<David> Come to the 3rd semesterly ASUC Bookswap!
Buy, sell, and trade with other students and cash in without the middleman!
Tuesday and Wednesday, January 20 & 21
11 am - 3 pm
Sproul Plaza
for more info ...
email: asucbookswap@uclink.berkeley.edu
web: csba's bookswap.berkeley.edu
Misha Leybovich
Senator, Associated Students of the University of California
mile@uclink.berkeley.edu
510-289-7596 cell
Come to the 3rd semesterly ASUC Bookswap!
Buy, sell, and trade with other students and cash in without the middleman!
Tuesday and Wednesday, January 20 & 21
11 am - 3 pm
Sproul Plaza
for more info ...
email: asucbookswap@uclink.berkeley.edu
web: csba's bookswap.berkeley.edu
</David> <!--11:26 AM-->
<David> Apparently falling under the radar, Paris Review founder, journalist, actor, former Harvard Lampoon editor, and all-around funny and witty man George Plimpton died last Thursday in New York City at the age of 76.
</David> <!--4:08 PM-->
<David> The new AP Top 25 poll has been released. USC falls from #3 to #10. Cal managed to actually pick up 3 votes. Now all you need is 1,400 more. Still, strong showing by the Bears and here's hoping for a big win this weekend for Homecoming.
</David> <!--1:00 AM-->
<David> The Lighter Side Lightens Up
As of this moment, I pledge to consume no more than 3 alcoholic beverages in any given day, unless more than four hours elapses between the completion of the 3rd and the beginning of the 4th.
I did some time-travelling Friday night that I care not to repeat.
In other news, I have a cute girlfriend.
</David> <!--11:46 PM-->
<David> Legendary rock & roller Robert Palmer died. His hits included "Simply Irresistible" and "Addicted to Love."
While sad, I can take solace in the fact that at least it wasn't Carl Palmer.
</David> <!--11:18 AM-->
<David> Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.
-Head of the Luftwaffe and 2nd in command of the Third Reich, Hermann Goering, during the Nuremberg Trials.
</David> <!--3:35 PM-->
<David> Chancellor Berdahl decided to step down as Chancellor at the end of the 2003-2004 fiscal year. Here's the text of his email to the "campus community:"
Dear Colleagues:
As you may have heard, today I announced my decision to step down as Chancellor in June, 2004. This was a difficult decision because serving as Chancellor has been the highest honor and greatest privilege of my life. But it is the right decision, both personally and professionally. Personally, because my family deserves more of my time. Professionally, because I have been in demanding administrative position for 17 years and it is time for me to close my career, as I began it, as a teacher and a scholar. After a year of sabbatical, I will return to Berkeley to teach.
I thank you for all your hard work and support during the past six years. I look forward to working with each of you in the year ahead.
Robert M. Berdahl
Chancellor
It's just as well. Berdahl floundered as a Chancellor in terms of his relationship with the students. He was a mediocre to good Chancellor overall, but his reactions to student crises and unwillingness to pursue hard-line punishments made him seem like an impotent pushover to the students.
The question is, if Berdahls returns to teaching, will it be here at Cal? I mean, he says he will, but would he really want to? I'm curious.... Of course I'll have graduated by then, so my time at Cal will have been 100% Bobby B all the time. My bet is that Cal goes in-house for the next Chancellor, promoting a current dean or vice-chancellor. I've love to see Vice-Chancellor Horace Mitchell (the Chancellor's "Hatchet Man") be promoted. We need some real-world common sense in the office. Though my bet would be that Vice-Chancellor for Undergraduate Affairs and former Lighter Side lunch-buddy Gennaro Padilla gets the job, should the University promote an in-house Chancellor.
Any other guesses?
</David> <!--3:21 PM-->
<David> In entertainment news:
Apparently, ABC is going to continue to air "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," despite the death of the incredibly talented and likeable John Ritter, the principal (and probably only) reason for the show's moderate success. The first three episodes which Ritter filmed before his death will be aired, then the show will go into repeats as it gets retooled. Here's the gist:
"Each of the first three episodes already shot will start with a special introduction, featuring the cast members. The next new show will deal with the death of Ritter's character, Paul Hennessy."
The cast will then presumably come to terms with his death. Grieving and coping with the death of the main character in a wacky sitcom is always a sure-fire recipe for success. I think that the immense popularity of Ritter as an actor and a man will make for some very poignant episodes, but the ability for (and the willingness of) this show to carry on after this season should not be in question. How can it? The only other show that I can think of in which the main character died and the show continued is "Chico and the Man," which only lasted one season after Freddie Prinze shot himself, leaving Jack "Grampa Joe" Albertson to finish up the show's run co-starring with a spunky pre-teen. This isn't "Cheers" or "Valerie's Family" where a prominent member of an ensemble cast left the show on her own volition. This is the tragic and untimely death of the lead actor.
I mean, the show's called "8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter" and now you don't have the character to which the "my" refers.
Maybe ABC will get Brian Doyle-Murray to replace Ritter, or perhaps the eminently talentless Jim Belushi could handle double-duty on sitcoms.
Let's hope that this season is done tastefully and that the show's run ends respectfully upon its conclusion.
Please.
</David> <!--3:31 PM-->
<David> BREAKING THE SILENCE!
The 9th District Circuit Court of Appeals has DELAYED THE RECALL ELECTION. The court supported the ACLU's lawsuit saying that six counties are still using the old punch-card system which, with the ridiculously long gubernatorial ballot and what will probably be a very close election, would potentially disenfranchise voters and leave too much of the election up to error.
Now, I know you're saying six counties? Who cares about six counties? Except that those six counties are: Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Clara, Sacramento, Solano, and Mendocino. All those counties but the last are huge chunks of population, representing 44% of registered voters in the 2000 election.
The court is waiting a week to implement their decision, giving time for appeals. Rest assured that appeals will happen. If the ruling holds, then the election would probably take place on March 22, at the next scheduled primary election.
I think this is a good thing. There's no point in rushing this election and the only people who support doing so seek to disenfranchise voters and limit voter turnout. And who wants to do that in California? Why, Republicans of course. Don't try to tell me it's not true.
Read the full story from SFGate.com here.
</David> <!--12:33 PM-->
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