An “Open College” proposal by City College’s General Assembly has been approved for the summer and will offer free lectures, workshops, labs, food and open discussions.

The event will be on three days, June 2, July 14 and Aug. 4, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Science Building on Ocean campus. Student sign-up and outreach is set to begin soon on Rams Plaza.

“We have had an overwhelmingly positive response from faculty,” General Assembly student member Felix Cabrera said. “Teachers are eager to teach the subjects they love, students are willing to learn, and everyone sees the positive and powerful statements that can come out of an event such as this.”

Lectures will also be given about the education budget deficit and how to fight it.

“The budget is really what is determining our future,” Leslie Smith, associate vice chancellor of governmental relations, said. “They will be talking about advocacy in terms of student empowerment and how to make changes to the education system.”

“It’s the first time summer school was canceled in over 30 years and I think people felt the need to keep in touch with the school over the summer,” Smith said. “The idea really resonated with folks.”

Cabrera, whose role is to focus on outreach and follow-up for the event, said almost everyone the General Assembly has talked to has agreed to help in some capacity.

“We have contacted teachers, administrators and unions to ensure the possibility of the event,” Cabrera said. “Once we get a teacher who is interested we need to make sure they stay informed of the developments as they happen.”

While the Open College will provide free courses in various subjects, students will not receive credits for the classes they attend.

“The teachers are going to be working for free, with no obligation other than the love of teaching,” Cabrera said. “I kind of like to think of this as an event like a concert where people come because they really want to, not because they have to.”

Katryn Wiese, earth sciences department chair will be helping students organize events and will teach a workshop at Open College. Education is valuable whether it’s formally structured or not, she said.

“I’m supportive of any opportunity to reach out to the community and provide open educational workshops and experiences,” Wiese said. “We will demonstrate that our education lies in our own hands — that we don’t have to let our education stop simply because the formal piece, credit, pay, etc., isn’t available.”

The General Assembly, as well as other supporters of Open College, are hoping the event will make a widespread political statement about the state of education in California, and enable collaboration between students and faculty.

For more information visit www.ccsfagainstthecuts.org or write to ccsf.generalassembly@gmail.com.

Sports reporter Matias Godinez (left) and Operation Manager Assistant Jerry Weatherford debate baseball teams during The Red Zone commercial break on May 7. RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

City College’s radio station, KCSF 90.9 FM, held its first live remote broadcast in 30 years of operation on May 7.

Students who normally work for the station in the Ocean campus Arts Extension building broadcast their programs from Ram Plaza.

The event was held to promote the station and raise student awareness of it.

“A lot of people here don’t even know we have a station,” KCSF Executive Assistant Jerry Weatherford said.

KCSF is an entirely student-run FM station that provides hands-on experience in programming and operating a modern radio station. The staff of KCSF is comprised of students from three overlapping broadcast classes that meet together twice a week — radio management skills, radio production and radio news and public affairs.

As General Manager of KCSF, Cecil Hale shares his broad industry experience — including employment as a radio DJ, station manager and Capitol Records executive — with students.

“The main objective of KCSF is to train people to understand radio,” Hale said. “To equip them so they can go out and be employed.”

Hale has worked with the station for 20 years and played a major role in transforming KCSF into a state-of-the-art facility when it updated to an all digital format three years ago. He provides students with guidance and an environment that encourages professional growth and teamwork skills, but otherwise he stays out of the way.

“Dr. Hale let us think for ourselves as a radio station,” KCSF Operations Manager Angelica Nevarez said. “He lets us provide our own content and we work from there.”

Nevarez came to City College in fall 2007. She took several broadcasting classes, and by the next year, she was part of a team that strives to run KCSF as a commercial radio station.

“KCSF was previously just known to be a class where students come in, do their air shifts and leave,” Nevarez said. “Now we think outside of the box and we’re trying to be bigger.”

There is a broad range of programming on KCSF including “Dead Air,” a news-based comedy program; “Urban Update,” a show that couples local and international news with spiritual and relationship advice; “Dispatches from the Underground,” a music show that promotes local bands; and “The Red Zone,” a City College sports broadcast.

“We have more students than we’ve ever had, it’s grown,” Hale said.

Last Fall, KCSF held a food drive for the San Francisco Food Bank, an organization which delivers food to about 400 nonprofit organizations in the city. They collected over 200 pounds of food.

“KCSF is here to speak for the people and give back to the community,” Nevarez said.
The station is currently working closely with local businesses and companies such as the San Francisco Giants, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and 2b1 Multimedia to receive promotional items and funds.

The San Francisco Giants provided a Tim Lincecum bobblehead as a raffle prize at the live broadcast event, along with CDs and DVDs as giveaways.

A new KCSF station in the Mission campus is on its way. With brand new equipment, the staff of the Ocean campus will eventually merge with the sister campus and work closely to promote the station.

“Once Dr. Hale gives us the OK, we’re going to work closely with them and show them what we know,” Nevarez said.

KCSF will be holding a talent show contest on May 14, 2010 in the Ocean campus cafeteria. Any special talent is welcome. There will be live bands and performances by other talents from the KCSF staff and City College students.

KCSF can be heard on 90.9 FM and streams on-line through the campus website, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

In these difficult economic times, everyone is tightening their budgets, including City College.

The monthly financial report, which was delivered at the April 29 board of trustees meeting, brought grim news of City College’s current budget. Peter Goldstein, vice chancellor of administration and finance said there are still more hardships ahead.

“It will be an extremely difficult year,” he said about the 2010-11 fiscal year.
In addition, the college will have to wait until mid-May for the governor’s May budget revision to determine the severity of the shortfall.

“Both the best and worst case scenarios have shortfalls, with the best case being $4 million and the worst $12 million,” Goldstein said.

City College could stand to lose even more money if base enrollment is not met.

The base enrollment is the minimum number of full-time credit students needed per semester. For City College, it means approximately 36,000 students. If the college does not meet the base enrollment, it could stand to lose millions of dollars.

“Part of our budget strategy for next year requires us to add money for adding more classes both during the fall and spring and the summer,” Goldstein said on building enrollment.

Chancellor Don Griffin said it is important to add more classes next year despite the financial situation City College is in.

“The reason we have to add classes is because this year we are under base,” Griffin said. “And if we don’t add classes next year, we’re going to lose even more money.”

To save money during the 2009-10 fiscal year, the college eliminated summer school, cut classes and reduced the operating hours for student services.

Over the last 24 months, City College has struggled to come up with $26 million for both the 2008-09 and 2009-10 fiscal years, Griffin said. He added that the college could be looking at a $7 million shortfall each year if conditions don’t improve.

Trustee Chris Jackson said the college needs to look at all avenues for revenue, including a parcel tax.

The college also began a campaign to solicit donations to help save classes that have been eliminated, or are on the chopping block. A contest was also started asking for ideas on how to save the college money.

“This situation can’t go on,” Jackson said. “We can’t continue to do more with less money.”

Abdullah Althaman 11 and 1do 2 play together in front of the Dish Dash restaraunt during Palestiain Childrens Relief Fund dinner in Sunnyvale, Calif. on April 18, 2008 ROBERT ROMANO / THE GUARDSMAN

The United States are currently involved in two official wars: Afghanistan and Iraq – and we have helped to completely destroy these countries.

We wag a finger at the Iranian government about human rights abuses and fear it may have nuclear weapons. At the same time, we turn a blind eye to Israel — an undeclared nuclear state — as its government commits systematic genocide against the Palestinian people.

In the U.S. we have department of Homeland Security to protect us. Why can’t our administration protect the innocent victims of our collateral damage?

We should have a department of collateral damages that is funded by the government and run by civilians. Right now, these victims of our wars have to rely on independent organizations to clean up our mess.

One such organization is the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, a U.S. nonprofit organization that helps victims of conflict by identifying children in medical need and arranging free care for them in countries with the necessary infrastructure.

Berkeley resident Rana Tomaira began assisting the PCRF when she traveled with her family to Jordan. After receiving an e-mail asking for help, she obtained a visa for an Iraqi boy attempting to enter the U.S through Jordan. Post-9/11 law requires two visas for such travels — one to enter Jordan through Iraq and another one to enter the United States.

Tomaira has established a system that continues to facilitate visas via email and fax, which she started with the help of the Civil Affairs Liaison Team in Jordan, a branch of the military set up as an intermediary between U.S. armed forces and civilians.

The CALT office in Jordan, however, was only opened as a public relations stunt, and it was promptly closed when the Bush administration became uninterested in the public’s opinion about the war.

The Obama administration seems to feel the same way when it comes to public opinion about conflict with Afghanistan.

Tomaira managed to rescue seven children and got them the medical attention they needed. She acted as a visa-facilitator, translator, shuttle driver and took care of the children’s basic needs.

Her family also hosted PCRF-sponsored Ahmed Ali Hani, now 16, from Sept. — Nov. 2008. He had lost his leg in a Baghdad suicide bombing that killed his father and 300 others.

When he came to the United States, Al Hani was outfitted with an prosthetic leg by Tony le France and a team of orthopedists and prosthetic specialists at Laurence Orthopedic. All costs, including the $16,000 procedure, were covered by donations.

The American government should be required  to provide medical assistance to non-combatants. A first step would be to stop using the euphemism collateral damage to lessen our degree of responsibility.

“Is it not our duty as humans to help our blood children be healthy, positive loving adults? And our duty as humans to help all children wherever they may be in the world?” said Nuha Shuman, a former PCRF host-mother. “For now, thankfully, we rely on those in the PCRF and other organizations to quietly assume the burden of the world’s wars.”

We are told that civilian death is unfortunate, but collateral damage is the price we pay for freedom. Part of paying the price is taking responsibility and helping innocent victims of war.

Besides, the word collateral damage is a euphemism that dehumanizes and makes people easier to kill.

One surefire way to protect children is not to go to war in the first place.

Nate Payne, District 6 candidate. RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

City College graphic design student Nate Payne is trying to turn his vision of a new and improved District 6 into legislative reality by running for City Supervisor in the upcoming election. He is seeking to replace Chris Daly who has reached his term limit as a supervisor.

“I’d like to make this a self-made district where we don’t have to rely on corporations to make the city,” Payne said. “We can use local business and community involvement.”

Payne’s life story is a familiar one in the Bay Area. He was born in the Philippines but moved to San Francisco when he was four years old, and has lived here ever since.

“I’m a native of SF for 28 years. I’ve been here through the earthquakes, the dot-com bust … I’ve been here through everything.”

A father of three, Payne says that his candidacy is about making the city safer and stronger for his own daughters.

“I believe it starts with the children, with us educating our children and volunteering our time to motivate these kids to stay out of trouble,” he said. “I emphasize children a lot because they are our future and they’re going to be running the streets of SF soon, and hopefully City Hall as well.”

He says that his political philosophy is based on the words of former city Supervisor Harvey Milk, “The American dream starts with the neighborhood.”

“I’m just a person,” he said. “But I’m a person with a dream and I follow my dreams. I’m about making things happen.”

Payne’s candidacy is based on a three-part platform: safe neighborhoods, controlled public spending and housing programs.

“Something we need to do to save money in our districts, instead of hiring all of these cops to the patrol the streets, is to work together as a community to watch our neighborhood,” Payne said. “For us to improve District 6 and the city of San Francisco, it starts with improving ourselves.”

Payne also wants to bring green businesses, like solar power companies, to District 6 to create new jobs and encourage the production of clean energy.

Payne says his philosophy of personal responsibility is an integral part of his plan for fostering community growth and cooperation in District 6 to combat the unique issues its residents face.

In an effort to establish his credibility with voters early on, Payne has refused to accept any public funding to offset his campaign costs.

“I’m opposed to matching funds,” he said. “I’d rather use that money to help out other students.”

Payne views his rejection of public money as a matter of integrity.

“I decline to be a part of the problem when I can be a part of the solution,” he said. “It shows strength that I don’t have to take money from the city, because if you do, it shows that you could take money from lobbyists or anyone else once in office.”

Payne isn’t afraid to suggest sweeping policy initiatives in his quest for solutions to social problems facing the state and his district, including childhood obesity.

One of the policies Payne has already begun researching and considering is a punitive tax on sugar and high fructose corn syrup, which he believes will positively impact City revenue and obesity rates, particularly among children.

“When it comes to my district, there’s a lot of talk about narcotics, but sugar, that’s the other white powder that kills people,” he said. “There are more people who die from sugar and diabetes than from overdosing on cocaine or narcotics.”

He says that he supports removing high-sugar foods and beverages from public schools and encouraging better nutrition among San Francisco youth.

“If you look at the prison system, their food nutrition is higher than what they’re serving the kids in school,” Payne said. “Better nutrition is one step on the right path towards producing future law-abiding citizens who will definitely give back to the community.”

Payne is confident that by addressing the issues facing children and young people early on, it will remove the need to address destructive behavior later.

“We need kids to understand and learn how to operate a small business, instead of seeing these young children selling weed and crack or cocaine which have been plaguing South of Market for years — the TL for years — and like I said, it starts with children.”

Payne is looking for volunteers to help with all aspects of his campaign. He can be contacted through his campaign website: www.votenate2010.com

Former City College student April Martin Chartrand decided she needed to leave a legacy in April 2009.

She had been sharing her poetry among friends and co-workers and getting positive responses, a feat that surprised her considering she’d never taken an English class beyond what was required for the B.A. she received in Creative Arts from San Francisco State University. Her dyslexia adds to her challenges with writing.

A self-described “perfectionist to a fault,” she decided to use all of her talents to complete a project that was 20 years in the making. She used over 70 poems she had written over the years as well as her own illustrations. The finished product is “Angel’s Destiny,” a book of poems written in the style of a novel with the end of each chapter leading to a new step in a spiritual journey.

The four chapters of poetry — Illusions, Anger, Awareness, and Love — press forward to an eventual state of healing, a state Chartrand hopes each reader will find within themselves.

The subject matter was born from an abusive marriage that Chartrand left in 1993. The poems she wrote helped her own healing process.

Her poetry is influenced by Eastern philosophies as well as the violence she experienced in her life and the lives of those she has helped along the way.

“Of course it was cathartic,” Chartrand said. “And of course it was painful. When you’re writing about your life and illusions and anger, you think about it a lot.”

When it came time to publish her finished work Chartrand took conventional steps, sending out queries and manuscripts, but in her mind she knew she was going to self-publish so she could maintain  artistic control.

“Poetry is the step-child of the publishing world and does not sell well unless you are a big name like Alice Walker or a newly selected poet laureate,” she said.

Also, a writer who includes their own original illustrations can often hurt marketing a new author.

In the end, she chose to self-publish her book through the website CreateSpace; a decision she has not regretted.

“I basically am a quick learner,” Chartrand said. “I did all the formatting, designed the cover, everything.”

Chartrand relished the underdog role. It gave her a chance to learn for herself. She took classes on web design and even “dated some ‘techie’ guys” to help her out. She put on her own book reading at the San Francisco Main Library in April and sent out over 100 press releases. Her goals are to be a guest on a few shows and hopefully get some good reviews.

She took a chance  publishing her own work, “to bypass the gatekeepers,” she said. Although she has many influences, her real inspiration comes from within.

“I want to be what my experience has taught me,” she said. “I want to explore who I am, where I come from. New stories need to be told. People need to be able to tell them.”

San Francisco firefighters douse a small blaze at the Ocean campus Lunch Box on May 6. ALEX EMSLIE / THE GUARDSMAN

City College police officers responded to reports of shots fired at the Ocean Campus Lunch Box restaurant on May 6 and discovered that the source of the noise was not a gun, but an unlicensed fireworks display on the roof which resulted in a small fire.

Firefighters quickly doused the flames, but police evacuated the area and Cloud Circle was closed off when firefighters found an pyrotechnic device on the roof of the Lunch Box. CCPD chief Andre Barns said the incident is being investigated as arson by the city police and fire departments as well as City College police.

“This was not just a normal fireworks display. It was very large,” a City College police officer who declined to state his name because he was not authorized to speak said. “Now it’s looking like it was absolutely something that was set up.”

City College officers called the San Francisco fire and police departments when they realized there was a fire.

The Bomb Squad was called in to determine whether or not the device, which started the fire and may have been a triggering mechanism for the fireworks, was still a danger. Two K-9 units were brought in to search the perimeter around the restaurant for more explosives, but found nothing.

“At first, I thought someone threw a grenade up here,” Lunch Box employee Baline Wong said. The restaurant reopened briefly before police shut it down and deemed it a crime scene.

“There was hella fireworks. It was pretty dope though,” City College student Brock Smith said. “All we heard was a loud bang and we looked up and it was fireworks.”

Several officers on scene said because of the size and complexity of the pyrotechnics, they had to have been set up in advance.

“Why would someone spend this kind of money on something like this?” CCPD officer Rachele Hakes said.

Footage from security cameras contained no evidence, Hakes said. Police officials did not release any specific description of the device arson investigators took from the scene.

“This wasn’t kids,” Hakes said. “This was professional fireworks.”

Lunch Box employees told police that they have not had any altercations or arguments with customers that would encourage retaliation.

Despite repeated attempts, representatives from the San Francisco fire and police departments refused to comment.

By Alex Emslie
The Guardsman

(L-R) Landon Boren, Jasmin William, Mario Canul, Dan Bragss, Dan Sudran and Luis Gallardo (front right) experiment with fire and oxygen at the Mission Science Workshop on May 10. The City of San Francisco plans cut funding to the workshop and some other youth-service programs. ROBERT ROMANO / THE GUARDSMAN

The mayor’s scramble to close San Francisco’s $483 million projected deficit hit home for many youth-serving community organizations with the recent cuts to the Department of Youth, Children and Their Families budget.

Many nonprofits dependent on DCYF allocations to stay afloat were not awarded any grants. That’s the situation the Mission Science Workshop — a hands-on science program with City College roots — is in today.

“The Mission Science situation is critical in that, without the DCYF funding, they might shut their doors,” said Kathleen White, chair of City College’s child development and family studies department, a Mission Science Workshop partner.

Dan Sudran, the workshop’s founder, said he expected some level of cuts to public funding of his program, but he didn’t expect to lose half his budget — the yearly $120,000 the workshop receives from DCYF. The rest of the workshop’s funding comes from private donations and grants.

Beginning June 30, the end of San Francisco’s current fiscal year, many child- and youth-serving community-based organizations will see city funding drastically reduced or eliminated if the current budget is approved. These programs provide a wide range of services to San Francisco children and their families, like violence prevention, mentoring, job training and educational support.

“We’ve always really thrived in San Francisco,” Sudran said. “This is the first time we’ve ever really got a blow on the head, which is what it feels like.”

DCYF cuts

The DCYF website states that $20 million was available to award for the next fiscal year, but requests for funding totaled approximately $72 million.

“In terms of funding, we literally don’t have the money,” DCYF Director Maria Su told the city Board of Supervisors budget committee on April 28. “We’re looking at an $11 million reduction to our budget.”

Supervisors David Campos, Ross Mirkarimi, and budget committee chair John Avalos agreed the cuts to the DCYF budget were unreasonable, and that the department should be exempt from the mayor’s request that all city departments submit a 20 percent budget reduction for next year.

The mayor must submit next year’s budget to the board by June 1 and then approve a final budget by July 30.

“A lot of people in this room did not get what they requested in our Requests for Proposals process, and there are a lot of people in this room who provide high quality programs,” Su said to the committee chamber packed with community-based organization representatives waiting to testify about cuts to their program. “We just ran out of money.”

She defended the DCYF decision-making process, which uses an assessment of social and economic factors concerning San Francisco youth by neighborhood to choose the amount of money awarded to programs, stressing the need to maintain the quality of the programs that will be funded.

“It made no sense for us to give everyone $20,000 grants,” she said.
But Sudran said being completely dropped by the city would hurt his ability to acquire private funding.

“Our feeling is that even if it was a small amount, it could make a huge difference,” he said. “It’s kind of embarrassing when you go to a corporation or a private foundation and they want to know how sustainable you are and you can’t even say that the city is supporting you. In fact, if they look into it, they can see that the city actually dropped you like a ton of bricks, like you were infected or something.”

The Mission Science Workshop’s staff of three serves about 3,000 children yearly, mostly from Mission district schools belonging to San Francisco Unified School District — 2.5 times the service requirement set by the DCYF.

“They’re so into quality controls and performance standards,” Sudran said. “Then when you not only comply with them all but you actually overperform, this is what you get?”

Early activation

There is a social justice aspect to providing early activation in science learning to children, White said.

“One critical issue is that we have an achievement gap in science,” she said. “In many low-income areas in San Francisco — the Mission being one of them — our kids don’t do as well in science.”

California ranked second lowest of all states on eighth grade science achievement, only above Mississippi, according to a 2005 National Center for Education Statistics assessment.

A 2007 UC Berkeley study titled “The Status of Science Education in Bay Area Elementary Schools” described early activation in scientific curiosity as a crucial aspect to improving California’s low science performance rate.

“They’ve sort of determined that the crucial age for getting people interested in science is between 5 and 12 years old,” Sudran said. “If you haven’t done it by then, it’s a really low probability that you’re ever really going to be able to do it.”

White said the social benefit of housing a hands-on science center in a neighborhood where science achievement has been historically low is “kind of a no brainer.”

“I understand from a developmental point of view that all children should be scientists and they begin to be scientists as soon as they start talking,” she said. “They ask questions about the natural world and the order of things, and that kind of curiosity should be fostered. That’s very related to learning, and learning is very related to success.”

Facing extensive cuts within their department and a much greater need due to the recession, the DCYF is facing a “perfect storm” of economic conditions, White said.

“You have less money, more need and fewer people to get the money out,” she said. “It’s really just this process, and if the process isn’t fully supported, it’s destined to be problematic.”

Worst case scenarios

San Francisco’s budget is not yet finalized, and there is still a possibility that money could be added back into the DCYF budget. Supervisors Bevin Dufty, David Campos and Sophie Maxwell introduced a resolution requesting the city controller’s office to conduct a review of DCYF’s award decisions to present to the board in time to adjust the 2010-11 budget.

“Some of the choices that are embedded in this proposal are not only wrong, but I actually think they’re dangerous because they leave communities with high levels of need without programs that are not only good programs, but are actually vital to the health and safety of those neighborhoods,” Campos said.

While “add-backs” to the DCYF resulting in some restoration of funding would help the Mission Science Workshop and other youth-serving non-profits, the budget maneuver only covers next year. DCYF grant awards cover the next three years.  Even with some add-backs, community based organizations would have no guarantee of funding for 2011-12, when the city’s budget deficit is projected to top $750 million, or for the following year.

Meanwhile, Sudran splits his time between doing what he loves, teaching science to kids in the Mission, and advocating for funding for his program. He is also actively planning for additional community science workshops in California through a grant from the S. D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation.

The worst case scenario is if the current budget passes, he said, meaning no add-backs or restoration of funding, and the workshop would be cut off from city funding for the next three years.

“We would figure out how to continue,” Sudran said. “I don’t think I could imagine ditching the program.”

Sudran said he would be left with the option of firing the workshop’s two employees and running it himself, serving less than one third of the children he does now, or forgoing his own salary and benefits and registering for social security and medicare to support himself. Or a private donor could cover the loss.

“Crisis can be opportunity,” Sudran said. “We’ve exponentially increased our amount of outreach because of this crisis. All kinds of people are finding out about us that didn’t know, including a number of supervisors who didn’t know about this program. Now they do, or they’re going to know. The mayor is for sure going to know.”

Second Life resident Caitsu Manga flies a kite in th fields outside of Zero Style Hair. Second Life is a virtual world where users can create a persona all their own while interacting with other players. JESSICA LUTHI / THE GUARDSMAN

Watching Life 2.0, a documentary about the virtual reality sensation Second Life, was an entertaining thrill, emotionally insightful and satisfyingly voyeuristic.

The juxtaposition of the real and “imaginary” lives of four heavy Second Life users was fascinating. Watching the film was like taking an imaginary vacation to some other planet, with a complete society including beaches and dance clubs, fashion and real estate, friends and strangers. The graphics were very utopian, with clean lines and computer generated images. It was basically a binge of collective imaginations.

Life is much easier in Second Life than it is in the physical world. For instance, while dating in Second Life, a woman gets upset because the private beach won’t allow them to fly.

After this couple failed to make a real-life relationship work, the man speculated that if they hadn’t ventured out of Second Life, they would “have a nice house in Second Life somewhere with lots of friends,” and would probably be still together, emotionally if not physically.

One of the subjects in the film is the fashionable avatar, Asri Falcone, who designs high-end skin, fashion, and housing products for Second Life denizens.

In stark contrast to her avatar, the camera pulls back to reveal the real-life Falcone, snoring in her unkempt bed before her alarm goes off at 6 p.m. All of the subjects in the documentary seem to spend most of their nights staring into a computer.

Living your life as an avatar is like the ultimate in plastic surgery.

In reality Asri Falcone is pretty, but she’s overweight, lives in her pajamas and chain-smokes. She also lives in her parents’ Detroit basement.

Falcone says she earns well into “six figures” by selling her products, but I wonder if that includes decimal points or is in game dollars, since about 250 Second Life dollars is equal to one US dollar. She lives with her parents because they’ve all had some health problems and her mother is an excellent cook specializing in soul food and fried chicken.

Filmmaker Jason Spingarn-Koff also follows a young man strangely obsessed with building a Second Life persona of an 11-year-old girl. At one point this avatar spends time as a suicide bomber and eventually plans her own death.

The documentary doesn’t judge whether ultimately Second Life, is healthy or non-healthy but it definitely has the power to take over people’s lives. For all of the individuals profiled, their Second Life experience was almost more important and more “real” than their physical surroundings.

One of the founders of Linden Labs, the San Francisco-based company that created Second Life, said one of the biggest differences between the virtual world and first life is that you can’t physically hurt someone or be hurt.

The film is not an encyclopedic expose of how to use the tools in Second Life. For me, the virtual experience of the movie was enough to know about what goes on in this “new reality.” And I’m satisfied that I’m not missing out on anything.

(L-R) City College sophomores Wendy Zhu and Michelle Wu face Skyline's Rachel Bernia and Nour Abudamus in their first-round doubles match during the Northern California Badminton Finals, May 8 at the Wellness Center. ROBERT ROMANO / THE GUARDSMAN

For the second season in a row, the Northern California Women’s Badminton Finals were a formality for the most dominant program at City College this year.

The undefeated Rams aim to make history in Pasadena by capturing their first ever state championship, a feat that has never been accomplished by any Northern California school.

The Rams, who were the host team for this year’s NorCal Finals, held at the Wellness Center on May 8, were able to secure #1 seeds for both doubles and singles. They will send a total of six players to Pasadena City College, the site of this year’s State Championships.

After the matches were over, Fred Glosser and Coni Staff, the teams co-head coaches, were all smiles inside the Wellness Center.

“I’m very pleased with today’s results,” Staff said. “I feel that we have put ourselves in the best possible position to win at state. I think we consider ourselves the favorite to win it all, and rightfully so.”

It would be hard to argue with Staff’s assessment, as the Rams began the season loaded with experience players. As state runner-up last season, they fell just short to host Irvine Valley College, a team that boasted four Olympic trained badminton players. This year, the playing field will be much more even, Staff said.

The Rams will compete in the State Finals which begin on May 13. The individual player competitions will then take place that weekend, May 15 – 16.

“It’s going to be between us and Pasadena this year for the team championship,” Staff said. “While we haven’t seen their number one player, a coach has told us that we match up with them very well strategically.”

Strategy aside, City College’s best weapons may be their sophomores, five of whom were at Pasadena last year.

“They’ve all been there, they know what to expect,” Glosser said of his team following the NorCal finals, adding that he persuaded sophomore Maggie Choy to return for her second season after a four year hiatus from badminton, with the hopes of winning a state title before he retired.

Choy last played for the Rams in 2006, before leaving City College until this season. Despite that much time away, she stepped in nicely as the Rams’ number one player in both singles and doubles.

“Coach Glosser wanted to form a good women’s team this year, and win a state championship,” Choy said in regards to her returning. For Choy, she couldn’t have made a better decision.

“This year was just so fun,” she said. “We have all known each other for a long time on the team, and we have such great coaches, so I am happy to be back.”

“Maggie sets a great example and a great work ethic for the rest of the team,” Staff said. She also praised the work of sophomore Wendy Zhu, who is seeded #2 for State, and was the number two singles player all season.

“Wendy is always the first to practice and the last to leave,” Staff said. “She is a huge reason why this team is so disciplined and so well conditioned this year.”

Having seen her team come up just short last year, Zhu is yet another battle-tested player the Rams have at their disposal.

“I think we have an even better chance this year,” Zhu said. “We’ve all been through tournaments before, and have been on out there on the court before, so experience definitely helps.”