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Pants Optional

Opinion

Opinion

April 23, 2009

Summer is rad – totally, way rad. Everyone wants to have the perfect summer. There are songs and movies and poems written by 13 year-old girls about it. You know that summer has hit when the Facebook statuses start gloating about it. 48 hours later, everyone is whining that they’re bored.

It’s a reflection of the more realistic scenario, the one in which you end up at home, run into everyone you hated in high school, and find your mom yelling at you to take out the garbage, remember your curfew (remember those?) and get a job.

Yes, the summer job from hell. It’s kind of a rite of passage for any young American. Like Dirk Diggler, you spend your days slaving at menial tasks, all the while believing that you were meant for something better. Whether that “something better” involves the porn industry is all up to you.

Those of us who didn’t score a sweet internship kissing up to the Governator or get their parents to sponsor a trip to Bora Bora are already behind on the job hunt front. People seriously start filling these positions in March. It’s crazysauce. It’s pretty sad getting turned down from a bagging job at a grocery store and realizing that you, a student at a Top 50 university, are apparently not qualified enough.

Employers know how much their jobs suck, and like any salesman, they try to play up the duties with little gimmicks. You’re not a fast food slave, you’re a sandwich artist! Hiring posters promise exciting opportunities, flexible hours and competitive rates. This usually translates into cleaning up puke, working on Saturday nights, and getting maybe a quarter more than minimum wage. Plus, there’s the added bonus of having a sadist for a boss and criminally insane sociopaths for coworkers.

Even the mildly glamorous jobs probably suck. People assume that lifeguards just get to work on their tans and yell at the occasional idiot, but it probably doesn’t seem like all that and a bag of chips when they find themselves performing CPR on an obese 11-year-old.

As a minimum-wage employee, you get to experience life as the scum of our existing society. You live solely to serve whoever walks in off the street, even the gross people. There’s nothing like walking into work, making the mistake of picking up the phone, and being yelled at for half an hour by a pissed-off customer.

While I can’t say I’ve had the worst jobs in the world, I do think I’ve covered my bases to some degree. Food service, the ninth circle of Dante’s retail inferno, data entry, and file room prisoner were probably the worst. I also had the privilege of washing you people’s sweaty towels at the ARC and even stumbled upon a wet jockstrap on the job. Finders, keepers!

No matter how much these jobs blow, everyone should have one before they graduate from college. They give you a line on a resume and you can surely exaggerate the importance of your role. Heck, you might as well just go all the way and say that if it wasn’t for you, the biotech industry wouldn’t be where it is today.

The same monotony and repetition that causes you to literally feel your life slipping away should also serve as a reminder of why we’re all here and reinforce your need to succeed. This, of course, is theoretical; I find myself slacking as soon as I get back to school, but that doesn’t mean that the idea hasn’t passed through. It should also make you glad that you get to escape that joint at the end of the summer while your fellow minions are stuck there for all eternity.

Hopefully, it should also encourage you not to be a flaming douche to people who have sucky jobs and not be one of those assholes who gets up in a waiter’s face because you didn’t want ice in your water. Remember what it was like.

I would imagine that it’s just not the same at the top if you’ve never seen the world from the bottom, so traveling by helicopter and having a golf course on your estate will only be sweeter if you have a cool story to tell of the godforsaken job you worked one summer. Maybe you’ll luck out and meet a hot blonde somewhere on the side. Even after the summer ends and she’s long gone, you’ll always have that herpes to remember her by.

MICHELLE RICK has yet to find a good crappy job to slave away at this summer. E-mail her at marick@ucdavis.edu to share your worst job experience.

The Defining Moments

Opinion

Opinion

April 23, 2009

One of the least discussed problems at UC Davis is the under representation, both politically and in popular awareness, of the international student population.

They currently represent around 2,500 students or almost 10 percent of the student population, yet at times they seem almost non-represented. More should be done.

For the international students, there are multiple, significant barriers. At once there are linguistic, lifestyle and cultural challenges.

The language problem consists of the difficulty comprehending the unique style and reaction of a native speaker. For locals, phrases like “hella,” “tight” and “what’s up?” permeate daily speech. To the international student, schooled and versed more in the academic art of English conversation, this novelty can be as disorienting as it can be disheartening.

Then there are lifestyle issues. The average UC Davis student’s immediate interest lies at their place in and contributions to society. Hence what motivates them are the events that directly affect their lives – the success of the local Sharks team, Colbert’s latest parody, the policy suggestions of President Obama. Their activities also differ fundamentally: Alcohol and outdoor hikes are local ways of life. Even in sports – the great equalizer of human aspirations – the most universally popular sport of all, soccer, is relegated to a position behind the Red Sox, the Lakers and the Raiders.

For the foreigner, the differences in shared experiences often prevent active emotional connection. Mutual engagement is undoubtedly possible, but it requires great effort to learning. For some, the demands of adapting an entirely new lifestyle can be hugely demoralizing.

The final challenge is cultural. America’s openness to intimate human relations and contact is commonplace, and rightly so. Thanks to the 1970s sexual revolution and subsequent liberal attitudes toward natural human desires, gender separation is virtually nonexistent. For those from more conservative nations, this can be shocking and daunting. It challenges a lifetime’s conception of morality and tradition.

The confluence of these factors, to an international student, often hinders individual growth and professional development. In a way, this consequence is somewhat inevitable as it is natural.

And in the long-term, the broader, underlying problem can manifest both voluntary and involuntary segregation. Failure to become involved locally pushes some to support groups, including peer counseling, nationality-based networks and CAPS. An inability to integrate can also lead to loneliness, depression, withdrawal and, in extreme cases, suicide. For many, this experience then emerges as a story of unfulfilled potential and missed opportunity.

What can be done? Presently, the Services for International Students and Scholars, with their numerous cultural events, functions and workshops, attempts to assist with the international students‘ numerous needs and integration.

But more can be done at a local level to provide the integral emotional and linguistic support. For the international student, reaching out is both a function of individual resilience and external approval. Individual resilience entails a personal willingness to learn and a dedication to thrive in a culture that is foreign and alien. Meanwhile, external approval embodies our collective responses to those who, at times, are confounded by what for us seems natural. A patient understanding and acceptance of those unfamiliar with localities can greatly inspire.

An establishment of a position in the student government, specifically focusing on certain aspects, is also necessary and pivotal. This guarantees an opportunity for active political representation, especially with regards to numerous welfare and personal needs.

The challenges confronting an international student are diverse and, at times, dispiriting. More can and should be done to address this.

After all, living far away from home is both an opportunity for crisis or achievement.

ZACH HAN salutes those who come from afar to learn and achieve, and sends his regards from zklhan@ucdavis.edu.

Undocumented workers find California less attractive

City News

City Editor

April 23, 2009

Over the last two decades, the distribution of illegal immigrants within the United States has changed drastically, experts say.

California has typically drawn the largest percentage of migrant workers in the country. Yet according to a recent report from the Pew Hispanic Center, many of them are now searching elsewhere for work.

Currently in the U.S. there are an estimated 8.3 million undocumented migrants. California still claims the largest number of this population at 2.7 million – nearly double the number in 1990 – yet its share of them has declined to 22 percent from 42 percent in 1990.

Outside of the six most popular immigrant destinations (California, Texas, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey and New York) the illegal immigrant population in the U.S. has increased sevenfold – from 700,000 in 1990 to five million in 2008.

Illegal immigration has become much more of a national phenomenon, said Ira Mehlman, the national media director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

“Illegal aliens are beginning to take up residence everywhere in the country,” he said.

In 2008, 17 percent of construction workers in the U.S. were undocumented, while 25 percent of farm workers were illegal immigrants.

By comparison, in California just 10 percent of the labor force is undocumented.

“Another factor is that the U.S. economy has been doing poorly and California has been hit the hardest,” Mehlman said.

In other words, the reason for this shift lies in the simple fact that there are jobs to be held elsewhere.

“What we’ve seen over the last 20 years is an increasingly diverse area of settlement,” said Kevin Johnson, dean of the UC Davis School of Law.

States that did not see many Mexican immigrants during the 1990s such as Arkansas, Iowa, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia have seen increases in their migrant and immigrant populations primarily because there are available jobs, Johnson said.

In some states, like Pennsylvania, there has been some recent negative reaction to Mexican immigrants, he said.

“At the same time their migrant labor is cherished and provides workers who help the economy,” Johnson said. “Whenever you have migration pattern changes there is some tension, but it tends to calm after some period of time.“

Some tension as a result of illegal immigration comes as a result of the question of child citizenship.

Currently, 73 percent of the children born to unauthorized immigrant parents are born in this country, making them U.S. citizens under the 14th Amendment.

Approximately 4 million U.S. citizen children have at least one parent who entered the country illegally, and nearly 75 percent of all children born to undocumented parents are now U.S. citizens.

FAIR and similar organizations have repeatedly moved to establish a policy against illegal workers that would better regulate borders and keep jobs in the hands of American citizens. The group has also advocated against granting citizenship to children of illegal immigrants.

“In an age when someone can travel from country to country in minutes or hours, it doesn’t make sense to have someone who has no connection whatsoever to this country to be able to become a U.S. citizen,” Mehlman said of children born to the illegal immigrant population.

An initiative in the works in California seeks to deny publicly funded health benefits to those children, and is similar to 1994‘s Proposition 187 that would have deprived public education to the children of illegal immigrants. Though approved by California’s voters, Prop 187 was declared unconstitutional in a federal court.

AARON BRUNER can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

PhiLOLsophy

Opinion

Opinion

April 23, 2009

A lot of men are unsatisfied with their abilities to attract women and have nowhere to go for help. And where they do go for help, they are met with heaps of misinformation. Most men learn from pop-culture e.g. movies, TV shows, magazines or other incredulous sources. This cloud of useless information leads some men toward further low self-esteem, low confidence, feelings of inferiority and hopelessness.

Here in college, a lot of guys enter the dating world for the first time and feel hopeless because they’re not part of the football team or because they’re shorter than most girls. But these things, like the other misconceptions, aren’t really what women are attracted to.

I’ve taken the evolutionary approach in proving what women are actually designed to be attracted to. Just like men are designed to be attracted to large breasts and a certain waist-to-hip ratio, women are designed to be attracted to men with high self-esteem and confidence.

Back in the hunter-gatherer days, females increased their genetic fitness if they reproduced with the highest status males (alpha males). Their children are more likely to have the same successful genetic traits the alpha male has. Furthermore, the children are more likely to have access to the alpha male’s resources.

Natural selection would weed out societies that gave their high status positions (and therefore high status privileges) to males who weren’t the most genetically fit for the job.

Having high status greatly correlates with high self-esteem. Self-esteem is a function of one’s perceived social status; a belief of how much value one has amongst others in the tribe.

In short, all of the following positively correlate with one another: status, genetic fitness, self-esteem and confidence.

Now we come to this question: What are the most reliable fitness signals women could have used for deciding which partner to mate with? For one, symbols of status are unreliable because the females may not always know which symbols are real; it would be easy to counterfeit symbols. Also, symbols of status don’t generalize to all societies. If a true alpha male wanders to a new tribe, his fit genes will be neglected simply because he doesn’t have the proper symbols (same is true if one tribe takes over another).

If status symbols aren’t good enough, what about objective measurements of desirable genetic traits like intelligence or strength? The problem is, having one or two of these traits does not imply high status. Instead of testing for every possible genetic trait, it is easier to just test for self-esteem.

The most reliable and parsimonious fitness and status indicators are signals of high self-esteem. Some of these signals of high self-esteem include: confidence around anyone, lack of self-consciousness, being true to one’s personality (not acting fake to please others), non-needy, self-value not outcome-dependent and self-actualized. Since high self-esteem is highly correlated with high status and genetic fitness, and since humans are bad deceivers, these signals are reliable.

And therefore, signals of high self-esteem dominate women’s attraction heuristic.

Most men who don’t succeed with women feel that they don’t have anything valuable to offer attractive women and, therefore, have no confidence communicating with them. And the most important factor in attracting women is, ironically, confidence and high self-esteem.

All men have the ability to attract women – they just need to have the right mindset. Some men will waste their energy and resources on things that symbolize or signal for high status (e.g. fast cars, expensive clothes, or big homes) in hopes it will make them more attractive. Or they’ll endlessly work out to look stronger and signal for genetic fitness. Men need to accept the fact that their self-esteem does not need to be correlated with actual status or genetic fitness and they need to work directly on their self-esteem.

LIOR GOTESMAN believes that there is an easier way to gain confidence than by becoming a body-builder or a millionaire. Ask him how at liorgott@gmail.com.

Recreation Pool to open Saturday

Campus News

Campus Editor

April 23, 2009

After a six month hiatus, the UC Davis Rec Pool will finally resurface on Saturday, sprinkling a much needed splash on overheated Davis residents.

The pool, located on the corner of LaRue and Hutchison, will open at noon and is free for current students and $4 for non-students. During the summer, fees go down for non-students to $2.

The pool features a free-form shape with a flow-over style deck and an island in the middle of the pool. The deck includes both concrete surfaces and grass, with a hill that is “just the right angle for sunbathing,” said Janna Tolla, assistant director of aquatics, risk management and student development for Campus Recreation.

“It’s probably one of the most beautiful pools I’ve seen,” Tolla said of the Rec Pool, which sees approximately 100,000 patrons per year.

Most come to the pool for social purposes, given its large lounge area. There are only two lap lanes, in which very few people actually swim laps in, said lifeguard for the Rec Pool Molly Fluet.

“If you’re just there to relax or tan or read, it’s perfect,” said Fluet, a senior history major. “It was built for leisure, and people definitely enjoy themselves there.“

Recently, Campus Recreation added lawn chairs to the deck of the pool. It is also remodeling the locker rooms and front office, providing a much-needed change for the facilities, which Fluet says are quite old.

The pool was built in 1965 with student registration fees as part of the Putah Creek Lodge Complex. Formerly, the Lodge Complex also included tennis courts and beach volleyball courts, but have since been replaced with other campus facilities. The pool has always been closed for six months out of the winter season to conserve the cost of heating and staff pay.

“Sometimes people call the Rec Pool a meat market, just because there’s such a high volume of students there,” Fluet said. “But on an ordinary weekday afternoon, there’s plenty of space and not as many people.“

Fluet also said that the Rec Pool is most crowded on Saturdays between 1 and 4 p.m. During the evenings, mostly families visit the center, as the pool also features a shallow children’s pool and swim lessons for the community.

Students have often been known to bring alcoholic beverages to the pool; however, staff members patrol the area and check any coolers for glass containers and alcoholic beverages. Additionally, lifeguards rove about the deck, checking not only for alcohol consumption but heat stroke and dehydration. If a patron gets caught for bringing or drinking alcohol, lifeguards will kick the patron out of the pool for the day.

All lifeguards for the Rec Pool have at least two years of prior experience and train three times a week for emergencies. Typically, emergencies occur about once a month, and are usually children who wander into the deep end without knowing how to swim, Fluet said.

Employees of one of UC Davis‘ other campus aquatic center, Hickey Pool, are also excited about the Rec Pool’s opening, as the hot weather has driven more to the pool, which is typically used for laps.

“We’re really glad another pool is opening up, especially now that it’s getting hotter,“ said Kathryn Weldon, sophomore biology major and lifeguard at Hickey Gym. “More and more people every day have been coming to the pool, and it’s getting to the point where people are swimming into each other in the lanes. It’s getting to be unsafe.“

Though the Rec Pool’s budget has not been affected by the recent budget cuts, this season’s patronage will determine whether cuts can be made to the Rec Pool’s budget, Fluet said.

The pool will be open on Fridays through Sundays from noon to 7 p.m., and on Mondays through Thursdays from 1 to 6 p.m. in the spring. Hours will change in the summer.

For more information, visit the Recreation Pool’s website at campusrecreation.ucdavis.edu/recreation_pool.

LAUREN STEUSSY can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

UC Davis Medal awarded to poet, painter

Campus News

Campus Editor

April 23, 2009

A bit of imagination and a whole lot of devotion earned two of UC Davis‘ professors the highest tribute ever gifted by the university.

Last Tuesday, poet Gary Snyder and painter Wayne Thiebaud were awarded the UC Davis Medal during a ceremony held in the Activities and Recreation Center ballroom.

Snyder, a professor emeritus of English, and Thiebaud, a professor emeritus of art, are “luminaries – arguably UC Davis‘ two most famous people,” said Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef in a UC Davis press release.

“[Even with their status,] they have remained devoted to classroom teaching throughout their careers, thrilling hundreds upon hundreds of students and elevating the campus by their presence,” Vanderhoef said.

“As a teacher, I try to introduce people to the tools of learning, how to be skeptical,” said Thiebaud in a 2007 College Currents article.

“It is important to have a systematic skepticism where we all know that there is no bottom-line or finite level of awareness – we are continually aware of our ignorance. But delightfully, we can develop ways to deal with these contradictions and vicissitudes,” he said.

Snyder, over the years, has published over 20 books of poetry and prose that have earned high recognition. In 1975, he was bestowed the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for “Turtle Island.” With approximately 60 poems in the book, they send out a similar message – “a rediscovery of this land and the ways by which we might become natives of the place, ceasing to think and act (after all these centuries) as newcomers and invaders,” according to the book’s back cover.

Currently, Snyder chooses to spend time on “environmental and cultural issues with a focus on the Sierra ecosystem,” according to the press release. Though retired, he continues to teach at UC Davis – emphasizing creative writing, ethnopoetics and bioregional praxis.

Thiebaud’s history is no less impressive. In addition to his multiple awards, in 1994, President Clinton bestowed upon him the National Medal of Arts.

In 1962, he received his first big “break” and recognition by Newsweek, Art News, the New York Times and Life magazine, all thanks to Allan Stone, a New York Gallery owner, who let him exhibit his work in his gallery.

The UC Davis Medal is the highest honor the campus awards to an individual for contributions to the University of California, Davis, or to the learning community at large, said Claudia Morain, a UC Davis News Service spokesperson, in an e-mail interview.

“It recognizes and celebrates special persons who, by virtue of rare and exceptional accomplishment, have earned a place among the best of the best and are treasured members of the UC Davis family,” she said.

The UC Davis Medal has previously been awarded to Robert and Margrit Mondavi, both vintners and philanthropists, Michelle Bachelet, the president of the Republic of Chile, President Bill Clinton and others.

POOJA DEOPURA can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

“A Walk to Remember”

Campus News

Campus Editor

April 23, 2009

Members of the Jewish community marched through the Quad yesterday for a “Walk to Remember” in honor of those lost during the Holocaust for Yom Hashoah, Hebrew for “day of remembrance.”

Approximately 20 people walked single file in silence, wearing all black. Some had signs on their chests and backs that read “Never Forget.“

At 11:30 a.m. the group gathered at the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) house on C Street in a circle to read a poem called “We Remember.” After a moment of silence and donning signs, they began to make their way to campus in silence.

“This is a significant Jewish event for Jews everywhere and it’s important for us to remember it so that this experience doesn’t repeat itself here or in any other nation,” said Louis Sachs, junior religions studies major and member of AEPi.

Leon Bernstein, a sophomore psychology and economics double major and Jewish identity chair for AEPi, helped organize the event, making it the second year running. Bernstein advertised through Facebook, and announcements at the Hillel House, and throughout the Jewish community.

“In this day and age there is still a lot of anti-Semitism that goes around the world and hate crimes, and it’s important to bring awareness to these issues,” Sachs said.

“As we move on to a new decade, there are less and less Holocaust survivors each year,“ said Tye Gregory, AEPi president and junior political science and economics double major. “It’s important that their grandchildren and family carry on their stories because soon there won’t be any left, it will only be in our memory.”

After the walk through the quad, the group headed back to the house on C Street, where they read a Kaddish – the traditional mourning prayer usually said at Jewish funerals.

Other events throughout the week in honor of Holocaust Remembrance week include a film about Simon Wiesenthal and a walk through exhibit looking at genocides from past to present tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Hillel House. There is also a Shabbat Dinner “Judaism from Survival to Revival: A celebration of Judaism and its resilience” on Friday at 6:00 p.m. at the Hillel House. On Monday, two holocaust survivors shared their story at Hillel.

– Text and photo by ANGELA RUGGIERO

Primate Center accused of animal abuse

Campus News

Campus Editor

April 23, 2009

Tuesday marked the start of a week-long airing of a graphic television commercial on CNN, FOX News and Animal planet in California portraying images of primates being abused at the California National Primate Research Center affiliated with UC Davis.

The commercial, funded by Stop Animal Abuse Now, aims to halt what the group considers to be violations of federal law regarding issues of animal rights at the government-funded research center as well as similar centers at UCLA and UCSF.

The ad will air in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley and Davis. It begins with the phrase “this is torture” and depicts monkeys strapped into restraint chairs with their necks constricted by metal bands. One image shows a monkey with cylindrical objects near its head, implying they have been bolted into its skull.

“These primate research centers are engaging research practices that are directly tied to violations of federal law,” said Michael Budkie, SAEN spokesperson and executive director.

Budkie is currently in the process of suing UCLA for failure to release documents regarding primate research and has issued a formal complaint against the UCSF for animal abuse violations.

University officials at Davis claim these accusations are invalid and outdated.

“We’ve heard these allegations before,” said Andy Fell, director of the UC Davis News Room. “The animals at the primate center are well cared for, the USDA has made 28 unannounced inspections this year and have encountered no violations of federal law.“

Dallas Hyde, director of the Center, denies the photos in the commercial came from this facility.

“What I find interesting is that the photos being shown in the commercial are not from the California National Primate Research Center” Hyde said. “I can honestly say I think we run a very good facility here in terms of animal care.“

Budkie says that although the photos come from the Primate Vision Experiment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, details from primate health care records at CNPRC reveal that this kind of research is being conducting there too.

Other accusations made by SAEN concern the expenses surrounding primate research, which has been conducted nationwide since the early 1960s.

“In the past years [primate research centers] have cumulatively wasted approximately $100 million on 52 grants funding people across the nation to conduct the same research simultaneously at 25 laboratories,” Budkie said. “Animal research isn’t about health or science, it’s about money. It is a business.“

Research conducted at these facilities include studies to develop AIDS vaccines in which primates are infected by the simian immunodeficiency virus.

“Primates aren’t subject to HIV,” Budkie said. “You can’t study a human disease in a different species.“

UC Davis officials refute these accusations by citing the development of drugs such as Tenofovir, a pharmaceutical that was developed at the California National Primate Research Center.

“Virtually all retroviral medicines are developed using non human primates,” said Dallas Hyde, director the Center. “Tenofovir blocks transmission of HIV from mother to infant during pregnancy, it works very well and it is being used extensively in Africa right now.“

Established in 1962, the CNPRC is located on 300 acres west of campus, has staff of 300 and currently houses 4,700 monkeys.

CHARLES HINRIKSSON can be reached at campus@theaggie.orgXXX

Thai Iced Folk

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

April 23, 2009

Finding a triple whammy consisting of food, drinks and live music in Davis has always proved to be a challenge. Luckily, Sophia’s Thai Kitchen, located at 129 E St., has taken a stab at solving this problem.

The cozy downtown venue kicks off their spring and summer music season tonight with The West Nile Ramblers and Pokey LaFarge at 10 p.m.

Beginning this week and running through October, Sophia’s charges a cover of $3 for a night of live indie music. During the season, bands from all over are booked for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

For the past three years, “Cool as Folk” KDVS 90.3 FM DJ Michael Leahy, has worked with Sophia’s co-owner Kevin Wan to bring live music to the bar. Since the two began working together, the music scene has been taken to another level, Leahy said. Before the two began collaborating, the live music at the bar was more background music than anything else. As years have gone by, the music has become more of the main event of the night.

“It’s a really unique setting – it’s a different space, bands seem to enjoy it, you’re right on top of the band as a music fan, and there’s not a true boundary between the audience and the performer,” Leahy said. “You immediately have a connection with whoever is playing that night.“

Alex Roth of local band the West Nile Ramblers agreed. The band, formed in late 2007, blends western swing, jazz and Americana to form a new genre of music.

“The intimacy is there … you’re not completely blinded by the light,” Roth said. “[You] make some one-to-one connections with people, you’re staring a bunch of people that you’ll have to see again. It’s good for the performer, good for the crowd, [they] feed off each other’s energy.“

Because of this special bond created between the venue, bands and audience, many musicians return to Sophia’s during the season.

Alex Robbins of Or, The Whale compared Davis to San Francisco, where the band is based. The band, which has played at the South by Southwest Festival, will perform at Sophia’s on June 5.

“[It’s] sort of a nice juxtaposition, total different environment. San Francisco is not a college town and Davis definitely is,” Robbins said. “People actually can walk up, walk by and listen. There’s not a lot of foot traffic in San Francisco, it’s nice to have that aspect going on. It’s a good opportunity to try out new music, relax and enjoy it a little bit more … everyone’s really mellow, warm and welcoming.“

Diego’s Umbrella member Ben Leon added, “It depends on the enthusiasm of the audience itself. It’s really great to make eye contact with the crowd,” Diego’s Umbrella member Ben Leon said.

Diego’s Umbrella, a band that has been categorized as “mexicali gypsy pirate rock,” is another Sophia’s frequenter. They will return to Sophia’s on June 20 and are anticipating a new record to be released this summer.

This year, Leahy and Wan have been trying to set up shows so that the more well known bands can play alongside the local bands that have just sprouted.

“There’s an effort to book more local bands, I want to have a balance of touring acts who are playing large venues and who are somewhat known in magazines [and] have some sort of buzz, and teaming them up with local artists,” Leahy said. “Allowing the local talent for their voices to be heard will help bring out more people and expose more people to the touring bands and it’s a great lesson for local bands who are just starting.“

According to Leahy, showgoers can also expect to see familiar faces playing alongside well-known touring bands.

“We’re going to try to bring bands with good time party vibes that help facilitate fun times,” Leahy said. “We want people to leave happy, appreciate live music, and we want the live music to be accessible and bands to come back. We’re starting the season the same week as the KDVS fundraiser. A lot of the bands playing on KDVS will be performing at Sophia’s Thai Kitchen.“

For more information about sophiasthaikitchen.com.

SIMONE WAHNG can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

Fourth Annual Search Party: Davis, Sponsored by the ASUCD Entertainment Council, KDVS 90.3 FM and The California Aggie

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

April 23, 2009

Student musicians, the spotlights are searching for you! It’s time for the annual campus media sponsored Search Party talent show. Co-sponsored by KDVS 90.3 FM, The California Aggie and the ASUCD Entertainment Council, Search Party gives UC Davis’ budding musicians the opportunity to perform to the campus community. Submissions will be due by 4 p.m. on Apr. 24 to the office of KDVS 90.3 FM, located at 14 Lower Freeborn Hall.

The Search Party will take place in three rounds. First, all submissions will be listened to and judged by a panel of Entertainment Council, KDVS and Aggie staff representatives. Based on this judging, three winners will be announced and be given spreads in MUSE as well as air time on a KDVS show. The third round will be the live component – the finalists will perform at the ASUCD Coffee House in May.

Please join the Facebook event group under the ASUCD Entertainment Council, look to issues of MUSE and listen to KDVS 90.3 for more information on the Search Party event.

Rules of entry are as follows:

? Music group must include at least one UC Davis student or alumn.? Paid staff members of campus media groups (KDVS 90.3. FM, The California Aggie and ASUCD Entertainment council) need not apply.? Submit a full recording (EP or full length) to demonstrate the band’s ability to play a full live set at a concert. Indicate on the track listing the first/most appealing song you would like the judges to listen to.? Include a brief paragraph to serve as a mission statement as to why your group should be considered, and a brief biography including information about the genre, band members and so on.? All submissions are due by Apr. 24 at 4 p.m. in the lobby of KDVS, the campus radio station, located at 14 Lower Freeborn in the “Search Party Submissions” box.

Contacts:

Thongxy Phansopha, EC Director, tphansopha@ucdavis.edu

Rachel Filipinas, Arts Editor, arts@theaggie.org

Ben Johnson, KDVS General Manager, gm@kdvs.org

Visit ec.ucdavis.edu, the Entertainment Council group on facebook.com or theaggie.org for more information.

“Sit Down, Shut Up” shows promise

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

April 23, 2009

Fans looking for an “Arrested Development“ reprisal won’t find it in “Sit Down, Shut Up,“ Mitch Hurwitz’s latest venture in television that premiered on Sunday on Fox.

As with “Arrested,“ dysfunction is the key theme in “Sit Down, Shut Up,“ which focuses on the less-than-upstanding faculty of a Florida public high school. This cast includes a spiritual science teacher, a sexually aggressive librarian and an oblivious ass principal.“

The show is based on the short-lived Australian TV show of the same name. Only thing is, the original was live action; Hurwitz had to change the format to animated when his original pitch didn’t work out.

Though it lacks the quick, quirky humor that “Arrested“ fans loved, the show still shares some key elements: The self-referential humor, flashbacks, an equally eccentric – if not slightly clichéd – cast of characters and the same “love it or hate it“ quality many short-lived shows have.

As an animated series, “Sit Down, Shut Up“ has a certain format to follow. Because voiceovers and illustrations don’t pick up nuances nearly as well as live action and facial expressions, everything has to be exaggerated or rely on gag humor in cartoons. “Family Guy“ uses a lot of pop culture references because otherwise it’d be just another show about a dysfunctional family. “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” is just bizarre; how else would it make a name for itself?

Based on its colorful cast, “Sit Down, Shut Up” will probably be a character-driven show. However, one key component missing in this is sincere character interaction – a kinda funny montage of the faculty winking at each other in this Sunday’s episode doesn’t match the Chicken Dance sequence of “Arrested Development.“

The show also brings over some familiar faces (or voices, rather): Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Henry Winkler all play some sort of cartoon counterpart to their “Arrested Development” characters – Bateman’s the idyllic straight man, Arnett is essentially Gob Bluth in cartoon form and Winkler again is the pathetic sad sack with a pervy disposition. Rounding out the cast are a couple of “Saturday Night Live” alumni, including Cheri Oteri, Will Forte and Keenan Thompson

Design-wise, “Sit Down, Shut Up” separates itself from the other animated series on Fox’s “Animation Domination” Sunday night line-up. Animator Mo Willems (“Sheep in the Big City,” “The Off-Beats“) has an “Adult Swim” approach to his images: flat, 2D characters set against a live-action background.

Despite any apprehension, the show does have promise, and the cast behind it has proven to be more than capable comedians. Let’s just hope that the show finds its groove before it becomes short-lived but without the love.

RACHEL FILIPINAS can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Rock stars give back

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

April 23, 2009

With the economy in a sad state of disrepair, few people are occupied with the quality of life of those beyond their immediate family. However, rock band Papa Roach has taken a different approach with their involvement in Loaves and Fishes.

Loaves and Fishes is a Sacramento-based charity dedicated to “feeding the hungry [and] sheltering the homeless,” according to their website.

Lead singer Jacoby Shaddix said that the recent financial crisis was exactly what inspired the band to get involved.

“While we were writing our latest record, we saw a lot of people falling into financial ruts,” Shaddix said in an e-mail interview. “There was an obvious a sense of desperation, so we wanted to make a socially aware record.“

“After the album came out, we noticed that the situation had gotten worse,” Shaddix said. “We knew that Loves and Fishes has been helping the homeless for years so we reached out to them and now we are trying to help any way we can.“

Shaddix mentioned that growing up with experiences of homelessness in Sacramento greatly affected his desire to be involved, eventually leading the band to meet Loaves and Fishes Executive Director Sister Libby.

“A lot of people have the misconception that being homeless is a result of drug use, mental illness or laziness, but that is not always the case,” Shaddix said.

Drawing again on the state of today’s economy, Shaddix called Sacramento “the epi-center of foreclosures in the U.S.”

He said that so many people today are homeless “because they have been laid off, had small businesses that have gone under or were led to believe that they can afford loans by people who just wanted the commissions. A lot of these peoples have families, so there are also a lot of children who are suffering.“

While on tour, Shaddix said that the band stays involved in charity work by promoting causes in interviews, on their official website and Myspace page.

Joan Burke, the director of advocacy for Loaves and Fishes, said that the organization was thrilled with Papa Roach’s continuing involvement.

“It reminds us … how many people that you wouldn’t suspect have been homeless or have had a family member who’s homeless, and that homelessness touches us all,” said Burke.

Burke said that the organization was founded because “people were hungry and they also needed human kindness.”

She recommended that people who want to get involved in the organization call Loaves and Fishes at (916) 446-0874 and attend a volunteer orientation, held every Thursday at 10 a.m. at 1321 North C. St in Sacramento. Volunteers can choose from 12 different on-site programs, including an e-mail action group on homelessness. For those without access to Sacramento, Burke urges people to reach out to local charities, food banks and shelters.

Shaddix also asked people to do what they can to help the homeless in these difficult times.

“Donate what you can, no matter how much it is; it can still go a long way,” he said. “If you don’t have money, donate things that are sitting around your house collecting dust – old clothes, sleeping bags, canned food or even your time.“

For more information on Loaves and Fishes, visit sacloaves.org.

LAURA KROEGER can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

KDVS 90.3 FM’s annual week long fundraiser underway

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

April 23, 2009

This isn’t your run-of-the-mill pledge marathon. There’s no suave host coaxing the home viewers to dial in and save endangered forest critters or afternoon nature shows and documentaries – only noncommercial, diverse, freeform radio.

Campus radio station KDVS 90.3 FM is currently in the middle of their annual fundraiser, which started on Monday and runs until Sunday. All proceeds go toward making up two-thirds of their expenditures for the entire year.

The pledge goal this year is $60,000. General manager Ben Johnson, a senior technocultural studies major, said that historically, KDVS has either completely met their goal or have come extremely close.

The on-air fundraiser is held once a year. During the fundraiser, the whole station funnels all of their efforts into pulling in as many pledges as possible. In addition to making continual reminders on the air, they hand out flyers, pamphlets and take advantage of word of mouth.

“For the whole week, we change our programming format and the DJs ask listeners to call in and donate,” Johnson said. “We’ve also put together a huge collection of gifts we call ‘premiums‘ to give out to people who donate.“

The premiums offered come in every form imaginable, including CDs, vinyl, hand-screened t-shirts, local gift certificates, stickers, hand-made crafts and other very creative prizes such as original CD compilations put together personally by KDVS.

All premiums have a different assigned price point that is appropriate to the donation amount. A general student donation of $25 will receive one music or t-shirt premium, as will a community donation of $40. A $100 donation can get four hours recording time in the KDVS studio or the chance to host an hour-long show on the radio. In addition, all donations of any amount are tax-deductable.

“Even though all your money goes to KDVS, you get something very valuable in return,” said co-underwriting director Kevin Corrigan, a junior history major.

To increase donation enthusiasm, DJs in the past have volunteered to complete bizarre stunts such as eating snails and snorting cayenne pepper.

A.J. Ramirez, host of “This Vicious Cabaret,” is trying to make sure listeners know this is no typical, stuffy fundraiser. He is embracing the fun, entertaining angle to bringing in pledges during his biweekly show on Mondays from midnight to 2 a.m.

“On my show, for every pledge I receive I will sing a song. Badly,” Ramirez said in an e-mail. “KDVS karaoke is one of our proud fundraiser traditions, and there are definitely people out there who will donate just to hear me sing Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” or Depeche Mode’s “Somebody‘ over the airwaves.“

Ramirez said that despite the current economic situation, listeners‘ intended support is already at a shocking number. As of Apr. 22, the station had received a total of $15,873 in donations.

“The people who really love KDVS go above and beyond by donating what they can every year. It’s always amazing when people pledge and don’t even ask for a premium in return,” Ramirez said.

Corrigan said KDVS provides an incredible service to the community and needs support to continue doing so.

“[KDVS is] a place for students and crew members to get educated, and we need the money to keep our quality high,” he said.

To phone in a donation call the station at 754-KDVS (5387) or1-866-399-KDVS, or visit fundraiser.kdvs.org.

ELENA BUCKLEY can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Variations on a Theme

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

April 23, 2009

The other day I logged onto Facebook and read: “Susan Boyle: 3 of your friends are fans.“

I squinted at the picture next to the notification: A middle-aged woman with bushy eyebrows, frizzy curly hair and a microphone in hand. Nothing to write home about, right?

Evidently not.

One Wikipedia search later, I found out that this mysterious woman was an amateur Scottish singer who appeared as a contestant on the latest season of “Britain’s Got Talent,” the accented and therefore more charming British counterpart to FOX’s “American Idol.“

Apparently it’s common knowledge that a lack of standard good looks also indicates a lack of talent, because people were blown away with Boyle’s rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables. Each of the judges, including the curmudgeon Simon Cowell, gave her a resounding yes, and she moved on to the next round.

Besides a faint recognition of Kelly Clarkson, “American Idol“ is as foreign to me as, say, East German trance. However, despite my lack of pop-culture-fairy-tales-can-come-true-via-crappy-reality-shows prowess, I can appreciate a good underdog when I see one.

I’ve always had a soft spot for these so-called underdogs, the dark horses, the long shots, the Cinderella stories. (For those who find these clichéd terms useless, an underdog is defined as “a competitor thought to have little chance of winning a fight or contest … a person who has little status in society.“)

For example, while all the girls in my sixth grade clique loved Justin Timberlake, I was a J.C. Chasez girl. (Not that that’s a difficult choice; if I were a nobler person, Chris Kirkpatrick would have been my man). Forget Heath Ledger – 10 Things I Hate About You had me swooning over the sweet but slightly awkward Joseph Gordon-Levitt. John Cusack, always a favorite of mine, made a name for himself playing lovable loser Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything My favorite author, Haruki Murakami, spins stories of unassuming and seemingly unimpressive protagonists.

I’ve also always felt a tinge of empathy for the bad guy. Alan Rickman falling to his death in Die Hard, Dennis Hopper in Speed? They both got my sympathy. And it isn’t just reserved for fallen adversaries in cheesy late ‘80s/early ‘90s action flicks: When I was little, I always felt genuinely bad for all the Disney villains, with the exception of Ursula in The Little Mermaid.

But have my underdog-loving tendencies also transferred to my musical preferences? Aren’t independent artists, labels and record stores the underdogs to established artists, major labels and big box stores?

Maybe that’s why I choose Atmosphere over Eminem for my white rapper fix, Neko Case over Taylor Swift for my country cravings and Robyn over Lady GaGa when I have my dance pop urges. Conversely, that’s probably why I feel guilty when I admit to things like religiously watching “The Hills” on MTV, being slightly intrigued at the Hannah Montana movie trailer or saying that my new favorite jam is “Kiss Me Thru the Phone” by Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em.

Then again, I could just be overestimating the value of the underestimated. Maybe I’m being too generous, or maybe my tastes are overrated. After all, some of my other favorite artists are mainstream, major label whores, and I probably don’t support the little guy as much as I should. Bummer.

RACHEL FILIPINAS is killing skeeter eaters left and right. Distract her at rmfilipinas@theaggie.org.

C.D. Review: Strung Out

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

April 23, 2009

Strung Out

Prototypes and Painkillers

Fat Wreck Chords

Rating: 4

When most bands release a compilation of B-sides, it’s easy to see why they were considered B-sides to begin with. Prototypes and Painkillers is the exception to the norm as punk band Strung Out collects a body of rare and unreleased tracks on this 25-track album that spans their entire 19-year-old career.

Formed in Simi Valley, Calif., Strung Out have always stayed true to their musical roots. On this album you can hear how they have progressed as a band and how their talent as musicians and songwriters has set them aside from their peers.

Songs like “Ashes” and “Mad Mad World” is evidence to the band’s early SoCal skate-punk influences. In comparison to newer tracks off of this album like “More Than Words” and “Novella” as well as B-sides from their last release Blackhawks Over Los Angeles, you can tell that the band has put much more thought in the songwriting process.

Included are two cover songs that reflect and page homage to Strung Out’s influences. “I’m Not a Loser” is a cover of iconic punk rock group the Descendents. Strung Out’s rendition of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Bark at the Moon” will have you throwing up the goat and playing air guitar on a crowded bus.

One of the downsides to this compilation is the quality of some of the tracks included. There are a couple of tracks that have been previously released that are simply demos that only a fan would appreciate. On the other hand, some of their most popular songs are re-released in CD quality, an improvement from the mp3s ripped off of vinyl available on the Internet.

All in all, Prototypes and Painkillers is an album that fans of Strung Out will definitely enjoy. This album is for anyone that enjoys semi-poppy punk with a dark metal edge, or any metal-head that enjoys a nice light melody once in a while.

Give these tracks a listen: “Novacain,” “Lost Motel,” “Betrayal,” “Novella“

For fans of: Rise Against, Lagwagon, Bad Religion

– Edgar Delgado

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