Farm to College Night is today from 4:45 to 8p.m. in the Segundo, Tercero and Cuarto dining commons.
Farm to College Night is a meal that consists of sustainable and locally-grown food from around Davis.
This event is open to all, not only to students. Tonight’s meal will include roasted butternut squash and Coco Ranch apple soup, fresh pasta with Russell Ranch roasted tomato sauce, sweet potato wedges and more.
– Hannah Strumwasser
After years of program refinements, Cesar Chavez Plaza finally got its warm welcome into the Davis community of housing complexes with a grand opening celebration on Saturday.
The celebration was attended by a star-studded list of local Davis and Yolo County politicians, including former Davis mayors, City Councilmember Dan Wolk, Yolo County Supervisor Don Saylor and state Senator Lois Wolk (D-Yolo).
The 53-unit low-income apartment complex, which is located on 1220 Olive Drive, is helping to mitigate the low-income housing problem in Yolo County, where thousands of individuals are on a waiting list to receive rental assistance.
On a table along with reading material lay a picture of Cesar Chavez and his bodyguard standing in the outdoors. The bearded bodyguard also served as bodyguard to the late New York Senator Bobby Kennedy.
That bodyguard is David Thompson, now co-principal of Neighborhood Partners.
Thompson coordinated that day’s events and had many of his real-life neighborhood partners to thank for their cooperative contributions to the new housing development.
“This is one of the most important projects that Luke and I have ever done,” said Thompson, also on behalf of his business associate Luke Watkins.
Davis Community Meals, Neighborhood Partners and the Yolo County Housing Authority are all joint managers of the now fully operational complex.
“This is the first [housing] project in Davis that specifically wanted to deal with the needs of the at-risk homeless population,” Thompson said.
“Many of those folks are on fixed incomes and they need somewhere to help guide them through, making sure they go to appointments, get treatments, somebody to help them basically to stay housed,” said Bill Pride, executive director of Davis Community Meals.
To that end, Davis Community Meals employee Synda Whitmer coordinates specifically with low-income Cesar Chavez Plaza residents to help them with obtaining food, services, mental health treatment and counseling.
The list of contributors to Cesar Chavez goes on. The Yolo County Food Bank comes by Cesar Chavez once a month to distribute food. Taqueria Davis also donated some food for the occasion.
The opening ceremony also included local Davis artist Susan Shelton to remark on her mural outside the newly-christened Helen Thomson Community Room.
“The feel of the mural is really grounded in the folk art style,” Shelton said.
In the spirit of community Shelton included residents of Cesar Chavez Plaza in painting the mural, which she said represents “hope and optimism for the future.”
Also speaking at the opening was Judge and Presidential Medal of Freedom Honoree Cruz Reynoso, who, during his closing remarks, exclaimed in Spanish, “Que viva el espíritu de Cesar Chavez!”
RAMON SOLIS can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
How would you explain to someone who has not lived in the United States for very long what “to cost an arm and a leg” means? It’s questions like these that come up in meetings arranged by the Partners in Acquired Learning (PAL) Program.
PAL, a program of the linguistics department, works to match up international students with non-international students for a mutually beneficial language-learning experience, where the non-international student acts as a hub of American knowledge and a connoisseur of the English language. The program was started by Gwendolyn Schwabe, senior lecturer in the English department and founder of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at UC Davis, in the early 1970s.
Students participating in PAL meet with their international partner once a week for one hour, during which time they discuss subjects like history and popular culture, learn more about each others’ home countries, go out to eat and even bake muffins. Students even have the ability to earn course credit if they meet with two or more PAL partners a week, keep a brief log of their meetings and complete a one-page write up at the end of the quarter.
The benefits for an international student learning English are numerous: getting to converse with a native speaker, having access to a resource of American culture and meeting a partner with whom one can explore the area.
“If you’re an international student it’s important to get out of your comfort zone,” said senior international relations major Vanessa Orey, who has studied abroad herself. “I grew up around Americans my whole life, so it’s fun to be with people who are just seeing things for the first time.”
PAL coordinator Julia Menard-Warwick said because the network that the international students come to the United States with generally consists of people from their native country, the PAL program serves as an opportunity to expand that network and generate new contacts.
“Sure, two Chinese students can get together and speak English to each other, but more likely they’ll speak Chinese,” Menard-Warwick said.
Many participants in the program, including Orey, are interested in teaching English abroad or tutoring, for which she said PAL provides a solid foundation.
“Participating in the program made me decide to become an ESL instructor,” said Janet Lane, a linguistics lecturer, coordinator of the PAL program from 1990-2010 and former UC Davis student.
Menard-Warwick’s assistant coordinator and linguistics Ph.D. student Emily Feuerherm has also been a participant in the PAL program, along with a similar program at the University of Arkansas, where she developed a long-lasting friendship with a Japanese international student.
“You’re building people skills on an international level,” Feuerherm said. “[My conversation partner and I] are still friends after 12 years. He sends me pictures of his kids. He has celebrated Christmas with my family.”
The “pals” are set up through an online database of international students, which includes their major, interests and hobbies. Non-international students can be invited to the website and then make a selection of a few students he or she is most interested in working with.
There are currently 154 international and 91 non-international students participating in the PAL program. The majority of the international students are graduate students, and the majority of the non-international students are undergraduate students.
With the majority of the international students coming from China, Korea and now Chile, the PAL program is an opportunity to connect with students from all over the world. PAL is one of a number of programs at UC Davis illustrating its move toward “globalization” and “internationalization,” Menard-Warwick said.
“When you’re participating in the PAL program,” Menard-Warwick said, “you’re also learning a whole lot more about the larger world.”
Students interested in the program can visit linguistics.ucdavis.edu/programs/esl-instruction/palprogram and follow the instructions for international or non-international students.
Christina Novakov-Ritchey can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
If you have ever visited La Crépe in the Silo, you may have noticed a picture taped up by the register, featuring a chestnut horse and the man who is most likely taking your order, Michel Bloch.
It looks like a pretty photo of Bloch out for a ride on a sunny day, but that picture was actually taken somewhere along the 100-mile course of the 2009 Tevis Cup. Yes, the same man asking if you would like whipped cream with your crepe is actually a world-renowned endurance rider.
Endurance riding is one of the most physically challenging horse sports in existence. It requires both horse and rider to have courage, drive and an insane amount of fitness. Endurance rides are essentially races over rugged terrain ranging from 25 to 100 miles long.
Bloch was born in France and he started riding when he was 19 after a man from the Lipizzaner School of Riding moved to his town and opened a riding academy.
He started working as a photographer and in 1972 he was sent to the United States with the assignment of photographing American families.
When he returned to France he moved to Paris and he lived there for four years.
“I always wanted to move back to the United States,” Bloch said. “But I was not sure what I would do there. I started thinking and one day I thought, ‘Crepes – I will make crepes.'”
In 1976 Bloch packed his bags and moved to America. He built a trailer and traveled across the country selling crepes at county fairs. Four years later he decided to settle in somewhere and open a restaurant.
He opened the Crepe Bistro, Davis’ first crepery, in 1980 and ran the restaurant for 18 years.
“I like it much better here [the Silo] because I have my weekends, I don’t have to work evenings, summers are easy and I have my holidays to ride,” Bloch said.
Throughout all the moving around and change, Bloch never lost his love for riding. In 2002, as the school year was coming to an end and business at his crepe stand was slowing down for the summer, Bloch lost his horse to colic.
He wanted another horse, but he was restricted by his low summer income. However, his need to be frugal was actually a blessing in disguise.
Bloch checked the livestock ads in the Sacramento Bee and found a listing for an Arabian gelding priced at $1000.
“I had my doubts, but I went to look anyways. When I got there I liked him so I said, ‘OK, I’ll buy him.'”
That gelding was a 13-year-old chestnut named Monsieur Joseph, whom Bloch now affectionately refers to as “Jojo.”
Bloch and Jojo have been a team for nine years now and have raced thousands of miles together. They have also made sure that Bloch’s $1000 were well spent, racking up accomplishments all over the world. They have entered the 100-mile Tevis Cup six times and completed on four attempts. In 2004 they won the 50-mile Gold Country Endurance Ride, the 100-mile middleweight National Championship and they took second in the Tevis Cup.
The Tevis Cup is a 100-mile, 24-hour race held in Tahoe and it is considered the Kentucky Derby of the endurance world. Just completing the Tevis is a feat within itself and Bloch has managed it four out of six times on a tiny, older horse.
“[Jojo] is a bit small. People always joke if he was any smaller my feet would drag on the ground, but he is tough and very smart. I always let him pace himself in races. He’ll rest when he wants and when he’s ready he will pick up the pace again.”
Jojo is 24 now and he and Bloch entered the 2011 Tevis in Tahoe on Oct. 8. They were six miles from finishing when Bloch had to withdraw due to severe back pain. While he was disappointed in the result he does not think it is Jojo’s last go-round.
Bloch said Jojo is considered old now, but he was in excellent condition for the whole race. Bloch is tempted to retire him and start working with his next endurance prospect, Scarlet Ladd, who also happens to be Jojo’s nephew.
“I don’t know. Jojo’s so lively and he’s in such good shape. I never push my horses, but I think he could handle another shot at the Tevis,” Bloch said.
Whether Jojo races again or not remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain – Bloch will never regret checking the classifieds of the Sac Bee that summer.
Bloch hopes to start a club or team for endurance riders at UC Davis. The school has a host of other equestrian teams on campus, including the current West-Coast Champion Dressage Team.
“I think there are plenty of people and students who are interested in endurance and even if someone just wanted to try it out, there are horses we can use,” Bloch said.
Bloch encourages anyone interested in endurance or plain-old horse chat to come talk to him at his crepe stand in the Silo.
“I love talking horses, it is my passion,” Bloch said.
KIM CARR can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
This week is the Silo open house week as the Silo shows the campus its new additions.
The Silo recently opened a new Starbucks in place of Brenan’s Coffee. On Tuesday, Star Ginger, a new food truck at the Silo, had its grand opening.
Today, the first 100 customers at Starbucks will receive free scones and a free brewed coffee between 7 and 10 a.m.
For more information about the rest of the week, visit the Silo Union Opening Week Facebook page.
– Hannah Strumwasser
Editor’s Note: Ask Katehi is a weekly column where students get a chance to ask the UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi questions.
What plans do you have to continue UC Davis’ upward trajectory, both programmatically/administratively as well as in terms of capital (construction) projects?
This is a great question. It goes to the heart of our recently-announced 2020 Initiative, which is our framework to sustain and enhance excellence at UC Davis going forward.
In the past four years, our funding from the state has been reduced by more than 40 percent, and will likely continue to decline. So, it is time for us to take control of our own destiny.
UC Davis is unique among the nine other campuses in the UC System. We have the largest physical footprint – more than 6,000 acres and 17 million square feet of maintainable space. This fortunate circumstance, combined with the major investments we have made in physical infrastructure, will allow us to maximize our use of our facilities and operations. Thus, over the next five years, we plan to thoughtfully grow our university by adding 5,000 more qualified undergraduates – a mix of in-state, out-of-state and international students – and 300 new tenure-track faculty. This will allow us to grow our research enterprise, increase our international diversity, boost regional economic development and create new jobs while stabilizing our financial situation.
As for construction, the recently-opened UC Davis West Village is an excellent example of our campus’ smart approach to growth. The nation’s largest planned zero net energy community is a model for future communities and the result of an innovative public-private partnership.
UC Davis West Village also will be home to our first uHub – a cluster of several of the campus’s energy research centers. This uHub will serve as a living and learning laboratory and enhance interactions with the private sector in the area of energy research and efficiency.
As we strive to implement the 2020 Initiative, I encourage the UC Davis community to become part of the process. Comments on the 2020 Initiative can be sent to: future@ucdavis.edu.
Have a question for the Chancellor? E-mail campus@theaggie.org.
UCTV formally launched its new seminar program in September, which broadcasts scholarly presentations such as lectures, debates and interviews.
With a variety of academic lectures and seminars presented on all 10 of the University of California campuses, creators of the UCTV seminar program aim to allow more people to see these programs. By providing access to the seminars via the satellite channel and website for a world-wide audience, UCTV is more accessible to more people.
“First, [UCTV seminars] is part of a broader complementary. It can be used in the classroom, every instructor can have this program on their computer and can upload lectures to post online for students,” said James Carey, professor of entomology at UC Davis and chairperson for the University Committee on Research Policy (UCORP). “Second, actual content can be used in teaching, professors can use seminars for lectures and can integrate video more deeply into the instruction.”
Many high-end seminars have to bring in IT people and it can cost up to $500 just to capture one event. Contrary to belief, it does not take money and IT personnel to formally broadcast seminars using UCTV, Carey said.
UCTV Seminars uses software such as Camtasia and a webcam with audio capabilities, which, when combined, captures the screen with slide and picture content in high quality. The webcam costs around $75 and the software costs $150, Carey said.
UC researchers are encouraged to submit their own video presentations to the UCTV Seminars site through the UCTV online video uploader. Submitted presentations can range from a simple narrated PowerPoint presentation to a highly produced video. Programs will appear alongside user-submitted data, including descriptions, related links, lecture notes, and other complementary materials, according to a press release from the UC newsroom.
“This is helpful for students who are looking for primary source information on the subjects of interest, and a way for researchers and graduate students to get their research out to the public,” said Alison Gang, director of communications for UCTV. “It is a way to engage in academic conversation even if you cannot be on that specific campus.”
In the essay titled “Towards a Video Strategy at UC Davis: Recording Research Seminars” by Carey, he wrote that the importance of recording and posting research seminars includes links to journal papers, academic outreach and digital technology as the present and the future.
“I was chair of UCORP, a systemwide academic committee, and on the agenda I presented the attempt to find synergy. The idea was that we would like to access any of the thousands of weekly seminars that are hosted at the universities. It was endorsed by our committee and approved by the University of California Academic Senate,” Carey said.
UC Davis departments such as evolution and ecology and entomology have already utilized the UCTV seminar program, Carey said.
The UCTV program costs the University of California system around $1 million per year to run. This includes costs for satellites, cable and other necessities, Gang said.
“We are looking at other options to be more cost-effective,” Gang said.
UCTV has its own YouTube and iTunes channel with both audio and visual podcasts.
Since 2001, UCTV has gathered and disseminated general interest programming from the University of California campuses to over 23 million homes nationwide through the satellite and cable networks, according to a press release.
It is free to participate and upload onto the website, Gang said.
“I want UC Davis to take the lead here and to realize the big opportunities available,” Carey said.
For more information, visit seminars.uctv.tv.
ALICIA KINDRED can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
Signing up to shoot the UC Davis vs. Humboldt homecoming football game I daydreamed that through some combination of luck and skill I would take a shot of that gaming, winning, diving catch as the play clock wound down to zero.
But as the fourth quarter came to a close, and the Aggies solidified their 38-17 win by running out the clock, that game-winning Hail Mary pass never came.
Still, I stuck around after the game to grab a few shots of the post-game — like the team’s tradition of singing the Aggie alma mater with the Band-uh! and Aggie Pack. Before heading home I noticed some of the players, like pictured quarterback Randy Wright, giving high-fives to a few lucky fans in the stands. To my surprise, my best work of the day wasn’t that magical once-in-a-lifetime. It was where I wasn’t originally looking.
– Evan Davis
Ryan Kahn, career coach for Dream Careers and author of Hired! The Guide for the Recent Grad, prepares college graduates for the real world on “Hired,” an MTV reality show that helps new graduates snag their dream job. Kahn, who received an undergraduate degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a graduate degree in music business from UCLA, spoke with The Aggie to answer the questions on every upperclassman’s mind.
The Aggie: What are students most concerned about when trying to find jobs?
Kahn: The biggest concern is not actually having a job – sending out applications with no response. You’ll be more successful if you focus on the positions you do have experience in and start honing in on those. Pick the companies you’re really a fit for. Do whatever you can to meet people in that company, even if that means sitting and having coffee across the street every single day. Even use Facebook and Twitter; re-tweet things they say and post comments on their Facebook wall. This keeps your name in their face, and eventually they’ll start to notice you.
How do you recommend getting enough experience?
Internships! Personal relationships through work experience and internships are important. Build as many relationships as possible and take advantage of social media. Friends help friends get jobs; for every friend you have on Facebook, that’s one more opportunity to build another relationship.
How long before students graduate should they begin applying for jobs?
Ideally, you start looking into spring internships; right now is a good time to start applying. If a job opportunity happens to pop up, you could be in the right place at the right time.
How does one stand out among job applicants?
Have an interesting story. Being able to say you went to school makes you one of the many. Have an interesting story in your career. Internships and studying abroad make you stand out.
What are some tips for a stand-out résumé?
There are a lot of misconceptions about flashy paper, but that doesn’t make you look very professional. Use a basic template, because your work experience is what will make you stand out. Always save your résumé as a PDF because formatting could get lost in other programs. Don’t ever write “references upon request.” If they’re interested, they’ll call and ask for references. Don’t include the months on past employers; this will make them focus on experience, not dates.
What are some things that should never be on a résumé?
Again, “references upon request,” it’s just a waste of valuable space. Don’t put your reasons for leaving a company and don’t put months of employment, especially if it was a short amount of time. Stick to years. Also, be careful about what e-mail address you use. If you don’t already have a professional one, stick to first name, last name.
What are some good interviewing tips?
Show up 30 minutes early, park and relax. Call a friend or family member and give yourself some time to relax. Walk in, casually, 10 minutes early. And research the interviewer’s online presence. Look for some common points to bring up during the interview.
What are some things you should never do in an interview?
Never chew gum. Grab a mint instead, right before you go in if you’re worried about your breath. Study up on the company’s culture as well. What do the employees wear? You want to walk in and fit the mold. You should also always be conservatively dressed. Never under- or over-dress.
Any last advice for our graduating seniors?
Network is net worth. Do everything that you can to build up social media presence and relationships.
What’s it like to be on MTV?
Awesome. MTV is a great network. I grew up watching hours of MTV. It’s been a great experience and they take great care of me. I’m very proud to be a part of the network.
Have you had any exciting celebrity encounters?
I was in school, looking to break into the business, and I met Randy Jackson from American Idol. He was my professor [for a music business class], and he called me his “dawg.” It was really cool because even though he was busy, he took the time to come to class every day. Literally, one day he was in Chicago on Oprah and he arranged his flights so he could still be in class that day.
MICHELLE STAUFFER can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
I had the opportunity the other day to watch a most enlightening program broadcast by UCTV. The one-hour program was called “How Unequal Can America Get Before We Snap?” presented by President Clinton’s former labor secretary Robert Reich.
“Inequality of income, wealth, and opportunity in America is wider now than it’s been since the 1920s, and by some measures since the late 19th century. Yet the nation seems unable or unwilling to do much of anything to reverse these trends. What happens if we allow the trends to continue? Will they ‘naturally’ reverse themselves? Or will we get to a point where disparities are so wide that we finally find the political will to take action? Alternatively, will the disparities themselves grow so wide as to discourage action, by fostering resignation among the losers and indifference among the winners? And if the latter, where will it all lead?”
The presentation made excellent use of economic graphs to demonstrate how large of a gap has developed between the upper class and the middle class (not to mention the lower class) with regard to income, wealth and opportunity in the United States between the years 1962 to the present. The trends are alarming to say the least.
The speaker correctly points to birthright as the beginning of the disparity that allows for advantages in everything from diet and health care to education and connections. Being born into a middle-class family myself, I have truly benefited from my birthrightin terms of these advantages right from the starting gate. Some people would argue that many a poor person has risen up by their “own boot straps,” but I would argue that in today’s society most (not all) poor people can only rise up with a good pair of athletic shoes or a willingness to sell drugs. Otherwise they have to remain content with working in the service industry for comparatively lower wages than their upper-class counterparts. Mr. Reich further points out that one of the elements keeping our society glued together is the belief or perception by the lower class that opportunity in this country still exists and that if one is willing to work hard, they can be successful.
The speaker talks of two potential outcomes for this growing disparity. He uses the metaphor of the rubber band to illustrate his point. Our society will either “snap back” with a series of reforms supported by all three classes and the government to regain a sense of fairness when it comes to income, wealth and opportunity in the United States. This has occurred at least once before in the history of our country during a time referred to as the progressive movement.
The other potential outcome is for our society to “snap break” whereby this country exists with two entirely different societies. The problem with the latter outcome is that it often leads to the arrival of a demagogue who plays upon the emotions of the middle and lowerclasses all for the hidden intention of personal gain. We have seen this all too often in history with the likes of Napoleon, Mussolini, Hitler, Lenin, etc. Mr. Reich suggests somehow that the upper class are not a group with malicious intent, but rather are nothing more than a naïve self-indulgent class of people who don’t know any better.
Here I beg to differ. I believe the upper class is guilty of a careless disregard for their fellow countrymen. They have the arrogance to believe they are superior and deserving of extravagance regardless of how they attained it and regardless of how it affects the rest of society. Once again, history shows us what happened to those monarchs who behaved the same way.
Do I think there will be a violent revolution in this country? I hope not. Do I prefer a new progressive movement over even a peaceful revolution? Absolutely. My fear, however, is that we are already rapidly approaching the point of “critical mass” beyond which there is no turning back. The question today before the American people is what are YOU prepared to do?
Joe Bialek
M.A. Public Administration
On Saturday, UC Davis officials held a ceremonial ribbon cutting to welcome the opening of West Village in Davis.
West Village is a 224-acre project that lies southwest of Highway 113 and Russell Boulevard. Developers hope it will become the largest zero-net energy student and faculty housing community in the nation.
The implementation of green design and technology on this large of a scale is what makes West Village seem impressive. UC Davis continues to live up to its reputation as a leader in sustainable technology.
Since August, many students have moved into the new apartments, which include The Ramble and The Viridian. Despite over eight years of development and planning, it’s good to see West Village finally open. However, at $748 a month for a single room and private bathroom, these prices are hardly sustainable for the average student.
The opening of the technologically advanced West Village follows a lack of university support for on-campus sustainable housing, such as the Domes and Tri-Coops, both of which are much cheaper than West Village. Although the new complex has brought green living to a whole new level, the university should support environmentally-conscious living in all forms.
That said, the implementation of green design and technology on this large scale is what makes West Village a big deal. The housing development utilizes solar-reflective roofing, radiant barrier roof sheathing, high-efficiency light fixtures and added insulation to reduce energy consumption and increase efficiency. Other planned technologies and amenities include a system that will allow residents to control and monitor their appliances via smartphones and a university-Hub (uHub) that will include various research units, focusing on current world issues such as clean energy.
With all these amenities and features, West Village has a lot to live up to. Nonetheless, the goals are admirable and we look forward to seeing them succeed.
Dear UC Davis Band-Uh!
Thank you for making our Davis Neighbors’ Night Out Block Party so magical! You marched into our cul-de-sac dancing and playing wonderful tunes, and neighbors streamed in to see you and hear you play. People were dancing in the street and the mood was joyous. You stayed and played for a good long time and at the end you invited the children to talk to the band members and touch the instruments. You helped us all remember why Davis is such a great place to live. This will be a neighborhood block party we all remember. Thank you!
Your Neighbors on Everglades Place
Media critic Marshall McLuhan is famous for reminding us “the medium is the message.” While any form of media carries content (DVDs carry video, MP3 players hold music, the internet has web pages, etc.), the form of the medium itself is also a kind of content. I think the trick is to determine what message the medium sends.
An article in the Wall Street Journal early last week drew attention to the growing audience watching Republican presidential candidate debates. Between television viewers and online streaming, more than 12 million people tuned in to the most recent debate. Where stump speeches and policy white papers have failed to gain like coverage, each debate invites pre-event speculation, live-coverage and post-event appraisal.
I’m one of those 12 million, as I’ve been following the Republican presidential primary debates since they began in June. At first I was frustrated by the medium; not a single one has looked anything like a debate to me.
At this point I should mention that I’ve competed in and coached high school speech and debate for more than seven years. This should tell you two things. First, if you thought I was cool for writing about Eminem last week, now you know better. Second, my experience means I can apply Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s test for identifying obscenity to identifying debates – I know one when I see one. Between the format’s vague questions, mind-numbingly short responses and neutered response times, I haven’t seen a single debate.
It wasn’t until I went to the ARC last Tuesday following the Republican primary debate that I realized my understanding of the relevant medium was off base.
No matter what time I go to the ARC, the mounted television directly in front of my chosen workout machine is always playing VH1’s “Tough Love”. To the uninitiated, “Tough Love” is a reality TV show that features nine women in need of serious relationship advice. Because you can’t change channels on these TVs at the ARC, everyday I am force fed episodes of Steven Ward telling bombshells how not to be crazy.
When I watched the show after the debate, it struck me that the two are not at all that different. Both talk of winners and losers, meeting expectations, rival encounters and chances for redemption. Then it hit me. When you frame the medium of the primary race as a reality TV show, it makes more sense. Let me explain. All reality programming shares three characteristics: challenges, interviews and common space.
Challenges on “Tough Love” range from competitions titled “Communication” to “Parental Skills” to “The WOW Factor” to “Revenge of the Exes.” You can’t make this stuff up. Each week the show identifies the winner and the weakest participant of these challenges.
On the primary trail, the media covers challenges such as fundraising ability, endorsements and what you might call “Revenge of the Candidate’s Past,” in the case of Gov. Mitt Romney’s health care program in Massachusetts and the former life of Rick-Perry-the-Democrat. And in a weird crossover between the primary race and “The Simple Life”, one of the recent challenges covered by the media showed how various candidates spent a day working blue-collar jobs to better understand us regular folk. You really can’t make this stuff up.
Both conventional reality programming and the primary race also share the interview process. On reality shows, the interviews serve to artificially inject drama into the show by instigating conflicts between the contestants. This works for primary race interviews, too. In a field of candidates all on the same side, many use the unending stream of interviews to pick fights with other candidates to distinguish themselves from the field. We saw this most recently with Rick Santorum, who is struggling to remain relevant by taking jabs at Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman and Michelle Bachmann.
The final reality show convention of the common space explains the televised debate format. Every reality show has a common space where contestants have to face each other. On “Survivor”, this is the Tribal Council. On “Tough Love”, this is the house. The common space doesn’t always serve a function on the show so much as it exists for the viewer’s entertainment. What will they do, how will they act (or react), when they’re forced to share the same space?
Considered this way, the televised debates seem not to be about the issues. The format is a pretext for getting all the candidates together so we can see, for our delight, how they react to each other.
Here we have a situation where the medium is transforming the content. The Republican presidential primary debates are not drawing some of the largest audiences on TV despite their confused format, the debates draw a dozen million viewers precisely because they deliver what we expect from entertaining television today. The primary race is the best reality show TV can offer.
RAJIV NARAYAN responds to all his fan mail at rrnarayan@ucdavis.edu.
THURSDAY
That’s fishy
There was a loud party with lots of bass on Anderson Road.
Zombie bait
A large group was walking by the cemetery with flashlights at Pole Line Road.
Oxymoron
A car was driving with a loud muffler on Alameda Avenue.
FRIDAY
Leaf him alone
A man was being verbally harassed while cutting down a tree on Olive Drive.
Candy is for beginners
Someone was selling an HD television out of a van on Research Park Drive.
SATURDAY
Patreeotic
A woman was screaming at people for planting non-native trees on E. 14th Street.
Needs train-ing wheels
Someone was pushing a bike along the railroad tracks near Second Street.
Police Briefs are compiled by TRACY HARRIS from the city of Davis daily crime bulletins. Contact TRACY HARRIS at city@theaggie.org.
When one is exploring the vast plethora of people and pages on their Facebook profile, there is really only one activity occurring: judgment. However, some of us aren’t born with the natural gift of being able to tell just how lame our so-called friends are with only a handful of photos and status updates to go off of. I usually like to claim I’m some sort of expert in my columns, so here’s my guide on how to read between the posts on a recent activity feed.
Since I’d rather not openly berate one of my actual Facebook friends in a public forum, we’ll pass judgement on the fictional Facebook of some guy I made up named Shawn Brinkersly.
Firstly, and most easily, I can see the number of friends he has. If there’s less than 100 he’s either one of those people who thinks it’s cool to only add his “real” friends or he’s one of those people that doesn’t have any “real” friends. There is also the possibility that Brinkersly has simply come out of a three-year crystal meth binge and is more concerned with how many teeth are left in his mouth. If Brinkersly is like a normal college-aged Facebook user, then he probably has around 400 friends.
The next thing we want to look at is Brinkersly’s photo count. Does he only have a measly 76 pics? Are most of them just those “tag your friends” collages where he’s dubbed “the quiet one”? Or does he have have over 2,000, including a series of “Fifty shirtless pics I had to submit for a modeling application which was really real and not made up”?
If he’s on the wrong end of either of these numbers, higher than 2,000 or lower than 76, then things are definitely not looking good for our buddy Brinkersly. He should’ve gone for a more respectable number like 1,016 or 749. Personally, I have 921 Facebook photos and get a lot of compliments on it. People often ask how I keep such a well-rounded number and the answer is simple – I untag myself in one old picture for every new picture. “But Aaron, doesn’t paying so much attention to insignificant details on your Facebook page make you a loser?” you ask? Don’t ask that.
Now we’ve got Brinkersly with 422 friends and 1,105 photos, but we haven’t delved into how he conducts himself online. So is this guy a poster or a postee? If he’s throwing out photo comments, friend requests and status likes as if they were candy on the 4th of July, then you can tell this kid is not tall enough to ride the internet.
The best way to convey just how cool you are on Facebook is through apathy. Only update your status rarely and if you have something sarcastic to say. There have been many statistical surveys taken which show a direct correlation between number of statuses posted and how whiny someone is in reality. Brinkersly wouldn’t be changing his status so much if there were people around him in real life to share his “updates” with.
From here on out there are only a few more rules Brinkersly has to worry about. Never tell a girl she looks hot in a picture, never download any Facebook apps, and lastly, never ever send a friend request, because doing so is an act of submission. The last time you got a friend request in real life was when that weird new kid asked if you wanted to be best buddies in the back of the school bus.
The true secret to being popular on the internet is to remain disinterested enough to appear as if you don’t care about your Facebook, but also conscious enough to show how much people care about talking to you. If Brinkersly followed these rules closely, then it’s a safe bet that the pretty girl he has his arm around in his profile picture is not his uncomfortable cousin, but more likely a potential FBO (Facebook Official) girlfriend.
Contact AARON WEISS about his column or type his e-mail into Facebook to stalk his 921 pictures at atweiss@ucdavis.edu.
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