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Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

October 23, 2008

A true labor of love: the house show.

With the lack of a convenient and immediate all-ages music venue, DIY shows are a good alternative. Horror stories of cop raids and noise violations aside, house shows are a relatively affordable solution to add to the artistic enrichment of the town.

Most important is the music: House shows are an opportunity to give a spotlight to lesser-known bands that could benefit from an extra stop between the bigger cities on their tour. They are also a chance to support the local music scene by booking a band to open for the main act. With a noticeably smaller venue, house shows allow for a more intimate occasion to enjoy the music in lieu of an impersonal space or a bar setting.

“They bridge the gap between performer and audience,” said KDVS 90.3 FM DJ Elisa Hough.

If you decide to take on the role of host or hostess, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Hough also shared a couple of helpful tips:

Be creative, whether it be in terms of coming up with innovative solutions to keep the damages and noise down (acoustic shows are easier to host and work best for those afraid of a noise violation) or coming up with an original name for your house (i.e. you probably aren’t the first person outside of Washington, DC to call your residence the White House).

Communication is key. If all you have to offer as a venue is a roomy living room and no equipment, make it clear to the band. Music over but you still have a few unwanted loiterers straggling about? Kick them out: be nice but firm. Or, if you’re an old softie like me, get someone else to do your dirty work.

Be courteous. Noise permits are hard to get a hold of in Davis – plus, you’re charged a non-refundable fee of $25 even if your application is denied. Anticipate any complaints: If you live in a residential area, give your neighbors a heads up in advance if you plan on hosting a show and be sure to let them know what time the music will end. Considering Davis is big on the whole student and local resident mingling (Neighbors‘ Night Out, anyone?), you might as well go the extra step and invite them to come and listen.

Extend the courtesy to the band as well. Most likely, they’ll need a cheap place to stay for the night. If they seem cool and non-creepy, let them crash at your place. If not, find affordable accommodations as an alternative.

Shit will happen. As with any situation when you open your home to friends and the occasional random stranger, expect that messes will be made and things will have to be cleaned up.

Of course, the host and audience relationship is a reciprocal one, and there are a couple of house rules (har har) that showgoers should abide by.

Remember that you’re a guest in someone’s home (or backyard). You may just know it as that one place that brought that one band that one time before you went to that one party, but someone actually lives there. Even though the hosts should expect it, don’t be that guy. Stay in the designated performance area and refrain from sifting through their kitchen cupboards, going through their mail and putting your dirty shoes on their couch.

Donate. Times are hard for everyone, my friends. If houses decide not to charge a cover at the door, be generous and chip in anyway. Two or three bucks can go a long way for the struggling artist who has to essentially fund their own tour – in other words, gas money is always appreciated.

Don’t overstay your welcome. Yes, house shows allow for hanging out with friends and meeting the band afterward, but if the host asks you to leave, say your farewell and clear out.

If all else fails – no house, no band, no interested parties – fret not: That’s why games like Rock Band were invented.

RACHEL FILIPINAS will soon host her own house show, starring herself. To be on the guest list, e-mail rmfilipinas@ucdavis.edu.

Rocking the Coffee House

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

October 23, 2008

When considering on-campus music venues, UC Davis students might think of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts or perhaps Freeborn Hall. Few would venture to consider the ASUCD Coffee House among these places, but that’s exactly the thought Campus Unions intends to encourage.

Coho Live is an on-campus opportunity for students to perform music in a casual, noncompetitive environment. Musicians play every Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. on a small stage in the Coho II. The weekly show began on Oct. 7 and will continue until Dec. 2.

The show usually hosts acoustic performances, but all kinds of acts are encouraged to perform. Everyone is welcome to enjoy the informal environment and the mellow performances while dining or studying at the Coho.

“It’s fun to perform on a smaller scale where people are sitting right in front of you and you can kind of interact with them more,” said senior food science and technology major David Ronconi, who has played at Coho Live several times before.

He said that an event like Coho Live introduces different artists who typically would not perform together under normal circumstances.

The Coho Live Talent Search – an offshoot of Coho Live – held its final round of competition on Oct. 14.

From a pool of student musicians, judges chose senior electrical engineering major Chris Cruz to headline the Coho’s 40th Anniversary celebration.

“I hate it when the word competition is associated with music,” Cruz said. “Music is something you share.“

The finals weren’t his first time performing in public: He has played at Coho Live before, but has also performed for community events like Kappa Alpha Theta’s recent philanthropic fundraiser. Cruz said that he also enjoys playing at home for friends.

“If you were to go to my iTunes library, you would see everything ranging from Kelly Clarkson to the Eagles to Metallica,” he said, revealing a little about his musical inspiration.

Ronconi was also a participant in the Coho Live Talent Search, and admired the opportunity for collaboration between such diverse musicians.

“Last week I got there 45 minutes early before my set, so I just grabbed some of the other performers and went outside and had a jam session for a little bit,” he said.

“Everyone who participated was amazing – they all had their own unique talent,” said Coho special events intern Landholt, a junior communication major and one of the judges of the competition.

Cruz will perform at the Coho’s 40th Anniversary celebration today at 3 p.m.

To sign up for Coho Live, student musicians can contact Molly Bechtel at mmbechtel@ucdavis.edu or Allison Pham at alynguyen@ucdavis.edu. For more information, visit campusunions.ucdavis.edu.

LAURA KROEGER can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

Stiff Donuts

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

October 23, 2008

Stiff Donuts

Once You Go Chocolate You Never Go Back

Independent

Rating: 3

When I’m reviewing a record that’s deliberately made with little to no effort, I don’t see why I should put in the effort to punctuate or capitalize. In fact, m4by3 1 5h0u1d wryt3 l1k3 tihs. m30w.

The guy behind Stiff Donuts, Mike Hymson, doesn’t care that he has “enough bad print reviews to wallpaper my house.” According to Hymson, he “invented [his] own genre of music.” He said this and other wonderful claims in the one-page rant sent with his release, Once You Go Chocolate You Never Go Back.

This genre of music he’s referring to is called indie-comedy-thrash. Hymson describes it as “equal parts Will Ferrell, Depeche Mode and Slayer.” In other words: Tenacious D, except not as good.

“I became a musical pioneer who plumbs the depths of ridiculousness to put a smile on your fat face,” he said.

To be fair, this album, like the guy’s letter, has some funny moments. Some are even intentional, like the over-the-top rock star wails on “be extra gentle when you go muff diving.” When speaking of his favorite veggie, broccoli, Hymson says, “I eat the head and eat the stalk. … Eat the stalk!” Maybe this is one if those “had to be there” kind of things.

The fake drums on each track make the songs sound amateur and canned. As a whole, the album sounds like one long medley or what would happen if you accidentally put the first song on repeat and listened to it eight times.

If the best part of your comedic CD isn’t the actual music, then maybe you should just stick to taking pictures of donut schlongs and writing ridiculous things about yourself. I think they call those people bloggers.

Give these tracks a listen: “Be Extra Gentle When You Go Muff Diving,” “Fake I.D.”

For fans of: Tenacious D, Reggie and the Full Effect

– Chris Rue

Lake

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

October 23, 2008

Lake

Oh, The Places We’ll Go

K Records

Rating: 5

In the tradition of K Records, Lake’s bubbly charm translates into a good time on Oh, The Places We’ll Go.

The record could fall under many headings, such as pajama pop, sloppy pop, or it could be simply deemed adorable pop. Opening with the album’s title track, a repetitive chant of “oh, the places we’ll go/we don’t actually know” best describes the happy-go-lucky, carefree attitude of the record.

Lake doesn’t pull any tricks on the ear – all the instrumentation is simple and honest. An occasional electronic sound is triggered, adding to the consistent guitar, bass and varying percussion effects. The style of the album is a throwback to early Architecture in Helsinki, reminiscent of albums like Fingers Crossed, stripped of obnoxious vocals and over-the-top silliness.

The album’s would-be single, “Blue Ocean Blue” drives this point home. A careful and imaginative listen would bring one to believe the song was recorded live, just once, with all of Lake clapping along and stomping on the floor to keep the beat. Other songs on the album also have this type of tempo, using drumsticks and reindeer-like bells as an extra touch.

Achieving a middle ground between too bland and too busy is rough, but “Bad Dream” hits the spot. It’s a bluesy, down-tempo abstraction of conventional arrangement. Female reverberated vocals smooth over the cyclic song, with horns popping in every so often so ridiculously akin to early Broken Social Scene that the comparison is unavoidable.

Just like that band, Lake shares the spotlight among its members on songs to put together a well-rounded album, using the bookend approach with a funkier reprise of the title track to close. Oh, The Places We’ll Go doesn’t invent anything new or edgy, but who can get enough of a good thing?

Lake will be playing with Desolation Wilderness and Ellie Fortune at Luigi’s Fun Garden in Sacramento tonight.

— Nicole L. Browner

Give these tracks a listen: “Blue Ocean Blue,” “On the Swing”

For fans of: Belle & Sebastian, Karl Blau, Architecture in Helsinki

Arts Week

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

October 23, 2008

MUSIC

Desolation Wilderness, Lake, Ellie Fortune

Today, 8 p.m., $5

Luigi’s Fun Garden in Sacramento

Though I’ve always been more of an indoor girl, Washington band Desolation Wilderness riles up the dormant outdoorsman (outdoorswoman?) in me. Using the glockenspiel, vibraphone and electric guitar as their weapon of choice, the group creates the kind of synthy ambient pop perfect for a haze-induced camping trip. K Records label-mate Lake is also on the bill – for a look at their most recent album Oh, The Places We’ll See, visit page 5!

The Kooks

Friday, 6:30 p.m., $20

Empire Events Center in Sacramento

Indie Britpop is always a people pleaser, and the Kooks are no exception. With infectious little ditties like “She Moves in Her Own Way” or their newest single “Shine On,” the foursome works their undeniable British charm to the fullest.

Lee Bob Watson, Missouri Mule, Feels Like Fire

Saturday, 8 p.m., $5

Javalounge in Sacramento

Punk-infused country? Surprisingly, it works. The trio behind Missouri Mule – who are actually based in Davis, not the Midwest – deliver the goods deserving of any road trip soundtrack. Meanwhile, Oakland-based band Feels Like Fire will surely heat things up (tehe!) with their quick guitar-picking version of Americana.

Dana Falconberry, Miss Lonely Hearts

Saturday, 9 p.m., $5

The (Wine and) Spirits House

Based on looks alone, Austin artist Dana Falconberry has the whole dark haired ingénue shtick working for her. Luckily, with her soulful take on folk, blues and jazz, she proves that she also has the creative chops to back it up. Listen out for Falconberry on tonight’s “Cool As Folk” on KDVS 90.3 FM.

Against Me!, Future of the Left, The New Trust

Sunday, 7:30 p.m., $20 in advance

The Boardwalk in Orangevale

It was only last year when Pitchfork called “Against Me!” the first band of the 21st century to actually succeed at selling out.” All arguments of independent versus major labels aside, the catchiness cannot be denied.

Diane Cluck, Anders Griffen, Garrett Pierce

Sunday, 8:30 p.m., $5

Primary Concepts

Diane Cluck makes a strong argument for the New York anti-folk movement, and her acoustic compositions have earned fans of other artists such as Kimya Dawson, Adam Green, Jeffrey Lewis and Devendra Banhart.

Cobra Starship, Forever the Sickest Kids, Hit the Lights, Sing it Loud

Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., $19 in advance, $20 day of show

The Boardwalk in Orangevale

During these trying times of midterm season, nothing works to lift my spirits like a good old-fashioned dance party. The energetic electronic-tinged powerpop of Cobra Starship and Forever the Sickest Kids lend themselves perfectly for such an event.

AT THE MOVIES

Religulous

Now playing at Varsity Theatre on Second Street

Bill Maher is bound to amuse and offend in this documentary that explores the concept of religion.

Saw V

Opens today at Regal Davis Holiday 6 on F Street

I’ll admit: As much as I love scary movies, I chickened out after watching the first installment of the “Saw” series and haven’t been able to watch one since. Jigsaw’s antics are simply too much for me.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year

Opens tomorrow at Regal Davis Stadium 5 on G Street

Will Troy and Gabriella stay together after graduation? What will Sharpay wear to the prom? More importantly, which of my friends can I convince (read: bribe) to be my date for this film?

ART / GALLERY

Skuja Braden: Ceramics

Now open at the Pence Gallery on D Street

Artists Inguna Skuja and Melissa Braden collaborated to form the ceramics behind Skuja Braden, creating hand-made pieces that play with pop culture and images in history.

Haiti’s Hope: Lavalas and the Preferential Option for the Poor

Now open at the Hart Hall Atrium

Through her camera’s lens, Leisa Faulkner provides rich images of the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, illustrating issues explored in Tracy Kidder’s book Mountains Beyond Mountains.

THEATRE / MONDAVI

MOMIX

Sunday, 3 p.m, $17.50 with a student ID, $35 general admission

Jackson Hall in the Mondavi Center

They can dance and they’re athletic? The people behind world-renowned dance company MOMIX only highlight my lack of grace. For more information, see page 4.

RACHEL FILIPINAS can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

Men’s soccer preview

Sports

Sports Editor

October 22, 2008

Teams: No. 8 UC Davis vs. Cal State Northridge

Records: Aggies, 11-2-2 (3-1-2); Matadors, 6-4-3 (2-0-2)

Where: Aggie Soccer Stadium

When: Today at 3 p.m.

Who to watch: Claimed by his teammates to have the hardest shot on the squad, senior midfielder Dylan Curtis‘ biggest contributions to the team are actually his assists, not his goals.

The Pleasanton, Calif. native has 10 helpers in 15 games, which is good for second in the country.

Did you know? In the 11 games this season in which the Aggies scored first, they are 10-0-1. In the five matches in which they have not netted the first goal, they are 1-2-1.

“It is important to score the first goal to take away the confidence of the other team,” head coach Dwayne Shaffer said. “It’s so much easier to play the game when you are winning 1-0.“

Preview: In the first week that the UC Davis men’s soccer team had cracked the top 10 rankings in its history, it also faced one of its biggest upsets of the season.

The bad week started with having to come back with two goals in the final 15 minutes on Oct. 15 against Cal State Fullerton to secure a tie. The Aggies then hit the road and fell to a struggling UC Riverside team, 2-1.

The first-place Aggies will have to put that behind them as they face each Big West Conference team ranked No. 2 through No. 5 in their final four matches, three of them at home.

First up for UC Davis is Cal State Northridge, which is recently off of a 3-2 double-overtime victory over Cal State Fullerton.

Sophomore forward Camilo Rojas scored in regulation with nine minutes remaining to tie the match, and then won it with another goal in 109th minute.

The Cali, Colombia native is tied for first on the squad with four goals, three of which have resulted in game-winners.

–Max Rosenblum

Study links alcohol use with brain shrinkage

Science & Technology

Science Editor

October 22, 2008

You might want to consider your brain before knocking back another drink, and not just for fear of a hangover.

According to a study by researchers at UC Davis, Wellesley College and Boston University, the more alcohol people consume, the more their brain volume decreases.

The implications of this preliminary study are far from clear, but any loss in brain tissue may predispose people to cognitive impairment later in life, said study co-author Charles DeCarli, a professor in the department of neurology at UC Davis.

Prior studies have suggested that moderate drinking – eight to 14 drinks a week – lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. This led to speculation that small amounts of alcohol may also protect against normal age-related brain shrinkage. However, the new study has shown that all levels of consumption are associated with measurable losses in brain volume.

“This finding is clearly at odds with the long and widely held belief that what is good for your heart is good for your brain,” said Beth Ober in an e-mail interview, a professor of human development at UC Davis who was not involved in the study.

The two-year study included 1,839 healthy adults, aged 33 to 88 years, with an average age of 60. During a health examination, participants reported the number of alcoholic drinks they consumed per week and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain.

Earlier studies on brain shrinkage were based on autopsies and thus often limited in scope to the very old or very sick, said Roger McDonald in an e-mail interview, a professor of nutrition at UC Davis who was not involved in the study.

“Brain imaging is a biological marker of brain disease that is more subtle than either the presence or absence of dementia,” DeCarli said. “This [study] looks at how the brain changes with age and alcohol use before any symptoms are present.“

On average, individuals who drank more than moderate amounts of alcohol had 1.5 percent less total brain volume than lighter drinkers. To a lesser extent, this negative relationship still held with the moderate and low consumption groups of drinkers and still remained significant after controlling for other factors such as age, sex, BMI, and history or risk of vascular disease and stroke.

The results also show a stronger correlation between drinking and brain volume in women than in men. Age-related changes in the brain begin to accelerate in post-menopausal women, so the findings suggest that alcohol may exacerbate this process, DeCarli said.

Follow up studies with the same adults over many years are needed to distinguish the effects of aging from the effects of alcohol on brain shrinkage, Ober said.

Follow up MRI measurements are in progress, DeCarli said. Further studies are needed to understand the cause of brain tissue loss that is associated with excessive drinking, and to determine what a healthy amount of alcohol for consumption really is, he said.

It may be that alcohol in association with other unhealthy activities like smoking is injuring the brain, he said.

“Individual assessments for memory, attention and reasoning should also be carried out to determine what the impacts of brain shrinkage are on cognitive functions over time,“ Ober said.

Ober also noted that in comparison to the normal age related brain shrinkage rate of 2 percent per decade, the overall changes observed in the study seem rather small.

“If even a small change in brain volume [with] alcohol consumption is significantly associated with a decline in cognitive function, then it is worth worrying about,” she said.

There is no evidence yet that alcohol has similar effects on the brains of younger adults, but DeCarli advises against excessive drinking that could lead to alcoholism in the long run.

“If you’re having two drinks a day when you’re in college [the upper limit of moderation], it’s likely you’re going to be drinking much more than that by the time you get out of college and into middle age,” he said.

ELAINE HSIA can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.

Upcoming Seminars

Science & Technology

Science Editor

October 22, 2008

Today

“Linking Plant Genetic Variation to Foliage- and Litter-Based Arthropod Communities“

Greg Crutsinger

122 Briggs, 12:10 to 1 p.m.

Science Scene

Science & Technology

Science Editor

October 22, 2008

Geologists unearth ‘dinosaur dance floor‘

Along the Arizona-Utah state line, geologists have found a three-fourths-acre site with prehistoric animal tracks so densely packed together, they’re referring to it as a “dinosaur dance floor.“

One hundred ninety million years ago, parts of the American West were a vast desert. These 1,000-plus tracks are packed into a site that in prehistoric times would have been a lush oasis among the sand dunes.

Researchers believe the area could have been a spot for different types of dinosaurs who stopped there to replenish. The tracks could provide new insight into dinosaur behavior and their survival in the desert conditions.

Four different kinds of tracks have been identified so far, but researchers haven’t determined what species left them. The site may also include what researchers think could be a rare dinosaur tail mark. (Source: Associated Press)

Hong Kong crow infected with bird flu

A crow found dead in a crowded district of Hong Kong on Monday tested positive for the highly disease-causing H5N1 bird flu virus. The discovery is raising concerns about the virus in Asia as winter, the diseases‘ most active season, begins.

Experts study Hong Kong as an indicator of the level of activity of the virus in Mainland China, which has 13 billion poultry. Scientists fear the virus will mutate to pass from human to human, causing a pandemic that could kill millions.

Since 2003, the virus has infected 387 people in 15 countries, killing 245, according to the World Health Organization.

(Source: Reuters)

‘Dead‘ planets might be habitable after all

Astronomers describe the habitable zone around a star as being a specific area in which temperatures are moderate enough to retain water and support life.

Researchers at the University of Arizona have discovered that this region might not be as predictable as previously thought. Some planets once thought too cold to support life might actually be made habitable by their star’s “squishing effect.“

A star’s gravity will stretch a planet’s midsection out so that it is shaped more like a cigar than a sphere. When combined with an oblong orbit shape, which occurs fairly often, the stretching will cause the inside of the planet to warm up and change its climate. This is especially true outside of our own solar system, as extrasolar planets often have oblong orbit patterns.

The phenomenon could theoretically heat a planet to the point of activating volcanoes, which power plate tectonics. Plate tectonics will in turn encourage life by regulating the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, as plate movements become part of the carbon cycle.

Science Scene is compiled by ALYSOUN BONDE. She can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.

DNA of UCD: Leslie Lyons

Science & Technology

Science Editor

October 22, 2008

Leslie Lyons is no crazy cat lady, although cats are her main focus here at UC Davis. She researches everything feline – from their genes to the little pieces of fur they may leave behind at the scene of a crime.

Recently, Lyons and other UC Davis veterinarians assisted in engineering a glow-in-the-dark cloned cat. If that’s not enough to make you purr, her interview with The California Aggie just might.

What do you teach here?

I teach veterinarian genetics.

What are you researching right now?

I’m looking at inherited traits and diseases of the domestic cat. I also develop genetic resources for rhesus macaques. In the cat research we attempt to find the gene mutations that cause health problems in cats or also cause the traits that make cats distinctive such as coat color changes or body type changes. We try to find out what happened to their genes that caused them to have these traits.

Are you involved in any other work at the Vet School?

I work in the forensic program, with genetics, animal biology and comparative pathology. So we do a lot of cat stuff. Cats-R-Us!

What is cat forensics?

You’ll have fur show up on the scene of the crime and you have to match the fur up to the suspect cat. Usually the fur shows up accidentally – it might leave cat fur on the victim and you can trace that back to the suspect. On CSI, they’ve actually had two cat episodes. One was where an Abyssinian cat was involved and one where a little kid killed a crazy cat lady because she wouldn’t give him one of her cats.

Does this kind of thing actually happen in real life?

I hope a little kid wouldn’t kill a crazy cat lady but there are crazy cat ladies out there. But take a look at your shirt or pants and there’s probably some cat fur on them. Even people who don’t have cats may have cat fur on them because they’ve gone to someone’s house that has cats. There would be no way to go to my house and not get cat fur on you.

Tell us about this glow-in-the-dark cat.

We collaborated with researchers at the Audubon Conservation Research for Endangered Species (ACRS) in New Orleans. They developed a transgenic cat that had the green florescent protein gene, so when you turn on a black light, you can see it glow. Our lab confirmed the cat was cloned. The picture is pretty cool.

Why make a cat that glows?

It paves the way for making transgenic cats. The hope is to make a transgenic cat that might have a corrected gene that causes health problems in cats like blindness, polycystic kidney disease or even later diabetes.

Do you have pets?

I have two cats: Whithers and Figaro.

If you could genetically engineer your cats to have any trait, what would it be?

Car radar.

What’s your favorite part about being a professor?

I like the interaction with the students – seeing the one student that really gets it and might be interested in that kind of research.

Did you always want to be a professor?

When I was younger, I really wanted to be an astronaut, but I didn’t want to go into the air force to learn how to fly. I just didn’t want to go into the armed forces, which was required at the time, but now is not.

What did you do before you came to UC Davis?

I grew up in South Pittsburg, and I went to school at the University of Pittsburg. Then I researched at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). We worked on cats there too.

And where did you go to college?

I went to school at the University of Pittsburg. I studied human genetics.

So how did you get from human genetics to cat genetics?

When I did my post doctoral fellowship at the NCI, I wanted to learn more about comparative genetics, and they just happened to be working with cats. So I didn’t pick cats; they picked me.

Why do you like cats so much now?

I love discovering nearly every day how fascinating they are. They are the ultimate carnivore species and the ultimate survivor. You watch a cat and it’s like artwork. I think they’re really cool. I’m not a crazy cat person but sometimes you have to sit back and think they’re a really intriguing species.

LAUREN STEUSSY can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.

That’s what she said

Opinion

Opinion

October 22, 2008

After all my huff and puff about world peace last week, I am incredibly discouraged to have to write this. I hope a lot of you on campus have heard of Nonie Darwish, the speaker that Davis College Republicans have booked to speak tonight. I’ll keep this simple: She is an Egyptian woman who used to be Muslim, had a bad experience with Islam and now is traveling the country warning people on college campuses about Muslim Student Associations “recruiting terrorists;” jumping on the hater-bandwagon … as I always say.

She’s written a book called Now They Call Me Infidel, conveniently published right after Sept. 11, about how Islam always taught her to hate and now that she is Evangelical Christian she can finally love. By spreading hate that is. So she hates for love. Or is it love to hate? No, she hates loving hating? What the hell, IS SARA KOHGADAI GOING TO HAVE TO CHOKE A BITCH?

Tomorrow’s headline: “Islamic Terrorist Threatens To Choke Evangelical Woman on College Campus.” Never mind the fact that I’m hardly even Muslim. Whatever. I encourage everyone to check out a little website called terrorismawarenessproject.com. On its main page you should notice the organization’s focus on college campuses. The concern is that MSAs are funding and recruiting terrorists right in front of our very eyes. Through the facade of practicing religious freedom and representing a sector of students, MSAs are using school funding to support terrorist organizations overseas. Hmm. Tricky, aren‘t they? Could have fooled me. I mean with all the midterms, finals, papers, volunteer hours, office hours, letters of recommendations, work, charity events, extracurriculars, stressing out and partying, shit – I would have thought they were just normal college students.

Nonie Darwish is just one speaker, who happens to be attending our campus as part of a nationwide event called Islamo-fascism week. Nationwide! We can‘t even get people to vote nationwide, but as soon as there‘s someone to burn at the stake – oh how patriotic we are! Let me remind the public about the Salem witch trials, the Red scare with Communism, and Japanese Internment camps post World War II. These patterns of xenophobic behavior constantly resurface in American history. After a tragic event, hysteria strikes and everyone needs something to blame. Some people might not be able to make the connection between the discrimination against Muslims today and the aforementioned groups. The inequality might not be as blatant as it was years ago; there are no internment camps, but discrimination is discrimination. Accepting even the smallest degree of it justifies every degree of it. Get ready for some cheesy analogies. The PATRIOT Act is the barbed-wired walls segregating Muslims from the rest of American society; the wooden stake that Americans‘ liberties and rights are burning away at. Burning witches, hunting communists, interning Japanese, and now pointing the finger at Muslim Americans – the next step toward another irrational solution for an irrelevant problem.

Speaking of irrelevant: What motive does DCR have for inviting this woman to our campus? She has nothing to do with policy, nothing to do with politics, has nothing to offer that favors the Republican Party and yet DCR feels the need to endorse this woman. I‘ll make one last analogy as I reach my word limit. The Davis College Republicans are the terrorists of politics on campus. They are a minuscule portion of our society who claims to represent the larger sector with their baseless, irrational hatred. Just like there is a strong necessity to distinguish terrorists who kill in the name of God from Muslims, DCR needs to be differentiated from the rest of Republicans on campus. I do not agree with almost anything Republicans say in general, however I do not believe they are bad people and I refuse to even suggest that Republicans are racists or that they support people Nonie Darwish. Unlike the DCR I am critical enough to make this distinction and mature enough to admit it.

If you thought the use of the term “hater-bandwagon“ was ridiculous too, e-mail SARA KOHGADAI at sbkohgadai@ucdavis.edu so you can laugh it up together.

A view from the soapbox

Opinion

Opinion

October 22, 2008

Ah, box-checking day. Nov. 4 is lurking just around the bend and, as the leaves turn, American voters are preparing themselves to march to their polling places and take that final Pepsi challenge. Another four years are behind us and it’s time again to exercise our privilege as white landowning Christians free and equal citizens to make our voices heard in the selection of our representative government. Yessir, you can positively smell the Red, White and Blue® in the air.

Endless exposure to news, polls, analysis, campaign ads, blogs, videos, celebrity endorsements and donation sites has made this election much more of an intimate part of daily life than ever before. In our era of web 2.0, with our college-age voting bloc transfixed on personal computers like apes ‘round a monolith, 2008 campaign tactics are bordering on mass hypnosis. This year has been a weltering journey through the lowest dive of ethical standards in any electoral season in memory, thanks primarily to the graceless GOP. Democrats don’t abuse those tactics quite as well, which, of course, explains their losing record.

The character of the McCain campaign suggests that their image of the average American has sunk from “coffee-burn lawsuit“ to “children abandoned in baboon enclosure.” From debates to town halls, explanations of Republican platforms are stunted and simplified, as if we’re hearing a kid-safe conservative yarn sitting on grandpa McCain’s artificial knee. How will trickle-down supply-side economics ever work? What programs will he cut? How is he finding Osama? In what ways does he differ from Bush? Just like Sarah “really got to catch this plane” Palin’s ephemeral press appearances, we’re supposed to take it all on faith. Don’t worry yourself thinking, America. You don’t want answers, American Gladiators is on.

Since the season began, McCain’s camp has been willing to say anything that has a chance to steal a point from the Spooky Brown Man, without regard for professionalism and agreement with reality. The objective of his attack ads (read: Thirty Second Hates) is not to expose anything. Their purpose is only to drudge up divisive emotions through the modern magic of unaccountable misinformation. McCain has endorsed puerile jabs that allege Obama is a troop-hating, Bible-eating, pedophile-curious whack who will pave the way to the White House with trampled bald eagles. Domestic policy and foreign policy go by the wayside in favor of ad hominem lies.

This same pattern of doublespeaking dishonesty manifests itself in the way McCain and Palin sell their platform. McCain calls himself a visionary (his word is “maverick,“ which somehow has serious bank with the peeing-Calvin-sticker demographic), but he’s voted with Bush 95 percent of the time. He “suspends his campaign“ to work on the economic crisis, yet all of his campaign offices continue business as usual. He says he supports our troops when he votes against provisions to get them body armor and supplies. He says he doesn’t work for corporate interests when their contributions are the lifeblood of his campaign. Where does the truth even start?

It seems as if the McCain camp doesn’t care about its message. Caution and tact are thrown to the wind and McCain seems to be just waiting on having the presidency delivered to him by the Great Corporate Hegemony. And for that golden ticket, everything must go. McCain’s pattern of frenzied selling-out raises the bar on political lapdoggery. Whether or not the American public is informed is irrelevant – what matters is maintaining a momentary polling advantage by keeping us all divided, confused and ill-inclined to vote. This November, don’t let all the stupefying noise scare you away from voting. Prove to these psychotics that you’re too good to believe the media filth they foist upon us. Rise above!

CHEYA CARY has nothing but respect for registered Republicans and he hopes for them to get the best treatment available for their condition. E-mail him at cheya.cary@gmail.com.

Daily Calendar

Features

Features Editor

October 22, 2008

TODAY

Aggie Football ticket distribution

10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Aggie Stadium Ticket Office

Go pick up your free ticket to the Oct. 25 game against North Dakota. The last chance to pick up tickets is Wednesday.

East Quad Farmers Market

10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

East Quad

Check out a convenient iteration of the farmers market right on campus!

Men’s soccer v. CSU Fullerton

3 p.m.

Aggie Soccer Field

Take a break from your midterms to cheer on the Aggies.

Get Pumped Up for Midterms and Life

5 to 6 p.m.

ARC Meeting Room 3

Learn how to reduce test anxiety and how to improve your overall performance, both academically and in life.

President’s Undergraduate Fellowship Program

5 p.m.

Surge IV, Suite 409

Learn about the application process and get guidance for how to submit a proposal to the program.

Health Transfer Student Association

7 to 8 p.m.

26 Wellman

Learn about medical school from the UCD School of Medicine director of admissions, as well as a medical student panel.

Searching for Peace Within

8 p.m.

1100 Social Sciences

DCR and BODHI sponsor this talk with Nonie Darwish, author of Now They Call Me Infidel. No backpacks or cameras allowed.

THURSDAY

Whole Earth hiring

Third Floor MU

The Whole Earth Festival is hiring its staff for the Spring 2009 festival. The deadline to apply is Oct. 23. For more information, e-mail directors@wef.ucdavis.edu or visit the festival’s website at wef.ucdavis.edu.

Thursday Trivia Nights

6 to 7:30 p.m.

Silo Union

Test your knowledge of random facts and potentially win fabulous prizes along the way!

FRIDAY

Women’s soccer v. UCSB

2 p.m.

Aggie Soccer Field

Show the Gauchos how much Aggie pride you have!

Men’s water polo v. Pacific

6 p.m.

Schaal Aquatics Center

Come out to this game to support the Aggies!

SATURDAY

Men’s soccer vs. UC Irvine

1 p.m.

Aggie Soccer Field

Support your Aggies against the Anteaters from Irvine.

Football v. North Dakota

6 p.m.

Aggie Stadium

Come to one of the last home football games of the year and cheer on the Aggies.

SUNDAY

Women’s soccer vs. Cal Poly

Noon

Aggie Soccer Field

Enjoy the last home game for women’s soccer.

To receive placement in the AGGIE DAILY CALENDAR, e-mail dailycal@californiaaggie.com or stop by 25 Lower Freeborn by noon the day prior to your event. Due to space constraints, all event descriptions are subject to editing, and priority will be given to events that are free of charge and geared toward the campus community.

Prop 6 would guarantee police funding, increase penalties

City News

City Editor

October 22, 2008

Gangs, guns and meth: They’re problems inextricably tied to street crime in California.

Backers of Proposition 6, also known as the Safe Neighborhoods Act, say the way to combat these problems is to guarantee a certain level of funding for police and prosecutors. Opponents attack the measure’s lack of an identified funding source.

In particular, Prop 6 would require the state to allocate a minimum of $965 million from the General Fund to police, sheriffs, district attorneys, adult probation, jails and juvenile probation facilities. This minimum funding level would not be tied to any specific funding source.

Prop 6 also makes approximately 30 revisions to criminal laws in the state, primarily focused on gang crime. Most of the changes make penalties more stringent and create new crimes.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office says the measure will cost the state an additional $500 million annually within a few years, increasing by the tens of millions of dollars in subsequent years. Since it would expand the prison population, it could end up costing the state another $500 million to build and expand prison facilities.

District attorney Jeff Reisig has endorsed Prop 6, saying it targets the biggest threats to public safety in the county.

“The surging gang violence in Yolo County over the last 10 years has been incredible,” he said. “About 80 percent of our homicides have been gang-related, and the number of gun crimes we have prosecuted has exploded.“

Reisig said drug problems have seriously contributed to rising crimes.

“Without a doubt methamphetamine is probably the most heinous drug that’s out there, and it’s usually involved in a lot of this,” he said. “I’ve handled half a dozen homicides in the last five years and every single one of them involved methamphetamine, including the most recent death penalty case [of Marco Antonio Topete, who is accused of murdering a Yolo County sheriff’s deputy].“

Prop 6 is about making sure there’s enough money for law enforcement and prosecutors to limit the impact of gang crime, he said.

“Because of the budget crunch this year we’ve had to scale back our outreach efforts, where we would normally be going into schools to talk to kids about gangs, guns and drugs,” he said.

Prop 6 is supported by a large number of law enforcement organizations, sheriffs, police chiefs and district attorneys.

Opponents to the measure say it is unacceptable because of the way it constrains the state budget.

“We oppose ballot box budgeting in general,” said Roy Ulrich, president of the California Tax Reform Association, which is opposing Prop 6. “It’s like a straight jacket. We’ve got enough previous initiatives that lock in funding, and the result is the legislature has less flexibility in dealing with budget problems.“

Ulrich said in bad budget years, this could result in far less funding for K-12 education, community colleges, job programs, health care, transportation and emergency services. There are also serious accountability problems with the measure, he said.

“Prop 6 permanently earmarks $125 million for a program called COPS, which the Legislative Analyst’s Office recommended not be funded,” he said. “There’s no accountability really for how the money is spent year to year.“

Some of the funding from Prop 6 would be allocated directly to local law enforcement, which presumably includes the Davis Police Department, said City of Davis assistant city manager Paul Navazio.

“It adds about $33.5 million on a statewide basis, to be allocated roughly on a per capita basis,” he said. “That’s about a dollar a person.“

The city has not done any detailed analysis on what exactly the city would receive, he said.

For more information on Prop 6, visit voterguide.sos.ca.gov. To read articles on the other propositions on the ballot next month, visit theaggie.org.

JEREMY OGUL can be reached at city@californiaaggie.com.

Propositions could affect county funding levels

City News

City Editor

October 22, 2008

At their meeting Tuesday, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors received a presentation and report on how the statewide measures on the November ballot will affect the county from a fiscal standpoint.

County staff analyzed each measure to determine whether it would have a negative fiscal impact on the county by taking away funding from county programs and services, according to the report.

The county has struggled to preserve services in the face of significant cuts coming from the state.

“Staff recommends supporting only new programs with a dedicated revenue source,” said deputy county administrator Dirk Brazil in a memo to the board.

The following is a summary of the staff findings.

Prop 1A: Safe, reliable high-speed passenger train bond act

Staff recommendation was for the board to take a neutral position. The measure could benefit the county by expanding Bay Area commuting connections and creating new construction jobs. However, since the measure will cost the state money, the legislature could take money away from county programs and services to pay for high-speed rail.

Prop 3: Children’s Hospital Bond Act

Staff recommendation was to oppose the measure because although it would expand the UC Davis Children’s Center, the measure would add $67 million per year to the state’s debt service without identifying a corresponding revenue source.

Prop 5: Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act

Staff recommendation was to oppose the measure because the county would be required to expand its drug treatment and diversion programs. Though the cost to jail drug offenders would be reduced, the net fiscal impact on the county is unclear, the report said. Additionally, there is the potential that the added cost of Prop 5 would divert money in the General Fund from other county programs.

Prop 6: Safe Neighborhoods Act

Staff recommendation was to oppose the measure because it would increase the caseload at the Public Defender’s office without allocating more money for the Public Defender, as well as putting additional pressure on the state General Fund. On the positive side, the measure would result in at least $600,000 for adult and juvenile probation services.

Prop 7: Solar and Clean Energy Act

Staff recommendation was to oppose the measure because of its unknown impact on electricity rates and a transfer of power from the county to the state.

Prop 9: Victims‘ Bill of Rights Act

Staff recommendation was to oppose the measure because it could increase operating costs at the county jail and result in a loss of funding to law enforcement agencies.

Prop 10: Renewable Energy and Clean Alternative Fuel Act

Staff recommendation was to oppose the measure because it would put additional pressure on the state’s General Fund, potentially jeopardizing funding for other county programs, and because it is not clearly a legislative priority.

Prop 12: Veterans‘ Bond Act

Staff recommendation was to take a neutral position because it was approved by the legislature without any “no” votes, but also lacks a dedicated source of revenue.

Propositions 2, 4, 8 and 11 were determined to have no fiscal impact on the county.

JEREMY OGUL can be reached at city@californiaaggie.com.

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