The Lighter Side

2004-01-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

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

2003-09-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

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.

2003-09-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

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.

2003-09-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

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.

2003-09-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

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.

2003-09-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

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.

2003-09-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

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?

2003-09-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

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.

2003-09-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

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.

2003-08-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

Senator Misha Leybovich asks that I post this information:

2nd semesterly ASUC BOOKSWAP:
Come check out the 2nd semesterly ASUC BOOKSWAP!!!
Buy/sell/barter/swap your books with other students and save/make money without the middleman!
Thursday August 28
11 AM - 4 PM
Upper Sproul Plaza
Contact: ASUC Senator Misha Leybovich at asucbookswap@uclink.berkeley.edu

2003-08-21T00:55:00.000-07:00

I've been busy, but have I got a doozy for you!

BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS

At approximately 12:30AM I was driving up Durant and at the corner of Durant/Piedmont there was a police car and a Fire Department Paramedic vehicle. Several police officers and paramedics were ready with a stretcher and there was a (what I believe to be) a young man lying prone on sidewalk with these offices and paramedics around him. This was right outside the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

For those of you who remember, the alcohol moratorium of Spring-Summer 2002 was a result of a young Kappa Kappa Gamma girl tripping and cutting her head open on the sidewalk while walking back from a party at Pike. KKG is right across Durant from PKA.

I hope Dean Kenney overreacts to this one too.

2003-08-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

In absence of news worth talking about, here's a rundown of movies I've watched in the last few months. Note, most are not first run.

Anger Management - Thank god I saw this movie on the plane ride from Chicago this past weekend. No way would I have paid money to see it. Basically, it's a movie whose sole purpose is to allow Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler to give over-the-top performances for no apparent reason. A couple amusing moments, but pretty crappy overall.

Old School - Implausible plot aside, this movie was really fucking funny. Most of it is due to the brilliant comic performances from Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Will Ferrell, but writer-director Todd Phillips does know how to put together a pretty funny script. This movie knows just how far to go with jokes without falling into just juvenile gross-out humor. For example, in a movie about a college fraternity, there's not a single instance of vomiting or vomit-inspired humor.

Made - Most would say this movie doesn't stand up to the first Vince Vaughn-Jon Favreau vehicle Swingers (which I very much enjoyed), but I'd have to disagree. Made's script is a little more natural, the story is more coherent, and Vaughn's performance is even better. It does lack some of the classic Swingers lines, but Made makes up for it with a subtler wit.

A Beautiful Mind - Sappy Ron Howard-ness aside, this was an awesome movie. Though really only loosely based on John Nash's life, the movie was made with Nash and his wife's blessing and its compassionate depiction of schizophrenia and Cold War paranoia is brilliant. Russell Crowe's performance is epic, setting a new standard for portraying the mentally ill with depth and understanding.

Catch Me If You Can - A fun movie with a phenomenal performance from Christopher Walken. Leonardo DiCaprio's performance is also quite good, winning back my respect for his acting talents. One thing I'll say is that Steven Spielberg is a great filmmaker but he's only a competent director. This movie left me disappointed in parts with its fairly linear and banal story-telling, moving from event to event in Frank Abegnale, Jr.'s life with journalistic matter-of-factness. That style works in historical epics like Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan and action movies like the Indiana Jones series, but a quirky story like Abegnale's requires something a little more eccentric.

Pirates of the Caribbean - Just a really fun summer adventure movie with a great performance from Johnny Depp. Nothing more to say that hasn't already been said. If you're one of the 10 people who haven't seen it yet, get off your ass and go. Keira Knightley's hot.

CKY4 - Bam Majera and a few others of the Jackass crew put together what is ostensibly a skater video interspersed with various disgustingly comic sequences mostly involving Matt Damon's cousin, Ravv Himself, defecating in various places, including out the window of a van going 75 on the freeway. There are a couple of inspired sequences with a certain freak-show appeal and the skating videos are pretty cool. Jackass: The Movie is still far superior.

2003-08-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

Now here's something that'll make a great belated Father's Day present!

2003-08-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

The Onion's infographic this week captures the essence of the Gray Davis recall in a pretty astute nutshell. The first one's my favorite.

2003-08-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

With all due respect to Kate Gladstone of Albany, New York, but if you can't write a two page essay on the spot in 25 minutes, how are you supposed to do even remotely well in college courses?

2003-08-04T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a bit of exciting news. Britney Spears poses almost nude for this month's edition of British Elle magazine.

2003-08-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you don't have to take part 2 of the Reading & Composition requirement? This seems like a big secret. Basically, if you have a 3.3 or higher overall GPA, have taken an R1A class, and can submit 2 or more essays (at least 10 pages) with instructor's grades and comments along with a rationale for why R1B should be waived, then you qualify for having your petition reviewed. Here's the form. I hope this helps someone.

2003-08-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

A source who knew passingly bank robbery suspect Glennel Givens, Jr. remarked to The Lighter Side that he often observed Givens in Heller Lounge reading two books: "The Hustler's Handbook" and "How to Get Rich Quick."

2003-07-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

When was it that we "decided" as a society that all viewpoints on whatever subject must be respected?

Why should we inherently value both a "liberal" and a "conservative' viewpoint on something? What is inherently wrong about the university "hosing" conservatives? What's would be inherently wrong if they "hosed" liberals?

I guess my question is, why do people have the sense of entitlement or expectation that their views will be respected? What does it matter if they are or not? Does that invalidate your views? Do you think that complaining will get other people to change their views? Do you need the affirmation? Even if your views are being attacked viciously or institutionally, does that make you any less confident in your views? If you're a liberal and pacifist, you may feel that your attitudes are being institutionally attacked by your own federal government. If you're conservative at Cal, you may feel that your attitudes are being institutionally attacked at the place where you attend school. So what? Work pragmatically for gradual and progressive change.

We'd all be better off getting over it and moving on then to keep bitching about it every time the opportunity arises. If conservatives REALLY felt as persecuted at they claim, I don't think they'd be at Cal. There aren't many liberals at Bob Jones University or, to use a more academically rigorous state school example, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Something's not adding up, except when you include the added factor of what gets press time.

2003-07-30T18:09:00.000-07:00

Space allocations are posted now at ASUC.org. Interestingly enough, in this final version "ante-chamber" is spelled correctly. Were they inspired by my comment here? Or is it just a coincidence? How many questions marks are too many? Salamander?

2003-07-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

Search engine keyword searches for my old blog:

547 8.19% girls
249 3.72% wild
237 3.55% gone
227 3.40% chico
195 2.92% playboy
150 2.24% women
121 1.81% berkeley
114 1.70% small
114 1.70% penises
93 1.39% big
92 1.37% asian
87 1.30% asu
84 1.25% naked
83 1.24% college
81 1.21% playboys
79 1.18% rachael
79 1.18% klein
78 1.16% putnam
75 1.12% breasted
75 1.12% top
74 1.10% porn
73 1.09% black
73 1.09% men
65 0.97% sexy
61 0.91% coeds
61 0.91% party
61 0.91% schools
56 0.83% large
55 0.82% and
49 0.73% hot
48 0.71% havasu
48 0.71% breasts
47 0.70% cal
46 0.68% quindel
44 0.65% jessica
42 0.62% the
41 0.61% turbocharge
41 0.61% lake
40 0.59% cars
36 0.53% with
35 0.52% blog
35 0.52% topless
34 0.50% rankings
32 0.47% state
29 0.43% liberal
29 0.43% for
29 0.43% university
28 0.41% japanese
27 0.40% have
27 0.40% wet

Sounds like postmodern poetry.

2003-07-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

So, in all this "conservative study" uproar, the one voice that's being lost in this mess is Jack Glaser, the professor behind the study. And after misrepresenting him in their article, where does the Daily Cal put his clear and thoughtful response? Buried in the letters page. Some quotes from Professor Glaser:

"Finally, I take issue with interviewed conservative student Kelly Coyne's assertion without foundation that the research was "politically motivated." I have never spoken with Coyne so she has no basis for this misguided conclusion. Furthermore, I would wonder if she had even read the paper or was just basing judgment on the sensationalist media that has surrounded it."

and of course:

"Furthermore, I stated repeatedly, with regard to concerns about studying one ideology or another, that conservatism is a widely acknowledged human trait, everyone agrees that it influences political and policy decisions, and therefore it is a worthy and legitimate topic of study for students of politics, policy, and psychology. Liberalism would be too, but past research (ours was an empirical review of past research) is lacking on that topic. I would encourage students to consider conducting research on liberalism."

I think that the Daily Cal really should've given him Op-Ed space. And yeah, the press release from UC was pretty misleading.

Another disturbing hole in the Daily Cal's coverage, as Kevin noted, alleged bank robber who was killed at Haste/Ellsworth last week was a UC Berkeley student of some repute, yet the Daily Cal's article doesn't even mention this, even though it was published in the SF Chronicle on Tuesday as well. It's particularly interesting given that Givens' name would show up in a search of the Daily Cal's OWN archives from his outspokenness on the Horowitz advertisement in 2001. Did they honestly not find this information out? Or were they afraid of backlash? I think that a recent graduate being an alleged bank robber and then being killed in a shootout a block away from Unit 3 is pretty important news.

Rumors keep circulating about the Pi Kapp fight case and some big stuff must be going on, but there's NO NEWS ABOUT IT. Why?

2003-07-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

New York City is opening the nation's first public high school for LGBT students. This seems like a good thing. I question somewhat the public funding of an institution like this, but it really is a necessity in a community where there is a large gay youth population.

The State Conservative Chairman misses the point when he asks: “Is there a different way to teach homosexuals? Is there gay math? This is wrong,” Long said. “There’s no reason these children should be treated separately.” Well, no. That's not the point. Of course there isn't "gay math." But it will make a world of difference for gay students to learn in a supportive environment.

If you're an openly gay youth it's simply very difficult to "come of age" in an indifferent and (largely) intolerant large public high school environment and this provides a comfortable situation free of prejudice. Which is a good thing. Suicide and depression rates for gay youth are much higher than their straight counterparts. While there shouldn't be a need for a school like this, there is.

Let the complaining begin.

2003-07-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

Space allocations did at last come out last Friday night. Everything seems to pretty much be holding steady from last year. A couple publications moved out of an office in the basement and a couple moved in. Most important for my own interests, the Squelch held on to our beloved 310 Eshleman. Cheers to Ms. Gomez for doubling the storage cage capacity. The spreadsheet is somewhat difficult to navigate, so I'm having a hard time doing a side-by-side comparison from last year. Amusing misspelling though of "antechambers" as "anti-chambers." In what's sure to set up wacky sitcom hijinks, Berkeley ACLU, Cal Democrats, Smart Ass, Cal Pre-Law, and Take Back the Night will all share the same office. The Queer Resource Center gets to keep their gigantic office. I wish I had a better idea of what they needed all that space for other than for sitting around and talking. On the fifth floor various activist groups have left and been replaced by other various activist groups. No big shake-ups, it looks like.

In other notes, it looks like Satellite is gone. Or at least not being funded or officed. Same with Berkeley Stop the War Coalition, Campus Greens, Salaam Shalom, and the Armenian Student Council, among a few others.

I'll try to post the spreadsheet when I get the chance. Funny that it's not up on the ASUC website yet.

Not to beat a dead horse or anything.

2003-07-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I find this a little bit morbid, though quite interesting. The last paragraph's really amusing. You really think they were trying to disguise their identities? Hmmmm....

In other news, John Schlessinger, director of one of my all-time favorite movies "Midnight Cowboy" has died this morning.

2003-07-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

After starting off her term as Executive Vice-President promisingly enough with prompt information about 2003-2004 Space Allocation, Taina Gomez seems to be falling more in line with past EVPs. After announcing well over a month ago that space allocations will take much longer than the usual amount of time (usually allocations are made by early June), there has not been a single word about how they are progressing. Less than two weeks until August, folks, and student groups need time to plan to move-in/move-out of their offices and make any other necessary arrangements. Lots of student groups plan big stuff for Welcome Week/Calapalooza/first week of classes and saddling them with the uncertainty of whether they'll have an office or not AND potentially making them have to move right when they're trying to plan some of their most important events of the year is not cool at all.

And, of course, ASUC.org doesn't seem to have a single update since the INITIAL Spring Budget allocations. We still haven't seen the final ASUC 2003-2004 budget posted.

We really ought to just get rid of that website altogether.

Shouldn't we?

2003-07-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting short essay by playwright Edward Albee (Who's Afraid of Virignia Woolf?, The Goat). Thanks to Khloe for the forward.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ PLAYS

Edward Albee

The question is so absurd that we need not only answer it but find out why it's being asked as well. Most simply put: plays--the good ones, at any rate, the only ones that matter--are literature, and while they are accessible to most people through performance, they are complete experiences without it.

Adjunctively, I was talking to a young conductor the other year whose orchestra was shortly to give the world premiere performance of a piece by a young composer whose work I admired. "Oh, I can't wait to hear it!" I said, and the conductor replied, "Well, why don't you? Why don't you read it?" And he offered to give me the orchestral score--to read and thereby hear. Alas, I do not read music. Music is a language, but it is foreign to me and I cannot translate. If I did know how to read music, however, I would be able to hear the piece before it was performed--moreover, in a performance uncolored, uninterpreted by the whims of performance. This is an extreme case, perhaps, for few nonmusicians can read music well enough to hear a score, but it raises provocative issues, including some parallelisms. Succinctly, anyone who knows how to read a play can see and hear a performance of it exactly as the playwright saw and heard it as he wrote it down, without the "help" of actors and director.

Knowing how to read a play--learning how to read one--is not a complex or daunting matter. When you read a novel and the novelist describes a sunset to you, you do not merely read the words; you "see" what the words describe, and when the novelist puts down conversation, you silently "hear" what you read . . . automatically, without thinking about it. Why, then, should it be assumed that a play text presents problems far more difficult for the reader? Beyond the peculiar typesetting particular to a play, the procedures are the same; the acrobatics the mind performs are identical; the results need be no different. I was reading plays--Shakespeare, Chekhov--long before I began writing them; indeed, long before I saw my first serious play in performance. Was seeing these plays in performance a different experience than seeing them through reading them? Of course. Was it a more complete, more fulfilling experience? No, I don't think so.

Naturally, the more I have seen and read plays over the years, the more adept I have become at translating the text into performance as I read. Still, I am convinced that the following is true: no performance can make a great play any better than it is, and most performances are inadequate either in that the minds at work are just not up to the task no matter how sincerely they try, or the stagers are aggressively interested in "interpretation" or "concept" with the result that our experience of the play, as an audience, is limited, is only partial.

Further--and not oddly--performance can make a minor (or terrible) play seem a lot better than it is. Performance can also, of course, make a bad play seem even worse than it is. God help us all! When I am a judge of a playwriting contest I insist that I and the other judges read the plays in the contest even (especially!) if we have seen a performance. And how often my insistence results in the following: either "Wow! That play's a lot better than the performance I saw!" or "Wow! The director sure made that play seem a lot better than it is!"

The problem is further compounded by the kind of theater we have today for the most part--a director's theater, where interpretation, rethinking, cutting, pasting, and even the rewriting of the author's text, often without the author's permission, are considered acceptable behavior. While we playwrights are delighted that our craft and art allows us double access to people interested in theater--through both text and performance--we become upset when that becomes a double-edged sword. I am convinced that in proper performance all should vanish--acting, direction, design, even writing--and we should be left with the author's intention uncluttered. The killer is the assumption that interpretation is on a level with creation.

I'm not suggesting you should not see plays. There are a lot of swell productions, but keep in mind that production is an opinion, an interpretation, and unless you know the play on the page, the interpretation you're getting is secondhand and may differ significantly from the author's intentions. Of course, your reading of a play is also an opinion, an interpretation, but there are fewer hands (and minds) in the way of your engagement with the author.

2003-07-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm, hiatus.

Anyway.

So the Store Operations Board wants to tie the Daily Cal's lease to a "Code of Ethics" that has to be student approved? I suppose this is something to expect from the ASUC. What exactly shoudl those ethics be? As far as I'm concerned, the only responsibility a newspaper has ethically is to report news as factually as possible. Now, the Daily Cal has its own problems when it comes to that stuff, but to push an ethical code because of a bunch of lunatic overreactions to a couple Daily Cal articles is ridiculous, and moving along the road toward leftist fascism.

I was reminded again how ridiculous that flare-up was, particularly over the Kim Jong-Il cartoon when I was in Eshleman Hall the other day and I saw the "Daily Racist" flyer still posted in the 3rd floor by the elevators. The side-by-side comparison of the Kim Jong-Il cartoon with the 1940's anti-Japanese propaganda cartoon revealed that they couldn't be further apart. The Daily Cal's cartoon does not have buck teeth or even upturned eyes. Sure, the mouth is big and the eyes are barely open, but have you seen a picture of the man? It's no different then a caricature of George W. Bush with the giant ears and tiny eyes. That's what caricatures are, they exaggerate prominent physical features. This one just happens to be a caricature of a Korean man. I don't like it when people search for reasons to be offended. Same thing with the Michael Grey thing. Last I checked showing the picture of a person who had been arrested/charged/accused along with an article about the arrest/charge/accusation is reporting, not racism.

But enough old news. Though rumors are circulating that some new information could come out about that incident.

So my friend Scott and I have a plan to hit all the podunk bars in the Tri-Valley (being Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, Sunol, San Ramon, and maybe Danville but probably not). We have no criteria that makes a bar "podunk" but we just know it when we see it. So far, we've been to (please note, some bars may not in fact be podunk):

Dublin: The Englander, Evie's Place, Applebee's
Pleasanton: The Union Jack Pub, Pastime Pool, Sunshine Saloon, TGI Friday's

We still have several more to go. If anyone out there reading is familiar with bars in Livermore or Danville, do let me know.

There's no real reasoon we're doing this, other than that it's summer.

Cheers.

2003-07-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

Here's what you should buy me for Hanukkah (or Christmas, I don't care):

Mmmmm, expensive.

2003-07-10T12:52:00.000-07:00

Item!

Heuristic Squelch Editor-in-Chief and UC Berkeley blogger David Duman spotted in the 2nd floor bathroom mirror of an office building at Bancroft/Shattuck at 12:40 today.

End transmission.

2003-07-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

Item!

ASUC External Affairs Vice-President Anu Joshi spotted with an unknown male at Constitution Plaza (Center/Shattuck) at 12:30 today.

End transmission.

2003-07-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

Item!

Daily Cal Crime Reporter Nate Tabak spotted at 9:05AM on Bancroft Way parking an early-to-mid 1980's burgundy Volvo in a parking space in front of the RSF.

End transmission.

2003-07-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

First of all, the current California Shakespeare Festival production is phenomenal. It's George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man. The production is impecible, the acting is great, and the it's just a really fun and funny show with a subtle anti-war undercurrent. Plus, it's right out in Orinda at the Gateway Blvd. exit (the very first exit as you head East through the Caldecott), so it's up in the Orinda hills at the Cal Shakes' outdoor amphitheatre. I've really enjoyed their productions over the past four years (particularly their non-Shakespeare productions). Go check it out.

Secondly, a couple more comments on the California budget situation:

1 - Of course a sales tax increase isn't going to eliminate the budget deficit. I don't think anyone's saying that it will. What a tax increase will do is, along with sizeable spending cuts, prevent cuts from having to be made to public safety and education.

2 - Governor Davis, on deadline, submitted a budget to the legislature that was balanced. It also had no further cuts to the University of California beyond what was already made this year. It also had, of course, increased automobile registration fees and other tax increases so as to increase revenue. Gasp. This past year, Davis has been doing his job better than any of the legislators have been.

3 - The Republican budget that was roundle defeated in the House was really, really disgusting. Turn children away from kindergarten? Eliminate certain state-backed healthcare plans for children? Trim a mere $186,000 by eliminating state subsidy when necessary for the burial of foster children who have died (while in state protection)? Holy shit man!

4 - According to State Controller Westly, California's loans dry up in August and that's when payments to state employees will be reduced to minimum wage payments and payments to state contractors cease. In the mean time, the longer this takes the lower California's bond rating goes in the Wall Street bond market, which will make the inevitable borrowing of money (to the tune of $11B) that much more costly. The longer this takes, the more California will lose. So, tack on however additional millions in interest California will pay as the Republicans still cling to their "no new taxes" mantra to the $30M cost of the recall election and you really can see all the great things that the California Republicans are doing for this great state.

5 - Davis has made mistakes, but he's persevered and has shown since the energy crisis that he's a competent leader. There's no candidate who can become governor in this situation who will be able to do a better job. But I know that it's always a good idea to install a new leader with no experience in state executive power right in the middle of one of biggest crises in state history. It's also pretty apparent in these same polls that support Davis' recall that, should he be recalled, his replacement will be another Democrat. Only 3% of the same people of whom 51% supported Davis' recall would vote for Issa. Of course there's always Arnie. Republicans just need to get their act together and plan for 2006. I can only see this bullshit as alienating voters in the end. Democrats control every state office in California and most won their office handily! California is an overwhelmingly Democratic-majority state. But, if Bush is reelected in 2004 and state Republicans run Condoleeza Rice for governor in 2006.... Well.... I'd be concerned.

2003-07-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'm really pissed off about this State Budget deadlock. And (surprise) I'm really fucking pissed at the Republicans and anyone else who is against the sales tax increase? What the fuck else do you want to do? You're only solution is to keep cutting spending, sending crippling blows to the state junior college system and debilitating decreases to the Cal State and UC systems. Not to mention public schools, social services, and the countless other programs that are being cut and eliminated.

Soooooo.... Why not raise taxes? A half-cent sales tax increase in a state the size of California represent a massive total revenue figure. A half-cent increase doess not cripple any individuals. Check it out, even if you're buying a $100,000 sculpture or something outrageous like that, you're only paying an additional $500. And let's face it, if you're someone buying a $100,000 sculpture, you don't care about that extra $500.

Before anyone even considers recalling Davis, why not take a look at the horseshit legislators who are causing you to have a lower-quality education and a more spartan college existence. Fuck, if the Senate bill passes then UC Merced won't open for another year! There might even be enrollment cutbacks! For the first time in history, the California Master Plan for Higher Education might not fulfill its promise.

Anyone who does not support the sales tax increase is an ignorant fool still tied to outdated ideas of consumer spending and blindly tied to a blanket conservative ideology of cutting spending, not increasing revenues.

Oh wait, cutting spending WILL increase revenues.

Sure it will.

And a half-cent sales tax increase will spell doom for the state.

And Ronald Reagan is the greatest American president in the 20th century.

2003-07-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

Here it is, what you've all been waiting for! An exclusive photo from Dave's (my) 21st birthday.

Thanks to R. Franks for the images. One of these days I'll resize it.

You know you want it.

Yeah.

You.

2003-06-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

Hey kids. I'm back in the US, have been since Thursday. I've been mostly recovering from jet lag and also celebrating my 21st birthday, which is today. Anyway, tomorrow I should post up some pictures from my trip to London and get back in the swing of regular posting.

2003-06-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

Ahoy! This'll probably be my last post from the UK. I'm Stateside again on Thursday, June 26th.

Something oft-derided by non-Americans is American beer. At least the mass-consumed American beer. What's most criticized is the flavor and the wateriness. English beers are said to be far superior because of their depth of flavor and dark color.

While English pubs all have the great English and Irish standards (I'm a HUGE fan) like Tetley's, John Smith, Guinness, Boddington's, and various bitter ales. However, the most consumed beers I've seen at a variety of pubs (old-fashioned pubs, business district pubs, Soho pubs, Picadilly pubs) are light lagers and pilsners liek Foster's, Stella Artois, Carlsberg, Carling, and even (gasp) Budweiser.

The point is, I think, the majority of people like light beers. While England and Ireland do make MANY very good dark beers, that doesn't mean that people there like to drink them any more than people in the US do.

Of course, I'm not factoring in the tourist factor, but like I said I've been to many pubs, several of which are in decidedly non-touristy areas and have observed the same trends. Just my observations.

Catch you back in the States.

Nevermind the Bullocks,
David

2003-06-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

Hm, for some reason my first post on London didn't take. Here's a retry.

So, I've hit most of the tourist mainstays in Central London: Picadilly, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Westminster Bridge, London Bridge, Omar Sharif's Bridge Hall (no, not really), Tate Modern Art Museum, British Museum, Trafalgar Square, The Golden Hinde, and closed out this evening with a cool visit to Buckingham Palace this evening.

Tomorrow it's a visit to Covent Garden, Soho, Baker Street, Notting Hill. I'm going to indulge my brother and go to Madame Tussaud's, although I find the whole concept of the Wax Museum somewhat creepy.

Interesting note about the English keyboard: The quotation mark is SHIFT+2, the pound sign is SHIFT+3, and the "at" sign is SHIFT+ '. There's also this symbol: ¬. I don't know what that is. Oh, and to get the Euro symbol you press ALT GR + 4. SHIFT + 4 gets you the dollar sign. Observe:

£ $ €

Simple as that.

There was an interesting program on the BBC, and by interesting I mean not mind-numbingly dull like most broadcast BBC programming is. Honestly, morning news shows will read the newspaper for most of the episode, and game shows mostly consist of local celebrities making up long-winded definitions of words while another team of local celebrities tries to figure out which of the three definitions is real. Actually, that's only one show. Call My Bluff. Anyway, there was a program on called "What the World Thinks of America." This wasn't really the world, just the US, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Russia, Israel, Jordan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Brazil. They also had a panel of world experts, including three Americans, to discuss the results of the survey. Here are some of the results in digest form:

According to the survey, 50% of the "world" thinks favorably of America, with slightly less that thinks "unfavorably" and a small percentrage having no opinion.

Despite that, about 60% of the world thinks unfavorably of President Bush.

Surprisingly, a majority of the "world" likes American products like clothing, drinks, movies, and pop music. Though few like the food.

Most of the world, including countries like the UK, Canada, and Australia who typically voted more favorably of America thought that America was arrogant and that the world was a more dangerous place because of America's actions.

Lastly, majorities envied America's freedoms of economic opportunities and freedom of expression.

A lot of the questions were asinine, like "Would you rather live in America?" Well, come on, in this survey of almost entirely developed or significantly developing nations, very few people are going to say they'd rather live in the US then in their own country. Still, it was interesting.

One thing that came out of it: People get made that the US didn't sign the Kyoto Accord, but apparently, most countries that DID sign it are nowhere near where they're supposed to be in energy curtailment. In fact, most haven't even started. So, is it better to say out front why you're not doing something and not do it? Or is it better to go along symbolically and then just don't do what you said you'd do? Very interesting.

My own synthesis of the results makes me think that, by and large, what makes people uncomfortable is the fact that there is only one legitimate superpower in the world now.

Cheers,
David

2003-06-14T23:16:00.000-07:00

The Lighter Side is going to London!

That's right folks, I'll be in London, flying direct to Heathrow from SFO on Monday at 12:00PM. Once I get situated at my hotel, I'll hopefully hop up online and post periodically from across the pond. Check back in late Monday night or Tuesday for the latest news from the Old World.

2003-06-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

I was walking past Unit I yesterday and I looked up. With the rooms empty and the curtains open, I could see clearly into most of the rooms on whichever hall it is that runs along Durant. I couldn't believe how many triple rooms there were! Virtually every window I looked in had what looked like two lofted beds! (The standard configuration of a triple in the highrises being a set of bunks and then another loft bed with two desks under it.)

When I was a wee freshman in Griffiths Hall, Unit 2, in 2000-2001 there were, I believe, three triples on my floor. From what I could see, every floor of that hall in Unit 1 had four or five triples on the north side of the building alone! The University's building more housing along Channing/Bowditch not a moment too soon.

Triples should be available and utilized, given that they provide housing for students at a significantly lower cost than doubles, but to rely on them for housing is, at least in my opinion, detrimental to student life. It's not so much forcing students to live three to a room, but to have so many triples on a floor adds so many more students using dorm restrooms, laundry facilities, study lounges, etc. These facilities were already busy enough when I was in the dorms.

Keep building housing. I hope the University explores the idea of building housing in the Downtown area and also perhaps do what NYU did and buy up private apartment complexes in the area and turn them into student housing. Something like that could also do wonders for cleaning up the Southside area and cutting down on traffic.

2003-06-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

Just posted up on the BearMail website:

June 10th, 2003 - BearMail is Moving!
Well, sort of. We are upgrading the machine, so the service will be bigger and better than ever. All account settings (postponed messages, options, address book entries, etc.) will be migrated to the new machine from Saturday, June 14th at 12pm.
What does this mean to you? Well, just take into consideration that if you use BearMail between Saturday, June 14th at 12pm and Sunday before 3pm, any changes to the above mentioned settings will not get migrated over to the new machine. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

I didn't even know that we could send postponed messages.

2003-06-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

The Irish have come into Berkeley. CalStuff discusses this matter, perhaps a little unfairly. A few points of clarification:

1: The Irish DID pay all their rent last summer, we had some people who didn't show, however
2: They didn't really trash the house that much. Other than beer bottles and the like.
3: Yeah, they threw parties that got us in trouble, but we didn't exactly say no.

Essentially, their heavy-drinking and partying visits are a bad influence. I know I lost 10 pounds this past Fall because I wasn't drinking every night with them like I had been over the summer.

And you can cry stereotyping all you want but when you have a group of Irish staying at your house who deliberately make a point of drinking every single day, who turn bright red after 20 minutes in the sun, and who charge a stage at a pub in SF, steal the microphone from the band's singer, drunkenly sing "Sunday Bloody Sunday," then pass out vomiting on the dance floor, that's not stereotyping, that's true.

Let's not play this race to the bottom "who was more oppressed than whom" and let's all make fun of all other ethnicities equally.

Cheers.

2003-06-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

Berkeley Bowl workers are unionizing. I was honestly surprised by this, I just naturally assumed that Berkeley Bowl would actually treat its workers the best and offer the best wages of the Berkeley supermarkets. I guess there's a price to pay for Berkeley Bowl's low prices besides just skanky and unsanitary derelicts snagging free-samples in the bulk foods aisles, mile-long checkout lines, pretentious self-absorbed customers, and surly borderline competent employees.

I'll just keep shopping at Safeway and Andronico's.

2003-06-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry, it's been a few days.

Mallory Moser has been sentenced. CalStuff has a good analysis of it. I posted on that comments forum, but his post is old and mine's at the bottom, so here's what I have to say.

To my layman's ear, this sentence sounds like a violation of civil liberties and probably won't hold up on appeal, if Ms. Moser has a good attorney. It arguably violates freedom of expression and could very well be determined unconstitutional, especially in our 9th District, if it got that far.

That being said, principles are principles, and I'm a big fan of them. However, I agree with Kevin. For the love of God! Just pay the money and allow yourself the opportunity to further your cause.

The money's not supporting Lockheed Martin, either. It's, theoretically, paying back for damages incurred, which is what every civilly disobedient person SHOULD do. Like Mario Savio and the police car. The judge isn't ordering you to pay damages to Lockheed Martin, you're being ordered to reimburse for costs incurred as a result of what you felt was right. If you're really a conscientous and civilly disobedient person, then you are obligated to pay those damages. Otherwise, you're just as bad as all the other whiny protestors in Berkeley. That should be your principle.

2003-06-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

UC President Atkinson's latest budget communication:

Dear UC Colleague:
Governor Davis has issued the May Revision to his State budget proposal, and it contains good news for the University of California: no further budget cuts beyond those proposed in January.

With the state facing a deficit now estimated as high as $38 billion, the fact that the governor did not propose additional cuts for UC signals his commitment to the University and his recognition of the deep impact our programs have on the economy and quality of life in California.

Unfortunately, the Legislature is seeking additional cuts in UC’s budget. Budget subcommittees in the Senate and Assembly have approved $80 million in further cuts, on top of the $300 million in base budget cuts the governor included in his January budget. Some legislative proposals suggest up to $400 million in additional cuts. We are working vigorously in Sacramento to oppose these additional cuts, making clear the impact of the funding reductions we already will be taking.

The State budget process should begin to come to conclusion in the next few weeks, and I will keep you informed as developments occur. In the meantime, congratulations on your accomplishments over the course of this academic year, and thank you once again for the major contribution you are making to the State of California.

Fiat Lux,

Richard C. Atkinson
President

Take note of who is pushing for further cuts the next time you bad-mouth Governor Davis. He has made cuts to the University so far, but legislators are the ones pushing for further (substantial) cuts. Believe only half of what you read. There are legislators who want to double the cuts the University is already facing.

2003-06-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

I got back last night from a trip to San Luis Obispo to attend Margaritaville, the annaul blowout hosted by the Cal Poly chapter of Kappa Sigma. This year's party featured 53 kegs (up from 51 last year) and attendance somewhere around 800. It was a blast. It was also a total white-boy party. There was next to no dancing and the music played was a mix of classic rock, country, punk, and the occasional hip-hop tune. And then there was that weird moment where they played Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." Not sure what was up with that. Anyway, lots of blonde beautiful people and cheap, cheap beer. It was fun, but got old after a few hours.

Now, to continue to harp on Student Judicial Affairs' dangerous negligence:

Interesting note, though. A friend of mine from high school is currently on disciplinary probation at Cal Poly for turning donuts in a school parking lot in his dad's Viper. He screws up again and he could be expelled. So, to recap: Cal Poly student is turning donuts in an empty school parking lot and could face expulsion; UC Berkeley students assault police officers, disrupt classes, and make campus hostile to learning and get let off with little to no formal punishment.

Hm.

2003-05-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

CalStuff reports that results of the Michael Grey investigation are coming out next week and should be pretty shocking. Should charges be ffiled and legal action take place, I can only hope that Student Judicial Affairs actually takes some significant action on this. The only thing they seem to be good at in the time since I've been at Cal is making sure frat boys don't burn the city down. What we have here is not the result of discrimination by a white fraternity of black students or anything like that. We have a home-invasion assault, resulting in fractured skulls and other serious injuries, on a multi-ethnic fraternity by a bunch of thugs who don't understand that property owners can keep whomever they want off their property for whatever reason.

If students were involved in this assault, and early evidence suggests that they were, those students MUST be expelled. SJA has shown with their track record that even crimes like assaulting a police officer will result in what amounts to a slap on the wrist in the grand scheme of things. I can only think that this whole assault would've been prevented had SJA shown some balls in the past and actually punished students for their violations. Instead, their actions perpetuate this idea in the heads of students, particularly those in left-leaning or politically progressive groups, that they can do whatever the fuck they want and face little to no consequence. At this point, it's going to take someone getting killled at a campus protest before the University comes to the conclusion that they need to eschew any fear of political or media attacks and realize that first and foremost they have to protect their students and protect the University's core mission to provide a safe and stimulating learning environment.

2003-05-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

So, moving on with the whole SARS question, some scientists are proposing a celestial origin for the virus. This doesn't seem terribly plausible, nor do most scientists seem to consider this a likely possibility. While nobody should outright dismiss the possibility, there are simply so many much more likely hypotheses. Since this is a type of coronavirus, wouldn't this then mean that every coronavirus originated in space? How likely is it that a virus would evolve in space and then would affect humans in such conventional ways? What happened to the days when scientists stuck with Occam's Razor when triaging theories of origin? I suppose it would have something to do with the fact that you're probably going to get more airtime proposing theories of interstellar viruses then trying to explain the finer points of virus evolution and mutation.

Dear God! Jean Baudrillard was right!

2003-05-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

For those of you who remember, for some reason I'm on an email list for campus staff. I have no idea way. Occasionally I'll post something that is interesting, important, or humorous that I get from this mailing list. This one falls into the third category.

Date Sent: Friday, May 23, 2003 06:00 PM
From: "Horace Mitchell, Vice Chancellor-Business & Administrative Services"
To: "Staff:" <"Staff":>
Subject: Cal Summerfest 2003
Urgent New
--------
I want to be sure you have on your calendar the 18th Annual Cal Summerfest celebration scheduled for Wednesday June 4, 2003 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the base of the Campanile. This year's theme is Passport To Berkeley. This festive program features live entertainment, refreshments, information booths and carnival games.

Cal Summerfest 2003 gives us the opportunity to recognize the importance of our staff and staff contributions to the mission of this campus. It is sponsored by the Chancellor's office and organized by a volunteer planning committee of campus staff. This event was developed by the Chancellor's Staff Advisory Committee (CSAC).

Supervisors are authorized to grant two hours of administrative leave with pay to enable staff to attend and participate in the festivities.

In keeping with the spirit of the day, I urge supervisors to demonstrate your support to staff by volunteering to help with the event and joining me in encouraging our staff to enjoy this celebration of their efforts. To volunteer for the event send an email to Michael Cooper at mjcooper@uclink.berkeley.edu and include the word volunteer in the subject line. All volunteers who work a minimum of one hour will receive a commemorative T-shirt.

Let's celebrate Cal's staff at Cal Summerfest 2003.

2003-05-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

According to Reuters, a probable source of SARS has been found in the stool and respiratory secretions of the civet cat, a "mongoose-like" animal that is eaten as a delicacy in Southern China. Although the animal carries the virus, it is not affected by it. Additionally, WHO travel advisories for Hong Kong and Guongdong province of China have been lifted. For the full article, click HERE.

2003-05-23T00:20:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Mike Davis reports to me that Kris will be enrolling in graduate school. Kevin Deenihan corroborates that Cuaresma-Primm has one more semester of undergraduate work, then will be a graduate student starting in the spring. It's interesting that this was never really discussed about his candidacy. Having a grad student president (even for one semester) is a pretty big deal, especially in these times of tension between the ASUC and the Graduate Assembly. Of course, the Graduate School of Education (where I'm told Cuaresma-Primm will be enrolling) has also over the last few years been a haven for people looking to prolong their undergraduate activities, whether they be activists like Ronald Cruz or athletes like Nick Harris.

So here's something interesting. I was up on Lower Sproul today at about 1:15 or so and it looked like a commencement ceremony had just ended. Who should I see standing with friends and family dressed in graduation gown and flower leis, but ASUC President-elect Kris Cuaresma-Primm. This seemed strange, given that typically a spring commencement is for students who will graduate that spring, summer, or the next fall (or who graduated the fall before), making it seem that Kris would be unable to serve at least half of his term when he was no longer a student.

Is he going to be a grad student? Is this some special exception? Is he doing commencement for one major, but hasn't completed the other? Am I just really confused? I don't really care, I'm just curious. It took me by surprise. Anyway, if anybody knows, please do enlighten me and my beloved readers.

2003-05-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

The novely of the Sloganizer has finally worn off.

I've been busy plodding though my final papers when I received the unfortunate notice that my Short Fiction class (English 143A, Section 2) for Fall 2003 has been cancelled. For those of you unaware, cancelling a creative writing class is not like cancelling any old lecture. Students prepare detailed applications and writing samples ranging from 5 poems to 15 pages of prose to detailed questionnaires. They're also very competitive and most students schedule them as their first priority, relying on what creative writing classes they get into to schedule other classes. They plan around these courses.

Without any concrete evidence, is seems as though the cancellation was instructor-related, and I'm sure with very good reason. It just sucks that this now leaves myself and a dozen or so other students without a fiction class to take in the fall (the only other section is already full with a rather long wait list). I just don't think it's right that the English Department (primarily, though other departments offer creative writing classes too) keep these classes at such a premium. At the very least, if you're going to cancel one of only two courses that you're even offering, try to find someone to take it over. I'm sure there are instructors who could teach a course in short fiction, given that there are at least five who teach it on a rotating basis. This is one of the best English departments in the country and the creative writing faculty is very strong (poet laureate, pulitzer-prize winning author, award-winning playwrights, etc.), but their just never seems to be enough classes. Especially fiction classes.

Come on UCB English, you're offering ONE short fiction class for the fall? One? Out of all the talented prose writers at Cal, you're offering enough classroom space for than 20 of them? I didn't think that this was the MFA program at the University of Iowa.

Your classes are awesome, offer more of them!

2003-05-17T03:32:00.000-07:00

Visited this website. It's a British site that generates "advertising slogans." You enter in a word or two and it churns out a slogan. Here are the results of entering in various friends, acquaintances, and public figures' names:

What Can Kevin Deenihan Do For You?

Ask the Man from the David Duman.

A Finger of Daniel Frankenstein is Just Enough to Give Your Kids a Treat.

Out Of The Strong Came Patrick Hammon.

Fall Into the Tommaso Sciortino.

Rebecca C. Brown Is So Bracing.

The Best Chancellor Berdahl A Man Can Get.

Strong Enough for a Man, Made for a Jenna Jameson.

Get In My Paul LaFata.

Please Don't Squeeze The Salam Rafeedie.

Have a Break. Have a Richard Schulman.

I swear that these were all randomly generated. Make your own at: Sloganize! The Advertising Slogan Generator. Christ, I need to go to bed.

2003-05-16T00:32:00.000-07:00

Seems that a little word on a blog can get results. This is of course regarding the ASUC budget. Check it out over at CalStuff.

Anyway, for those of you're interested and don't have anything to do later today (Friday) at 4:00:

You're all invited to my final presentations for my Playwriting (English 143E) class from 4:00-6:00PM in 7 Zellerbach Hall tomorrow (May 16).

Basically, you'll see 13 short plays, each about 5 minutes long, spanning the comedy, drama and Sports Night-esque dramedy genres. All are written and performed by myself and my classmates. Also, sex.

Of course, the highlight will be the world-premiere debut of my earth-shattering play about pot smoking. You'll also see me portraying a lecturer and a passive-aggressive gay man.

It'll be fun and fast-paced, theatre for the short-attention span.

Email me if you think you're going to come, or just show up.

Cheers,
David

P.S. To get to 7 Zellerbach from Eshleman Hall/Bancroft walk directly north across Lower Sproul plaza then make a left just past Zellerbach Hall and walk down the stairs toward Haas Pavilion. On your left, about halfway between the stairs and Zellerbach Playhouse, you'll see a door. Enter that door and follow the signs to Room 7. If there's a security guard, just tell him you're there for the reading in Room 7.

2003-05-15T00:25:00.000-07:00

Still no final budget posted at the ASUC wesbsite. Not that it's binding or anything, but last Thursday Han told me that the budget should be up by Monday (meaning last monday). This was also corroborated by ASUC Finance Officer Debbie Bergstrom. Seriously, how hard is it to upload an Excel spreadsheet? Can any Lighter Side readers make some calls? Sheesh.

2003-05-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

I headed down to Senate last night to hear debate on SB 137, which would've required diversity training for all ASUC publications. It was not heard, along with most of the bills due to there being only 11 senators (13 at the peak) at the meeting (SB 137 and similar bills require a 2/3 vote of the entire senate to be passed). I also spoke with Senator Hammon who is planning to rewrite the bill and present it as an incentive system. He also assured me that said training would be free of charge.

I left soon after it was decided that little would be done, so I'm not sure if any bills were passed last night. So do these carry over to next year or do they have to be resubmitted?

Highlights of the evening included a long series of senators impersonating their fellow senators. It was amusing.

All in all, a very professional and dedicated group.

2003-05-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

Wasting no time, EVP-elect Taina Gomez already has the 2003-2004 Eshleman Hall Space Allocation forms posted at ASUC.org.

2003-05-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

Still no Final Budget posted on ASUC.org. It'd be nice if the many groups that weren't at the Senate meeting last week were able to see their final budget amounts for 2003-2004. Many groups that took cuts weren't present at the meeting.

I'll be at the ASUC Special Session meeting tonight. There's a bill up that would require all ASUC Publications undergo "Diversity Training" in order to secure funding. I don't anticpate that this bill will pass, given that it requires a 2/3 vote as an amendment to the ASUC Constitution. While I'm not necessarily in favor of it, I'm not terrible opposed, unless it would fall upon the already cash-strapped publications to pay for their own training. Something that'd probably work would be to provide an incentive to attend, but denying funding because of non-attendance raises potential free speech issues. Most importantly, though, is the financial question. "Diversity Training" isn't cheap.

It's also pretty obvious that this bill is targeting the Squelch, first and foremost, and then only a couple other publications like Berkeley Jewish Journal, California Voice, Smart Ass etc. These publications, coincidentally enough, also are the major ones that are staffed mostly by white heterosexual males.

Go figure.

2003-05-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

In Social News:

Lame duck ASUC Executive Vice President Han Hong was spotted in the upstairs "VIP" area of Delta Upsilon's annual Singapore Sling party.

She was spotted by me. Yes, I'm admitting to attending a frat party. As a junior. I'm so ashamed.=^)

Cheers.

2003-05-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, you can now post comments.

2003-05-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

First, a point of clarification at the request of Sean Byrne: When I say that groups received increases in my budget posting from Friday, is that they received increases up from where they had been cut to this year. Very few student groups with over 2 years of ASUC-status saw an increase to their allocation from LAST YEAR. Once again, increases refer to increases over the budget as it was set entering into Wednesday's senate meeting.

Second, thanks to Senator Hammon's kind words over on CalStuff.

Finally, a response to blog reader "an eecs geek" who said:

"Other pubs cant make themselves more recognizable or hold events like the Squelch does because they don't have a five digit budget. And get a thing for student pubs like there's that Daily Cal box on sproul."

I must make a point to "an eecs geek."

The Squelch didn't start out with five-figure ASUC funding. In fact, the Squelch existed for 5 years before even becoming an ASUC funded group, subsisting on ads and the occasional grant from the Chancellor's Subcommitte on Student Publications ($500-$1,000). It doesn't take a budget to be on Sproul at all. When the Squelch was funded $3,000 by the ASUC, everything that you currently see was still going on, 11,000+ copies of each issue were printed, comedy shows were held, and near-full distribution of print runs took place. The only thing that has improved due to the increased funding is the print quality and length of the issues.

The very first issue of the Squelch back in 1991 printed 11,000 copies and we printed 11,000 copies of our most recent issue.

I love student pubs and I read every one that I get my hands on. The problem I see is that I only manage to see Hardboiled, California Voice, Smart Ass, Berkeley Political Review, and the Berkeley Jewish Journal distributed on Sproul with any regularity. A little poking around and I'll find Onyx Express and California Engineer. That's fewer than half of the ASUC-sponsored/funded publications. Where are the rest of you? I want to read!

The idea of an ASUC Publications pick-up box is a very good idea. Though it still can't replace simply being present on Sproul plaza and providing copies of your pubs in high-traffic areas (Heller Lounge, dorms, dining commons).

2003-05-08T23:04:00.000-07:00

Alright, so the ASUC Senate meeting regarding the budget adjourned about 3 hours ago after being in session for over twenty-four hours with no significant recesses as far as I can tell. I was personally in the chambers from 7:00 last night until 3:00 this morning, then returned out of curiosity today at 5:30PM.

As a Publications Group (and one of only two up for debate), I was able to speak and field questions at about 11:00PM, getting both strong support and vocal opposition. Squelch went up for a vote, then roll was called, then the roll stayed open. It was eventually returned to this afternoon and closed. When I left at 3AM, there were only 1/3 of the way through debate on Student Activities Groups, leaving SISGs and all government related stuff still to go.

In the morning, extensive cuts came from ASUC government offices and programs. Substantial cuts were made in Cal-FACTS. The ASUC Ball funding was eliminated entirely.

As of 5:30PM today there was still over a $7,000 deficit. What finally happened was several SISGs, particularly recruitment and retention centers, which came under quite a bit of heat for questionable expenses and funding misappropriation, agreed to take smallish but significant across the board cuts, with BRRC, Raza, PASS, and others all taking what I believe were 8% cuts, which eliminated most of the rest of the deficit. A lot of credit for this goes to CalSERVE Senator Patrick Hammon for calmly and passionately negotiating these cuts

In addition to Squelch, which was reappropriated to "Thirteen thousand and something" (I didn't see the final number, this is a quote from Senator Iqbal), Superb was given another $10,000, Rally Comm got a sizeable increase, as did the Engineers Joint Council.

Things almost came to a halt toward the end when Senator Leybovich proposed cutting the Greek Philanthropic Fund from $10,000 to $7,000. This came about after a sizeable (and presumably contentious) increase to the Leybovich-advocated EJC and seemed to go against an agreement beforehand that the Greek Philanthropic Fund would not appeal for an increase if no cuts would be proposed. This was not by any means an official agreement. Eventually the motion was tabled and was not returned to once the budget reached a surplus. The final surplus was $10. There will also be a rollover of $700 from the Senate Housing Committee and $1,200 rollover from the Senate Safety Committee. This was not factored into the surplus. After this rollover, the Senate Contingency Fund will stand at about $20,000.

I'd like to commend all of the Senators for really doing their best to listen to all interests. It seems like, generally, the budget was supported favorably. Some student groups felt the knife pretty hard, which is too bad. Hopefully, these funding issues will not be as pressing next year.

I also want to stress the need for financial accountability in student groups, esepcially after hearing reports on how much money SISGs spend on travel, stipends, and food. Some of it is obscene. ASUC Programs Funds should not be used for this, only group-raised Miscellaneous Funds.

Lastly, the ASUC Senate will be holding one final meeting on Monday, May 12 at 9:00PM to consider the remaining bills on the consent calendar. There are a lot of them.

2003-05-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

A few things that I haven't commented on yet from the last several days.

First, last Thursday were the Student Publication Awards (sponsored by OSL, not the ASUC). The Blue & Gold took Best Design and Best Overall. It also won Best Overall last year. I know I'm biased, but it seems decidely unfair to automatically give these awards to the yearbook, which operates on a whole different financial system then the other pubs (staff stipends, money made from sales of the publication). Not to question the staff's dedication, which I'm sure is no less than any other publication's, but it is must be very nice to know that, on top of a quality product, you can also go home with anywhere from $24-$500 a month in stipends. It's also the only ASUC-sponsored publication that I know of (there're probably others) that sells its publication to students. Some pubs my sell subscriptions, but as far as I know they all distribute the bulk of their issues for free on campus. I'm not trying to denigrate the Blue & Gold, but considering them in the same categories as much more cash-strapped ASUC-funded publications (which also do 100% of layout themselves) for awards is decidedly unfair. It's not that everyone should have an equal playing field, but the financial structure of the Blue & Gold is so far and beyond anything even the most highly-funded undergrad publications can manage. Lastly, ASUC rules FORBID any other publications besides the Blue & Gold and the Berkeley Fiction Review from granting stipends, so there's even an institutional block put in place.

Following the awards, Superbly Squelched presented comedian Dave Coulier in Wheeler auditorium. He was pretty bad. I was expecting jokes that were outdated and not really fit for a college audience, but he basically presented a set consisting of ethnically insensitive humor in the "they're funny because they're different" vein as opposed to the "they're funny WHY they're different" vein. He closed the set with about 20 minutes of fart jokes and then he did "impersonations" of a sprinkler and a fountain. This essentially involved spitting water in various poses. It was really embarrassing. Though he was well-received. Highlight of the night was an audience member yelling "No you're not! You're an uncle" after Coulier began a joke about his family by saying "You see, I'm a father...."

According to Elections Council Chair Tommaso Sciortino, tabulation will occur tonight at 7:00PM on the 7th floor of Eshleman unless we receive email notice. A temporary bylaw was put in place to allow for the tabulation of all elections results except for Student Advocate (as there is still a pending Judicial Council decision on that matter).

Lastly, the Daily Cal came out with a pretty asinine editorial regarding the Judicial Council's decision to disqualify Bryant Yang. Should he have been disqualified? Hell, I don't care. Do I see WHY he was disqualified? Sure. He deliberately used a font that was used on every major Student Advocate Office posted flyer for his campaign flyer (changing what was essetially the same old Student Action flyer). This creates an unfair association of the AUTHORITY (not the resources) of the ASUC Student Advocate Office with Bryant Yang's candidacy. It's particularly embarrassing because someone like Yang should know better anyway and should've just played it safe. Also, Yang is more than likely the one who designed (or at least gave the OK) for the Student Advocate Office literature that used that font. His disqualification is justified and to overturn it would set a dangerous precedent.

Even though I know very well that the Judicial Council as a matter of policy doesn't look at precedent.

2003-05-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

Sean Byrne reports over on CalStuff that Cal Rugby lost in the semifinals to Air Force. That sucks.

LighterSide correspondent "The Guy Who Runs CalStuff" reports that apparently a large fight between brothers and "other people" (re: Berkeley High) broke out at Pi Kappa Phi last night. Now, I live next to Pi Kap and didn't hear anything, but if it happened out on Channing than I don't suppose I would hear it. I hope that the university cracks down if only for the sake of consistency. After getting on serious probation for what amounted to complaining neighbors while seeing Pi Kap throwing huge parties that involved fights and broken windows without so much as a slap on the wrist was frustrating. Three cop cars were at the house this morning just to take deposition.

2003-05-03T23:19:00.000-07:00

As you may have guessed from reading CalStuff, the budgeting meeting cited below was as ominous as it sounded. Hopefully, things will be worked out.

We've got some seriously shady dealings going on with CalFest. It was a waste of money by anyone's count, with what amounts to insider trading for groups to capitalize on the event. Student groups were invited to operate booths that sold food and candy and the event, but not every group was informed. As a result, groups with inside ties to the ASUC government were given first stab. Pretty questionable.

Elections tabulation should take place this Tuesday at 7:00PM on the 7th floor of Eshleman. This is where it all comes together folks. I'm sensing that this might prove the end of Student Action dominance. Though I think Daniel Frankenstein has a pretty strong chance for being elected President, I have a strong feeling that CalSERVE will take the three vice-president positions, or maybe Paul Lafata will win Executive VP. Student Action's canidates this year are all very weak. Of course, I thought the same thing last year and SA swept the offices.

In the Student Advocate race, Richard Schulman keeps being a thorn in Bryant Yang's side. Schulman's disqualification suit against Yang is pretty strong, but not as strong as Yang's defense is weak. Apparently Salam Rafeedie herself defended Yang, relying solely on the defense that Yang was the most qualified candidate and therefore shouldn't be disqualified. She would, in the course of questioning by the Judicial Council, declare something to be both irrelevant and relevant in the same sentence. If this is the quality of our Student Advocate's defending abilities, it's no wonder the office has undergone so much criticism this year.

While Richard Schulman would be a horrible Student Advocate, I don't think he'd be any worse that Bryant Yang (or Salam Rafeedie for that matter).

2003-04-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

So all of the Publications contacts are summoned to the Senate Chambers tomorrow (Monday) at 9:00PM. Here's the text of the email from Jennifer Ro:

TO PUBLICATION STUDENT GROUPS
Dear Student Group Representative,

Senator Gustavo Mata requests your presence at the Finance Committee Spring Budget Review meeting to ask you questions regarding your organization and your student group's financial needs.

An objection has been raised to your recently proposed Spring Budget allocation. There is a chance in which, your proposed allocation may be increased or decreased.

It is in your best interest to attend the meeting tomorrow, Monday April 28th, at 9PM in the Senate Chambers, Eshleman Hall.

If you have any questions, please e-mail me @ JennRo120@aol.com, and I will assist you in any way I can.

Regards,

Jennifer Ro

Though there's nothing to overtly indicate that funding will definitely be cut, the wording doesn't sound too hot. It's unfortunate too, considering the fairly minuscule 3.05% of the total budget proposal that publications funding makes up. I think that we can all agree that student publications reach substantially more than 3% of the student population, not to mention the hundreds of other readers in the community and around the country who read these publications via student distribution efforts and homepages.

However, I think that some publications don't do themselves any favors by having fairly limited distribution efforts. If a publication is receiving ASUC funding, they should make a strong effort to distribute their publication as publicy as possible. This allows students the opportunity to read the viewpoints expressed by these student groups and form their own opinions. Accessible student publications equals a campus enriched by more diverse viewpoints.

Regardless, I sincerely hope the ASUC doesn't cut any more publication funding. I hope against hope that this meeting is actually meant to provide publications with more funding.

I guess we can only wait and see.

2003-04-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Sources close to ASUC Elections report that the Judicial Council's best estimate for tabulation to begin is May 5, 2003. This is substantially later than last year and still fairly late even if you consider the delayed elections. There are cases that were filed before Spring Break that are just now being heard. It seems to be a very contentious election, with disqualification charges filed against several candidates and parties.

2003-04-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

Lighter Side correspondent "The Toker" has reported that last night at around 1:30AM Albany Bowl was robbed/burglarized. Toker reports that as he was driving past on his way home, there were lights flashing inside the building and several men were running out the door to an awaiting car.

More info as the story unfolds!

2003-04-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

Tonight are ASUC Budget Appeals. I privately pledged that unless the Heuristic Squelch received a cut in funding, I wouldn't appeal the decision. We managed to avoid the nearly across-the-board cuts and I'm grateful. I'd like to thank the ASUC for respecting our hard work and recognizing our efforts at making campus a more enjoyable place for students.

Nevertheless, there is a long line of student groups waiting to try to get ahold of the few remaining dollars left for appeals allocations. Drop by Senate Chambers for the event.

Interestingly, Xavier Hernandez, the ASUC Publications Advisor, did not receive notice that the appeals session was moved to tonight. He found out instead from one of the other Group advisors. It's important that all of the divisions of the ASUC stay informed and I hope that this communication problem is rectified.

2003-04-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the brief departure.

From his inauspicious beginnings by stealing Daily Cal's that should've led to his resignation to the latest mismanaged and embarrassing attempt at being "homeless" for one night, Tom Bates shows that he really has no clue what the city actually wants or needs, unlike Shirley Dean who had quantifiable results and a very strong track record of successes and improvements in the city. It's becoming more and apparent that she wasn't re-elected because she fell out of favor with the Progressive Aristocracy that runs Berkeley politics.

Bates' night homeless was a joke. After rescheduling the first night because of the war in Iraq, Bates finally spent his evening visiting homeless shelters and sleeping in MLK, Jr. Park. Though it may have been misreported, Bates had initially planned to spend the night on a wide-grass median strip near Berkeley Bowl, rather than in a well-lit and secure park across the street from a police station. On top of this change, Bates obtained his sleeping materials from a car near the park, had the sprinklers turned off, and refused to use the park's filthy portable toilet (though he eventually gave in for a symbolic vist).

Though meeting with homeless activists and homeless individuals themselves is commendable, doing so under the auspices of spending a night homeless trivializes homelessness and I would imagine would be fairly offensive to anybody who was truly homeless. Bates turned it into a giant game, as evidenced by his behavior and quotes as reported in the Daily Cal.

Bates' sensationalistic antics are very similar to his wife's, Loni Hancock's, during her tenure as Berkeley's Mayor.

2003-04-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, I also saw the musical The Producers last night. It was amusing, and substantially different from the 1968 Mel Brooks film (which is also amusing). Definitely not worth the $78 outrage that passes for ticket prices in the Orchestra wings at the Orpheum but hey, my mom paid for it.

Interesting little ad in the Playbill:

The Playbill Reader:
Median age - 44
Mean income - $113,765
Investments - 85% own investments
Automobiles - 69% own 2 or more cars
Dining out - 78% dine out before or after the theater
Occupation - Professional, Manaderial, & Executive - 64%
Time spent reading Playbill - In the theater: 18 minutes; At home: 8 minutes

This is, of course, an ad to get more advertisers. Judging by the audience last night, you could also add "Race - 90% White." So what kind of ads are focused to this demographic in the Playbill?

Mercedes-Benz (S-Class ad), West Side Story DVD Box Set, UCSF Medical Center (partial liver transplant focus), Wicked: The Untold Story of the Wicked Witch of the West (new musical coming to SF in May), Alza (Johnson & Johnson's drug delivery group, it's a recruitment ad), Pacific Restaurant (popular and pricey pre/post theatre dining), Lancome Paris (Flextencils Mascara), California Pizza Kitchen (popular and not-so-pricey pre/post theatre dining), Savoy Hotel, Hazelden (a chemical dependency hotline and treatment center), The Graduate (new stage version of the movie, coming to SF this summer), Phantom of the Opera (it's coming back to SF in July. Phantom had a 3-year residency at the Curran about 5 years ago), Balance Energy Bars, Toyota (Camry Sport Edition ad)

Nothing out of the ordinary, just an interesting demographics study.

2003-04-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

From www.asuc.org:

SPRING BUDGETING IMPORTANT NOTICE
Spring budget allocations for 2003-2004 will not be available until Monday, April 21st, 2003 There are significant delays due to the increased amount of applicants for funding as well as the budget deficit that the ASUC is facing. The one page letter of appeals can be submitted from the 21st through the 25th by 5pm in a box Eshleman hall, 5th floor. There will be a meeting of appeals at 5:30 in the Senate Chambers Thursday, the 25th, for student groups to come in to do an appeal.

I don't understand. Student groups worked very hard to get their applications into the right hands on the very strict deadline of April 7th, but now we have to wait for the Senate to get their act together? There have been increases in applications every year, and we've known about the budget problems for the whole year, too. Why does this necessitate a week of delays?

It wouldn't be that much of a problem, except that now there is no period of prep between when announcements come out and when appeals filing period begins, giving student groups less time to communicate with senators and to prepare a persuasive and factual appeal.

2003-04-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

CalStuff has a scathing editorial against the Berkeley Jewish Journal's blatant endorsements issue. They do need to lose their ASUC funding as this is a direct violation of the Constitution, though it is less likely that any of the candidates will face charges (if the Editor-in-Chief is cognizant enough to try to weasel out of his endorsements, than he's probably also cognizant enough to not risk the candidacies of his picks). Look, though you can say that they're just spotlights, giving glowing profiles of just one candidate for each office is an endorsement, no two ways about it.

In other news, it looks like the Election might once again be in hot water, simply for not providing for a private system for blind students to vote. If a lawsuit even were to be filed, I think that there's enough flexibility in the reasonable accomodation sections of the Americans with Disabilities Act to show that the ASUC was not violating federal law. Ultimately, no disabled student was denied the right to vote, and a Neutral Third Party representative did the actual ballot-casting (a good move on the EC's part). But we shall see.

In the world of extremist anti-war marches and ridiculous demands like those made by the Berkeley Stop the War Coalition last month, it's nice to see a focused, dedicated, and realistic approach to change by a committed group of students. Students in the African-American Studies department staged a march both to keep a visiting professor and to protest against academic changes within the department. The demands of the students are realistic, asking for the right to give input in the program (something that all academic departments should do, even something as simple as holding an open forum for declared majors each semester), secure a full-time position for professor Utz McKnight (somewhat more problematic, but not unreasonable), and require that all prerequisites be taught every semester (another noble goal for all departments, but perhaps not realistic in this time of budget cuts). Unfortunately, as seems to be the case with most extremist tactics, the students play the strong-arm card a little to soon, threatening the department with a boycott if their demands aren't met. In the world of arguments, you never resort to extortionary tactics so early. The department already seems to be making attempts to listen to your argument, why make your position needlessly adversarial until you have a reason to? Grandstanding quotes like "Without the African American students, there is no employment, there is no sixth floor, there is no department," are totally juvenile. Why would you want to illegitimize your own department? This echoes the position of minority recruitment and retention centers that vowed to advise students against applying to selective UC's until Affirmative Action is reinstated. Cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Lastly, UCLA hsa taken over from Berkeley the title of Most Selective UC, though Cal admits still have higher average GPA's then those admitted to UCLA. UCLA has led the UC's in total number of applications received for several years now and as the whole UC system gets more and more selective, it was only a matter of time before UCLA overtook UC Berkeley. Once the perception that UCLA is "easier" to get into than UC Berkeley goes away, I imagine that both Cal and UCLA's admissions rates will stay more or less the same, with Cal again leading simply by virtue of the fact that it has a slightly smaller enrollment than UCLA.

2003-04-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay. I was detained to my Squelchly duties.

A couple matters that I hadn't seen discussed on blogs as of yet:

Cal Athletics is going to switch to paperless student tickets next year. Basically, you go online to this site: http://netstile.evenue.net/evenue/se/cal-stu/ where you fill in your information. Then, your SID card is activated and swiped at turnstiles at the student entrance to the stadium. Though this obviously saves the costs of printing tickets, I don't see it saving any time or making things anything more convenient for students (since you could already buy tickets online and have them mailed to you.) A couple problems:

1 - Unless we're dealing with self-swiping things like BART turnstiles, I don't see how this could be quicker then tearing tickets. The staff will already be there anyway, so that doesn't save costs.
2 - What do you if there's a malfunction? Without any sort of paper source, how will students be allowed in, should there be a network malfunction or power outage? The network crashes of 2001 and 2002 show that this is a definite possibility.

Lastly, why does Cal Athletics have such a hard-on for preventing students giving/selling their tickets to other students? It had seemed like they were loosening the rules this past year when they did away with the identifying sticker on Cal IDs that indicated if that student had bought football or basketball tickets. Finally, students could use other students' tickets, and all they'd have to bring is their Cal ID. While I will admit that some recent alums did take advantage of this by having current students buy tickets for them, those are tickets that would not have been bought to begin with. The alums wouldn't've paid full Young Alum price for tickets, and they student obviously wasn't going to buy tickets for themselves. Also, they're student tickets so they don't take away from general ticket sales, either.

Hopefully, people at the gate won't be looking to hard at the SID cards.

Second:

I think I'm the only person on this campus (at least the only person with any position of moderate influence in the ASUC) who doesn't see the elections problems as that big of a deal. There were technical difficulties. Big deal. It sucks for candidates who have to campaign extra days, but as far as I'm concerned they're the only people with any reason for complaint, and there complaints can only be for that reason. This talk of disenfranchised voters is ludicrous. Just because at one (or two) opportunities some polls were closed, any individual who's serious about voting will track down another polling place later in the week. We have three days of voting for a reason.

What's really too bad is that I think this postponement will hurt smaller parties who rely heavily on transfer votes and on capricious voters. The people who vote Squelch! or Cal Bukkake aren't the people who are dedicated ASUC voters. Or are they?

We really should have gone with online voting, I have sources independent of the elections council who swear by the security of an online server. According to one person who specializes in computers and programming for Office of Student Life, it would actually be less likely for fraud or security breaches to occur with an all-online system then with the current one. The only wild card is assuring that voting circumstances aren't suspect. This could be curtailed in a variety of ways:

- dorms could be specifically blocked except in the Computing Centers
- individual IPs could be limited to 10 votes (or fewer)

As it is, fraternities, sororities, student groups, etc. all vote in blocks anyway. If someone from that house or group is running, 99% of the people involved will vote for him or her as their first choice. It's only in the dorms were it could significantly affect the outcome.

Online voting would be the greatest boost to small parties and independents, which is inherent to increasing accountability and eliminating patronage in the ASUC. This year's senate is the most politically diverse in my time here at Cal, and it has shown to have helped facilitate one of the least scandal-ridden years of the ASUC. Now, correlation doesn't imply causation, but it's interesting info nonetheless.

Cheers.

2003-04-12T17:52:00.000-07:00

Done some layout and template adjustments, expect first notable post in the next few hours.

2003-04-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

After several months of repeated attempts to overcome Blogger technical difficulties using only my computer-programming incompetence, I fell into great apathy toward my previously LEGENDARY BLOG PragLib. This blog was a fairly popular source of comment on UC Berkeley current events, as well as general meditations on Berkeley and the greater Bay Area.

My blog was initially created to combat the inaccurate reporting and wanton speculation that many other Berkeley Blogs featured. I was in the first half-dozen or so of Cal Blogs that popped up in early-early 2002, initiated by the ever-loveable fellow Alpha Delt Kevin Deenihan. Eventually, throughout the Spring and Summer of 2002, over 20 Cal news blogs sprung-up, breaking news stories, debating campus events, and promoting a generally active intellectual community via the internet. These blogs each averaged almost 100 hits a day during big events. Though unconfirmed, it was reported that these Cal blogs were read regularly by officials at the Daily Cal and Indy Bay, as well as by people in campus administrative office. Gradually, though, the blogs slipped away in Fall 2002, with a major blogger technical failure in October causing some serious frustration which led in particular to my previous blog's collapse.

The point is, with war abroad, a questionable national administration, leftist wackos denigrating the respectable liberal name, and the ASUC elections "fiasco," I felt that it was finally time to resurrect the Pragmatic Liberal, in the form of a new blog.

Anyway, my name is Dave Duman, Creative Editor of The Heuristic Squelch, ASUC candidate for President and Senate, 3rd year Rhetoric major/Creative Writing minor at UC Berkeley, and all-around great guy, and this is The Lighter Side.