PCC Courier, May 12, 2011

For exclusive stories and photos check out the Courier on the web at PccCourier.com Finals-bound Track and Field team takes its talents to the next level. Page 8» Thursday, May 12, 2011 To the Batmobile! Amber Lu/Courier The 1966-67 Batman television series "Batmobile" is seen in the Bone Yard parking lot, above, located across from the auto¬ motive technology room. Automotive major James Desimone, below, has been rebuilding the replica for three months. Rebuilding a ch Student replicates the '60s classic "Batmobile" Neil Protacio Staff Writer When PCC student James Desimone was through mak¬ ing G.I. Joe's and model planes as a toy manufacturer, he took on a project of a much larger scale: the Batmobile. "The Batmobile is the most recognizable car," Desimone, 60, said. "My father bought a television in 66' and Batman was the first show I saw in color. I still get chills thinking about it." His Batmobile, a 60s televi¬ sion model replica, recently visited PCC's Automotive Department where students got to work on its air condi¬ tioning unit. "A lot of people see this and go crazy," Desimone said of people's reactions. "But I tell them, 'wait till you see when it's finished.'" A project still in the mak¬ ing, the model brought in to the automotive department was actually Desimone's sec¬ ond. ildhood "I sold the first Batmobile that I made," Desimone said. "When the economy got bad, I had to sell the first one to save the house." Saddened by a sale to a buyer in New York - a person that Desimone to this day still keeps in contact with - Desimone's 20-year-old son, who is in the Naval Academy, gave him money to buy a new car so that he could rebuild himself a new Batmobile. The current model, a 1975 Oldsmobile with an 88 red interior, is the product of three months of labor, mostly Continued on page 6 Student government elections to be held next week Sasha Bina, Cora Vay and Natalie Solomon Contributing Writers Fifteen candidates are run¬ ning in the 2011 Associated Students For candidate Board statements, General see page 7 Election - that will be held on campus and online on Monday and Tuesday. Annually held toward the end of spring semester, ASPCC officially kicked off the cam¬ paign season earlier this month following the announcement of eligible can¬ didates. The candidates are competing for 12 available positions. Ten of these posi¬ tions are part of the AS Executive Board including president, and vice presidents of nine departments. The candidates are: Ashley Jackson for AS president, Tzu- Yu Lin and Daniel Perea for vice president of Internal Affairs, Christopher Fennessy for vice president of Academic Affairs, Erica Barraza for vice president of Student Services, Daniela Rueda for vice presi¬ dent of Business Affairs, Logan Thomas for vice president of Campus Activities, Victor Vasquez for vice president of Cultural Diversity, Magally Miranda and John Fraser for vice president of External Affairs, Mon-Shane Chou and Alejandra Lazaro for vice pres¬ ident of Public Relations, Simon Fraser for Chief Justice, Alexander Soto for Student Trustee and Hanna Israel for Sustainability. Film major Nate Atwood believes it is important for stu¬ dents to exercise their right to vote for their representatives. "Whether it' s at the communi¬ ty college level or the national level, people we feel are apt to represent us, should be chosen by us," he said. Chynna Louvre, a political Continued on page 6 Bin Laden death makes few feel safer Some on campus say the killing may cause retaliation Melissa Lagarde and Sasha Bina Contributing Writers ONLINE POLL Last week we asked: Do you feel safer now that Osama bin Laden is dead? For results, see page 3 A though one of the most threatening terrorists of this generation has finally been killed, most on campus don't feel any safer - a sentiment felt throughout the country. With Osama bin Laden's death, President Barack Obama's approval rating is on the rise but only 16 per¬ cent of Americans feel safer, according to a poll con¬ ducted by the New York Times and CBS News released on May 4. Alicia Sanchez, paralegal studies major, is one of many students who does not believe the country is safer now that bin Laden is dead. "It is hard for me to believe he is even dead, let alone believe our coun¬ try is safe," Sanchez said. She said that even if he is dead, that will not stop the people who were working for him. Nathan Lai, nursing, believes immediately we are not as safe but the future will be much safer because bin Laden is dead. "Without bin Laden, the retaliation won't be as organized, but there will still be retaliation," Lai said. Mason Robertson, a marine who just finished a tour in Afghanistan, said that the killing of bin Laden will send a powerful message to his disciples and Americans alike. "His death lets al-Qaida know that we can get any of them," he said. "We killed their leader. I think that will make the public feel better." Sociology major Jeffery Lewis said that now that American troops have recovered hard drives, CDs, video of bin Laden, and laptops from the compound, America will be safer. "Now that we have his thoughts, schemes, and plans, we are more knowledgeable of his future attacks," he said. "With analysis and continuous research, the tools recovered will protect us." Others feel no difference in their safety now that the terrorist leader is dead. Michael Stiffen, an undecided major, never felt any threat to his safety. "I feel just as safe as before. On a scale of one to 10, 10 being the safest, I usually feel about a nine," Stiffen said. "I just hope gas prices go down." Photography major Elise Takashima feels that the nation is not safer now that bin Laden is dead. "Even though bin Laden is gone, al-Qaida is still a world-leading terrorist force," she said. "If anything, al- Qaida could retaliate to prove they are still in power, putting our nation at risk of attack." Cinematography Department Assistant Rebecca Ramage said that even though bin Laden is dead, there will always be another mastermind terrorist like him. "He created a world of terror and fear, not to mention the 10 years of bloodshed to find him," she said. "There are so many terrorists in the world; now it is their time Continued on page 6 ONLINE POU Do AS officials adequately represent the student body? vote at PecCourier.com Fiesta Spicing up financial aid awareness with music, food & prizes. Page 5» Art market Artists get lessons in selling their work. Page 6»