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Video

Secretary of state speaks to students

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen spoke to students about the importance of voting in the upcoming election.

Galleries

‘Dogs’ first Rose Bowl win

The Bulldogs break a streak of six losses at the Rose Bowl, beating the UCLA Bruins 36-31.

Check out the rest of the Collegian’s game coverage:

‘Dogs smell like roses

Mathews reminds Bruins why they wanted him

Roses are red for the Bulldogs

Interactive

Test your alcohol knowledge

Alcohol and drinking are perpetual subjects of conversation on college campuses nationwide. Find out how much you know about alcohol’s effects by taking The Collegian Online’s quiz below. (Click to open quiz in a pop-up window.)

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Ongoing Reports
The Collegian reports on how alcohol affects student life. This collection of articles from past issues covers such aspects as the stadium's alcohol ban, faculty alcohol pledges and alcohol education.

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A series run in Fall 2007, these articles cover that most important aspect of student life: Eating. Restaurant reviews, game day food, an interactive dining guide, a video with tips for healthy eating and more give students the scoop about eating on and around campus.

Blog

Swearengin’s, Perea’s differences set apart in debate

One of 13 mayoral debates between candidates Ashley Swearengin and Henry T. Perea took place on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at the Tower Theatre.

Although both agreed on many issues, they communicated differences about instating an independent police auditor and their personal pick for the upcoming presidential elections.

Swearengin said she would vote for Senator John McCain while Perea said he stood behind Senator Barack Obama. Swearengin noted that, “I’m also looking forward to meeting Governor Palin I think we have a few things in common.”

Personally, I hope she doesn’t have too much in common with Palin; did anyone see her response to Katie Couric about the financial crisis? She was more pathetic in person than the SNL skit by Tina Fey and Amy Poler made her out to be! That’s another story, though.

It appears to me that Fresno’s mayoral race carries almost as much historic magnitude locally as the presidential race does nationally. Gender has played a large role, as we have the choice of choosing between a male and female candidate – both of whom are relatively young (in their 30s).

Candidates’ experience is also at the forefront of debate. Perea has worked in Fresno government as a current city council member while Swearengin is co-founder and chief operations officer of a public-private partnership aimed at creating new jobs for Fresno.

Many times throughout the debate Perea referred to his experience in comparison to Swearengin’s. “It’s one thing to run for mayor and one thing to be mayor,” Perea commented. However, Swearengin was quick to rebut that although Perea may have experience, she has yet to see the outcome of many of his efforts.

Regarding an independent police auditor, Swearengin said that one would be beneficial. “We don’t just give them [police] money, we give them authority to uphold our laws, we give them a badge, and we give them guns,” Swearengin said.

Perea skirted around answering the question of instating the auditor so much so that the questioner, Denis Hart, had to ask him the question again. In fact, Perea was asked questions for clarity three times during the entirety of the debate.

He finally said that he was reluctant to instate a police auditor because he didn’t want to put our police in handcuffs. Some would argue that it is due to his allegiance to the police department which endorses him.

After both responded to further questioning, each candidate was allowed to ask their opponent one question. Notably, Sweargenin asked Perea if he would be willing to sign a pledge with her to denounce independent expenditures for negative attack ads.

His retort came as a slap in the face for Swearengin: “I wish you would have done the same for me in the primary when your supporters were attacking me the last four weeks of the campaign…why is it only now in the general election that you have found this disdain for independent expenditures?”

Perea said that although he found the proposal disingenuous, he was absolutely willing to align with it.

The evening quickly ended as the candidates gave their last statements and “why-you-should-vote-for-me” lines. The main theme throughout the night seemed to be the difference in experience.

Perea exhorts his know-how in city government, while Swearengin claims Fresno needs a fresh face, someone who loves our city and someone isn’t looking for political resume building.

I know who I’m voting for as mayor. If you aren’t sure yet, then checkout the mayoral debate coming to campus on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m., in McLane Hall Room 121.

News Briefs

Homecoming activities with Fresno State Athletics

Mark your calendars for these important dates

1) Join us for bagels, breakfast breads, fruit, coffee, and juice as we host RED FRIDAY this week – Friday, Oct. 10 from 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. in the USU Pavilion (bottom floor) along with
the Alumni Association. The event is free and you can win prizes too!

2) Homecoming PEP RALLY Friday night from 6-7 p.m. in Bulldog Boulevard! FREE! Bring your family and friends as we get ready for the Homecoming weekend games! Inflatable games, music, prizes, Fresno State teams, and hear from Coach Pat Hill, Tom Brandstater and Bear Pascoe.

3) Homecoming FOOD DRIVE on Saturday! Fresno State Athletics along with Fresno State management students and SPOC have partnered with the Community Food Bank to show their commitment to fight valley hunger.

Bring a non-perishable food item to the volleyball game on Saturday and/or the football game on Saturday to benefit the Community Food Bank. Collection points will be located inside the Northwest entrance of the Save Mart Center for volleyball and at all four entrances to Bulldog Stadium as well as various football parking lots (purple, gray, SMC). Look for volunteers in bright green shirts.

Monetary donations are also accepted as $1 equals 8 pounds of food. Volunteers will have envelopes or pick one up during the football game at the marketing tent located at the bottom of the south ramp. Collection bins are also located at several on campus locations through Friday.

4) SMASH MOUTH at Bulldog Boulevard on Saturday! Before the football game, check out the free concert from Smash Mouth at Bulldog Boulevard. The Bulldog Boulevard area opens at 3pm and the band starts at 5:15pm. Thanks to Table Mountain, homecoming game sponsor, for bringing Smash Mouth.

Homecoming games this weekend

• Saturday at 2 p.m. – Volleyball vs. Nevada at the Save Mart Center – free admission with your October 11 football ticket
• Saturday at 7 p.m. – Football vs. Idaho at Bulldog Stadium – Click here for tickets, starting at $25
• Sunday at 2pm – Soccer vs. Hawaii at Bulldog Stadium – free admission with your October 11 football ticket

For more information about Homecoming activities, visit the official homepage.

Read more news briefs.

News

Rare photos displayed at the fair

Photos from the 1920s have been restored and are on display at the fair

Fresno fairgoers have an opportunity to take a step back and get a glimpse of the past, literally.

Amidst foot massagers, bungee jumping and an automatic bull, the Pop Laval Foundation brought to the fair a little bit of what Fresno used to be.

“It is important for everyone to know where they have been to know where they are going,” said Elizabeth Laval, great-granddaughter of Claude “Pop” Laval.

Rows of black-and-white pictures of faces, cows, cars and whatever else that could be photographed in the 1920s, adorn one of the corners of the Home Arts Building at the Fresno Fairgrounds.

The pictures at the exhibit are only a few of the 100,000 that have been restored by the foundation and most of those photos still have not been restored.

“We have negatives that need to be restored, big negatives that are perishable, and we need to restore them before we lose a piece of a history,” said Laval, who is in charge of the Pop Laval Foundation.

Elizabeth Laval has taken on the task of gathering funds to restore the negatives her great-grandfather left when he died in 1966.

He was a commercial photographer in the Central Valley back in the 20s.

“He would take pictures of what was important back in the days. Right or wrong, good or bad, my great-grandfather was paid to take pictures.” Laval said.

Although he was a paid photographer, quite possibly the first in the area, Laval added, “He did not have any training. He was not a professional. Still, we keep finding photographs with some effects that now-a-days are still difficult to achieve and we have no idea how he did it in his time.”

Despite the fact that she does not know much about her great-grandfather, Elizabeth Laval said she can still see a lot about him in his pictures.

“The pictures all have a human element, like the Native Americans used to say that pictures take a piece of your soul, I think it’s true,” Laval said.

One of the foundation’s objectives is to familiarize children specifically with history by bringing them images they can relate to.

“We want to show kids what Fresno was like in the happier days since a lot of it has been lost,” Laval said. “And what a better way to do it than with pictures.”

Although there were not too many kids looking at the pictures, a number of adults could be found gazing longingly at the images of an earlier Fresno.

“I wish we could go back, back to when it was a simpler time and there weren’t that many problems,” said Karen Hayes, who was standing behind her sister staring at a picture of a young woman in showgirl attire, sitting on the windowsill of barn next to a horse.

“I’m sitting here sweating like a pig and complaining that there is no air conditioner; imagine what it was like for those girls in big dresses back in the old days,” said her sister Nancy Hayes, a Fresno resident since the 1970s.

The foundation still has a lot of work to do it announced plans to want to restore all of Pop Laval’s pictures. However, it is aware of the task that lies ahead and is willing to do it slowly.

“In total, it would cost us about to 10 million dollars to restore all of the pictures,” Laval said. “We are aware that this is a perpetual process.”

Laval said the funds they used to get through grants are no longer available and they are now depending on donations to finish the task.

Sports

Bulldog Game Day

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, AT 7 P.M., BULLDOG STADIUM

Fresno State Bulldogs (3-2, 0-1 WAC) vs. Idaho Vandals (1-5, 0-2 WAC)

TELEVISION: Bulldog Sports Network (COMCAST CHANNEL 13) RADIO: KMJ-AM 580 AND KGST-AM 1600 (ESPN DEPORTES)

Breakdown: Bulldogs

With the loss to Hawaii, the Bulldogs’ outlook has changed for the remainder of the season and dashed hopes of a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) game.

Now the Bulldogs must focus on winning the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The first step toward winning the conference is wining their homecoming game against Idaho.

The Bulldogs are now 3-2 on the season and 0-1 in the WAC, but according to coach Pat Hill, Fresno State will be right back in the conference race with a win tomorrow.

The coaching staff has been stressing ball security this week following a six-turnover game against Hawaii.

Tom Brandstater had four turnovers in the game and will look to improve this week.

Tailback Ryan Mathews has been back at practice, but Anthony Harding and Lonyae Miller have proved they can be sufficient backups at the position.

For the defense, linebacker Ben Jacobs has controlled games this season and has racked up 42 tackles, one fumble recovery for a touchdown and one blocked kick.

The Bulldogs will be playing for their first home win and hope to not disappoint, especially on homecoming.

Breakdown: Vandals

Rob Akey’s first 18 games with the Idaho Vandals haven’t exactly gone to plan — he’s 2-16 with the no wins against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents.

But don’t’ expect a 33.5-point underdog Idaho team to play like that Saturday at Bulldog Stadium.

After Fresno State’s loss to Hawaii, the Vandals are looking to be the second straight team to upset the Bulldogs.

The Idaho offense is anchored by tailback Deonté Jackson, who ranked second in the conference in rushing last season.

Jackson has 352 yards rushing in 2008 with two touchdowns, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

Quarterback Nathan Enderle ranks second in the WAC with nine touchdown passes and has thrown for 1,051 yards.

His favorite target, senior H-back Eddie Williams, leads the Vandals with 500 yards receiving and five touchdown grabs.

Defensively, look for free safety Virdell Larkins to cause some havoc in the secondary. He leads Idaho and ranks ninth in the WAC with 46 total tackles.

Idaho is becoming a doormat in the conference, but as fans saw last weekend, anything can happen on a Saturday in college football.

Statistics from the Spud State…

Idaho Player to Watch:
Deonté Jackson, Tailback

Wins against: Idaho State (42-27)

Losses to: Arizona (70-0), Western Michigan (51-28), Utah State (42-17), San Diego State (45-17), Nevada (49-14)

Head coach: Rob Akey (Second season, 2-16)

Offense: Multiple

Defense: Multiple

Key players: QB Nathan Enderle, H-Back Eddie Williams, FS Virdell Larkins

Series record: Fresno State leads 6-4

Last meeting: The Bulldogs won, 37-24, in Moscow, Idaho.

Point Spread: Fresno State is favored by 33.5 points.

Keys to Victory

1. Sure up the special teams.
What was once a strength for the Bulldogs has become a glaring weakness. Fresno State needs to improve here if they hope to rebound this week.

2. Hold on to the football.
Fresno State turned the ball over six times against Hawaii, resulting in 20 of the Warriors’ points. The Bulldogs need to protect the ball to win football games.

3. Win back the RED WAVE.
The Bulldogs are 0-2 at home this season. Fresno State needs to instill some faith back in its fanbase.

Position match ups

Fresno State Player to Watch:
Tom Brandstater, Quarterback

When Fresno State runs:
Advantage - Fresno State
Anthony Harding and Lonyae Miller combined for more than 300 yards last weekend. With Ryan Mathews back the running game should be in full force this week.

When Idaho runs:
Advantage - Idaho
Deonté Jackson is an explosive tailback and the Vandals average more than 100 yards rushing per game.

When Fresno State passes:
Advantage - Fresno State
Tom Brandstater had a sloppy performance against Hawaii last weekend, but Idaho surrenders 286 yards in the air per game.

When Idaho passes:
Advantage - Fresno State
The Vandals’ offense has not been able to flourish with the passing game. Nathan Enderle has thrown seven interceptions.

Special teams:
Advantage - Idaho
The Bulldogs have not proven that they can dominate this facet of the game. Fresno State surrendered a kickoff return for a touchdown last weekend and kicker Kevin Goessling missed three field goals.

By Jimmy Graben and Logan Hopkins / The Collegian

Features

Boo! Are you scared yet?

Hobb’s Grove is preparing for its “10th Year of Fear” and the characters are ready to scare anyone in their path…

With Halloween around the corner, there figures to be dozens of haunted house attractions around town. But for owner Lore Callhan, Hobb’s Grove is the best.

“There are other big haunts that would kill to have something like this,” Callahan said. “Even Universal Studios, Knot’s Berry farm don’t have this kind of feel. [Hobb’s Grove] is one of the biggest haunts in the country.”

For 10 years, Hobb’s Grove has been known around California as one of the most popular haunted Halloween attractions. With three attractions spread out on 24 acres, Hobb’s Grove has the benefit of wide open spaces out in the country near Sanger.

The event begins tonight at dark and will feature more than 100 characters trying to scare everyone who crosses their path.

But what makes Hobb’s Grove so exciting for the community and keeps people coming back every year? The workers and the characters they play.

“These people are weird all year long, and they have been waiting for this,” security guard Tommy Shipley said. “It’s always fun and never a bad time.”

Caleb Robinson has been working at Hobb’s Grove for years and is excited that this is “Hobb’s Grove 10th Year of Fear.”

Robinson enjoys talking to customers while in character and offers them “a sliver of liver,” from one of the bodies being held in the morgue of the attraction.

“For the new year of our haunting season, we’ve made a few changes,” Robinson said. “We like to make things better each year to keep people coming back.”

Robinson explained that this year, some characters will be acting like they are in a sequel to what their characters were last year.

Kyle Allen’s character, the Monster Master 5000, added onto his character’s role from last year. Allen explained that his character is a mad scientist like Dr. Frankenstein.

“Last year, I put my assistant into the machine, and we had all kinds of blood and tendons shoot out the other side,” Allen said. “This year, a monster will come out of the other side.”

When you first get to Hobb’s Grove, there is a midway where characters like Chris Geise’s Billy Bob, and Ralf, the half-rat half-wolf, act as guides to explain to people how the attractions work.

The three attractions at Hobb’s Grove are the Haunted Hayride, the Haunted Forest and the Haunted House. They have plenty of scares and gore, but some are tamer than others.

A walk through the forest includes visuals of large patches of bloody skin hanging from tree branches, and personal up-close encounters with a variety of monsters.

Opinion

IMAGINING ME — THROUGH TV

IN A MONTH I’VE GROWN POT, BEEN A HOUSEWIFE ON a cul-de-sac, become a serial killer, worked at a funeral parlor, and most recently, discovered I had superpowers — if only in my imagination.

You see, I have what some might call an overactive imagination and a really strange habit in which I want to emulate the television show I’m obsessed with at the time. (So, in order, that was “Weeds,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Dexter,” “Six Feet Under,” and “Heroes.”)

I supposed it started with “Six Feet Under” when I became fascinated with the process funeral parlors go through to make deceased people look presentable to their families. I even picked up books like “Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers.” At that point, I really wanted to work in a morgue.

Then I found pot.

Okay, technically I was in love with “Dead Like Me” after this, but fantasizing about being a grim reaper is a little beyond even my standards.

So “Weeds” introduced me to the wonderful world of marijuana growing and dealing in suburbia.
Though I would never actually start growing (or dealing) the stuff, I have thought of ingredients to put in my supply and what I would call it.

No, I’m not telling because if anyone took my ideas I would not be a happy camper.

Coincidently enough, another Showtime favorite is “Dexter,” and oh how brilliant that show is.

He is a serial killer, tagged the Bay Harbor Butcher, and works on the Miami police force as a blood detective. Of course, no one knows he kills people. With all the “CSI” and “Law and Order” shows, it was inevitable that I would land on some type of crime-solving kick. Being the one murdering is different though. His trick is to line the entire room in plastic.

I think I would be more of a slip-some-arsenic-in-your-Gatorade kind of girl.

“Desperate Housewives” is easy: a lovely house with a white picket fence with trouble-causing children and nosey neighbors? I already practically lived that life when I was one of the kids. Problem was, we lived on the highway and not a cul-de-sac.

Maybe I just like gossip.

Also exciting? Superpowers.

Admit it, you’ve thought about it; maybe once when you were five. With the help of “Heroes,” I’ve decided on telekinesis and pyrokinesis. I just want the fire to come out of my hands though, not a Human Torch sort of thing. Telekinesis would make everything so much easier. And by everything I mean purely selfish things like moving people who don’t have 15 items or less out of line Like rearranging living room furniture. Like getting rid of others’ cell phones who like to text friends or whatever they do when they are watching films in dark movie theaters and I can see the light illuminate them and everyone around them.

There are other shows too, but the point is that I’m all in my head, where the world works in scripts and catch phrases. I think up random scenarios, like the other day when I was pondering how awkward it would be if you and a friend were laughing about something and a random person came up and asked what was so funny. I also have a hearing problem where I seem to invent what people are saying, like when people answer the phone and say, “Hello” and once I went, “Did you just call me a ho?”

This habit I’ve developed keeps me sane, if that makes any sense. Who knows where I would be if I saw the world how it was. What a depressing existence it must be.