California’s strict drunk-driving laws work to prevent deadly alcohol-related car accidents that killed 950 people this year. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 31 percent of traffic accidents in California are caused by drunk driving. The numerous laws may be difficult to discern. Here is a break down of terms and offenses:
Preliminary Alcohol Screening (PAS): A test usually administered by a police officer to determine a driver’s level of intoxication. Common PAS tests include; breathalyzers, urine samples and blood tests.
Blood Alcohol Content (BAC): The percentage of alcohol found in a person’s system. California’s legal limit is .08 percent for people 21 years or older, and for those under 21 it is illegal to have an alcohol content of .01 percent and over.
Driving Under the Influence (DUI): The legal charge for driving with a BAC of .08 percent or above.
DUI and DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) are used synonymously in California.
Ignition Interlock Device (IID): This small device is connected to the car’s ignition, requiring the driver to breathe into the device before the car will start. During driving, the IID will require periodic breath tests to ensure the driver’s BAC is below the legal limit.
Designated Driver (DD): A person who refrains from drinking in order to safely drive his or her friends who are drinking.
If a driver is 21 or older and his or hers BAC is .08 percent or more, he or she could be arrested for DUI. A first offense could result in a four month suspension of the person’s driver licence. A second offense will result in a one year suspension.
Here are the list of offenses for DUI:
First Offense
Jail: from 96 hours to six months
Fine: $390 to $1,000
Completion of Driving Under the Influence Program required
California SR22 Insurance Required for restricted license
Second Offense
Jail: 90 days to one year
Fine: $390 to $1,000
License suspension: two years
Completion of Driving Under the Influence Program required
California SR22 Insurance Required for restricted license
Driver may apply for a Restricted Driver’s License, but the installation of an IID is required.
Third Offense
Jail: 120 days to one year
Fine: $390 to $1,000
License suspension: three years
Driver is designated as a Habitual Offender
Installment of an IID is required
Completion of Driving Under the Influence Program required
California SR22 Insurance Required for restricted license
Fourth Offense
Jail: 180 days to one year
Fine: $390 to $1,000
License suspension: four years
Installment of an IID is required
Driver may apply for a Restricted Driver’s License after one year
Completion of Driving Under the Influence Program required
California SR22 Insurance Required for restricted license
*DUI becomes a felony after the fourth offense, and the driver receives a prison sentence.
If a driver causes an accident while driving drunk and people are killed, the driver can face manslaughter charges.
Written with Erin Bradley.
Originally published in the Daily Titan on November 18, 2010.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Video Game Review: Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops, the latest in the highly successful Call of Duty series, picks up where Modern Warfare 2 left off. Developed by Treyarch, the same group who worked on World At War, the game expands much on innovative first person shooter game play developed in previous Call of Duty titles and slightly modifies it, creating an action-packed game that fans of the series are sure to appreciate.
The most important change that Black Ops brings to the Call of Duty series is the inclusion of CoD points, a currency system within the Multiplayer mode that allows players to unlock items using points they have earned from online matches. The money earned from matches can pay for things like unlocking custom class slots, new game modes, bonuses and weapons. Points make it possible to earn the maximum amount of game content without having to prestige (resetting your entire multiplayer progress and starting from scratch) like Modern Warfare 2 required.
These points can be used in whatever way you choose. You can customize your game play, buying weapons and perks in any order, though players must be conscious because once you buy something you can’t necessarily go back. This system adds a lot to the multiplayer game play and is something new that may take some time to get used to if you have never played CoD before.
The contract system is unique because you bet on your gaming skills and try to achieve specific challenges in exchange for CoD points and XP. You purchase a contract and are given a time limit to complete it, and if you don’t complete it by the set time, you forfeit your payment. Black Ops allows you to earn three contracts at once, and successfully completing them not only rewards you with points, but can improve your playing style.
Player profiles add another dynamic to Multiplayer mode. When you hover over someone’s name, a profile pops up, revealing their rank, level, clan tags and icon. The icons are completely customizable, featuring a wide range of images, colors and backgrounds, and can be purchased with CoD points.
The actual game play matches seem to emphasize the points system. For those still interested in the hallmark Team Deathmatch and Domination modes, Black Ops offers these, and they differ little from Modern Warfare 2. The Wager Match offers something new, as it lets players earn more points by using their points to gamble on the outcome of each match.
Since there are a lot of new kill-streak rewards and perks, you’ll most likely encounter the newest of these, which includes an explosive RC car in many of the preliminary rounds.
Lag and frame-rate drops are also an occasional problem. In a game where life and death is determined in a fraction of a second, it sucks when you knife a guy, only to die because he was actually looking at you with his pistol. Choosing local players instead of global players does occasionally help, but at the price of longer matchmaking times.
The Zombie mode places up to four players in a slowly expanding environment where they shoot zombies and repair doors that the invading zombies have. Zombie fans will get a kick out of the mode, but the fact that there’s only three environments shows that developer Treyarch didn’t have enough time to flesh it out. It’s not as engaging as the Multiplayer mode, but it is fun to try out.
The Single Player campaign is where the game truly shines, not because of the decent graphics or solid gameplay, but rather the well-paced and engaging story. Central Intelligence Agency operative Alex Mason begins his ordeal in an interrogation room, and what the player participates in are his memories of prior missions. This allows the game to jump quickly between different locations and time frames.
Since former Black Ops soldiers consulted on the events depicted in the game, the missions hold much more weight than other first person shooters that are currently available. Every word and bullet has both emotional and historical backing, and that’s a rare treat in today’s gaming market.
Originally published in the Daily Titan on November 18, 2010.
The most important change that Black Ops brings to the Call of Duty series is the inclusion of CoD points, a currency system within the Multiplayer mode that allows players to unlock items using points they have earned from online matches. The money earned from matches can pay for things like unlocking custom class slots, new game modes, bonuses and weapons. Points make it possible to earn the maximum amount of game content without having to prestige (resetting your entire multiplayer progress and starting from scratch) like Modern Warfare 2 required.
These points can be used in whatever way you choose. You can customize your game play, buying weapons and perks in any order, though players must be conscious because once you buy something you can’t necessarily go back. This system adds a lot to the multiplayer game play and is something new that may take some time to get used to if you have never played CoD before.
The contract system is unique because you bet on your gaming skills and try to achieve specific challenges in exchange for CoD points and XP. You purchase a contract and are given a time limit to complete it, and if you don’t complete it by the set time, you forfeit your payment. Black Ops allows you to earn three contracts at once, and successfully completing them not only rewards you with points, but can improve your playing style.
Player profiles add another dynamic to Multiplayer mode. When you hover over someone’s name, a profile pops up, revealing their rank, level, clan tags and icon. The icons are completely customizable, featuring a wide range of images, colors and backgrounds, and can be purchased with CoD points.
The actual game play matches seem to emphasize the points system. For those still interested in the hallmark Team Deathmatch and Domination modes, Black Ops offers these, and they differ little from Modern Warfare 2. The Wager Match offers something new, as it lets players earn more points by using their points to gamble on the outcome of each match.
Since there are a lot of new kill-streak rewards and perks, you’ll most likely encounter the newest of these, which includes an explosive RC car in many of the preliminary rounds.
Lag and frame-rate drops are also an occasional problem. In a game where life and death is determined in a fraction of a second, it sucks when you knife a guy, only to die because he was actually looking at you with his pistol. Choosing local players instead of global players does occasionally help, but at the price of longer matchmaking times.
The Zombie mode places up to four players in a slowly expanding environment where they shoot zombies and repair doors that the invading zombies have. Zombie fans will get a kick out of the mode, but the fact that there’s only three environments shows that developer Treyarch didn’t have enough time to flesh it out. It’s not as engaging as the Multiplayer mode, but it is fun to try out.
The Single Player campaign is where the game truly shines, not because of the decent graphics or solid gameplay, but rather the well-paced and engaging story. Central Intelligence Agency operative Alex Mason begins his ordeal in an interrogation room, and what the player participates in are his memories of prior missions. This allows the game to jump quickly between different locations and time frames.
Since former Black Ops soldiers consulted on the events depicted in the game, the missions hold much more weight than other first person shooters that are currently available. Every word and bullet has both emotional and historical backing, and that’s a rare treat in today’s gaming market.
Originally published in the Daily Titan on November 18, 2010.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Potter's whimsical world comes to Los Angeles
View the accompanying article, written by Erin Bradley, and the multimedia SoundSlides presentation here.
All photos by Sophia Islas.
Originally published in the Daily Titan on November 17, 2010.
In the shoes of the homeless
The Cal State Fullerton Volunteer and Service center set up three informational tents in the Quad on Tuesday to raise awareness of Hunger and Homelessness Week.
About 841 million people are suffering from hunger, malnutrition and famine around the world, lending to the figure that one in seven families are in dire need of food and housing.
“We do this event every fall semester to educate those on campus about the ongoing issue of poverty and hunger, not just in third world countries, but in the United States as well,” said Allie Mosier, Volunteer and Service Center Project Director. “We also want to erase dominant misconceptions that people have about the homeless.”
Mosier said these misconceptions revolve around the idea that homeless people are in their present conditions because they are lazy. This popular notion is incorrect, as the information tents dispel the myth by explaining that homelessness occurs due to rising housing costs, a cause that could affect anyone at some point in their lives.
There were two blue-topped tents fashioned with old issues of Daily Titan and Los Angeles Times. Housed within these tents were a number of statistics written on long pieces of cardboard that were intended to show how prevalent hunger and homelessness is around the world.
“In addition to the two information tents, we also have another called the ‘It Can Be You’ tent,” Mosier said.
This tent was designed to put students, professors and other visitors in the shoes of the homeless. Within the tent are two mirrors, chairs and walls of statistics. Those who entered were encouraged to look in a mirror, read the walls of information and visualize the possibility that homelessness could strike anyone, including students, professors, pregnant women, single fathers, children, teens and so on, at anytime.
“It’s important to raise awareness, because there are people in desperate need of help,” said Collin Jamieson, a 20-year-old volunteer. “We have to keep in mind that there are people less fortunate than us, people who are without homes.”
Placed throughout the tents were purple ribbons, the official color that signifies Hunger and Homelessness Awareness. When attendees looked through the tents, they were welcomed to a table that had miniature purple ribbons.
“(Prior to this event) I wasn’t aware of all these facts regarding homelessness to this extent,” said Daniel Brockman, a business major. “I think it’s good that people are being exposed and made aware of these statistics.”
The event was intended to raise money as well as awareness. The Volunteer and Service Center sold muffins and other baked goods in order to fund future events. There were also donation containers, where students could throw in loose change and dollar bills.
“I know that this event lasted a week in the past,” Jamieson said. “But with the limited resources we have this semester, we are making the best with what we have.”
The Volunteer and Service center meets every Friday. For more information about getting involved and how you can help with upcoming events, visit Fullerton.edu/DeanOfStudents/Volunteer.
Originally published in the Daily Titan on November 17, 2010.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Video Game Review: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
He’s acrobatic in his motions and uses his force powers to crush, kill and destroy his enemies. Every kill getting him closer to a showdown with Darth Vader.
When Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II was unveiled at E3, the trailer revealed a stunning computer-generated action sequence showing Starkiller fighting a mob of Storm Troopers. The graphics were promising and fed tons of hype to fans of the first Unleashed title, which introduced Starkiller, the protagonist and apprentice to Darth Vader.
Unleashed took place between Star Wars: Episodes 3 and 4, creating an original story that bridged the gap between both the old and the new trilogies. Starkiller first worked for Darth Vader following his orders and doing certain tasks that would enable Vader to take the control of the empire away from Emperor Palpatine. But after completing a mission that involved rescuing members of a fledgling rebel alliance, Starkiller learned that the Empire was evil and decided to go after Vader and disrupt his plans of total control. When Starkiller confronted Vader, he was killed. In his death, Starkiller was credited for starting the Galactic War between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance.
Unleashed II takes place seven months after the first, and there is a huge disconnect in the story that should be mentioned. The beginning of Unleashed II reveals that Vader cloned Starkiller, so the character you’re playing with in this game is a clone of the original Starkiller from Unleashed. The Starkiller in Unleashed II also retained all the memories from the first game, which is both convenient and confusing. As the “new Starkiller,” your mission in this game is to rescue Starkiller’s love interest, Juno, take down waves upon waves of Storm Troopers and attempt to defeat Vader again.
The fact that you play as a clone from the first game is a red flag and reveals that there was no need for the creation of this sequel. Since we know that Vader doesn’t truly die until Star Wars: Episode 6, the final film of the trilogy, having Starkiller come back from the dead to rescue his girlfriend and to try to defeat Vader again is both redundant and pointless. There is no motivation when playing this game since the story leads nowhere, which is evident by the game’s six hour running time.
Aside from the lack of a cohesive storyline, the game has fluid controls that run a lot smoother than the first, allowing for a more minimal gaming screen. The stream of text that explained how to do certain combos no longer clutters the screen and there is an absence of a mini map on the left corner, two components that were included in the first game.
The way you can execute and unlock combos has been made easier. Instead of having to pick and choose what combos you want to unlock, like the first Unleashed, players now get to spend points they have collected throughout the game to upgrade their Force Talents. Also, there are hidden lightsaber crystal Holocrons in each level that, when collected, allow you to upgrade your lightsaber.
Yet even with these upgrades, the game fails to deliver. It isn’t challenging enough and there are hardly any puzzles. Also, if you’re waiting for the scenes that you’ve seen in the commercials showing intense battles between Starkiller and Vader, you’ll be left waiting for an eternity because all those were just for show, and you don’t even get to play those levels.
With a confusing storyline, sub-par graphics and lack of variety, The Force Unleashed II will leave fans of the first scratching their heads, wondering why the sequel to such an amazing game was treated without care.
Originally published in the Daily Titan on November 16, 2010.
When Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II was unveiled at E3, the trailer revealed a stunning computer-generated action sequence showing Starkiller fighting a mob of Storm Troopers. The graphics were promising and fed tons of hype to fans of the first Unleashed title, which introduced Starkiller, the protagonist and apprentice to Darth Vader.
Unleashed took place between Star Wars: Episodes 3 and 4, creating an original story that bridged the gap between both the old and the new trilogies. Starkiller first worked for Darth Vader following his orders and doing certain tasks that would enable Vader to take the control of the empire away from Emperor Palpatine. But after completing a mission that involved rescuing members of a fledgling rebel alliance, Starkiller learned that the Empire was evil and decided to go after Vader and disrupt his plans of total control. When Starkiller confronted Vader, he was killed. In his death, Starkiller was credited for starting the Galactic War between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance.
Unleashed II takes place seven months after the first, and there is a huge disconnect in the story that should be mentioned. The beginning of Unleashed II reveals that Vader cloned Starkiller, so the character you’re playing with in this game is a clone of the original Starkiller from Unleashed. The Starkiller in Unleashed II also retained all the memories from the first game, which is both convenient and confusing. As the “new Starkiller,” your mission in this game is to rescue Starkiller’s love interest, Juno, take down waves upon waves of Storm Troopers and attempt to defeat Vader again.
The fact that you play as a clone from the first game is a red flag and reveals that there was no need for the creation of this sequel. Since we know that Vader doesn’t truly die until Star Wars: Episode 6, the final film of the trilogy, having Starkiller come back from the dead to rescue his girlfriend and to try to defeat Vader again is both redundant and pointless. There is no motivation when playing this game since the story leads nowhere, which is evident by the game’s six hour running time.
Aside from the lack of a cohesive storyline, the game has fluid controls that run a lot smoother than the first, allowing for a more minimal gaming screen. The stream of text that explained how to do certain combos no longer clutters the screen and there is an absence of a mini map on the left corner, two components that were included in the first game.
The way you can execute and unlock combos has been made easier. Instead of having to pick and choose what combos you want to unlock, like the first Unleashed, players now get to spend points they have collected throughout the game to upgrade their Force Talents. Also, there are hidden lightsaber crystal Holocrons in each level that, when collected, allow you to upgrade your lightsaber.
Yet even with these upgrades, the game fails to deliver. It isn’t challenging enough and there are hardly any puzzles. Also, if you’re waiting for the scenes that you’ve seen in the commercials showing intense battles between Starkiller and Vader, you’ll be left waiting for an eternity because all those were just for show, and you don’t even get to play those levels.
With a confusing storyline, sub-par graphics and lack of variety, The Force Unleashed II will leave fans of the first scratching their heads, wondering why the sequel to such an amazing game was treated without care.
Originally published in the Daily Titan on November 16, 2010.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Sanrio brings 'Small Gifts'
Photo by Sophia Islas
A bright inflatable rainbow archway adorned with the Sanrio trademark phrase, “Small Gift,” adds color to the otherwise dull, gray entrance of the Barker Hangar. An occasional draft from planes landing and taking-off on an adjacent runway causes the rainbow to sway a bit, but it doesn’t seem to keep adults and children of all ages from entering. As they pass through the rainbow, they step into a miniature Sanrio world, encapsulated neatly in a 50-foot airplane Hangar.
Small Gift Los Angeles is part of a nationwide tour that was created to celebrate 50 years of Sanrio. In addition to a special Sanrio pop-up shop, the Small Gift events feature workshops, exclusive parties and art showings. Though stationary Small Gift events will only take place in Los Angeles and Miami, a pop-up tour is currently underway, which features a Sanrio-decorated tour bus driving across the country filled with 50th anniversary goods available for purchase.
As people entered the Hangar, they were greeted with the faint scent of kettle corn and hot dogs. What used to house airplanes, now housed an indoor carnival, complete with a miniature golf course and Ferris wheel. Every aspect of the interior design included the iconic Sanrio characters, Hello Kitty, Pochacco, Keroppi and many more, so much so that large inflatable character heads were even hung high above the crowd.
“It’s good that they did (Small Gift) in an airplane Hangar,” said John Draisey, an attendee from Los Angeles. “They could have easily hosted the event outside, but the atmosphere in here is a whole lot better. The character balloons are huge.”
One of the main attractions of the event was the Small Gift Pop-Up Shop. The line to get into the shop, which could only accommodate 30 people at a time, spanned halfway around the Hangar. Included on the “menu” of items for sale was the 50th Anniversary Collector’s Book, Special 50th GIRL Skateboard Deck, Multi-Character Vinyl Figure Set, 50th Anniversary Tote Bags and Wallets, 90-Piece Multi-Character Mini Figure Set, Multi-Character Bobble-heads and much, much more. Fans were eager to get their hands on these products, which featured new patterns that included Sanrio characters from both past and present. Not only are these items limited edition, they will become rarities soon after the 50th anniversary celebration is over.
“The 50th Anniversary items are so classic, they remind me of my childhood,” said Nguyen Tran, an attendee from Los Angeles. “It was worth it to wait in line. The atmosphere is so nice in here, I love all things Sanrio.”
Situated next to the Pop-Up shop was the Sanrio-themed art gallery sponsored by JapanLa, a Sanrio retailer located on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. The brightly-lit space was divided into three aisles, and featured purchasable art placed in creative installations. Hello Kitty was the subject of choice for most artists, as she uniquely appeared in most works in the form of oil on canvas, mixed media, sculpture and stuffed animal form.
“I really loved the art portion of this event, there were a lot of big names,” said Shiho Nakaza, a graphic artist and illustrator based in Santa Monica.
In addition to buying rare goods, attendees also had the chance to participate in carnival activities. The games required one to three tickets and were character-themed, with clever names like “Landry Lucky Duckies” and “Little Twin Stars Shooting Stars.” Most popular among the games was “Tuxedo Sam Bowtie Bounce,” because first prize winners received a limited edition Small Gift tote bag. For those who spent all their cash on games and items, there were also classic arcade games, like Pac Man and Tron, that were free to play.
The event is free and open to the public and runs until Nov. 21. Attendees who want to be a part of special workshops and exclusive events can purchase tickets on Sanrio.com.
Originally published in the Daily Titan on November 15, 2010.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Top five internet media law legal developments
Associate professor of communications and media law expert, Genelle Belmas, provided insight into the following court cases, which illustrate some of the issues that have arisen between the Internet and the First Amendment.
1. Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union (U.S. Supreme Court, 1997) The Supreme Court struck down portions of the Communications Decency Act that attempted to regulate indecent sexual speech online. The Internet, the Court said, should be treated more like a book than like a broadcast TV show. In doing so, the Court set the stage for fairly broad content protection for the Internet.
2. Doe v. Cahill (Delaware Supreme Court, 2005) The Delaware Court outlined a test for when it would be appropriate to unmask anonymous speakers for purposes of suing them for libel. It is a thoughtful test that takes into account the need to preserve anonymity except when there is a clear case for exposing a speaker’s identity, and the test has been widely adopted by other jurisdictions.
3. Comcast Corp. v. Federal Communications Commission (D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, 2010) The appeals court found that the Federal Communications Commission did not have the authority to regulate Internet Service Providers’ (ISP) traffic decisions. This decision that could have devastating implications for net neutrality, the notion that all traffic that passes through the Internet should be treated the same. Under the principles of net neutrality, ISPs should not be able to charge more for the delivery of information based on the service or content it provides. This case also makes clear how little we know about who should regulate the Internet.
4. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 This law says that ISPs are to be legally treated as distributors, not publishers, of third-party communications that appear on their sites. That means that Facebook could not be held liable for libel if one person libels another on a Facebook page. The person who posts the libel could be sued, but not Facebook.
5. Digital Millennium Copyright Act This law provides copyright protection online. Under the DMCA, copyright holders may request that infringing material be removed by ISPs; if the ISP complies, it cannot be sued for contributory infringement. Both Section 230 and the DMCA provide protections against liability for ISPs.
Originally published in the Daily Titan on November 9, 2010.
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