02/10 - Merced College

Volume 10, No.2
MC‘s Finest Educators
March 2005
By Severiana Ortega and Jessica Dugan
Advocate Staff Writers
get the connection with their professor that they need.
When a teacher is more than willing to go the extra mile Thankfully, some professors go truly out of their way to
in order to help a student out, that makes them a very reach out to a student, and Cary Yanagi is one such professor.
dedicated person. Merced A computer studies/Japanese
College‘s Jodie Steeley and Cary instructor, Yanagi traveled to
Yanagi happen to be prime Sam‘s home to assist him because
examples. Whether it‘s through a he was unable to attend the
class or in person, they try their orientation for a class. —I just
best to help out their students to wanted him to be comfortable
the finest of their abilities where it was, where to find it on
whenever they can. It‘s a joy to the net, and what was required to
know that we have teachers like do it and make sure he had the
these two gracing our campus. right software in order to complete
Steeley teaches U.S. History, the class. Plus, I knew he was
offline and online. She allowed a going to take another online class,
student named Sam into her Nicole Alvernaz/Advocate so I figured if he had any other
closed internet class because he‘d Cary Yanagi, one of Merced College‘s truly questions I could answer that,“
recently been in an accident. She dedicated teachers.
wanted to know just how exactly she could do that, and
DSS helped her out with enrolling him. When asked if she
feels it‘s worth it to go out of your way to help her students,
Steeley replied, —Yes, absolutely, especially those who really
seem to need it. Like I said, we have students with these
curve balls in life thrown at them. We have everything from
family, sickness, to car accidents, to job lay offs, and all
these things that seem to try and hold you back from
continuing your education.“ Steeley says that her students‘
determination to learn inspires her and that she likes to see
that drive in them. Steeley and her online students e-mail
each other every week, and she adds, —In a classroom a lot
of people just sit there and passively learn, and sometimes
it‘s harder to get to know them.“ Steeley feels that even
though she hasn‘t met her students face to face, she still
feels very attached to them. In a classroom, one may never
Yanagi says. Sam isn‘t the first
student Yanagi has gone out of his way to lend a hand to, as
well.—There was this one student who had visual problems;
I tried to help her out too, she was very into it. We had this
one deaf student and one of the things I keep forgetting to
do, that I really want to is learn sign language. Unfortunately
I couldn‘t do it and that always bothered me.“ Yanagi feels
very strongly about helping out those who need it, no matter
what their situation: —At times, I‘ve had problems too, and
when somebody helps you it‘s sometimes not a matter of
how much. We should always try to help each other out.“
Yanagi has big plans to help out students: —Monday through
Thursday the lab is open from 8 in the morning to 9 at night
and Friday it closes at 2. I‘m trying to set up a lab where it
will be open, at least on Fridays so there‘s someplace to
study.“ We are truly fortunate to have teachers as dedicated
as Steeley and Yanagi here at Merced College.

Blue Devils’ Advocate Page Two Page 2
Index
News
Page 3... Hit and Run
Page 4... Nanette Wylde, Mixed Media
Page 5...AG Field Day
Page 6...Remembering Miller/Thompson
Page 7... AG Lamb/Pig Sale
Entertainment
Page 8...T.I. CD Review
Page 9... Retro Gaming
Page 10...Ashlee Simpson
Page 11...Movie Reviews
Sports
Page 12...Basketball
Page 13...Baseball/Softball
Opinion/Editor‘s Page
Page 14 ...Cinco de Mayo
Campus News
Page 15... Student of the Month
The Last Word
Page 16... Blue Devil Spirit
Police Log
From the files of the Merced College Police Department
02/09 - Officer responds to cal of grand theft
auto. Report taken.
02/10 - Officer responds to a hit and run;
driver identified.
02/17 - Officer responds to hit and run call.
Report taken.
02/22 - Offier responds to a vandalism call.
Report taken.
02/23 - Officer responds to a petty theft call.
Report taken.
Information courtesy of the MCPD
Blue Devils‘ Advocate
Merced College
3600 M Street
Merced, CA 95348-2898
Editor - Jerry Fieldsted
Sports Editor - Brian McMaster
Reporters - Jessica Dugan, Nicole Alvernaz, Jerry
Fieldsted, Severiana Ortega, Megan Kumier,
Veronica Torres, Jose Gutierrez, Seth Williams
Graphics - Carlos Simon, Jerry Fieldsted
Photographers - Janet Maravilla, Veronica Torres
Advocate Office Phone - (209) 386-6655
Advocate Fax - (209) 381-6481
Email - advocate@mccd.edu
Faculty Advisor: Greg Hubbard
Humanities Division Chair: Delores Cabezut-Ortiz
Reprographics: Mike Smith, Robert Alvarado and
Jose Flores

Blue Devils’ Advocate The Front Page Page 3
Streets of Merced a Dangerous Place
By Veronica Torres
Advocate Staff Writer
Is it safe for anyone to walk the streets of Merced Transportation Policy Project, a Washington, D.C.
anymore? With recent events I am not sure. Melissa based think tank, called Merced County the nation‘s
Mundy, a resident of Merced, was riding her bike in most dangerous place for pedestrians. So what can a
downtown Merced when she was struck by a car. pedestrian do to be safe while walking or riding a
The impact threw bike in the dangerous streets
her to the ground of Merced? Officer Maria
and hurled her bike Botwright of Merced
a block away from Community College Police
where she was hit. Department has tips to stay
She was later found safe for students that walk or
lying in the street ride bikes to school.
with extensive Botwright suggest that you
injuries to her head. wear a helmet at all times
Mundy was taken to and ride with the flow of
a Modesto hospital traffic rather than against.
by helicopter. Botwright said she also
Tammy Reynolds, a notices a lot of people that
close friend of walk or ride bikes who wear
Melissa‘s and headphones while listening
Merced college to music, consequently you
employee said,
—Last I heard she
had been in a coma
Helicopters like this are frequently used to transport
victims of hit and run accidents to a Modesto Trauma
Center.
can‘t hear the traffic around
you. She also suggests you
for 2 weeks.“
Reynolds said —Who ever hit Melissa just left her to
die. Students should be very careful when it comes
to walking or riding bikes to school.“ There are no
clues as to who hit Mundy and there were no
witnesses. Police are still investigating the hit and
run. Another Merced pedestrian Heyman Sousa was
hit January 15 while walking across East 21st wear bright clothing at night
or something reflective so
that drivers can see you. Botwright says that she
often notices people running across R Street without
using the crosswalk. Botwright says to always be
aware of your surroundings, use your senses and
make smart choices. Officer Botwright gave good
pointers on how to stay safe but, what about using a
Street. flashlight while you‘re walking at night? You can
Sousa suffered sever injuries to his head and legs. also put a flashing reflector on the back of the seat on
He has already undergone several surgeries to his your bike or some on your rims. Use the crosswalks
legs. Doctors believe it will take up to a full year for at all times, people can‘t always see you at night and
Sousa to fully recover from the accident. The only if you run across the street you risk the chance of
lead police have in Sousa case is the description of a getting hit. Try to travel during the day, but if it is
1990 silver colored compact Honda. It was driven necessary for you to travel at night take the proper
by a Hispanic male adult with black hair and goatee. precautions to make it home in one piece, Play it safe
Merced has a reputation as being a dangerous
place for pedestrians. Mean Streets 2002, a nationwide
study of pedestrian fatalities by Surface
Merced College, it‘s the smart thing to do.

Blue Devils’ Advocate Campus News Page 4
By Megan Kumler
Advocate Staff Writer
Wylde at Merced College
Merced College Art Gallery has recently opened
their doors to the —Mixed Media“ of Nanette Wylde.
Over several years, Wylde‘s projects interact media
as art, responding to the cultural environments
around her. Teaching at Chico State, Wylde has
advanced and made a mark on the world of photography
as we know it, using mind, body, soul, and time,
she generates an unique outlook on life. Her work
tells stories that illuminates concerns and perspectives
of life, an abstract exploration of energy, intellect,
and emotion, and are flavored with bits of
humor.
Her work is part of the process she goes through to
understand
the world she
lives in. She
finds news
and media
confusing,
and wants to
gain some
understanding
of what it is
really about,
and converts
that to what
she thinks it
Hateful
really is
about. Wylde says that —I don‘t know what you
perceive as the American response to censorship. I
guess when I think of censorship here I think of
Puritan values, which basically are not open to
difference. I am
observing that American
media is big on
fear and a spectacle
and small on ”real‘
communication.“
Society constantly
looks to media for
information and
knowledge (whether
the information is
factual or just good
gossip). It is important
to say that
Wylde‘s approach is
further addressing the
idea that media only
Sensitive
distributes one-way communication. In this respect, it
can be said that ideas and comments are not just one
person, but the voices of many people.

Blue Devils’ Advocate Campus News Page 5
By Nicole Alvernaz
Advocate Staff Writer
Have A Field Day With FFA
Tractors, livestock judging and 1,000
California FFA (Future Farmers of
America) students are all part of Merced
College‘s 37th annual FFA Field Day. On
March 19th , approximately 1,000 FFA
students from all over the state of
California will come to Merced College
to compete in ten agriculturally related
areas. This event is hosted by the Merced
College Agriculture division and Merced
College Agricultural students. The Field
Day starts in the Merced College
Gymnasium at 8 a.m, and the awards are
at 4 p.m. The Field Day is not a
fundraiser for Merced College or for the
FFA. According to Daorl Fishman, Ag
Division Chair/Mechanized Agriculture, —We‘re a
warm up. They use Field Days like ours to tune up
for state finals which are held at either Fresno State,
or Cal Poly San Louis Obispo. These contests are
very high on their priority list.“ The competitions for
mechanized ag, include ag mechanics, farm power
and small engines. The competitions representing
animal science fields are judging lifestock, dairy
products and horses. Those competing in plant
science will participate in the vegetable crops
contest, where students will be tested on their
knowledge of a wide variety of plants.
Special to the Advocate/MC Ag Department
FFA students judge sheep at last year‘s FFA Field Day
which will take place again at Merced College on March 19.
Finally, the ag business competitions will be farm
business management, farm record book, best
informed greenhand and job interviews. The
competitions require students to evaluate,
troubleshoot, or perform hands-on skills. Fishman
says, —They should develop some kind of skill, some
kind of vocational skill so that when they graduate
from high school with a little extra training, they are
employed.“ The Field Day competitions are based
on a team effort, but there are awards for individual
recognition, too. The teams that win at the state level
will go on to represent the state at the National level.
Easy Entertainment
Recipes that make you a Five-star chef!
Beef Jerky
1/2 c Soy Sauce
1/2 c Worcestershire Sauce
2 tb Ketchup
1/2 ts Pepper (MORE FOR HOT)
Combine all ingredients and marinate beef from 1 hour to overnight.
Bake in oven 150 to 170 degrees, leave in oven 10-12 hours or overnight.
Enjoy!
courtesy of YumYum.com

Blue Devils’ Advocate News Page 6
The Great of Gonzo Gone at 67
By Megan Kumler
Advocate Staff Writer
famous pieces include Fear and Loathing in Las
Hunter S. Thompson, the father of gonzo journal- Vegas, The Great Shark Hunt and The Campaign
ism, died at 67 from a self-inflicted .44 Trail of ”72. He was also called the father
bullet to the head late Sunday afternoon of —gonzo journalism“, a term picked up
in the comforts of his home located from a fan letter which applies only to
outside of Aspen, Colorado. His son, him. He wrote about the whole scene, and
Juan Thompson and grandson William not just about one part of the experience.
were at the home at the time of the He did not miss a single piece of the
suicide. —I believe he thought it was his action. If it wasn‘t writing about politics
time to go,“ his son said to the USA and superbowls, it was letting the world
Today. know about drinking and drugs.
As a journalist, I believe that every Thompson, a member of the National
writer would like to be able in some Rifle Association, enjoyed his dobermans
way or another to write and express and hand guns and liked to —get loaded on
themselves like Thompson, but that will Hunter S. Thompson mescaline and fire my .44 out into the
truly never happen, because there was only one dark, that long blue flame.“ People
Hunter S. Thompson. There is not a big market in connected with him and many have written about
modern journalism for alcohol and drug-induced him since our time of loss. I would like to say cheers
rambling that Thompson patented with his writing. to him, and that your memory will live on in the
He was short from a genius as a writer. Some of his minds of many.
By Jessica Dugan
Advocate Staff Writer
Death of a Playwright
The title of America‘s greatest living playwright is
now up for grabs. On February 10, Arthur Miller died
at the age of 89 of heart failure at his Connecticut
home.
The play that put Miller on the map was 1949‘s
Death of a Salesman, for which the play won the
New York Drama Critics Circle Award, three Tony
Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. Salesman tells the tragic
story of Willy Loman, a regular guy losing his grip of
reality. He is fired from a job that he barely got by on
by a boss young enough to be his son; while his rival
is living large and doing better than Loman. Miller‘s
view of the American Dream won him both acclaim
and criticism by critics everywhere.
In 1953, as an allegory for McCarthyism and the
Red Scare, Miller wrote The Crucible, which is
based on the events surrounding the 1692 Salem
Witch Trials. In the 50‘s, the world was obsessed
with Communism and anyone associated with
communism was blacklisted immediately. Miller
himself was jailed for withholding the names of
people suspected of Communism to the House
Committee of Un-American Activities. When Miller
adapted the Crucible into a movie in 1996, it earned
him an Academy Award.
Some say his five year marriage to Marilyn
Monroe put him on the media map. During this time,
Miller‘s work disappeared until the 1961 The Misfits
which was a screenplay written with Monroe as a
character. It was directed by John Hughes and was
Monroe‘s last completed film.
Twenty-five plays and four screenplays later,
Miller‘s last award was received May 1, 2002 from
Spain-the Principe de Asturias Prize for Literature as
—the undisputed master of modern drama.“

Blue Devils’ Advocate Campus News Page 7
Students Acquire Animals to Show
By Nicole Alvernaz
Advocate Staff Writer
On Good Friday, during a weekend that brings to
mind newborn animals, Merced College will host its
fifth annual All-Star Lamb and Pig Sale of March 25.
Approximately two to three hundred people will
cluster in the Merced College Animal Science
Pavilion for the sale, buying animals for 4-H and FFA
projects that will be shown in county fairs across the
state. The preview
example last year‘s auction raised about 2,500 dollars
for the Ag department.
Merced College does not own hogs, according to
Farao; —We do feed some hogs once in a while, and
we use them for our Field Day, but we try to borrow
them from producers, because we are not set up for
hogs. We have sheep and cattle, hogs we just get to
show, but we don‘t
begins at 5 p.m. at really produce
the Pavilion in the them.“ All
Agriculture of the hogs at the
Department, and the sale are from other
sale starts at 7 p.m. producers who have
The auction is run been invited to sell
by the Animal their animals. Some
Science Fitting and top consignors who
Showing Class and will sell hogs at the
Merchandising fair include Fresno
Class under the State, WD Swine
leadership of Farm and Small
Animal Science Town Genetics.
Instructor Jamie
Farao.
Approximately 10
Special to the Advocate/MC Ag Department
Perspective buyers discuss the condition of the many animals
prior to auction at the All-Star lamb and pig sale.
Sheep producers
are also invited to
come sell their
Merced College lambs will be auctioned off for lambs. Some major businesses selling lambs include
between 150-250 dollars. The money raised from Triple D Sheep (Dietz Family), Peterson Club Lambs
Merced College‘s lambs will go back into the sheep and Jacobsen Suffolks.
account to help maintain the sheep program. The The auction is held on Good Friday because people
actual amount raised depends on the sale; for come for several other sales during the same
weekend.
Famous Famous Quotations
Quotations
Brands of sheep that will be sold include Hamps,
Suffolks and X-Breds. Hogs that are sold include
York, Hamp, Duroc, Landrace, and X-Breds. Merced
—So foul and fair a day I have College‘s lambs are Hamps, Suffolks or a cross
not seen.“
-From —Macbeth“
between the two. Both breeds are named after the
English cities they originated in.
The Merced College All-Star Lamb and Pig Sale is
William Shakespeare
a great opportunity for 4-H and FFA students to buy
1564 - 1616
quality animals while learning the art of picking the
perfect animal.

Blue Devils’ Advocate Entertainment Page 8
T.I.‘s Urban Legend Delivers
By Jose Gutierrez
Advocate Staff Writer
the same fashion as T.I. addresses
When T.I. released his first
album I‘m Serious in 2001, not
many thought of the success this
young rapper was going to
possess. His second album, Trap
Muzik, proved his incredible skills
were worthy to be among the best.
The album went platinum while
T.I. did time in jail, but rap is his
full-time hustle. His recent album
Urban Legend puts it all on the
Courtesy of Grand Hustle/
Atlantic Records
people who don‘t go out of their way
to help people in the ghetto as he spits
—I‘m tryin‘ to inspire the folks, you
wanna be them, Cause they sell dope,
well man, show ”em the ropes, Be a
father or a football coach, a role
model or a symbol of hope“. The
track shows a mc trying to help what
he has left behind after finding fame.
The album never looses momentum
as his torch is fully lit. Even though
line and T.I. delivers the goods. T.I.‘s lyrics take center stage in every
The album begins with —Tha King“, a track that shows
that T.I. wants to reach everyone he can with his music
when he raps —I‘ll spread out and eliminate whoever‘s
in the way“. Urban Legend proves this point perfectly.
He takes care of anyone who would try and stop him
on —ASAP“ and —U Don‘t Know Me“ with ease over
amazing production. The real glory of this album
comes in tracks about his life and obstacles he has
overcome. —Motivation“ is a perfect example as he
confidently says in the chorus, —All your hating is fuel
for my fire.“ It‘s a great example of rap that gets you
through daily life. —Praying for Help“ also follows in
track, the production in this album is guaranteed to
have your car stereo bumping hard. A perfect
example is —The Greatest“, a boosting track where
Mannie Fresh shows why there‘s no one that can
match his style. The Neptune‘s Pharrel Williams
produced —Freak Though“, which starts as any one
of their current pop hits but the smooth melody
makes it one of a kind. Urban Legend really shows
T.I. knows his worth is not just in the hoods of the
south but in every hood that wants to listen.
OVERALL: SUPERIOR
Campus Talk What is the best April Fool‘s joke you have pulled? By Janet Maravilla
Alan Atkins
At work we put ketchup all over
someone, and put a wooden
splinter right next to them and
made one of the new guys think
that he was actually dead.
Sukhjiven Dhesi My friends and I left a rose
together with a note on my
cousin‘s door step asking her to
meet a supposed secret admirer at
a certain place. She actually
thought she was a secret admierer
and went to meet him.
Genesis Newson
We pretended that
my brother got
kidnapped. It only
worked for thirty
minutes, and boy
were my patrents
mad.
Larry Young
I told my friend that he
was in trouble and that
his parrole officer
needed to see him, so he
went looking for him,
but he was not really in
trouble.

Blue Devils’ Advocate Entertainment Page 9
By Jerry Fieldsted
Advocate Staff Writer
Retro Gaming Revival
Retro games are on a major upswing in popularity Capcom and Midway have also recently agreed with
the last few years, with several game companies these companies to release gamepads featuring their
bringing older game compilations to consoles, classic fighters Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat.
licensing their classic games to other companies to Retro gaming has also become a nifty bonus in
produce stand-alone joysticks jam-packed with modern games. Nintendo has been a major player in
games, and placing retro games inside modern this regard, with Metroid Prime, Animal Crossing and
games as a bonus. Starfox Assault all featuring classic content that can be
The retro gaming trend began when Namco began unlocked through various means. EA Sports and
its Namco
Museum series on
the Playstation. A
few other
companies
released other
compilations
during that time,
but recently they
have really started
to take off. Some
recent examples
of successful retro
Mega Man Anniversary Collection and Super Punch-Out!
releases on the (both from http://www.gamescreenshots.com)
modern-day
consoles include Capcom‘s Mega Man Anniversary
Collection, Midway‘s Arcade Treasures series,
Sega‘s Sonic Mega Collection and Nintendo‘s
Classic NES lineup on the Game Boy Advance.
Other companies are starting to take notice, and
there are more retro packages on the way from
companies like Tecmo, Atari, Sega, Midway and
Capcom.
However, a major reason for retro gaming‘s
upsurge has to be Jakks Pacific‘s TV Games,
Majesco‘s TV Arcade and Radica‘s Play TV lines
of games, which bundle 5 to 13 different games into
a joystick or game pad. They plug directly into a
TV, and only need a few AA or AAA batteries to
work. Sega, Activision, Atari, Namco, Konami and
other companies have lent their classic games like
Sonic the Hedgehog, Frogger, Pac-Man, Space
Invaders and Pitfall, and only cost $19.99 to $24.99.
Nintendo have also collaborated in bringing Super
Punch-Out back in the upcoming Gamecube version
of Fight Night 2005. Lucasarts included the 3 Star
Wars Arcade games into Rogue Squadron III and
Namco has included the first 3 Tekken games in their
recent Tekken 5. Preorders are also a great way for
companies to spread the retro goodness. Midway
released the original Mortal Kombat as a preorder
bonus for the PS2 Mortal Kombat: Deception and
Nintendo released Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Master
Quest as a preorder bonus for Zelda: Wind Waker.
Retro gaming has taken many different ways to
engrain itself back into our gaming lives. By releasing
compilations, separate joysticks stuffed with games or
through bonuses involved with modern games, newer
players can discover the roots of their favorite game
series, and old-school gamers can get a chance to
enjoy classic games of their youth once more.

Blue Devils’ Advocate Entertainment Page 10
TheTime is Now 14:59
By Jessica Dugan
Advocate Staff Writer
Andy Warhol once said that —in the future, everyone
will be famous for 15 minutes.“ There are a few
celebrities that may have abused this limit. Ashlee
Simpson could be a person you know. She‘s a teenager
trying to find her own way in the world without
being in the shadow of an older sister. However,
when this sister is a major pop star, a MTV personality,
the wife of a former member of the boy band 98
Degrees, and didn‘t know that Chicken of the Sea is a
brand of tuna, chances of not being compared are
slim. Ashlee arrived to the media scene with her own
show, on MTV in June 2004. After selling millions
of copies of her CD entitled Autobiography, fans and
regular viewers of the late night show Saturday Night
Live tuned in to watch the youngest Simpson perform
live.
On October 23, Simpson was ready for her second
song of the show, —Autobiography“ after her hit
—Pieces of Me“. There are many excuses as to why
things went wrong this night; Simpson blamed the
band, then acid reflux, then a sore throat. Either way,
what the in-studio audience and home viewers saw
was the drummer playing, the voice of Simpson on
playback, her panicked expression as she reached for
the microphone, then she put it down and started to
do a —hoedown“. The SNL incident labeled her a —lip
syncher“, and the world has yet to forgive, as proven
at the Orange Bowl on January 5.
A crowd of 72,000 was treated to a half-time show
that included Simpson, Kelly Clarkson and Trace
Adkins. Simpson was the last to perform with her
song —La La“. After finishing the words —You make
me want to scream“, fireworks went off and the
crowd started to boo her, with the camera cuts off
from Simpson‘s face as soon as the crowd starts.
Both of these clips can be found on the internet, as
can the latest anti-Ashlee craze: stopashlee.com, an
online petition to stop her from singing, which at this
writing had 350,000 signatures.
Ask any person at random who Ashlee Simpson is
and the answer you‘ll more than likely receive is
—Jessica‘s sister.“ Ask what she is famous for and
you‘ll get the same answer; —Jessica‘s sister.“ Now
comes the important question: Are you a fan or is she
overrated? We asked Merced College students that
question. James Collins comments that —I don‘t like
Courtesy of www.myspace.com
Ashlee Simpson —entertains“ a large
crowd with her famous on stage antics.
her; I‘d still do her though,“ while Barrett
McQuillen says —She‘s overrated“ and that he‘d sign
the online petition. Crystal Mendoza said —I think
she‘s overrated. I think that she‘s in the business
really because her sister‘s in the business and that her
dad‘s their manager so it‘s easy.“
It is the opinion of the general public that perhaps
Miss Simpson has overstepped her spotlight boundary
and that her 15 minutes of fame are just about
over, much to the collective sigh of millions of music
lovers.
Correction: In our February 2005 issue, we
miscorrectly listed the writter of our Editoral on
Page 14. The correct author is Melinda Cornwell.

Blue Devils’ Advocate Entertainment Page 11
Movie Night Raises Hell
By Seth Williams
Advocate Staff Writer
Gods, demons and popcorn, it‘s your average night
at the movies with —Son of the Mask“ and
—Constantine“.
—Son of the Mask“ is a terrible excuse of a movie.
It does not attempt to revive Jim Carrey‘s amazing
role of Stanley Ipkiss with another actor. Instead,
they truly embraced the crapulent nature of this
sequel, stuffing Jamie Kennedy into a role as a
frazzled animator-slash-costumed mascot. Said role
is not only two dimensional, boring, and less
believable than what movie theaters pass off as
—butter“ (Go ahead, ask. They‘ll show you the
ingredients.), but absolutely putrid once he puts on
the titular mask. Here Kennedy attempts, badly, to
imitate Carrey‘s dynamo of perfectly styled green
energy. The result is pathetic at its best. Alan
Cummings‘ role as Loki barely rises above mediocre,
although this is more due to poor scripting than
anything else.
Even worse than the acting is the cinematography.
The sets attempt to be cartoonish in nature, but the
end result is garish and hideously unbelievable. The
CGI effects look dated through the first half of the
movie, and the non-CGI costuming effects look like
cheap Halloween costumes instead of movie
makeup.
In the end, the only part of the movie that won‘t
have you cringing is the heavily CGI-rendered
sequences depicting a rivalry between a maskwearing
dog and a supernaturally gifted baby for
Kennedy‘s attention. These are merely excuses to rip
off jokes from old Warner Brother‘s cartoons œ but in
a movie where everything else feels terribly flat and
trite, at least they manage plagiarism well. There may
be worse movies out there, but most involve singing
purple dinosaurs or chimpanzees that run upper-class
hotels.
FINAL GRADE: ² of five stars
—Constantine“ is a high-octane, noirish comic book
ride through hell and back. Keanu Reeves, well
rested after sleepwalking through the last —Matrix“
movie,
gives a worthy performance as the dying and damned
exorcist John Constantine. In many ways, Reeves
reminds viewers of a young Clint Eastwood. Shia
LaBeouf also puts on an excellent show as Chaz
Kramer, Constantine‘s apprentice (read: cabbie).
While he does function as comic relief, LaBeouf‘s
character is also capable and intelligent, far from the
one-dimensional punk he had to play in —I, Robot“.
Kudos to Francis Lawrence for finding an actor that
fit the role
without
typecasting.
Tilda
Swinson also
makes a
fantastic
appearance as
the half-angel
Keanu Reeves is John Constantine in Gabriel, a
the new high-octane film Constantine.
remarkably
unlikable character from the start. It takes a lot of
talent to make people distrust you from the moment
they lay eyes on you.
While I won‘t ruin the plot here, it‘s a very well
developed bit of comic book action-drama involving
the end of the world and the Spear of Destiny.
Naturally, enough time is given for Constantine to
blow up several demons, visit Hell multiple times,
and even meet with Lucifer himself (who
Constantine refers to as —Lou“) before the world is
saved. It‘s a movie where the whole is greater than
the sum of the parts œ in explaining this film, some
elements may seem cliché or dull, but it‘s packaged
in such a way that you don‘t expect anything ahead
of time while you‘re watching it.
While not anywhere near a masterpiece,
—Constantine“ is a great flick with good acting that
doesn‘t succumb to classic action movie clichés. It‘ll
wash away the nasty taste from the last few
miserable attempts at comic-to-movie conversion…
Elektra, anyone?
FINAL GRADE: Four of five stars

Blue Devils’ Advocate Sports Page 12
Blue Devils Have
Nothing Left to Lose
Janet Maravilla/Advocate
Girls‘ Hopes Fall Short
By Brian McMaster
Advocate Staff Writer
Merced College Women‘s Basketball closed their
season with a gut-wrenchingly close game (58-60) in
the first round of the Northern California Playoffs
against the Sacramento City Panthers, leaving them
with a 13-15 record. This loss was especially surprising
after their rousing success against the Panthers
earlier in the season, 70-51. With the score tied in the
final seconds of the game, Merced‘s defense shattered
as Athena Padilla, a guard for Sac City, dribbled her
way across the court to land the tie breaker with less
than a second remaining. One last shot of hope by
MJC‘s Tonesha Jackson, a full-court throw attempt
which can only be described as the Hail Mary of
basketball, fell too short of the basket to be considered
close, but she definitely deserves a badge of
honor for the attempt. The Devils have been competing
well against some of the top teams in the state,
and if they can pull their defense together next season
they should be able to start winning CVC titles again.
By Brian McMaster
Advocate Staff Writer
While the Merced College Men‘s Basketball team
have been in no way exceptional this season, they
do deserve an honorable mention for holding their
heads high in the face of staggering losses.
The Devils‘ final game of the season against
Reedley was no surprise from their previous
matches, losing the game 97-54. An overall lack of
enthusiasm in the game seems to be the team‘s
biggest problem, which is no surprise since the only
game Merced has managed to win was against the
Monterey Bay Junior Varsity team.
With records for total lowest wins and highest
amount of losses in school history, the Devils (1-23)
can only go up from here next season.
Tobaris Laster of Merced College drives to the
basket in spite of two Reedley defenders.
Advocate Staff Photo
Merced‘s Alma Armendariz, left, passes around a
Taft defender to teammate Amanda Davis, right.

Blue Devils’ Advocate Sports Page13
Devils Off to Good Start
By Brian McMaster
Advocate Staff Writer
With the CVC conference now under way, the Blue
Devils baseball team (2-1 CVC, 10-6 overall) have
every reason to be happy. Coach Chris Pedretti and
the team are continuing to take each game one at a
time and work on problem areas as they happen, but
with a rock-solid defense and good potential among
the team pitchers, there seems to be very little that the
team could complain about.
—We couldn‘t be playing
better,“ player Bryan Durbin
stated after their win over
West Hills, —we‘ve got the
talent to go to playoffs.“
If the West Hills game is
any example of the talent of
Merced‘s baseball team,
there is no reason why they
shouldn‘t. With a four run
lead at the end of the first
Advocate Staff Photo inning and solid playing
throughout the rest of the
game, the Devils had an easy victory over visiting
West Hills with the final score of 12-5. Coach
Pedretti is really happy with his team and expects
many of them to go on to do great things.
Janet Maravilla/Advocate
Top photo: Blue Devil pitcher Donnie Boyett
recorded six strikeouts in four innings in a 12-7
victory over Lassen College. Left photo: Andrew
Robinson came in as a relief pitcher in Merced
College‘s 9-1 victory over Ohlone College.
She-Devils Stick Fork
in Fresno City Rams
The Merced College Women‘s softball team
played a lot better than a .500 team, much to the
dismay of the Fresno City College Rams. The
Devils (2-1, 4-4) pounded the Rams (0-3, 2-6) in
Merced‘s Central Valley Conference home opener
9-1. Nicky Brown took the mound for the Devils
and threw a 5 hitter that included 4 strike outs and
two walks. Merced collected 10 hits against the
tough Fresno City squad. Blue Devil shortstop
Sheena Fuson went 2-4, including a two-run triple
in the third inning.
Merced‘s Lois Kirk rounds second base in a game
against the Fresno City College Rams.
Janet Maravilla/Advocate

Blue Devils’ Advocate Opinion Page 14
My View
The Truth about
Cinco de Mayo
When someone mentions Cinco de Mayo (May 5),
what pops up into people‘s minds? Cheap sales in
stores, time to drink beer in order to celebrate it, and
some people think it is Mexico‘s Independence Day.
However, the truth is that it is a special day in
Mexico‘s history, but it is not their Independence
Day.
According to http://www.nacnet.org/assunta/
spa5may.htm, after the war between Mexico and the
United States there was a debt of fifteen million
dollars, that Mexico had to pay the U.S. In order to
pay that debt, Mexico decided to cut off every
payment to other countries for two years. Those
countries (Spain, England, and France) decided to
invade Mexico to collect their debts, but the
intentions of Napoleon III, the monarch of France,
was not to collect the debts. He instead wanted to
invade Mexico and establish a monarchic
government.
After the European troops landed in Veracruz,
Mexico, Spain and England discovered Napoleon‘s
plans (by April 11, 1862) and decided to stop their
actions against Mexico and withdrew their troops.
When the 7000 French reinforcements came,
Mexican president Benito Juarez decided to confuse
the French by creating a welcoming illusion and told
them to go to Mexico City. Juarez indicated General
Ignacio Zaragoza to take 2000 men and head to the
hills of Loreto and Guadalupe in Puebla and stop the
advance of the French troops. By May 5, the battle
started, and by the time it was over, more than 1000
French soldiers were dead. Mexico won the battle
that would lead to overthrowing the anarchy settled
in Mexico for three years.
Now that you have read this editorial, I hope every
one remembers the truth about Cinco de Mayo, a
celebration to commemorate the brave soldiers who
fought a battle for their independence, instead of the
cheap sales and as a time to drink.
This editorial was written by Carlos G. Simon,
Graphic Designer of the Blue Devils‘ Advocate
Soliciting your
Opinions to Print
The Blue Devils‘Advocate, like newspapers
around the world, solicit input and opinions from
their readers. The Advocate is asking readers who
have something to say on any topic relevant to
Merced College to submit an editorial of no more
than 350 words. Editorials must be typed, double
spaced, and contain your name and phone number.
The Advocate will edit for length and content and
not everyone will have their editorials used.
The Blue Devils‘Advocate publishes four times
a semester and has only one Opinion page per
issue to present a viewpoint. So only the best
written editorial will be used. Bring your submission
to Art 3 on Tuesday from 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
or on Thursday from 2:30 p.m. œ 5:00 p.m, or you
can e-mail your submission to
advocate@mccd.edu.
Students, staff and faculty: get involved with
your school and let your voice be heard. The
Advocate needs your opinions.
The Fine Print
Blue Devils‘Advocate is published monthly by the students of
Journalism 32. All material published in the Blue Devils‘Advocate
is copyrighted and the copyright ownership rests with the writer
or photographer. Opinions and advice included in news columns
and editorials do not necessarily represent the views of staff,
advisors, administration, or trustees of Merced College. Letters to
the editor are welcome and should be sent to: Blue Devils‘Advocate,
Box 258, Merced College, 3600 M Street, Merced, CA 95348-
2898. All letters will be edited for length and libel and must be
signed with the author‘s real name and phone number for verification
before publication.

Blue Devils’ Advocate Campus News Page 15
Reed named March Student of the Month
Emily Reed has been chosen as the March Student
of the Month at Merced College. Reed demonstrates
a high level of motivation and enthusiasm for school.
She is majoring in Biological Sciences and is
considering becoming a Doctor of Veterinary
Medicine. She manages to maintain a 4.0 GPA while
taking rigorous courses such as chemistry, botany,
and zoology along with a variety of other transferable
classes. Reed‘s excitement for the sciences began
when she took biology with Dr. Carmen Rexach.
Reed says that, —biology was so neat because there
was so much to learn...“
Carl Estrella, the Science Professor who nominated
Reed, states that —she has helped our class to see and
experience the fun part of taking a course and she
demonstrated on a daily basis the intense joy and
appreciation she had for school and the courses she
was taking.“
Emily has volunteered to help students in the
zoology lab a year after taking the courses so that she
could review the material and help others. Emily is
currently Vice President of the Premedical Club. This
experience has given her insight
to the many health professions
that are possible. Dr. Rexach,
Premedical Club Advisor notes
that Emily is hardworking and
focused. She states that,
—although Emily is quiet, she is
very observant and is keenly
aware of the needs of those
Reed around her, students who
consider —giving up“ in school
stated that messages from Emily encouraged them to
continue.“
Reed‘s talents are not limited to academics, she has
played piano and violin for 11 years. She has been
awarded multiple honors in community events for
her music and has also performed with the Merced
Symphony Orchestra.
—I‘m glad to have experienced the smaller class
sizes and more personal interactions that Merced
College affords“ states Reed.
Student of the Month is provided by the
Merced College Faculty Senate Committee

Blue Devils’ Advocate The Last Word Page 16
Advocate Staff Photo
Proud to show their Blue Devil spirit œ Dressed in wild clothing and loudly voicing their support
of the Men‘s Blue Devils basketball team, this highly vocal group of energetic supporters brought some much needed
enthusiasm and smiles to the fans who attended the recent Reedley game at Merced College. Whether it was rooting on
their favorite basketball team or giving the referees a hard time, this fun-loving group was a very welcome inspiration of
school spirit to witness.
March Campus Calendar
DA DATE DA DA TE EV EVENT EV EVENT
ENT ENT
LOC LOCATION OC OCATION
OC TION
TIME
TIME
Mar 15 Baseball Vs. Sequoias Baseball Diamond 2:00 p.m.
Mar 15 Softball Vs. Taft Softball Diamond 1:00 p.m. (DH)
Mar 18 Concert Band Theater 8 p.m.
Mar 25 - Apr 3 Spring Break
Apr 2 Baseball Vs. Taft Baseball Diamond 1:00 p.m.
Apr 4 - Apr 28 Chella, Paintings Art Gallery 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.
Apr 22 - Apr 24 How to Succeed in Business... Theater