they’re
The University of Values faring.

Edward Derbes
Los Angeles Campus: 5245 Pacific Concourse Drive, Suite 100 310.662.2100
Senior Editor

2 Divergence Magazine
 [ November 2008 ]
20
[ 4 ] News Briefs
Campus news and previews from Sept. 3 to Oct. 7

[ 7 ] Cypress College: The American Dream

International students tackle higher tuition and culture shock

[ 10 ] Barato, Barato, Todo Barato 18

Cypress College hosts swap meet every weekend
• Photo Essay: You Never Know What You’re Looking For

[ 14 ] Busted Gears
$7.5 million generator shut off until further notice

[ 16 ] Literary Section
• Book Review: Into the Wild 4
• Essay: Richard Siken’s Crush
• Poetry

[ 18 ] Student Art

[ 20 ] A Conversation with Kate Reid

Music Department Chair discusses music, teaching
and South Park 7

[ 22 ] Opinion Section
• Op-Eds: Support Our Troups (A Rebuttal), Where is the Love? and
The Passion of Suicide
• Cartoon: Then and Now
• Horoscope: Madam Toaster Predicts Your Doom! (Scorpio)

November 2008 3
 News
Wheelchair Basketball Will Play At Home
Photo from Cypress College by Dianne Yabut
Writer

The Cypress Wheelchair Chargers will play a home game in the Gym I
building on Tuesday, October 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Cypress College has included Wheelchair Basketball as part of its
athletics program since 1973, according to the Cypress College
website. The Wheelchair Chargers play against other teams in the
Southern California area and participate in out-of-state tournaments.
For more information, call the Wheelchair Charger coaching staff at
(714)484-7379.

Associated students, Lb Memorial Host Blood Drive

by Christopher Wyart
Writer

The Associated Students (AS) and Long Beach Memorial Hospital

hosted the Cypress College Blood Drive on Thursday, September 25. The
Blood Drive raised 130 pints of blood for Long Beach Memorial Hospi-
tal, potentially saving 390 lives.
Students filed into the student center to donate blood. Many of them
were first-time donors like student Claudia Garcia. “I’m doing it
because I’m a human services major and feel the need to help others.”
Garcia said she was a little nervous but it feels good to help people,
and she’d do it again.
For more information about upcoming AS events, call (714)484-7198
or visit the Student Activities Center.
Photo by Erin Abs

Health Fair Educates Students

Photo by Derrick Coleman

by Derrick Coleman
Photographer

The Cypress College Health Center and the School of Nursing

sponsored the Health Fair Thursday, September 25.
The Health Fair offered free flu shots for students. (The flu shots
were $10 for faculty and staff.) General health information, free
blood sugar screening for diabetes and blood pressure screening were
available as well.
The Health Center is located on the first floor of the Gym II
building. For more information, call (714)484-7361.

For more on these stories and other breaking news ...

4 Divergence Magazine
 Briefs
California Author Will Give Lecture
by Chrystal Hartberg
Creative Editor

A California author will deliver a lecture (“Writing About California’s Crossroads

Culture”) on Tuesday, October 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the campus the-
ater.
James D. Houston authored eight novels, including “Farewell to Manzanar,”
which the Los Angeles Times named one of the Year’s Best Books.
“I hope that you will encourage students to attend,” said Language Arts Dean El-
don Young in a campuswide email.
For more information on James D. Houston, visit his official website at
http://www.jamesdhouston.com/

Photo form James D. Houston

GALA Makes No on Prop 8 Posters

by Vanessa Medina
Photographer

The Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA) made “No on

Proposition 8” posters at its Thursday, September 25 meeting.
Club members and officers socialized and ate pizza during the
activity.
GALA President Murtaza Rizvi said, “We made the posters
so the students would have a chance to express why they feel
that Prop. 8 is an unfair proposition, not only with words but
with pictures and art.”
According to http://www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/, Proposition
8 will appear on the November 4 California General Election
ballot. If it passes, it will change the California Constitution so
that only marriage between a man and a woman will be valid or Photo by Vamessa Medina
recognized in California.

Board Honors Four Employees

by Diana Arbas
Editor in Chief

The North Orange County Community College (NOCCCD)

Board of Trustees presented certificates of commendation to
the “model employees” at Cypress College and the School of
Continuing Education (SCE) at its regular meeting on Tuesday,
September 23.
The four honorees from Cypress College were human ser-
vices instructor Virgil Adams III, communications instructor
Donna Friess, Career Center Coordinator Deann Burch and ad-
junct economics instructor Jennifer Cherian.
“I really want to thank the students,” said Adams. “We’re all
here for you.”
Photo by Scott Hirano

... register for free at CyChron.com

Photo by Scott Hirano

November 2008 5
Photo
Photo by
by Scott
BLANK Hankinson
Cypress
Welcomes
New Chancellor
Dr. Ned Doffoney speaks at
campus reception
by Michael Uriegas (Reporter)
and Chris Hernandez (Videographer)
Cypress College welcomed Dr. Ned Doffoney,
the new Chancellor of the North Orange County
Community College District (NOCCCD), at a
campus reception on Tuesday, September 16.
Doffoney told the reception attendees that
there is so much positive activity happening at
this campus. “I enjoy being part of Cypress,”
said Doffoney. D

6 Divergence Magazine
 International
Pamela Gutierrez
Country: Mexico
Major: Liberal Arts
Club Neesha Lee
Country: Taiwan
Major: Nursing
Photos and Layout by Kenny Rivera

Bret Lee Rosa Nguyen Nhi Thai Yichen Lee

Country: S. Korea Country: Vietnam Country: Vietnam Country: Taiwan
Major: Comp. Science Major: Nursing Major: Int’l Business Major: Biology

Daphne Gopo Guiyu Zhao Eunice Seo Jonathan Tibbetts

Country: Philippines Country: China Country: S. Korea Country: USA
Major: Pre-Pharmacy Major: Int’l Business Major: Accounting Major: Undecided

Anthony Brown Michael Lee Anh Lee Alfred Ong

Country: USA Country: S. Korea Country: Vietnam Country: Philippines
Major: Undecided Major: Accounting Major: Comp. Science Major: BioChem

Ruben Dedman Pamela Tennysha Johnny Hsu Belen Arias

Country: Dominican Country: USA Country: Taiwan Country: Mexico
Republic Major: Theater Arts Major: Mathematics Major: Child Develop-
Major: Biology ment

Richard Baron Ruth Obidah Ashley Thai Natasha Corich

Country: Philippines Country: Nigeria Country: Vietnam Country: USA
Major: Physical Ed. Major: Pre-Law Major: BioChem Major: Undecided

November 2008 7
 Cypress College:
“The AmericanDream”

Photo by Kenny Rivera

by Diana Arbas as the meeting progressed. Club members The Hurdles
Editor in Chief and their friends drank soda and ate candy, Enrolling at Cypress College as an
Yoomin Kang which was distributed by the officers. international student is not for everybody,
Reporter Obidah smiled. said Han.
“I remember the first time we had a “Tuition alone per year is close to

T he International Student Program

(ISP) is growing, said Dr. Michael
Kasler, President of Cypress College.
meeting two semesters ago,” said Obidah.
“We were barely 10 people. It’s amazing
$5,000,” said Han. (While most students
pay $20 per unit, the international students
pay the non-resident tuition of $169 per
that we have almost 30 people here.”
Kasler leaned into the microphone The students smiled at one another unit.) Other yearly costs include $10,000
and reported to the North Orange County and applauded. to rent an apartment and $760 for health
Community College District (NOCCCD) insurance.
Nhi Thai, an international student
Board of Trustees at the September 23 International students shoulder the
from Vietnam, later introduced herself
Board Meeting. entire cost of their $17,000 community
as the IC Publicity Coordinator. “My
Cypress has gone from enrolling 30 college education. They are not eligible
nickname is Bamboo,” said Thai. “My job
for state financial aid. There are virtually
international students to 179 in about five is to get everybody from Cypress College
no scholarships available for international
years, said Kasler. “We have new coun- together in this club.” students at the community college level
tries represented: Cambodia, the Nether- ISP Manager YongMi Han also re- either, said Han.
lands, Palestine and Sri Lanka.” cruits students, but on a larger scale. Getting the right visa is another issue
Josh Obidah, an international student “Last year, we had our coordinator altogether.
from Nigeria, spoke at a very different YongMi travel to some of the countries,” There are 25 or 30 different visas that
meeting at the end of the same week. Kasler told the Board. “She was in Korea; you can get from the state department, said
Obidah looked around the Student Ac- she was in Vietnam.” Han. With most of these visas, an interna-
tivities Center (SAC) Conference Room But that’s not the only way Cypress tional student can go to school in the U.S.,
at the first International Club (IC) meet- College brings international students here. and it’s completely legal. According to
ing this fall. Every seat was filled. Some “The best advertising, really, is from federal regulation, though, an international
students stood along the walls and at the the students that are in the program right student needs to change to an F-1 student
front of the room; more students filed in now,” said Kasler. visa once he or she turns twenty-one.

8 Divergence Magazine
 The ISP at Cypress College does not
accept a student until he or she changes
visa type. “All of my students have an F-1
visa,” said Han.
Han’s program helps students with the
visa change, but it can be a frustrating
process nonetheless.
“Students want to come here, but
they cannot study until their visa change is
completed. So they would have to sit out
-- waste -- one semester, two semesters,
the whole year until they get the right visa
type,” said Han.
Once the international students come to
Cypress, they face more challenges. Debra
McPherson, English as a Second Lan-
guage (ESL) instructor, said that interna-
tional students are often under a very strict
time frame.
“There’s only so much money,” said
McPherson. “There’s only so much time.
They can’t afford to waste a single mo-
ment.”
International students must take a
minimum of 12 units, but they must also
perform well in those units. “They’re
under enormous stress, performance
stress, time restriction stress. There’s
culture shock, the lack of friends. Preju-
dice against certain ethnic groups, certain
accents,” said McPherson.
Michael Lee, an international student
from Korea, said that he doesn’t think
ethnic discrimination is the problem. “I
want to call it language discrimination. If
somebody cannot speak English well, they
just treat them like child.”
Adjusting to off-campus life, said Lee,
is difficult.
“When I go to DMV, hospital, it’s re-
ally hard to do something there because I
don’t know what should I do, what’s the
process,” said Lee. “I couldn’t speak Eng-
lish well, so they couldn’t understand what
I’m saying. It was kind of hard time be-
tween us. It was kind of difficult things.”
McPherson said the international
students need to get past culture shock.
Everything is fun and exciting for new ar-
rivals. Then they move through the differ-
ent stages of cultural adjustment. “They’re
going to hit that fourth stage which is: ‘I
hate it here and I want to go home,’” said
McPherson.
Lee said he missed his family and
friends a lot when he first came here. “I
really wanted to go back to my country,”
said Lee. “What am I doing here? I just
want to go back home. But now I can just
cut short my emotions and feelings. I’m
fine.”
The other international students miss
their family and friends too. Of course
they do, said Lee.
“It’s sacrifice,” said Lee. “Because my
goal.” Lee repeated, “Because my goal.”
McPherson said it’s tough for the in-
ternational students. “You have to admire
Photo by Kenny Rivera
Ruth Obidah points to her homeland, Nigeria.
their desire to come, stay focused and
accomplish their goals in another language
besides their own and in another culture
besides their own and often in an unfriend-
ly environment.”
“Free Friendship Club”
IC President Daphne Gopo greeted
new members and friends at the Sept. 26
meeting.
“We made this club because we wanted
to foster cultural exchange and host activi-
ties and events. Through these events we
hope to interact with each other -- interna-
tional and non-international. Share your
culture. Share stories,” said Gopo. “We
have what I call a Free Friendship Club.”
Gopo later said that it’s not so much
November 2008
the academic side that international
students struggle with. It’s the social and
emotional side.
Friendship and networking helps with
the cultural adjustment. “It encourages
you when you have friends to talk with,”
said Gopo.
When Gopo first came here, she didn’t
have any friends. Now, Gopo mentors new
international students. “I help them adjust.
They have so many questions.” Gopo said,
“I know how they feel.”
Lee said he looks forward to having
fun with new friends, international and
non-international. “I want to make a lot
of fun with this club, not only making fun
stuff, but I want learn something from
different culture thing. I really exciting of
this club.”
McPherson said that the campus com-
munity can learn from the international
students too. A lot of non-international
students just don’t think globally.
“This gives them the opportunity to
talk to someone from Ethiopia who abso-
lutely has a totally different perspective
on what’s happening in the world,” said
McPherson, “anything that can be done to
shove people out of a narrow focus, to at
least become aware of what other people
think and what other people feel.”
Non-international student Alfred Ong
also said that the international student
presence at Cypress College is an op-
portunity. “I think we should learn other
people’s culture and struggles they have to
go through to get here, to understand and
kind of sympathize with them too,” said
Ong.
Thai encouraged international and
non-international students alike to network
and build friendships at the meeting. “Do
everything we can do to get people in
here. You can talk to your classmates, your
friends, your family about this interna-
tional amazing club.”
Thai said, “I hope everybody joins our
club forever ever. Don’t leave us. Never
leave us.” D
9
 ‘Barato, Barato, Todo Barato’
Cypress College hosts swap meet every weekend.
By Anna Allen
Writer
D os dolaritos. Lléguele. Lléguele.
Dos dolaritos la ropa,” a portly
man in a sombrero calls people into
his tent. (Come get it. Come get it.
Two dollars. Two dollars, clothes.)
“Barato, barato, todo barato,” a
woman selling CDs yells. (Cheap,
cheap, everything is cheap.)
Every weekend the California
Open Air Market holds a swap meet
in the Cypress College parking lot.
Hundreds of people come to partici-
pate in this event, even buyers from
Japan.
Cypress College owns the park-
ing lot used by the swap meet. The
college rents it out to Rick Landis,
division supervisor of the swap meet.
He then rents spaces to 500 vendors.
Landis said the swap meet pro-
vides a wide range of goods—from
baby diapers to fresh produce.
“There are areas specifically for
antiques, used merchandise, clothing,
jewelry,” he said. It is a great place
for the entrepreneur, said Landis.
Cypress College Journalism Dept.
Chair Robert Mercer said he once
10
bought some fishing gear there. While
teaching study abroad in Japan, he also
met a Japanese antique store owner who
comes to the Cypress Swap Meet twice a
year to buy American memorabilia for his
store.
Not everybody gets the deal they’re
looking for, though.
On Saturday, September 27, one wom-
an haggled over the price of weed killer.
The vendor would not lower the eight dol-
lar price, and the woman left annoyed.
Landis encourages students to come
enjoy the bargains found in the swap meet
also.
“I have bought a lot of stuff over there
like knives, shoes,” said Cypress Col-
lege student Wing So. He also said that
he sometimes finds illegal stuff there, like
butterfly knives. He said he likes the fact
that the vendors are negotiable.
“I bought some really cute fu**ing
shoes,” So said. “And I’m not gay.”
Million Dollar Bazaar
Cypress College receives $1.2 million
dollars annually from the swap meet, ac-
cording to Karen Cant, vice president of
administrative services.
The money is put into a discretionary
Divergence Magazine
Photo by Alexandru Mitroi
carryover fund, which Cypress College
President Dr. Michael Kasler distributes
with the help of six committees, accord-
ing to Kasler.
“When you take a look at $1.2 mil-
lion it sounds like a lot of money, but the
needs exceed the dollar amount,” Kasler
said.
A discretionary fund is money that
doesn’t have a specific, designated
purpose, so it has to be allocated. Kasler
said the process of voting where the
money will be spent begins with every
division identifying five major needs.
Then five direction committees pri-
oritize the budget requests. Those deci-
sions are then presented to the Planning
and Budgeting Committee. Cant, who
is a member of this committee, said it is
made of two students, three appointed
faculty, two classified members, and
three administrative positions.
They next take the priorities requests
and make a list to show to the Presi-
dent’s Advisory Council. The president
looks over the requests and he decides
whether or not those are important bud-
get requests. Kasler said he has the right
to deny a request, but so far he hasn’t.
The discretionary funds fill in where
state funding falls short. The state funds “Side Business’” Society has used the swap meet to do
the college to teach approximately 10,500 Even though Cypress College has some fundraising.
full time equivalent students (FTES). only been working with the current swap Landis said they pick up the trash after
Cypress College exceeded this enrollment meet operator for less than three years, every swap meet. Trash cans are spread
by 580 FTES. Kasler said that he felt it they are doing a good job, said Cant. She across the swap meet, he said, so there is
was priority to do a better job in helping said the contract is for five years, and if always one near by.
students succeed. “We rely on the swap they’re satisfied with the services, a new Landis said that he prides himself with
meet funds to support programs that we contract can be agreed upon. working with colleges. He wants to come
don’t have money for.” Colleges are perfect places to hold a in and out of the college without it looking
swap meet because they have large flat like they were even there.
Parking Problemas surfaces and many parking spaces, said “I know the swap meet is a side busi-
Every weekend, Cypress College Landis. It’s also easier to rent from a ness,” he said, and he wants to make as
buzzes with hundreds of people, but the college instead of buying the land them- little impact as possible.
campus is mostly devoid of students. But selves. And on Monday the students return to
some of the students complain anyway. The swap meet also provides people Cypress College, with no evidence the
“Finding parking on Saturday is difficult,” to direct traffic, and they offer free spaces swap meet was ever there. D
said student James Floresco. for clubs to sell things at the swap meet.
On the weekends, parking lot 1 is The Alpha Gama Sigma (AGS) Honors
reserved for students and faculty. “We
do isolate parking lot 1, I believe, until
noon, then open the parking lot for the
swap meet,” said Kasler. There are 100
spaces kept open at all times for students
and faculty in this lot said Landis. He
Debate on Gay Marriage:
also makes the vendors park as far away
because it helps the turnover and empties
Legal and Religious Issues
spots quicker.
At around 10 a.m. on September 27, Tuesday, October 14th
every spot in parking lot 1 was full. But by
11:30 a.m., approximately 25 spots were 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. in Humanities 131
available.
Because there is only one lot open,
students have to walk to classes from that Dr. Jeff S. Siker, Professor in and Chair of the
location or try to find parking closer to Theological Studies Department of Loyola
their building. Floresco also said that the
reason he was coming on Saturday was to Marymount University, will take the “pro” gay
make up a class, and “not many students marriage position. Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse,
come for Saturday school.” He said he
didn’t realize the swap meet gave Cypress President of the Ruth Institute and Senior Re-
College that much revenue. search Fellow in Economics at the Acton In-
The administration has posted a mes-
sage on the Cypress College website tell-
stitute for the Study of Religion and Liberty
ing students about the difficulty of parking will be take the “con” gay marriage position.
on Saturday. They suggest that the student
leave plenty of time to find parking.
Landis said he leases about 11 park- The debate is open to all Cypress College stu-
ing lots for other swap meets and has vast
dents and the community at large as well.
knowledge on how to operate parking. He
hopes that knowledge will help get rid of
any parking problem.

November 2008 11
A child waits as his mother browses. Photo by Alexandru Mitroi

Generic MP3 players and accessories at a vendor’s table. Enjoying shaved ice at the Sw
Photo by Vanessa Medina
 You Never Know What You’re
Looking For

Layout by
Kenny Rivera

Various truck grills can be found at the Swap Meet.

Photo by Vanessa Medina

wap Meet. Photo by Alexandru Mitroi Charles Atkins cleans up after a long weekend.
Photo by Kenny Rivera
 Busted Gears
$7.5 million generator shut off until further notice.
By Edward Derbes
Senior Editor
T he engine room housing Cy-
press College’s co-generation
unit is quiet with the exception of a
three-way conversation about one of
the engines.
In March, the noise from the
engines had made conversation
nearly impossible. Now, it’s Sept.
11, and the three people servicing
the engines are able to speak in a
normal voice.
Albert Miranda, director of the
physical plant at Cypress College,
earlier explained the co-generation
installation began in 2004, and the
engines started running “a year or a
year and a half” ago. He said if they
were working properly they could
produce about “fifty percent of the
energy we use on campus.”
However, they were shut down
in August.
“The original intent (in purchas-
ing the unit),” Miranda said, “was
in case there was a blackout,” the
co-generation unit would keep the
school power on.
Miranda, Harold Martin, fore-
man from Valley Power, and Eric
Jacobs, a representative from Salas
O’Brien Engineers, are the three
men talking about the engines. They
all say they were optimistic the en-
gines will be back online soon; and
soon after that, the engines will be
running as intended. Miranda says
that day that the engines should be
up the following week.
Two weeks later, Miranda writes
in an email, “The engines are off
line.”
14
So What Happened?
The reason the engines are off,
according to Miranda and his boss,
Karen Cant, vice president of admin-
istrative services at Cypress College,
is Noresco, the prime contractor
on the project, declared the project
completed even though Cant says the
co-generation unit “never worked
consistently.”The North Orange
County Community College Dis-
trict (NOCCCD) disagrees. So, the
NOCCCD shut off the engines until it
could decide what steps to take.
Cant said the contract with Nores-
co required the engines to run con-
secutively for 30 days, after which the
NOCCCD would take ownership of
the project. She said the engines have
been unable to run for 30 days.
Miranda said the NOCCCD has
hired Martin and Jacobs independently
to service the engines and then attempt
to get them back online and then get
them to function as they were origi-
nally intended.
Ninety-nine percent of the work
is done, Jacobs said Sept. 11. But,
“If they (NOCCCD board members)
don’t accept the engines, Noresco’s
stuck.” He added, “The most likely
outcome is the district will accept the
engines.”
Martin said he has also been hired
to service the engines. On Sept. 10,
over the phone, he said, “It is running.
We’re just servicing them.” He said
“we’re not going to turn them off.”
The following day the engines weren’t
running. (However, Miranda on Sept.
5 said the engines were turned off
three weeks earlier.)
“We’ve taken care of them for quite
Divergence Magazine
a while. They’re running real good,”
Martin said. He said the engines are
making the college money when they
are running.
Martin was hired because the com-
pany he works for, Valley Power, is the
local service provider for Wakishaw
engines, the engine brand used in the
co-generation unit. Jacobs explained,
“If you buy a Ford, you’ll take it back
to a Ford dealer.”
Requiem for a Generator?
The contract was signed by the
NOCCCD and Noresco in January
2004. It includes a clause that reads,
“Substantial completion shall occur
on or before December 16, 2004.”
According to the contract, “substan-
tial completion” “is that stage in the
progress of the Work when the Work
is complete . . . so the District can oc-
cupy or use the Work for its intended
purpose.”
The NOCCCD purchased the
entire co-generation unit for ap-
proximately $7.5 million, Cant said.
“(Noresco) has gotten a majority of
the payment,” but the school is “hold-
ing back the retention.” A retention is
normally 10 to 15 percent of the total
contract price, said Kevin Neuburger, a
construction project manager unrelated
to this project.
Both engines must operate for 30
days consecutively, Cant said, and the
engines have not been able to do that.
Miranda said, “Only one was run-
ning at a time.”
“(Noresco’s) not able to tell us
why,” Cant said.
Cant’s only been on the project
about a year and said she’s known

Albert Miranda observes one of the components of the generator.
about problems with the engines as
far back as December.
“We don’t know if there are design and lawsuits like this one generally
flaws,” she said.
Miranda said they’ve hired Jacobs
and Martin to “protect the invest-
ment.” He said, “Protecting our inter- in an email there will be no lawsuit.
est is mainly what we’re doing.”
Miranda said he was and is opti-
mistic about the completion of the
project.
Cant said she was not. “I’ve prob- and the arbitration was commenced
ably been more pessimistic than him
(Miranda).”
See You in Court
Cypress College President Mi-
chael Kasler’s wrote of the problem
in his Sept. 12 newsletter. “After a
prolonged period of failed attempts by
Noresco to get both engines working
in order to provide redundant power
to the campus and with the advice of
NOCCCD legal counsel, the engines
have been turned off. Litigation will
follow.”
Cant said, “Most likely we’re
going to end up in some kind of a
lawsuit.” Later, she said a lawsuit is
Photo by Edward Derbes
“inevitable.” Cant also said it was
currently in the letter writing stage
take multiple years to conclude.
However, James Rossini, the
lawyer hired by the NOCCCD, wrote
“The District filed a lawsuit in March, statement. “We don’t have a com-
2007. In April 2007, the District
and Noresco agreed to arbitrate the
dispute. The lawsuit was dismissed
shortly thereafter . . . “
“The arbitration is in the ‘Discov- of approximately $600,000.”
ery’ stage,” he wrote. “This means
the parties are still gathering informa-
tion.”
The contract states that if Noresco
“fails or refuses” to continue working
on the project, then “all costs, ex-
penses or other charges” to “maintain
progress of the Work in accordance
with the then current Construction
Schedule shall be at the sole cost
of Noresco.” Meaning: The costs
incurred for hiring Jacobs and Martin
may be at Noresco’s expense, accord-
ing to the contract.
According to “North Orange
November 2008
County Community College
District’s Complaint Against
Noresco Holdings, Inc.,” a legal
document filed by Rossini on
March 9, 2007, The NOCCCD
alleges “Noresco acted with
malice, and/or fraud.”
The NOCCCD attorney
writes Noresco misled it on what
the generator would do, includ-
ing saying the generator “would
operate with a positive cash
flow” (save money for the cam-
pus). NOCCCD also accuses
Noresco of “failing to complete
the Cypress Project according to
the agreed-upon project sched-
ule” (it wasn’t finished on time),
“failing to provide generators
that operate consistently and
reliably,” and “failing to construct a
power plant that continues operation
in the event of a utility power outage
as optional standby power.”
Theresa MacKinnon of Noresco’s
legal department declined to make a
ment at this time, because we have a
pending matter between the parties.”
But NOCCCD attorney Rossini
wrote, “Noresco is seeking what it
considers its unpaid contract balance
What Now?
Both Cant and Miranda said the
district will continue pursuing the
completion of the co-generation
unit. “With this kind of invest-
ment,” Cant said, “you don’t give up
early.”
She added, “We haven’t given up
on the project, just the people run-
ning it.”
President Kasler’s Sept. 12
newsletter reports there will be
meetings on finding solutions for
the engines and getting them online,
“hopefully.”D
15
 Literary
Cusping and After
The diner’s parking lot full, I parked at
Blockbuster just down the block. The area
just beginning to be built up, tended rows of
suburban crops. Red terra cotta bakes, tiling
the hills in intricate patterns where once was
only plants and boulders and animals. Still,
half a mile brings 4 acres of commerce un-
der false sun. Dusk. The horizon just about
entirely drained of the regal orange-red-
pinks I’d driven west into. Brake lights just
definable. A rabbit hops from tuft of brown
weeds to tuft of brown weeds in the rocky
Park ‘n Ride adjacent the diner. Its head
watches me only momentarily, judged my
path to be non-offensive. It hopped toward
the sidewalk, brush-covered hill across the
street. Eyes of a lone car creeping toward
Blockbuster. Be careful bunny, I think. As
if on commend to disobey, its beeline inter-
cepts the Jeep’s front left wheel like an ex-
pert geometrician. The thunk answered the
question I avoided purposefully. And the
Jeep drove on, as it should. And I walked to
the diner, and I ate, as I should.
Zebulon Huset
Silhouette Seen Through a Window
The leaf’s green backlit by sunshine
outside the window. A descending plane
drones its air raid siren towards
John Wayne Airport, who knows
what’s sequestered in its belly.
Something that could level fifty
city blocks for all I can see,
it’s shadowed wings and fuselage
taken out of context, in a poem
perhaps, could be a black
swooping scythe, despite its shape,
or the Devil’s trident, a deadly
black arrow loosed from across
the country. Or a lawn dart.
And if you were one of the dumb/
unlucky few whose injuries
pulled the product from shelves,
that image would be terrifying,
but I see them landing in the red ring
we’d tossed near the oak four-by-four
sandbox walls. I see barbequed
burgers, Kool-Aid. A pick up game
of basketball after the dart game.
Green maple leaves screening the sun
to filter down the fresh, verdant light
of memory. So if the plane is destined
to blow, leak or erupt, to destroy
the area of Earth’s surface around
the largest port on the west coast,
at least I got that one pleasant
image back. It’s something.
Zebulon Huset
16
Open Field Poetics
There was this girl who held the world
in her hands.
Not the entire world,
that would be a bit exaggerated.
But she held most of the world
in her right hand.
Little and insignificant,
is what she was known for.
Looking at her from the right side
of her face,
the obscurities become quite clear.
Her face glowed a bright magenta,
rosy cheeks like tiny pieces
of pomegranates sprinkled on her face.
She lit the world ablaze with that smile.
From the left side,
her face seemed symmetrical.
Beauty on both sides,
charismatic and full of charm...
She is beautiful in many ways.
It’s just difficult to paint her portrait from
my memory.
Erik Heredia
Book Review
John Leonard on Into the Wild
Jon Krakauer’s novel, “Into the Wild,”
is pure excitement. The 224-page book
chronicles a young man named Chris Mc-
Candless and his journey to escape the
harsh ideals of American society. McCand-
less leaves behind a stereotypical “perfect”
family and sets out to hitchhike across the
United States and eventually into the un-
tamed wild lands of Alaska. Before setting
out, he donates his entire savings to charity,
and eventually abandons his car and all of
his money.
“Into the Wild” is a gripping book that keeps
the reader hooked. McCandless’s journey
is almost surreal. Many people complain
about society’s troubles, like financial stress
and the classic broken home, but few actu-
ally take action like McCandless.
The people he meets and the places he
goes are nothing special to the naked eye,
but when McCandless delves into their
lives, he truly learns what his own life is all
about. McCandless travels around North
Divergence Magazine
America, where he meets a free-spirited
couple named Rainey and Jan, who ulti-
mately introduce him to his first love inter-
est, Tracy Tatro. Also, while working on a
farm, McCandless befriends a likeable man
by the name of Wayne Westerberg who
plays the role of a father figure to McCand-
less.
The Sean Penn directed film version of
the book was recently released onto DVD
and is decent compared to the novel. The
movie is a strange combination of uplifting
stories and somber occurrences, including
the hardships of the Alaskan wilderness
and the need for social interaction between
humans. If one has read the book, it is re-
warding to put a face to all the people that
McCandless encountered on his quest.
However, reading the book and imagining
the characters is part of the reward from the
story. Also, the film lacked Krakauer’s com-
mentary, which added another dimension to
McCandless’ story. Krakauer related to the
young traveler, and this understanding al-
lowed him to defend McCandless against
critics who said that he was careless and
lacked the knowledge to survive alone.
With intriguing and successful works
like “Into Thin Air” in his repertoire, it is
no surprise that Krakauer did McCand-
less’ story justice. His attention to detail
and obvious fascination with McCandless’s
tale shows in the text. Never once does the
novel come across as boring, and putting
the book down proves the hardest part of
the read. The Knopf Publishing Group’s
book can be purchased for $14.00.
Christopher McAndless
After Into the Wild
Prophet of Being;
existential architect of Soul
constructing virginal flesh around broken
bone
with new blue print of mind
Into flames with money
with identity
Into dust with Name
toss it to breeze
Born again...
Virgin life on foot
with roads
through roaring rivers
peaking mountains
Knocking on heart
with pregnant solidarity
With London, Thoreau, Tolstoy
Eat the organic cores of Nature
Drink the salts from Sea
Suck the plants of Life
Become God
At you- I weep
Inspirational Pioneer
Wild man
Who makes me taste the elements
in the wind
I weep-
at the dark irony of Nature
that held your throat and won
At you- I weep
with joy
at your Life in Death
Ryan Johnson
Essay
Crush by Richard Siken
Chrystal Hartberg
Creative Editor
Richard Siken’s “Crush,” a collection
of poems, tells a single story: the chaos of
love will leave you unsettled, uneasy, al-
ways. The poetic approach was a neces-
sary medium to convey this message to its
readers. The repetition and unruly sporadic
language forgoes rules and gets into the en-
ergy of language. Silken uses this energy
to alter the mental state of the reader, the
same way a hypnotist uses language to en-
trance their listener. Louise Glück states in
her introduction to the book that Crush has
a heavy undercurrent of panic and this pan-
ic is a manic search for reason. In Glück’s
conclusion she quotes Emily Dickenson
saying, “If I read a book and it makes my
whole body so cold no fire can warm me, I
know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if
the top of my head were taken off, I know
that is poetry. These are the only ways I
know it. Is there any other way?”
Siken has indeed caused this reaction in
his reader; he has pushed beyond what sto-
rytelling is generally accepted to be capable
of. Siken’s kind of poetry places its reader
in the seat behind a wheel and gives them
the choice to decide where they want to go
next, almost the way God gives us free will,
but we live in his world and in the possi-
bilities of his world, just the way we live in
Siken’s world and in his possibilities during
the span of our reading.
“You are Jeff” is a poem in which the
reader is in the middle of a decision, wheth-
er or not they should love someone who has,
like all people, parts they like and parts they
don’t, but that being said Siken asks that the
reader keep their options open, and try not
to be to partial to one part or the other. Here
is the opening stanza:
There are two twins on motorbikes but
one is farther up the road, beyond the hair-
pin turn, or just before it, depending on
which twin you are in love with at the time.
Do not choose sides yet. It is still to your
advantage to remain impartial. Both mo-
torbikes are shiny red and both boys have
perfect teeth, dark hair, soft hands. The one
in front will want to take you apart, and
slowly. His deft and stubby fingers search-
ing every shank and lock for weaknesses.
You could love this boy with all your heart.
The other brother only wants to stitch you
back together. The sun shines down. It’s a
beautiful day. Consider the hairpin turn.
Do not choose sides yet.
“You are Jeff” goes on like this, weaving
the reader in and out of these two brothers
and placing them back together again. Sik-
en goes as far as to make the reader an only
child in the backseat of a station wagon wit-
nessing the twins fighting on the side of the
road, a child that has “never experienced
anything [that] ferocious or intentional with
another person” and telling the reader that
“[t]here is an empty space next to you in
the backseat of the station wagon. Make
it the shape of everything you need. Now
say hello.” It is added layers like this that
deeply complicate and enrich the poem.
These complications mimic real life. How
in life, all of these layers, like childhood
and memory, can play into every decision
a person can make.
The final stanza is where Siken brings the
reader to their ultimate decision, whether or
not they will choose love. Siken doesn’t
tell his reader to choose love, but somehow
you leave the poem believing you did.
…You’re in the car with a beautiful boy,
and you’re trying not to tell him that you
love him, and you’re trying to choke down
the feeling, and you’re trembling, but he
reaches over and he touches you, like a
prayer for which no words exist, and you
feel your heart taking root in your body,
like you’ve discovered something you don’t
even have a name for.
Siken wants his readers to go through
the agony of panic and fear along with him
in order to get to a place beyond it. To do
this Siken leads his readers there through
poetry. “As humans we strive to reach a
place without worry or anxiety, a place of
comfort where all our needs are cared for,
a place without threat, a place where we no
longer have to think, improve or judge our-
selves. Art functions to jar us out of this
place by engaging our emotions and show-
ing us in relation to the world and to this
other reality, which, ideally, will lead us to
reconsider the terms of our lives and to re-
sume our roles in the greater community”
(Dobyns 194). Siken’s poetry becomes a
necessary porthole to venture through in
order to come to conclusions and emotions
November 2008
that are beyond our experience. Siken will
start somewhere unexpected like telling the
reader about names and the many names of
the objects of our world and then he’ll keep
going with that. When you expect him to
stop he’ll shift to a different aspect, a new
topic so as not to lose your interest and then
there he is, back to naming names. It goes
on like this until finally both the reader and
the writer are at the other side of confusion
together, and it’s then that the reader and
poet understand and can move forward.
Chemical names, bird names, names of
fire and flight and snow, baby names, paint
names, delicate names like bones in the
body…
…Names of poisons, names of hand-
guns, names of places we’ve been together,
names of people we’d be together..
‘Til finally:
…but I can’t go through with it.
I just don’t want to die anymore.
It is only at the end of the book that I
truly understand the beginning. The reader
gets into the book, like they would get into
the ocean- with a deep dive. The introduc-
tion poem “Scheherazade”, which is titled
after the tale of a fictional Persian Queen
who kept herself alive by telling stories at
night to the angered and bitter King, is the
point of departure for the rest of the book.
Look at the light through the window-
pane. That means it’s noon, that means
we’re inconsolable / Tell me how all this,
and love too, will ruin us / These, our bod-
ies, possessed by light / Tell me we’ll never
get used to it.
Siken never does get used to the chaos
of love; he never stops dipping his feet in to
see if the water has changed. Despite all the
panic love can cause Siken leads his readers
through the fire to find love again. And he
assures us that we will always move toward
it when he concludes in the final poem of
the book “Snow and Dirty Rain” that “[w]e
are all going forward. None of us are going
back.”
Works Cited
Dobyns, Stephen. Best Words, Best Order. New
York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1996.
Siken, Richard. Crush. New Haven: Yale Univer-
sity Press, 2005.
SUBMISSIONS!
The literary section is open to all student
readers. We are seeking thought-provok-
ing poems, short stories, essays, and book
reviews. All genres of interest welcome.
Email your entries to cypresschronicle@
gmail.com (subject line: Literary Section).
17
Amanda M. Avelar is a
student in ART 144 Car-
tooning, which is taught
Tuesdays and Thursdays
at noon by instructor Kirk
Sivertsen.
R aul Gonzales is a student in the Photography
Department. He recently received the Edouard
De Merlier Scholarship. A special selection of pho-
tographs by Gonzales and other students will be fea-
tured in the Floating Wall Gallery until October 25.
The Cypress College Photography Galleries are on
the 2nd floor of the Technical Education 1 building.

A bout the playing cards series, Gonzales said,

“Basically, I wanted to demonstrate how love
can lead to domestic violence or non violence… a
reminder these are just playing cards, cards I take
pride in, having the nobility to demonstrate of what
is within the malice of humanity which can lead to
this effect among us. I’m not one of those individuals
however, but there are people out there like that.”

by Chrystal Hartberg
Creative Editor
Dr. Kate Reid is the head of the jazz program and Chair of the Music De-
partment at Cypress College. Divergence Creative Editor Chrystal Hartberg
recently sat down with Reid to discuss music, teaching and South Park.
Chrystal Hartberg: You are a jazz musi-
cian as well as a music professor. What
classes do you teach here at Cypress?
Kate Reid: I teach music theory, jazz his-
tory, jazz improvisation and private voice
for jazz pianists and jazz vocalists.
CH: How do you teach improv? How do
you go about teaching something that’s
organic?
KR: That’s a great question. There is a lot
of different ways to come about it, I actu-
ally start from the concept of conversation
and more of expressing oneself through
music, but you start really minimal in that
you don’t put a lot of expectations on your
own self. As you teach the students, you
start with a very small requirement, and
it is really about communicating a very
small idea through music.
CH: How did music lead you to become
a teacher? Why did you make the change
from being a musician to being a teacher
of music?
KR: I knew really early on that I wanted
to be a teacher; I knew probably from third
or fourth grade. It sounds very strange,
but it’s true. I knew that I wanted to teach
and I enjoyed it a lot. Probably later on in
20
Photo by Kenny Rivera
high school I determined, though, that the
performing was just as important to me. So
when I went to school I decided to get per-
formance degrees; but fortunately, if you
do get performance degrees, then you can
go through a terminal degree, and you can
teach at any level. So I knew very early
on in my college career that I wanted to do
both at the same time. It’s hard to balance
them at times, but it’s really rewarding In
the end it’s really rewarding.
CH: Where does your interest in jazz
originate from and how did you go about
developing that interest?
KR: I started listening to jazz when I was
in high school; my brother is a jazz guitar-
ist and every morning in high school, he
was listening to Big Band music “Count
Basie Orchestra” and “Duke Ellington
Orchestra” ‘cause he played in the jazz
band in high school. So I was probably in
middle school when he started doing that.
And I started getting that sound in my ear
and it just stuck and so I got interested very
early, started playing some piano then got
interested with the singing and I was an
education major for two years in college
then decided I think I’m going to do this
jazz thing. So I changed my major in the
sophomore year and became a jazz studies
major.
Divergence Magazine
CH: Why the piano? Do you feel the pi-
ano has a sound that no other instrument
has that you feel you can speak through?
KR: I started classic piano in third grade
so it was just a natural progression to then
continue on and learn some jazz concepts
on it. Most great jazz vocalists -- even any
instrumentalist, saxophonist, drummer,
trumpeter have some kind of piano facil-
ity and can play at least just a little bit, but
most vocalists are really accomplished jazz
pianists, which is something that not a lot
of people know.
CH: That’s interesting. Inspiration can
come from many sources. What are your
influences both jazz related and non-jazz
related?
KR: I’ll try to be brief. As I said early on,
Big Band with Ellington and Basie, people
like Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe
Williams was a huge influence on me as
well. Instrumentally, groups like the Os-
car Peterson Trio, Oscar Peterson is a jazz
pianist, Ray Brown, a jazz bassist, all those
folks work together in different formats
and amalgamations of quartets and trios.
And I kind of got those sounds in my ear
early, and I really wanted to emulate them
specifically. Sarah Vaughan was one of my
firsts that I emulated.
Probably currently today most recently
a singer that’s unfortunately not with us
anymore but I just kind of tapped into her
mostly in the later part of my education
that would be Carmen McCray, certainly
Shirley Horn and then a person that a lot
of people know about who is very main
stream is Diana Krall. A lot of people listen
to her and she’s just really taken over the
singer/pianist/jazz bag. People love her, so
I listen to her just to know what people are
interested in. Non- jazz, classical music
whether it be orchestral, string oriented,
classical pianists, and even opera and vo-
calists. All of that great vocal technique
inspires me as a vocalist.
CH: Have you ever been influenced by
hip-hop or gospel music or even country?
KR: Yeah actually, definitely gospel and
country western too. My family when I was
growing up we were a gospel quartet, and
we sang a lot. We traveled a lot for about
ten years around the East Coast and I actu-
ally had a twang to my voice (laughter) and
learned a lot of gospel music and sang a
lot of gospel music. So, definitely a south-
ern gospel influence. I think the hip-hop
and the more popular and current grooves
and styles I’m influenced more lately be-
cause my students are into it. They’ll bring
stuff in and say, “you gotta check this out,”
“What do you think of this?” or “What
would you call this music?” or “Do you
think this is jazz related at all?” My stu-
dents bring those influences to me and I’m
always wanting to learn something new,
wanting somebody to play something that
I haven’t heard before.
CH: What would you say is your style?
KR: I would say definitely in the jazz/pi-
ano/vocal bag, and when I say bag I mean
the repertoire is jazz standards, the straight
ahead swing kind of a feel. Music that is
not too hard to get your head around, easy
to listen to, but enjoyable, mainstream jazz
I think is where we’d put it.
CH: Improvising allows the freedom to
express how you feel at any given mo-
ment, which enhances the performance
as it plays off the mood of the crowd. What
would you say is the most exciting aspect
of improvising?
PSSSSTTT... Have you heard about the best
kept secret on campus?
PSSSSTTT… Have you heard about the best
Are you a registered student
kept secret on incampus?
need of health care?
Don’t have health insurance?
Are you a registered student in need of health care?
OR
You DO have health insurance but can’t get in to
Don’t have health insurance?
see
Or your doctor?
You DO have health insurance but can’t get in to see your doctor?
There’s a place you can go and it’s right here on
campus.....
There is a place you can go and it’s right here on campus…..
THE CYPRESS COLLEGE HEALTH CENTER
THE CYPRESS COLLEGE HEALTH CENTER
Did you know that as a registered student here at Cypress that you are eligible for basic health
Did you know that as a registered student
services hereHealth
at YOUR at Cypress
Center. that you are eli-
gible for basic health services at YOUR Health Center.
The health center is open:
Monday, The Health
Thursday, Center
Friday is open:
from 8:00 am – 12pm and 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Tuesday, Monday,
WednesdayThursday,
from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Friday
(Summer hours of operation may vary)
from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Tuesday, Wednesday
It is staffed by professionals who care about you.
from 8:00am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 7:00 pm
(Summer
There is no charge to see thehours of operation
nurse practitioner, may vary)
physician, psychologist or nurse. Nominal fees are
assessed for lab tests and special exam procedures.

KR: Trying to create something that I It is staffed by professionals who care about you.
Services include:
haven’t created before and trying to have Diagnosis and treatment of short-term illness, First Aid care
it sound and feel fresh and new. Trying to There is no charge to see the nurse practitioner, physician, psychologist or
Laboratory tests (some fees required):
create new melodies over the given core nurse. Nominal fees are assessed
STD for Smears,
testing**, Pap lab tests and special
Pregnancy testing,exam procedures.
Blood tests,
changes that somebody else wrote and Breast and Pelvic exams
have all the ideas flow together and when Services include:
Life-Style Counseling:
you can come up with even half of a chorus Diagnosis and treatment of short-term
Stress, Weight, illness,
Nutrition, SmokingFirst Aid care
Cessation
of something that’s really flowing, there is Reduced Cost Prescriptions
Laboratory tests (some fees required):
something really thrilling about that. Referrals to Specialist and off-campus health agencies as needed
STD testing**, Pap Smears, Pregnancy testing, Blood tests,
On-campus Counseling Services
CH: Do you ever write your own music or Breast and Pelvic exams
have you ever written anything that com- Life-Style
All visits are CONFIDENTIAL. WeCounseling:
are a medical office and medical information will not be
posed the sound of music or the lyrics? Stress,
released Weight,
to ANYONE Nutrition,
without Smoking
your written Cessation
authorization, except as provided by law.
Reduced cost/NO cost Prescriptions
KR: I’ve composed a couple things, not Referrals to Specialists
We’re and off-campus
located on the first health
floor of agencies as needed
the Gym II building.
one of my forays I would say. You take On-campus Counseling Services
composition classes in college and you SO, stop by or give us a call at (714) 484-7361
have to put together this that and the other All vists are CONFIDENTIAL. We are a medical office and medical informa-
You just might be surprised at what we can do for you…….
thing, but not a lot of composing. I have tion will not be released to ANYONE without your written
a couple things I do in my repertoire that authorization, except as required by law.
I wrote, but I spend more time arranging
other people’s literature for myself than I
do composing. We’re located on the first floor of Gym II building.

CH: I understand that you recorded for SO, stop by or give us a call at (714) 484-7361
independent films. Describe your role in
that. You just might be surprised at what we can do for you.......

KR: I got a call from

one of the guys who
wrote the music for
South Park . . . . Read more of Dr. Reid’s Q&A, watch the video inter-
view and see more photos at CyChron.com.
November 2008 21

Being the intellectual idealist, you will de-
cide to write a critical protest song scolding the
government for everything it’s doing wrong. It
becomes an amazing hit and climbs to the top of
the charts. Unfortunately for you, it also gets the
attention of Homeland Security which whisks
you off to Guantanamo Bay. There you spend
day after day undergoing “enhanced interroga-
tion,” “pyramid schemes” and other “shady
things” they love to put into quotes. Most people
would break under such conditions, but you’re
such an optimistic hippie (that takes to water
like a trout), your stay at the Gitmo Hilton is just
peachy. In fact, you go out with a smile even
on that fateful night when they hook up your
nose hairs to a car battery and decide to “go for
broke!”
Now, I’d normally predict the amount of time
you’d have left, but this time I refuse. You’re
such an optimist that you’ll wind up cherishing
the last days of your life, taking in every beauti-
ful sunset, smelling every flower and blubbering
at every chick flick. You’ll be so immersed in
all this sappy crap that you’ll forget to write that
protest song. In which case, you wouldn’t die.
Then my prediction would be wrong, thus ruin-
ing my streak in the local dead pool. And I’ll be
damned if I ruin my streak over some freakin’
hippie!
Famous Scorpios:
• Pablo Picasso (Oct. 25th)
• Hillary Rodham Clinton (Oct. 26th)
• Sylvia Plath (Oct. 27th)
• Winona Ryder (Oct. 29th)
• Larry Flynt (Nov. 1st)
• k.d. lang (Nov. 2nd)
• Charles Bronson (Nov. 3rd)
• Maria Shriver (Nov. 6th)
• Kurt Vonnegut (Nov. 11th)
• Charles Manson (Nov. 12th)
• Martin Scorsese (Nov. 17th)
• Larry King (Nov. 19)
• Bjork (Nov. 21st)
. am an American, I stand by my country at
Madam Toaster is an unlicensed astrologer. None of
her predictions ever come true, but don’t tell her that.
She’s got issues!
22
Opinion
Support Our Troops
A rebuttal to “Support Our Troops” in the October issue.
By Sara Magallon
Everyone in the armed forces
fights for you to be free. They fight for
rights so many of us take for granted such
as being able to go to college, have as many
kids as we want and speak freely about
our president. In other countries, people
die because of it. Answer me, who would
protect our rights as American citizens if
they didn’t? Having our rights written on
a paper means nothing; our soldiers keep
that paper alive. They give it meaning.
The Armed Forces have been
fighting to protect our rights for centu-
ries. They protect our national security,
our borders and make our safety their first
priority. Yes, of course the military has
changed since 1914, but it’s now 2008 and
we must adapt to these changes. I agree,
our stable defense forces like the police,
national guard and coast guard do provide
us with their generous help. Their main
duty which they are trained to do is protect
and keep us safe. They are trained and or-
dered to kill those who threaten our safety.
Do I have a problem with that? Absolutely
not. You believe that today, our military is
fighting for all the wrong reasons; we are
in a war without meaning. I beg to differ.
Many American lives were lost
on September 11 and many others were
threatened. A mother that was anxiously
waiting for her son to come home, but in-
stead had to watch her son’s airplane flight
crash into the World Trade Center would
believe that we’re in this war for a reason-
able cause, for justice, to regain what was
taken from us. You didn’t lose anyone, so
what say do you have? You weren’t per-
sonally affected. Your father didn’t die,
your brother didn’t die; you sat at home
and said, “Wow that’s horrible, lets move
on”. But others didn’t even get the last re-
mains of their loved ones. A war without
meaning? How dare you.
Whether our soldiers are fighting
over a chunk of brownie or the life of my
brother, I’d support both. Why? Because I
its best and at its worst. A majority here,
over there, under there and all the way over
there probably don’t want us in Iraq. Now,
Divergence Magazine
let’s get back to reality. The war wont’ be
over in a few months, when Obama wins
the presidency or when McCain wins the
presidency. Sure they can promise it will,
but is it really going to happen? I highly
doubt it.
You always have the right to ex-
press yourself freely, that’s the great thing
about being an American. But how dare
you take for granted these men and wom-
en who leave behind everything for you
(willingly or not) -a perfect stranger? You
should be ashamed. You probably work
20 hours a week and spend the rest of the
time in your comfortable home relaxing,
but they don’t. They literally have a 24/7
job, their home is a base. They can’t see
their loved ones or write about how much
they don’t support the war and how sol-
diers don’t really fight for our rights (they
do it for fun, right?). How dare you feel
entitled to express your opinions? I know
how... Because they GAVE you the right to
be entitled and you are.
“Seventy-one percent of Iraqis
want us out”. Oh no, they don’t want us
there? Thank you for informing us. Every-
body gather up your belongings. Fahd just
informed us that they don’t want us here.
Now, please, think. Do you really believe
we can walk out after being there so long?
Even if we did just “leave” do you actually
believe the soldiers will be home in a few
months? No. It will take a year at the mini-
mum to bring them all home. Oh and I’m
pretty sure Hitler didn’t want us in Europe
either.
The truth is, we’re in this war.
Like it or not. Soldiers are fighting and I’m
pretty sure they’re fighting for us (Ameri-
cans). So you’re either with us or against
us. Simple as that.
One more thing, the reason most
would rather get their news on the internet
or television is because “Divergence” is
full of “writers” who lack the ability to ex-
press themselves appropriately without the
use of vulgar language. We’d have better
luck getting news from Ozzy Osbourne.
I’m ashamed people like you
“write” for the Cypress College “newspa-
per”.

Where is the Love?
By MARIA LEANO
If you saw me walking through
campus and spotted the cranberry-col-
ored bracelet on my wrist, would you stop
to ask me what it meant? Probably not,
right? Wearing the bracelet was supposed
to help me bring the same kind of atten-
tion and fundraising to my disease that
Lance Armstrong managed to detonate
on behalf of cancer when he launched his
now-ubiquitous yellow Livestrong brace-
let. Yet in two years of brandishing my
own wrist adornment, I have yet to answer
a single question about its meaning. The
“cause bracelet” is overused – I’ll give
you that (a web search quickly revealed
more than 50 color-cause combinations),
but it’s confounding to have AN ENTIRE
MONTH dedicated to your cause, and still
not perceive any uptick in attention to a
veritable public health crisis. Yes, a public
health crisis.
Like 10 million other Americans,
I have a chronic pain disorder called fibro-
myalgia. For people like me, pain is not the
symptom of a disease – it is the disease. Fi-
bromyalgia (FM) is so complex that doc-
tors don’t know what causes it, and there
is no cure. While FM is not terminal, it is
nothing short of excruciating. In addition
to the widespread musculoskeletal pain it
causes, overlapping symptoms such as ex-
treme fatigue, sleep abnormalities, cogni-
tive dysfunction, migraine headaches and
environmental sensitivities not only inter-
fere with daily activities—they can make
them altogether impossible. Having lived
with FM for the past eight years, I can
tell you it is precisely the sort of horror
Then & Now
by Anna Rangel
you would not wish on your worst enemy.
Tough stuff, you say, but how precisely is
that a public health crisis? Well, as Sep-
tember a.k.a “Pain Awareness Month”
was supposed to publicize, chronic pain
is the cruel companion of over 50 mil-
lion Americans. Unlike the acute pain you
might feel if you were to scrape a knee
or burn a fingertip, chronic pain does not
heal, and it does not go away – even under
the best of medical treatment. I hope you
are fortunate enough not to count yourself
among the 50 million, but what I do want
you to understand, is that when that many
people hurt consistently – and intermina-
bly – it’s not just them and their families
that suffer ... our whole society suffers.
For one thing, caring for chronic
pain patients places an enormous burden
on healthcare resources due to factors
such as overuse of emergency rooms, ex-
tended hospital stays and multiple clini-
cal visits. (In Canada, for instance, more
money is spent on treating chronic pain
than cancer, heart disease and HIV com-
bined.) Workplaces are not immune from
the repercussions of chronic pain, either.
Last year, as many as 550 million days of
lost work were attributed to chronic pain
conditions. For U.S. businesses, that cor-
responded to more than $100 billion dol-
lars in sick time, reduced productivity,
and direct medical and other benefit costs
for employees. One recent survey even
found that American families with a sick
member at home shoulder an average of
$77,000 in paid and unpaid caregiving
costs each year.
November 2008
Opinion
The Passion of Suicide:
Ethical Considerations
By ALEXANDRU MITROI
Socrates exclaimed, after being sen-
tenced to death, that the unexamined life is
not worth living. This statement raises several
questions. Which life is worth living? How
does one examine life? Rather than providing
a direct answer to those questions it is more
beneficent to try to determine the quality a
person possesses when the life worth living is
lived.
There exists such a quality. The
problem lies in expressing it, as no word ex-
ists for it because it cannot be expressed in
language. This quality must be experienced.
A good way to express it is as passion. How-
ever, passion in itself is not the desired quality.
It may be better expressed as a passion which
is not intense and that is maintained for a long
period of time. This quality is expressed by
Frederick Nietzsche when he says, “It is not
the power of great emotions which makes
men superior. It is their duration.” It may be
further clarified, through negation, by consid-
ering how Aristotle describes the friendship
between the young based on pleasure, which
he calls erotic friendship. “The young are also
prone to erotic friendship, since it is gener-
ally a matter of following one’s feelings, and
aims at pleasure; they therefore quickly fall in
love and quickly stop, often changing in one
day”. In the absence of a word to describe this
quality it will be referred to as Nietzschean
passion.
To understand why this is the de-
sired quality there are several ethical prin-
ciples that need to be addressed first. These
principles have been developed to the great-
est extent in the East in the disciplines of Zen,
Tao, and Buddhism. Because the ways of lib-
eration the Eastern disciplines adhere to can-
not be described in positive terms, or directly,
Western ideas will be used.
To read the rest of this essay, log on @
CyChron.com
Read a piece on the $700 billion
bailout by Economics Dept.
Chair Fola Odebunmi on
CyChron.com.
23