Volume 137, Issue 7
Where's
the Dough?
Despite
low-carb craze, campus offers few selections
BY
REBECCA BRASSFIELD
Contributing Writer
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Jose
Ramirez, City College student, (lower right) samples a "Double-
Double Protein Burger" at In-N-Out.
City College eateries inhabit a world of their own, continuing to deliver the high-carbohydrate staples of student life, despite the Atkins-inspired low-carb trend sweeping America.
Students indulge in every delicious carbohydrate imaginable at Ocean campus food venues. "I wasn't aware of the Atkins trend," was all the manager of the City Café, who identified herself only as "April," would say on the topic.
But cruise the aisles of your favorite grocery store and food products marked with the Atkins "A" logo are as ubiquitous as the golden arches on any major boulevard.
Atkins Nutritionals Inc.'s web site promotes their low-carb fare, along with diet guru Robert Atkins' philosophy: "With Atkins' unique approach, you limit the carbs so your body burns fat."
| Low-Carb
Fare
Carb-watchers should have no fear of the Atkins Diet. Beer, candy, and fishy delights are available in low-carb compliant forms. Photos by Jorge Parada |
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Medical research supporting the diet is still in its infancy. The American Medical Association's web site reports that although there is no conclusive evidence, some studies have shown that people lose more weight on low-carbohydrate diets. The AMA also warns that low-carb diets may actually cause health problems.
The American Heart Association argues in an article published in April that "there's not enough evidence for or against the use of these diets."
To take advantage of low-carb mania, Castus, a newly franchised market chain touting itself as a low-carb superstore, sells more than 1,500 low-carb products, including the surprisingly popular cinnamon-flavored pork rinds.
Perhaps the most talked about low-carb delicacy is the burger without a bun a fast-food revolution.
City College student David Whisler briefly caught the Atkins bug nearly four years ago. He said "people looked at you like you had three eyes" if you ordered a burger without the bun.
Carl's Jr. now features bun-less burgers on its menu. McDonald's, Burger King and In-N-Out Burger also honor bun-less requests, as well as providing tips and nutritional information for reducing carbs.
But to jump off the low-carb bandwagon and cure your hankering for munchies without the restraint of Atkins-imposed carb counting, just visit the eateries on Ocean campus.
Ocean campus concessionaire, The Lunch Box, peddles snacks such as pretzels, pizza and piroshkis. City Café, in the lower level of the Student Union, offers cookies, chips, muffins, bagels, sandwiches and candy.
Pierre Coste, a student-run restaurant, includes a side of potatoes or rice withentrées, although student and chef-hopeful Peter Sherman insists requests for substitutions are frequently honored.
Edward Hamilton, culinary arts department chair said "If you eat at our restaurant, you can always get a high-protein, low-carb item." Hamilton added that he thinks the Atkins diet is just a fad.
City College nutrition instructor Linda Bacon hopes that the Atkins diet is a temporary diversion that will pass as soon as possible.
"In three out of four classes, I've raised the question about whether people have been influenced by the low-carb craze, and just about everyone felt they've been influenced by it in some way," she said.
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A vegetarian, the not-so-aptly-named Bacon is opposed to any sort of fad diet and the Atkins diet in particular because of its emphasis on high-fat, high-protein foods.
She suggested that people with weight-loss goals focus on eating a diet "rich in fiber, low in saturated fats and switch to more whole as opposed to processed foods."
BY
HALIE JOHNSON
Contributing Writer
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This
biblically-themed musical is about Joseph, Does a musical featuring cheerleaders and cowboys singing in a calypso number bring to mind the Old Testament? If you're confused, then somehow you've missed the City College Theatre Department's production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat."
Alex Kronbetter (Joseph) said although the musical's setting is during an unhappy time, "you're not watching 'The Passion of the Christ,' a very somber show. They wrote it to keep people on the edge of their seats. It's very fun and energetic."
The production moves quickly from scene to scene with the help of talented singers, actors, and musicians. The cast and crew brings it all together with elaborate costumes, a dynamic set (including burlap sacks stuffed with the campus newspaper), and singing and dancing that never stops.
Jacob's first and favorite son, whose brothers sold him into slavery becuse they were envious of his colorful coat.
 Alex Kronbetter is Joseph. JEREMY TANNER / GUARDSMAN |
Fortunately, Joseph's ability to interpret dreams helps him rise to power by gaining favor with the Phaoroh of Egypt. When Joseph gets a chance for revenge on his brothers, he turns the other cheek and forgives them in a very Christ-like manner.
People already familiar with the production will be surprised by the unique flavor of the City College rendition.
Tristan Thunderbolt, a deaf actor, performs a song in sign language as Joseph sings, and a choir of local schoolchildren joins in for the closing number. There are more creative twists that viewers will just have to see for themselves.
Director Deborah Shaw said that the musical, one of her favorites, was originally created to be a grammar school lesson in England. As its popularity grew, composer Andrew Lloyd Wright and lyricist Tim Rice produced "Dream Coat" on Broadway in 1982.
"They were young then and more creative. It's very eclectic," Shaw said.
Theater Department chairwoman Susan Jackson said that last semester's productions were very historical and "adult" in nature. This semester's theme is "the season of dreams," and includes productions geared toward children and adults alike, such as "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Jackson said that her department believes performances should offer more than entertainment. She feels that people tend to think "educational theater is substandard. We're trying to break that mold."
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" opened at the Diego Rivera Theatre on April 23. Upcoming performances will be held on April 30 and May 1 at 8:00 p.m. and May 2 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission; $10 for students/seniors/TBA members; and $5 for children.
UNSEEN AMERICA
A rare glimpse into health care
BY
SUMMERS HENDERSON
Contributing Writer
 Mark Rodriguez, mental health worker, stands next to his photo of a restraint bed. He says it is rarely necessary. ANTHONY CASTELLANO/GUARDSMAN |
Despite growing concern over health care and its rising cost, few people have had the chance to see into the lives of health-care workers. Now some members of California's largest health-care workers' union are representing themselves through photography.
Local 250 of Service Employees International Union offered a free photography class to 20 of its members last September to encourage creative expression and draw attention to the value of health-care workers. "Unseen America," an exhibit of their work, opened at Oakland City Hall on April 7.
Workers who took the class received technical instruction in black and white photography and discussions of photo aesthetics from Richard Bermack, a professional photographer with experience in labor issues.
"Working people's point of view is not often expressed," Bermack said. "We spend so many of our waking hours at work, yet the images we see in the media are oftentimes divorced from that portion of our lives."
The class brought together an ethnically diverse group working in various health-care jobs around the Bay Area. The exhibit features pictures the students took at work and at home. There are photos that depict nurses testing a newborn baby, a child on a backyard swing and a self-portrait by a file clerk, alongside photos by a warehouse worker, a shuttle bus driver and a pathology technician.
"I'm trying to save health care through pictures," said Gloria Elberfeld, a home-care provider whose photos portray her cognitively impaired daughter. Elberfeld hopes images like these will help stave off government cuts to health care.
"If that were to happen, my daughter would die," Elberfeld said. "If I don't speak, who will?"
Mark Rodriguez, one of the photographers, works with adolescents as a psychiatric technician at St. Mary's Hospital. He could not take pictures of his patients because of ethical restrictions, but he did produce a photo of a restraint bed with leather hand and ankle straps.
But Rodriguez doesn't want this image to define his job, saying that the restraint bed is rarely necessary, and that the public misunderstands health-care workers.
"Especially mental health. That's not really an accurate picture in movies," Rodriguez said. "You only see Nurse Ratchett. But we're people just like everybody else."
Another photographer, Richard Price, summed up this diverse collection of photos: "It's just amazing where people are, what they see, what they bring to life in their photos. You can cherish that moment."
"Unseen America" will run at Oakland City Hall through May 6, before moving to the SEIU convention at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center from June 2123. Excerpts of the exhibit can be seen online at SEIU Local 250's web site at www.seiu250.org.