Saturday, September 14, 2002 :::
 
Someone once told me that the Berkeley blogs are essentially a grooming grounds for Daily Cal columnists. Case in point: Kevin D's excellent column, which just kicks ass entirely.

He brings up a fascinating point- that Berkeley's name is being dragged through the mud by a select group of students in a select group of, erm, student groups. The tactics are the same- SJP creates a media frenzy by seizing Wheeler the same way BCR creates a media frenzy by getting their inflammatory article noticed by Bill O'Reilly. The end result is the same- Berkeley looks like a university of lunatics. Sure, we've got a higher "lunatic to normal" ratio here, but the majority of the campus isn't nearly as hardcore as you'd believe from the news that comes out of our little home here.

Attention Daily Cal editors: please fire bad columnists and hire more Berkeley bloggers. I know you read these blogs, and you know there is a considerable amount of writing talent and passion here in webland.

::: posted by Andrewski at 6:05 PM

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 :::
 
One year ago, my roomate's cellphone went off at 7am. It was his girlfriend, telling him that the Pentagon had been attacked. I turned on CNN and couldn't believe my eyes. Within a few minutes, half our floor was crowded into my room watching the horror unfold, live, with giant plumes of smoke bellowing out of the New York skyline and the rubble at the Pentagon. I scrambled onto the internet to learn what I could, and as details trickled in, everything was just sort of... well, numb for a while.

I ended up making my way to my Japanese class at 10am. The teacher entered the room with a hearty "Konichiwa!". We couldn't tell if she hadn't heard the news yet or if she was just trying to teach the class. There was a lot of awkwardness, but we continued with the Japanese lesson anyways. When it was over, I raced home and watched the news for the next several hours. I also collected some interviews for the Daily Cal from shell-shocked students who were going through the exact same thing I was.

That night, there was an impromptu memorial service held in Sproul Plaza. I had bought my own candle, and I sat with the multitude of others and listened to countless speeches and songs as people reacted to the tragedy the only ways they knew how. Some people were booed for their expressions of anger, some were cheered for their vows that this must not start a war, but overall it was a sobering experience.

Literally overnight, Cal had changed. There was a heightened sense of urgency in the air, as every group from BCR to SJP to IAC mobilized to make their case for or against or regarding the September 11 attacks. As I worked at the Daily Cal, I saw a lot of the fallout firsthand, and it affected me deeply. As the year went on and the lunacy manifested itself in new and interesting ways, I realized that in the midst of this national tragedy, there was no place I'd rather be than Berkeley. We are in a hub of cultural awareness, a city full of people who read the paper and argue about issues. One year later, I'm still proud to call this my home, despite the occasional lapses of sanity and order.

Noteworthy news today: Nelson Mandella speaks to Newsweek about America's (more specifically: George W. Bush's) hopes to invade Iraq. Did you know that Dick Cheney actually opposed Mandella's release from prison?

Maxwell hates everything, and I wish he would stop taking up more than his share of newsprint already.

How this event will shape the Middle East situation is yet to be seen, but it seems like the effects are going to be rather far-reaching: The Palestinian Cabinet is forced to resign rather than face a vote of no confidence. Remember, a vote of no confidence is what got Chancellor Vallorum kicked out of the Galactic Senate in Episode I, and know what you get? The Clone Wars. Word.

The Angry Clam has a remarkable collection of photos and quotes to remember last year's attacks, so go check it out. Remember, Rory gets a sort of sexual pleasure out of pissing people off, so try not to fly out of your seats when you see a picture of Barbara Lee as "The Enemy".

Anyways, don't be sad all day. Be thankful to be in such an interesting place at such an interesting time.

Oh, and happy birthday, Don.

::: posted by Andrewski at 12:44 PM

Tuesday, September 10, 2002 :::
 
This article in the Daily Cal about censoring (or at least moving) a sexually explicit program made me think of something I saw on Berkeley TV over the summer. I was watching channel 25, late night, and discovered footage from what appeared to be an orgy. Everyone was blindfolded, Eyes Wide Shut like, and there was this creepy music playing in the background. Anyways, I've never seen the Dr. Susan Block Show, but I'd hope that if anyplace would be more accepting of an educational TV show that happened to show some nudity, it'd be Berkeley. I've always thought that we need less "childproofing" of television, and if the show is of an educational nature and not straight out pornographic, it should be granted some merit.

Speaking of sexy videos, there's a quality SoT today. Teresa, if you're out there, I'd like very much to rock your world. Thank you.

There are allegations in this story that the Patriot article about Berkeley's 9/11 celebrations may contain "factually incorrect information". The opinion page, rippling with activity, has a variety of takes on the situation, with people sounding off from all over the country. Pun of the day: "Color me amazed". Ha!

::: posted by Andrewski at 7:21 PM

Monday, September 09, 2002 :::
 
This amused me... massage workers will be expected to log in an additional 500 hours of massage workshops if the Berkeley City Council proposal passes. This is expected to cut down on "erotic" massages in the Berkeley area. Let's put this into perspective, shall we? I'm taking 14 units, or 15 hours of classwork a week. 500 hours is like 33 weeks, or about 8 weeks of "school". This is just to give people massages. Now, whether it will cut down on prostitution remains to be seen- it may just make the massage workers give really, really good handjobs.

Also of interest: Calstuff had the scoop last month, and the Daily Cal finally gets around to reporting it: RAs fired for serving alcohol to minors. Wonder why they withheld reporting the story for so long? Don't they read the Berkeley blogs?

Wednesday: Where I was on 9/11/01.

::: posted by Andrewski at 9:47 PM