Bye Bye Alcohol at San Diego Beaches

With Spring Break right around the corner, students at Cal State Long Beach are not too happy about San Diego's latest alcohol ban at yet another San Diego beach, Torrey Pines State Park. 

 

According to an article published by the Daily 49er titled "San Diego beach drinking ban breaking spring break," a group of local do-gooders have been pushing for ALL San Diego state beaches to ban drinking after a group of college-age beach-goers threw beer cans at police during a riot last Labor Day at Pacific Beach.

I had the opportunity to speak with two students from CSULB who decided to change their Spring Break plans after hearing about this new law.

"My friends and I planned to spend the week in San Diego, but after hearing this, we're going a couple more miles south to Mexico instead," said journalism major Carly Youngren, 21.  "It's not worth the risk."

"Areas such as Torrey Pines and Pacific Beach with such a high college student population are slowly going to die off if this stays in effect," said business major Andrew Herzfeld, 21.

While it seems more students are unhappy about this new law than others, San Diego assures us that it is for the safety of its residents.  With college drinking at one of its highest points during Spring Break, the health of students and others will benefit from this new law.  

Below is a video, courtesy of YouTube.com, explaining the decision for the alcohol ban on San Diego Beaches.

Alzheimer's Presentation Provides Awareness to Students

Cal State Long Beach students and faculty, along with senior citizens of the Long Beach community, gathered in the Walter Pyramid for the sixth annual Donald P. Wellness Lecture on Thursday, as reported in an article in the Daily 49er.

The event, coordinated by the College of Health and Human Services, featured guest speaker Laura Mosqueda, the Ronald Reagan Endowed Chairwoman in Geriatrics at UC Irvine. The topic for the evening was "Alheimer's: Hope on the Horizon."

As she stated in her presentation, there are currently more than four million Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and the number is estimated to grow to 14 million by the year 2050.

Mosqueda also clarified the differences between dementia and Alzheimer's, explaining that dementia is a symptom and is the impairment of thinking and memory loss that interferes with a person's ability to remember how to do things. Alzheimer's disease, on the other hand, is the common cause of dementia and is most common with elderly people.

Alzheimer's symptoms can take an emotional toll not only on its victims, but also the family members involved. When battling this illness, it is best to contantly communicate with the infected family member and give them comfort.

For more information on Alzheimer's, feel free to visit the Alzheimer's Association.

The following is an educational video providing more information on Alzheimer's, courtesy of YouTube and the Alzheimer's Association.

HSBA Hosts Blood Drive

The CSULB Hispanic Students Business Association (HSBA) held its annual blood drive on Monday, drawing in almost 100 donors to the University Student Union Ballrooms, according to an article in the Daily 49er.

Donated blood will go to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, which used 1,40o pints in patient transfusions last year alone, according to Cheryl Berlow, the hospital's donor recruiter. Berlow went on to stress the importance

of donating blood, explaining how one pint of blood can potentially save the lives of three people.

In December 2007, however, 65 pints alone were used at the hospital to save the lives of two seriously injured police officers.

"You never know what's going to happen," Berlow said. "There could be freeway pile-ups. There are a lot of children with leukemia who wind up living in the hospital and receive constant transfusions."

SoCal Blood Services Nurse Supervisor Lisa Barker said, "We need as much blood as we can get," and that it was great to see CSULB students donating "out of the goodness of their hearts."

If you were unable to donate blood this past week and would like to help, you can stop by Long Beach Memorial Hospital to do so. Requirements to donate blood include:

• Must be at least 17 years of age
• Must be in good health and feeling well on the day of donation
• Must weight at least 110 pounds
• Must have a healthy meal within four hours of donation (it is also advised to avoid caffein and coffee before donating)
  

For more information and requirements on donating, to set an appointment, or to get assistance on organizing your own blood drive, feel free to visit the Long Beach Memorial Hospital Blood Donor Center.

"There's no substitute for blood, and that's why today is so important for us," Berlow added. Make sure to do you part in helping to save the lives of those in need.

Photo Caption: Chantrea Phuong, a senior liberal studies major, squeezes a ball to get her blood flowing. (Photo Credit: Andrew Smith, Assistant City Editor, Daily 49er)

"Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" at CSULB

Kristina Wong, a writer, actress, activist and filmmaker, performed and participated in discussions with Cal State Long beach students on Thursday, according to an article in the Daily 49er, written by Amber Watt.

Wong performed excerpts from her commentary titled "Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," detailing depression and suicide rates among Asian-American women.

The event, sponsored by the Asian and Asian American studies department, the Women's Resource Center, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and the women's studies department, stemmed from personal experiences of depression through family and friends.

"It was an issue that was personally resonant and definitely an issue that was not being talked about...I feel because it was now being talked about, people were dying," Wong says.

In an interview with the Daily 49er, Dr. Ferdinand Arcinue, a psychologist with CAPS, said Wong's performance was inportant in raising the issue of mental illness.

"You don't need to be crazy, or mentally ill, or at the point of crisis to use our services," he stated. 

Wong will continue to perform her piece across the United States and already has plans for future pieces.  She will be back in Los Angeles to perform in September.

If you would like to learn more about Kristina Wong, feel free to visit her website.

"Fresh Off the Box" Interview with Kristina Wong, courtesy of YouTube.

(Top Photo courtesy of kristinawong.com)