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Story by Belinda Wong

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that long-time same-sex marriage advocates Lancy Woo and Cristy Chung, had broken up.

Woo and Chung told the Chronicle, "We remain fully committed to the principle that couples should be able to marry without regard to their sexual orientation, and we have been honored to be a part of this historic litigation," insisting that their split would have no legal effects on the case.

Last month, a California appeals court ruled that same-sex couples do not have the constitutional right to marry, leaving the decisionghts must be granted by the Legislature or voters. Attorneys arguing for same-sex marriage are expected to file a request today asking the state Supreme Court to hear the case. They said the breakup should not affect the case.

So a gay couple breaks up...Big whoop. How dare anyone say that that has any bearing on the issue.

Same-sex marriage opponents argue that these unions do not have "the staying power" of heterosexual marriage.

But why should it?

Statistics from this Web site show that the last-reported U.S. divorce rate as of May, 2005, is 38 divorces per 1,000 marriages per year, and there is NO mention of sexuality.

In April, San Francisco State University human sexuality studies Professor Gilbert Herdt published a report titled, "I Do, But I Can't," a study on the impact on the mental health of gay couples who are denied marriage.

The study concluded that due to the absence of marriage in the gay community, there appears to be a high rate of stress-related disorders, including what experts call "minority stress," or constant discrimination from a majority group.

The research also suggests that "married heterosexuals are healthier physically and mentally, and it's only logical to assume that gays and lesbians who are married would experience the same," Herdt said.

Citing that the "correlation between marriage and well-being is robust," the study says that "policymakers should be concerned about the impact the denial of marriage has upon the mental health and well-being of gay men and lesbians. We argue that this harm calls for immediate rectification of laws and policies to allow same-sex marriage."

Call me idealistic, but granting homosexuals that right to marriage just seems logical, not to mention, justified. Gay and lesbian couples should not be denied any of the rights that heterosexuals are entitled to, and it is a damn shame that there is even discussion about it.

Story by Khari Johnson

The debate over who is the coolest man in America has waged since George Washington Carver made peanut butter at the beginning of the 20th century. After all, who can say no to peanut butter?

Carver’s death in 1943 reopened the debate and today, any short list of who the coolest man in America is would have to include one name: Chuck Norris.

Some may dismiss Chuck Norris as a contender for coolest man in America, but there are a few things to consider first in this, a critical debate.

He’s chock full of old school and delivers impulsive roundhouse kicks to anyone he deems worthy of tasting his cowboy boot; and he’s way better than the Brad Pitts and Tom Cruises of the world. Tell those guys to grow the burly Norris chest hair.

Chuck Norris has kicked ass for decades, since a time when TV shows were scripted and rehearsed, and he did it all without selling no sissy-ass energy drinks like Steven Seagal.

He came to prominence in the early ’70s when he fought Bruce Lee in "The Way of the Dragon," which was staged in the Roman Coliseum. Lee eventually wins the fight against Norris’ character Colt, tearing a chunk of Chuck Norris' chest hair out in the process. This would go down in history as the only time anyone ever beat Chuck Norris.

Chuck performed in several trashy, but worthwhile, films in the ’70s and ’80s and in 1993 found meaning in his life as Cordell Walker in "Walker, Texas Ranger."

The show thrilled audiences for eight years before it was regrettably cancelled, today playing in heavy syndication. In 2004 Conan O’Brien installed a large “Walker, Texas Ranger” lever next to his desk to play random clips of Chuck’s show.

Today Chuck Norris is one of the most popular guys around. His name alone makes children smile. Not surprisingly, last August the top contender for a poll to name a new Hungarian bridge was the Chuck Norris Bridge.

He's clearly winning in the action hero category. Wesley Snipes was recently indicted for $12 million in false refund claims. Jean Claude van Damme, aka the Muscles from Brussels, got beat up by his own bodyguard. Arnold Schwarzenegger's the governor of California, but nuts to that.

Chuck Norris drove a powerboat (speedboat) sponsored by "Popeye's Chicken."

Chuck Norris earned an eighth-degree black belt at the age of 57.

Chuck Norris wrote a New York Times best selling book and he did it all while killing anyone who got in his way.

You could call it a reflection of society that Chuck Norris has risen to the top of the ranks, but I think Chuck Norris’ popularity signals a new day in celebrity and that’s a good thing.

The reality TV show has become the great equalizer in celebrity. Everyone knew Britney Spears and Whitney Houston were crack heads but it wasn’t until they got a video camera around them for longer than ten minutes that everyone understood.

Flavor Flav went from the bottom to the top with reality TV. On this his third reality TV show with VH1, "Flavor of Love 2", the show's season finale was the number two rated in the Nielsens on cable. And Flavor Flav wasn’t even an actor or rapper or anything. He hyped up the crowd with a fucking wall clock latched around his neck.

Mr-T’s new reality show, "I Pity The Fool" premiered two weeks ago. Need I say more.

Story by Kimberly Castillo

On Oct. 17, the college republicans wanted to make their voices heard at SF State. They held an “anti- terrorist” event in Malcolm X plaza in which they stood upon flags with the word God in Arabic written upon them. Jason Shuffler, a writer for Xpress who was at the scene, reported the following.

“This campus preaches free speech, but unless you are Republican,” Carl Clark, 22, president of the College Republicans said. “We don’t show up and protest their events.”

I’m sorry Clark but I beg to differ. Do I not recall your presence at the protest against the military recruiters? What about the “Killer Coke” campaign against corporate sponsored murders, in which your organization handed out fliers that said, “Enjoy Capitalism.” And what about heckling the promoters for the protest on the war in Iraq? I recall you all holding signs reading, “End the Commie Occupation.”

I should preface my perspective with the fact that I once did get into a screaming match with the campus republicans.

Some time around the May 1 immigration rallies, the campus GOP set up an anti immigration “bake sale.” An undocumented friend of mine who works at a campus café, approached their table, barricaded by overzealous republicans posing as border patrolmen. They had a sign offering free pastries to immigrants. My friend asked if he could have a cupcake.

“Can you prove that you’re undocumented?” asked one of the republicans dressed in army camo.

“Uh, no. Obviously I don’t have papers,” my friend responded.

“Well, then I guess you don’t get a cupcake,” said the border patrolman.

I don’t get it.

So I gave them a piece of my mind.

“Maybe if the U.S. didn’t fuck over so many other countries, immigrants wouldn’t have to come here and take the crappy jobs that Americans don’t want. They’re just trying feed their families.”

One of the campus GOP members complained about why the café in the student union had to be closed. He wanted an iced mocha.

“Maybe now you’ll appreciate the people you take for granted every day,” I said.

Now, my parents are immigrants from Central America so I admit- I’m biased. But I do have some (distant) relatives who veer towards the conservative party. I’m not adverse to political disagreement. I think a politically diverse culture can enrich our campus. But I feel like the campus GOP just shuts down every thing they don’t agree with. I’m sure there’s a more diplomatic way to get respect on a historically liberal campus. Stepping on people’s religious symbols isn’t the way.

“I definitely expected people to be upset,” said Leigh Wolf, the press informations officer for the College Republicans said about their rally in Malcolm X Plaza on the 17th. “But you know what? I don’t really care what they think of us desecrating the flags of terrorists."

They might want to rethink their PR.

Story by Melanie Heimburg

Maybe it’s my inner child that naively wishes for utopian harmony among people, but I always find myself amazed when a few jack-assed jerks manage to taint what could be a congenial social event.

According to SFgate.com, 10 people were shot during Castro’s Halloween celebration. I’ve heard and read rumors of reason ranging from gay bashing to gang violence and the number of injured people go from three to 10. In any case, the unnecessary shooting seems to have left everyone in a gloomy state of paralysis - which I believe has become a unifying mood lately. Just take a look at our living environment and add up recent trends that are out of our control: terrorism, AIDS, rising debt…. A shooting during the middle of massive celebration seems more sad than shocking.

Interestingly, city officials and the SFPD made an effort hike up security and stop the party early to prevent violence, which supposedly began in 2002. An officer I briefly chatted with voiced his obvious doubt about stopping the party early and despite the increased number of fellow officers, he didn’t seem convinced that Halloween 2006 would end without a glitch.

Simply seeing five or six cops at every corner did make me feel safer, but logic told me trouble would brew in the middle of the crowds, not on the sidewalks by the police. I guess heightened security meant stationing people in official uniforms at the party’s outskirts and not checking civilians for weapons. Sure, it’d be impossible and ridiculously time consuming to frisk each person upon entry, but my money’s on the fact that the effort would have done more good than harm.

Luckily, my friends and I managed to make it down to Castro - frisk-free – by about 8:30-ish. Instead of roaming the streets with the thousands of happily costumed partiers, our small group - dressed as Dalmatians and Eurotrash - simply indulged in pizza and beer in the safety and warmth of a market street restaurant. We spent more time trying to get home due to blocked off and overly crowded Muni stations than we did at the party, which I found ironic considering officials actually wanted people to leave early.

In fact, before getting word of the shooting while riding MUNI home, the most disturbingly horrible thing I saw was a baby. A couple, apparently both unable to secure a baby sitter and incapable of not attending the Castro party, decided to bring their 3-month-old to the streets, where random inebriates touched it to decided whether it was real. Seriously.

Wednesday morning at SF State yielded students talking about the violence instead of fun. And that leaves me saddened, wondering what is to become of my favorite holiday and San Francisco’s annual rite of Halloween partying passage.

Story By Mark Howell

I have been down to the Castro Street Halloween festival only one time in my life when I was 11 years old. My mom’s best friend dragged us down there and it was the biggest crowd I have ever seen gathered in once place. I am glad nothing happened that night like what happened this past Halloween.

If you haven’t already heard but there was a shooting at the Castro Street Halloween celebration and 10 people were injured in the gunfire. This wasn’t the first time something like this happened during the event because last year, four people were stabbed during the celebration.

This seems to be a trend and something must be done to stop the violence during this event. And city thought they had an answer to stop the violence by having 500 police officers and 10 deputies from the sheriff’s department in attendance. But if there was so much security, then how did they not see this coming.

The problem is that the festival is an open area and there is no way of regulating anybody that goes in and out. If they don’t want anything like this happening next year than they should just have this event held some place to hold a big crowd like at the Cow Palace. I know it won’t have the same feeling as Castro Street, but at least it would be easier to make sure everything is safe. If held indoors, then they can establish security cameras; metal detectors and police can know who goes in and who goes out.

Another thing that could be done is spreading the Halloween party throughout the city and not just confining it to one main street. There are plenty of other areas in San Francisco that can be used to hold the huge crowd of people that go to Castro Street every year for Halloween. It would be nice for each neighborhood to enjoy its own celebration of Halloween. And this way would be good because then you wouldn’t cram people into one area, which could lead to a lot of pushing and shoving or maybe something even worse.

There were also talks of canceling this event and I don’t think that will be a good idea because it is such a huge event that brings people together to have fun. The city can’t ruin a 40-year-old tradition just because people cannot handle their problems like adults. This is an event were everybody is equal, does not matter whether you’re heterosexual or homosexual. People come together during this event and listen to music, dance and meet new people.

I don’t think the city should ruin the fun for everybody by canceling this event because if you haven’t been down there, it is a place where you see a lot of interesting people and costumes and you see how really creative people can get. It can get a little crowded, but deal with it because this is an event that should keep on going because as adults we are too old for trick-or-treating.