Friday, February 28, 2003 :::
Be sure to pick up a copy of the California Voice when you see it being distributed on Sproul Plaza this week. There's a good article on the San Francisco Anti-War Protest (which I contributed to, although my name was misspelled). Also of note is a rundown of how Iraq became a hot zone, and what war would mean for the U.S. economy.
::: posted by Andrewski at 6:17 PM
There are two stories on the cover of Friday's Daily Cal that create an interesting juxtaposition. One story is about a man convicted a violent crime, trying to flee from the authorities, and getting caught. The other is about a man who committed a minor crime, tried to lie about it, got caught, got let off, and now is lecturing Middle Schoolers on morality.
The first man is a convicted rapist. The second man is Mayor of Berkeley, Tom Bates.
Tom Bates, after stealing 1,000 copies of the Daily Cal and throwing them in the trash, lied about it before finally admitting to the crime after he was elected Mayor. Both Bates and the Mexico-bound rapist are despicable- but only one of them gets the opportunity to speak to 25 Middle School students about "making the right decisions". I find Bates's little morality pep-talk to be a little pathetic- one stupid mistake can get you thrown in jail, or in Bates's case, it can get you elected. Make your decisions wisely, kids.
::: posted by Andrewski at 1:40 PM
Thursday, February 27, 2003 :::
Sad news for those who grew up with Mister Roger's Neighborhood: Fred Rogers, former host of the PBS program and beloved friend of children everywhere, has died at age 74.
One of his red sweaters hangs at the Smithsonian, but here’s hoping the real solace that his family has today is the knowledge that several generations of children grew up believing in the decency and the generosity of heart that his show always embodied, and that even without his show, his lessons will no doubt survive to be handed on when we have children of our own. - Harry Knowles, Aint it Cool News
::: posted by Andrewski at 12:06 PM
Wednesday, February 26, 2003 :::
"CBS, once a proud and honorable broadcasting company . . . has become just another money-grubber," he said.
That quote comes from Georgia Senator Zell Miller. As our country marches off into an inevitable war with Iraq, it's good to know that our elected officials are dedicating themselves to issues that truly make a difference. Senator Miller is outraged, simply outraged, over the latest controversy that affects all Americans- some reality show about Hillbillies that CBS is putting on.
OK, look. CBS came up with "Survivor" before anyone else did, and it made them a lot of money because stupid people like to watch these shows constantly. Instead of getting in a fit over a television show, I'd really appreciate it if our Senators were empassioned about issues that affected, say, the future of this country. I'm talking about things that have been mysteriously absent from the national spotlight recently, like the environment, gun control, medical research, abortion rights, etc etc. Nobody ever gets elected into office by promising they'll focus all their efforts on getting a TV show off the air, but sometimes it seems that's all they do. Truly appalling, when you consider what else is going on in the world right now.
::: posted by Andrewski at 10:43 AM
Monday, February 24, 2003 :::
Check on Sproul Plaza this Wednesday between 11am and 2pm, and you just might find Berkeley College Republicans hosting their own Affirmative Action Bake Sale. Let the angry letters to the Daily Cal commence!
::: posted by Andrewski at 11:03 PM
This is very funny. At UCLA, the Republican group on campus held a bake sale to make a statement about affirmative action. The price of the cookies depended on what race and gender you were.
Black, Latina and American Indian females were charged 25 cents for cookies that cost males of minority descent 50 cents. White females were charged $1, and white males and all Asian Americans were charged $2.
The bake sale has been admonished by the chariman of the California Democratic Party, and an aide called the bake sale "race-baiting". I think it's funny, and makes a good point about the inequality of affirmative action. Whether it's cookies or college applications, giving preferencial treatment based on race and gender is unfair to all.
::: posted by Andrewski at 10:32 AM
Sunday, February 23, 2003 :::
The Daily Cal reports that the hearings with pro-Palestinian supporters who occupied Wheeler during a protest last April have finally ended. In hot water for their seizure of Wheeler on April 9, 2002, the Wheeler 79 (41 of which were Cal students) have had all charges dropped against them. I wonder what will happen to them next time they decide to hold their protest with midterms going on in adjacent classrooms. Of course, the Axe Committee did the same thing last semester when Cal won the Big Game, so I guess it's only fair that the charges against the protesters were eventually dropped.
::: posted by Andrewski at 12:54 PM
