Friday, June 14, 2002 :::
 
I'm finally adding Res Ispa to the list of links to the side. If you haven't read this site, I like to think of it as "Angry Clam for a less innocent time". In his last few posts, "Petty Bourgeois" slams on the gay man who sits behind him at work, the postal worker who almost ran him over, and even a preemptive strike on Calstuff's upcoming Daily Cal column. Petty, as his friends call him, tends to spout rediculous lines like "the ultra-elite and exclusionary Greek system" (not all of us fraternity boys are beer chugging jarheads... just a subtle majority) and apparently has a girlfriend who knows when to tell him to fuck off.

Welcome aboard, PB. Let's see what you've got. :)

::: posted by Andrewski at 3:25 PM

 
Biting the hand that feeds: Roberto Hernandez, alleged bacon-biter, was denied his bachelor's degree because of his involvement with the seizure of Wheeler back in April. Although everyone else had their charges dropped (congratulations, hope you guys learned a lesson and realize how close you came to being slammed down pretty hard), Hernandez seems incredulous that his assault charge is being taken seriously. I don't think he'll have too much trouble, seeing how lenient the University has been. Lenient is the key word here- if D.A. Adams was truly as hardline as he made himself sound when I spoke to him last month, every one of those Wheeler 79 would be behind bars for six months.

I watched a bit of the documentary "Berkeley in the 60s" on TV today. Fascinating stuff- it's exhilerating to know that I'm on the campus where the world completely went mad for a decade. My favorite bits included a stoned hippie trying to explain what "We all live in a yellow submarine" means, and one of the founders of the Black Panthers talking about how they raised money for their shotguns by selling Mao's little red books on Sproul plaza. Now in the 60s... those people knew how to throw a protest. They had a very serious cause-- several, in fact-- and were not afraid to face the brutal wrath of police armed with tear gas and whompin' sticks. When they were arrested and when they resisted arrest, they didn't whine and complain- they made their peace signs and knew that since they truly believed in their cause, it was ok to take the consequences for their actions. I can't help but feel that groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine only wish they could make as big a scene in 2002 as the Free Speech Movement and End the War in Vietnam coallitions did in their heyday, but what they do instead can only be seen as nuisance and not as social involvement. Throw in a dash of anti-Semitism (parallel, perhaps, to the anti-white, anti-male, or anti-authority views of the 60s protesters), and you have yourself a Berkeley protest movement.

A couple of other interesting bits in the Daily Cal... I really dug Andrew Pogany's review of "The Believer", mostly because the first paragraph is smarmy as hell. I hope to see more articles from this guy. Just check out the first couple lines of his review and you'll know what I mean.

Also, Kevin pointed out Salar's rather chilling article, Educating our Youth. I have little doubt that this article will motivate a lot of really angry emails (salar@dailycal.org, opinion@dailycal.org). It's not that Salar is totally unsympathetic about kids whose parents beat the shit out of them in a rather non-loving way... it just may seem that way to some. I think Salar actually has a respectable point of view- a swat on the bottom early on could save our society a lot of trouble down the road. However, domestic violence is such an overwhelming issue, and studies have shown that kids who are treated violently grow up to inflict violence on others. I guess, though, that everybody reacts to violence in a different way, especially violence towards children. I just hope Salar doesn't take any babysitting jobs anytime soon.

No word yet on whether or not Brittany Adams has actually been fired, but she's definitely off the senior editorial board right now and nobody's talking about what happened. We'll see if anything more emerges of this story.


::: posted by Andrewski at 3:00 PM

Thursday, June 13, 2002 :::
 
This is a pretty neat little story, if you like science or neat stuff.

::: posted by Andrewski at 6:04 PM

Tuesday, June 11, 2002 :::
 
Noticed something a little off today in the paper... Birttany Adams, according to the masthead and the online staff list, is no longer Summer News Editor, replaced instead by Erin McLaughlin. This article from last month announced Adams taking the position.

Typographical error? Drastic restructuring? Foul play?

More on this as I find it. As always, clarifications and such are always welcome.

::: posted by Andrewski at 10:45 PM

 
Andrew here, back after some brief yet excruciating computer hemmorages. Several hours and two Microsoft operating systems later, I'm back.

Have you heard the deal on this Abdulla Oblongata? Trying to sneak a big, scary, "dirty bomb" into the U.S. (Such a catchphrasable name, that dirty bomb) on Ashcroft's watch? Nosiree... the U.S. has moved Abdullah to a top secret facility, deep within the Earth's crust, where the U.S. Government ignores the rights given to him, as a U.S. Citizen, by our Constitution. Abdullah doesn't get a lawyer, even, because it has been decreed that you lose your rights if you are suspected of a really nasty crime. I'm not saying that someone who plots to detonate a bomb of this nature is a great guy, but for the love of George, let him keep his rights! What's really alarming is the "cause we said so factor". Any higher up just says that so-and-so potential terrorist is a threat, so he gets snatched by the Men in Black.

On a very related note, Bush plans to introduce the "First Strike" bill. It's ok to kick down someone else's door, because we said so. Bush dons his spurs and tries to play cowboy.

::: posted by Andrewski at 3:45 AM

Sunday, June 09, 2002 :::
 
Nate, you're beyond creepy. I mean that in the nicest possible way.

::: posted by Andrewski at 5:15 PM

 
The Planet reports on the medical marijuana protests that took place on Thursday as previously reported. Marijuana clubs, it seems to me, have overwhelming support of the people of Berkeley, but not for quite the right reasons. People in Berkeley believe marijuana should be legal, not only as a drug for patients who are suffering, but also for the recreational use of the general public. There's no doubt that legalizing marijauna for medicinal purposes is a step towards legalizing it generally, but as the saying goes, you need to walk before you can crawl. In the meantime, marijuana supporters will continue to function through the Cannabis Clubs throughout the Bay Area, asking only for a doctor's note before one buys their pot over the counter.

So it's no wonder, with such a bizarre legal loophole such as Prop 215, that there are those who take advantage of the system. The Planet also reports on the robbery of a pound and a half of ganja and $1,500 from a Berkeley cannabis club. With unguarded depositories that have tons of drugs and cash on the premesis, you'd think the club managers would be a little more cautious with their significantly valuable product. The Daily Planet brilliantly does its journalistic duty by giving future potential robbers the exact address for the small, vulnerable building.

::: posted by Andrewski at 5:08 PM