Opinion

My skull is usually filled with voices. Placid voices. Violent voices. Hundreds of voices, willing to argue at any hour of the day - which they do, constantly - inconsiderate of what I, myself, am trying to get done in the physical realm.

But there are times of the year when the number of voices is reduced, when only three are yelling, or even two. One of these respites comes with every finals week, when the usual babble dwindles down to just two voices chattering in the dark.

They refer to me as The Big One.

St. Patrick's Day is here. For a great many of you, tonight will be a night of drunken debauchery. But then again, this is college. Lots of occasions are marked by heavy drinking. Really special events, such as Picnic Day or Wednesdays.

St. Patrick's Day for me, however, is not a day of merriment. There is no joy in wearing green. No joy in telling people, Yes this shirt is green. No, I already told you, it's not turquoise. Don't pinch me. I'm telling you, it's green. Seriously, you're color blind. Don't pinch me! Owww! St. Patrick's Day brings back painful (but not pinching-related) memories of the past. Cue the Wayne and Garth-style flashback.

Exactly 100 years ago on this day, Mar. 14, 1908, Ed Heinemann was born. A self-taught engineer by age 20, Ed went on to work with the Douglas Aircraft Company in the 1930s and was soon a chief engineer overseeing the construction of 100,000 fighter planes for World War II - planes with names like the A-26 Invader, Havoc and The Daunter. The company shone and became a member of the RAND Corporation, which was formed by the government in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force.

One of the cornerstones of male consciousness is an overwhelming desire for mischief. Some kids react by acting out, others by picking fights. We stole a tree.

My buddy Josh and I were 10 years old when we began our journey toward blatant tree-theft. After sneaking out of our respective houses at 2 a.m. sharp, we convened on my front yard and used a roll of toilet paper to make the rudest symbol we could conjure - an angry frowny face - on our neighbor's hedge. Fifteen minutes later we were frantically tearing it down, convinced by a passing police car that we were headed for federal pound-you-where-it-hurts prison. Ten, remember.

It was only a week after the new UC Davis emergency alert system was tested when it actually got put to use. After the bomb scare late on the night of Mar. 5, students, faculty and staff were sent e-mail notifications the next morning shortly after 8 a.m. - after the situation was under control.

While some may criticize the administration for waiting so long before alerting the campus, the university made the right move in doing so. Since no immediate or apparent danger was present, there was no need to inform others outside of Tercero just yet. It is important that administrators first assess the severity of the present situation before alerting the masses. As stated in the police report, the materials possessed were not assembled, nor were the chemicals mixed when discovered by authorities. Therefore, a premature campuswide notification could have just resulted in unnecessary panic.

The Davis City Council is currently doing extensive research in an effort to establish a standard living wage for city employees. Many council members and concerned citizens have been pushing for a standard living wage policy for some time, and it has now become a main concern of the city council.

A living wage is higher than minimum wage, reflecting the necessary income to live in a specific region and factoring in other needs such as health benefits from the employer. According to Jim Newman, superintendent of parks and general services, the living wage in this area is in the range of $9.50 to $11 per hour.

In response to Rob Olson's Feb. 21 column "The condompushers" we would like to clarify the purpose of our efforts toincrease access to condoms for sexually active students. This year,in honor of National Condom Week, we at Health Education andPromotion, hosted our third annual Ask Me For a Condom (AMFC) days. Marketing materials mentioned the availability of condoms if you or a friend is sexually active and as the name of the campaign implies, students have to ask to receive a condom.

The conservatism President Bush has practiced in the past few years was one often based on an unyielding conviction, seemingly oblivious from any form of doubt. Yet that's not what conservatism, as a philosophical thought, demands. Instead, [a]ll conservatism begins with loss, so declares Andrew Sullivan in his bookThe Conservative Soul. And it is: Conservatism is a natural response to loss, an approach that embraces the need to conserve and preserve in times of challenge.

Cherish this day, for tomorrow will be different, and today will be gone forever.

As I have alluded to in previous columns, I run for the UC Davis Track and Field team. Because of two partial lung collapses my freshman year, and the resulting surgery and loss of fitness, this is only the third year out of my five-year college career that I am on the team. It is early in the season, but the season is also my last. This thought sticks with me often.

I hate that phrase. Tell me something about yourself. In terms of obnoxious small talk, it's right up there along with So what's your major? or How do you like your school? I mean, sure, I love Davis. The town's cute. No, I don't pass by cows on the way to class every day. Yes, there are things to do here. Yeah, my classes are OK. Sometimes I like them; sometimes I don't.

Among all the random bits of profundity and nonsense I wrote in my column last week was a quote about truth (one I wish I could take credit for, but no, the deacon of my parish is responsible). It said, Truth is not because it happened but because it is a story we share we know to be true. I believe fiction novels, particularly the good ones, to be exemplary of this statement. The stories found in novels never happened, yet they echo throughout history on intrapersonal and global scales.

The governor-proposed cuts to the University of California system as a result of an impending state deficit will inescapably reduce the quality of its campuses. Addressing a potential $417 million shortfall is not easy and must be dealt with in a variety of ways.

Once finals are over, you crazy kids are going to go buck wild come this spring break. Little do you minions know, Ms. Lynn Loo La over here has attended her fair share of parties too (during her time off from saving the world, one poorly named Vietnamese business district at a time). Unfortunately, I find that one out of 10 college parties end in lameness due to some “incident” that occurs. So if you're asking yourself, “Gee whiz Lynn, how can I ruin everyone's time at a decent party?” Have no fear; I've done the work for you.

I've always held the belief that the process of making decisions is really very simple. Most of the time, you already know what's right and wrong, and the only real decision that you need to make that day is whether or not you're feeling naughty. If there is any validity to this time-tested theory (and I assure you, it's quite possible that there is not), then the facts released at last week's UC Day show that the legislative officials responsible for the operations of the UC system have a long history of soiling the proverbial bed.