50 F
Davis

Davis, California

Sunday, December 22, 2024

Opinion

Editorial: Sac Bee database

n early March, The Sacramento Bee compiled a salary database of all state employees, which is accessible for free on its website. In the following weeks, several complaints were received, primarily from workers' unions who disagree with posting so much public information, including the first and last name, job title or agency and the base pay of employees.

Editorial: AB 2168

California State Assembly Bill 2168 will be heard and hopefully approved by the appropriations committee Wednesday. The bill would relax the restrictions currently in place on what farmers can sell at roadside stands. Presently, farmers are allowed to sell only whole items grown on their property, which prevents them from making bottled water or homemade processed foods such as jams or pies available to the roadside consumer.

Sorry, not interested

here are crushes in life that are extremely impossible (more so than usual). The never-in-your-life-should-you-or-even-could pursue this person kind, where you have absolutely no chance whatsoever due to the fact that they probably don't even know who you are and that it can be seen as "wrong," such as: your mother's best friend, your TA/professor or that guy in HR that is like, 16 years older than you.

The hippies were right

As many of you may have noticed, this weekend marked the 39th annual Whole Earth Festival at the UC Davis campus. For some university students, Whole Earth Festival might only translate to dealing with the mass migration of semi-nude hippies onto the campus Quad, or avoiding the multitude of vendors trying to exchange hand-made dream catchers and hemp bracelets for the gas money needed to reach their next scheduled gathering.

Finishing the fight

Barack Obama is almost certain of a victory, but Hillary Clinton's one-of-a-kind determination to finish the fight until the end is something that he should worry about. All throughout this extraordinary campaign, America has witnessed that Clinton's monumental fighting spirit to withstand the most devastating defeat is always strongest when struggling desperately for survival.

To the summit

The three-page paper is actually a five-page paper.

"You're joking," I say over the phone.

"Nope."

Art

Scholastically speaking, I don't know that much about art. That's due to the fact that I'm a lazy bum. Sure, I could have taken at least one art history class during my college career, but I didn't. The reasons aren't that good. I didn't want to read a super long textbook with tiny print. I didn't feel like memorizing crap. I didn't want to fill up bluebooks with my newfound knowledge. It hurts your hand to write that much.

On selflessness

Does "selflessness" even exist? It seems that selfishness and altruism come in an inseparable pair, and that even the most selfless acts contain, in themselves, a mode of self-interest.

Consider religion: people doing generous deeds, performing kindhearted, well-intentioned actions - but in the end, these actions are not selfless. On the contrary, they are performed very much so with the self at the center. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you," reads the Bible (Luke 6:31), for example. Not "do good deeds because it's just the right thing to do," but "hey, you wouldn't like to be treated like that, would you?" Even the foremost document of "selfless" acts contains selfish motives - you want to help people.

Virtual unrealities

Tuesday was a relatively inauspicious day. I woke up. I went to class. I came home around noon and called my buddy to go eat. He had an alternate suggestion, and we ended up drinking lunch. We staggered outside utterly blitzed at two in the afternoon. Since my stumbling was down to a minimum, I walked to the nearest vehicle and used a pistol to bust open the driver's window and, subsequently, his skull.

Editoral: Human impacts will be overturned

Many Yolo County residents have ridden down County Road 98 to observe both Putah Creek's wonderful contribution to the wildlife and its demise as a damaged ecosystem. In an effort to improve and preserve the creek's beauty and viability, several independent and campus wildlife groups have teamed up to grow native plants to modify Putah Creek toamorenatural state.

Editorial: Losing trays not worth losing sleep

Since Apr.22,serving trays have not been made available to Tuesday diners at theUC Davis dining commons.This move,whichwill continue for at least the rest of the year,is expected to cut water and electricity usage from daily washing and deter customers from taking more food than they can eat.

Rage Against the bells

I love Rage Against the Machine.When I was a pissed off13-year-oldmiddle class white male living in suburbia,their anti-establishment lyrics and angst ridden music appealed to me instantly.But just as I began to actuallyunderstand their lyrics,the lead singer left the band.That day ranks among the worst of my life,right up there with the death of Mitch Hedberg and the day I found out the Power Rangers weren't real.

A heroic end

In the end, Senator Obama suffered a marginal defeat in Indiana while conjuring an overwhelming victory in North Carolina. But the match as a contest was over a while ago.A string of consecutive victories guaranteed Obama's pledged delegate leadastheoretically unassailable.With his latest triumph, however, bloggers, newscasters and the Drudge Report - the premier portal of breaking news - arefinallycalling Obama "the nominee." The curtains,for once, are truly drawing to a close.

Children at play

Since I attended my second May Day protest at UC Davis last week,I now think myself qualified for a minor in child psychology.

Participants gathered in a circle and shook various rattles and noisemakers every time they heard something they liked,which,given how they shut out opposing views,was very often.They threw a small tantrum when the Davis College Republicans expressed their own free speech with a tiny counter-protest in favor of capitalism and the individual.But,proving they know how to win a debate,they gleefully pointed out that DCR had smaller signs than they did.

Relationship talk

With all of the furry critters and birds pairing up, as Chaucer once observed, it is not hard to see that spring, a myriad of allergens and love, is in the air full-swing. With things as they are, I can't help but witness couples indulging in public displays of affection around campus.