CLASS POST

BY CORY REINHARDT, LACC OCT 6, 2014 Chuck Quinzio’s Life Behind The Camera is a book full of life. As we read through the chapters we join Quinzio through his ups and downs, mishaps, and adventures. We see him succeed and we see him fail. We join him from his very beginnings as a catholic school hell-raiser, to his college days in radio, all the way to his most successful days as a camera operator at the NBC Chicago station. Life Behind The Camera reads sort of like an autobiography, giving the reader detailed insight into Quinzio’s life. Through every chapter we watch as Quinzio grows, changes, and lets life fall into place. The book begins with Quinzio at a catholic grade school where he often finds himself getting into trouble. However, it’s not until high school that Quinzio finds his first real passion in life. There’s no shortage of characters in the book. From the very beginning to the very end Quinzio always has a fresh story about one of his many former colleagues. DJ TC, described as “having a full afro and a handlebar mustache” is one of the first main characters we meet in the book. Quinzio met him one day after school when he visited a local radio station. Quinzio immediately struck a bond with TC and every day from then on you could find him helping out at the station. Radio broadcasting was easily Quinzio’s first love. Quinzio eventually went on to do the afternoon drive radio show for his college radio station. However, his broadcasting dreams quickly came to a halt after college when he had trouble finding a well paying gig. It was around this time that his true calling came knocking on the door. One day a friend of his moms called and said they had an opening at the local T.V. station for a cameraman. Quinzio didn’t exactly jump at this opportunity but he definitely grabbed it, and I’m quite positive he’s glad he did. Quinzio is well into is 20’s by the time he gets the job as a cameraman. It’s at this point in the book that Quinzio’s stories, advice, and real life characters start to shine. Quinzio pulls stories from his memory like a DJ who pulls a record from a collection to play on the turntable. In the beginning Quinzio’s stories are funny, entertaining, and sometimes cute. However, his stories quickly get dark and slightly depressing. Often detailing the hardships of his job, such as car accidents involving drunken teenagers covered in blood, homicidal crime scenes with blood splattered all over, gang violence, and so on. Quinzio does happen to share some of his successes as well, at times reminiscing on flying in private jets and partying with the Chicago Cubs in their locker room. By the end of the book Quinzio leaves the reader with a feeling of hope and triumph. As though life is as easy as finding your passion and setting a flame to it. The book offers a very real insight into the life of a news cameraman. It reads easily, quickly and is suitable for people of all ages. I would recommend it a thousand times if I could.

BY CORY REINHARDT, LACC OCT 6, 2014 Until the beginning of the fall 2014 semester, student smokers have always had a designated place on campus to enjoy their nicotine. Now that the campus is a smoke-free zone the students have had to find new places to “light-up”. Problem solved? Not really. The student smoker population has only been pushed to the outskirts of the campus. In fact, they are directly outside the entrance gates. Non-smokers used to be able to see the designated smoking areas on campus and avoid them from a mile away. But now just try to walk into the campus from the north side without getting a cloud of smoke in your face, its seemingly impossible. The smokers of LACC used to enjoy congregating, puffing, and communicating in their designated smoking areas. They could sit, stretch-out and smoke while still being central to their classes, professors and other campus amenities. I don’t have anything against LACC’s smoker population. In fact I was a smoker myself for seven years. Most of my friends are smokers and I would often sit with them as they smoked in their designated areas. However, I simply don’t get the logic behind making the school a smoke-free zone. What are the problems that have been solved through the introduction of this new law? Are non-smokers now safer from secondhand smoke? Probably not by much. In a 2012 issue of The Collegian, when the designated smoking areas were first introduced, Theatre Arts Department Chair and Work Environment Committee Chair, Kevin L. Morrissey stated, “We’re definitely hoping that this is a transitional step toward smoke free.” Well Morrissey, it seems you got your wish. I on the other hand welcome our chain-smoking friends and would love to see them back on campus. In the words of the late Rodney King “Can we all get along?”

BY CORY REINHARDT, LACC Oct 13, 2014 According to The Washington Post a Supreme Court case titled Heien v. North Carolina may soon bring changes to the Fourth Amendment. In 2009 Nicholas Heien was pulled over by a North Carolina police officer for having a broken taillight. When police asked Heien, the car’s owner, if he would consent to a search, Heien agreed. Eventually the search would lead to the discovery of a bag containing cocaine. The Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and requires any warrant to be supported by probable cause. By the end of this case it is possible that The Fourth Amendment will also include “reasonable mistake of law”. If that were to happen it would greatly stretch the powers of police officers everywhere. Who knows what kind of clever ignorance a corrupt officer could come up with to stop and search someone. The interesting thing about this case is that North Carolina traffic law does not prohibit driving with a single broken taillight. Thus, technically the officer never had a reason to pull Heien over and likewise would have never have had a reason to search his car. Many people, myself included, think that for this reason alone the case should be dismissed and the evidence suppressed. It would be easy to say that there has been a “reasonable mistake in the law” and that the officer was acting “in good faith” therefore the search and seizure is justified. However, every citizen outside of law enforcement is expected to know, and abide by the law, and ignorance is never an acceptable excuse. It would seem that the fair thing would be for the police to know, and to be held accountable for their actions against the law, the same as citizens.