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Police Briefs

City Editor
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THURSDAY

 

Immelman’s swift decline

A man was reported as “suspicious” for loitering around Hanover Drive, shirtless and carrying a golf club.

 

Do. The. Dishes.

A woman reported her roommates were trying to evict her and refused to let her into the apartment.

 

FRIDAY

 

My bench, ya hear?

A threatening note was left taped to a bench on Second Street.

 

Spread peace!

An assault occurred on Second Street.

 

Bee-ware

A swarm of bees posed a traffic hazard on East Eighth and F streets.

 

Squirrel season

A man and woman were shooting a BBgun from a balcony on Drew Circle.

 

SATURDAY

 

Going for Picnic Day history

The city racked up 13 party complaints in the wee hours of the morning and 17 more throughout the day.

 

But I like the floor!

An intoxicated man fell in a business place on G Street and was refusing to get up. There were several other separate incidents of public inebriation.

 

Not the brightest

A drunk driver was reported leaving a bar on Anderson Road.

 

Rent money, not beer money

The reporting party said their roommate collected rent money, but never used it to pay the rent.

 

Classy

Two subjects were cited for indecent exposure when engaging in sexual activity on University Avenue.

 

Simma down, now!

There were over 20 reported incidents of verbal or physical fights and disturbances.

 

SUNDAY

 

Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey

Sunday started off with nine separate noise and party complaints in the early morning.

 

POLICE BRIEFS are compiled by CAITLIN KELLY-SNEED from the public logs at the Davis Police Department and represent the official version of what happened. This segment appears Tuesdays and Thursdays. The DPD crime blotter can be viewed at cityofdavis.org/police/log.

Measure J discussion should wait, council says

City Editor
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Tension is building between some residents and the Davis City Council over whether to start discussion on Measure J.

The landmark Davis law requires voter approval for any urban development on land that is currently designated as agricultural or open-space. It was passed in 2000 and is set to expire in 2010.

It has only been applied once. In 2005, the council approved Covell Village, a 1,864-unit housing development in North Davis. Because it would require annexing agricultural land into the city limits, voters were asked to approve the development. The vote failed 59.9 percent to 40 percent.

So why the problem now?

Three councilmembers are up for reelection in June, and it will be up to the next council to decide what to do: renew it, repeal it, amend it or submit an alternative.

Several speakers at the Apr. 15 city council meeting urged the incumbent candidates to make their intentions clear before the election.

“We must take all necessary steps to ensure that the citizens of Davis maintain control of Davis’ borders and that they get to determine when and how we grow,” said Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Escamilla-Greenwald, who is one of six candidates in the upcoming council election, said the city faces dangerous times as a “slow-growth city” and Measure J is the hallmark of the city’s land-use policy that needs to be renewed.

City Councilmember Steven Souza said he wanted to begin discussing Measure J promptly – just not before the election.

“I don’t want to politicize it,” Souza said. “I would rather leave the politics off the dais and leave it to the forums during the election campaign.”

He said it would become very clear through the candidate forums what each person’s position on Measure J was. He did not say at the meeting if he had any position on the future of the law, and his website makes no mention of it.

Other citizens who spoke at the meeting said this is one of the most important voter issues in the upcoming election.

“The fate of Measure J rests squarely in the hands of those who will be elected to the council in less than eight weeks,” said Davis resident Gene Borack. “Candidate info with regard to this issue needs to become a major part of the public discourse without delay.”

Fellow resident Mark Spencer, who said he was involved in drafting the language of the measure, agreed.

“I think it goes to a very important … fundamental pillar in Davis’ sense of inclusion of voters in the process of land use,” Spencer said.

The council passed up an opportunity to move the discussion to before the election. City manager Bill Emlen said the discussion would be tentatively scheduled for an early-summer meeting.

Mayor Pro-Tempore Ruth Asmundson, who is not up for reelection in 2008, agreed that it should wait.

“I think this is a very important issue, and we have two years to discuss it,” Asmundson said. “We shouldn’t be discussing this [now].”

 

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

Third annual Earth Week hits campus

Campus Editor
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Plant a tree and leave the car at home – it’s Earth Day.

The ASUCD Environmental Policy and Planning Commission plans to teach UC Davis students about recycling, alternative power, sustainability and outdoor activities during Earth Weekbegan Monday and continues until Friday.

“We all should love the environment around us,” said EPPC chair Jack Draper, a juniorwildlife, fish and conservation biology major.

Draper said that this attitude led to this year’s Earth Week theme of “Enviromantic.”

The first event of Earth Week was the Trashion Show on Mondayat noon on the Memorial Union patio. Students from the clothing and textiles departmentdesigned runway pieces made from recycled materials like CDs, newspaper and trash bags. Draper said that the show was a way to get different departments on campus involved in Earth Week.

“It brings together interesting groups that aren’t usually associated with the environment, i.e. the fashion industry,” Draper said.

Today on the MU patio there will be an organic food tasting from noonto 1 p.m. The tasting was organized by Emily Mikhaiel, a senior international relations and environmental policy analysis student.

“There is going to be free food and chance to win a prize,” Mikhaiel said.

There will be a panel about Solar Power tonight in the MU East Conference Room. The panel is called “Let’s Bring it Home,” organized by sophomorepolitical science and sociology student Monica Haymond. Haymond said the panelists will include Adam Moule, a professor from the civil engineering department, Sue Kateley, director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association and a representative from Solar City. Haymond said that Solar City is a company that installs solar panels for homes and businesses, and tries to get cities to switch to solar power in bulk so residents can get a discount on the systems.

“They’ve made Davis their newest target city,” Haymond said.

Draper said that an Earth Week event will be Wednesday’s discussion of Pebble Mine from 6 to 7 p.m. in 2 Wellman. Pebble Mine is a proposed mining project in Alaska.

“It’s going to be an interesting discussion on whether mining is even sustainable anymore,” Draper said.

Draper also said that “Rockin’ it the Right Way,” a free event Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on West Quad, will be a highlight of Earth Week. The Rocknasium will bring its mobile rock-climbing wall, a KDVS DJ and groups like Outdoor Adventures will be there to promote environmentally conscious outdoor activities. Leave No Trace, a group that promotes low impact backpacking will also be there to teach students how to keep the wilderness in its natural state.

This is the third annual Earth Week. The first Earth Week celebrated the Earth with the theme of Captain Planet, and last year’sevent was titled “Epic Change.”

 

MADELINE McCURRY SCHMIDT can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.

 

Schedule:

 

Tuesday: Noon to 1 p.m. “Naturally Delicious! Organic Food Tasting” on the MU patio

6 to 7 p.m. “Let’s Bring it Home! Solar Power in Davis” in the MU East Conference Room

 

Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Rockin’ it the Right Way” on West Quad

6 to 7 p.m. “Pebble Mine: Discussion of Impact” in 2 Wellman

 

Thursday: Noon to 1 p.m. “Corporate Awareness Discussion” in Griffin Lounge in the MU

 

Friday: Noon to 1 p.m. “Enviromantics on Campus” on the MU patio

The latest trashion trends

Arts Editor
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Kicking off Earth Week on Monday at the Memorial Union patio was Trashion Show 2008, presented by the ASUCD Environmental Policy and Planning Commission (EPPC) and the Student Fashion Association (SFA).

Models sashayed down the runway in designs made entirely from recyclable or reused material. Sixteen looks were featured at the show, including a red

mini-dress adorned with CDs found at the recycling center and accessorized with a bag made from a cereal box by junior design major Frankees Samad. A ballet-inspired dress made from trash bags by first-year Sarah Silva also took the stage.

Prizes were given out to designs that were judged as the most sustainable. Rachel Aquino, a first-year political science major, won third place with a dress created from newspapers from the Cuarto Dining Commons. Senior textiles and clothing major Maureen Dougherty won second place with her refashioning o

f a shawl into a strapless dress and for a design made from a vintage dress from the ’80s.

First place was awarded to senior design major Emilia McFarland with “Zabra,” a zebra-inspired dress she made from thrift finds at Goodwill and old sweaters she found at home.

“You can’t sacrifice animals, but to mimic the beauty proves that you can still make a spectacular evening dress out of recycled clothing,” McFarland said. “I truly believe in saving everything to recreate something new.”

Monday was the second Trashion Show presented by the EPPC and SFA.

“We try to incorporate other causes to show that there’s more to fashion,” said SFA co-president Rebeca Martinez, asophomoretextiles and clothing major. “I think that secondhandthrift stores are great for the environment and a lot more economical as well.”

Amy Marchiando, a sophomoredouble majoring in textiles and clothing and art studio, said she hoped the show would help raise awareness about environmentally conscious clothing.

“Think outside the box,” she said. “There are other options besides buying something at the mall.”

-Text by Rachel Filipinas

-Photos by Joey Kunin

Documentary chronicles Muslim humanitarian efforts during Holocaust

Campus Editor
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At 8 p.m. todayin 198 Young, the Muslim Students Association will host a film screening and a lecture by Annette Herskovits, who will discuss her documentary, The Mosques of Paris, as part of Islam Awareness Week.

The documentary describes Muslim efforts to shelter Jewish refugees during the German occupation of France during World War II.

Herskovits was a Holocaust survivor who was sheltered by Muslims in Paris at the time. She graduated from MIT with a doctorate in linguistics and is currently writing on human rights and political issues in the Bay Area.

“It’s beautiful to remember a good time in our history,” said Amna Sultan, an MSA member and juniorbiochemistry and molecular biology major.

“This event will help to show that throughout our history as a people, we’re not always at war,” said Khalida Fazel, MSA president and seniorcivil engineering major. “The current conflict is the result of political circumstances, not religious differences.”

“Hopefully this event will help to show that Muslim and Jewish communities are like family,” saidMehdi Khan, head of MSA outreach committee and a junior civil engineering major.

“They lived peacefully together for 1,000 years,” he went on. “In Spain, Jews prospered under Islam, and during the Reconquista, many fled flee to Islamic controlled territory to avoid Christian persecution.”

The evening will begin with a brief introduction by Herskovits of herself and the film, followed by a viewing of the 30-minute documentary. Herskovits will then speak for 20 to 30 minutes, and the event will conclude with an open discussion.

“I hope the event will give people a different perspective about the “complicated”situation between Muslims and Israelis,” Sultan said. “I hope it helps us in trying to find a common ground.”

The film portrays the “clandestine rescue network” of Muslims in Paris, who would provide false birth certificates for Jewish children, according the MSA website.

“The film stresses how we should remember that we are equals and treat each other as such,” Fazel said. “Algerian Muslims in Paris at the time passed out fliers saying, ‘The Jews are our brothers, and their children are like our own.’ This was an incredibly risky thing to do.”

Khan called attention to the idea that Jewish peoples are respected in the Koran and Islamic culture in general. They are referred to as people of the book, and Muslim men are allowed to marry into the Jewish community.

All three members were adamant about the long standing tradition of community among Islamic and Jewish people and how the present conflict is the exception and the result of political and not religious issues.

“This is not a religious conflict [in the Middle East]. It’s political,” Khan said. “The point of Islamic awareness week is to show what Islam is about. It’s a spiritual thing, not political as it’s portrayed in the media.”

“I want students to gain a greater knowledge of occurrences in history that are not well-known,” Fazel said. “This element of the Holocaust has tremendous implications and tremendous lessons to teach that are applicable to nowadays.”

“There are universal lessons of compassion and charity regardless of race or religion,” she said.

The event is free and open to the public and refreshments will be served.

Those interested in learning more about the week can visit MSA’s website at ucdmsa.com.

CHARLES HINRIKSSON can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.

Canadian folk-pop duo plays tonight at Freeborn Hall

Arts Editor
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Your style has always been seen as acoustic folk rock. How is your newest album, The Con, different, and why did you make that change?

We always saw ourselves as songwriters, so there wasn’t much emphasis on developing the band with instrumentation. With So Jealous and The Con, we had the chance to think a lot more about the instrumentation and worked a lot on it. We went so far as to put our own drums down and mapped out what we wanted our songs to sound like.… When we first started making music, we were 18, where you go into a studio and rattle something out.

 

How would you classify your genre of music?

Honestly, I think it’s not as important to me what genre we fit into. What we are doing defies that. We’re not necessarily seen as just indie rock or pop rock. We take a bit from each of those communities but don’t see ourselves as fitting into one of them. Ultimately, I think if we were boys, everyone would say we were rock. Since we’re girls, they say that we’re indie, folk rock. When people ask, I usually say we’re in a rock band, or I say we’re in a metal band and when they come to our show and say, ‘that’s not really metal,” I’ll say, ‘I know, weird!’

 

What do you want your fans and listeners to take away from your music?

I’m still a music fan myself – I’m always waiting for a band to blow my mind. There’s nothing more exciting to me than putting on a record that gets me so excited and makes all the hairs stand up on my body and makes me want to sing every song. Growing up, my mom would take us on car rides at night, just so we could listen to music in the van.

I want to inspire people to be excited about music. It’s not important to me if they think we’re cool or we’re in the top. Looking out and seeing fans singing our songs back to us makes me excited to know that I’m in the kind of band that the Smashing Pumpkins and Violent Femmes were to me when I was a kid. It transcends the industry.

 

What records or the artists you are currently listening to?

I have recently bought a huge five-collection Motown CD of the Supremes. I also just bought the album by Hercules and Love Affair. I listen to a lot of music and also try to keep my mind challenged by a lot of other audio, like talk radio and comedians.

 

What is your favorite song out of the new album and why?

I really enjoy performing a song that Tegan wrote called “Dark Come Soon.” It builds dynamically and when we perform it well live, I get really excited. It is a really different type of song for Tegan and this song really knocked her out of the box that she usually writes in.

 

Is there any misrepresentation of you two by the public that you would like to set straight?

I think any artist relying on anyone to paraphrase who you are makes people cringe. Because you think, ‘Is that it? Is that all they think I am?’ What excites me is that the Internet has allowed Tegan and I to put out our own image of us. There is a dueling representation of us – our own and the journalists. I think it’s important to see through other people’s eyes.

 

Tell me a little bit about your parents and their involvement in your musical careers.

My parents have always been very supportive. They were actually divorced when we were young. After we graduated high school and we decided we weren’t going to attend university, they had some apprehension. My mom thought we were making our lives hard on purpose.

But she saw we were intense and passionate about our music. They noticed the natural inclination we had for performing – they were the ones who instilled this passion for musicians and music. Once they saw that we were consistently going on stage and doing well, they became really supportive that we are leading these fun and exciting lives.

 

What is the biggest difference between you and your identical twin sister, Tegan?

Tegan has a stronger exterior. I think I have more patience and I’m a little bit more casual. Deep down inside, we have a lot of the same traits – we’re both creative, intense, artistic, we love to read, talk and tell stories.

 

You’re coming to Davis to perform on a college campus. What is your view on the college experience?

When we started touring, we were the age of the college student we performed for. I had two sets of emotions: One was that I always felt like I’ve missed out – I felt sort of envious. A part of me wanted to be part of a college community.

And two: Performing really proved to me that I was ready to jump into it. I was very ambitious. I didn’t want to be locked into classrooms and essays. I’m 27 now and have experienced some success. I own my own house. I feel old. I don’t feel that longing to be in the college atmosphere anymore. I think that definitely I would love to go back to school someday and get a degree solely for learning purposes. Not to use the degree to get another job or anything.

 

Tegan and Sara will take the Freeborn Hall stage today at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25.50 and a limited amount are still available at the Freeborn Hall ticket office. For more information on the event see Entertainment Council’s facebook.com group, and for more on the band visit teganandsara.com.

 

JUNE QUAN can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

Eight seniors honored in UC Davis regular season finale

Sports Editor
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The Schaal Aquatics Center was packed at 4 p.m. when eight Aggies were scheduled to play the final home women’s water polo game of their collegiate careers.

An hour-and-a-half later, the game finally began and not a single person had left their seat. The delay, due to the absence of referees, did not deter anyone from honoring the eight seniors in their final farewell at Schaal.

UC Davis came out like they had been waiting for this game much longer than an hour-and-a-half, letting itspresence be known by tyrannizing the Tigers, 14-5, for the team’s 10th straight victory.

The first quarter was dominated by the seniors with four different players scoring to lead the team to a 5-2 advantage.

Leading the team defensively all year, Jessica Soza decided that in her last game at home she would score a little bit too, scoring twice on two first-quarter attempts.

As a leader in and out of the pool, the team captain is the all-time leader in minutes played with 2,770 minutes logged and understands what it takes to make a team work.

“Our seniors really brought unity to this team,” Soza said. “We all just got along so well, and the rest of the team just followed our actions.”

Six different Aggies contributed two goals each, but the encompassing theme was the appreciation of the seniors: Soza, Jaclyn Loberg, Christi Raycraft, Casie Mota, Laura Uribe, Ashley Greenwood, Mary Lowe and Madeline Stephenson.

The four years when most of the eight seniors attended UC Davis is the winningest four-year stretch in program history with 90 wins and counting.

“When these girls came here, I did not realize really how good they were,” said head coach Jamey Wright. “You know, you recruit players really hard and they go somewhere else, but looking back I would not trade this group for anybody. They’re a group that is really together in all ways and it’s just really something special.”

UC Davis now turns its focus to this weekend when it travels to Loyola Marymount as the first seedfor Western Water Polo Association Championships.

“We are going to work on 6-on-5s,” Wright said, “focus on the opponents, watch tape on every team and really if we play our game we have as good a chance as anyone to win this thing.”

 

SAMMY BRASCH can be reached at sports@californiaaggie.com.

Women’s golf preview

Sports Editor
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Event: Big West Conference Championships

Where: Tijeras Creek Golf Course – Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.

When: Today and Tuesday, all day

Who to watch: For Sydney Roughton, the sand is running out of her hourglass.

UC Davis senior will be competing in what will potentially be the final tournament of her collegiate career. The Davis native is averaging 77.3 strokes per round this season and has averaged 77.1 strokes in her career.

Did you know? Out of the five golfers starting for the Aggies, three are freshmen: Chelsea Stelzmiller, Katie Sisler and Alice Kim. Stelzmiller leads the trio shooting an average 2-over-74 per round.

Preview: The Aggie women’s golf team comes into the Big West Championships today as the top-seeded team in the conference.

After a very successful season that featured top-five finishes in seven out of nine tournaments, UC Davis will look to dethrone three-time defending champion UC Irvine.

Headlining for the second-seeded Anteaters is senior Selaneé Henderson, the 2006 Big West Women’s Golfer of the Year. Henderson has been a member of all three championship teams and currently holds the Anteaters record for tournament victories with six.

The Aggies have shown that they can beat the Anteaters, finishing ahead of them in all four of the tournaments the two teams competed in together this season.

Roughton, Stelzmiller, Sisler, Kim and junior Bryana Gregory will round out the starting lineup for the Aggies in Santa Margarita today.

According to the latest GolfWeek rankings, UC Davis leads the field at No. 49, UC Irvine at No. 67 and Cal Poly at No. 79.

The Tijeras Creek Golf Course measures at 6,149 yards, with 54 holes being played today and an 18-hole final on Tuesday to determine the champion.

 

–Matt Miller

Aggies enjoy another successful Woody Wilson Classic

Sports Editor
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The sun wasn’t the only thing shining on Woody Wilson Track on Picnic Day.

After a successful overall performance at the rain-drenched event last year, the Aggies shined once again as hosts to the Woody Wilson Classic that featured 600-plus athletes. UC Davis turned in several standout performances Saturday.

Junior Sirena Williams claimed the 100-meter hurdle event with a time of 13.96, breaking the school record that she set last week.

At the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational hosted by UCLA last weekend, the Fresno, Calif. native earned a share of the Big West Conference Women’s Track Athlete of the Week award by setting a new school record time of 14.06. Her Saturday performance also broke the Woody Wilson record of 14.00 set by Donica Merriman in 2002.

In addition to the 100-meters, Williams also finished third in the long jump with a wind-aided mark of 5.65 meters (18-06.50).

“She’s getting it,” said women’s coach Deanne Vochatzer. “She’s really starting to come around, so that’s exciting. The whole group is starting to make a pretty good move.”

Apart from Williams, the women’s team collected seven other wins. Sophomore Ugo Eke won two individual events, prevailing in the 100 (12.03) and 200 (24.75). The Gold River, Calif. native also anchored the UC Davis squad in the 4×100 relay in which the Aggies finished with a meet and stadium record of 45.87.

Other UC Davis victories on the women’s side included performances by freshman Kiara Reed (56.58 in the 400), junior Katie Maltester (1:03.81 in the 400 hurdles), freshman Allison Stoakley (career-best 11:14.46 in the steeplechase) and senior Kim Conley, who went 4:27.80 to take the Jill Peckler 1500 invitational.

Meanwhile, the men’s side picked up victories early on in the day-long meet. Junior Ben Johnson went a season-best 1:53.20 in the 800, junior Polly Gnepa took the 110 high hurdles with a 14.11 for his sixth win and freshman Thomas Phillips posted a 53.33 in the 400 hurdles.

“I think the competition was great,” said men’s coach Jon Vochatzer. “We had some great performances and I’m very, very excited about where we are. I saw our team compete very well today.”

Overall, the men’s team won six events, which also included wins by junior Jared Yuen (13.87 meters in the triple jump), junior Matt Swarbrick (52.70 in the discus) and freshman Jonathan Peterson (first-place time of 14:25.50 in the 5,000).

“We’re right where we want to be in terms of going into the championship part of our season,” Vochatzer said. “I think everyone is beginning to step up. I’m looking forward to the next meets coming up.”

UC Davis returns to Woody Wilson Trackon Friday to host Sacramento State in the Causeway Classic Dual, beginning at 3 p.m.

 

RAY LIN can be reached at sports@californiaaggie.com.

Saving the best for last

Sports Editor
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It had been over two years since the UC Davis men’s tennis team last faced UC San Diego, but it hadn’t been long enough to forget the result.

The Aggies took their revenge on their non-conference opponent, defeating the Tritons 4-3, after losing by the same score in the two teams’ last meeting Apr. 21, 2006.

“We haven’t had success against San Diego for the last few seasons,” said senior No. 3 Justin Garcia. “This win was a great sendoff for our seniors.”

The victory concluded the home careers of Garcia, Daniel Elefant and Henri Landes.

The Aggies were the first to draw blood, jumping out to a 1-0 lead when sophomores Nic Amaroli and Kevin Liang clinched the doubles point.

The Tritons struck back quickly, jumping to a 3-1 lead as the Aggies fell at the No. 1, 2 and 6 singles spots, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.

Needing three straight wins to stay alive, Garcia fought off Kazumi Negishi, winning 7-6, 6-2, to bring the score to 3-2.

The score was then tied at 3-3 when freshman No. 5 Nick Lopez managed a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Brandon Low.

“Nick fought back in the third set down 2-4 and came out with the win,” said UC Davis head coach Daryl Lee. “He really stepped up his game.”

Lopez’s win left the Aggies’ hopes of victory resting on the shoulders of Elefant.

Minutes after Lopez finished, the No. 4 senior topped Alex Placek in a grueling three-set match by the score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, earning the Aggies their final home victory of the season.

Friday’s win moved the Aggies to 10-12 on the season and dropped the Tritons to 10-11.

UC Davis will be back in action Friday at the Big West Conference Championships in Palm Springs, Calif. The Aggies are seeded fifth in the six-team tournament.

 

NIRVAIR KELLEY can be reached at sports@californiaaggie.com.

 

 

 

Men’s golf preview

Sports Editor
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Event: Big West Conference Championships

Where: Tijeras Creek Golf Course – Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.

When: Today and Tuesday, all day.

Who to watch: Consistency is key to the Aggies’ success, and Ramie Sprinkling has it.

The junior from Camarillo, Calif. leads the Aggies with a 73.0-stroke average per 18 holes, with two fourth-place finishes on the year.

Did you know? Of the eight conference teams making up the tournament field, the UC Davis men’s golf team is the second-highest ranked team at No. 81. UC Irvine leads the field at No. 61, and then only UC Santa Barbara at No. 93 and Pacific at No. 100 are the other ranked teams in the conference.

Preview: After spending the weekend amidst some of the best competition in the country, the Aggies will head to Southern California for the Big West Conference Championships.

In their first Big West Golf Championship, UC Davis earned the No. 2 seed, right behind the defending 2007 tournament champion, UC Irvine.

Previous tournament winners at the Tijeras Creek Golf Course include Long Beach State (2004), UC Riverside (2005) and Cal Poly (2006). The winner of the Big West Championship will earn a berth at the NCAA West Regional.

Making the start for the Aggies will be Sprinkling, freshman sensation Austin Graham (73/round) sophomore Gregg Button (73.1/round), senior Matt Marshall (73.1/round), and junior Nate Pistacchio (73.1/round).

“One through five, they are all playing really well. They’re working very hard right now,” said head coach Cy Williams. “We’re doing well enough to go into tournament, compete and be successful.”

In its latest tournament action over the weekend, UC Davis finished in ninth place with a team score of 888 at the U.S. Intercollegiate in Stanford.

Graham came to play, leading the Aggies with a one-under 69 in the opening round and an even-par 70 in the final. The San Clemente High School graduate finished in a tie for 11th place with a 212 individual score.

 

–Matt Miller

Bred for competition

Sports Editor
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080421_sp_column.C

Headline: Bred for competition

By Michael Gehlken

Zephyr the Destroyer and the UC Davis Division I athlete have much in common.

Both train for months on end. Both have a strong supporting cast to push them to their limits. Both know what it’s like to have thousands of screaming fans cheer them on.

There is just one thing separating the two: Zephyr the Destroyer is a wiener dog.

On Saturday at Picnic Day, he was one of 96 Dachshunds to compete in the 35th Annual Doxie Derby at the Pavilion.

For some spectators, the 100-foot race may appear to be all fun and games. It may appear to be just a bunch of little dogs chasing a rabbit pelt on a string.

For Zephyr the Destroyer’s owner Bryan Wurth, however, it is serious business.

Wearing a blue shirt that reads in white lettering “Ask me about my wiener,” Wurth came to Picnic Day to win. His 15-month-old miniature Dachshund has been packing muscle onto its 8-inch, Isabella tan-coated frame since finishing third place in a heat at last year’s state fair. The pooch now tips the scale at 14 pounds, making it one of the heaviest dogs in the Mini Division.

“That’s one of his issues,” Wurth said concernedly. “He’s a little bit over his fighting weight. We just bulked him up too much – high protein and possibly too much weight training.”

Wurth has little doubt that the young Zephyr the Destroyer will someday emerge as a racing champion. Picnic Day 2008, however, would not be that day.

In the first trial of his heat, the brawny pooch failed to leave the starting box, consequently disqualifying himself from advancement in the tournament.

“This is his first enclosed box race,” Wurth said. “At the state fair last year, their race boxes were designed a little bit different. I think we were a little more comfortable in the other boxes.”

In the second and final trial of the heat, Zephyr the Destroyer appeared to be on pace to win the race, but he veered into the crowd when he was about 15 feet short of the finish line.

“Maybe next year we can prohibit any food items in the first three rows,” Wurth said.

While Zephyr the Destroyer’s day ended early, two dogs went the distance in Saturday’s competition.

Stubbie won the Standard League (15 pounds and up), and Downtown Beans took the Mini League (14 pounds and below). With the grand prize of two free nights in a luxury suite at Wag Hotels on the line, the two dogs faced each other in the championship race.

To get to the championship, the two dogs took two different paths.

The 5-year-old Stubbie has been racing for four years, and his owner Heidi Senitte has a clear-cut program set for him leading up to the day of competition.

“He hasn’t gone on a walk for two weeks,” Senitte said. “Other than that he usually walks 3 miles a day.”

Downtown Beans, on the other hand, has a much more simple approach. During the race, owner Jamie Madsen tosses around a pink racquet ball from the opposite site of the 100-foot course.

The 10-pound dog sees it from afar, and it runs like hell to it.

“Obsessive. Borderline psychotic,” Madsen said of the dog’s love for the ball. “She lives for it. A ball and kibble is all she needs for survival and happiness.… It really is quite an annoyance. We have to take the ball out of sight so she pays attention to us.”

Added Wurth, whose Zephyr the Destroyer practices with Downtown Beans: “We think the dog has autistic values.”

In the championship, it was the obsessed Downtown Beans who established itself as top dog, winning both trials by such a large margin that Stubbie’s owner was skeptical of the dog’s purity.

“There’s nothing we could do,” Senitte said. “We don’t believe in steroids.”

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the Doxie Derby does not test its participants for steroids, though it does require vaccinations for rabies, canine distemper and canine parvovirus.

Madsen had no response to the steroid allegations, and speculation looms to this day.

MICHAEL GEHLKEN expects a bounce-back showing from Zephyr the Destroyer in 2009. His camp is devoted to building more lean muscle onto his frame and feeding him a larger pre-race breakfast. If you have any training tips, e-mail them to sports@californiaaggie.com.

Hi, Aggie!

Opinion
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Remember when the world was a better place? I don’t, but I wasn’t alive during the 1950s. I’ve heard that back then things were great! Women finally won the right to wear pants. There was a soda shop on every corner. The only threat to society was bongo-wielding beatnik Maynard G. Krebs from the Dobie Gillis show. Well, him and communists. You know, because that whole Cold War thing was going on. The Soviet Union and Cuba just would not get off of America’s ass. But since no one ever dropped the bomb, things were pretty peachy keen.

In fact, things were so peachy keen in the 1950s that UC Davis served as a symbol for good old fashioned community spirit. According to Davis Wiki, the school started a tradition called “Hi Aggie Spirit.” Here’s how it worked: If you were on campus and you encountered someone you didn’t know, you were encouraged to say “Hi, Aggie!” Your new “Aggie” friend would respond by saying “Hi, Aggie!” back to you.

Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, “Hi Aggie Spirit” flourished. Everything was great – till Nam, of course.

Now we’re in the apathetic 2000s and there is no more “Hi Aggie Spirit.” Not only that, but Castro’s still alive (unless he happened to die sometime this morning but I didn’t know about it since I wrote this column yesterday). Anyway, we can’t let the commies win. Let’s bring back “Hi Aggie Spirit.”

I don’t know how difficult this would be to enforce. Although lots of random people on campus start talking to me out of the middle of nowhere, these people don’t have “Hi Aggie Spirit.” They’re not talking to me to be friendly. They strike up random conversations with strangers because they want one of three things:

My money: A whole variety of people want to take money I don’t have away from me. The CalPIRG people are the most persistent. Hey CalPIRG guy, when I tell you that I don’t have $5, I don’t have $5. Even if you follow me across the entire length of the Quad, a five dollar bill isn’t going to magically appear in my wallet, believe it or not. Seriously, I’m not going to give you $5. Really, I don’t have any money on me. Yes, REALLY.

My soul: Apparently a bunch of random religious people happen to think that my soul is up for grabs. Sorry religious people looking for some newbies, but inviting me to a religious ice cream social isn’t going to lead to my conversion. Thanks for offering free ice cream though.

More of my money: Guess what? Some people can’t take a hint. No, I haven’t pledged CalPIRG yet. You just talked to me an hour ago, remember? I was the one who told you that I don’t have$5. I still don’t have $5. Okay, actually I lied earlier. I have $5, but it’s not my $5 to give. I need it to buy my Coho sandwich. Although lower textbook prices in the future sound pretty nice, eating a delicious Coho sandwich with pesto mayo on it right now sounds even better.

What do you say, kids? Don’t you think it’s time to venture forth and bring some good old fashioned friendliness back to UC Davis? Try saying “Hi, Aggie” to someone you don’t know. Sure, people will almost certainly give you weird looks and start walking in the other direction, but at least you’re bringing friendliness and community into the 21st century. If you say “Hi, Aggie” enough, pretty soon you’ll be known as “that weirdo-freak who says ‘Hi, Aggie!’ to random people on campus.” And then people will start avoiding you. People these days just aren’t friendly.

Bye, Aggie!

 

If you’re not ready to say “Hi, Aggie” to someone in person, RACHEL SKYTT recommends practicing through e-mail. Send some “Hi Aggie Spirit” to raskytt@ucdavis.edu.

Going horizontal

Opinion
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I’m writing this horizontally, which is to say, I’m lying on my bed, typing with the laptop on its side. It’s Sunday.

My hangovers always isolate in the stomach. No headaches, just horned animals, knocking their heads together and scraping their hooves against my stomach lining. Sometimes the collision is especially violent, and that’s when I stop typing to stare at the wall, waiting for it to pass.

Who knows how I’d feel if I hadn’t vomited yesterday, twice. First, in front of Ali Baba’s, my head in a bush. Second, while face down on the grass near the Segundo Dining Commons, maybe 15 minutes later. I was resting in the darkness behind my eyelids, waiting for the cavalry to arrive, but my friend Ignat was worried because I wasn’t responding to his questions. By then the rest of our posse had gone home, taken the bus, as we had all planned to, until I complicated things by fleeing the scene toward Segundo, my mouth full of spit.

There are 11 dots on my hand, drawn with permanent marker. I don’t drink alcohol often, and when I do, it isn’t heavily. My tolerance isn’t high. But these dots were made yesterday in the hour between noon and 1 p.m., which is too much tequila too quickly, especially for me, a fellow who can’t handle himself. My friend Josh drew dots with me. But Josh didn’t have his head in his hands at Ali Baba’s while everyone else ate. Josh didn’t stumble outside to void his stomach into the bushes, or flee the bus stop while everyone else boarded. Josh weighs less than me. And Josh woke up this morning with 21 dots on his hand.

I stumbled downstairs this morning for a piece of bagel. The mess starts in the kitchen and spills into the living room. Beer cans. Shot glasses. You can’t put a dinner plate down without knocking over an empty fluid receptacle. It was 7:30 a.m. but my friends from back home were already gone, their makeshift beds folded up and tidy.

Neither of them drew dots on their hands but one of them cut his eyebrow on a tree, which tells you something. His name is Ethan and he was running, did a 360 and slapped a NO PARKING sign in midair before hitting a tree face-first. This is how he explained it; I wasn’t there to see. I was somewhere else, probably with my own problems, with my head in a bush instead of a tree.

My memory of yesterday is full of holes, and the chronology is broken. Ignat, who just came into my room, says I was dancing, not puking, when Ethan smashed himself. Then he asks if I remember Ethan hurting himself earlier in the day, which I don’t. This is what I do remember: Waking up. Drawing 11 dots on my left hand. Walking to campus. Doxie Derby. The Quad. Ali Baba’s. The bush at Ali Baba’s. The bus stop. Escape from the bus stop. The parking lot near the Segundo DC. The grass, up close, near the Segundo DC. Flinging myself onto the living room floor. Waking up a couple hours later.

It’s nice, that circularity. Waking up is always a good way to start anything, which is why hangovers are so wretched. They take that sweet moment, the moment when your eyes open but you don’t yet have to get up, and inject pain into it, terrible pain. This is why I don’t drink often, and don’t drink heavily. It isn’t worth ruining the waking moment, which happens every day as long as you don’t muck around with it.

There’s half of a burrito in the refrigerator – mine – a remnant of yesterday’s dinner. I’m going to eat it tonight, for the sake of circularity. But tonight is a long ways away, and the amount of work to be done in the meantime is staggering. Downstairs, Ignat is hitting some cymbals. Ethan is gone. Josh is gone. My other friend from home, Anthony, is gone. The kitchen and living room are filthy. Animal wars rage on in my stomach. In terms of consequences, yesterday was a complete disaster.

Yet we went through it anyway, and not without an idea of how things might end up. So what is our justification? I don’t know exactly, but I spoke to Ethan a while back, before yesterday, and I think he was on the right track.

“You puking tonight?” I asked.

“I’m down,” he said.

“I’m not joking around,” I said.

“I know. Why not? I’m not afraid.”

 

KOJI FRAHM hid his stomach contents around campus. Report lost articles to kcfrahm@ucdavis.edu.

“NOVA” to feature UC Davis professor

Features Editor
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The car of the future exists today.

At least that is what Andrew Frank, UC Davis professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering, believes. Frank is one of the many experts featured on PBS’ “NOVA” premiere of Car of the Future. The program will air Tuesdayat 8 p.m.

Car of the Future examines the evolutionary changes that make cars more energy efficient. Tom and Ray Magliozzi, co-hosts of NPR’s “Car Talk,” take to the streets to find which alternative energy vehicle can challenge today’s gas-guzzling, high-powered cars and become the car of the future – or at least replace Tom’s 1952 MG TD Roadster.

“The big idea is pretty simple,” said Car of the Future director Joe Seamans in an interview with “Car Talk.” “The world is consuming oil at an alarming rate, and we need to find other ways to power cars. The big question is what can replace oil?”

The Magliozzi duo tackles everything from giant automakers to Iceland’s involvement with tomorrow’s cars. In the process, Tom and Ray go through the advantages and disadvantages of energy saving technology, such as ethanol, hydrogen, more efficient engines, electric carsand hybrids.

This is where Professor Frank comes in. Known as the “father of the plug-in hybrid,” Frank spent about 25 years taking the hybrid concept one step further.

According to Frank, the conventional hybrid still runs on gasoline, converting only some of its gasoline to electricity. The hybrid he and his team designed uses very little gasoline.

“We designed [the plug-in hybrid] so that 90 percent of its energy comes from electricity, and only 10 percent of it comes from liquid fuel,” Frank said.

This is done with a large battery pack that can be charged from an electrical outlet.

“The reason we want to charge this from the wall is because … it’s equivalent to buying gas at 70 cents a gallon,” Frank said.

Add a larger motor and the plug-in has the advantage of an electric car with the capabilities of a conventional car.

“So we can build SUVs as plug-in hybrids, but the SUVs will run mostly on electricity,” Frank said.

Frank believes that energy-efficient cars, such as his plug-in hybrid, can mitigate the current dependency on oil.

“The value of the dollar has been going down internationally because we’re shipping so much of our money abroad to buy oil,” Frank said. “The plug-in hybrid gives us a chance to stop using oil and start using domestic energy sources.”

He also adds that these innovative breakthroughs can pave the way for global change.

“Once we shift from using oil to using electricity, we can start supplying the electricity by solar and wind,” Frank said.

Frank’s plug-in hybrid, with its method of using cleaner energy, would essentially tackle both problems and revolutionize the way we commute.

While Frank’s research has proven to be energy efficient, this technology is not yet available to the public.

“What we want to do now is to take the technology that we’ve developed here at UC Davis and bring it to the world,” Frank said.

Dr. David L. Greene, another featured expert on the show and corporate fellow of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, agrees with Frank regarding the need to switch from petroleum because of energy security and climate change.

However, he explains that the plug-in hybrid, like the other developing types of alternative energy vehicles, is not yet ready for mass consumption.

“The cars we need to achieve our 2050 goals are not yet ready for the marketplace,” Greene said. “I cannot see a major market share for plug-in hybrids, for example, without a smart grid for them to connect to…. In my opinion, neither hydrogen fuel cell cars, nor plug-in hybrids, nor battery electric vehicles can meet consumers’ expectations for mass market vehicles today.”

Yet he said he believes creating a completely new vehicle fueling structure is feasible in the future.

“It’s a huge task, but … it’s a cost we can easily afford over a period of 20 years or so,” said Dr. Greene. “We have to make up our minds to do it, and the technology needs to be ready.”

Green thinks Car of the Future leaves “the viewer with a sense that the problems are serious and that we must change, but still there is good reason to be optimistic.”

Frank remains optimistic on this front, as well. His next step is to try charging his plug-in hybrid by solar panels, something that has yet to be done.

“We’re trying to demonstrate that our car can run completely on the sun,” Frank said. “One day’s sun could give you tomorrow’s driving free.”

Maybe that could be the car of the future.

 

APPLE LOVELESS can be reached at features@californiaaggie.com.

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