Monthly Archives: April 2011

The Car Guy: What We See In Cars

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What are the characteristics of a car company, or any company for that matter, which determine whether it is good or bad? Exciting or boring? Worthy of your hard earned dollar in exchange for what they have to offer? What cars, if any, warrant a second look when they pass you on the street? Would you give a second thought to a Toyota as quickly as you would a Lamborghini? For those of us who are excited about cars, what is it about one over the other that draws reactions from us?
There are obvious factors that determine a its “presence.” Factors such as size, shape, and design definitely contribute to a car’s beauty. But then there are those of us who know about, and therefore look for, more in a car than how it looks. Some of us can distinguish different variants of cars made by the same manufacturer, such as the differences between a BMW 328 and the M3.

There are also more subtle factors like a car’s technical specifications. Car enthusiasts know that cars cannot be judged by looks alone. We realize that despite the enormous difference in size, a Mazda Miata – despite appearing sportier – will not win a straight-line acceleration race with an Audi A8. Despite the Miata appearing, and probably being sportier, the enormous V8 engine in the German sedan propels the car from a standstill in a deceptively quick manner. The Miata, a tiny Japanese roadster, is more known for its handling ability and easiness to drive. These two cars serve different purposes, and I doubt that anyone has ever had to decide between which of the two to purchase.

So what is it for the average everyday enthusiast that turns our heads? It all boils down to the combination of exclusivity, design, and capability. Cars that can combine these three elements are great cars. There are obvious cars that retail in the hundreds of thou- sands of dollars like the Ferraris, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, and Rolls Royces. Despite their obvious advantage in the exclusivity section, other, more affordable cars can be had with similar design and mechanical capabilities. The Mustang GT has a design that both excites new drivers and arouses a nostalgic sense in those that were around to witness the original Ford Mustang – all while providing a 400+ horsepower car for less than $30k. The Chevrolet Camaro serves the same purpose with the same intention for the same price – alluding to nostalgia and high output engines for a reasonable price.

There are also more expensive cars – like the Nissan GT-R – that serve to embarrass cars that are three times their price. The $80k Nissan GT-R, despite being in- credibly expensive for a Nissan, has defeated every $150k-200k Porsche model that has been com- pared to it. The Audi R8 – despite being $120k has also proved to be a better value than a less capable $200k Ferrari F430. These cars provide the design and capability of a more expensive car while sacrificing some exclusivity.

No matter what it is about a car that attracts someone, whether it is the shape of the wheels, the note of the exhaust, or the fact that they have no idea what car is sitting in front of them because they have never seen anything like it, there are key elements for everyone that make a car appealing. The real goal is to find the car that most perfectly balances all the elements that we dream about with the ones that we really need to live our everyday lives. By–Guy Weiss

Volunteering with Friends of Clemente

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Trash is an environmental concern that has to be addressed. For example, the New York Times made a list of how long it takes for trash/waste materials to decompose: “Paper- 2.5 months; Orange Peel- 6 months; Milk Carton- 5 years; Cigarette Butt- 10-12 years; Plastic bag- 10-20 years; Disposable diaper- 75 years; Tin can- 100 years; Beer can- 200-500 years.”

Due to those drastic statistics, people recycle and volunteer to rid the city of waste material from the streets, parks, etc.

One organization in particular, mainly focused on the Roberto Clemente Park & Playground, helped clean not only the park, but also the streets of Philly.

The organization was created in 2008 by Sara Hirschler. It is known as Friends of Clemente, and “is dedicated to the revitalization and restoration of Roberto Clemente Park & Playground to create an ideal space for neighborhood recreation and to provide support to the after school program held at the Roberto Clemente Recreation Center.
Campus Life

There is also a school pro- gram held at this location. This program, Friends of Clemente, helps improve the typical day of the students in the program, just by improving the environment around them.

On April 2, 2011 the group organized a cleanup of the park and the streets around it. Such initiatives are important because if some of the waste is not removed, it will stay there for up to 500 years.

Thanks to CCP, specifically the class of Environmental Conservation taught by Ms Margaret T Stephens, many CCP students also volunteered to remove the waste. Many volunteered on a Saturday for more than 3 hours!

I was one of many volunteers to help clean the area up. I met Sara, and she was very nice and friendly. With a pair of gloves, and a plastic bag, I helped clean up for the next couple of hours.

There were many Cigarette Butts and tin cans all over the area. Together, we picked up them up, one at a time. The park, along with the sidewalks next to it, was also cleaned.

All together, that Saturday turned into a very productive day. A lot of trash was removed, the park cleaned, and the fence paint- ed. Instead of allowing the trash to seep into the ground, and to stay there for hundreds of years, we removed it. The students that attend the program there, were also influenced in a positive way. They saw what hard work achieved: cleaner streets and a cleaner park.

This was a great opportunity to volunteer and help give back to Philly. Not only did I help clean the streets up, but I had a great time doing it. Volunteering here was a great choice, and I am sure to volunteer here again in the future.

I helped make a difference that Saturday morning. Instead of sleeping late, wouldn’t you like to make a difference? Remove trash that if not removed by you, in a couple of minutes, would last hundreds of years?

Make a difference. Volunteer. Get involved and have a great time doing it too. Friends of Friends of Clemente look forward to seeing you there! –By Blerim Cenaj

63 Documents The Government Doesn’t Want You To Read

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Jesse Ventura’s latest book may someday win an award for telling the biggest story with the least amount of words. Aside from the introduction, less than 20% of the book is new material. The bulk of the book is the primary source documents from the U.S. government. Unfortunately, those are the scariest parts of this story. The number 63 was chosen as the total due to the year President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Ventura maintains that there is no way JFK was simply killed by Lee Harvey Oswald as the government claims – in other words, there is a conspiracy. But this book covers much more than JFK.

In “63 Documents,” Ventura backs off his own opinion for the most part. Aside from a brief introduction to each document, he just provides the actual declassified material to be interpreted on face value. CIA projects, legislation proposals, and even corporate emails are printed in black and white for the reader. Email threads from the electronic voting machine company, Global Election Systems, who was responsible for the machines involved in the 2000 Presidential election. The subject of the emails was that one candidate had 16,000 votes deducted from his total. The candidate was Al Gore. The company was run by Republicans.

This is not to say that Ventura does not send his own message, he does for sure. Only he does it with his selection and layout as opposed to words. The book is divided into five sections. There is a chronological order of sorts, which is part of helping to lead the reader from the middle of the last century, through 9/11, and into things that are happening presently. But more prominent is the establishment of credibility of the “conspiracy theories.”

In part one a must read is “Operation Northwoods.” Basically, top government officials were proposing that we attack ourselves and blame Cuba. Following that is the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which did lead us into war in Vietnam. There is an obvious set up to make the reader believe that the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center were possibly orchestrated from within our own government to lead us into war.

Ventura brings credibility to the ‘conspiracy theorist’ idea by providing the facts. Furthermore, he shows no bias toward either major political party; he despises them both. He calls out the Clinton’s just as much as the Bushes.

There is something for everyone, young or old, Democrat or Republican, because we are all American. –By Bob Stewart

The Devil’s Walking Stick

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When people think of Philadelphia, cobblestone streets, row homes, and cheese steaks are some of the first things that come to mind. Others may think of The Constitution Center, The Liberty Bell, or The University of Pennsylvania. Depending on whom you ask, you will hear a variety of opinions regarding the city we live in. On one hand, you may discover that people think of Philadelphia as a place of culture, education, history, and food. In another instance, someone might describe The City of Brotherly Love as a place of crime, bitter sports fans, filthy streets, and congested neighborhoods.

What typically goes neglected is the beauty of Fairmount Park. Even as Philadelphians, how many of us actually stop to think about the fact that we have a place where we can go hiking, take a bike ride, or have a picnic with- out the sound of car horns and the sight of traffic? In a city where we are constantly surrounded by bricks, it is of no surprise that we imprison our minds in the urban atmosphere that rules our lives.

Admittedly, I rarely thought about a serene place where I could escape and appreciate nature in the city of Philadelphia. Thankfully, my service-learning project for Environmental Conservation opened my eyes. When I first offered my services to the Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers, I really did not know what to expect.

Upon my arrival at Fairmount Park, I was immediately greeted by a group of boy-scouts who were taking a hike. Following a brief discussion with the scouts and their fathers, I immediately gathered a root puller, a shovel, and a pair of clippers to help re- move an invasive species from the park. As it was explained, Aralia elata (also known as the Devil’s Walking Stick) threatens the native plants by spreading rapidly throughout the area. Unfortunately, the plant has no natural predators and basically annihilates the diversity of plants in certain sections of Fairmount Park.

Surprisingly, the roots of these plants stretched along a large portion of the ground. Some of them took approximately fifteen to twenty minutes for removal. After digging, cutting, and pulling on the roots and razor sharp branches, we actually managed to remove a large portion of the Devil’s Walking Stick. This effectively cleared a path for the volunteers to plant native species in the area in order to re- store some diversity in the area.

When I returned to the land of paved roads, brick buildings, and automobiles, I immediately missed the silence of the park. It was at that very moment when I realized the importance of my service-learning project. We need to protect our forests in order to preserve our own sanity. After all, too much of one thing is never beneficial. Just as we need different types of places, people, and activities in our lives to keep us happy, forests need different types of species in order to stay diverse so they can support the organisms that depend on them for survival.

At the end of the day, most living things depend on each other. Being that we humans are the most dependent of all, it is only right that we protect and preserve our parks. Even if it’s for a selfish reason, such as having a place to take a break from the city, it still serves a purpose and has a positive effect at the end of the day. –An Op-Ed Piece By John Martin

In Quick Reflection

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As a Communication Major it is often that I think of the words of the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Fortunately, like most of Community College of Philadelphia’s student body my present thoughts are on finalizing class projects and final exams. I say fortunately because the taking of final exams means that you hung in there and endured to the end. There seems to be little time for reflection. Maybe I can get in a little retrospect about my first semester as Managing Editor of the Student Vanguard newspaper. I must say it has been a rewarding and educational experience. I have the pleasure of working with a very dedicated staff.

I hope that thus far I have served our audience well. It is my ongoing goal to help create a product that includes a variety of topics that interest CCP students as well as faculty. I also hope going forward that the students of CCP will become more engaged with the Student Vanguard and see the Student Vanguard as their media outlet and their voice. Because of that we at the Student Vanguard look forward to more of the involvement of CCP students as contributing journalists and photojournalists.

Perhaps after we have completed this semesters final exams, and as the dust clears we can all take a moment to reflect on our more than 200 year old gift, our freedom of speech. –By Geraldine Barnes

Special Thanks

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As our school year comes to a close the Editorial Staff of your Student Vanguard would like to thank several people and entities. As a completely new staff coming into this semester with little to no experience, there were obviously going to be hurdles. Learning how to lay out a newspaper on software we never worked with before, producing a high volume of articles worthy of print, both while getting to know our new professors for our own classes as students.

For starters, to you the reader, thank you. You are the reason we write. Whether it is to inform, enlighten, or entertain, we always have the picture of you holding the paper while we write. The feedback received from students, faculty, and administrators has been overwhelming and constructive.

The staff and leadership of Student Life: When we needed supplies, support, answers, forms,
or even just a door unlocked – you were there. It is greatly appreciated. We also need to mention our printer. Yes, the folks who actually take our electronic submission and print out the paper you are holding right now. Their excellent service is what a good business relationship is all about.

Finally, we need to express our heartfelt gratitude to our faculty adviser, Professor Nate House. The Vanguard went through a rough chapter in 2010. Its recovery depended on someone with a vision, knowledge, and a sincere desire to see it through. Professor House brought our team together. He took stock of our individual talents, abilities, and experience and guided us until we became a team that was greater than the sum of its parts. Under his tutelage we all grew personally and professionally. Bottom line, the publication you are reading is of a higher quality than it would have been otherwise. And that speaks volumes. Thank you. –By the Editors of the Student Vanguard

I’m Really Tired

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Working a full time job, a part time job, as well as classes, has led me to be quite fatigued lately.

While I have thoroughly enjoyed working for the Student Vanguard this past semester it has definitely run its toll on me.

I look forward to continuing to write for the Vanguard over the summer and until I graduate from CCP. However, I am asking you, the students, to make my life easier.

The Vanguard greatly encourages all students to contribute articles. Whether you would like to write one piece per edition, or if you just have a single article you would like to submit, let us know.

If you are at all interested in being published, send an e-mail to van- guard@ccp.edu with the topic(s) you are interested in writing about.

Any school related events you attend, or information you would like to share with your fellow students would be greatly accepted.

I am always proud of the great diversity in this school, and would like to see groups of all elasticities, religions, ages , sexual orientation, or even zombie affiliation (yes there is a zombie club) contribute.

This school has many voices, let yours be heard. –By Paul Eberle

“Jump” the Philly Music Project

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“Jump” magazine, the Philly Music Project, is the brainchild and collaboration of Professor George Miller and his Temple University students. Professor Miller has been teaching at Temple University for approximately four years and already has made quite an impact on his students and Philadelphia at large. Professor Miller is a seasoned journalist, photojournalist, and video maker. He has also made television appearances to discuss newsworthy issues. You can find some examples of his works and thoughts on his blog mookieland.org. In one of his lives, prior to writing and publishing “Jump” the Philly Music Project, Professor Miller was a crime reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News, “It is really nice to write about something that you really want to write about,” said Miller, speaking about his new magazine Jump that had its release into the market in March, 2011.

“Jump” a free to the public, quarterly print, local magazine, covers in-depth reporting on the music scene in Philadelphia. And they mean Philadelphia only. Its journalists and photographers concentrate on the up and coming music artist, local venues and others in the music industry, which makes it a very niche product; this is the beauty in the magazine. “Jump” is a way to get the word out about the local artist and others in the music scene and hopefully in the end the artist will want to stay in Philadelphia. “It’s a well-known fact that in the music industry only a handful of artists everyone knows and the rest pretty much struggle through,” said Miller.

Another exciting thing about the new magazine is that artists who may not otherwise have had exposure can get it. And those that want real music information about local talent now have a media outlet. The magazine is also free for the reader. The cost of the first issue was funded by Professor Miller himself in order to initially launch his product. He hopes to break even by issue 3 and be self sustaining by 2012. When speaking to Professor Miller about his magazine and business model you can see why he teaches the course “Entrepreneurial Journalist” at Temple University. The magazine has been well received by advertisers so in the future the cost and profits will come from advertisers. In the world of advertisement Miller has kept the cost to advertise extremely affordable. Depending on one’s advertisement budget you can buy ad space for as low as $20. In the area of distribution of the magazine a lot was physically handled by Professor Miller him- self. “I delivered about 10,000 copies on my bike or by my car with my dog,” said Miller.

If you have not seen a copy of “Jump” magazine yet, the magazine also has web presence at JumpPhilly.com. If you are an aspiring journalist “Jump” magazine is presently looking for good in-depth journalists and photographers.

If you want to know how serious “Jump” the Philly Music Project is about covering up and coming artists and staying relevant to their audience, “Jump” will even cover a party going on in your neighbor’s basement.–By Geraldine Barnes

Walnut Street Theatre Presents Season 202!

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The Walnut St. Theatre is currently in their 202nd season. Yes, you read that correctly. The theatre was founded in 1809 as “The New Circus,” which was an equestrian themed circus show. Roughly ten years later it was converted to a legitimate theatre and renamed the Walnut Street Theatre. President Thomas Jefferson (yes the third president of the U.S.) was in attendance for the opening theatrical performance.

The amazing history of the theatre grows deeper. In 1863, Ed- win Booth, son of a famous actor, and brother of a notorious assas- sin, purchased the theatre. Times became difficult for Edwin after his brother, John Wilkes, murdered President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in D.C.

In the 1940’s the Shubert Organization bought the theatre. During that time many pre-Broadway plays were performed there. These plays, and many of their actors, became American classics; A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Marlon Brando, A Raisin in the Sun, featuring Syndny Poitier, and The Diary of Anne Frank starring Susan Strasburg are just a few.

The building itself was designated a National Historic Land- mark in 1964. Aside from the Walnut St. Theatre being the first theatre in general, it was also the first theatre to have gas footlights in 1837. It is also said that the standard tradition of the ‘curtain call’ started at the theatre when actor Edmund Kean made a post play appearance. The theatre also was the location of the first televised presidential debate; the 1976 Carter-Ford debate.

In a recent interview with the director and lead actor of My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, it was revealed that the theatre frequently hires local performers. The director, a Philadelphia native himself, stated he has worked all across the country, to boost his resume and gain as much experience as possible before being hired by the Walnut Theater.

Keep an eye out for the next edition of the Student Vanguard, which will have additional in- formation from the interview, as well as a review of the production of My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra. –By Paul Eberle

Just Missed It

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You get to the platform at 30th Street Station just in time… to see your train pull away. The next train on your route leaves in an hour; you don’t have a book and your iPod battery is dead. With an empty stomach and a disgruntled demeanor, you park yourself on a bench to begin the hour-plus long wait.

Well, you don’t have to sit on the El platform alone, just a minute walk away are two fan- tastic places to bide your time while waiting for that next train.

Right in the station, at the Southwest entrance closest to the Market-Frankford El, is Bridge- water’s Pub. The menu from Chef Fredrick Price frequently features fresh local produce straight off the freight from the nearby farms.

The Pub is unique in that peo- ple are constantly shuffling in and out of the bar seats for a quick drink before their train departs. Don’t be shy, say hello to the stranger next to you and make a friend. The mood of both the bar- tenders and patrons is one that is often very open to conversation.

If you’re more of a people watcher there are tables outside the main drinking/dining area where you can simply watch the world of 30th street fly by.

As far as food and drink are concerned, they offer fine options for both. They have great fresh brews, both local and imported options not likely to be found at a typical establishment. The spring cocktails offer more refreshing options as well.

The food though, is what surprised me the most about Bridge- water’s. The first time I was there was to meet a friend for a drink, and I ended up ordering food from the Happy Hour special list. It was both fresh and refined. I was so surprised by the happy hour food I went back the following week to try one of the lunch specials, which also pleased the palate and satisfied the stomach for a reasonable price.

The other locale close to the train depot at 30th street is J.G. Domestic. It is located in the Cira Center. Just cross the bridge from 30th street to the Cira Center and head down the escalator to arrive at the somewhat new restaurant.

I have only been to the es- tablishment once before when my brother was in town from Cali. He had read and heard about the restaurants namesake, J.G. (Jose Garces) and was eager to dine at his newest eatery. The lunch special was half of a turkey club sandwich with lobster bisque. I am not too familiar with lobster dishes (ka-ching), and I was expecting something great, but I was still shocked that something so extraordinarily tasty was so close by and I never realized it.

That was my only experience at J.G. Domestic, however there is much more to be said of the place. As mentioned, the J.G. in the name stands for Jose Garces. Garces began his career in Chicago, but Philly seems to be his focus. Amada, Tinto, Chifa, Distrito, Village Whiskey, Garces Trading Co. and Mercat are his other Philly restaurants. Garces’ success in Philadelphia catapulted him onto the Food Net- work show, The Next Iron Chef in 2009. Garces beat out 12 other chefs to earn Iron Chef status.

As far as the ‘Domestic’ part of J.G. Domestic goes, it derives from the products being sold in the restaurant. On the menu is a map of the United States; that map show where all of the food is shipped from, from where your steak is from to the origin of the blue cheese on the burger.

So if you miss a train, don’t complain, just take a short walk for a decent meal or a quick drink. Keep your eye on the clock though, it’s easy to get comfortable in these establishments and miss another train. –By Paul Eberle