Proposition 8
Marriage is considered one of life’s sacred entities, joining two individuals who love each other in matrimony. However, with the recent elections, all in the name of marriage and the “love” within it, has been amended.
California’s Proposition 8 redefined the state’s constitution by restricting the definition of marriage to include only those between a man and a woman, therefore eliminating same-sex marriages.
In a close majority ruling, 52.3 percent of voters voted “Yes on Prop. 8” while 47.7 percent voted “No on Prop 8.”
Yet, months earlier, in May 2008, a victory in gay rights occurred with the “In re Marriage Case” when the California Supreme Court ruled in favor, stating that the California initiative measures to ban the right to gay marriage violated the state constitution.
Today, those rights are denied as gay marriages have once again been banned.
Following the days of the election, over 20,000 people in Southern California protested against the win of Proposition 8, often renaming it “Proposition H8.”
Their cry of injustice was felt and shared among others.
But across the protest lines, supporters of Proposition 8 basked in their glory of winning, saying that they have “protected the definition of marriage” by eliminating same-sex marriages.
Despite contrasting views regarding marriage, it is necessary to consider whether denying one’s right to marriage is constitutional or merely an extension of one’s own personal beliefs and religion.
Likewise, a look back in history proves that this is not the first time a certain group has felt “H8” by a constitutional law.
Until 1967, merely 40 years ago, it was declared unconstitutional for people of color—Black, “Mongolian,” “Oriental” or Mexican—to marry White people.
As a biracial American, I would likely not be in existence if these anti-miscegenation laws had not been overturned and because, my parents, deeply in love, would be denied the right of marriage. Thus, disappointment and disgust were felt when our California constitution and people placed discrimination toward a minority group again.
It continues to upset the gay community, that the constitution is denying their right to marry the person they love, same-sex or not. It also upsets equal-rights activists, that our constitution is once again repeating history by denying marriage to a minority group.
As stated in the 121-page majority opinion “In re Marriage Case,” "the right to marry is not properly viewed simply as a benefit or privilege that a government may establish or abolish as it sees fit, but rather that the right constitutes a basic civil or human right of all people.”
It is one thing to protect the definition of marriage, but another thing to deny an entire group of citizens their right to marry and “love” the person they choose. They always say “we need a little more love in this world,” so why then are we banning love, this right of marriage for so many fellow Californians?
A Rainforest at CSUN
When most people think of the “Valley,” images of the “valley girl” or triple-degree dry summers come to mind. As the largest suburb of Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley is also home to one of the fastest growing universities in California, California State University, Northridge. However, the university, that is closely associated with a 1994 earthquake, will soon be known for something no one could ever imagine in the Valley: a subtropical rainforest.
Remarkably, Cal State Northridge will be introducing the very first quarter-acre subtropical rainforest to the San Fernando Valley by January 2009. The outdoor “green” space will emulate the high-humidity and high-moisture climate found most often in areas with close proximity to the equator.
However, this thriving rainforest will not simply be for the pleasure of visitors, instead, it is yet another step CSUN takes to be “green,” and fight global warming.
In 2006, CSUN began its initiative to become more environmentally friendly when it installed a one-megawatt stationary fuel cell power plant system. The system comprises of four power plants, which converts hydrogen from natural gas to power the fuel cell.
“We (CSUN) were the first to actually self-install a fuel cell power plant,” said Bill Sullivan, an energy manager at CSUN’s power plant management department. “There are only a couple other universities in the world that have a fuel cell but we are the largest and we’re the only (ones) to self-install.”
According to critics, fuel cells are among the cleanest and most reliable sources for generating power today. The four fuel cells installed at CSUN provide high-quality power and the production of hot water that is used to heat buildings.
“We get one megawatt of power out of our power plant,” Sullivan said. “That covers about 18 percent of our (CSUN) usage in a year.”
Additionally, the fuel cell power plant helps reduce more than 100 tons per year of harmful pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides. The fuel cell power plant also reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions of CO2 by more than 6,400 tons per year.
“A typical coal fire power plant creates about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour of electricity produced and our fuel cells do about 790 pounds, so right there, we have way less CO2 in the environment,” Sullivan said.
By generating its own power, CSUN not only contributes to lessening the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, but is also able to reduce their energy costs.
“Where we really make the money is the heat recovery. I calculated that out to about $156,000 dollars a year in just heat,” Sullivan said.
Utilizing the fuel cells also decreases the amount of energy the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is required to supply for CSUN. Overall, this assists to release pressure on the “power grid,” which, if overloaded with electric use, can cause blackouts.
The university further benefits from the fuel cells by utilizing waste heat to provide 22 billion British Thermal Units of thermal energy per year in the form of hot water, which is used throughout campus, according to Sullivan.
Also, instead of CO2 being released into the air, further harming the environment, CSUN
has devised several ways to use the little amount of CO2 waste produced in a “green” way.
Currently, the fuel cell power plants channel leftover CO2 into the adjacent biology department’s greenhouse. Most recently is a developing channel in which wastewater and leftover CO2 will be distributed into the soon-to-be subtropical rainforests.
“We are taking the waste and we are pumping it out and we are building a subtropical rainforest,” Sullivan said. “The fuel cells generate about 5 gallons per minute of waste water and condensate recovery, and that is about 5 gallons per minute 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are collecting it in a tank…so, we are going to take that and irrigate the subtropical rainforest.”
The subtropical rainforest is expected to be completed in January and will cover a quarter acre adjacent to the four fuel power plants located near the University Student Union.
Besides pumping the rainforest with water and CO2, a cooling tower with a chiller will be installed to keep the pseudo-climate warm and moist.
“The plants then will grow because they like that high humidity, high moisture,” added Sullivan. “They will also sequester the CO2 because we will put the CO2 in there and distribute it in the subtropical rainforest.”
Furthermore, even CSUN students are beginning to express surprise and intrigue when learning about its plans for a tropical rainforest.
“Personally, I can’t believe CSUN is making a rainforest, and we’re in the middle of the Valley,” said Nichole Cropper, a junior art major. “I am really excited, I have never been in a rainforest environment and plus our world could always use more trees.”
However, some community members have their doubts.
“I understand we all want to be ‘green,’ but does this rainforest really make a difference, or is it another way for CSUN to attract people and make more traffic,” said Lynne Hart, a 39-year-old mother and Northridge resident.
Despite the various opinions, CSUN believes that the subtropical rainforest will only enhance the efforts it has made to become a more environmentally safe university. Contrasting to other power plants, CSUN officials are confident that their fuel cell power plant will make a difference in the fight against greenhouse gases.
“A coal fire power plant creates about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour of electricity produced and our fuel cells do about 790 pounds, so right there we have way less CO2 in the environment,” Sullivan said.
This state-of-the-art fuel cell system also gives students and faculty a prime opportunity to study this rarely seen technology.
Professors and students of the College of Engineering and Computer Science department were able to help research and assemble components of the fuel cells, providing real-life experience.
“We used Engineering students,” Sullivan said. “We actually hired them to do a lot of research and construction management training.”
A challenge for many of the CSUN physical plant management employees and the students of the engineering department was to understand how the various components of the fuel cell work together. Environmentally safe fuel cell plants require knowledge of sciences, engineering and mechanics.
Sullivan explains this complicated power-making process: “It is kind of like a battery that
works in reverse. It’s kind of like an electro-chemical reaction instead of burning coal. Basically
it takes the oxygen and fuel, combines them, then the electron is split off and goes around and does the work and that's what lights the light bulb. The hydrogen and the carbon meet up on the other side of the membrane and that is where you get the carbon dioxide and water as the only exhaust.”
CSUN’s $5.8 million fuel power plants were purchased from FuelCell Energy, Inc. In addition, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power committed $500,000 to help the initiative. CSUN qualified for the award by participating in the Self-Generation Incentive Program, a state-sponsored program that provides financial incentives to government and businesses for generating their own on-site electricity.
In addition to the fuel cell power plant and subtropical rainforest, CSUN has a photovoltaic cell project, which installed more than 3,000 solar panels to two parking lots on campus to reduce energy use.
The solar panels are predicted to save the university more than $50,000 dollars each year, according to Tom Brown, director of CSUN’s physical plant management.
On the other hand, students and faculty are thrilled with the shade the solar panels provide for their cars.
“When I first started parking there, I thought they (solar panels) were just shade,” said Cropper. “Now that I know they are solar panels, it surprises me how many things CSUN is doing to help the environment.”
CSUN’s solar panels are some of the largest solar electrics installed at a public California university, and were developed by CSUN’s physical plant management, the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power, Southern California Gas Company and Shell Solar Industries.
The solar panels, fuel cell plants and future subtropical rainforest are all part of CSUN’s campus-wide “Greening Project.” The project is developing a portfolio of sustainability initiatives that will eventually make the entire campus environmentally friendly.
With the many projects all supporting a more “green” CSUN, faculty and staff cannot help but be thrilled with the advancements.
“The first in the world in any major university, it is a major accomplishment,” Brown said. “We are thrilled to be a part of such an important advancement for the University and the environment.”
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The Opera is No Longer Boring
Let’s go to the Opera. The web opera, that is. For the many Mac and PC users tired of their lackluster Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari, going to the opera might just be the best move in cyber land.
Opera, a downloadable web browser, introduces its latest upgrade, Opera 9.6. This newest version is packed with unique and useful features that other web browsers commonly lack. Using Opera 9.6 can make your time on the Internet more convenient, faster and of course, more fun.
Utilizing all Opera 9.6 has to offer can be a little overwhelming, however, understanding a few key features in itself can make a world of a difference in your web-browsing experience.
First, Opera 9.6 lets you be your own, even with a browser. In today’s world of constant customization, Opera 9.6 offers hundreds of unique skins for your new web browser. Considering how many hours the typical person spends surfing the web, Opera’s customizable skins are ideal, allowing you to change the colors, themes and overall “look” of your Internet.
First, click on the “Tools” tab and scroll down to “Appearance.” Once in “Appearance,” simply browse through the number of skins and press “OK.” Choose from Benzo Black Plastic to O’Simple. I personally downloaded Princess of the Opera, a girly pink skin for my Opera, a skin I consider very pleasant
Additionally, Opera 9.6 includes a new feature called “speed dial.” Speed dial is a set of visual bookmarks which you can set your favorite nine Web sites, each to a specific number, similar to a phones speed dial setting. Setting your personal “Speed Dial,” is easy. The Speed Dial “numbers” will appear the moment you open up Opera. Then, click on a number, one through nine. A screen will pop-up, where you can choose from your most commonly used URL’s or type in a URL and click “Enter.”
For myself, I added my Yahoo! Mail to my number one speed dial. Next time I want to access that web page, I simply pressed “Command + 1” and it will automatically directed me to my Yahoo! Mail. Altogether simplifying a mouse-less navigation.
Most amazing about the Opera 9.6 features is the “Opera Widgets”, “handy small programs which you can download free and use on your desktop, mobile phone or TV,” according to the Opera website.
Users can download from a wide array of programs, anything from the popular SimAquarium, a simulated aquarium for your desktop, simple analog clocks, or perhaps, “doToo,” to do lists. Scouring through lists of Widgets, any “techie” will get excited with the number and variety of applications.
To download a Widget click on the “Widget” tab and click “add widget.” Next, it will automatically direct you to the Widget page online. Once here, one can browser through the hundreds of Widgets available. After viewing a Widget that interests you, simple press the big “launch” button to download.
Altogether, these three added features on Opera 9.6 create an easy-to-use yet entertaining web browser. Unlike other many other web browsers, Opera allows customizable settings, sure to please any web-surfer. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the sweet sights and sounds of the Opera.
Obama: Biracial or Black?
The Nov. 4, 2008 elections marked a prominent place in history, as Barack Obama became the new president-elect of the United States of America. For the first time in our history, a black man will lead our nation. However, for others, his victory is not just about being black but being biracial.
For Kayla Monji, a biracial Caucasian and Japanese American, Obama’s victory was joyous but more importantly, it gave her a sigh of relief.
“Words cannot explain how happy I was when I found out Obama had won,” said Monji, the 21 year old, Lancaster resident. “I am so, so, so relieved, you know why? Because someone who actually understands me, (and) understands what it means to be mixed (races) will be my president.”
Monji and other biracial Americans believe that Obama’s biracial identity will help him become a better president.
Reflecting to Obama’s speech in May 2008, regarding the controversy about his now-disowned pastor, he noted how he could “no more disown…the black community” than he could disown his white grandmother or his black pastor.
Unfortunately, Obama’s grandmother passed away a few days prior to the elections, but as mentioned in his victory speech this past Tuesday, his grandmother will remain a vital part of who he is as a biracial American and now president.
According to Dr. Tracy Sayuki Tiermier, professor of theological studies at
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles and a biracial herself, Obama’s speeches
references his own biracial identity about having a white grandmother, and himself being half black.
“While his multiracial identity doesn’t fully explain his political commitments, Obama’s speeches illustrate how his personal identity and professional identity may interact,” Tiermier said. “Obama doesn’t place racial identity at the forefront of his campaign, (but) his own experience of simultaneously standing within two racial communities has informed his commitment to bridge-building and his vision for America.”
As Obama fans praise this time of hope and change, a small number of Americans who belong this marginalized community of mixed people or “mutts”, are thrilled at the advances their community has made in recent years.
Eight years ago, multiracial Americans won a small victory when the 2000 Census, for the first time allowed to check more than one box for their race.
Today, multiracial people feel as they have won once again, with the new President-elect Obama, about to lead their country.
From the most recent census’, the number of biracial and multiracial Americans is yet a small number with less than five million. They comprise of less than two percent of the nation’s current 302 million people. Nevertheless, the number of multiracial people has seen a major increase.
“I don’t think people understand how huge this is,” said Kainalu Barlow, of Hawaii. “A few years ago, I had to choose between being white or Hawaiian, and now we are going to have a president who chooses to be both of his races not just one.”
Barlow, a 20-year-old resident in Hawaii, can relate to Obama, having grown up with his white mother and without his father, much like Obama did.
“From the very beginning, I was rooting for my man Obama,” Barlow said on a phone interview. “Having a president who is ‘hapa’ like me makes me more positive about our future because he is aware that the U.S. isn’t just one race or one-raced people.”
The term “hapa,” a slang word originating from Hawaii, meaning “part of” or mixed, is often used to describe biracial people.
Overall, many “hapa/mutt/mixed” voters are excited to see an image like them represented.
“I think it is an amazing thing that Obama will be president, it is rare for me to see ‘hapa’ in the media, but having a president who is ‘hapa’ would definitely help our community gain more light,” Monji said.
